Environmental Quality and Protection (15.236)
Environmental Quality and Protection (Assistance Listing 15.236) is run by the Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $20.5 million in 30 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $682,666 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $256,798. Half of the 30 awards fell between $88,308 and $935,945, and they ranged from $3,000 to $5.7 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$20.5 million
- Grant awards30
- Typical award$256,798
- Awarded in FY 2025$4.0 million
- Size rank1,302 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements (discretionary grants)
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $1.0 million in fiscal 2021 to $4.0 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1302nd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 16 largest recipients received 107% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 10 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its cooperative government and nongovernmental conservation partners, mitigate hazards to protect public health and safety, restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry and disposal activities of the past, including both underground and surface mining, have left degraded watersheds on public lands throughout the western United States. Un-reclaimed sites pose an environmental threat to groundwater, surface water and soil as well as create a risk to the health and safety of public land users. Mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as: 1). Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and water quality through restoration of abandoned hard rock mines. and 2). Educational outreach about the potential dangers posed to the public and recreationists from AML sites. The AML Program will contribute to the conservation and restoration of approximately 30% of our lands and waters by the year 2030. Additionally, this will help ensure that public land users are not at risk from the dangers of legacy mining activities.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
What the money can and cannot pay for
Partnership projects are limited to public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management located mostly in the Western United States and Alaska unless other specific legislative authority exists. Abandoned Mine Lands projects will support: inventory and site assessments; cultural and biological clearances, mitigation, remediation, and restoration activities; and maintenance and monitoring of actions taken. Funded projects will protect public health, safety and environmental resources by eliminating contamination and hazards and restoring natural resources. For more specific information please contact that headquarters office.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Past partnership projects have ranged from $1,000 to 1,762,000. Average amount is $62,700 or less.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Multiple projects were funded to perform inventory, wildlife clearances, bat surveys, and NEPA work at AML sites in New Mexico, Montana, California and other western states. Projects were funded to complete the closure of AML physical safety hazards including open shafts and adits.Fiscal Year2026: Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that support the inventory, cultural and biological clearances, NEPA and closure work associated with mitigating abandoned mine land sites and features.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Environmental Quality and Protection (15.236) awarded $20.5 million across 30 grant awards, an average of $682,666 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Department of Environmental Quality | Montana | 4 | $7.8 million |
| Energy Minerals & Natural Resources Department | New Mexico | 2 | $5.2 million |
| Colorado Department of Natural Resources | Colorado | 5 | $3.1 million |
| Mineral Resources, Nevada Commission on | Nevada | 2 | $2.4 million |
| Nevada Department of Wildlife | Nevada | 1 | $743,780 |
| South Dakota School of Mines & Technology | South Dakota | 3 | $664,241 |
| Texas A&m Agrilife Research | Texas | 1 | $579,606 |
| Utah Oil Gas & Mining Division | Utah | 1 | $545,036 |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | New Mexico | 2 | $203,567 |
| University of Wyoming | Wyoming | 2 | $198,660 |
| Trout Unlimited, Inc. | Virginia | 1 | $154,997 |
| Environmental Conservation Alaska Department | Alaska | 1 | $135,848 |
| California Department of Conservation | California | 1 | $100,000 |
| The New Mexico Association of Counties | New Mexico | 1 | $50,000 |
| City of Ely | Nevada | 1 | $20,000 |
| Oregon Institute of Technology | Oregon | 1 | $3,000 |
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 94% of the money, colleges and universities 4.2% and nonprofits 1.0%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 19 | $19.2 million | 94% |
| Colleges and universities | 7 | $859,200 | 4.2% |
| Nonprofits | 3 | $207,997 | 1.0% |
| Other | 1 | $171,768 | 0.8% |
By state
4 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Montana, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 4 | $7.6 million |
| New Mexico | 5 | $5.4 million |
| Nevada | 4 | $3.0 million |
| Colorado | 5 | $3.0 million |
| South Dakota | 3 | $664,241 |
| Texas | 1 | $579,606 |
| Utah | 1 | $544,439 |
| Virginia | 1 | $154,997 |
| California | 1 | $100,000 |
| Alaska | 1 | $61,252 |