Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant Program is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This program provides funding to states, territories, and federally recognized Indian Tribes to develop an Internet-based, secure network that supports the electronic collection, exchange, and integration of high-quality environmental data.

Exchange Network Grant Program | US EPA Exchange Network Grant Program FY 2025 Exchange Network Grants Competition Webinar Series: FY25 Applicant Webinars Resources for Applicants and Grantees Requirements of the EN Grant Program Quality Assurance (QA) Document Submittal Requirements EN Reusability Requirement EN IT Component and Project Registration Requirement Related Information About Grants Post Award Guidance for Grantees The Exchange Network (EN) was launched in 2002 as an inter-governmental, collaborative partnership of EPA, states, territories, and Tribes to foster better environmental management and decision-making through increased access to timely, high quality environmental information.

This was achieved through a standards-based approach to facilitate environmental data sharing among EPA, states, Tribes, and territories. The framework adopted allows organizations to exchange data over the Internet regardless of the specific information technology used (see also the Environmental Information Exchange Network site ).

The Exchange Network continues to evolve to adapt to emerging technologies and to meet new programmatic needs. Applicants are encouraged to participate in EPA’s Exchange Network Forum which is a call that is held bi-monthly to discuss how to improve and better use the Exchange Network’s services and partnerships. The Forum is open to all participants.

The EPA Exchange Network Grant Program solicits project applications annually to support the Environmental Information Exchange Network (EN) to: Facilitate sharing of environmental data, especially through shared and reusable services. Reduce burden and avoid costs for co-regulators and the regulated community. Streamline data collection and exchanges to improve its timeliness for decision making.

Increase the quality and access to environmental data through discovery, publishing, outbound and analytical services so it is more useful to environmental managers. Increase data and IT management capabilities needed to fully participate in the EN. Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 is the twenty-third year that EPA will award competitive funding to eligible recipients for projects through the Exchange Network Grant Program.

Between FY 2002 and FY 2024, EPA provided approximately $280 million for state, Tribal, and territorial awards and associated program support through the grant program. As of February 1, 2024, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 93 Tribes, and 5 territories have received EN assistance agreements. See FY 2025 Exchange Network Solicitation Notice for relevant information on the current FY25 EN Grants open application period.

It is anticipated that up to 24 or more award(s) will be made under the FY25 announcement. Awards are expected to be in the $200,000 to $600,000 range, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations.

Following the application due date, EPA will review and score eligible applications, finalize application selections, and then inform all applicants of their application's status via email.

For descriptions of previously awarded EN assistance agreements, please see: Summary of Previously Awarded EN Grants by Fiscal Year Search IT Component and Project Registration Forms from Prior Grants FY25 Exchange Network Grants Competition The due date for applications under the FY25 competition was Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

The Exchange Network (EN) Grant Program is excited to announce that final selection decisions have been made for applications received under the FY25 competition. Notifications of selection decisions were sent by the EN grants team on April 24, 2026 to all applicant contacts listed in the application’s Key Contact Form. Please note that notifications sent to successful applicants are not authorizations to begin work.

The official notification of an award will be made by EPA’s Office of the Chief Grants Officer (OCGO). