EPA Community Grants
Congress appropriates resources for specifically named community water infrastructure projects identified as Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) and Community Project Funding (CPF) items (Community Grants) in Appropriations Acts. Funding is provided in the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account for these drinking water, wastewater, stormwater infrastructure, and water quality protection Community Grants projects.
These projects provide a valuable source of federal funding for water infrastructure that will complement the resources Congress provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the annual appropriations process.
- FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-103) (pdf) (58 MB) (March 15, 2022)
- $841,405,095
- 483 Community Grants Projects
- FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-328 (pdf) (3.7 MB) (December 29, 2022)
- $1,472,364,541
- 715 Community Grants Projects
- FY 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-42) (March 9, 2024)
- $1,419,312,172
- 1,022 Community Grants Projects
-
How Can Recipients Prepare to Receive Community Grant Funding? (pdf)
- Accessing the Application Package: Step-by-Step Instructions (pdf)
- Implementation Guidance
- Lists of Projects
- Frequent Questions
- Training for Community Grant Recipients
- Steps for Potential Recipients to Prepare for Grant Funding
- Preliminary Information
- Points of Contact in EPA Regional Offices
- Resources (Accessing the application, Grant requirements, Calculating cost share)
Implementation Guidance
- Community Grants Program Cost Share Waiver Implementation Guidance
This guidance, effective as of March 1, 2024, provides the process and criteria under which disadvantaged communities will be defined, for the purpose of the Community Grants Program. - Community Grants Program Final Implementation Guidance
This guidance outlines the requirements recipients must meet to receive Community Grant funding.
List of Projects
- Sortable List of FY 2022 Projects (xlsx)
- Sortable List of FY 2023 Projects (xlsx)
- Sortable List of FY 2024 Projects (xlsx)
Frequent Questions
Training for Community Grant Recipients
Below are EPA's latest training presentations and recordings.
See the Resources section below for any updated information on applicable requirements.
Session I: Administrative Grants Overview for EPA’s Community Grants Recipients (June 2023)
This webinar provides information on the administrative aspects of receiving and managing a grant through the Community Grants Program, including: Application Forms and Attachments, Grant Policies and Resources, Post Award Compliance, Internal Processes, and Source Documentation.
- View Session I Recording:
Session II: Programmatic Requirements Overview for EPA’s Community Grants Recipients (June-July 2023)
This webinar provides information on programmatic requirements that Community Grant projects are subject to, including: Technical Corrections, Cost Share, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Procurement, and Procurement related requirements.
- View Session II Recording:
Session III: Audits and Investigations (December 2022)
Steps for Potential Recipients to Prepare for Grant Funding
- Review EPA Grants Management Training for Applicants and Recipients. EPA’s online training courses are free and are designed to introduce potential EPA grant recipients to key aspects of the entire grant lifecycle, from preparation of an application through grant closeout.
- Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) is an official website of the U.S. Government used to register to do business with the U.S. Government. Potential EPA grant recipients must have a UEI to apply for EPA grants through grants.gov. Refer to the SAM.gov registration process to obtain a UEI prior to applying (https://sam.gov/content/home).
- Register at Grants.Gov. Potential EPA grant recipients can register on the federal grant portal (grants.gov) as the grants process will be conducted online.
- Review Uniform Grant Guidance. Potential EPA grant recipients can read and become familiar with Uniform Grant Guidance that applies to all federal grants.
- Become familiar with EPA’s General Grant Terms and Conditions. Additional terms and conditions specific to EPA Community Grants will be included with each grant award.
- Identify Cost Share Funding and/or Submit a Request for a Waiver. Potential recipients can begin to think about how they will provide the 20 percent non-federal cost share requirement. Detailed information on how to request a cost share waiver is provided in the Guidance.
- Get in touch. Recipients can reach out to their appropriate EPA Regional Office to establish a relationship and to let the EPA Regional Office know who the correct contact is for the project.
