Federal grant programs / Environmental Protection Agency

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Infrastructure Grants (66.920)

Also known as Post-Consumer Materials Management Infrastructure Grant Program

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$160 million
• Grant awards138
• Typical award$739,189
• Awarded in FY 2025$20.9 million
• Size rank671 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreement

Key findings

• It is the 671st largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 40% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 55 states and territories.

What the program funds

The objectives of the Post-Consumer Materials Management Infrastructure Grant Program (also known as the SWIFR Grant Program) as stated in the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act are to support improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems. The program will implement data-driven strategies to measure successful implementation, including establishing baseline metrics, setting specific targets, and regularly collecting and analyzing data on outcomes. This data-centric approach will support comprehensive evaluation efforts to assess the program's impact on local communities, the economy, and the environment, thereby ensuring continuous improvement and long-term effectiveness of the grant program.

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

Eligible entities include States, Federally Recognized Indian Tribes (included Alaskan Native Corporations), territories, intertribal consortia consistent with the requirements in 40 CFR 35.504(a), former Indian reservations in Oklahoma (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), and Alaskan Native Villages as defined in Public Law 92–203. “States” and “Territories” include the 50 US States, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Political subdivisions of the above entities are also eligible. 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.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Assistance may be used to implement the series of EPA’s national recycling strategies; support improvements to local post-consumer materials management; and assist local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems. This program makes Federal awards on a discretionary basis. A discretionary award means an award in which the Federal awarding agency, in keeping with specific statutory authority that enables the agency to exercise judgement (“discretion”), selects the recipient and/or the amount of Federal funding awarded through a competitive process or based on merit of proposals. A discretionary award may be selected on a non-competitive basis, as appropriate.” For further information, please contact the Headquarters or regional 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.

Deadlines

For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the competitive announcement. For noncompetitive awards, contact the headquarters (or regional office, as appropriate) for application deadlines.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

The range and average of financial assistance for awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement, as amounts awarded vary. In FY24, EPA made awards ranging from approximately $170,000 to $4 million.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2022: There were no projects funded during fiscal year 2022.Fiscal Year2025: Projects funded during Fiscal Year 2024 for political subdivisions (e.g., local governments) and Tribes and intertribal consortia focused on funding a range of projects that enabled EPA to help communities advance their post-consumer materials management needs, and funding innovative solutions to provide or increase access to post-consumer materials management. Information on these recipients including a fact sheet on each grant can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/recycling-grant-selectees-and-recipients

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 62% of the money, tribes 38%.

By state

33 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.