Funding

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.

Deadline Passed 12/03/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (P.L. 115-141), requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish guidance for grants to assess and clean up brownfield sites. EPA’s Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, communities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations to prevent, inventory, assess, clean up, and reuse brownfield sites. This guidance provides information on applying for Assessment Grants.

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 14, 2023. The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and Tribal level to support  government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Model EJG2G programs should leverage existing resources to develop processes or tools that integrate environmental justice considerations into governmental decision-making at all levels. Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity that will receive must address one of the following five broad categories:   

• community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation, and investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants;  
• mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events;  climate resiliency and adaptation;   
• reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or   
• facilitating engagement of marginalized communities in Local, State and Federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings. 

Apply here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=345311 

Deadline: June 15, 2023. EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program will provide noncompetitive planning grant opportunities for Federally recognized Tribes, tribal consortia, and U.S. Territories interested in participating in the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program will provide grants to states, territories, tribes, air pollution control agencies, and local governments to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act provides an investment of $5 billion to support these efforts to develop and implement strong, local greenhouse gas reduction strategies. This two-staged grant program provides funding of $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants. An informational webinar intended specifically for tribes, tribal consortia and U.S. Territories will be held March 9, 2023 at 11am Pacific and will be recorded and posted to https://www.epa.gov/inflation-reduction-act/climate-pollution-reduction-.... Register for the webinar here.

Deadline Unknown. Closed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) Centers. EPA is interested in supporting research on the development of sound science to systematically inform policy makers at the state and local levels regarding the development of innovative approaches to enable effective implementation of air pollution control strategies to achieve the greatest public health benefits by reducing exposure to harmful air pollution

EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality is soliciting proposals nationwide for Tribal projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by the Administrator as poor air quality areas.

Most Recent Deadline: 7/09/2021. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $5 million in DERA funding under this announcement. A total of $4.5 million will be made available to tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native villages, and $500,000 will be made available to insular area governments. EPA anticipates awarding five to ten cooperative agreements to tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native villages and two to four cooperative agreements to insular area governments. This year's Request for Applications (RFA) has no mandatory cost share requirement and sets funding limits to $800,000 for tribal applicants and $250,000 for insular area applicants. Each applicant may submit up to two applications. Although funding for both tribes and insular areas is planned under this single RFA, the applications will be competed separately.  Tribal applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by one review panel, and insular area applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by a separate review panel. EPA's ten regional offices will manage awards. The number and size of cooperative agreements made under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other considerations. 

Tribes are eligible to receive Clean Water Act Section 319 grant funding to implement EPA-approved NPS programs. As required under the Clean Water Act, tribes must be approved for treatment in a similar manner as a state (TAS) and have an EPA-approved NPS assessment report and NPS management program to receive §319 funds. Each year, a §319-eligible tribe may apply for a base §319 grant that support their NPS management program, and they are eligible to compete nationally for additional §319 funds (competitive §319 grants) to implement on-the-ground projects to restore and protect their waters. 

Submissions accepted on a rolling basis. The Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Grant Program (CWISA) provides funding to Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages for wastewater infrastructure. The CWISA program is administered in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS). The CWISA program provides funding for wastewater infrastructure to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Funds may be used for planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection and treatment systems. The CWISA program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction program. To be considered for CWISA program funding, tribes must identify their wastewater needs to the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System. EPA uses the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System priority lists to identify and select projects for CWISA program funding.

Deadline: 2/5/2021. EPA provides Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) financial and technical assistance to tribal governments and intertribal consortia to assist tribes in planning, developing, and establishing the capacity to implement federal environmental programs administered by the EPA and to assist in implementation of tribal solid and hazardous waste programs in accordance with applicable provisions of law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA. EPA administers this program in accordance with the statute, applicable federal regulations, including 40 CFR part 35, subpart B, and national guidance, including the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Guidance on the Award and Management of General Assistance Agreements for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia (2013; hereafter GAP Guidance).

No listed deadline. Significant human health and water quality problems exist in Alaska Native Villages (ANV) and other rural communities in Alaska due to lack of sanitation. To address these issues, Congress in 1996 authorized EPA to create the Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities Grant Program, which is codified in 33 U.S.C. § 1263a.

The program assists these communities with the construction of new or improved wastewater and drinking water systems. Communities can also use the funding for training and technical assistance in system operations and maintenance.

EPA provides funds to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to address the needs of rural and native Alaska communities. The DEC, in turn, administers these funds through its Village Safe Water (VSW) program. The VSW program’s goal is "to improve public health and compliance with environmental laws by upgrading the level of sanitation facilities in rural [Alaskan] communities through financial and technical assistance."

The 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA), established the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The DWSRF makes funds available to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements.

The SDWA also authorized EPA to set-aside up to 1.5% of the DWSRF for grants to improve the infrastructure of drinking water systems that serve tribes (SDWA §1452i). Starting in 2010, Congress increased the tribal set aside funds to 2%.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This investment assistance will help communtiies and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, as appropriate, to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act as a result of Hurricane Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, and of wildfires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occuring in calendar year 2019.

Deadline: January 26, 2023 at 5 pm PST. EarthLab is looking to fund projects that demonstrate co-creation and partnership between community partners and University of Washington researchers, interdisciplinary collaboration, action at the intersection of climate (both mitigation and adaptation) & social justice, and the potential for growth of the project or partnership. The Innovation Grants Program has $300,000 available for the current funding cycle, with a maximum budget request of $75,000 per project. For more information and to apply, click here