Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

MAP EJ Grants Hub
The focus of this grant is on communities experiencing harm related to environmental/climate disasters such as drought, flooding, fires, and disruptions that impact air quality, water quality, safe housing, healthy food or water, or quality of life.
Funded projects should address environmental issues and promote healthy communities. Eligible projects include (but not limited to)those focused on:
- Air quality & Asthma
- Water quality & sampling
- Improving food access to reduce vehicle miles traveled
- Education on illegal dumping and small-scale clean-ups
- Emergency preparedness and disaster relief
- Project activities must benefit communities of focus as defined by Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Disadvantaged Communities Map. However, communities not reflected on this map MAY still be eligible. Check with the MAP EJ Grants Hub.
Eligible Entities:
Must complete work within EPA Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
- Nonprofit organizations
- Community-based and grassroots nonprofit organizations
- Philanthropic and civic organizations with nonprofit status
- Tribal governments (both federally recognized and state-recognized) and intertribal consortia (i.e., a partnership between two or more tribes that work together to achieve a common objective)
- Native American organizations (includes Indian groups, cooperatives, nonprofit corporations, partnerships, and associations that have the authority to enter into legally binding agreements)
- Institutions of higher education (e.g., private and public universities and colleges, including community colleges)
- Local governments (as defined by 2 CFR 200.1 – includes cities, towns, municipalities, and counties, public housing authorities and councils of government)
There are additional eligibility criteria for the non-competitive subgrants.
Grants
Tier 1 Grants: Assessment | up to $150,000 | 1 Year
Examples include:
- Research (that is incidental to the project design)
- Sampling
- Testing
- Monitoring
- Investigations
- Surveys and Studies
- Public Education
Tier 2 Grants: Planning | up to $250,000 | 1-2 Years
Examples include:
- Planning, Partnership-building, Public outreach and education
- Coordination with community stakeholders to address environmental issues
- Training activities for community organizations and community members
- Projects and activities to prompt community involvement (e.g., cleanups of
- vacant lots)
- Smaller land purchases and acquisitions that require less than half of the total amount of subgrant funding.
Tier 3 Grants: Development | up to $350,000 | 2 Years
Examples include:
- Project Development
- Blueprints for construction or cleanup projects, schematics, and technical development
- Work to get permits in place directly related to an environmental project
- Smaller land purchases and acquisitions that require less than half of the total amount of subgrant funding
- Implementation of project plans
- Public outreach and education
Non-Competitive Grants: a limited number of $75,000 grants available to severely capacity-constrained organizations for Tier 1 Assessment tasks only.
Tentative Grant Application Timeline:
Cycle 1: Oct 28- Dec 12, 2024
Cycle 2: Spring 2025
Cycle 3: Fall 2025
Applicants can apply to multiple cycles. A single applicant can receive up to 2 awards for a total of up to $600,000