Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) (66.926)
Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) (Assistance Listing 66.926) is run by the Environmental Protection Agency. It awarded $234 million in 730 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $320,353 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $267,999. Half of the 730 awards fell between $134,000 and $403,000, and they ranged from $10,000 to $3.5 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$234 million
- Grant awards730
- Typical award$267,999
- Awarded in FY 2025$42.2 million
- Size rank571 of 1824
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $45.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $42.2 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 571st largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 15% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 23 states and territories.
What the program funds
EPA provides Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) financial and technical assistance to tribal governments and intertribal consortia to assist tribes in planning, developing, and establishing the capacity to implement federal environmental programs administered by the EPA and to assist in implementation of tribal solid and hazardous waste programs in accordance with applicable provisions of law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA). See the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. §4368b). EPA administers this program in accordance with the statute, applicable federal regulations, including 40 CFR part 35, subpart B (Environmental Program Grants for Tribes), and national guidance, including the 2022 Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) Guidance on Financial Assistance Agreements (referred to as GAP Guidance). EPA’s 2022 GAP Guidance provides a consistent national framework for building tribal environmental program capacity under GAP and is designed to improve the management of GAP resources. The 2022 GAP guidance reflects statutory and regulatory requirements, including binding requirements and federal policies, that address how GAP funds are used and managed.
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
Indian tribal governments (tribes) and intertribal consortia are eligible to receive funds under this program. These terms are defined in 40 CFR 35.502 as follows: An Indian tribal government (tribe), except as otherwise defined in statute or applicable program specific regulation, is any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village, which is recognized as eligible by the U.S. Department of the Interior for the special services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. An intertribal consortium is a partnership between two or more tribes authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance under GAP. Under EPA’s tribal grant regulations (40 CFR 35.504), an intertribal consortium is eligible to receive GAP financial assistance when the consortium can adequately document compliance with the following requirements: 1. A majority of its members are eligible to receive GAP grants; 2. All member tribes that meet GAP eligibility requirements authorize the consortium to apply for and receive the award; and 3. Adequate accounting controls are in place to ensure that only members that meet the eligibility requirements will benefit directly from the award and the consortium agrees to an award condition to that effect.
What the money can and cannot pay for
All prospective applicants should refer to the applicable program guidance for the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program, "2022 Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) Guidance on Financial Assistance Agreements, available at https://www.epa.gov/tribal/gap-guidance-financial-assistance-agreements, for detailed information on allowable activities and restrictions for use of GAP funds. The 2022 GAP Guidance provides criteria for the award and administration of GAP grants and applies to the work plans and budgets for all GAP assistance agreements. It reflects statutory and policy guidelines and contains binding requirements that govern the management and use of GAP funds. Activities eligible for funding under this program are those for planning, developing, and establishing capacity to implement federal environmental programs administered by the EPA and to assist in implementation of tribal solid and hazardous waste programs in accordance with applicable provisions of law, including RCRA. GAP financial support promotes tribal government efforts to develop core environmental program capacities (administrative, financial management, information management, environmental baseline needs assessment, public education/communication, legal, and technical/analytical) and capacities for media-specific programs (e.g., ambient air quality, water quality, managing waste, and other EPA-administered statutory programs).
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
Award range and average, in the agency's words
The minimum award for the first year of the grant is $75,000/fiscal year; average $110,000/fiscal year.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2016: Information on FY 2016 projects are not yet availableFiscal Year2017: Example #1: Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley’s Reservation used their GAP funding to build additional capacities for a Tribal Air Program. In their EPA-Tribal Environmental Plan (ETEP), the tribe identified capacity indicators that included: completing appropriate training; completing a report analyzing air quality; developing an air monitoring strategy and associated QAPP and establishing a staffing plan for an air quality program coordinator. Example #2: The Poarch Band of Creek Indians expanded its solid waste recycling program by focusing on growth of the recycling program and to grow into other recycling streams. In just four years, from 2014 to 2017, the number of participants increased from 70 to nearly 190 as a result of the Tribe’s community outreach and education. The tribe is also going to host a waste characterization training for the other federally recognized tribes in Region 4.Fiscal Year2018: Example #1: Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Oklahoma requested funding to attend training courses through Tribal Air Monitoring Service (TAMS) Center or Inter-Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) on Air Quality. Example #2: Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove developed an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan to promote an effective waste management program.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) (66.926) awarded$234 million across 730 grant awards, an average of $320,353 per award.
Who usually wins
Tribal governments and organizations received 99% of the money, nonprofits 0.5%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribal governments and organizations | 727 | $233 million | 99% |
| Nonprofits | 3 | $1.3 million | 0.5% |
By state
17 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 408 | $127 million |
| California | 101 | $34.7 million |
| Oklahoma | 44 | $13.8 million |
| Nevada | 31 | $9.5 million |
| New Mexico | 34 | $9.4 million |
| Arizona | 21 | $8.6 million |
| Washington | 12 | $6.8 million |
| Oregon | 7 | $3.9 million |
| Virginia | 13 | $3.5 million |
| New York | 4 | $2.7 million |
| Utah | 7 | $1.9 million |
| Wisconsin | 6 | $1.9 million |
| Texas | 6 | $1.8 million |
| Idaho | 5 | $1.8 million |
| Louisiana | 5 | $1.6 million |
| Nebraska | 10 | $1.4 million |
| Minnesota | 4 | $1.2 million |
| Florida | 2 | $643,463 |
| Kansas | 4 | $577,325 |
| North Carolina | 2 | $520,410 |
| Wyoming | 2 | $320,000 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $220,000 |
| Connecticut | 1 | $203,531 |