Thriving Communities

Eligibility

Any community-based organization that represents or serves disadvantaged communities within the region are eligible to apply, including but not limited to:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Philanthropic and civic organizations with nonprofit status
• Tribal governments (federally recognized and state recognized) and intertribal consortia 
• Local governments (including cities, towns, municipalities, and counties)
• Institutions of higher education
• Native American organizations
• Puerto Rico and U.S. Pacific Territories, including Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands 

Note that individuals, for-profit businesses, and state-level governments are not eligible for this opportunity.

Documents Required

Applicants must create a Submittable account to submit the application questions and their application materials through the Submittable Portal. Required application materials will include:

• Organizational Information
• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) more info
• Project Plan (maximum of 5 pages)
• Budget 
• Performance Measurement Plan

• Applications Open: January 15, 2025. Request for Applications opens here.
• Information Webinar: January 29, 2025. Learn more here.
• Application Review Begins: February 2025
• First Round of Awards Issued: March 2025

Our submission portal to collect Thriving Communities Grant applications will open on January 15, 2025. Please join the Region 9 mailing list to get important updates and reminders. If you are interested in Arizona-specific training and opportunities, join our Environment Initiatives list.

Apply

Para obtener ayuda en español, comuníquese con nuestros socios de la International Community Foundation en thrivingcommunities@icfdn.org.

• This program is a $600 million investment in local communities to address environmental, climate, and environmental health issues across the United States and its territories. Funds have been made available through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and will be distributed to local communities for projects such as increasing access to green spaces, addressing needs like housing and waste management, and improving air and water quality.
• Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) is one of several regional grantmakers across the country tasked with accepting applications and issuing awards to community-based and grassroots organizations, local governments, and other eligible entities serving underserved and overburdened communities to address environmental issues and poor human health outcomes related to environmental degradation.
• $48 million of this amount has been designated for our region (EPA Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations).
• This funding is an unprecedented government investment in communities disproportionately affected by climate and health-related challenges. The program was established in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Environmental justice, as defined by the EPA, is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, disability, Tribal affiliation, or income, in developing, implementing, and enforcing environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This means that:

•  All people have equitable access to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient environment.
• All people are protected from disproportionate health hazards caused by pollution, climate change, and lack of access to green spaces.
• All people have the opportunity to participate in making decisions about policies and developments that may affect their environment or health.

• Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) uses EPA’s definition of disadvantaged communities, which are disproportionately negatively affected by environment, climate and health consequences as well as underserved by programs that can mitigate these negative outcomes.
• For the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Disadvantaged Communities map identifies regions that are eligible.
• Additional tools that can be used to determine eligibility include the EPA’s Environmental Justice screening tool (EJScreen), the Rural Community health information link, and other state-specific data tools, such as the ALICE Initiative.
• Applicants will be asked to confirm that their project will benefit a designated disadvantaged community(ies) by using one of these online guides.
  • If you are unsure whether your community qualifies as “disadvantaged,” please contact us at thriving@cfsaz.org or contact one of the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers.

• Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) is the EPA’s designated partner to receive applications from and distribute funding to organizations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.
• You can find the application, as well as details of federal funding – such as timetables and tracking spending – at ThrivingCommunitiesRegion9.org.
• If your organization is considering a project that spans more than one region, you may choose to apply to a national organization accepting and evaluating applications. Projects that span regions 8, 9, or 10 can apply at https://unite-ej.org/.
•  Additionally, if your organization has a conflict of interest with SEE, you may apply through https://unite-ej.org/.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting January 2025. Applications will be reviewed within 30-60 days. 

You can submit your application at ThrivingCommunitiesRegion9.org.

Our goal is to notify applicants within 60-90 days of their application whether a funding decision has been made.

If you have questions about your application, Arizona and Nevada applicants should contact CFSA at thriving@cfsaz.org.

• Yes, the EPA has designated 18 organizations as Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs pronounced “Tic-Tac”) that can help organizations navigate the grant application process, develop a strong grant proposal, and effectively manage funding.
• Additionally, these centers can help applicants with translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants, improving accessibility and lowering barriers for applicants.
• Each of the technical assistance centers will also ensure all communities have direct access to resources and information. For Region 9, your region, the TCTACs are:
  • Center for Community Energy and Environmental Justice (located at San Diego State University)
  • West Environmental Justice Center (located at the University of Arizona)

Entities conducting environmental justice activities in disproportionately impacted populations that are eligible include:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Community-based and grassroots nonprofit organizations
• Philanthropic and civic organizations with nonprofit status
• Tribal governments (both federally recognized and state-recognized) and intertribal consortia
• Native American Organizations
• Local governments (counties, municipalities, etc.)
• Institutions of higher education
• U.S. Territories
• Freely Associated States (FAS)

Grantees can address (these are examples, and other activities may also be eligible):

• Air quality & Asthma
• Fence line air quality monitoring
• Monitoring of effluent discharges from industrial facilities
• Water quality & sampling
• Small cleanup projects
• Improving food access to reduce vehicle miles traveled
• Stormwater issues and green infrastructure
• Lead and asbestos contamination
• Pesticides and other toxic substances
• Healthy homes that are energy/water use efficient and not subject to indoor air pollution
• Illegal dumping activities, such as education, outreach, and small-scale clean-ups
• Emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency
• Environmental job training for occupations that reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants
• Environmental justice training for youth
• Increasing access to healthy foods and green space through urban farms or community gardens
• Increasing access to the outdoors and outdoor recreation/education 
• Addressing emissions from vehicles through programs that encourage alternative methods of transportation such as biking
• Projects that address the effects of extreme heat, such as establishing and staffing cooling centers

• Grants are separated into types and range from up to $150,000 to up to $350,000 depending on the focus of your organizational priorities.
• Tier One will consist of grants for $150,000 for assessment, Tier Two will consist of grants for $250,000 for planning, and Tier Three will consist of grants for $350,000 for project development. In addition, $75,000 will be available for capacity-constrained community-based organizations through a non-competitive process under Tier One.

• A limited number of $75,000 non-competitive fixed-amount subawards will be available for severely capacity-constrained CBOs to access. See the EPA website for a fuller list of grant amounts and eligible activities.

No matching funds are required for this program. If you have matching funds for your proposed project you may indicate so in your plan and/or budget, but this will not impact your score.

The Thriving Communities Grant is a drawdown grant, meaning funds are distributed after expenses are incurred, processed as reimbursement rather than given upfront. If you’ve never applied for federal funding, partners are here to guide you through the process.

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA)

• Email: thriving@cfsaz.org
• Website: https://cfsaz.org/

 International Community Foundation (ICF)

• Email: thrivingcommunities@icfdn.org
• Website: https://icfdn.org/

Liberty Hill Foundation (LH)

• Email: thrivingcommunities@libertyhill.org 
• Website: https://www.libertyhill.org/

Resources Legacy Fund (RLF)

• Email: thrivingcommunities@resourceslegacyfund.org
• Website: https://resourceslegacyfund.org/