“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
About Us
Serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and 10 Tribal Nations
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.
The NEEFC delivers targeted technical assistance to, and partners with, states, tribes, local governments, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and the private sector to provide innovative solutions to fund and sustainably finance environmental and climate priorities.
The NEEFC’s programs reflect the greatest needs of the 6 New England states including climate adaptation and resilience, stormwater and nutrient management, water system management and finance, and sustainable operating practices.
The NEEFC administers 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 is committed to building capacity in conjunction with EPA’s Southeast New England Program within EPA Region 1.
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
March Casco Bay Coastal Academy – Volunteers & Climate Action Planning
The next Casco Bay Coastal Academy webinar will be held remotely via Zoom from 4:00-5:30 PM on Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. The topic is municipal climate action planning resources for community committees, volunteers, and residents. We’ll be reviewing the process for climate action planning, providing tools, and hearing experiences from committee members from the region.
Biden-Harris Administration Selects NEEFC as EPA Environmental Finance Center to Help Communities Access Funds for Infrastructure Projects
WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 29 Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) that will help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction projects that improve public health and environmental protection. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the selected EFCs will help underserved communities that have historically struggled to access federal funding receive the support they need to access resources for water infrastructure improvements.
Featured Funding Opportunity
National Coastal Resilience Fund 2023 Request for Proposals
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Grant or Loan? Grant
Who’s Eligible? Federal, tribal, state, or local government, or private land with commitment from landowner to support long-term conservation. Projects must be located within the coastal areas of U.S. coastal states, including the Great Lakes states, and U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Purpose: To create and restore natural systems to increase protection for communities from current and future coastal hazards and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species. Projects must address one of three priorities: 1) nature-based solutions, 2) community resilience to threats from coastal hazards, or 3) fish and wildlife habitat improvement.
Eligible Activities: NCRF funds projects in four different stages and encourages multiple applications over time to advance one project through their pipeline: 1) Community Capacity Building and Planning; 2) Site Assessment and Preliminary Design; 3) Final Design and Permitting; 4) Restoration Implementation.
Project Example: In 2022, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services received $350,000 for ‘Building Capacity for Coastal Resilience Analysis to Protect Communities and Tidal Wetlands.’ This project will build upon state guidance to develop a dynamic sea-level rise and storm surge model for coastal New Hampshire. Coastal NH towns will use this model to test the effectiveness of community-driven adaptation alternatives for transportation and land use projects, as well as publish best practices for conducting alternatives analyses that consider future flood conditions, social vulnerability, and nature-based designs that protect tidal wetlands
Contact Info: If you have a question about a project idea in the Northeast, contact John Wright (John.Wright@nfwf.org) or Field Liaison Kim Groff (kim@throwe-environmental.com).
For general questions contact Jessica Grannis (Jessica.Grannis@nfwf.org) or Arielle Mion (Arielle.Mion@nfwf.org).
Applications Due: NCRF requires a pre-proposal due Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Applicants will be notified in May if they are invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals by invite only are due Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 11:59 PM ET.
Two New EPA Environmental Justice Grant Programs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Program
Provides financial assistance to organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health issues in their communities. The program assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships (e.g., with local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions.
Who’s Eligible? Nonprofit community-based organizations and partnerships of these organizations.
EJCPS Funding Available: EPA anticipates funding ~50 awards of $500,000 and ~30 awards of $150,000.
Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program
Grants to support and/or create model state activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health results in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks. These models should leverage or utilize existing resources or assets of state agencies to develop tools and processes that integrate EJ considerations into state government programs.
Who’s Eligible? State, local, or Tribal governments (to be used in conjunction with community-based organization partners).
EJG2G Funding Available: EPA anticipates funding ~70 projects of up to $1 million each for a 3-year project.
Applications Due: Applications for both opportunities are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 10, 2023
Looking for additional 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.
Casco Bay Coastal Academy Webinar in March
The next Casco Bay Coastal Academy webinar will be held remotely via Zoom from 4:00-5:30 PM on Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. The topic is municipal climate action planning resources for community committees, volunteers, and residents. We’ll be reviewing the process for climate action planning, providing tools, and hearing experiences from committee members from the region.