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Federal Funding Sources

  • Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection — The EPA Office of Water has developed this Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection to inform watershed partners of federal monies that might be available to fund a variety of watershed protection projects. It contains a one-page fact sheet for each of the funding sources indicating the types of projects funded and eligibility requirements.
  • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Exit EPA Disclaimer — This web site is a government-wide compendium of federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public. It contains financial and nonfinancial assistance programs administered by departments and establishments of the federal government.
  • Five-Star Restoration Grant Program — The Five-Star Restoration Grant Program brings together citizen groups, corporations, Youth Conservation Corps, students, landowners, and government agencies to undertake projects that restore streambanks and wetlands. The program provides challenge grants, technical support, and peer information exchange to enable community-based restoration projects.
  • Grants and Fellowships Funding — Check out EPA's web site for more information on the Agency's grants and fellowships.
  • Process for Applying for 319(h) Funds — Clean Water Act Section 319(h) funds are provided only to designated state and tribal agencies to implement their approved nonpoint source management programs. State and tribal nonpoint source programs include a variety of components, including technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, technology transfer, demonstration projects, and regulatory programs.
  • Rural Community Assistance Program Exit EPA Disclaimer — RCAP is a national network of nonprofit organizations that works to improve water and waste disposal facilities for rural communities, particularly low-income communities. Through the Office of Wastewater Management funding, RCAP provides on-site technical assistance and information transfer to communities in the areas of needs assessment, financing, technology selection, operations and maintenance, management practices, and systems restructuring and consolidation to achieve and maintain national compliance. Its goal is to enhance the ability of rural communities to plan, develop, operate, and maintain water and wastewater systems.
  • Clean Water State Revolving Fund — Under the SRF program, each state (and Puerto Rico) may create revolving loan funds to provide independent and permanent sources of low-cost financing for a range of water quality infrastructure projects. Funds to establish or capitalize the SRF programs are provided by the federal (83 percent) and state (17 percent) governments. Currently, all 50 states and Puerto Rico are operating successful SRF programs. Capitalization began in 1988; today total assets of the SRF program stand at more than $34 billion.

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Private Funding Sources

  • America's Charities Exit EPA Disclaimer — America's Charities is a coalition of the nation's best-known and most-loved charitable organizations – groups that provide direct services in thousands of local communities, across the United States and around the world.
  • The Foundation Center Exit EPA Disclaimer — The Foundation Center's mission is to support and improve institutional philanthropy by promoting public understanding of the field and helping grantseekers succeed. This site contains an online library of private and corporate funding sources, online training on proposal writing, and helpful publications.
  • Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Exit EPA Disclaimer — The foundation's environmental mission is to support the efforts of an engaged citizenry working to create accountable and responsive institutions, sound public policies, and appropriate models of development that protect the diversity and integrity of selected ecosystems in North America and around the world.
  • The Environmental Finance Center Exit EPA Disclaimer — This web site provides links to the environmental finance community. Among the information included at this site is information on watershed management and water quality sites and sources of assistance.
  • Global Environmental and Technology Foundation Exit EPA Disclaimer — The Global Environmental & Technology Foundation (GETF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that helps create the infrastructure necessary to achieve sustainable development. Since 1988 GETF has played a key role in designing and implementing initiatives that improve the quality of life in all of its economic, environmental, and social dimensions.
  • Land Trust Alliance Exit EPA Disclaimer — The Land Trust Alliance promotes voluntary land conservation across the country and provides resources, leadership, and training to the nation's nonprofit, grassroots land trusts, helping them to protect important open spaces. They provide financial assistance, training, and publications.
  • Pew Charitable Trusts Exit EPA Disclaimer — The mission of the Trust's environmental program is to promote policies and practices that protect the global atmosphere and preserve old-growth forest, wilderness, and marine ecosystems. The organizations with which they work are widely representative of the American public, encompassing constituencies at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
  • Prospect Hill Foundation Exit EPA Disclaimer — The foundation's environmental grant-making program concentrates on habitat and water protection in the northeastern region of the United States. It encourages proposals from organizations that offer strategies and policies for the conservation of significant private and public lands and strengthen policies and initiate means of improving water quality and protecting coastal areas.
  • A State and Local Government Guide to Environmental Program Funding Alternatives — This document provides an overview of nongovernmental funding mechanisms and innovative approaches to fund environmental programs.
  • Tides Foundation Exit EPA Disclaimer — The Tides Foundation actively promotes change toward a healthy society, one that is founded on principles of social justice, broadly shared economic opportunity, a robust democratic process, and sustainable environmental practices.
  • Trust for Public Lands Exit EPA Disclaimer — TPL's legal and real estate specialists work with landowners, government agencies, and community groups to create urban parks, gardens, greenways, and riverways; build livable communities by setting aside open space in the path of growth; conserve land for watershed protection, scenic beauty, and close-to-home recreation; and safeguard the character of communities by preserving historic landmarks and landscapes.
  • Turner Foundation Exit EPA Disclaimer — The foundation's water environmental goals are to strengthen the advocacy, outreach, and technical capabilities of organizations addressing the protection of water systems; reduce wasteful water use through conservation; promote allocation of water specifically for environmental purposes, including habitat restoration and fish and wildlife protection; and support efforts to improve public policies affecting water protection, including initiatives to secure pollution prevention and habitat protection.

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Funding for Stormwater Management

  • Financing Stormwater Management Exit EPA Disclaimer — This web site is designed to help communities find ways to pay for stormwater management projects. The site includes an annotated bibliography of existing stormwater finance materials, an archive that contains selected previously published materials concerning stormwater finance, a manual that discusses the financing options available to communities for stormwater management programs, a set of case studies that describe successful finance mechanisms that have been used in seven communities around the country, and a group of links to other useful web sites about stormwater management.

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Funding Sources for Indian Tribes and Terrorities

  • Clean Water Act Section 106 Tribal Pollution Grant Control Program — Grants under section 106 of the CWA are intended to assist Indian tribes in carrying out effective water pollution control programs. The grants may be used to fund a wide range of water quality activities, including water quality planning and assessments; development of water quality standards; ambient monitoring; development of Total Maximum Daily Loads; issuance of permits; ground water and wetland protection; and nonpoint source control activities.
  • Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Program — This EPA grant program supports the construction of wastewater treatment facilities for Indian tribes, Alaska native villages, and tribes on former reservations in Oklahoma.
  • Tribal Nonpoint Source Program

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