Our mission is to provide innovative financing solutions that help states, tribes, local governments, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and the private sector pay for environmental projects.
About Us
Serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and New England’s 10 Federally Recognized Tribes.
Since 2001, the New England Environmental Finance Center (NEEFC) at the University of Southern Maine has worked to build local capacity to pay for the growing cost of protecting critical environmental resources and fostering resilient communities.
Our programs reflect the greatest needs of the 6 New England states including funding and financing of climate adaptation and resilience, stormwater and nutrient management, water infrastructure, and sustainable operating practices.
“High quality water is more than the dream of the conservationists, more than a political slogan; high quality water, in the right quantity at the right place at the right time, is essential to health, recreation, and economic growth.”
— Edmund Muskie, Former U.S. Secretary of State, Senator & Governor of Maine
The NEEFC hosts the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Network. The SNEP Network provides training and assistance to municipalities, organizations, and Tribes to advance stormwater and watershed management, ecological restoration, and climate resilience in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The Network’s mission is to meet communities where they are at, and advance their critical climate resilience projects to the funding and financing phase.
As part of the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN), the NEEFC is one of 10 regional centers supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Together the EFCN is a collaborative of university-based organizations working to create innovative solutions to the difficult how-to-pay issues of environmental protection and improvement.
New & Noteworthy
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am EDT
Location: Online
Upcoming Webinar : Applying the Watershed Protection Standard to Stormwater Control System Design
Developed over two decades of research and data collection, the Watershed Protection Standard (WPS) aims to reduce stormwater impacts by preserving pre-development hydrology to the extent practicable in development and redevelopment projects.
Implementing the WPS is feasible and practical when designers use site layouts and stormwater control management strategies backed by the latest science. Designed for municipal engineers and consultants working in New England, this webinar will share examples of site designs that meet the WPS and introduce a new calculator tool for quantifying credits for stormwater control systems using the latest modeling techniques.
Introducing the NEEFC Environmental Funding Navigator Tool
A dynamic, evolving resource designed to help communities across New England access funding for environmental work. The Navigator features an expanding list of grants, loans, tax credits, and other financing options to support your organization’s mission and project goals.
Featured Funding Opportunity
BRIC Program Update
On December 11, 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (BRIC) program was reinstated by Congress. Restoring BRIC allows state, tribal, and local governments to continue receiving federal support for mitigation projects that help communities prepare for natural disasters through large-scale infrastructure projects. Use the buttons below to find information for each state or click here to visit the FEMA website.
Looking for more funding opportunities?
What We Do
Outreach and Engagement
Community engagement, charrettes, and meeting facilitation that engages all stakeholders and includes their voices in planning decisions.
Technical Assistance
Training and assistance to municipalities, organizations, and tribes to advance stormwater and watershed management, funding and sustainable financing, and improve utility and business operations to achieve resilience to the changing climate.
Education and Training
Capacity building and education of state and local decision makers and utility managers in innovative
financing solutions.
Develop Young Professionals
Engaging student interns in projects to help develop the next generation of environmental finance professionals.