When was the organization founded, what was the founding purpose, what were its modes of support, and what was its early structure?

The Center on Race. Poverty and the Environment (CRPE) was founded in 1989 by Luke Cole and Ralph Abascal. Both attorneys represented predominantly low-income communities and clients from diverse backgrounds, such as farm workers, people of color, disabled persons, immigrants, and students. 

Together, they created the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment “...to achieve environmental justice and healthy, sustainable communities through collective action and the law.” 

Their service area is centralized in the California San Joaquin Valley, where there are heavily polluted communities due to the proximity of intense oil and gas production and the agricultural industry.