Federal Funding Opportunities and Guidance – June 13, 2024

The WIFIA program is an EPA-operated bank that provides low-cost, flexible loans for water infrastructure projects across the country. WIFIA loans support a wide variety of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. Eligible borrowers include public entities, private entities, and public-private partnerships. WIFIA loans can support a broad range of project costs, including project planning and design, construction, land and equipment acquisition, and more. Prospective borrowers can apply for and receive a single WIFIA loan or bundle multiple WIFIA loans under a single application for nearly any stage of project completion, including design-only loans. The WIFIA program has funding available on an ongoing basis and can provide technical assistance to prospective borrowers ( particularly disadvantaged and small communities) that need support to complete their Letter of Interest (LOI) package. Here is more information:

• Application process and materials
• Office Hours
• WIFIA program email (wifia@epa.gov) – to ask questions or request a one-on-one meeting
• Monthly updates on WIFIA program news and updates 

EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Funding Opportunity

3) Brownfields Job Training Funding Opportunity and Outreach Webinars

EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) is soliciting applications from eligible entities for Brownfields Job Training Grants to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Eligible entities can include state and local governments, Tribes, and nonprofit organizations.

The application submission deadline is August 15, 2024. See the FY 2025 Brownfields Job Training Grant Guidelines and Application Resources webpage for more information.

Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Low-Income Communities Bonus (LICB).

4) DOE’s LICB

DOE has opened applications for the Low-Income Communities Bonus (LICB). If you’re a tax-exempt entity that expects to complete a solar or wind project smaller than 5 MW in the next ~4 years, you should apply for the LICB by Thursday, June 27, 2024, to maximize the amount of money you can get back with the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) through Direct Pay.

DOE administers the LICB Program in partnership with the Department of the Treasury and the IRS. The LICB requires its own application and is separate from the IRS’s pre-registration and filing processes for Direct Pay. Unlike Direct Pay tax credits and their other bonus credits, the LICB is competitive and only granted to a limited number of projects.

To qualify, you must build a solar or wind project <5 MW that’s any of the following:

• Category 1: Located in a low-income community (+10% bonus credit
• Category 2: Located on Indian land (+10% bonus credit)
• Category 3: Part of a Qualified Low-Income Residential Building Project (+20% bonus credit)
• Category 4: Part of a Qualified Low-Income Economic Benefit Project (+20% bonus credit)
• Plan to claim the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for this project
• Expect to complete this project in the next ~4 years. (Please note that you can’t apply for the LICB for projects that have already been placed in service)..

To optimize your application’s chances, apply by June 27 @11:59 PM ET. After June 27, DOE will accept applications on a rolling basis. Because this program will likely be oversubscribed, it’s important that you apply by Thursday, June 27, to make your application competitive.

Take Action Today:

• Prepare to apply with this Applicant checklist. Be sure that you have the required documents listed on page 2.
• Share our LICB flyer to help spread the word!

• Fill out this form if you have questions or need additional support.

For more information, see:

• DOE’s LICB landing page with more links and resources
• DOE May 16th webinar recording on the 2024 application process
• Maps for Category 1 Eligibility and Additional Geographic Selection Criteria
• Eligible Covered Housing Programs for Category 3
• Household Income Limits for Category 4
• Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) Fact Sheet

EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants (Community Change Grants)

5) 6-step Application Guides for Community Change Grants

As a reminder, please continue to use our comprehensive and easy-to-navigate 6-step application guides for your Community Change Grant applications. You will find an updated sample proposal narrative for Track II, a sample narrative for Track 1, plus additional templates/samples for Track I attachments. Although the final deadline for the Change Grants is November 21, 2024, EPA plans to review applications on a rolling basis each month. EPN suggests that applicants (who are ready) submit applications ASAP and no later than the end of July. Please fill out this form if you would like additional help.

NDN Collective Community Self-Determination Grants

6) Community Self-Determination Grant

The Community Self-Determination grant program invests in the self-determination of Indigenous people working in their community to defend, develop, and decolonize, fortifying self-determined efforts to create a just, equitable, and sustainable world for all people and Mother Earth. Significant, flexible, multi-year funding may include the infusion of general operating support, power building, capital and holistic support for comprehensive initiatives and specific programs. While national efforts are considered, grassroots, community-based efforts and solutions are intentionally prioritized. Climate and Indigenous justice are at the heart of the intent behind the Community Self-Determination Grant.

Grants of $125,000 USD per year, with commitments up to two years, are available, with a maximum grant award of $250,000 over two years. Registration closes Monday, July 15, 2024 at 5pm CST. Note that you must register by the deadline to apply. Applications are due by July 17, 2024 at 5pm CST. Final Selections will be made by early to mid-September 2024. The Community Self Determination Grant starts on October 15, 2024.

For more information and to apply, go here.

Funding and Technical Assistance to Apply for Grants

7) Just Transition Fund Grants and Technical Assistance to Apply for Federal Funding

The Just Transition Fund is a national philanthropic organization that provides grants (up to $100k) and technical assistance to help communities impacted by the decline of the coal industry apply for federal funding, like EPA’s Community Change Grants program. Nonprofit organizations and local governments located in a community with a coal plant and/or mine are eligible to apply if they’re applying for federal funding for an economic development, workforce, or broadband infrastructure project. Their flexible funding is available on a rolling basis and can support staff capacity, hiring a grant writer, providing a required match, and/or other costs associated with submitting an application. Fill out their inquiry form here as the first step in their streamlined, rapid-response application process.

8) State Funding Readiness Project (SFRP) Technical Assistance