Frontline communities have been historically underfunded and underserved, especially when it comes to advancing environmental and climate justice. Outside of our own grant cycles, FRI collects and shares a range of external grant and federal funding opportunities with our extensive network of frontline communities. FRI’s grant resource list will be updated frequently, so please check back often for up-to-date information.
Grants
External Grant Opportunities
Open Funding Opportunities
| DEADLINE | Grant Title | Organization | Brief Description | Eligibility | Amount (USD) | Location(s) of focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29-Sep-23 | Region 1 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 1 | Funds the establishment of an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) that will serve states located in EPA’s Region 1. The EJ TCTAC will provide training, technical assistance, and other services to build capacity for communities and environmental justice stakeholders in the region. | Public and private colleges and universities,, public and private nonprofit institutions, and intertribal consortia. | Up to $10,000,000 | US - New England |
| 10-Oct-23 | Farm To School Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreement | U.S. Department of Agriculture | Funds nonprofit organizations and Indian Tribal Organizations to implement national and/or regional farm to school activities that support USDA’s priorities of food systems transformation, improving child health through nutritious school meals, and Indigenous food sovereignty. | 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) with a history of meaningful engagement | $500,000 to $1,000,000 | US |
| 11-Oct-23 | Region 8 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 8 | Funds the establishment of an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) that will serve states located in EPA’s Region 8. The EJ TCTAC will provide training, technical assistance, and other services to build capacity for communities and environmental justice stakeholders in the region. | Public and private nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and intertribal consortia. | Up to $10,000,000 | U.S. - EPA Region 8 |
| 21-Oct-23 | Supporting Underserved and Small-Acreage Forest Landowner Participation in Emerging Private Markets | U.S. Department of Agriculture / U.S. Forest Service | Funds support the participation of underserved and/or small-acreage forest landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience. | Non-profit entities, Tribal governments, Alaska Native Corporations/Villages, Tribal entities, educational institutions, for-profit entities, and U.S. state and local governments, | Up to $25,000,000 | US |
| 30-Oct-23 | Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program | U.S. Department of Agriculture | Funds projects that center the food needs of low-income individuals, increase community self-reliance and food sovereignty, and meet state, local, or community food and agricultural needs. | Private nonprofit entities, Tribal organizations, and public food program service providers | $25,000 to $400,000 | US |
| 31-Oct-23 | Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program | U.S. Department of Agriculture | Funds at-risk communities and tribes in planning for and reducing risks of wildfires. Priority will be given to applicants in areas identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low income, or have been impacted by a severe disaster that affects the risk of wildfire. | Local and Tribal governments, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies, and Alaska Native Corporations | $250,000 to $10 million, depending on category of project applied for | US |
| 31-Oct-23 | Lawrence Foundation Common Grant | The Lawrence Foundation | Supports non-profits organizations committed to environmental, human services, and disaster relief missions | Non-profit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(C)(3), public schools, and libraries | $5,000-$10,000 | United States |
| 1-Nov-23 | Environmental Education Grant | Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection | Funds organizations designing innovative projects to inform the public on environmental issues | Up to $65,000 | Pennsylvania | |
| 10-Nov-23 | Energy Future Grants | U.S. Department of Energy | Funds partnerships of state, local, and tribal government-led efforts to advance clean energy program innovation. Teams will further partner with community-based organizations to turn innovative ideas into solutions that address barriers to clean energy deployment. | Partnerships of local, state, and/or tribal governments and Community-Benefit Organizations | Up to $1,000,000 | US |
| 19-Dec-23 | Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities | U.S. NOAA | Funds community-driven coastal habitat restoration projects and capacity building for tribes and underserved communities to support participation in restoration activities. | Tribes, Tribal entities, underserved communities, and entities that partner with tribes and underserved communities | $75,000 to $3,000,000 | US |
