WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects is a category of funding to support projects focused on environmental benefits and that have been developed as part of a collaborative process to help carry out an established strategy to increase the reliability of water resources. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes additional authority for the Bureau of Reclamation to provide funding for multi-benefit projects that improve watershed health. Applicants are invited to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on Environmental Water Resources Projects, including water conservation and efficiency projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings and benefit ecological values or watershed health; water management or infrastructure improvements to benefit ecological values or watershed health; and watershed restoration projects benefitting ecological values or watershed health that have a nexus to water resources or water resources management. To learn more about eligibility and apply, click here.

The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Formerly known as EPA's State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement Program (SEJCA), this program was renamed to better reflect the spectrum of entities eligible for this funding. EPA is soliciting applications for projects that transform overburdened and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges. The EJG2G Program anticipates awarding approximately $70,000,000 of funding through 70 cooperative agreements nationwide. To view the Request for Applications and register for the pre-application informational webinar on January 26, click here.

EPA will soon announce two new grant opportunities funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities and Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products will both provide P2 technical assistance to eligible applicants. EPA is providing notice of these grant opportunities in advance so potential applicants can make the necessary preparations to submit a high-quality application. To learn more about these grants and receive notifications when they are available, click here.