Funding Wizard

EPA's Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) is soliciting applications for a collaborative program that would enhance environmental governance capacity of institutions-environmental and/or related functions-in support of United States Government Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in several regions-Central America and the Caribbean, South America, the Middle East and North Africa, and/or other bilateral initiatives, including but not limited to, EPA’s collaboration with Mexico, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sub-Sahara Africa, Ukraine, and Brazil.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities, as defined in Section III A, to improve climate, environment, health, gender, and livelihoods by reducing emissions in low-to-middle income countries from household energy use (home cooking, heating, and lighting) and promoting the sustained use of clean and cleaner technologies and fuels.

EPA is issuing this solicitation to request applications for projects supporting community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs) in their efforts to collaborate and partner with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that will significantly address environmental and/or public health issue(s) in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks. These projects will help transform disadvantaged and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges.

EPA is issuing this solicitation requesting applications for projects that support and/or create model state, tribal, local, and territorial government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health results in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks. These projects will help transform disadvantaged and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges.

The Solid Waste for Infrastructure (SWIFR) grant program funded through the BIL is an historic investment in the health, equity, and resilience of American communities. The unprecedented funding provided by BIL through the SWIFR grants 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 range of highimpact projects to increase recycling, reduce contamination, and promote a circular economy for sustainable materials management by making much-needed investments in solid waste management infrastructure.SWIFR Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia will provide funds for tribes and intertribal consortia to develop or update plans focused on encouraging environmentally sound post-consumer materials management; establish, increase, or expand materials management infrastructure, utilize funds for equipment and construction related costs as part of their implementation plans, and identify, establish, or improve end-markets for the use of recycled materials.

This RFA solicits proposals from eligible applicants to act, in coordination with the Puget Sound Partnership (“Partnership” or PSP), EPA, leaders and funders in agricultural and working land conservation, Puget Sound federally-recognized tribes, salmon recovery practitioners, and other relevant parties in the Puget Sound Management Conference, as the Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead under the 2022-2026 Puget Sound Action Agenda, and subsequent updates of the Action Agenda.Riparian areas extend from the edge of the water, up through adjacent wetlands and into the vegetated upland terraces. They are transitional areas between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and support a broad array of physical, chemical, biological, and hydrological processes across watershed scales. As such, riparian corridors support key ecosystem services that provide multiple benefits to our local watersheds and communities. Degradation of these areas results in elevated water temperatures, sedimentation, nonpoint source pollution, invasive species, and impacts to the flows of waterways and salmon habitats across the Puget Sound basin, with significant impacts to our natural resources and tribal treaty rights. These issues will be further exacerbated with the impacts of climate change. Improving climate resiliency for working lands and riparian areas is an important opportunity to achieve benefits for salmon conservation and water quality, as well as producers and rural landowners.This RFA aims to use nature-based solutions (i.e., riparian conservation) to support salmon survival, as well as reduce flooding and erosion, by providing compensation to landowners for providing climate and water quality related ecosystem services. This RFA announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible applicants that are interested in acting as the Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead. This funding opportunity is focused on working with local programs and landowners to voluntarily protect and restore Puget Sound riparian habitat in priority watersheds, supporting salmon recovery and resilience to climate change. The successful applicant will develop a shared approach to achieving permanent protection (and restoration, as appropriate) of riparian areas concentrated within prioritized stream reaches across Puget Sound. The funding from this RFA is intended to go towards direct implementation of riparian conservation and climate resiliency goals, as well as other Vital Sign recovery objectives, as described in the 2022 Puget Sound Action Agenda (particularly Strategy 4 – Riparian Areas, and Strategy 20 – Climate Adaptation and Resilience as well as relevant Implementation Strategies).

