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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2009 (March)Eastern Delaware County Council of Governments MS4 Stormwater Coordination
Properly managing stormwater is one of the most costly and complicated tasks we face today. The effort to meet the Federal and State Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program requirements presents challenges to state and local governments alike.View Project Details for Eastern Delaware County Council of Governments MS4 Stormwater Coordination -
2009 (January)Community Visioning in Prince William County’s Occoquan Magisterial District Occoquan River
The Occoquan District is located in Prince William County in the northern part of Virginia. Certain critical issues affect the Occoquan District, including conserving and protecting natural beauty and environmentally sensitive areas; expanding transportation choices to include public transit, pedestrian and non-motorized opportunities; providing housing choices that accommodate the full-range of residents from diverse social, cultural, and financial backgrounds; and supporting a broad array of business enterprises, including locally-owned businesses. View Project Details for Community Visioning in Prince William County’s Occoquan Magisterial District Occoquan River -
2008 (January)Community Financing for Septic System Management in the Inland Bays Watershedmap and photograph of the coastline
This white paper report was the culmination of a year-long outreach and technical assistance effort managed by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland (EFC), in coordination with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and First State Community Action Agency for the Inland Bays Watershed, located in Sussex County, Delaware.View Project Details for Community Financing for Septic System Management in the Inland Bays Watershedmap and photograph of the coastline -
2007 (December 1)Establishment of a Chesapeake Finance Commission
In 2004, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel issued a comprehensive analysis of the sources of impairments to the Bay's water quality and living resources, the costs to remove those impairments, and a series of recommendations to finance those costs. This report proposes institutional changes for the regional Bay Program to help all participating states with ongoing information about funding needs and opportunities.AttachmentsView Project Details for Establishment of a Chesapeake Finance Commission -
2006 (November 1)Diversifying Funding for the Chesapeake Bay Trust: A White Paper Report
Over the past two decades, The Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust) has served as a leader in funding the state of Maryland’s Bay restoration and education programs. However, as the demand for funding increases with shifting community priorities, the Trust must think strategically about the viability and sustainability of its financial resources.View Project Details for Diversifying Funding for the Chesapeake Bay Trust: A White Paper Report -
2006 (April)Financing Land Preservation in West Virginia's Cacapon and Lost River Watershed
The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, on behalf of the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust (the Trust), convened a financing charrette to assist the Trust in their efforts to develop a long-range financial strategy for protecting a particularly critical section of land in the watershed. The goal of the event was to develop the framework for a financing and implementation plan for preserving more than 14,000 acres linking an existing conservation hub to a national forest and a wildlife management area.View Project Details for Financing Land Preservation in West Virginia's Cacapon and Lost River Watershed