EPA Federal Grants — A Guide for Applicants
EPA grants fund environmental quality programs across air, water, waste, and toxics — plus environmental-justice, brownfields, and clean-air-monitoring discretionary competitions. The Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law substantially expanded EPA grant flows through 2031.
Sub-agencies and bureaus that grant-make
- Office of Air and Radiation — State Indoor Radon Grants, Diesel Emissions Reduction, Clean School Bus, Air Quality Monitoring.
- Office of Water — State Revolving Funds (Clean Water and Drinking Water SRFs), WaterSMART, WIFIA.
- Office of Land and Emergency Management — Brownfields, Superfund, Solid Waste Management Assistance.
- Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights — Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS), Environmental Justice Government-to-Government, EJ Thriving Communities.
- Office of Research and Development (ORD) — Science To Achieve Results (STAR) extramural research.
- Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention — Pollution Prevention Grants, Lead Hazard Reduction Education.
Top CFDAs administered by EPA
- CFDA 66.605 — EPA Performance Partnership Grants
- CFDA 66.818 — Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup, and Revolving Loan Fund Grants
- CFDA 66.040 — Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
- CFDA 66.466 — Chesapeake Bay Program
- CFDA 66.708 — Pollution Prevention Grants
- CFDA 66.461 — Wetlands Protection
Typical applicants
State and tribal environmental agencies (formula and Performance Partnership), 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofits (EJ grants, education grants), local governments (brownfields, Clean School Bus), tribal governments, water utilities and rural water authorities (SRFs), and academic institutions (STAR research grants).
Application strategy specific to EPA
EPA competitive grants — especially in the EJ portfolio — favor applicants with documented community engagement processes, partnerships with affected residents, and clearly defined geographic scope. State Performance Partnership Grants flow to state environmental agencies; nonprofits typically access EPA funds via brownfields, EJ, and pollution-prevention competitions, or as sub-recipients of state-led programs.
Common pitfalls
EPA grants are heavily compliance-loaded — financial-management standards (2 CFR 200), procurement standards, and EPA-specific requirements like the Build America Buy America Act for construction. Cost-share is required on most competitive programs (often 5-25%). Environmental review (NEPA) applies to physical projects and triggers significant lead times.
Related agency guides
Audience guides that cover EPA funding
Always verify in the official source. Agency structures, funding levels, and program priorities shift across administrations. The authoritative sources are the agency's grants page itself and the NOFO documents at grants.gov. This page is editorial reference, not an official agency notice.