For more than three decades, the Environmental Finance Center has helped hundreds of local, state, and federal partners throughout the Mid-Atlantic region advance policies, programs, and financing strategies that achieve outcomes for people, places, and the environment. See EFC’s featured work below.
EFC's Featured Work
Region 3 WaterTA Program
The Region 3 WaterTA program offers direct support to municipalities, tribes, and water utilities in US EPA Region 3 to help them access federal and state funding to address water infrastructure needs.
Maryland Local Government Climate Action Support Program
EFC is coordinating with the Maryland Department of Environment to help build the local capacity of Maryland communities to plan, fund, and implement climate projects and community-based climate-related outreach campaigns.
Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Breweries
The Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Breweries Program offers free sustainability consultations to help craft brewers assess operations and implement practices related to energy, water, wastewater, air emissions, and cleaning and sanitizing – all while saving costs and improving brand recognition.
Rainwater Harvesting for Urban Farms
EFC is coordinating with UMD's School of Public Health, Extension, and USDA Agricultural Research Services to help urban farmers harvest and filter rainwater to nourish their crops and create more sustainable farms and resilient communities.
EFC Projects and Publications
See EFC’s work in action by browsing our current and archived (completed) projects below.
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2021Reaching Latinos in the Greater Riverdale Area
The EFC supported the Central Kenilworth Avenue Revitalization Community Development Corporation (CKAR) in conducting targeted outreach to the Latino community in the Greater Riverdale Area. The goal of the project was to assess community needs and develop tailored outreach focused on family and community health and wellbeing. EFC provided technical expertise in strategy development, focus group and interview design, data analysis and synthesis, and development of messaging and communications delivery mechanisms. View Project Details for Reaching Latinos in the Greater Riverdale Area -
2021Chesapeake Beach and North Beach Flood and Sea Level Rise Action Plan
EFC, in partnership with the towns of Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, facilitated a multi-phase project that enabled each town to develop and implement comprehensive flood and sea level rise action plans. The two towns are neighboring communities in Calvert County, situated directly on the Chesapeake Bay.View Project Details for Chesapeake Beach and North Beach Flood and Sea Level Rise Action Plan -
2021Connecting Capital with Pennsylvania Farmers Using Regenerative Farming Practices to Drawdown Carbon
The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (EFC) partnered with TeamAg to promote business plans for regenerative farming practices targeting Pennsylvania farms that are interested in expanding soil health practices. These farm business plans combine current U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) protocol with carbon tracking protocols such as COMET-Farm to help document carbon sequestering practices that can be converted to new revenue.View Project Details for Connecting Capital with Pennsylvania Farmers Using Regenerative Farming Practices to Drawdown Carbon -
2020 - 2024Nature in Urban Planning for Better Human Health
Urban planning, public health, and nature are intricately connected. Studies show that exposure to natural environments can reduce stress, improve mental health, increase social cohesion, and promote physical activity – all of which can attribute to positive health outcomes. Understanding the specific elements of nature experiences and their health benefits is crucial for tailoring urban planning efforts to meet community and public health goals.View Project Details for Nature in Urban Planning for Better Human Health -
2020 - 2022Resilience Financing for Maryland Local Governments
EFC partnered with the Maryland Forestry Foundation to develop an action framework and community engagement series to support Resilience Financing for Maryland Local Governments. This capacity building and education effort was designed to help local governments build resilience into their communities, particularly in the form of natural capital. Natural capital is the extension of the economic notion of capital (manufactured means of production) to goods and services relating to the natural environment.View Project Details for Resilience Financing for Maryland Local Governments -
2020 - 2022Integrated Water Planning Assistance
The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (UMD EFC) partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC EFC) to deliver integrated water planning assistance to communities. Assistance was delivered through webinars, office hours, and case study development with support from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water.View Project Details for Integrated Water Planning Assistance