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. 

 The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act created the Environmental and Climate Justice grant program in section 138 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) and provided EPA with $2.8 billion in grant funding for the program for projects to benefit communities with environmental justice concerns, and $200 million for technical assistance in direct response to feedback from communities and environmental justice leaders who have long called for capacity building support for communities and their partners as they work to access critical federal resources.

View the Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (pdf) (1.6 MB)

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).

For more information, please contact CCGP@epa.gov.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR)program, aims to promote scientific progress towards the understanding of coastal ecosystem resilience by seeking applications proposing research to 1) characterize, quantify, and define indicators or metrics of resilience for various types of coastal ecosystems, especially those ecosystems that have climate mitigation and adaptation and/or blue (ocean-stored) carbon sequestration potential; and 2) develop methods and approaches to advance economic valuation of resilience benefits provided by coastal ecosystems.

Closing Date: May 1, 2024: 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time.

Link to RFA: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/coastal-ecosystems-climate-resilience-funding-opportunity

The National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) makes grants for planning, design, and implementation of natural and nature-based solutions for coastal climate resilience. All projects must show benefits to both the resilience of coastal communities to natural weather events and to habitats through activities that create and/or restore natural systems. The NCRF seeks projects in discrete stages of the project cycle (e.g., planning / preliminary design / final design and permitting / restoration implementation) and prioritizes projects awarded funding for an earlier stage and applying for funding to meet the next stage of the project cycle.

Closing Date: Pre-proposals are due April 10, 2024.

Link to RFP: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/national-coastal-resilience-fund/national-coastal-resilience-fund-2024-request-proposals

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is soliciting proposals through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.

NFWF is soliciting proposals under the Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction (INSR) Grants program to accelerate the rate and scale of water quality improvements through the voluntary implementation of best management practices that cost-effectively reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to local rivers and streams and the Chesapeake Bay. For 2024, this includes both INSR Partnership Grants supporting the coordinated and collaborative efforts of sustainable, regional-scale partnerships implementing proven water quality improvement practices more cost-effectively, as well as INSR Infrastructure Grants for projects working to implement critical natural and nature-based watershed restoration infrastructure at scale.

All proposals must be submitted no later than February 21, 2024. NFWF will host an optional applicant webinar at 2:00PM on Monday, January 8th. Interested parties must register for the webinar here. For those who cannot participate, a recording of the webinar will be posted to NFWF’s website by Thursday, January 11th.

Including funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NFWF estimates awarding $25-30 million in grants through the INSR program in 2024, contingent on the availability of funding. Major funding for the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, with other important contributions Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Forest Service.

NFWF is requiring all prospective INSR applicants to consult with NFWF program staff no later than January 24, 2024 to ensure eligibility and competitiveness and to allow for NFWF program staff to provide constructive feedback to strengthen proposed projects, consistent with program priorities. Prospective applicants should schedule project consultations using this link. Prospective applicants are also encouraged to contact CBSF field liaisons (cc’ed here) to vet potential project ideas prior to contacting NFWF staff directly.

We encourage you to forward this announcement to your partner networks.

A Competitive Funding Opportunity

Approximately $575 million is available for projects that build the resilience of coastal communities to extreme weather (e.g., hurricanes and storm surge) and other impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and drought.

Funding was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic, federal government-wide investment that is advancing NOAA’s efforts to build Climate-Ready Coasts. This page is focused on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, which is administered by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. (For information on NOAA’s other Inflation Reduction Act investments, visit this webpage.)

• The focus of this grant program is on collaborative approaches to achieving resilience in coastal regions. Proposed projects should address risk reduction, regional collaboration, and equity, and build enduring capacity for adaptation. Use this information resource, and view the video below, to learn more.

• The First Step: Outline your proposed project and submit a letter of intent. NOAA will invite selected applicants to submit a full application. Details regarding the letter of intent and the application are provided within the funding announcement.

  • Due Dates: For the letter of intent: Monday, August 21, 2023. For the full application: Tuesday, Feb 13, 2024.

  • Eligible Applicants: Coastal states, territories, counties, cities, tribes, and tribal organizations; public or private nonprofit organizations; and institutions of higher education.

  • Matching Funds: There is no matching requirement for this funding.

Link: https://coast.noaa.gov/funding/ira/resilience-challenge/

Deadline: Thursday, August 3, 2023 at 4pm EDT

Link: https://cbtrust.org/grants/outreach-and-restoration/

June 15th - Full Grant Proposals Due to AFWA Portal (no Federal Forms)

Link: https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-informs/multi-state-conservation-grants-program

Full Proposals due by Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 5:00 PM, EDT

Link: https://seagrant.psu.edu/research/proposal-request

Full proposals due June 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST via eSeaGrant

Link: https://www.mdsg.umd.edu/2024-biennial-research-competition

Application due dates:

• First application period due: June 1, 2023, 4:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Saving Time

• Second application period due: January 24, 2024, 4:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346822