Grants and Funding Opportunities

EPA’s State and Tribal Brownfields Response Program empowers states, Tribal Nations, territories, and communities to build strong partnerships and local capacity to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. The funding primarily provides support to establish or enhance response programs, as specified in CERCLA Section 128; ensure that states and Tribes maintain a public record of sites included in their programs; and conduct brownfield site assessments or cleanups that will help establish or enhance response programs.

New this year, applicants have until March 10, 2025 to submit requests for 128(a) Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs). These grants help small communities, Indian tribes, rural areas, and disadvantaged areas carry out activities outlined in CERCLA Section 104(k)(7). Examples of eligible activities include compiling an inventory of brownfields sites, facilitating community involvement in a brownfields project, and providing brownfields training.

Learn more:

• Section 128(a) Fact Sheet
• Section 128(a) Technical Assistance Grant Fact Sheet

EPA will award $49 million to technical assistance providers to help rural, small, and Tribal communities address critical wastewater and water quality challenges. Funding will be used to assess the most pressing water challenges in communities, provide training on water infrastructure and management best practices, help communities navigate the federal funding application process, and strategically invest in reliable infrastructure solutions. identifies four priorities for this funding:

• Acquisition of Financing and Funding: These applicants will help rural, small, and Tribal communities plan for and access funding.
• Protection of Water Quality and Compliance Assistance: This funding will help rural, small, and Tribal communities improve their technical, managerial, and financial capacity and maintain compliance.
• Tribal Wastewater Systems: This area provides training and technical assistance to Tribes for their clean water infrastructure.
• Decentralized Wastewater Systems: This priority area focuses on assistance to communities that rely on septic systems and other decentralized wastewater systems.

Learn more:

• Read the press release.
• Apply. 
• Read about EPA tools, training, and resources for small, rural, and Tribal wastewater systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program is a flexible, formula grant program to advance energy efficiency and conservation and reduce emissions. Federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Villages & Corporations are eligible for non-competitive grants that can be used to advance community goals (e.g., weatherization, building upgrades, energy planning, and clean transportation). The deadline to apply is May 31, 2025.

• Apply

DOE will host a webinar to discuss this funding opportunity on September 25.

• Register

The next round of EPA’s Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR)grants for Tribes and Tribal Consortia will provide approximately $20 million in awards ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million each. Tribes and Intertribal consortia are eligible to apply. SWIFR will assist local waste management authorities by supporting improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assisting local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems. The SWIFR grant program provides a critical opportunity to fund a wide range of projects to increase recycling, reduce contamination, and promote a circular economy for materials by investing in solid waste management infrastructure.

• Apply

EPA will host two webinars to discuss this funding opportunity: one on October 16 and one on October 29.

• Register

EPA seeks coalition applications that include (1) a project to develop and implement a national consumer wasted food reduction campaign; (2) a project that will increase the market for and sales of compost; and (3) a project that will increase education and outreach to households on composting. EPA funding will provide approximately $39 million for one award. Applicants must demonstrate they will subaward a portion of the total award to implement education and outreach activities locally, which will benefit local communities.

• Apply.
• Learn about preventing wasted food in your home and community.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Acidification Program has announced its FY25 funding opportunity, Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments. NOAA requests proposals for collaborative projects that synthesize ocean and coastal acidification information at a regional scale. This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how ocean and coastal acidification affect human communities in the context of ocean change. This includes the identification and engagement of interested partners and groups, the assessment of their needs, and the generation of products and tools that support management, adaptation, and resilience to ocean and coastal acidification. Approximately 1–6 projects may be funded for up to 3 years at approximately $100,000 – $400,000 per year per proposal. Letters of intent are due by November 20.

• Apply

NOAA will host a webinar to discuss this funding opportunity on September 27.

• Register

The Northwest Environmental Justice Center has created an up-to-date library of funding opportunities for communities across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

• View the table of funding opportunities, which can be sorted by funding type and state.

