Environmental justice research is conducted through environmental justice groups, universities, and government agencies. In addition to the research conducted by the groups that coordinate the various environmental justice networks, there are a number of environmental justice groups that perform environmental justice research. Examples of such work range from a community health survey performed by the Environmental Health Coalition in San Diego to a conference on Human Genetics, Environment, and Communities of Color coordinated by West Harlem Environmental Action in New York. Community environmental health assessments support such efforts as do maps. Maps of some environmental justice problems in poor minority communities are available from the Environmental Defense Fund and the Environmental Background Information Center.

While researchers at colleges throughout the country publish studies about environmental justice, few conduct research that is lead by community groups. Successful community research partnerships use resources and funding provided by researchers and community direction and input provided by environmental justice activists and other community members. In addition to the universities noted under environmental justice training, a new network of university researchers at historically black colleges, hispanic serving institutions, and tribal colleges who work with environmental justice groups is being created through ACANET.

Government agencies have also begun to conduct environmental justice research in partnership with environmental justice groups. For example, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has developed the Translational Research Program to convert results from basic, clinical or epidemiological environmental health science research into information, resources, or tools that can be applied by health care providers and community residents to improve public health outcomes in at-risk neighborhoods. That effort included a report on community driven research with recommendations for researchers working with environmental justice groups. The Environmental Protection Agency has also begun to recognize the need for such collaborations.