This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act to support the environmental finance center (EFC) at U.S. Water alliance

Uswa will provide finance-related training, education, and analytical studies to help regulated parties develop solutions to the difficult 'how-to-pay' issues associated with meeting environmental standards. Uswa will educate state, tribal, and local governments and businesses on lowering environmental costs, increasing environmental investments, improving financial capacity, identifying appropriate revenue generating mechanisms, and evaluating environmental financing options.activities:these activities include: community identification and coordination with EPA and EFC network; assistance navigation and matching for each community served; initial context and stakeholder assessment from review of community data, utility resources, revenue, capacities, and needs; community engagement; develop a technical assistance plan for each community served; outreach and engagement training/education; decision-maker and board education ; asset management; enhanced planning and assessment that advance environmental justice, high leverage projects, model climate approaches, and innovating financing and structuring programs; plan development, design, and coordination for each community served; identify workforce opportunities; QA/QC plan development and coordination; oversight and advising for each community served; lead service line inventories and oversight, and advising for removal planning; funding and financing methodologies; rates and revenues analysis; identify funding and financing options; partnership and delivery approaches; application support; assessments, reporting, and narratives; policy, process, and program recommendations; align on mission and approach with EPA; assess barriers to funding access and one water approach among disadvantaged communities; produce national, regional, and state tools and guidance; develop field, state, and regional education programs; train and develop hbcu(s) for EFC designation; develop and manage an hbcu water infrastructure externship program; analyze and develop funding partnerships; inclusive, informed EFC management and stakeholder outreach; and assessment, administration, and reporting. Subrecipient:there are anticipated 8 subawards to be made under this cooperation agreement to the following subawardees: UNC EFC; delaware state university; southwest EFC at the university of new mexico; mississippi state university; university of maryland EFC; syracuse university EFC; wichita state university EFC; and engineers without borders USA. The subawards are planned to be used by a wide range of profession networks and technical specialists that are able to participate as needed in all proposed areas of work, such as funding application support, green and distributed infrastructure, alternative finance, environmental justice policy, owner's project representation, community-based organizations, and they will advance all milestones as needed. Outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include initial community intake; community to provider matches; initial reviews of needs, resources, capacities, and community data; TA workplans; local, inclusive planning teams, meetings and recaps, lists of community priorities; asset management trainings; asset management plans; system to identify innovation and leverage opportunities; affordability analyses; qaqc reviews on plans and scopes for communities; preliminary engineering report planning and output reviews; lead service line inventory and removal project plans; environmental review planning and output review. The expected outcomes include: more disadvantaged communities participate in water infrastructure investment; affordable, maximum return projects are developed and built; assistance is matched to communities needs and contexts; community capacity increases; and disparities in pro