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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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 (July)Cambridge Residential Stewardship Initiative II
Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay ProgramThe Nanticoke Watershed Alliance received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to complete a second phase of work in Cambridge, Maryland. The first project, funded by NFWF in 2016, determined the willingness of residential property owners to learn about and install stormwater best management practices (BMPs) on their properties. Phase I was a success with ten residential BMP installations now in place as a result of the effort.View Project Details for Cambridge Residential Stewardship Initiative II -
2019 - 2022Getting the MOST for Maryland Black Mayors
EFC, in partnership with Maryland Black Mayors, Inc. (MBM) created a training program to educate and better connect MBM elected officials and staff with stormwater management solutions. The training program includes in-person workshops, MOST Center online courses, facilitated peer-to-peer discussion forums, and matchmaking with local watershed groups and technical service providers.View Project Details for Getting the MOST for Maryland Black Mayors -
2019 - 2020Financing Urban Tree Canopy Programs
EFC partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to develop Financing Urban Tree Canopy Programs: Guidebook for Local Governments in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This resource is the result of a year-long collaboration between EFC and the Alliance, along with additional partners including the USDA Forest Service, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), and the Chesapeake Bay Program Forestry Workgroup. It draws on input from representatives of local and state government from every jurisdiction in the Bay Watershed.View Project Details for Financing Urban Tree Canopy Programs -
2018 -2019Montgomery County Stormwater Outreach
With support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection Fund, the EFC provided stormwater education and outreach to residents in Montgomery county, Maryland. The EFC worked with five communities - McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls Civic Association, Wheaton Hills Civic Association, Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association, Rosemary Hills Neighbors Association, and Parkside Condominiums Homeowners’ Association - to address issues such as pet waste management, litter reduction, and pesticide reduction.View Project Details for Montgomery County Stormwater Outreach -
2018 (January)Advancing Resilience-Supportive Economic Development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay ProgramView Project Details for Advancing Resilience-Supportive Economic Development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore