For local governments, sufficient financing is critical to support infrastructure and programs that ensure environmental compliance and protection. The resources below highlight ongoing or recurrent funding and financing opportunities and/or provide information on capacity-building.
General
Indoor Air
Drinking Water
Groundwater
Stormwater
Wastewater
Watersheds
Wetlands
Hazardous Waste
Solid Waste
Emergency Management
Cybersecurity
EPA Grants. Compendium of up-to-date federal environmental grant opportunities.
Environmental Finance Centers. The Centers serve each EPA region, providing technical assistance, training, publications and other programs relating to drinking water, stormwater and green infrastructure, clean energy and waste management.
EPA Financing for Environmental Compliance. Eight-step planning process communities can use in determining their capital asset, technical and financial needs and in finding available funding resources to meet their compliance goals.
EPA Environmental Education Grants. Grants available to support environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship and help provide people with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the planet.
What Does the Inflation Reduction Act Do for State and Local Government?. Introduces several ways that local energy and climate programs can benefit from the IRA, including drought relief and funding for "resilience hubs."
Legislative Analysis for Counties: The Inflation Reduction Act. Article published by the National Association of Counties detailing the IRA's major provisions for counties as well as a section-by-section analysis of how funds have been allocated.
EPA Networking and Funding Opportunities. Learn about various indoor air quality networking and funding opportunities.
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. EPA awards grants to states to establish revolving loan funds to assist public water systems with infrastructure improvements.
Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center. Compilation of funding and grant opportunities, affordability programs, technical assistance programs and financial planning tools for water and wastewater systems.
Water Technical Assistance. EPA provides states, Tribes and territories technical assistance (TA) to adequately identify, plan for and fund water and wastewater infrastructure improvements.
Financial Technical Assistance and Tools for Water Infrastructure. Website with assortment of tools and guidance to utilities making financing decisions regarding their local water infrastructure.
Water Finance Exchange. Partnership between federal and state stakeholders, communities, philanthropy, and the financial sector to address the shortage of funding for water infrastructure projects in economically distressed and minority communities by providing access to pre-development funding and resources as well as subject-matter experts to support communities in finding funding and building scalable solutions.
FITS: Funding Integration Tool for Source Water. Interactive tool that identifies, and explains how users can integrate, available federal funding sources to finance projects that protect sources of drinking water.
Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS). Information about applicable federal disaster funding programs tailored to water and wastewater utilities. Addresses national-level, large-scale and even local disasters that result in service interruptions and significant damage to the critical water/wastewater infrastructure.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources for Drinking Water. This act provided $11.7 billion to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF); $15 billion to the Drinking Water SRF for Lead Service Line Replacement; $4 billion to the Drinking Water SRF for Emerging Contaminants; and $5 billion to Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Grants to address emerging contaminants.
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. EPA awards grants to states to establish revolving loan funds to assist public water systems with infrastructure improvements, including activities needed for source water protection and enhanced water systems management.
Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Funds supplied by EPA and state governments available for a wide range of water infrastructure projects, focused on increasing compliance with the Clean Water Act. EPA's CWSRF portal includes grant eligibility rules, guidance documents and financial reports from previous grantees.
Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center. Compilation of funding and grant opportunities, affordability programs, technical assistance programs and financial planning tools for water and wastewater systems.
Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS). Information about applicable federal disaster funding programs tailored to water and wastewater utilities. Addresses national-level, large-scale and even local disasters that result in service interruptions and significant damage to the critical water/wastewater infrastructure.
CWSRF Best Practices Guide for Financing Nonpoint Source Solutions. Provides detailed guidance for addressing pollution using Clean Water Act programs, understanding CWSRF eligibility requirements, developing partnerships with nonpoint source programs and outside stakeholders, financing these projects and testing and refining project approaches.
Local Government Stormwater Financing Manual. Environmental Finance Center publication on stormwater program reform, emphasizing the importance of looking beyond public funding sources. Provides detailed information on risk management for the advocated financing approach, focus group findings from local officials and technical guidance on setting utility rates.
Integrated Planning for Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater. EPA and Environmental Finance Center provide stormwater and wastewater utilities with direct guidance on Element 4 (Development, Evaluation and Selection of Preferred Alternatives) of the Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Framework.
Getting to Green: Paying for Green Infrastructure, Finance Options and Resources for Local Decision-Makers. Summarizes funding sources that support stormwater management programs or finance individual projects. Includes examples of past projects and additional resources for each funding source.
Water Infrastructure Investments. Center for information and grant applications related to funding for water infrastructure, Superfund Site remediation, pollution prevention and more.
Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Funds supplied by EPA and state governments available for a wide range of water infrastructure projects, focused on increasing compliance with the Clean Water Act. EPA's CWSRF portal includes grant eligibility rules, guidance documents and financial reports from previous grantees.
Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center. Compilation of funding and grant opportunities, affordability programs, technical assistance programs and financial planning tools for water and wastewater systems.
Federal Funding for Water and Wastewater Utilities in National Disasters (Fed FUNDS). Information about applicable federal disaster funding programs tailored to water and wastewater utilities. Addresses national-level, large-scale and even local disasters that result in service interruptions and significant damage to the critical water/wastewater infrastructure.
USDA Water & Waste Disposal Grants to Alleviate Health Risks for Colonias. Provides grants for developing basic drinking water and waste disposal systems to low-income communities facing health risks due to lack of access to safe drinking water and waste disposal facilities. Available to federally recognized tribal lands, areas recognized as Colonias and rural areas and towns with populations of 10,000 people or less.
Rural, Small and Tribal Wastewater Technical Assistance. Information on how rural, small and Tribal communities can engage RST TA to secure public funding for infrastructure improvements. RST TA provides specialized technical, managerial and financial support to ensure communities efficiently run wastewater treatment systems while meeting environmental and public health compliance standards.
Water Infrastructure Investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Center for information and grant applications related to funding for water infrastructure, Superfund Site remediation, pollution prevention and more.
CWSRF Best Practices Guide for Financing Nonpoint Source Solutions. Provides detailed guidance for addressing pollution using Clean Water Act programs, understanding CWSRF eligibility requirements, developing partnerships with nonpoint source programs and outside stakeholders, financing these projects and testing and refining project approaches.
Asset Management Plans and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Fact sheet demonstrating ways CWSRF can aid wastewater utilities in asset management planning and capital expenditures. Includes two case studies, illustrating how local systems improved with the introduction of state incentives in the first case study, and requirements for borrowers to create asset management plans in the second case study.
Integrated Planning for Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater. EPA and Environmental Finance Center provide stormwater and wastewater utilities with direct guidance on Element 4 (Development, Evaluation and Selection of Preferred Alternatives) of the Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Framework.
Addressing the Affordability of Water and Wastewater Services in the U.S.. National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) report summarizing the key takeaways of 20 case studies of utility affordability programs and rate structures. Provides technical guidance to local governments in designing programs to increase affordable access to water services for low-income communities.
EPA Financial Technical Assistance and Tools for Water Infrastructure. Website with assortment of tools and guidance to utilities making financing decisions regarding their local water infrastructure.
Water Infrastructure Investments. Center for information and grant applications related to funding for water infrastructure, Superfund Site remediation, pollution prevention and more.
Funding Resources for Watershed Protection and Restoration. List of EPA grant programs that provide funding to watershed protection and restoration projects, Including links to each program as well as relevant reports and publications on watershed financing.
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program. Page highlights funding available to local governments to protect and restore watersheds up to 250,000 acres and includes additional eligibility information and guidance documents.
Wetlands Program Development Grants. Funding available to projects that promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution—applications open each Spring.
EPA Five Star Wetland and Urban Waters Restoration Grants. Provides funding grants ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 for technical support and information exchange for community-based wetland restoration projects; EPA program page also includes webinars and guidance documents on the grant writing process.
Wetland Grants Database. Interactive database of previous Wetlands Program Development Grants projects, including grant data, case study narratives and model products.
Wetland Program Development Grants Case Studies. Highlights successful use of Wetlands Program Development Grants in building one or more elements of a wetlands protection program.
Office of Land and Emergency Management Grants and Funding. Up-to-date compendium of OLEM funding opportunities, including grants for hazardous waste management and brownfield cleanups.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Solid Waste Management Grants. Annual grant program, typically open from October to December, providing funding to organizations that offer technical assistance and training to improve solid waste site planning and management. .
USDA Solid Waste Management Grants Factsheet. FAQ regarding grant program information including eligibility, terms for grants and links to additional application resources.
Resource Recycling Grant Watch. Frequently updated repository of funding opportunities for recycling projects from private, nonprofit, state and federal government sponsors.
EPA's Local Governments Reimbursement Program. The LGR program may reimburse local governments up to $25,000 for expenses related to a release and associated emergency response (except petroleum spills, but local governments may determine their eligibility for reimbursement at the U.S. Coast Guard's National Pollution Funds Center) measures when a local government lacks available funds. Call the toll-free LGR Helpline at 1-800-431-9209 with questions.
Homeland Security Grant Program. Suite of risk-based grants geared for assisting states, localities, tribes and territories with mitigation, prevention, response, and recovery activities relating to acts of terrorism and other threats.
Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant Program. Grants assist states, territories and tribes with developing and implementing emergency plans within the National Response System and under EPCRA.
FEMA Preparedness Grants. Supports capacity building to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate terrorism and other high-consequence disasters and emergencies.
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Loans and set-asides from these programs may be used to build managerial, technical, and financial capabilities, conduct vulnerability assessments and trainings, develop effective cybersecurity measures and plans, upgrade IT and OT technology and more.
State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program. Department of Homeland Security program provides funding to eligible entities to address cybersecurity risks and threats to information systems owned or operated by, or on behalf of, state, local, or tribal governments.