This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to social and environmental entrepreneurs (S.E.E.) as a regional grantmaker

The recipient will establish participatory governance through a community advisory panel to inform the grantmaking process, conduct outreach events to gain an understanding of geographic needs and provide technical assistance, and develop a thriving communities grantmaker subaward framework. S.E.E. Will implement a subgrants framework design that will provide flexibilities in the application process and a streamlined award process and fund projects designed to reach communities that are socially vulnerable, overburdened with pollution or experience high levels of environmental or health risks. The project will include extensive outreach in rural and remote areas, development of geographically and culturally appropriate outreach plans and creation of a community advisory panel to inform the outreach and grantmaking approach. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $8,000,000. Preaward costs are approved back to 5/20/2024. Refer to terms and conditions. Activities:the activities include: - establishing participatory governance by finalizing statutory partnership agreements and creating a community advisory panel - collaborating with statutory partners and the community advisory panel to develop a thriving communities subgrant program - begin conducting outreach to eligible program subrecipients across EPA region 9 subrecipient:this is assistance agreement includes subawards for community foundation for southern arizona, international community foundation, liberty hill foundation, native americans in philanthropy, and resources legacy fund will received subawards to aid social and environmental entrepreneurs with: - conducting outreach and program development and oversight - CO-designing recruitment, application evaluation, and award selection processes to formally award phase i, phase II, and phase III subgrants - implementing a robust communications and outreach strategy to ensure the program reaches environmental justice communities - those with the heaviest environmental pollution burdensoutcomes:the anticipated deliverables include establishing participatory governance by finalizing statutory partnership agreements and creating a community advisory panel, collaborating with statutory partners and the community advisory panel to develop a thriving communities subgrant program, and beginning outreach to eligible program subrecipients across EPA region 9. The expected outcomes include designing the subgrants program that will provide flexibilities in the application process and a streamlined award process to fund projects designed to reach communities that are socially vulnerable, overburdened with pollution or experience high levels of environmental or health risks. The intended beneficiaries include communities across EPA region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, american samoa, commonwealth of the northern mariana islands, guam, and 148 tribes).