You may download the information on this page as a Microsoft Word document here.

The Environmental Support Center helps diversify, strengthen and transform the environmental movement by: 

• Building the internal organizational capacity of environmental justice groups, and
• Building the collaborative capacity of environmental justice groups, the mainstream environmental communities and other justice organizations.

We are especially interested in helping priority organizations and collaborations with:

• Planning
• Financial sustainability
• Technology, and
• Strengthening their ability to work with a broader range of constituents and allies.

To be eligible for the Environmental Support Center’s capacity-building programs, a group must be:

• Based in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Guam. From time to time we are able to assist groups in Canada or Mexico whose work is focused on a resource or issue that crosses the U.S. border, and
• A local, state or regional nonprofit organization with a significant portion of its resources devoted to environmental organizing, advocacy or other forms of community-based activism, or a support group that helps build the capacity of such organizations to engage in activism.

We define “activism” as working to change public or private sector policies or decisions that impact human health, the environment or community sustainability, though public education, organizing, lobbying, litigation and other strategies designed to encourage community action. 

Organizations do not need to have a 501(c)(3) federal tax status to be eligible for support, but they do need to operating as a public charity, with officers accountable to the community the group serves.

We do not support individuals, government entities (including tribal governments), national or international organizations or their local chapters, groups based outside the United States and it territories, for-profit businesses or short-term, ad hoc organizations.

Like every nonprofit, the Environmental Support Center has to make choices based on our mission, strategic priorities and available finances. We receive many more requests from eligible groups than we are able to support.In line with our strategic direction, we prioritize eligible groups that are also:

• Environmental justice organizations;
• Other environmental activist organizations working in coalition or alliance with environmental justice groups;
• Social justice groups organizing on environmental issues with a social equity lens, and who want to be allies or partners with environmental justice groups; or
• Networks or coalitions composed of environmental justice and/or environmental activist groups.

When deciding between applications, we also note whether the group:

• Represents our priorities, as stated above;
• Has limited resources (budgets under $500,000); and
• Is in a geographic area where we have dedicated or restricted funding.

At the moment, we have the financial resources for the following geographic areas:

• Groups engaging in freshwater work east of the Mississippi, or watershed groups working to improve the Mississippi River, and
• Environmental justice organizations in California and the greater Houston area.

Organizations in other regions of the country, or that don't fit our eligibility guidelines, are discouraged from applying at this time. Please check www.envsc.org in a few months to see if more resources are available.

How To Apply

1. To save time, we recommend that you send a detailed message or a short letter of inquiry to general@envsc.org, stating your organization’s needs and how it meets our eligibility criteria.  We will acknowledge your inquiry, and respond as soon as possible, usually within a few weeks.
2. If our staff thinks that we can help, you will be asked to submit an application (the form is downloadable here) along with an organization information sheet (the sheet is downloadable here).
   
3. There are no application deadlines. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please contact us with your inquiry or full application at least two months before you expect to start your capacity-building activity.
   

You may download the information on this page as a
Microsoft Word document here.

Home