Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program (66.509)
Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program (Assistance Listing 66.509) is run by the Environmental Protection Agency. It awarded $125 million in 117 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $1.1 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $1.0 million. Half of the 117 awards fell between $741,054 and $1.3 million, and they ranged from $91,711 to $2.5 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$125 million
- Grant awards117
- Typical award$1.0 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$6.6 million
- Size rank744 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $30.8 million in fiscal 2021 to $6.6 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 744th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 47% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 32 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program's goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation's best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides. Please check the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants for an updated listing of all solicitations.
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
For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency’s Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Only these types of organizations may apply. Organization types are consistent with definitions at 2 CFR 200.1: Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions. Public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs) located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions. State and local governments. Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments. U.S. territories and possessions. Note that 2 CFR § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this program. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to apply. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Funds awarded via grants/cooperative agreements are available for allowable direct cost expenditures associated with the performance of research plus allocable portions of allowable indirect costs of the institutions, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Applicants must propose EPA mission relevant research based on excellent science as determined through peer review by experts drawn from the national and international scientific community. Other more specialized scientific areas may be solicited via joint funding opportunities with other Federal agencies. The STAR program may fund research centers that focus on long-term, multi-disciplinary research. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: https://www.epa.gov/geospatial. The funding mechanism for all awards issued under STAR solicitations will consist of assistance agreements from the EPA. All award decisions are subject to the availability of funds. In accordance with the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act, 31 U.S.C. 6301 et seq., the primary purpose of an assistance agreement is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by federal statute, rather than acquisition for the direct benefit or use of the Agency.
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
For Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), deadlines will be specified in the competitive announcement.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
New awards range from $594,550 to $2,499,579 total per grant. Average awards total $1,306,643. Awards are multi-year.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Examples of projects funded under this assistance listing include discovering sustainable chemistry reaction pathways, high-throughput method development to acquire chemical data needed to inform environmental molecular lifecycles, and developing effective assessment approaches for cumulative impacts.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program (66.509) awarded $125 million across 117 grant awards, an average of $1.1 million per award.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 86% of the money, nonprofits 11% and state and local governments 2.6%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 103 | $107 million | 86% |
| Nonprofits | 11 | $13.3 million | 11% |
| State and local governments | 2 | $3.2 million | 2.6% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 1 | $1.6 million | 1.3% |
By state
26 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 22 | $23.3 million |
| North Carolina | 8 | $8.5 million |
| Texas | 6 | $7.9 million |
| New York | 6 | $7.3 million |
| Georgia | 6 | $6.0 million |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | $5.7 million |
| Massachusetts | 6 | $5.4 million |
| Colorado | 7 | $5.2 million |
| Virginia | 4 | $5.0 million |
| Michigan | 4 | $4.6 million |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $4.5 million |
| Ohio | 4 | $4.4 million |
| Maine | 3 | $4.3 million |
| Oklahoma | 2 | $3.9 million |
| Washington | 3 | $3.7 million |
| Florida | 3 | $3.7 million |
| Maryland | 2 | $2.7 million |
| Illinois | 2 | $2.6 million |
| Nevada | 2 | $1.9 million |
| Utah | 1 | $1.6 million |
| Missouri | 2 | $1.5 million |
| Iowa | 1 | $1.4 million |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | $1.3 million |
| Alaska | 1 | $1.3 million |
| Louisiana | 1 | $1.2 million |
| Oregon | 2 | $1.2 million |
| Delaware | 1 | $999,831 |
| Arizona | 2 | $807,665 |
| Wyoming | 1 | $799,952 |
| Minnesota | 1 | $742,000 |
| Indiana | 1 | $725,481 |
| South Carolina | 2 | $691,709 |