The Environmental Support Center grew out of a series of conversations between leaders of regional, state-wide and grassroots environmental advocacy and environmental justice organizations and their supporters among national environmental organizations and foundations that began in July 1988.  These leaders were concerned about the ability of state and local groups to sustain their vital role in advocacy for the interests of their communities, public health and the environment.

In early 1990, ESC was incorporated with the purpose of strengthening the grassroots environmental and environmental justice movements throughout the United States.  By the fall of that year the first staff members were hired and service to regional, state and local groups working on environmental issues began.

Among the first programs initiated was the Training and Organizational Assistance Program (TOA) which made over 3,200 small grants for capacity building to more than 1,800 grassroots groups and coalitions from early 1991 to early 2007. Through the 90’s, TOA had great success in helping groups with their short term issues. The ESC board decided that there needed to be a program to help groups facing major change.  In 1999 the Leadership and Enhanced Assistance Program (LEAP) began providing more intensive need assessments and larger grants over a longer time period and had benefited 73 organizations by early 2007. 

From the first discussions, ESC board members have been interested in assisting grassroots groups in establishing diverse and sustainable revenue streams.  Beginning in 1996 we started providing loans to groups working on gaining broader financial support through our Environmental Loan Fund (ELF). All but one of the 24 groups receiving those loans have developed new sustainable revenue sources and repaid their loans, and many other groups in our constituency wanted other tools to achieve their goals. In response, ESC created the Fundraising for Sustainable Organizations Program (FUNDS) in 2004 which is helping groups develop comprehensive fundraising plans tailored to their needs and providing them with small grants and loans so that those plans can be successfully implemented.

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