Key Questions States Should Consider When Developing a CWSRF Sponsorship Program

waterresources
Written By Pete Hill

Sponsorship programs are one tool that State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs can adopt to support important green infrastructure or nonpoint source projects that would otherwise not move forward. 

This tool is timely given the current uncertainty around the federal funding that states and municipalities have relied upon to fund green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects in the past. The flexibility that states are allowed in determining what and how to prioritize projects makes this approach customizable for water quality challenges specific to each state.

Several states have adopted sponsorship programs, and the lessons learned from these efforts are presented here. Key factors that any state will need to consider are broken down and options discussed. Although a relatively straightforward arrangement of pairing larger traditional Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loans with a green stormwater infrastructure or nonpoint source project, ensuring that projects with the greatest number of co-benefits are implemented requires careful consideration. 

Methods for creating state-specific priorities, as well as the necessary administrative and political support for this type of program, are outlined. Sponsorship programs have delivered important water quality and related benefits in a few states and are a tool that can give states the ability to support these types of projects over a sustained period.

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Pete Hill

Pete has implemented and advised on green infrastructure for most of his career. For the past several years as a consultant, he helped municipalities and nonprofit organizations in the Great Lakes region with watershed planning and workforce development and training related to green infrastructure. Prior to that, he worked for the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment managing the implementation of stormwater projects and stream and wetland restoration projects, with a focus on the Anacostia River. Pete is committed to realizing the benefits that green infrastructure promises and ensuring that equitable access to clean rivers and livable communities. Pete earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment.

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