Current Entry Points, Without Calling Closed Rounds Open
EPA's spring and June competitive cycles have turned over. The Environmental Education (EPA-EE-25-01) and Wildfire Smoke Preparedness (EPA-OAR-ORIA-25-03) competitions closed March 3 and April 15, 2026. Farmer to Farmer closed June 19, and the two Great Lakes Biology Monitoring cooperative agreements closed June 30. They are useful models for the next round, not applications you can submit today. The Contaminated Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Lands Assistance Program lists a December 31, 2027 deadline for assessment and cleanup work on eligible contaminated lands transferred to Alaska Native corporations. Confirm eligibility and the current notice before preparing an application. The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program accepts Letters of Interest on a rolling basis for eligible water infrastructure projects. WIFIA is federal credit, not a grant, so borrowers should evaluate repayment, project size, creditworthiness, and the current program requirements before treating it as a fit. EPA's Brownfields page reported no open solicitations in its May 14, 2026 update and listed FY2027 competitions as upcoming. Search current EPA records and Grants.gov rather than relying on a fixed article count, because opportunities can open or close between article updates.
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.
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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 funds workplans beginning October 1, 2026, with Region 10 awards up to $138,000 per year. The Region 9 and Region 10 proposal windows for this cycle closed in February 2026; the next annual cycle typically opens in winter. 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 application windows for these programs closed in February 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 lawsuits continue to affect whether previously awarded EPA money can be disbursed. The D.C. Circuit heard the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund dispute en banc on February 24, 2026. That hearing date is now historical, not a future deadline, and this guide does not treat disputed capital as available to new applicants. The Thriving Communities litigation and challenges to other environmental-justice terminations likewise concern existing awards and agency authority. They are not substitutes for a live Notice of Funding Opportunity. The practical rule is simple: separate a court case about an existing award from an open competition. If your plan depends on frozen or contested funding, verify the current docket, the award agreement, and the administering agency's written guidance with counsel before committing costs. For new applications, require a live primary-source notice with a current deadline.
What Still Works
Despite the upheaval, several EPA funding pathways remain functional. WIFIA credit accepts rolling Letters of Interest for qualifying water projects. State Revolving Funds continue through state programs, so municipalities and utilities should start with their state's Clean Water or Drinking Water SRF office rather than a federal grant application. Emerging Contaminants funding also flows through state and territorial programs. Brownfields remains an important recurring program, but EPA's current-and-upcoming page reported no open solicitations as of its May 14, 2026 update. Use the closed FY2026 materials to prepare and watch the official FY2027 announcement. The Environmental Education and Wildfire Smoke Preparedness competitions are closed. EPA's DERA page, updated July 7, 2026, did not list a new national competitive NOFO; subscribe to the official update list rather than assuming an anticipated round is open. 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.