EPA’s Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance (CCER-TA) program to increase the ability of Community Based Organizations to apply for millions of dollars in EPA Community Change Grants through November 21,2024.

The goal of this Technical Assistance grant is to help eligible community-based organizations who have limited or no climate adaptation project design capabilities to access free technical support consulting services from architect/engineer/ landscape architect design teams pre-qualified and under contract with EPA. GZA is part of a CCER-TA consulting team led by Climate Resilience Consulting and is working on a conceptual greenway project now in Bridgeport, CT. There are currently CCER-TA grant openings in the Northeast and the Midwest regions of the country. 

Eligible organizations receive technical assistance for design, project development, community engagement, and partnership development typically with their municipality and other like-minded environmental advocacy and environmental justice community organizations. 

The CCER-TA grant program is designed to help you address the disproportionate impacts climate change and ongoing environmental risks that environmental justice communities are exposed to daily. Environmental justice communities are mapped as census tracts with people earning 80% or less than the state median household income, persons of color, indigenous peoples, people with limited English language proficiency, people exposed to environmental pollution from air emission sources from transportation and industry, and neighborhoods with vacant underutilized brownfield properties. EPA recognizes that these community advocacy organizations and residents have historically lacked the access to the resources needed to solve, counteract and solve these compounding environmental and social problems. The Community Change Grant Program seeks to address these inequities and assist in building community resilience to the impacts of climate change (such as flooding, droughts, and extreme heat) by helping to enable conceptual designs for climate adaptation projects such as green infrastructure, shaded landscapes, bioswales, parks and greenways.

The grant program offers a range of technical assistance services tailored to the specific needs of each community, including:

• Site visits and neighborhood tours to understand the problems
• Capacity-building workshops
• Environmental planning and conceptual designs
• Conceptual project design charettes for climate resiliency projects
• Support in pursuit of the Community Change Grant due November 21, 2024 and other funding opportunities 

Through these services, communities can develop approaches and plans specific to their needs. Rather than imposing top-down solutions, the EPA’s Consulting teams work closely with communities to co-create strategies that reflect their needs and priorities. The program also incorporates principles of equity into its technical assistance efforts, with the goal of promoting fair outcomes for all community members. 

The program also emphasizes the importance of holistic approaches to resilience. This includes addressing not only environmental factors but also social, economic, and health-related dimensions of resilience.

CCER-TA represents a critical step towards building more resilient and equitable communities. By providing technical assistance, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing equity, the program empowers communities to address environmental challenges and create a brighter, more sustainable future for all.

To learn more, view the EPA’s CCER-TA Grant website while openings for participating in first year of the program are still available. The EPA has made the grant application very simple to complete, understanding that community organizations can be intimidated by the complexity of federal grant applications. The EPA website has summaries, webinars, and FAQs to streamline the grant application process. 

Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program | US EPA 

If you would like to speak with a member of GZA’s CCER-TA Consulting Team please contact Wayne Cobleigh at wayne.cobleigh@gza.com

If you would like to apply for a Community Change grant before November 21, 2024, and need grant writing assistance, please contact GZA’s Sr. Grant Specialist, Ms. Rania Campbell-Bussiere at rania.bussiere@gza.com 

Change is uncomfortable for most of us. Taking advantage of this community change grant is well worth your time.