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Funding and Grant Opportunities
Below is information related to federal funding opportunities compiled by the Illinois EPA. Illinois EPA is not administering these grant programs and has no role in reviewing applications or overseeing project implementation. This webpage is intended to alert and provide resources to eligible entities to the funding opportunities, and thereby increase federal investments and partnerships in Illinois that will benefit disadvantaged communities.
See details below for information about federal grants available through FEMA and U.S. EPA.
To receive e-mailed updates on resources, grant opportunities, and webinars related to EJ in Illinois, please sign up for the Illinois EPA, Office of EJ, EJ Listserv here.
For more information: If you need assistance navigating the various funding opportunities outlined below, please reach out to the Illinois EPA Office of EJ (EPA.OEJ@illinois.gov).
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
On January 6, 2025, FEMA published their Fiscal Year 2024 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), totaling $750 million in available funding. These funds will help state, local, Tribal and territorial governments address high-level future risks to natural disasters, foster greater community resilience and reduce disaster suffering.
The application period is open from Jan. 6, 2025 – April 18, 2025. Sub-applicants are encouraged to contact the state, territory or Tribal applicant as they may have earlier deadlines.
U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (Grantmakers)
The Region 5 Grantmaker is The Minneapolis Foundation’s Great Lakes EJ Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. This program is now open. They currently serve all of the Region 5 states, including Illinois, and 37 tribes. The Grantmakers serve as pass-through entities, and through cooperative agreements, will provide subgrants to community-based nonprofits and other eligible subrecipients. The subgrants may be used for assessment, planning, and project development activities.
The goal of the Grantmakers is to alleviate the burden that the federal grants process places on small, resource-constrained community-based organizations. Grantmakers will issue subgrants to disadvantaged communities over the next three years.
The Region 5 Grantmaker has partners including the Midwest Environmental Justice Network (Minneapolis, MN), The RE-AMP Network (Madison, WI), NDN Collective (Rapid City, SD).
In addition to Regional Grantmakers, there are also National Grantmakers that provide additional support, coordination, and oversight to the subgrantees, applicants, and the Regional Grantmakers themselves, as well as issue additional subgrants to fill potential gaps in the regions. The National Grantmaker Selectee for Region 5 (also serves Region 4, 6, and 7) is the Research Triangle Institute, with various partners.
Eligibility for Subgrants:
- Nonprofit organizations
- Community-based and grassroots nonprofit organizations
- Native American Organizations
- Local governments
- Institutions of higher education
- Ineligible subrecipients include individuals, for-profit businesses, and state governments
Competition Information - OPEN
Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program will be accepting applications on a “rolling basis” and applications submitted by January 31, 2025 will be considered in the first round of reviews. Learn more about the Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and their application process.
- Tier 1 (Assessment Projects - 1 year): OPEN
- Accepting first-round applications through January 31, 2025: Apply Here
- Tier 2 (Planning Projects - 1-2 years): OPEN
- Accepting first-round applications through January 31, 2025: Apply Here
- Tier 3 (Project Development - 2 years): OPEN
- Accepting first-round applications through January 31, 2025: Apply Here
Non-competitive awards
Not accepting applications at this time
U.S. EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs)
U.S. EPA, in partnership with U.S. Department of Energy, has selected 16 TCTACs. Each of the TCTACs will receive at least $10 million to remove barriers and improve accessibility for communities with EJ concerns. TCTACs will provide training and other assistance to build capacity for navigating federal grant application systems, developing strong grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding.
In addition, TCTACs will provide guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants.
The EJ TCTACs for Illinois (Region 5) are Blacks in Green and the University of Minnesota, with partners, including The School of Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, The Smart Energy Design Center of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (SEDAC), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The EJ TCTACs are now accepting technical assistance requests. To submit a request for technical assistance from Blacks in Green or the University of Minnesota, follow the links below:
Please note: The TCTACs are a distinct technical assistance service from the Community Change Grants.
Past TCTAC Events Open to the Public:
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Extension hosted a Thriving Communities Webinar Series to discuss the CCGs. Webinars were held on January 30 and February 20. The recordings of each can be found here.
- Blacks in Green (BIG) held their TCTAC launch event February 1-3, 2024. Learn more about BIG here.
For more detailed information on the above opportunities and more, visit U.S. EPA’s overview of grant opportunities.
U.S. EPA Community Change Grants (CCG)
In January of 2024, Illinois EPA issued a statewide press release on the U.S. EPA CCG opportunity to encourage eligible entities to pursue this funding opportunity to address climate challenges, reduce pollution, and advance environmental justice.
The U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) received approximately 2,700 applications for the Community Change Grants Program, requesting more than $40 billion in funding. OEJECR is continuing the review and evaluation process for the Community Change Grants Program and will provide applicants with updates.
In Illinois, the Friends of the Chicago River was selected to receive funding at the lead applicant, with the Metropolitan Planning Council serving as their statutory partner. Their project name is “Establishing a Climate Just Future in Chicago by Collaborating through the River Ecology and Governance Task Force”. See page 17 of the CCG Summary of Selections document for more details.
Given the overwhelming number of applications, OEJECR anticipates that the work to review applications will need to continue into the spring of 2025. OEJECR does not anticipate making any additional selections until all remaining applications are evaluated according to the processes described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Read the December 12, 2024 Community Change Grants Selections Announcement.
Read the July 25, 2024 Community Change Grants Initial Selections Announcement.
Learn more about the Community Change Grants Program here.
For more detailed information on the above opportunities and more, visit U.S. EPA’s overview of grant opportunities.