EPA Environmental Justice Grants in 2026: What Nonprofits Need to Know
August 1, 2025 · 5 min read
Marisol Rivera
EPA Environmental Justice Grants in 2026: What Nonprofits Need to Know
If you work in environmental justice, the past twelve months have fundamentally reshaped how your organization thinks about federal funding. I have managed over $12 million in EPA grants across EJCPS, Community Change, and Thriving Communities programs, and I have never seen a landscape shift this fast. Here is what you need to understand right now, and what you can actually do about it.
What Happened to EPA Environmental Justice Funding
In early 2025, EPA began issuing termination notices to hundreds of grantees across its flagship environmental justice programs. By mid-year, the agency had terminated over 370 grants and signaled intent to cancel more than 400 additional awards funded through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The programs hit hardest include:
- Community Change Grants (CCG): Nearly $1.6 billion had been awarded to 105 communities for pollution reduction and climate resilience projects. Many of these awards were terminated before funds could be drawn down.
- EJCPS Cooperative Agreements: The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving program, which funded community-based nonprofits up to $500,000 per award, saw widespread cancellations.
- Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program: Regional grantmakers who served as intermediaries for smaller community organizations lost their federal backing.
The EPA also closed its national Office of Environmental Justice and all ten regional environmental justice offices, ending more than 30 years of dedicated EJ infrastructure within the agency.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act Changed the Math
In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rescinded unobligated funds under the IRA's environmental and climate justice provisions. This was not just an administrative decision. It was a legislative rescission, meaning Congress formally clawed back money that had been appropriated but not yet spent.
For grant seekers, this distinction matters. Administrative terminations can sometimes be reversed through litigation or policy changes. A congressional rescission is much harder to undo because restoring the funds requires new legislation.
The original IRA had appropriated $3 billion to EPA for environmental and climate justice work, with a deadline to award grants by September 30, 2026. With the rescission, that timeline is effectively moot for unobligated funds.
Where the Legal Battles Stand
Multiple lawsuits have challenged the grant terminations. A coalition of nonprofits, tribal nations, and local governments argued that EPA violated the Administrative Procedure Act and disregarded congressional directives. In one early case, a Maryland court ruled that EPA's terminations were unlawful, and in June 2025, a court granted summary judgment to plaintiffs challenging the Thriving Communities terminations.
However, the legal picture is mixed. In August 2025, a D.C. District Court denied a preliminary injunction in a separate case, and an emergency appeal was also denied. The congressional rescission of unobligated funds has further complicated legal efforts, since courts are reluctant to order the government to spend money that Congress has formally taken back.
The bottom line: litigation is ongoing, but organizations should not count on court orders to restore their funding in the near term.
What Funding Is Still Available
Despite the federal pullback, environmental justice funding has not disappeared. It has shifted.
State-Level Programs
Several states have stepped up with their own environmental justice grant programs:
- California continues to fund EJ initiatives through CalEPA, accepting applications from tribes, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and fiscally sponsored organizations.
- Colorado awarded over $3 million through its third Environmental Justice Grant Program cycle, with the next application period expected in Summer 2026.
- New York maintains active EJ grant programs through the Department of Environmental Conservation.
- New England has $48 million earmarked for community-based organizations through the Environmental Justice for New England program, with funding rounds anticipated through April 2026.
Foundation and Private Funding
Major foundations have increased their environmental justice commitments in response to federal cuts. The Ford Foundation, MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving, and Open Society Foundations remain committed to equity-focused grants. Smaller foundations like the Ben and Jerry's Foundation continue grassroots organizing grants with near-term deadlines.
Regional Intermediaries
Some regional grantmaking programs established under the Thriving Communities framework continue to operate with previously obligated funds. Check with intermediaries in your region, as some still have active subgrant cycles.
How to Position Your Organization Right Now
Based on what I have seen working with community organizations across these programs, here are five concrete steps:
1. Audit your current federal awards. If you hold any active EPA grants, verify their status immediately. Contact your project officer and document all communications in writing.
2. Diversify your funding pipeline. If more than 40% of your budget comes from a single federal source, you are overexposed. Build a pipeline that includes state grants, foundation support, and individual giving.
3. Strengthen your data and outcomes documentation. State programs and foundations want to see measurable community impact. If your current reporting focuses on federal compliance metrics, adapt your data collection to tell a compelling impact story.
4. Join advocacy coalitions. Organizations like the National Council of Nonprofits and Independent Sector are coordinating responses to federal funding shifts. Collective advocacy is more effective than individual appeals.
5. Keep your proposals current. Grant programs at the state and foundation level are seeing increased competition as organizations pivot away from federal sources. Make sure your proposals reflect current community needs and are tailored to each funder's priorities.
Looking Ahead
The environmental justice funding landscape in 2026 is volatile but not barren. Federal funding has contracted sharply, but state governments, foundations, and regional intermediaries are filling gaps. The organizations that will thrive are the ones adapting their funding strategies now rather than waiting for federal programs to return.
The grant writing itself has not gotten any easier, especially when you are juggling multiple applications across different funders with different requirements. Tools like Granted can help streamline your grant proposal process, from RFP analysis to draft generation, so you can focus more time on the community work that matters.
Keep Reading
- Beyond EPA: 7 Funding Sources for Environmental Justice Work in 2026
- First-Time Federal Grant Tips for Small Nonprofits
- EPA Tribal Water Quality Grants and PFAS Funding
- See how Granted AI drafts every section
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