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Based in Washington DC, Sustainable Strategies DC provides local governments, non-profits, coalitions, and green technology firms with strategic consulting, federal advocacy, funding support, grants advocacy, issue campaign management, environmental legal services, and other assistance. Our focus areas include community revitalization, sustainable community development, infrastructure investment, environmental and clean energy technologies, clean transportation, brownfields redevelopment, and other sustainability issues.
Led by experienced sustainability advocates and government affairs experts, including CEO Matt Ward and President Andrew Seth, and boosted by strategic alliances with a team of specialized firms, Sustainable Strategies DC will help you obtain the results you seek on sustainable community and green technology issues.
Looking for project funding? Need support for a clean energy or environmental restoration project? Seeking a public or private partner on your infrastructure project? Trying to overcome tough legal, regulatory or environmental policy challenges? Do you need a strategy or assessment of your project's opportunities and how you might navigate the federal process? Want to get something done in Washington, DC? The team at Sustainable Strategies DC has a solid track record of helping organizations create and implement strategies that can help you secure resources for revitalization and tools for success in the green economy. Let us know how we can serve you.
Hot News & Issues
Archive: "Show Me the Money!: 2013 Sustainability Funding Outlook" Presentation
On January 10, 2013, Sustainable Strategies DC hosted the "Show Me the Money!: 2013 Sustainability Funding Outlook" webinar. The presentation discussed how local governments can prepare an effective strategy to secure federal, state, foundation, and private grant dollars and other resources for their community sustainability priorities in 2013. The webinar also highlighted a number of resources available for renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, smart growth, downtown revitalization, water infrastructure, and other sustainability projects. Click here to download a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. Click here to watch a recorded archive of the webinar.
Archive: "Capitol Offense: 2013 Sustainability and Community Revitalization Policy Outlook" Presentation
On Thursday, January 24th, Sustainable Strategies DC hosted a webinar featuring Jay Williams, the White House Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus that discussed proposed federal sustainability and community revitalization policies in 2013. The webinar identified policies and programs that the Obama Administration seeks to roll out, including expansion of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative; new community revitalization opportunities; comprehensive energy legislation; and other issues of importance to localities. Click here to download a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. Click here to watch a recorded archive of the webinar.
Resources Available for Local Sustainability Projects
The Funders' Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities has announced the third round of its Local Sustainability Matching Fund, which seeks to catalyze partnerships between local governments and place-based foundations to advance community sustainability initiatives. Seven sustainability priorities have been identified: climate adaptation/resilience, neighborhood sustainability, sustainable urban food systems, sustainability performance measurement, sustainable economic development, mobilizing resident/business sustainability actions, and recycling/waste prevention. The Fund will provide investments between $25,000 and $75,000, with a 1:1 match required by one or more local foundations. The deadline for applications is May 22, 2013. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Grants Available to Hire Police Officers
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the availability of its Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring grants, which provide 75 percent funding for newly-hired and/or rehired, full-time sworn career law enforcement officers over three years up to a maximum of $125,000 per officer. Grantees must retain all sworn officer positions for a minimum of 12 months. Focus areas for FY 2013 include hiring military veterans, deploying school resource officers, and addressing homicide and gun violence. The deadline for applications is May 22, 2013. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Planning Money Available to Revitalize Distressed Communities
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the availability of its Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants, which support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that transform distressed public and assisted housing, while supporting the surrounding neighborhood and improving residents’ health, safety, employment, mobility, and education. HUD anticipates awarding grants of up to $500,000 each. Eligible applicants are public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofits, tribal entities and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity. The deadline for applications is May 28, 2013. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Funding Available to Support American Job Growth
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Make it in America Challenge will provide $40 million in competitive funding to support the development and implementation of regional economic development strategies that accelerate job creation by encouraging insourcing by U.S. firms, fostering increased foreign direct investment, incentivizing U.S. companies to keep or expand their businesses, and training local workers to meet the needs of those businesses. Make It in America Challenge funding will aid:
- Public works projects that revitalize, expand and upgrade physical infrastructure that will attract new industry or encourage business retention or expansion;
- Technical assistance in developing new strategies and tools to make local economies more attractive to insourcing or retention and expansion;
- Technical assistance to companies looking to invest in innovative technologies, new products or services, or enhanced processes that will grow sales and jobs; and
- Targeted training and employment activities that support the local workforce needs of employers, move new and current workers up and along a career pathway, and strengthen America’s highly-skilled and diverse workforce.
