EFC WSUEFC WSU program managers visit with water utility staff during an on-site technical assistance visit.
The Environmental Finance Center at WSU and its partners at The Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) are proud to announce two new cooperative agreements awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These awards, totaling $17.74 million, will usher in a new wave of support for small, rural, and tribal communities working to improve their drinking water and wastewater systems across all 50 U.S. states and territories.
With this funding, the EFC WSU will deliver free technical assistance, training, and capacity building for small, rural, and tribal water and wastewater utilities, with a focus on serving communities in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and adjoining Indigenous Nations. Together with its partners at the EFCN, they will work nationally alongside hundreds of communities to secure funding, address regulatory requirements, and strengthen critical water infrastructure that protects public health and drives local economies.
“One-on-one work with small water and wastewater utilities is some of the most meaningful work we do. Our team regularly sees communities take long-awaited steps toward their planning, financial, compliance, or infrastructure goals after we spend dedicated time working with them on their unique challenges,” said Tonya Bronleewe, Director of the EFC at Wichita State University.
Across the country, many small and rural communities continue to face serious challenges – from a rapidly retiring water workforce and chronic staffing shortages to a growing crisis of aging infrastructure, where pipe breaks and system failures are becoming more frequent and costly. These new awards will allow the EFC to continue breaking down barriers by offering no-cost, practical, tailored support that helps capacity constrained communities tackle obstacles and move forward.
About the Environmental Finance Center at Wichita State University
The Environmental Finance Center at Wichita State University (EFC WSU) provides targeted support to communities to help manage the costs associated with environmental project financing and program management. The EFC offers training and assistance to communities facing environmental challenges, helping them access funding to achieve their environmental goals. The EFC specializes in providing free assistance to help smaller communities improve their drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. The EFC WSU is the officially designated EFC for EPA Region 7, serving communities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and adjoining Indigenous Nations.
The EFC WSU is a member of the Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN), a national collaboration of nonprofit and university-based organizations that create innovative solutions to the difficult how-to-pay issues of environmental protection and infrastructure.