The Department of Energy’s Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program will provide non-competitive funds to Tribes to provide energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades to low- and middle-income households, including $4.5 billion in rebates for high-efficiency electricity upgrades in homes across the nation. Allocations for OR, WA, ID and AK Tribes include:

• $20 million total between OR, ID, and WA Tribes (between $155,549 and $1.407 million per Tribe)
• $50 million for Alaska Native Villages, Native Corporations and Regional Corporations (between $84,442 and $3 million per Tribe)

Tribes may conduct the work, or a third-party implementer can conduct the work on behalf of a Tribe’s HEAR program. Tribes may also form a Consortium with other Tribes to apply for the combined allocated funds as a single entity.

• View the fact sheet

EPA is soliciting applications for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grant funding, which allows vacant and abandoned properties to be turned into community assets. 

• Types of Grants
  • Assessment Grants provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
  • Revolving Loan Fund Grants provide funding for a grant recipient to capitalize a revolving loan fund and to provide loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
  • Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.

Learn about the types of funding.

• Application Resources
  • Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Application Resources web page: This page provides a multitude or resources, including pre-recorded videos on minimum grant requirements. 
• Webinars: EPA will provide two guideline outreach webinars to assist applicants with understanding the Narrative ranking criteria for the FY 2025 Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup Grant Guidelines.
  • September 19 at 8:00 Alaska, 9:00 Pacific, 10:00 Mountain. This webinar will focus on the FY 2025 Narrative ranking criteria for entities applying for Community-wide Assessment Grant funding, Assessment Coalition Grant funding, or Community-wide Assessment Grants for States and Tribes funding.
    • Join the webinar on Zoom
    • Join by phone: 646-828-7666. Webinar ID: 161 063 9674
  • September 24 at 8:00 Alaska, 9:00 Pacific, 10:00 Mountain. This webinar will focus on the FY 2025 Narrative ranking criteria for entities applying for Revolving Loan Fund Grant funding and Cleanup Grant funding.
    • Join the webinar on Zoom
    • Join by phone: 646-828-7666. Webinar ID: 161 402 2736
• Apply:

• FY 2025 Assessment Coalition Grant Guidelines
• FY 2025 Community-wide Assessments Grant for States and Tribes
• FY 2025 Revolving Loan Fund Grant
• FY 2025 Cleanup Grant

EPA is seeking applications for research to develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with the potential to detect, monitor, and degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater or surface water that may be used as drinking water sources. EPA is seeking projects with results that can be practically applied in real-world settings and potentially transform environmental monitoring and management. Applications must address both of the following research areas: (1) develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology to detect and monitor PFAS in drinking water sources, and (2) develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with functionalized catalysts to degrade PFAS.

• Apply

EPA is hosting a webinar on this funding opportunity on August 29.

• Register for the webinar.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) offers two types of assistance through its Planning Assistance Program: technical assistance and comprehensive plans. Topics include flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and navigation, as well as water supply and water resilience. Tribes are eligible to apply; regional coalitions of governmental entities may also partner with USACE to develop water resources comprehensive plans. Detailed design, specification, and construction are not included.

Examples of past studies and activities completed under PAS include:

• Watershed planning
• Flood risk management
• Surface and groundwater quality
• Stormwater management
• Coastal resiliency
• Environmental Conservation and Restoration
• Water supply and demand
• Wetland delineations
• Stream assessments
• GIS mapping

Projects are cost shared with the study partner (50% federal funding and 50% non-federal funding). The non-federal cost share for preparing a water resources Comprehensive Plan may be provided either by direct funds or by in-kind support; the cost share for technical assistance must be provided in funds by the project partner. A cost-share waiver is available for eligible communities that meet the definition of economically disadvantaged communities.

Requests for assistance must be in the form of a letter that includes the location and problem to be investigated. To apply, submit a letter to your local USACE district:

• Alaska
• Pacific Northwest

On August 16, EPA obligated $27 billion in grants to Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients under three competitions: the National Clean Investment Fund, Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, and Solar for All. Together, the programs will create a national financing network for clean energy and climate solutions. With funds now in hand, recipients can begin delivering financing for clean technology projects in communities across the country. Solar for All recipients will invest 100% of program funds in low-income and disadvantaged communities. National Clean Investment Fund and Clean Communities Investment Accelerator recipients will dedicate over $14 billion of program funds toward low-income and disadvantaged communities — including over $4 billion for rural communities and almost $1.5 billion for Tribal communities.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Brownfield Assessment and Cleanup application is now open.  Technical support can include Phase I/Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, hazardous building materials surveys, cleanup planning, analysis of Brownfields cleanup alternatives, community engagement and facilitation, asbestos abatement, soil/groundwater cleanup, and reuse planning.

