84084201

**Description:**

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) will utilize the subsequent award totaling $95,000,000 in EJ TCGM funding to serve as one of eleven grantmaker organizations that are charged with implementing the program.

RTI will serve in the capacity of a national grantmaker (Central Regions) as well as the provision of direct assistance to Regions 4 and Region 7.

RTI will implement and deploy federal financial assistance to instill resilience to underserved communities inclusive of Regions 4, 5, 6, and 7.

This funding is the latter half of the bifurcated award that will be used for passthrough grantmaking activities authorized under CAA 138(B).

The RTI national grantmaker (Central Regions) will be funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) appropriations at the level totaling $120 million and divided into two awards.

The initial award of $25 million was made in August 2024 and the subsequent award of $95 million is slated for December 2024.

The bifurcated award is sourced from the same funding but will maintain separate but overlapping timelines to meet the overall components of the award.

The subsequent award includes award competition, selection and distribution of funds, capacity building and technical assistance for regional grantmakers and subrecipients, participatory governance and outreach efforts that will support the regional grantmakers in 4, 5, 6, and 7 as well as addressing coverage gaps that they may have difficulty reaching.

Gaps include, but are not limited to, remote and/or rural areas of the U.S. territories and parts of the contiguous United States.

OEJECR has also provided additional within-scope supplemental funding for each grantmaker to address quality assurance (QA), human subjects review (HSR), as well as provide funding for additional meaningful outreach and gap filling to remote, rural and hard-to-reach areas of the country, and territories that must be adjusted due to elevated travel costs.

Supplemental funds total $20M of the $95 million and will be used to support the successful distribution and completion projects funded under the subawards.

It should be noted that the initial award enabled the grantmaker to perform the tasks needed to plan and implement proposed participatory governance, outreach, and system mobilization efforts that established the criteria for the collection, review, selection, and distribution of the EJ Thriving Communities subawards.

The pass-through model developed by EPA is central to the new approach, as it allows the grantmakers to distribute smaller subawards to community-based organizations (CBOs) more efficiently than the traditional federal grants process.

This model will endeavor to ensure that underserved communities can access funds more quickly and with fewer administrative burdens.

The work previously conducted under the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program will be managed by grantmakers while allowing EPA to focus on assessment, planning, and project development.

RTI has extensive experience in grantmaking and providing technical support for equity-centered approaches that build collaborative environmentally based outcomes and will endeavor to ensure that EPA funds under the Thriving Community Grantmaker Program are managed and distributed to communities that are most in need of addressing health and environmental challenges.

By increasing funding access and reducing administrative barriers, the EPA aims to empower disadvantaged communities to address long-standing environmental justice challenges.

This approach aligns with the goals of Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, which prioritize equitable access to federal resources and emphasizes the need for inclusive decision-making processes that advance environmental justice nationwide.

**Activities:**

As it relates to EPA Region 4, RTI will partner with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), National Center for Healthy Housing, International City/County Housing, International City/County Man.

Research Triangle Institute

1 - CORE MISSION 1.3 - REVITALIZE LAND AND PREVENT CONTAMINATION 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 - RULE OF LAW AND PROCESS 3.3 - PRIORITIZE ROBUST SCIENCE 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 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 2.2 - EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS INTO EPA’S PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ACTIVITIES 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 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 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY 1 - A CLEANER, HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT 1.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING 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

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

Office of Grants and Debarment (OGD) [EPA - HQ]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2194 United States

Single Zip Code

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 12/31/27 to 04/30/25.