SERVICES
Our clients come from diverse sectors and face a variety of geographical, economic, and environmental challenges. Click on the service areas below to learn more.
“I want to maximize the benefits of my environmental programs”
"I need a strategy to protect surface and ground water resources"
"I want to launch a new environmental program initiative"
"I want to build partnerships and create effective messaging"
"I need effective tools for managing our clean and drinking water revolving fund programs”
Environmental Program Financing
“I want to maximize the benefits of my environmental programs”
Challenges to our water quality are increasing every day. From lead service lines and red tides to sea level rise and cancer-causing chemicals, communities and utilities around the US face many challenges. The investments that communities and utilities must make to ensure safe drinking water and clean lakes, rivers, and streams are vast and costly. There are no one-size-fits all solutions. We work with you to identify your needs and opportunities, so you are best positioned to tackle your biggest water quality and public health challenges, while keeping it affordable for your local communities and residents.
Optimizing state and federal environmental financing programs
We work with state and federal environmental financing programs, such as the State Revolving Funds, as well watershed organizations, to identify and solve their management challenges. We:
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Help our clients optimize and streamline their environmental financing programs;
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Work with governmental and nonprofit partners to identify their water quality priorities and implement strategies to drive low-cost financing to these priorities;
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Assist in the implementation of new legislative initiatives;
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Identify innovative opportunities and partnerships to reach small, low-income, rural, and environmental justice communities; and
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Create tools to help ensure SRFs are effective stewards of the more than $200 billion in water quality funds under their management.
Financial Modeling
Our custom financial model and consulting support enables financial assistance programs to significantly increase lending capacity while ensuring adequate reserves, allowing them to not only fund additional infrastructure projects but also add new incentives for low-income borrowers. This is truly a bespoke model that is tailored specifically for each client.
Nonpoint Source Pollution Finance Strategies
"I need a strategy to protect surface and ground water resources"
More than 94% of the pollution impacting our nation’s waterways comes from agricultural activities, failing septic systems, erosion and run-off, and other nonpoint sources of pollution. Northbridge helps environmental programs target high priority nonpoint source priorities, surmount financing obstacles, collaborate with strategic partners and stakeholders, and, most importantly, get the deal done. We work with you to gain a deep understanding of the issues and create customized solutions and strategies. We:
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Create innovative solutions for environmental funders to make their capital accessible to those who need it most;
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Develop a business case to build support from residents, decision-makers, and other stakeholders for investing in their water quality; and
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Create tools to enable you to clearly articulate the economic benefits, pollution reductions, and improved water quality that will result from the investments. Why? Because a healthy environment is worth paying for.
Alternative Financing Mechanisms
Accessing the capital required to tackle nonpoint source project initiatives has many obstacles. At Northbridge, we have the expertise to navigate financial assistance program barriers and customize innovative solutions for your agency or organization to get the funding you need for success.
Quantifying Benefits
The ability to clearly articulate benefits - whether associated with cost savings, pollution reduction, or improved water quality - is a critical tool for any environmental program. At Northbridge, we specialize in quantifying the triple bottom line economic benefits that can be realized from all types of environmental projects. Our customized tools allow you to easily communicate these benefits to your customers, lawmakers, and local decision makers in terms that resonate with stakeholders of ANY type.
Program Development & Implementation
"I want to launch a new environmental program initiative"
Planning, implementation, and management are crucial to environmental program success. For over 30 years, Northbridge has helped US EPA and state environmental agencies develop, implement, evaluate, and improve water quality management and financing. Our work with the State Revolving Fund programs has helped move billions of dollars in clean water financing to communities to protect public health and the environment. We work with clients to identify areas for improvement, create realistic implementation strategies, and work with our clients to fulfill their potential.
Program Implementation
We work with our partners to implement their environmental financing programs by analyzing laws, preparing guidance, training, and creating key planning documents. Northbridge has guided states and EPA in adopting legislative changes to their State Revolving Fund programs for the last three decades, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which is directing more than $40 billion to water quality and drinking water projects for five years. We have also worked with our partners to implement other water quality financing programs, such as the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program and state-led programs
Management Studies
These in-depth studies examine internal and external contributors, financial operations, staffing and organization, procedures, policies and regulations. We’re there for you every step of the way, from assessing the findings to implementing changes and recommendations. SRF programs we have assisted have shown clear improvements in efficiency, outputs, and customer satisfaction. Let us help you reach your full potential.
Organizational Optimization & Efficiency
Northbridge uses a comprehensive approach to evaluate, analyze, and develop customized solutions designed to optimize all aspects of your program or organization. Our Process Optimization Drill (POD) method employs a LEAN-based program management assessment process tailored specifically for each client to identify and address operational inefficiencies and streamlining opportunities to improve operations, demand, and overall performance
Strategic Marketing & Outreach
"I want to build partnerships and create effective messaging"
Marketing and outreach for environmental financing programs requires a different approach: it must be geared towards stakeholders’ specific needs and concerns, with the understanding that it is often taxpayers or utility customers that are responsible for paying for the projects. We help our clients develop sophisticated marketing tools, educate stakeholders, build partnerships, and create new business opportunities using a strategy that has helped environmental financing programs meet their goals from Atlantic to Pacific, and everywhere in between.
Training and Education
Northbridge consultants plan, coordinate, customize, and facilitate all aspects of training workshop events. Developing training agendas, identifying training topics that cover all aspects of environmental program requirements – we do it all! The level of training – advanced, intermediate, beginner – is adjusted to reflect the composition of the workshop audience.
Marketing and Outreach
Northbridge has helped environmental and health agencies supercharge marketing and messaging efforts for their infrastructure financing programs. Northbridge creates dynamic and engaging outreach materials to help public financing programs reach new customers. Any organization can move forward with small incremental changes but building for the future in today’s rapidly evolving environment means making insightful, well-informed decisions. Are you looking to develop, refresh, or rebrand your program? Let us guide you.
Data & Information Management
"I need effective tools for managing our clean and drinking water revolving fund programs”
The success of any environmental financial assistance program requires effective use of information from sophisticated management platforms. Ensuring effective management of over $200 billion in water quality funding requires complex data support. Northbridge has constructed the only data systems specifically designed for SRF programs – our knowledge and experience is unparalleled.
Loans and Grants Tracking system
Northbridge’s powerful web-based Loans and Grants Tracking System (LGTS) has helped one third of the nation’s State Revolving Fund programs to centralize their applications, projects, budgets, disbursements, funding sources, loan servicing, general ledger, document storage, and reporting needs into a single streamlined solution. Whether your program is small or large, LGTS is designed to be scalable and flexible enough to accommodate any program size. We not only bring a fully capable core LGTS system to the table, we also utilize a deep understanding of the SRFs to ensure LGTS and any future enhancements to the system are maintained and developed with your anticipated outcomes in mind.
National Data Systems
Let the data do the talking. We designed and created national data systems to track the annual progress of each SRF program and collect the expected environmental and public health benefits of each SRF financing agreement. This data demonstrates the huge success of the programs to stakeholders at the national, state, and local levels.