| 30-Jan-2024 | Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge - Phase 1 | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Funds concept design and pilot project development to advance environmental justice. This includes furthering effective partnerships, developing innovative approaches to capacity building, advancing community-driven strategies, using publicly-available datasets and tools, and/or addressing climate-related mental health hazards. | Individuals, groups of individuals, and entities | Up to $25,000 for Phase 1 | US |
| Rolling | Resourcing Resilience | Urgent Action Fund for Women's Rights Asia and Pacific | Funds women and non-binary human rights defenders who are seeking to implement an initiative that would support their activism. | Women or Non-binary Led | Up to $5,000 | Asia and the Pacific |
| Rolling | Charity Pot Grant | LUSH | Supports small, grassroots organizations in North America and around the world that are working on the root cause of issues and creating long-term sustainable change. Funds organizations working in areas of animal protection, environmental justice, and human rights | Registered or unregistered organizations/charities, non-profits, or Indigenous and community groups with an annual revenue of $500,000 or less | Up to $25,000 | Worldwide |
| Rolling | EJII Capacity Building Grants | Wisconsin Environmenal Justice Infrastructure Initiative | Supports Wisconsin communities raising community awareness on environmental justice issues | Wisconsin grassroots organizations (501(c)(3) not required) | $200,000 | Wisconsin |
| Rolling | Federal Access Center Grants | Just Transition Fund | Provides financial and technical assistance to communities impacted by the coal economy to access government funding | 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and local governments serving coal communities | Up to $100,000 | US |
| Rolling | Seed Grants | New England Grassroots Fund | Funds groups launching new projects or starting to significantly change the direction of an existing project | Groups doing local, grassroots work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont (tax status and fiscal sponsor not required) | $500 - $1,000 | New England |
| Third Tuesday in March & September. | Grow Grants | New England Grassroots Fund | Funds groups who have some experience implementing a project in their community to deepen their work by further developing a community vision, lowering barriers to participation, identifying new stakeholders and working to bring more voices and lived experiences into core decision-making processes. | Groups doing local, grassroots work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont (tax status and fiscal sponsor not required) | $1,000 - $4,000 | New England |
| Rolling | Grassroots Grants | Story of Stuff | Funds projects on water privatization, plastic pollution, and other environmental justice focus areas. | Groups must be led by and serving black, indigenous, and communities of color | Up to $5,000 | U.S. only |
| Rolling | The Catalyst Fund | Roddenberry Foundation | Supports groups anywhere in the world with early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges | Must be 18 years of age or older and submit an application in English | $2,500 - $15,000 | Worldwide |
| Rolling | Cornell Douglas Foundation Grants | Cornell Douglas Foundation | Funds proposal in the following areas of focus: environmental health and justice, land conservation, mountaintop removal mining, sustainability of resources, watershed protection | $15,000 - $50,000 | NA | |
| Rolling | EDLC Grants | Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC) | Covers expenses of public interest litigation against those responsible for resource development projects that harm the human rights, health, and environment of communities in developing countries | NA | Worldwide | |
| Rolling | Norman Foundation Grants | The Norman Foundation | Promotes economic justice and development through community organizing, coalition building and policy reform efforts; work to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice; link community-based economic and environmental justice organizing to national and international reform efforts | Priority given to organizations with annual budgets of under $1 million | ~$30,000 | US |
| Rolling | Petchem Frontline Fund | Center for International Environmental Law | Supports groups and organizations fighting the petrochemical buildout and infrastructure in the United States | NA | US | |
| Rolling | Technical Assistance Grant Program | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Helps communities participate in Superfund cleanup decision-making by providing funding to community groups to contract their own technical advisor to interpret and explain technical reports, site conditions, and EPA’s proposed cleanup proposals and decisions | Group may apply if members’ health, economic well-being, or enjoyment of the environment is, or may be, hurt by a Superfund site. Group must must incorporate for the purpose of participating in decision-making at the site. Nonprofit and tax-exempt status not required. | Up to $50,000 | US |
