00I50001

**Description:** The agreement provides funding to JSI Research and Training Institute Inc.

Specifically, the recipient will establish the Mountains and Plains Environmental Justice Grants Hub ('MAP EJ Grants Hub') as the Region 8 Thriving Communities Grantmaker, acting as a pass-through entity to provide grant funds via subawards to community-based nonprofit organizations and other eligible subrecipient groups representing underserved and disadvantaged communities in Region 8.

The MAP EJ Grants Hub will include a council ('MAP EJ Council') comprised of community-based organizations representing all six states within Region 8 (and intersecting with Tribal Nations), diverse populations (ranging from rural, frontier, and urban areas), cultures, and environmental justice focus areas (including air, water, energy, land use, food systems, and working with youth).

JSI will introduce the MAP EJ Grants Hub program goals and objectives, outline the participatory governance structure of the MAP EJ Council, and obtain greater understanding of EPA's Thriving Communities aims and structures, identify key players to engage in the co-design convening, determine roles and responsibilities, and outline next steps.

Additionally, JSI will convene the EPA officials, JSI's staff, MAP EJ Council, and community-centric fundraising to engage in a participatory co-design process to determine subgrant application criteria for competitive subgrant applications as well as reporting and evaluation criteria.

Finally, the selectee will develop a quality management plan to apply to the initial and subsequent grantmaker award as well as collaborate with EPA and the national grantmaker to develop and administer QAPPS for subgrantees.

**Activities:** The activities in the initial award phase include the following:

Establish MAP EJ Grants Hub
- Establish collaboration and coordination with EPA (cooperative agreement)
- Co-design an equitable and inclusive grantmaking application and participatory governance scoring process
- Establish workflows with TCTAC and national TCGM

Engage in robust, diverse, and culturally responsive outreach to communities across the region
- Provide training and technical guidance on grant application and submission process
- Conduct workshops and presentations on grant application and award process
- Stand-alone materials and products
- Promote and maintain grant application and training products on the project website
- Deliver ongoing technical guidance throughout the grant application process

Select communities
- Establish criteria for selection of community sub-awardees
- Issue a call for proposals
- Select communities based on predetermined criteria

Implement subgrant management that reduces the burden on subgrantees
- Support and technical oversight to subgrantees
- Facilitate EJ community of practice
- Obtain and incorporate feedback from subrecipients

Evaluation.
Engage in monitoring, evaluation, and reporting that ensures the integrity, compliance, and impact of the program

**Subrecipient:** The Region 8 grantmaker will have partners receiving subawards on the proposed MAP EJ Council (10 partners), MAP EJ outreach partners (2 partners), MAP EJ trainer and adviser (1 partner), MAP EJ support (1 partner).

The partners' responsibilities are as follows:

**MAP EJ Council:**
- Participation in the kick-off application co-design convening
- Participation in scoring convenings
- Participation in quarterly virtual meetings
- Receive trainings on equity-based grantmaking principles
- Outreach/'in-reach' to network of environmental justice community-based organizations and other eligible entities during each open call period
- Ad-hoc input and feedback on materials, evaluation plans, and reports, etc.

**MAP EJ Outreach Partners:**
- Co-hosting webinars for JSI networks to share application information and guidance before each of the application...

JSI Research & Training Institute

7 - ENSURE SAFETY OF CHEMICALS FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT 7.2 - PROMOTE POLLUTION PREVENTION 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.2 - EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS INTO EPA’S PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ACTIVITIES

66.615 - Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGM)

EPA Region 8: Denver [EPA - RO]

Colorado United States

State-Wide

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGM) (EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-03)

Termination This cooperative agreement was reported as terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in July 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 02/28/27 to 04/23/25.