• Read the fact sheet
• Apply

The new Clean Bus Planning Awards (CPBA) program from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers technical assistance to create action plans for transit agencies and school districts to get their electric fleets rolling. CBPA also offers deployment assistance for participating fleets, making it easier to transition from planning to implementation. The program connects transit and school bus fleets with technical experts to support planning for bus electrification. Fleets also have the option to receive free deployment assistance from NREL at the completion of their plan.  There is no specific deadline to apply.

• Apply

EPA is awarding approximately $2 billion in Community Change Grants to fund community-driven projects that address climate challenge and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. The objectives of the grant program are to:

• Provide resources for community-driven projects to address environmental and climate challenges in communities facing disproportionate and adverse health, pollution, and environmental impacts, and suffering from generations of disinvestment.
• Invest in strong cross-sectoral collaborations with partners who bring a robust commitment to working with and for communities with environmental and climate justice concerns. 
• Unlock access to additional and more significant resources to advance environmental and climate justice goals from across the federal government and other sources.
• Empower communities and strengthen their capacity to drive meaningful positive change on the ground for years to come. 
• Strengthen community participation in government decision-making processes that impact them.

Eligible entities include partnerships between two community-based organizations or a partnership between a community-based organization and a local government, federally recognized Tribes, or institutes of higher education.

• Read the notice of funding opportunity.
• View frequently asked questions.

EPA recently announced the largest single investment in environmental justice in history, Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants. The grants are designed for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments. Approximately $2 billion will be available to support community-driven projects that deploy clean energy, strengthen climate resilience, and build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. There is a $150 million set-aside for Alaska Native Villages alone. 

Activities to be performed may generally fall under the following categories:

• Climate resiliency and adaptation
• Mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events
• Community-led air and other (including water and waste) pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation
• Investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure
• Workforce development that supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants
• Reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution
• Facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in state and federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes

Deadline & Eligibility

EPA will accept applications on a rolling basis until November 21, 2024. Eligible applicants are (1) partnerships between two community-based non-profit organizations; and (2) partnerships between a community-based non-profit organization and a federally recognized Tribe, local government, or institution of higher education.

• Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity

Technical Assistance

EPA has launched a technical assistance program, Community Change Equitable Resilience, to help eligible entities apply for the grants. EPA will offer free design and project development assistance, community engagement, and partnership development workshops.

• Eligible projects must be located in a disaster-prone area and benefit a disadvantaged community. The requestor can propose up to three sites for design assistance.
• Climate resilience projects must have a community benefit and could include retrofits to community-serving buildings; design or redesign of public parks, open space, and waterways; redesign of streets; or other projects that address climate resilience and environmental justice.
• Proposed projects should address climate change impacts such as extreme heat and more intense heat islands, wildfire and wildfire smoke, floods, storms, or other impacts that pose a greater risk to disadvantaged communities.

EPA will accept requests for technical assistance on a rolling basis until 50 recipients have been identified.

• Apply for technical assistance

Webinars

EPA will host multiple informational webinars while the Notice of Funding Opportunity is open. The first webinar will be held on December 7.

• Register

Indirect Costs

For many applicants, EPA is limiting the indirect costs that can be charged to Community Change Grants. However, due to the sovereign status of Indian tribes, Indian tribes and Intertribal consortia comprised of eligible Indian tribes are exempt from this 20% indirect costs limitation provided they meet the requirements of 40 CFR 33.504(a) and (c). 

Contact

If you have questions after reviewing the web pages, please contact CCGP@epa.gov.

Funding: Up to $15,000 per award, available 2022-2026

Details: These grants can be used to produce Pest Management Strategic Plans, Crop Profiles or other IPM-related plans. Proposals will be considered on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Deadline: None

More information here.