Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (SDWA 1464(d)) (66.444)
Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (SDWA 1464(d)) (Assistance Listing 66.444) is run by the Environmental Protection Agency. It awarded $118 million in 123 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $960,706 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $659,000. Half of the 123 awards fell between $368,000 and $1.1 million, and they ranged from $36,000 to $6.1 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$118 million
- Grant awards123
- Typical award$659,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$33.7 million
- Size rank758 of 1824
- Type of assistanceGrant
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $19.4 million in fiscal 2021 to $33.7 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 758th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 66% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 52 states and territories.
What the program funds
Grant funding is awarded to states, territories, and Tribal Consortia to assist local educational agencies in voluntary testing and remediation of lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities. The principal objective of the assistance to be awarded under this program is to test and remediate lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities, using EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water guidance or the at least equivalent applicable state regulations or guidance regarding reducing lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities (see: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/wiin-grant-voluntary-school-and-child-care-lead-testing-and-reduction-grant-program). EPA's 3Ts (Training, Testing, and Taking Action) provide guidance, educational materials, and tools for schools, child care facilities, states, Tribes, and water systems to implement voluntary lead testing and remediation programs in drinking water. Funding supports: (1) reducing children’s exposure to lead in drinking water; (2) helping states, territories, and Tribes target funding toward schools unable to pay for testing; (3) using the 3Ts model, or at least equivalent model, to establish best practices for lead in drinking water prevention programs; (4) fostering sustainable partnerships at the state and local level to allow for more efficient use of existing resources and exchange of information among experts in various educational and health sectors; and (5) enhancing community, parent, and teacher cooperation and trust. The priority is to award funds to test and remediate lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities through planning, public education, testing and outreach, along with taking actions to remediate lead from the facilities' infrastructure. This voluntary effort focuses on lead reduction and decreasing the number of lead sources in drinking water at schools and child care facilities that are in low-income areas. The grant program requires EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools guidance to develop and implement programs in schools and child care facilities, and to identify and remediate lead sources in drinking water.
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
Under the authority provided in the SDWA 1464(d), the Program awards funds to Tribal Consortia and “states” as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act. This includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Consistent with this definition, within this document, the term “state” will be used to describe the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
What the money can and cannot pay for
The overall grant funding objective is towards its use for the administration and implementation of a lead testing and reduction in drinking water program using the Environmental Protection Agency’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools guidance or applicable state regulations or guidance. Funding will be used for the administration and implementation of the lead testing and programs including: (a) training, monitoring, and assessment of the testing program; and (b) ensuring local educational agencies make available, if applicable, in the administration offices and, to the extent practicable, on the internet website of the local educational agency for inspection by the public, a copy of the results of any lead contamination in school and child care facility drinking water; and notify parent, teacher, and employee organizations of the availability of the results. The funding is also eligible to provide assistance through remediation and replacement actions in the schools/child care facilities that have tested for lead in drinking water. The goal of this program is to reduce lead exposure on the vulnerable population of children, especially the ones under the age of six, in drinking water at schools and/or child care facilities that primarily serve the population just described.
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.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Applicants should contact the EPA headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines (see: https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/voluntary-school-and-child-care-lead-testing-and-reduction-state-grant-program-contacts for state grant program contacts).
Award range and average, in the agency's words
States/Territories Range: $36,000 to $2,258,000/fiscal year. Average/fiscal year: $450,000
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Grant funding supported projects and expanded im plementation of programs that: 1. provide training on conducting testing and remediation of lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities; 2. provide information on testing results to the states and public; 3. analyze drinking water samples for lead; 4. use non-water testing options to identify the source of lead in drinking water; 5. remediate lead contamination in drinking water; 6. develop resources and tools to communicate the results of the testing to the community at large; and 7. develop and implement state plans for lead testing, remediation, and maintenance that protect children from future lead exposure.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program (SDWA 1464(d)) (66.444) awarded$118 million across 123 grant awards, an average of $960,706 per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 90% of the money, tribes 6.1% and nonprofits 3.0%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 109 | $106 million | 90% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 10 | $7.2 million | 6.1% |
| Nonprofits | 2 | $3.6 million | 3.0% |
| Colleges and universities | 2 | $1.6 million | 1.3% |
By state
38 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2 | $8.3 million |
| California | 2 | $7.7 million |
| New York | 1 | $6.1 million |
| Illinois | 2 | $5.3 million |
| Arizona | 4 | $5.2 million |
| Tennessee | 4 | $5.1 million |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | $4.8 million |
| Michigan | 5 | $4.8 million |
| Georgia | 2 | $4.7 million |
| Florida | 2 | $4.3 million |
| Oregon | 4 | $4.1 million |
| North Carolina | 2 | $3.0 million |
| Indiana | 3 | $2.9 million |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $2.9 million |
| Washington | 1 | $2.7 million |
| Louisiana | 2 | $2.3 million |
| Massachusetts | 3 | $2.3 million |
| Virginia | 3 | $2.3 million |
| Ohio | 2 | $2.2 million |
| Oklahoma | 2 | $2.2 million |
| Minnesota | 3 | $2.1 million |
| Connecticut | 3 | $2.0 million |
| Colorado | 2 | $2.0 million |
| Missouri | 4 | $2.0 million |
| Kentucky | 2 | $1.7 million |
| Montana | 3 | $1.7 million |
| Rhode Island | 4 | $1.6 million |
| New Hampshire | 3 | $1.6 million |
| Mississippi | 2 | $1.6 million |
| Maryland | 1 | $1.5 million |
| Utah | 2 | $1.4 million |
| Nebraska | 3 | $1.4 million |
| Maine | 3 | $1.3 million |
| Kansas | 2 | $1.3 million |
| South Carolina | 2 | $1.3 million |
| Iowa | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Alaska | 2 | $1.1 million |
| West Virginia | 3 | $1.0 million |
| South Dakota | 2 | $916,000 |
| Vermont | 3 | $741,000 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $728,000 |
| Idaho | 2 | $717,000 |
| Nevada | 2 | $713,000 |
| Alabama | 1 | $645,000 |
| Wyoming | 2 | $645,000 |
| Delaware | 3 | $516,000 |
| District of Columbia | 2 | $433,000 |
| Arkansas | 1 | $430,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | $368,000 |
| North Dakota | 1 | $168,000 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $89,000 |
| American Samoa | 1 | $36,000 |