84113601

**Description:** This agreement provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in the amount of $7,000,000 as authorized by CAA 138(b).

In December 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) selected Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to receive $100 million from the $3 billion appropriation from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for the Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Block Grant Program under Clean Air Act Section 138.

This selection is a part of the Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program (i.e. 'TCGM' or 'Grantmaker'), where RTI will use $100 million to 1) make small subgrants to eligible entities through EPA Regions 4 - 7 that include grassroots nonprofit organizations and tribal and local governments and 2) provide additional support, coordination, and oversight to the subgrantees, applicants, and the other grantmakers.

As part of the IRA legislation, OEJECR also received $200 million to provide technical assistance to eligible entities, as defined in CAA Section 138, related to any grants made from the $3 billion appropriation.

$20 million of this technical assistance is being used to establish an interagency agreement with AmeriCorps to create the Clean Environment Corps (CEC) VISTA program.

Of this $20 million, $13 million will be sent to AmeriCorps via an interagency agreement and $7 million will be distributed to RTI as a noncompetitive award issued for the purpose of serving as the intermediary sponsor for all the grantmakers.

Project activities discussed in this funding recommendation will primarily focus on those covered under the $7 million noncompetitive award to RTI.

**Activities:** VISTA members with the CEC ('CEC VISTA members') program will be embedded with the regional and national grantmakers to provide technical assistance to communities applying for and receiving funding through TCGM.

The AmeriCorps - TCGM partnership will support approximately/up to 260 CEC VISTA members and approximately/up to 6 CEC VISTA leaders over a three-year period.

Members of the CEC VISTA program will also be considered members of the American Climate Corps, an initiative to provide Americans with pathways to high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs in the public and private sectors after they complete their year of service.

The EPA and AmeriCorps decided that one national grantmaker will serve as the intermediary sponsor responsible for managing the entire CEC program on behalf of all the grantmakers (both regional and national).

Centralizing the administrative responsibility for the CEC program with one national grantmaker, rather than using all three national grantmakers, creates economies of scale for recruitment and reporting requirements as well as process standardization for the entire program.

The intermediary sponsor will work with AmeriCorps, the other grantmakers, and any partners to the grantmakers to implement the CEC program.

Second, the intermediary sponsor will apply to AmeriCorps to implement a VISTA project, thereby creating less administrative burden for AmeriCorps.

Third, the intermediary sponsor will recruit, manage, and place approximately/up to 260 CEC VISTA members with 11 grantmakers and their partners.

Lastly, the intermediary sponsor will identify placements for CEC VISTA members and enter into agreements with grantmakers and partners to host them.

Once these placements are identified, the intermediary sponsor will design and implement a recruitment process for all CEC VISTA members in coordination with AmeriCorps and hosts.

The intermediary sponsor will also manage the programmatic, financial, and reporting requirements of the CEC program on behalf of all other hosts.

RTI will ensure that all CEC VISTA members and leaders will provide technical assistance related to grants funded under

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

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

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

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 United States

Single Zip Code

EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-25-00

Termination This cooperative agreement was reported on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) partial or complete termation list as of its last report October 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 12/31/29 to 04/29/25.