13746193

Description:
This action provides funding in the amount of $4,000,000 for Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to provide meaningful engagement to underserved communities in the Southeast region of the United States (Region 4). The activities to be performed under this grant include identifying environmental and energy justice issues, including geographical analyses using GIS, air and water quality monitoring, personal exposure analyses, climate resilience analyses, and energy policy impact assessments.

Additional activities to be performed under this grant are to assist program participants with navigating government systems, identifying grant opportunities, applying for grants, and managing grants. The anticipated deliverables include documentation from outreach efforts undertaken, descriptions of services provided, number of program participants, tools developed, reports on feedback from program participants, program evaluations, number of improvements made to an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC), and the number of clean energy demonstration opportunities identified.

The expected outcomes include increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of grant among underserved communities, increased access to grant writing and management resources, and an increase to the number and quality of applications for funding related to environmental and energy justice from underserved communities in the Southeast region. The intended beneficiaries include communities throughout each of the Region 4 states: (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN). The outcomes of this project will include the increased grant writing capacity, increased community engagement, and increased produce yielded from the garden to benefit the underserved communities in the Jackson, Mississippi area.

Activities:
The activities to be performed under this grant include identifying environmental and energy justice issues, including geographical analyses using GIS, air and water quality monitoring, personal exposure analyses, climate resilience analyses, and energy policy impact assessments. Additional activities to be performed under this grant are to assist program participants with navigating government systems, identifying grant opportunities, applying for grants, and managing grants. RTI will facilitate community engagement and partnership building to address environmental and energy justice issues. RTI will provide translation and interpretation services with respect to grant program awareness and application, award, and management processes to provide program participants a meaningful opportunity to participate in environmental and energy justice efforts. RTI will facilitate formal hands-on training to build capacity, including strengthening human capital to focus on environmental justice and energy justice issues and fostering third-party 'community champions' (e.g., community advocates and volunteer leaders) to engage in decision-making process so they will be in a strengthened position to participate in environmental and energy justice programs and address related challenges.

Subrecipient:
The sub-awardees will be conducting CBO outreach in their states, being the primary conduit for technical assistance in their respective state, and participating in region-wide technical assistance (TA) events.

Outcomes:
The anticipated deliverables include documentation from outreach efforts undertaken, descriptions of services provided, number of program participants, tools developed, reports on feedback from program participants, program evaluations, number of improvements made to an EJ TC TAC, and the number of clean energy demonstration opportunities identified. The expected outcomes include increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of grant among underserved communities, increased access to grant writing and management resources, and an increase to the number and quality of applications for funding related to environmental and energy justice.

Research Triangle Institute

2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.2 - PROVIDE FOR CLEAN AND SAFE WATER 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 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 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 3 - GREATER CERTAINTY, COMPLIANCE, AND EFFECTIVENESS 3.3 - PRIORITIZE ROBUST SCIENCE 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 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 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JU

66.309 - Surveys, Studies, Investigations, Training and Special Purpose Activities Relating to Environmental Justice

EPA Region 4: Atlanta [EPA - RO]

North Carolina United States

State-Wide

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (EJ TCTAC) (EPA-I-OP-OEJ-22-02)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 02/29/28 to 05/02/25 and the total obligations have increased 125% from $4,000,000 to $9,000,000.