BOSTON (July 3, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Region 1 Office is announcing a grant competition for an "Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center" (EJ TCTAC) to help New England communities and other environmental justice stakeholders access federal technical assistance and resources to address environmental and energy justice concerns. EPA Region 1 includes the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and 10 Tribal Nations.
In April of this year, the agency announced $177 million in investments for the creation of EJ TCTACs across the country to help underserved and overburdened communities access funds from President Biden's Investing in America agenda, including historic investments to advance environmental and energy justice. Under this new Region 1 grant opportunity, EPA will again partner with the U.S. Department of Energy to build upon and complement the initial EJ TCTAC effort by focusing on delivering technical assistance specifically within the six New England states and 10 Tribal Nations.
"I am thrilled at this grant opportunity to have a technical assistance resource center specifically to serve New England communities as they work to tackle environmental justice concerns," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "New England has many forward-thinking people and organizations, and we recognize that many of our communities have solutions to the environmental challenges they face but haven't received the resources needed to produce results. Having a New England technical assistance center will help build capacity and access federal funding to advance environmental justice across the region."
EPA Region 1 intends to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Region 1 EJ TCTAC by the end of July 2023, and will be seeking applications from eligible entities interested in serving as the Region 1 EJ TCTAC. After the NOFO is issued, EPA Region 1 will provide links to recordings of past trainings and other resources for applicants including frequently asked questions which will be updated based on additional questions received. Further information will be included in the NOFO and will be posted on EPA's website and www.grants.gov. Until an EJ TCTAC grant is awarded through this upcoming grant competition and begins providing technical assistance to New England communities, communities will be able to access assistance through one of the designated national EJ TCTACs.
Background
Once awarded, the EPA Region 1 EJ TCTAC will be part of the network of the other EJ TCTACs providing technical assistance on a comprehensive nation-wide basis. With these critical investments, the EJ TCTACs will provide training and other technical assistance to community groups, nonprofits, local governments, and others to build capacity for navigating federal, state and private grant application systems, writing strong grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding.
In addition, these EJ TCTACs will provide guidance on engagement in governmental processes, community outreach, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants, removing barriers and improving accessibility for communities with environmental justice concerns. Each of the EJ TCTACs will also create and manage communication channels to ensure the communities they serve have direct access to resources and information.
Process
EPA Region 1 anticipates issuing the NOFO for the Region 1 EJ TCTAC by the end of July, 2023, having the competition open for 60 days, and plans to make the award by the end of the calendar year. The award amount will be approximately $10 million for a five-year project period, up to $2 million for each year.
Eligible applicants who can compete under the NOFO will generally include:
- Public and private universities and colleges and other nonprofit institutions of higher education such as community colleges
- Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (including philanthropic organizations)
- Intertribal Consortia – a coalition between two or more Indian tribal governments authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance and participate in self-governance.
Entities that have been awarded EJ TCTAC funding will not be eligible to apply for this opportunity. Further details will be in the NOFO.
The formation of the EJ TCTACs is in direct response to feedback from communities and environmental justice leaders who have long called for technical assistance and capacity building support for communities and their partners as they work to access critical federal resources. For more information on the EJ TCTACs please visit: EJ Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers program.
The EJ TCTAC program is part of the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network and delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. The new EJ TCTACs will help ensure communities with environmental and energy justice concerns can access President Biden's historic investments in America to address generational disinvestment, legacy pollution, infrastructure challenges, and build a clean energy economy that will lower energy costs, strengthen our energy security, and meet our climate goals.
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