This Request for Applications (RFA) is issued pursuant to Clean Water Act (CWA) §319(h), which authorizes EPA to award grants to eligible Tribes and intertribal consortia to implement approved NPS management programs developed pursuant to CWA §319(b)(1) “for controlling pollution added from nonpoint sources to the navigable waters” and “improving the quality of such waters.”2 NPS management programs must identify “best management practices and measures which will be undertaken to reduce pollutant loadings resulting from each category, subcategory, or particular nonpoint source” identified in the Tribe’s NPS assessment report developed pursuant to CWA §319(a). After allocating CWA §319 Tribal funds for Tribal base grant work plans, EPA allocates the remaining CWA §319 Tribal funds to eligible entities according to the competitive procedures in this RFA. NPS Projects Solicited Under This Announcement: The funding available through this RFA will support Tribal projects primarily focused on implementing on-the-ground best management practices (BMPs) that will help protect or restore waters from sources of NPS pollution. All applications must include an on-the-ground project to implement NPS BMPs. As described below, applicants may also use up to 25 percent of requested federal funds to support other eligible project activities, including the development of a nine-element watershed-based plan (i.e., up to $31,250 of a $125,000 federal grant request). Tribal staff time supporting the implementation of NPS BMPs is not included in this 25 percent cap. Please note the narrow definition of a “nine element watershed-based plan” specific to EPA’s NPS Program, described in Section I of the funding opportunity announcement.

EPA is seeking applications from organizations with a demonstrable history of providing effective, results-oriented technical assistance to public water systems. The Agency’s priorities include maximizing funds to provide significant benefit to drinking water systems in communities of need; tackling the climate crisis; and advancing environmental justice and equity. EPA believes this funding plays a significant role to ensure continued access to resources to support infrastructure improvements that protect public health, safeguard the environment, and mitigate environmental justice concerns at the public water system.It is anticipated that approximately one to five cooperative agreements will be awarded in National Priority Area 1, and one to two cooperative agreements will be awarded in each of the National Priority Areas 2 and 3, respectively, as described in Section I.B of the RFA.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to serve as the Secretariat for the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE). INECE promotes capacity building for compliance and enforcement of domestic and international environmental laws through information sharing, networking, and cooperation. INECE is not part of the United States Government. INECE is comprised of regional environmental enforcement and compliance assurance networks, practitioners from governmental agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and academia across the globe and is dedicated to promoting cooperation among these stakeholders on environmental compliance and enforcement.

Broadly, the goal of this solicitation is to work towards achieving SNEP’s Strategic Plan goals of healthy waters and resilient communities and further SNEP’s priority actions regarding increasing available solutions and capacity around decentralized wastewater treatment (see Strategic Plan). Ultimately, projects selected under this solicitation should in some way improve, or work towards improving, regional coastal waters and/or build resilience to the impacts of climate change. It should be noted that projects do not necessarily need to be located near the coast to have an impact on coastal waters. Applicants should, however, be able to explain how their project has a nexus with coastal waters (e.g., by being upstream of them). Within the above-mentioned broader goals, SNEP is seeking project proposals that address any, or multiple, of the following topics leading to the enhancement of decentralized wastewater treatment management. Development, expansion, or improvement of Responsible Management Entities (either through a third party or by a municipality) to administer, operate, and/or manage decentralized systems on a community-wide scale. Creation of or updates to data systems related to decentralized wastewater, such as performance monitoring, operation and maintenance monitoring, or location tracking. Examples may include developing ways to use data to optimize inspection and oversight or increase data driven planning and decision making. Creation or expansion of innovative financial mechanisms to upgrade old/failing traditional septic systems or cesspools, provide assistance to residents unable to replace old/failing systems, including planning/incentivizing upgrading to Alternative/Experimental (A/E) nitrogen reducing systems, especially, in nitrogen sensitive areas. This may include developing programs to assist non-residential wastewater treatment as well. Commercial district decentralized wastewater planning. Evaluation of climate change impacts on the performance of decentralized systems, impact timelines, and development of plans to act on that information. Potential impacts from climate change include, but are not limited to, changes in precipitation patterns, flooding, sea level rise, groundwater rise/ salt intrusion, and rising temperatures. Evaluation of where sewering needs to replace decentralized systems in light of climate change. Creation or updates of Onsite Wastewater Managements Plans. Execution of decentralized wastewater aspects identified in existing Hazard Mitigation Plans. Creation or updates to local ordinances regarding onsite wastewater management to reduce their impact on coastal water quality or withstand hazards projected by climate change. Development of sustained direct municipal capacity to more effectively manage decentralized wastewater operations in their jurisdiction. Examples could include development of fee systems, fund raising mechanisms, staffing, education, and efficiency tools. Evaluation of age, location, risk, and status of existing and planned decentralized systems.