Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (66.046)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$4.9 billion
• Grant awards282
• Typical award$1.0 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$4.6 billion
• Size rank94 of 1824
• Type of assistanceGrant

Key findings

• It is the 94th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 87% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 55 states and territories.

What the program funds

These grants are provided under Section 60114 of the Inflation Reduction Act, Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, 42 U.S. Code § 7437 (or Public Law 117–169, title VI, Aug. 16, 2022, 136 Stat. 2076), which amended the Clean Air Act (CAA) by creating Section 137 for Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Plans and Implementation Grants. Section 137 of CAA authorizes the EPA to fund planning grants to reduce carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride; and grants to states, air pollution control agencies, municipalities, Tribes, or a group of two or more of these entities to implement activities from those plans. Specifically, the CPRG grant program provided funding of $250 million for planning grants to eligible entities and approximately $4.6 billion to implement projects from those plans. Once completed, these plans will establish reduction targets and lay out a roadmap for expeditious implementation of investment-ready policies, programs, and projects to reduce emissions.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

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

Who can apply

Section 137(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act defines eligible entities under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program as states, air pollution control agencies, municipalities, Tribes, and groups of any of these entities. Section 302 of the Clean Air Act defines “states” as including the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Consistent with this definition, the funding allocation approach described in this document also includes funding for the District of Columbia (DC), Puerto Rico, and four U.S. territories. Section 302 of the Clean Air Act defines "municipality" as a city, town, borough, county, parish, district, or other public body created by or pursuant to State law. Consistent with Section 137(d)(1) of the Clean Air Act, a group of municipalities, such as a council of governments, may also be considered an eligible entity under this program. Section 302 of the Clean Air Act defines “air pollution control agency” as: (1) A single State agency designated by the Governor of that State as the official State air pollution control agency for purposes of the Clean Air Act. (2) An agency established by two or more States and having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the prevention and control of air pollution.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

The Climate Pollution Reduction planning grants will be used to develop plans to reduce carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and other air pollutants. The implementation grants will be used to fund projects to implement activities to achieve reductions covered by associated plans. Please refer to applicable program guidance or Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for funding use restrictions.;

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

In FY24, EPA selected 59 applicants to receive implementation and planning grants ranging from $1 million to $500 million.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2023: The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants—Planning Grants grant program awarded grants to 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 82 metropolitan statistical areas, 4 territories and 90 Tribes and Tribal Consortia totalling 100% of available planning grant funding to initiate development of climate action plans, which will involve, among other things, conducting stakeholder outreach and meaningful engagement with low income and disadvantaged communities. Grantees completed and submitted their Priority Climate Action Plans in March and April 2024. State and metropolitan statistical area grantees are required to complete their Comprehensive Climate Action Plan by December 2025 (or later in certain cases).Fiscal Year2024: The majority of CPRG planning grants were awarded in FY23. However, 10 planning grants were awarded in FY24. The complete list of planning grant recipients is available here: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/cprg-planning-grants_0.pdf.Fiscal Year2025: The EPA awarded 59 CPRG implementation grants to states, municipalities, Tribes, and territories. Implementation grantees have begun to implement the grant projects (e.g. purchasing equipment, permit approvals and stakeholder meetings).

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

State and local governments received 92% of the money, tribes 7.4% and nonprofits 0.9%.

By state

53 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.