News
Start Where Communities Are: How Local Infrastructure Hub Cohorts Build Local Capacity to Access Federal Funding
by Anita M. Tillman, AMCorp International Navigating the complex landscape of infrastructure needs and federal funding opportunities can often feel like you’re lost in an intricate maze without a map. You understand the corners and contours of your community, you’re attuned to its challenges and potential, and yet, transforming those needs into actionable projects feels…
Read MoreCelebrating Growth and Progress: A Rundown of SSDN’s Federal Funding Programs
We are excited to continue strengthening our capacity to support for local communities in accessing federal resources! Two years ago, SSDN launched the Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center (SSRC), a member-focused support program for local governments with the goal of increasing access to federal funding and resources to advance sustainability and equity. Building on SSDN’s peer-to-peer…
Read MoreSSDN Launches Local Infrastructure Hub Cohorts Program to Deepen Support for Southeast Communities’ Access to Federal Funding
The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network has officially launched a new program as part of a broader effort to provide deeper support to communities who need additional capacity to access federal funding. The Local Infrastructure Hub (LIH) Regional Cohorts program provides direct support and technical assistance (TA) to local governments and their partners in the Midwest…
Read MoreLittle Rock, Arkansas: Our First Annual Meeting West of the Mississippi!
SSDN has made a commitment to support the City of Little Rock’s recovery efforts in light of the devastating tornado that hit the city on March 31, 2023. Please consider donating here to the Little Rock Cares tornado relief fund. “So many contacts, so many ideas, so many good vibes.” “SSDN is the best…
Read MoreThe Race to Equitable and Inclusive Investment in Frontline Communities
Register here to Attend the Upcoming Collaborative Webinar with USDN and Justice40 Accelerator, EPN, and Anthropocene Alliance on March 2nd! Under the Biden-Harris Administration we are witnessing once-in-a-lifetime investment to improve America’s crumbling infrastructure, increase climate adaptation and resilience, and expand renewable energies, energy efficiency, and climate and environmental justice. This unprecedented funding is being…
Read MoreAchieving our vision for community-driven climate work in the Southeast
by Meg Jamison, Executive Director In 2017, when SSDN set out to equip local governments to execute on a new program focus, we could not have known the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic would impose on our work – nor could we have imagined the creative ways our grantees and partners would overcome those challenges.…
Read MoreEPA Awards SSDN with Multi-Environmental Media Environmental Finance Grant (EFC) for Region 4
SSDN to expand its Southeast Sustainable Recovery Center to serve local communities across the region with support for accessing federal funding. Reference: Press Release from Biden-Harris Administration Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s selection of Environmental Finance Centers around the country. Environmental Finance Centers provide technical assistance to communities to access…
Read MoreCommunity partnerships power the City of Durham’s successful energy efficiency and home repair program
On a hot and humid afternoon in the summer of 2019, a severe thunderstorm hit Durham, North Carolina. Heavy winds lashed the area, felling large trees that blocked roads and damaged homes. The storm dropped vast amounts of rain that left many residential yards looking more like swamps than places for kids to play and…
Read MoreLocal Government Leaders Weigh in with NC Utilities Commission on State Carbon Plan
Seven mayors and a County Commission Chairwoman representing local governments and communities across North Carolina submitted a letter to the N.C. Utilities Commission (NCUC), sharing comments and recommendations regarding the state’s Carbon Plan, which must be developed and approved by December 31, 2022. The Town of Boone, Town of Chapel Hill, Chatham County, City…
Read MoreEquipping vulnerable communities to navigate extreme weather, health disruptions, and other emergencies with Resilience Hubs
As the impacts of climate change mount, heightened weather and health disruptions are posed to local governments, organizations, and communities to navigate: heat waves, polar vortexes, storms… and pandemics, just to name a few. In 2019 and preceding years, Fulton County, Georgia, was dealing with several of these disruptions, and realized they needed to enhance…
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