Cultivating Healthy Environments Websites Launched (and Other Exciting Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program News)
by Laura Fudala
In December 2023, we shared the fantastic news with you all that NCHH would partner with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International as an “Environmental Justice Thriving Communities” national and regional grantmaker, part of a $600 million initiative made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. (Visit EPA’s project summaries and/or the EPA Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program’s (TCGM) main page to see an overview of the initiative and a full list of the 11 grantmakers [13 programs] and their partnering organizations.)
Today, we are thrilled to share that the Cultivating Healthy Environments websites are now live! You’ll find them here:
What Is “Cultivating Healthy Environments”?
Cultivating Healthy Environments serves as the TCGM National-Central grantmaker, the TCGM Region 7 grantmaker, and the TCGM Region 4 grantmaker, making awards to community-based organizations and other eligible organizations to support the planning, assessment, and develo
pment of community-based projects. These websites are the central location for everything you need to know about the programs. You can sign up for the newsletter and updates, watch a video about the program, review eligibility criteria, and ask any questions you have by email, text, or a call.
Each regional grantmaker will award $40 million in grants spread over the three-year period through a range of noncompetitive and competitive funding awards, from $75,000 for a one-year foundational support project to up to $350,000 for a two-year development project, with additional awards also available from the national grantmaker. More information will soon be available about the specific funding opportunities, application forms, and application gateway.
The initiative overall is designed to make it easier for communities and other eligible organizations to access federal funding and empower communities to pursue grants that address local priorities.
Who Can Apply for Funding?
Generally speaking, eligible organizations for TCGM initiatives include nonprofit organizations, local governments, tribal governments and intertribal consortia, and Native American/Indigenous organizations operating in the grantmakers’ regional area:
- The TCGM Region 4 grantmaking program serves eight states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) and 29 state- and federally recognized tribes and tribal nations.
- The TCGM Region 7 grantmaking program serves four states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) and nine tribal nations.
- The TCGM National-Central grantmaking program serves 23 states (regions 4-7) and over 96 state and federally recognized tribes and tribal nations.
This map from EPA’s website shows the regional breakdowns:
Source: The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program.
Where Can I Find Additional Information?
Below is a quick list of all 13 TCGM grantmaker websites, noting those with a first RFA open. We’ll update this list periodically:
- Region 1: Health Resources in Action (HRiA)’s Grantmaking Program (coming soon).
- Region 2: Fordham University’s Flourishing in Community initiative (RFA open).
- Region 3: Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI)’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (RFA open).
- Region 4: Cultivating Healthy Environments, TCGM Region 4.
- Region 5: Minneapolis Foundation Great Lakes EJ TCGM.
- Region 6: Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice.
- Region 7: Cultivating Healthy Environments, TCGM Region 7.
- Region 8: Mountains and Plains Environmental Justice Grants Hub (RFA open).
- Region 9: Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE)’s Grantmaking Program.
- Region 10: Philanthropy Northwest’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (RFA open).
- National- Eastern (regions 1-3): Environmental Justice—Eastern Regional Grantmakers (EJ-ERG).
- National-Central (regions 4-7): Cultivating Healthy Environments, National-Central.
- National-Western (regions 8-10): United Network for Impact, Transformation, and Equity in Environmental Justice Communities.
The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs) are also a great resource to explore for additional information and local technical assistance and training supports. The 18 EJ TCTACs also operate regionally and were designed to provide services in areas such as grant proposal writing, federal grant management, funding source identification, grant portal navigation, and more.
Finally, the Environmental Protection Network has some fantastic resources on their site that can help groups (1) learn more about the regional TCGM and TCTAC opportunities available to them, (2) stay current on open RFAs and grantmaker resources, (3) request technical assistance, and (4) prepare to apply.
Wherever you operate and whatever environmental issue you are working to tackle in your community, we strongly encourage you to explore what’s available through the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and apply. Thousands of grants are expected to be awarded across this three-year project period—don’t let this opportunity pass by!
Laura Fudala, project manager, joined NCHH in January 2014 as a project coordinator to provide a wide variety of coordination, research, writing, and support functions on multiple NCHH projects. She currently manages a New York State Department of Health contract and an EPA cooperative agreement that together provide coordination, evaluation, technical, training, and/or programmatic support for healthy homes stakeholders such as the New York State Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program and those working to support the launch and growth of large-scale, evidence-based, sustainable asthma home visiting programs.