Region 3 TCTAC

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center Programs

What is the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (EJ TCTAC)?

The EJ TCTAC Program is part of the Environmental Protection Agency's Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program that is working towards a holistic government-wide framework for providing technical assistance and capacity building resources those most in need to improve and foster thriving communities throughout the country. Region 1 and Region 8 are currently in the TCTAC grant competition phase.

Currently, EPA has selected 16 EJ TCTACs in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy that will receive $177 million to help underserved and overburdened communities across the country. The National Wildlife Federation (Environmental Justice, Health and Community Revitalization Program, Climate and Energy Program and Choose Clean Water Coalition), in partnership with the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH) and Environmental Finance Center (EFC) and multiple community-based partners, recently received a $12MM award from EPA to serve as the Region III TCTAC.

Our Mission

Core partners NWF, UMD CEEJH and UMD EFC, will lead a Mid-Atlantic Thriving Communities Hub (MATCH) to be an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center for EPA Region 3, serving the states of DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV and DC. We will work closely with multiple community-based partners as core partners selected due to their experience and expertise in environmental and energy justice work. Using a ‘hub’ approach, the core partners will act as ‘core hubs’, and the community-based ‘hubs’ will allow for service delivery to be more accessible to potential program participants, both geographically as well as culturally, due to their on-the-ground community presence. The community hubs include:

1. Centro De Apoyo Familiar (CAF);
2. Empower DC;
3. South Baltimore Community Land Trust (SBCLT);
4. Overbrook Environmental Education Center;
5. Sussex Health & Environmental Network (SHEN)/Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health (SESH);
6. Morgan State University (MSU);
7. West Virginia State University (WVSU);
8. Urbankind Institute;
9. Appalachian Voices; and
10. Virginia State University.

Our Goals

The goals of the Region III EJ TCTAC are to:

1. Provide outreach to underserved, overburdened, rural, and capacity constrained communities in Region III to receive technical assistance;
2. Deliver technical assistance to increase the capacity of Hubs and communities of concern in Region III to assess environmental and energy justice concerns;
3. Deliver training and technical assistance to increase the capacity of underserved, overburdened, rural, and capacity constrained communities in Region III to obtain funding to address environmental and energy justice issues; and
4. Deliver technical assistance to increase hub and community capacity to engage policymakers, government agencies, and industry in projects, programs, and initiatives that will address local environmental and energy justice issues in Region III.  We will also work in partnership with TCTACs around the country to assist as needed.

Upcoming Events

Join the Overbrook Environmental Education Center for an engaging three-day symposium at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA from October 17-19, 2024.

This event will bring together community-based organizations (CBOs), frontline communities, and resource-challenged organizations seeking technical assistance and funding support from environmental and climate experts, government agencies, and philanthropic funders.

Attendees will gain valuable insights on how to apply for grant funding, access IRA-funded projects, and receive support from Grantmakers and the EJ Thriving Community Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC). Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with local agencies offering capacity-building resources.

Location: The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103

For more info or questions, contact: events@overbrookcenter.org or call (215) 879-7770

Contact Us

If you are an Environmental Justice community organization or individual in Region III seeking technical assistance, interested in offering pro-bono services, or a member of the media/press, click “Get Started” to begin.

If you're unable to submit a form, please give us a call at: (202) 792-5350 or 1-800-757-1405

Note: Assistance offered through this hub may not give rise to a conflict of interest on the part of the hub, organizations or contractors supporting the hub, and/or National Wildlife Federation. For example, a conflict would arise if/when an employee, officer, or agent of the hub and/or NWF, a member of their immediate family, their partners, or an organization employing them, has a financial or other interest in, or stands to personally benefit from, offering assistance through the hub to any recipient, or any business that might be engaged as a result of that assistance.

If you are interested in requesting a speaker representing EPA’s Region 3 TCTAC for your organization’s event, please complete this form.

List of Project Partners

National Wildlife Federation (Environmental Justice, Health and Community Revitalization Program, Climate and Energy Program and Choose Clean Water Coalition), University of Maryland’s (UMD) Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH) and Environmental Finance Center (EFC), Morgan State University, West Virginia State University; Centro De Apoyo Familiar, Empower DC, South Baltimore Community Land Trust, Overbrook Environmental Education Center, Sussex Health & Environmental Network/Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health, Urbankind Institute, Appalachian Voices, Virginia State University.