Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC)
Prairie Rivers Network is a proud supporter of the Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC).
The Great Lakes TCTAC provides support to communities and organizations on navigating funding opportunities to access the resources they need to lead in the clean energy transition, pollution clean-up, and green workforce development.
Prairie Rivers Network is bringing the work of the Great Lakes TCTAC to Illinois communities through a partnership with TCTAC partner University of Illinois Extension.
Request Support!
Does your community or organization need technical assistance in identifying, learning about, or navigating state and federal grants for energy, pollution cleanup, or environmental projects? If so, visit the Great Lakes TCTAC Website and fill out the intake form to request support:
Our region (USEPA Region 5) is also supported by the BIG Environmental Justice TCTAC, located in Chicago, IL. This organization also provides technical assistance and training to communities navigating environmental justice concerns. Visit their website here to learn more.
Resources for Grants!
The TCTAC Website has some great resources on applying for grants and you can visit the resource page here. Below we have also compiled some additional resources prepared by Prairie Rivers Network and Great Lakes TCTAC partners.
Funding Opportunity Fact Sheets and Blogs from PRN
- Funding opportunities from the Illinois Climate Bank, including grants and loans for clean energy.
- Lead Service Line Funding Blog Post
- Climate Resilience Blog, with funding opportunities for Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation
- Electric Vehicle and Sustainable Transportation Funding
- Water Infrastructure Funding
- Solar Resources
- Energy Transition Community Grant
- Great Lakes TCTAC
- ISFA EJ Self-Designation
- Community Benefits Agreement
- Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunity
Thriving Communities Webinar Series
- Community Change Grants
- The Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program has funded environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities. These activities have included projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.
- BRIC & FMA Grants
- Dr. Trent Ford, the state climatologist, covered the future impacts of climate change on Illinois, while the state mitigation officer explained how the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant can fund projects in your community to mitigate these natural hazards.
- Illinois Climate Bank
- The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) was recently designated as the Illinois Climate Bank. In this role, they will provide funding and programs for communities to advance clean energy and climate resilience. This webinar will cover the following opportunities:
- Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Program
- Grid Resilience Grants Funding Opportunity
- Illinois Climate Bank Bridge Loan program
- Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program
- The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)
- The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) was recently designated as the Illinois Climate Bank. In this role, they will provide funding and programs for communities to advance clean energy and climate resilience. This webinar will cover the following opportunities:
- Water Infrastructure Funding
- Learn how your community can use the State Revolving Fund and USDA water programs to upgrade and maintain its aging water infrastructures. Equitable access to clean and affordable drinking water starts with an efficient water treatment plant and well-maintained distribution lines. These funding opportunities are vital to ensuring our small rural communities can stay ahead of emerging contaminants and legacy water pollution.
- Nidhan Singh, from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, shared how the State Revolving Fund can be used to fund both drinking water and wastewater projects and Jean Crowley, from the United States Department of Agriculture, presented on water and wastewater grants provided by their agencies.
- Funding Opportunities for Energy and the Environment
- The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program, administered by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) supports clean energy projects that benefit rural and remote communities by providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy. These projects aim to build energy independence, increase tax revenue, stimulate economic development, and create local jobs. This program is available to communities with populations of 10,000 or fewer. It includes up to $400 million in funding, with individual grant awards ranging from a minimum of $2 million to a maximum of $50 million.
- The EPA offers several grant opportunities to revitalize brownfields – properties that are abandoned or underutilized and may contain hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, which can hinder redevelopment, expansion, or reuse. These programs support the cleanup and revitalization of these properties. This enables their reuse to generate community benefits such as job growth, increased tax revenue, and new economic development opportunities.
- Using community benefits to promote local economic development
- Your community is not at the whim of renewable energy developers. Companies who want to build in your area are often obligated to partner with you to provide economic and community development benefits. Join this webinar to learn more about these Community Benefits programs and how you can make sure renewable energy projects support your community beyond the energy they produce! During this webinar experts discussed the three types of Community Benefits programs: Community Benefit Agreements, Plans, and Ordinances and provide examples of the types of benefits your community can receive.
- Community Benefit Agreements are a legal contract between a community coalition and a developer which outline the benefits the developer will provide to the broader community in exchange for support of the project. Community Benefit Plans are created by companies as part of Department of Energy and other federal funding applications. Communities can also create ordinances that require Community Benefit Agreements for developments that meet certain criteria.
Register for upcoming webinars here!
Grant Registration and Writing Training Opportunities
- A Systems for Award Management (SAM) registration is required to apply for and receive federal funds. Watch this webinar on how to register for SAM.gov. You can also register for the Environmental Protection Network’s next SAM.gov office hours here.
- The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has a lot of resources and training videos available for folks learning to apply for state grants and navigate the state GATA portal.
- If you are writing your first federal grant application, or need a federal grant writing refresher, this two-hour webinar from the Environmental Protection Network for early-career grant developers and project leads can help.
Other Technical Assistance Available to help communities tackle energy, water, and environmental projects.
