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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2008 (January)Community Financing for Septic System Management in the Inland Bays Watershed
This white paper report was the culmination of a year-long outreach and technical assistance effort managed by the 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 Watershed -
2007 (June)Growing Successful Watershed Organizations: Six Case Stories
This paper contains the stories of six watershed organizations considered "successful": the Charles River Watershed Association, South Yuba River's Citizen League, Amigos Bravos, Blackfoot Challenge, Elizabeth River Project, and Friends of the Mississippi River. Success was gauged by the organizations' demonstrated accomplishments and by their growth in members and annual budgets. The stories shared approaches used by organizational leaders to grow outstanding watershed organizations.View Project Details for Growing Successful Watershed Organizations: Six Case Stories -
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 -
2006Delaware River Watershed Innovative Financing Strategy
The Environmental Finance Center, through the support of the William Penn Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, launched the Delaware River Watershed Innovative Financing Strategy Project. The EFC and its project partners convened an expert environmental financing panel and identified innovative and scalable options for financing Delaware River watershed restoration and protection efforts. The panel’s work resulted in a financing strategy that enabled the William Penn Foundation and its funding partners to allocate capital and funding in a way that is catalytic and ultimately successfView Project Details for Delaware River Watershed Innovative Financing Strategy