What Is Actually Open Right Now
As of February 2026, two competitive EPA grants are accepting new applications. The Environmental Education Grant Program (EPA-EE-25-01) has $3.2 million available. Individual awards range from $200,000 to $250,000, with up to 16 grants expected. The deadline is March 3, 2026. A 25 percent cost share is required, and 25 percent of EPA funding must go to subawards of $5,000 or less. Priority focus areas this cycle are artificial intelligence for environmental education and clean and safe water. Eligible applicants include state and local education agencies, colleges and universities, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and noncommercial educational broadcasting entities. Individual teachers and individual schools that are not nonprofits are not eligible. The Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings grant (EPA-OAR-ORIA-25-03) has $13.58 million available. Individual awards range from $350,000 to $2.5 million, with approximately 8 to 11 grants expected. The deadline is April 15, 2026. Cost share is 10 percent but may be waived for economically distressed communities. An information session is scheduled for February 25, 2026, from 1 to 2 PM Eastern. Eligible activities include smoke readiness planning, air quality monitoring, portable air cleaner deployment, building upgrades, and cleaner air shelter preparation. States, federally recognized Tribes, public pre-schools, local educational agencies, and nonprofits can apply. The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program accepts Letters of Interest on a rolling basis, with over $6.5 billion available for water infrastructure loans. This is not a grant but a low-interest federal credit program for large water projects. Public water and wastewater utilities, state infrastructure financing authorities, and communities are eligible.
What Closed Recently: Brownfields Awards Pending
The FY2026 Brownfields grant competition closed January 28, 2026. Awards are pending. The competition included three tracks. Assessment Grants (EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-06) offer up to $500,000 per individual grant, up to $2 million for coalition grants, and up to $2 million for state and tribal community-wide assessments. Applicants must plan to assess at least 10 sites. Cleanup Grants (EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-07) allocated $107 million for approximately 36 grants. Up to 10 awards of $500,000 or less and 26 awards between $500,001 and $4 million. The project period is four years. Applicants must own the contaminated site. Multipurpose Grants offer up to $1 million for combined assessment and cleanup activities. Cost share was waived for all FY2026 Brownfields grants under IIJA authority. Eligible applicants include local governments, states, Tribes, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, and nonprofits (for assessment only). However, the FY2026 budget proposal includes a 50 percent cut to the Brownfields program. Whether future rounds occur depends on Congressional appropriations. Separately, 25 communities were selected for FY2026 Brownfields Job Training Grants (EPA-I-OLEM-OBLR-25-01), totaling approximately $12 million with individual awards up to $500,000. Final awards are pending legal and administrative clearance.
🔍 Search related opportunities now
The Budget Proposal: A 55 Percent Cut
The FY2026 President's Budget Request proposes an EPA budget of $4.16 billion, down from $9.14 billion enacted in FY2025. That is a $4.97 billion reduction, or 54.5 percent, the largest proposed cut in EPA history. Specific proposed reductions include a roughly 90 percent cut to the State Revolving Funds, from a combined $2.765 billion to $305 million. The Clean Water SRF would drop from approximately $1.6 billion to $155 million. The Drinking Water SRF would drop from approximately $1.1 billion to $150 million. Enforcement would be cut 49 percent. Brownfields would be cut 50 percent. Air and energy research would be cut 65 percent. The Energy Star program would be eliminated. The Section 319 Nonpoint Source grant program would be eliminated entirely, along with 18 other categorical grant programs. Staffing would be reduced to 12,856 FTEs, down 1,274 from FY2025. This is a budget proposal, not an enacted budget. Congress has not passed it and bipartisan opposition exists, particularly to the SRF cuts. But it signals the direction of EPA priorities under the current administration and creates uncertainty for program planning. EPA's workforce has already been cut from 16,155 to 12,448 employees between January and July 2025. Scientific advisory boards have been dismissed. Climate change references have been removed from the EPA website.
IRA Climate Funding: Repealed, Frozen, or in Court
The Inflation Reduction Act directed approximately $42 billion through EPA for climate and environmental programs. Most of that money is now frozen, rescinded, or in litigation. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, originally $27 billion, was the largest single program. Three grantees were selected in 2024: the National Clean Investment Fund ($14 billion), Clean Communities Investment Accelerator ($6 billion), and Solar for All ($7 billion). The Trump EPA froze disbursement of approximately $20 billion. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, rescinded unobligated GGRF funds and repealed the statutory authority entirely from the Clean Air Act. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a September 2025 panel ruling that allowed the freeze. An en banc rehearing is scheduled for February 24, 2026. Green bank nonprofits that received GGRF awards report being unable to pay bills or fund committed projects during the freeze. Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, originally $5 billion, awarded $250 million in Phase 1 planning grants to 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and metro areas. Phase 2 awarded $4.3 billion across 25 implementation projects in 30 states. Implementation funds that were obligated before OBBBA may survive, but unobligated balances were rescinded. All funds must be used by September 30, 2026. Environmental and Climate Justice grants, originally $3 billion (Section 60201), were largely terminated. EPA canceled approximately $1.7 billion in EJ grants in March 2025 and terminated over 700 grants covering most of the Office of Environmental Justice portfolio. A federal judge ruled on June 17, 2025 that the termination of $600 million in Thriving Communities grants was unlawful, but the OBBBA subsequently rescinded unobligated EJ block grant funds. Litigation continues. The Methane Emissions Reduction Program, originally $1.55 billion, had unobligated funds rescinded by OBBBA. The Waste Emissions Charge was postponed to 2034.
