Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program
NOW OPEN!
EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.
On this page:
- Is My Organization Eligible
- Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
- Technical Assistance
- Resources
- Engagement Opportunities
Is My Organization Eligible?
The entities eligible to apply under this NOFO are:
- A partnership between two community-based non-profit organizations (CBOs).
- A partnership between a CBO and one of the following:
- a Federally-Recognized Tribe
- a local government
- an institution of higher education.
Other organizations and entities may be able to participate and be involved in the Community Change Grants projects as collaborating subrecipients and/or procurement contractors selected in compliance with competition requirements.
See Frequently Asked Questions - Community Change Grant Program under ‘Resources’ below for more information on CBOs, local governments, and Federally-Recognized Tribes. Further details about applicant eligibility and partnership requirements are outlined in the NOFO.
NOW OPEN - Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
The Community Change Grants NOFO is NOW OPEN! Deadline to apply is November 21, 2024.
EPA is accepting applications on a rolling basis for $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding available to support community-driven projects that build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges, strengthen their climate resilience, and advance clean energy.
Read the announcement for the NOFO
This competition is being launched in order to meet the goals and objectives of two Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) issued by the Biden Administration that demonstrate the EPA’s and Administration’s commitment to achieving environmental justice and embedding environmental justice into Agency programs.
View the Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity
Please note that the NOFO was modified on February 12, 2024.
To apply for this opportunity, view the NOFO on Grants.gov. Applications packages must be submitted on or before November 21, 2024 at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time).
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the Agency began review of initial applications in March 2024. EPA encourages applicants to submit applications as soon as they completely meet the NOFO requirements to ensure adequate time to resubmit it if needed per the NOFO instructions. EPA will continue to accept applications through November 21, 2024.
Please review the NOFO before submitting an application to ensure your application meets all requirements. Upon initial review of applications, EPA would like to draw special attention to the following requirements for submittal:
- Please make sure applications include proof of nonprofit status for community-based nonprofit organizations that are either the lead applicant and/or statutory partner applying for the grant for both Track I and II applications.
- For Track I applications, please ensure that the project area map described in Appendix A to the NOFO identifies the disadvantaged communities to benefit from the projects using EPA's IRA Disadvantaged Community Map Layer as explained in Appendix A. Please review the EPA's IRA Disadvantaged Community Map information.
For more information, please contact CCGP@epa.gov.
Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance (TA) assists eligible applicants to apply for and use EPA grant funding. Through EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), eligible entities can receive TA in all stages of the Community Change Grants. This includes application support, capacity building, project planning, and more.
Learn more about TA for the Community Change Grants
Through the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA was provided $200 million for technical assistance to eligible applicants. Endyna was selected as EPA's technical assistance contractor for the Community Change Grants. While Endyna will provide a range of technical assistance services, including individualized technical assistance to eligible entities, EPA will continue to be available to answer questions on the Community Change Grants NOFO. If you have a question regarding technical assistance, please email EJ_TechAssist@epa.gov. If you have question regarding the NOFO, please email CCGP@epa.gov.
View the EPA Technical Assistance Programs Fact Sheet (pdf) (last updated April 2024)
Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions - Community Change Grants NOFO (pdf) (updated May 2024)
- Programa de Subvenciones para el Cambio Comunitario de la Justicia Ambiental y Climática (CCGP) Preguntas frecuentes sobre el Aviso de oportunidad de financiamiento (NOFO) (pdf)
- Frequently Asked Questions - Community Change Grants Program (pdf)
- Overview of the Community Change Grants Program (pdf)
- Descripción general del Programa de Subvenciones para el Cambio Comunitario (pdf)
- Informational Video on the Environmental and Climate Justice Communities Grants Program
- Learn about EPA and the Inflation Reduction Act
- Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook
- EPA and Climate Equity
- Environmental Justice Grants and Technical Assistance
- How to search Grants.gov for available funding opportunities
- Interim General Budget Development Guidance for Applicants and Recipients of EPA Financial Assistance
Engagement Opportunities
OEJECR will host a series of informational webinars and events for the CCG NOFO. Please see details below on upcoming engagement opportunities and materials from past engagement opportunities. EPA’s Community Change Technical Assistance contractor also plans to host informational webinars.
Registration information for upcoming webinars is sent out through the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) Listserv. To subscribe to the OEJECR Listserv, send a blank email to: join-epa-ej@lists.epa.gov. They are also announced on X at @EPAEnvJustice.
These are part of a series of webinars on the Community Change Grants and the Environmental and Climate Justice Grants Program. To learn more, visit Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program.
