EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG ) Implementation Grant program is a major funding opportunity with approximately $300 million earmarked for Tribes and territories (up to $25M per award for the Tribal competition) to implement projects that reduce GHG emissions without any matching requirement from the Tribe. Eligible project areas include energy generation, transportation, energy efficiency, and environmental management.
Recognizing the urgency to address GHG pollution contributing to climate change, the federal administration established the $5 billion CPRG program as part of the 2022 IRA. Across the country, communities are experiencing more deadly wildfires and storm surges, more extreme drought and water scarcity, and dangerous levels of flooding, among other impacts. The Fourth National Climate Assessment found that intense extreme weather and climate-related events, as well as changes in average climate conditions, are expected to continue to damage infrastructure, ecosystems, and social systems that provide essential benefits to communities. If left unchecked, future climate change is expected to further disrupt many areas of life and exacerbate existing challenges to prosperity posed by aging and deteriorating infrastructure, stressed ecosystems, and long-standing inequalities.
However, with this challenge comes an opportunity to invest in a cleaner economy that will spur innovation and economic growth while building more equitable, resilient communities. Accordingly, the CPRG tribes and territories competition for implementation grants is designed to enable tribes and territories to achieve the following goals:
Implement ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond
Pursue measures that will achieve substantial community benefits (such as reduction of criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs))
Complement other funding sources to maximize these GHG reductions and community benefits
Pursue innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be “scaled up” across multiple jurisdictions. This competition is also designed to incentivize eligible applicants to apply for funding together as a coalition to implement GHG reduction measures regionally.
Find out more about how your Tribe can pursue up to $25 million for carbon reduction projects here: