Apply to Serve
on Our Regional Advisory Committee

The Great Lakes Thriving Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) Partnership is pleased to announce a call for applications from environmental justice leaders interested in serving on a 10-member Regional Community Advisory Committee. We seek representatives of tribal, rural, and urban communities to provide oversight and guidance in distributing $40 million in grants through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program.

This EPA program aims to strengthen the capacity of underserved communities to address the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges.

To reduce barriers to the federal grants application process, the EPA selected 10 Regional Grantmakers across the nation to issue subgrants to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations, with each grantmaker designing and implementing a grant distribution program best suited to communities in their region. The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership was chosen to issue these grants in Region 5 of the EPA, an area that includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 35 federally recognized tribal nations.

We anticipate making a total of 208 grants: 84 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 39 at the start of Year 3.

The Regional Community Advisory Committee (RAC) will provide direction and oversight to the outreach and grantmaking process. The RAC will inform the grants application, decision-making criteria, and reporting guidelines, and will recommend the slate of grants during each decision-making period. In addition, the RAC will be asked to review and offer input on communications materials and outreach strategies.

Committee members will be selected for their expertise on a wide range of environmental justice, public health, and climate issues. The RAC must also reflect the region’s diverse geographies, ethnicities, races, languages, backgrounds, and identities.

Importantly, members of this committee will leverage their connections with communities across the region to provide guidance and support in confirming and reaching the following distribution goals:

• Tribes and Indigenous groups and communities, including in rural, remote, and urban areas. Goal: 30% ($12 million) of grant dollars across all phases.
• Rural and remote communities (with populations under 50,000). Goal: 25% ($10 million) of grant dollars across all phases.
• Urban communities (with populations over 50,000). Goal: 45% ($18 million) of grant dollars.

For each one-year term, RAC members will receive compensation averaging $8,000, plus travel expenses. They will be asked to:

• Commit to an initial one-year term.
• Contribute approximately 70 hours a year (averaging 17 hours a quarter).
• Regularly attend virtual RAC meetings and one in-person meeting per term.
• Engage, as they are able, in local meetings and events.
• Assist in distributing program communications to their networks.
• Sign a conflict of interest policy.
• Acknowledge understanding of the EPA requirement that if they are board members, consultants, or staff members of a nonprofit or other eligible entity, that their organization CANNOT apply for a grant through the Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities grantmaking program. (They may apply for funding to the National Grantmaker, the Research Triangle Institute.)

Download this PDF to review detailed RAC member qualifications and responsibilities.

Members of the public are invited to apply themselves or nominate others to serve on this committee.

To submit an application, complete this brief application by June 7, 2024. To complete the online form, you will first need to create an account in our SurveyMonkey Apply portal. Please click the register button in the upper right hand corner, submit your information, then look for a verification email in your inbox to validate the account. We appreciate your taking these steps to ensure we can keep your information secure.

You can start preparing your application by downloading this preview document, which includes a worksheet with application questions as well as tips on creating a SurveyMonkey Apply account.

To nominate someone else to serve on the commitee, email Jumana Vasi at jvasi@mplsfoundation.org.

Committee members will be selected by the partnership. After you submit a nomination, a Minneapolis Foundation staff member will reach out within 2-4 weeks to schedule a call so you can learn more about the grantmaking program and we can learn more about you. Final decisions will be made by June 30, 2024.

Submit an Application

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Questions? If you have questions about the nomination process, please contact Jumana Vasi, Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program Director, at jvasi@mplsfoundation.org or (612) 643-9717.