Grants Available for Sustainable Transportation Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is making $474 million available for a fifth round of its Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants to help fund local and state infrastructure projects. DOT evaluates TIGER proposals on criteria that include environmental sustainability, livability and economic competitiveness. Applicants must request no less than $10 million ($1 million minimum in rural areas) and provide at least 20 percent match. Sustainable Strategies DC (S2) has helped communities win TIGER grants in each of the first four rounds. The deadline for applications is June 3, 2013. Click here for a copy of the RFP. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Funding Available to Conserve Land
In 2005, Wal-Mart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation launched the Acres for America program, a 10-year, $35 million campaign to conserve wild lands and wildlife habitat. Wal-Mart has pledged to protect one acre of conservation land for every acre occupied by Wal-Mart’s U.S. facilities. The Acres for America program provides matching grants to provide access for people to enjoy the outdoors; conserve critical habitats for birds, fish, plants, and wildlife; connect existing protected lands to unify wild places and protect migration routes; and ensure the future of rural economies that depend on forestry, ranching and recreation. The deadline for pre-proposals is June 3, 2013; full proposals are due August 1, 2013. Click here for a copy of the RFP. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Grants Available to Help Communities Expand Manufacturing
The Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership seeks to help localities create strategies and action plans to revitalize manufacturing. EDA will give up to 25 communities $200,000 planning grants to partner with the private sector and academic institutions to (a) identify manufacturing clusters that, if better developed, could make their region uniquely competitive in manufacturing, exports and workforce development; (b) identify how to build on your region’s existing assets for manufacturing growth; and (c) use EDA funds to create a strategy and implementation plan for building these manufacturing assets. Communities must meet EDA economic distress criteria, and demonstrate the ability to create and retain jobs. Sustainable Strategies DC has been closely involved in the development of the Obama Administration’s manufacturing initiatives. The deadline for applications is June 13, 2013. Click here for a copy of the RFP. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Funding Available for Green Economic Development Projects
EDA's Public Works Program provides grants to support job creation in economically distressed areas of the United States. EDA grants can support local renewable energy, green building, energy efficiency, and recycling projects. The next EDA funding cycle deadline is June 13, 2013 for funding cycle 4 of FY 2013. Click here for a copy of the RFP. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Grants Available to Promote Urban and Community Forestry
The U.S. Forest Service’s National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost-Share Grants provide 1:1 funding to local governments, tribal agencies and non-profit organizations for innovative projects that support urban forests. Priority areas for the FY 2014 competition include: making urban trees and forests more resilient to the impacts of natural disasters and the long-term impacts of climate change; green infrastructure jobs analysis; and utilizing green infrastructure to manage and mitigate stormwater to improve water quality. Projects must have widespread impact, and produce results that are replicable at a national or regional scale. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2013. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Grants Available for Wetlands Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Standard Grants Program provides competitive, matching grants to support public-private partnerships that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. These projects must involve long-term protection, restoration and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of migratory birds. FWS will consider grant requests between $75,001 and $1 million. Applicants must match their grant request at no less than a 1-to-1 ratio. The deadline for applications is July 26, 2013. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
$750 Million Authorized in FY 2013 for Transportation Loans, Lines of Credit and Loan Guarantees
The DOT's Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program provides secured loans, lines of credit and loan guarantees for eligible surface transportation projects. Eligible projects include highways, transit and intermodal, passenger rail, and intelligent transportation systems. Generally, the minimum size for TIFIA projects is $50 million ($25 million in rural communities). The recently signed transportation reauthorization legislation - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) - authorizes $750 million for the TIFIA program in FY 2013, a significant boost above the FY 2012 level of $120 million. Entities wishing to apply for TIFIA credit assistance must first submit a Letter of Interest. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com.
Bonds Available for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $3.2 billion in bond volume for the Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECB). QECBs are debt instruments that states, local governments and tribes can issue at extremely low rates to fund energy conservation projects, including energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy installations, green community programs, and public education campaigns. Each state received a QECB allocation proportionate to its population, which was subsequently sub-allocated to their largest local governments (cities and counties of 100,000 population or more). While a number of localities have successfully used QECBs, much of the $3.2 billion allocation remains unissued. In most states, cities and counties interested in funding energy projects with QECBs can still tap into unused allocations. Click here for more information. Contact Andrew Seth at (202) 261-9881 or andrew.seth@strategiesdc.com for additional details.
