Funding

Deadline passed as of November 6, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. Through Cool & Connected, a team of experts will help community members develop strategies and an action plan for using broadband service to promote smart, sustainable community development. Broadband access can provide new opportunities for people and businesses. A growing number of communities have combined broadband service with other local assets such as cultural and recreational amenities to attract and retain investment and people, including young people. This can help diversify local economies. Such efforts typically require planning among community leaders, businesses, and internet service providers. The Cool & Connected program will provide assistance to this end, helping communities take advantage of broadband service to create walkable, connected, economically successful main streets and small-town neighborhoods.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England’s main competitive grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health and improve the quality of life. The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve this through identifying and funding projects that: 1) Target resources to benefit communities at risk [areas at risk from climate change impacts, areas impacted by stormwater run-off, environmental justice areas of potential concern, urban areas and sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes, and others at increased risk)]; 2) Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks; 3) Increase collaboration through community-based projects; 4) Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems; 5) Advance emergency preparedness and resilience; 6) Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits. In order to qualify as eligible projects under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposted projects must take place within New England states and must meet several criteria including: (1) Be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas; and (2) Identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas

Wetland Program Development Grants provide eligible applicants an opportunity to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. All proposals submitted under this RFP must be for projects that build or refine state/tribal/local government wetland programs.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities for demonstration, training, outreach and/or education cooperative agreements that will have a national scale impact to reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants and yield measurable environmental outcomes.

Deadline Passed 04/03/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality is soliciting applications nationwide for Tribal projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions and diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets located in areas designated as having poor air quality. EPA anticipates $2 million will be awarded to eligible Tribal applicants.

Deadline unknown for 2017. Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) provide eligible applicants an opportunity to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. All proposals submitted under this RFP must be for projects that build or refine state/tribal/local government wetland programs. Implementation of wetland protection programs is not an eligible project under this announcement

Deadline Passed 04/26/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Pollution Prevention assistance agreements for projects expected to be performed in each EPA region that provide technical assistance and/or training to businesses/facilities to help them adopt source reduction approaches (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal.

RFP closed for 2016. The EPA is accepting applications to deliver environmental workforce development and job training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field, with a focus on solid and hazardous waste remediation, environmental health and safety, and wastewater-related training.

Deadline passed as of April 14, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) assist state, tribal, local government (S/T/LG) agencies and interstate/intertribal entities in developing or refining state/tribal/local programs which protect, manage, and restore wetlands. The primary focus of these grants is to develop/refine state and tribal wetland programs. A secondary focus is to develop/refine local (e.g. county or municipal) programs.

RFP Closed for FY 2016. The PPIN grant program funds grants/cooperative agreements that support a national network of P2 information centers that coordinate training and information resources across the nation to minimize any duplication of effort among state programs. The centers offer training and promote new P2 technologies.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking initial applications proposing the creation of a National Center for Sustainable Water Infrastructure Modeling Research that facilitates technology transfer of open source water infrastructure models and shares green infrastructure tools and research advancements with local communities and stakeholders.

Deadline Passed 08/23/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) agreements that support source reduction approaches (also known as pollution prevention or P2). EPA plans to award approximately $2 million in federal grant funding over a two-year funding cycle ($1 million in FY 2018 and $1 million in FY 2019) to support SRA agreements offered as grants and/or cooperative agreements. Please note that the potential amounts stated above are estimates only, and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations. EPA will not issue a funding announcement in FY 2019. 

EPA is interested in receiving proposals that:

1. Offer practical pollution prevention (P2) tools or approaches to measurably improve the environmental footprints of state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, businesses, municipal/local governments and/or local communities while also supporting efficiency to reduce resource use, expenditures, waste and liability costs.
2. Adhere to the statutory authorities for this program by using one or more of these technical assistance methods: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques – to carry out source reduction/P2 activities.
3. Place additional emphasis on documenting and sharing P2 best practices and innovations identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these approaches and outcomes. Therefore, in general, grant recipients must document and report on the P2 recommendations where they are provided to a technical assistance beneficiary (e.g., state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia,  business, facility, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities that received the technical assistance) and, at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by the technical assistance beneficiary (alternative reporting provisions are available, if technical assistance is broadly provided – see Section VI.C.3.b.).
4. Focus project activities on one or more of the P2 Program’s National Emphasis Areas: Business-Based Pollution Prevention Solutions Supporting Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Priorities and Chemical Safety; Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing; and, Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Approaches in States or Communities.

Applications accepted continuously. In the event of a release (or threatened release) of hazardous substances, EPA may reimburse local governments for expenses related to the release and associated emergency response measures. The Local Governments Reimbursement Program provides a "safety net" of up to $25,000 per incident to local governments that do not have funds available to pay for response actions.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications to conduct research on and demonstration of human and ecological impacts of treated wastewater applications (reclaimed water and wastewater reuse), and water conservation practices including the use of non-traditional water sources as well as more comprehensive long-term management and availability of water resources.