Preliminary Information
Community Grants Webinars
- EPA Community Grants Webinar Presentation (July 2022) (pdf)
- EPA Region 10 Community Grants Webinar Presentation (September 2022) (pdf)
Planning Instructions
Points of Contact in EPA Regional Offices
Address | Contact | States and Territories Represented |
---|---|---|
U.S. EPA Region 1 5 Post Office Square Suite 100 Boston, Massachusetts 02109-3912 |
Mark Spinale spinale.mark@epa.gov Phone: (617) 918-1547 |
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
U.S. EPA Region 2 290 Broadway, 24th Floor New York, New York 10007-1866 |
Aisha M. Sexton-Sims |
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |
U.S. EPA Region 3 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2852 |
Kim Laufenberg R3CommunityProjects@epa.gov Phone: (215) 814-2265 |
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |
U.S. EPA Region 4 61 Forsyth Street, SW (9T25) Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960 |
Brendan Held |
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee |
U.S. EPA Region 5 77 West Jackson Boulevard (WS-15J) Chicago, Illinois 60604-3507 |
Kori Johnson-Lane johnsonlane.kori@epa.gov Phone: (312) 353-8546 |
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin |
U.S. EPA Region 6 1201 Elm Street Suite 500 Dallas, Texas 75270 |
Thomas Cooney |
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas |
U.S. EPA Region 7 11201 Renner Boulevard Lenexa, Kansas 66219 |
Glenn Curtis |
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska |
U.S. EPA Region 8 |
Benjamin Bents CommunityGrantsR8@epa.gov Phone: (303) 312-6435 |
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming |
U.S. EPA Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, California 94105 |
Jillian Bletz R9Communitygrants@epa.gov Phone: (415) 972-3838 |
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands |
U.S. EPA Region 10 1200 Sixth Avenue Suite 900 (OWW-137) Seattle, Washington 98101 |
Megan Browning R10CommunityGrants@epa.gov Phone: (503) 326-2715 |
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington |
Resources
Accessing the Application Package
Prior to accessing the application package in Grants.gov, recipients should register with SAM.gov, ensure the SAM.gov registration is not expired, obtain a UEI number through the SAM.gov registration process, and establish an EBiz Contact.
- Recipients may refer to the SAM.gov (https://sam.gov/content/home) for information on how to begin and may obtain SAM.gov assistance via the Federal Service Desk at 1-866-606-8220, or the Federal Service Desk web site (https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp) (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern Time).
- Grants.gov (https://grants.gov/) provides instructional materials as well as training and other resources for recipients. Grants.gov (https://grants.gov/) assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-518-4726, or by sending an email to support@grants.gov (closed on federal holidays).
- See instructions: Accessing the Application Package: Step-by-Step Instructions (pdf)
American Iron and Steel (AIS) Provision
Build America, Buy America Act
Davis Bacon and Related Acts
- Overview, guidance, training, and resources
- Federal Register: Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations
EPA Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program Requirements
EPA General Grant Terms and Conditions
EPA Grant Policy Resources
- Additional information on EPA grant policy and guidance documents, orders, and terms and conditions
Procurement
- Guidance: EPA’s Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements
- Procurement Training – Summary (pdf)
- Reminders for Preparing Solicitation Documents (pdf)
Environmental Review
- The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires evaluation of how federal grant actions may affect the quality of the environment. Under NEPA, environmental impacts must be considered before EPA can award the grant.
- The Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) Checklist provides information on assessing whether a project may be considered for a CATEX. EPA’s list of actions that can be categorically excluded is contained within 40 CFR Part 6 Subpart B. EPA makes CATEX determinations based on its own regulations and can use information collected as part of another federal agency’s NEPA process. Recipients having a CATEX determination resulting from another agency’s NEPA review of their project may provide that information to EPA as part of any request for a CATEX.
- The sample Environmental Information Document (EID) Outline provides optional format and content on what to include in an EID and may be used to support development of EIDs.
- The environmental review includes ensuring compliance with certain federal cross-cutting authorities (i.e., including the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act).
Calculating Cost Share
- For the purposes of calculating the cost share amount, the amount specified in the Appropriation Act (EPA contribution) represents 80 percent of the total grant project cost. An example of how to calculate the cost share amount using $100,000 as the EPA contribution is below. Additional information on cost share is provided in Community Grants Implementation Guidance and Frequent Questions.