Upcoming Engagement Opportunities
TIA D: Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities (including Southwest Region Colonias)
- When (in-person and virtual): May 8 & 9, 2024 (El Centro/Imperial Valley, CA)
- See SAVE THE DATE (pdf) for registration information and more details
Note: A previous event was held on March 27 & 28, 2024 in Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX.
Past Engagement Opportunities
December 7, 2023: CCG Informational Webinar
OEJECR hosted the first informational webinar for the NOFO on December 7, 2023.
View the recording of the December 7, 2023 webinar
View the presentation slides from the December 7, 2023 webinar (pdf)
Indirect Costs Limitations Webinars
EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights held two outreach webinars to provide information related to the Indirect Costs Limitation for the Community Change Grants under the Environmental and Climate Justice grants program.
Limiting indirect costs under the Community Change Grants will promote the program’s transformative goals by maximizing the amount of funding allocated to project implementation and place-based programming. This limitation will minimize funding being charged to indirect costs that provide minimal contributions and/or have little to no relation to the work on the ground in the disadvantaged communities.
To learn more about the indirect costs limitations for the grants, please see the recording and presentation slides from a October 19, 2023 below:
- Link to Recording (Passcode: 91869331)
- View Presentation Slides (pdf)
This limitation will extend to direct recipients of grants and cooperative agreements under the program, as well as to Subrecipients as defined in 2 CFR 200.1. Therefore, both direct recipients and subrecipients under the program may charge up to 20% of their respective award or subaward (i.e., 20% of the direct award (if they are the Pass-through entity) or 20% of the total subaward (if they are a subrecipient).
Due to the sovereign status of Indian tribes that meet the Federal recognition requirement in section 302(r) of the Clean Air Act, and the unique burdens placed on these entities due to the composition of their tax base where chargeable indirect costs can be an essential financing component for the Tribe, EPA is exempting Indian tribes and Intertribal consortia comprised of eligible Indian tribes from this 20% indirect costs limitation provide the Intertribal consortia meets the requirements of 40 CFR 33.504(a) and (c).
Target Investment Area Webinars
EPA held a series of informational webinars for the five Target Investment Areas (TIA) of the $2 billion CCG NOFO . Each webinar covered content including what is in the NOFO, application requirements, eligible entities, eligible project activities, and other helpful information on the specific TIAs, as well as hosted a question and answer portion.
February 29, 2024: Target Investment Area A: Tribes in Alaska
OEJECR hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the CCG program with a focus on Target Investment Area A: Tribes in Alaska.
View the recording of the February 29, 2024 webinar
View the presentation slides from the February 29, 2024 webinar (pdf)
March 6, 2024: Target Investment Area B: Tribes in the Continental United States
OEJECR hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the CCG program with a focus on Target Investment Area B: Tribes in the Continental United States.
- View the recording of the March 6, 2024 webinar
- Seminarios web: Área de Inversión Destinataria B de las Subvenciones de Community Change: Tribus en los Estados Unidos continentales
- View the presentation slides from the March 6, 2024 webinar (pdf)
- Área de Inversión Destinataria B Tribus en Estados Unidos continentales 6 de marzo de 2024 (pdf)
March 18, 2024: Target Investment Area C : Territories (specifically Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
OEJECR hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the CCG program with a focus on Target Investment Area C : Territories (specifically Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
- View the recording of the March 18, 2024 webinar
- Seminarios web: Área de Inversión Destinataria C de las Subvenciones de Community Change: Territorios (específicamente Puerto Rico e Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos)
- View the presentation slides from the March 18, 2024 webinar (pdf)
- Área de Inversión Destinataria C Territorios estadounidenses lunes, 18 de marzo de 2024 (pdf)
March 18/19, 2024: Target Investment Area C: Territories (specifically Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands)
OEJECR hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the CCG program with a focus on Target Investment Area C: Territories (specifically Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands).
- View the recording of the March 18/19, 2024 webinar
- Seminarios web: Área de Inversión Destinataria C de las Subvenciones de Community Change: Territorios (específicamente Samoa Americana, Guam y las Islas Marianas del Norte)
- View the presentation slides from the March 18/19, 204 webinar (pdf)
- Área de Inversión Destinataria C Territorios estadounidenses lunes, 18 de marzo de 2024 (pdf)
March 25, 2024: Target Investment Area E: Southern Border Communities
OEJECR hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the CCG program with a focus on Target Investment Area E: Southern Border Communities.
- View the recording of the March 25, 2024 webinar
- Seminarios web: Área de Inversión Destinataria E de las Subvenciones de Community Change: Comunidades Fronterizas del Sur
- View the presentation slides from the March 25, 2024 webinar (pdf)
- Área de Inversión Destinatarias E EE. UU. - Comunidades fronterizas del sur 25 de marzo de 2024 (pdf)