The EPA Region 4 Environmental Justice (EJ) Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC), housed at RTI International, serves all the states within the EPA Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). UGA is the lead institution in Georgia, and our team includes community-based organizations such as ECO-action and VCI (Vulnerable Communities Initiative), as well as other academic institutions like Georgia Tech.
The purpose of the TCTACs is to help communities with their proposals for EPA and DoE (Department of Energy) grants. The TCTACs have been funded to provide support for the next 4 years (2024-2028) by offering training and resources to assist CBOs in successful grant writing. The TCTAC does not have funds to distribute directly to groups, but we can help identify funding opportunities from EPA (and DoE) sources such as the Community Change Grant and Grantmakers funding.
Some technical assistance that will be provided are:
- Identifying and applying for funding
- Navigating online government systems and tools
- Supporting partnerships with other EJ organizations
- Engaging with local and state governments
- Connecting with subject matter experts for EJ issues
- Connecting with university faculty/students
More information can be found here.