Clean Water Act Section 319 Tribal Competitive Grants

Clean Water Act Section 319 Tribal Competitive Grants is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Competitive grant funding aimed at helping Native American tribes restore and protect local waterbodies by targeting nonpoint source pollution, watershed planning, erosion control, and streambank restoration on tribal lands.

Current Tribal Section 319 Grant Information | US EPA Current Tribal Section 319 Grant Information Competitive Grant Information Return to Tribal NPS Overview Regional EPA Tribal Contact info EPA Tribal Water Homepage Tribes and Nations are eligible to receive Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 grant funding to implement EPA-approved NPS programs.

As required under the CWA, Tribes must be approved for treatment in a similar manner as a state (TAS) and have an EPA-approved NPS assessment report and NPS management program to receive Section 319 funds.

Each year, an eligible Tribe may apply for a base 319 grant that support their NPS management program, and they are eligible to compete nationally for additional 319 funds (competitive 319 grants) to implement on-the-ground projects to restore and protect their waters. FY26 Eligible Tribes/Nations: List of Tribes Eligible for Clean Water Act Section 319 Base and Competitive Funding for FY2026 (pdf) (341.

02 KB, February 2026) See below for current information on application deadlines, eligible Tribes and additional guidance. Effective FY23, the EPA will award Tribal CWA Section 319 base grants according to the table below.

The revised base grant allocation formula outlined in Achieving Greater Equity in the Nonpoint Source Program Through FY23 Section 319 Grant Allocations (pdf) replaces the formula within the current Tribal guidelines linked below .

Total Tribal Land Area (square miles) # Tribal CWA §319 Grantees in FY25 Base Grant Funding Amount i.e., Equal to or greater than 2 sq mi AND less than 50 sq mi i.e., Equal to or greater than 50 sq mi AND less than 500 sq mi i.e., Equal to or greater than 500 sq mi Section 319 base funds may be used for a range of activities that implement the Tribe's approved NPS management program including: hiring a program coordinator; conducting NPS education programs; providing training and authorized travel to attend training; updating the NPS management program; developing watershed-based plans; and implementing watershed-based plans and on-the-ground watershed projects.

Proposed base 319 grant work plan deadlines vary by EPA Region. Please contact your EPA region for more details . In addition to awarding CWA Section 319 base grants (described above), each year the EPA's National NPS Program solicits applications via a national competition from 319-eligible Tribes and intertribal consortia to implement on-the-ground projects to manage NPS pollution.

Competitive 319 grants may be used to develop and/or implement watershed-based plans and other on-the-ground projects that will result in significant steps towards solving NPS impairments on a watershed-wide basis. Tribal applicants may request up to $175,000 in federal Section 319 funds through this competition. In recent years, the EPA has awarded approximately $3.

5 million/year in federal 319 funds under this solicitation, depending on Agency funding levels. Please note that applicants must submit applications via grants. gov. The FY26 Tribal 319 Competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now open for applications.

Application packages need to be submitted through grants. gov by November 9, 2026 11:59 pm. The NOFO can be accessed here or on grants.

gov . FY26 Tribal 319 Competitive NOFO (pdf) (648. 55 KB, August 17, 2026) FY26 Tribal 319 Competition FAQs (pdf) (502.

63 KB, Oct 26, 2026) Key Dates in the Competitive Grant process: September 9, 2026 at 3:30 - 5 pm ET : Informational webinar #1. Register here . September 17, 2026 at 2 - 3:30 pm ET : Informational webinar #2.

Register here . Slides for the informational webinars: FY26 NOFO Informational Webinar Slides (pdf) October 23, 2026 : Deadline for questions from prospective Tribal applicants about the FY26 NOFO. You may submit questions to tribal319grants@epa.

gov . Monday, November 9, 2026: * Application Deadline * Applications must be submitted electronically to the EPA through grants. gov by 11:59pm ET in order to be considered for funding.

Late applications will not be considered for funding. Early Spring 2027: The EPA anticipates announcing final selections under this competition in early spring 2027.

New Applicant Set-Aside: For FY26, EPA will continue to offer the "New Applicant Set Aside" in which a portion of funding (approximately 5 projects) will be reserved for Tribal competitive grant applicants that have not been awarded a competitive grant under this solicitation in the past 5 years (i.e., from FY2021 to FY2025).

Please refer to FY26 Tribes Eligible for New Applicant Set-Aside (pdf) Selected Projects Summaries: FY24 Selected Competitive Project Summaries (pdf) This document includes a summary for each competitive grant that was selected for FY24. FY25 Selected Competitive Project Summaries (pdf) This document includes a summary for each competitive grant that was selected in FY25.

Submitting Tribal 319 competitive grant project information to EPA: Beginning in FY2022, as a condition of receiving a Tribal Section 319 competitive grant Tribal grantees are required to submit project information to EPA that will be entered into the EPA's 319 Grants Reporting and Tracking Database (GRTS) . This information is due 90 days from the grant award date.

Required project information includes a project description, NPS categories of pollution and pollutants to be addressed, proposed BMPs, anticipated environmental outputs and outcomes, project location, project budget information, and project partners contributing to project implementation.

GRTS Tribal Competition GRTS User Guide (pdf) Tribal 319 competitive grantees have two options for providing project information to EPA: Option 1 : Fill out the Excel-based form (link below), then email this form to your EPA Regional Tribal GRTS lead. GRTS Tribal Data Entry Form (xlsm) Option 2 : Create a GRTS user account, then create a new project page for your competitive grant project in the database. G et started .

The Tribal Competitive Project Mapper is now available! The project data entered into GRTS by Tribal NPS Programs is now viewable in an interactive map format.

Current Grant Guidance Documents: FY 2011 Section 319 Grant Guidelines (as formatted in the Federal Register Notice) (pdf) FY 2011 Section 319 Grant Guidelines (same content formatted for easier online reading) (pdf) Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Contact Us about Nonpoint Source Pollution Contact Us about Nonpoint Source Pollution to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.

Last updated on October 26, 2026