Funding Opportunities

The purpose of this notice is to solicit financial assistance applications that will build capacity in States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem) by strengthening local nongovernmental organizations’ and/or other interested stakeholder groups’ ability to participate in future coral reef stewardship partnerships, as outlined in the reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 6401-15 (the Act). Projects funded through this competition must address one of two priorities:

PRIORITY 1: Local Coral Community Group Support
Applications submitted under the Local Coral Community Group Support priority should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 24 months (1 to 2 years). Each application should not request more than $50,000 in total Federal funds per geographic region (e.g., counties, islands, or States) in which the project will be performed. Applications that propose projects across multiple geographic regions may request proportionally higher levels of Federal funds. Applications may be submitted by the local organization(s) themselves or by a collaborating partner (either local, regional, or national) who may act as a fiscal agent or primary program coordinator.

PRIORITY 2: National Coral Conservation Support.
Applications submitted under the National Coral Conservation Support priority will be implemented through either a grant or cooperative agreement and should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 48 months (1 to 4 years). Each application should request no more than $75,000 in Federal funds per year for projects with regional beneficiaries and no more than $150,000 per year in Federal funds for projects with national beneficiaries. It is expected that one national or up to two regional applications may be selected. Applications are expected to be submitted by multi-state or multinational entities that may be located outside one of the beneficiary States, however, applicants should demonstrate experience working across these diverse jurisdictions.

The EPA is soliciting applications from eligible entities to conduct demonstration, technical assistance, training, education, and/or outreach projects that seek to reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants by advancing national policy and systems-level initiatives.

The Small Grants Program is for grassroots groups working on environmental health and justice issues related to the presence of “toxics” (toxic chemicals or hazardous substances) in their immediate communities. CHEJ prioritizes community-based organizations aiming to have local, state and regional impact through their own strategies and actions. This program is designed to reach people from low-wealth communities and communities of color who are impacted by environmental harms related to toxics.

This grant program supports:
Grassroots community groups fighting an environmental health harm in their community.
Grassroots community groups looking to build up their own leadership, increase capacity or provide training and education.
Projects that help grassroots groups move toward their goals by building leadership, increasing capacity or providing training and education.
Projects that align with CHEJ’s programs have a better chance to succeed in securing funding. Grassroots communities of color, low wealth, rural and urban groups are encouraged to apply. Should you be a part of a coalition, each group within the coalition may apply individually as well as the coalition itself. CHEJ supports a wide range of environmental health issues; however, we have a limited amount of funds that can only support a specific focus. If your organization’s work is outside of this focus, it does not mean it is less critical, it just means that it will not be considered for this grant.

Please carefully read the Guidelines and the Instructions for Applying per Tier before you apply.

Grant activities can include:
Board development
Door-to-door organizing training
Educational activities directly connected to strategic planning
Equipment and/or subscriptions for improving communications (such as Zoom)
Fundraising
General in-person events or activities
Local or statewide group/community-specific efforts or campaigns
Meetings/Events to develop organizing and/or strategic planning
Organizational membership and outreach

Projects or activities that we are not going to fund:
Community gardens or farming
Disaster relief and/or emergency response and planning
Environmental testing
Film, documentary or podcast production
Food insecurity interventions (such as food banks)
Groups with a budget of over $1,000,000 (one million dollars)
Individuals
Legal assistance
Legislative lobbying or policy work
Organizations outside of the United States and its Territories
Market campaigns
National organizations and/or campaigns
Natural environmental protection or conservation efforts

Grants by Tiers
The grant application is different depending on the size of the organization’s annual budget. Your grant application must be submitted as a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 organization. Refer to the listings below to determine which Tier your organization falls under:
Tier 1: Small organizations and all-volunteer groups with budgets that do not exceed $50,000. Grants available in this tier range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Tier 2: Mid-sized to larger organizations with budgets over $50,000, but not exceeding $250,000. Grants available in this tier range from $5,000 to $10,000.
Tier 3: Large organizations with budgets over $250,000, but not exceeding $1,000,000 (one million dollars). Grants available in this tier range from $10,000 to $20,000.

Will You Need a Fiscal Sponsor?
If you are a grassroots group, but are not incorporated and do not have a bank account, you will need to find an organization that can accept the funds for your group. Consider asking a faith-based organization or another non-profit if they will serve as your “Fiscal Sponsor.”

In November 2023, a group of civic leaders joined with CFSA to launch the Local News Initiative of Southern Arizona to address concerns about the steady decline in local news coverage and local journalists reporting on Tucson, Pima County, and Southern Arizona. The initiative aims to strengthen local journalism in the Southern Arizona community and fill critical gaps in local news and information. 

Fast Pitch grants are for ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Activities may include:
• conference or seminar attendance
• consultants or professional speakers
• specialized staff training/certification
• professional development: coaching, leadership training, board development
• focused education on organizational development such as: strategic planning, fund or program development, needs assessment and information management
• software support such as volunteer scheduling or grant management software, database management such as Excel or Access, or other software pertinent to the development of your organization
• technology support such as a new computer, printer, or copier, used to enhance the development of your organization

With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Program provides $5 billion over five years (FY 2022-2026) to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. Under the Program's first funding opportunity, the 2022 CSB Rebates, EPA solicited applications for zero-emission and low-emission school buses and awarded up to $965 million to fund school bus replacements at nearly 400 schools.

In Spring 2023, EPA opened a competitive grant funding program; EPA anticipates awarding at least $400 million under the 2023 CSB Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). EPA expects to announce the 2023 Grant Program selectees by early 2024. In Fall 2023, EPA opened the 2023 CSB Rebates program; EPA expects to award at least $500 million in funding under the 2023 rebate program.

ACF's Patagonia Regional Community Fund offers funding to organizations that have projects and programs supporting residents of Patagonia, Sonoita, Elgin, and/or Canelo.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) are seeking community-led strategies and tools to address health disparities in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risks and hazards including those related to climate change, and the cumulative impacts of other stressors. The Challenge mechanism provides an opportunity for community voices to participate in developing novel innovative approaches to addressing the adverse health impacts of environmental conditions and increase community resilience within their local, disproportionately impacted communities.

Through WaterSMART, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) leverages Federal and non-Federal funding to work cooperatively with States, Tribes, and local entities as they plan for and implement actions to increase water supply sustainability through investments in existing infrastructure and attention to local water conflicts. WaterSMART provides support for priorities identified in Presidential Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (E.O. 14008) and aligned with other priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (E.O. 13985). The WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects also support the goals of the Interagency Drought Relief Working Group established in March 2021 and the National Drought Resiliency Partnership. These grants will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. Established by E.O. 14008, the Justice40 Initiative has it made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. Federal agencies are using the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to help identify disadvantaged communities. The objective of this NOFO is to invite States, Indian Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on small-scale on-the-ground projects that seek to conserve, better manage, or otherwise make more efficient use of water supplies. Proposed projects that are supported by an existing water management and conservation plan, System Optimization Review, or other planning effort led by the applicant are prioritized. This prioritization will help ensure that projects funded under this NOFO are well thought out, have public support, and have been identified as the best way to address water management concerns. Reclamation has simplified the evaluation criteria and streamlined the application process for this category of WaterSMART Grants to ensure that the process works for smaller entities. Simplified evaluation criteria are intended to provide each applicant with an opportunity to succinctly explain how the proposed project would meet a defined need identified through a prior planning effort.

Full-time Investees are nonprofits in our focus areas selected by our committee to receive a multiyear investment, capacity building tools, and Partnership expertise for 3-5 years to increase their organizational capacity and amplify their impact.