Water Infrastructure: IIJA's Final Year
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized five years of supplemental funding for EPA's State Revolving Funds. FY2026 is the final year of that authorization. The Drinking Water SRF received $11.7 billion from IIJA for FY2022 through FY2026. The Clean Water SRF received comparable supplemental funding. FY2025 combined allocations totaled $8.9 billion across both programs. Lead Service Line Replacement received a dedicated $15 billion, with $3 billion per year flowing through the Drinking Water SRF. In 2025, EPA reallocated $1.1 billion in lead pipe funds after revised inventories cut the estimated number of lead service lines from 9 million to 4 million. SRF funds flow to states and territories, not directly to end users. States then provide low-interest loans, principal forgiveness, or grants to municipalities, water utilities, and public water systems. There is no direct federal application. Applicants apply through their state's SRF program. The Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant distributes approximately $1 billion per year to states for PFAS treatment. FY2025 allocated $945.7 million. FY2026 is the final year. No cost share is required. States sub-grant to small and disadvantaged community drinking water systems. After IIJA authorization expires, the base appropriation levels for SRFs will depend on annual Congressional appropriations. If the administration's proposed 90 percent cut holds in future years, the drop from combined IIJA-supplemented levels to base levels would be severe.
Tribal Environmental Programs
Tribal programs continue but face proposed elimination of several categorical grants in the FY2026 budget. The Indian Environmental General Assistance Program invites proposals for workplans beginning October 1, 2026. Region 10 awards are up to $138,000 per year, with proposals due February 13, 2026. Region 9 workplans and budgets were due February 6, 2026. Eligibility is limited to federally recognized Indian Tribes and intertribal consortia. Tribal State Indoor Radon Grants in Region 5 offer up to $220,000 total with individual grants of $15,000 to $60,000. Clean Water Act Section 106 and Clean Air Act Section 105 formula grants continue for tribal air and water agencies, though the FY2026 budget proposes significant cuts to both categorical grant programs. Region 10 tribal applications for these programs were due February 13, 2026. The Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set-Aside continues as a dedicated allocation within the DWSRF, administered through EPA regional offices.
The Court Battles That Will Determine Billions
Several ongoing lawsuits could reshape EPA funding in 2026. The GGRF litigation is the largest. The D.C. Circuit en banc rehearing on February 24, 2026 will determine whether approximately $20 billion in frozen green bank and Solar for All funds can be disbursed. Thirty-six Congressional members filed an amicus brief in February 2026 challenging the clawback. The outcome could either unlock billions for clean energy lending or permanently end the program. The Thriving Communities EJ grant litigation continues after a June 17, 2025 federal court ruling in Maryland found EPA's termination of $600 million (part of a broader $600 million program across all regions) was unlawful. A class action lawsuit by Lawyers for Good Governance challenges the broader defunding of IRA EJ programs. The executive funding freeze that paused IRA and IIJA disbursements in January 2025 was partially enjoined by federal courts in D.C. and Rhode Island. Most IIJA transportation formula funds resumed by June 2025, but the litigation established that the executive branch cannot unilaterally freeze Congressionally appropriated funds without specific statutory authority. These cases matter for anyone planning around EPA funding. Programs that appear dead may be revived by court order. Programs that appear alive may be frozen by new litigation. The legal uncertainty makes it difficult to plan multi-year projects that depend on federal EPA funding.
What Still Works
Despite the upheaval, several EPA funding pathways remain functional. WIFIA loans continue. The $6.5 billion Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program accepts rolling applications for large water projects. It is the single largest functioning EPA credit program. State Revolving Funds continue disbursing IIJA money through FY2026. The final year of IIJA authorization means this is the last large tranche before funding drops to base levels. Contact your state's SRF program now if you have eligible water infrastructure projects. Brownfields grants continue, with FY2026 awards pending and the cost share waived under IIJA authority. Watch for FY2027 NOFO announcements, though the proposed 50 percent cut creates uncertainty. Emerging Contaminants funding for PFAS treatment continues through the EC-SDC program in its final IIJA year. Contact your state drinking water agency. Environmental Education grants are open now with a March 3 deadline. Wildfire Smoke Preparedness grants are open with an April 15 deadline. DERA (Diesel Emissions Reduction Act) grants are expected for FY2026 but the NOFO has not been posted. The FY2025 round allocated $125 million. Watch for announcements in spring or summer 2026. EPA contracts on SAM.gov continue to be posted for environmental consulting, remediation services, laboratory analysis, and IT support. Filter by agency on SAM.gov or search for EPA on Funding Landscape.