The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications for its Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program that provides funding directly to eligible applicants for projects that help residents of underserved communities understand and address local environmental and public health issues.

The EJSG program is structured to be one of the more accessible federal grant programs, especially for community-based organizations who are unfamiliar with the federal grants process.

Funding Information

• The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $2,800,000 for projects related to one of the seven statutes.
• Approximately $300,000 of the estimated total will be specifically for Ports Initiative projects.
• EPA anticipates awarding approximately five grants per EPA region in amounts of up to $50,000 per award.
• Approximately $1.4 million (or half of the available funding) will be set-aside for awards to small non-profit organizations defined as organizations with 10 or fewer full-time employees as of the time of application submission and award.

Types of Projects

Types of projects the EJSG program has funded in the past include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Air Quality & Asthma
• Water Quality & Sampling
• Food Access to reduce vehicle travel and fuel emissions
• Stormwater & Green Infrastructure
• Lead Contamination
• Pesticides and other Toxic Substances
• Healthy Homes
• Illegal Dumping
• Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Resiliency
• Environmental Job Training
• Youth Development through Environmental Education

Qualified Environmental Statutes

• Clean Air Act
• Clean Water Act,
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
• Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
• Safe Drinking Water Act
• Solid Waste Disposal Act
• Toxic Substances Control Act

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Entities based on the Assistance Listing. In accordance with Assistance Listing 66.604, an eligible applicant must be one of the following:

• Incorporated non-profit organizations—including, but not limited to, community based organizations, grassroots organizations, environmental justice networks, faith-based organizations and those affiliated with religious institutions;
• US Territories
• Tribal governments which must be either federally-recognized or state-recognized – including Alaska Native Villages; or
• Tribal organizations.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.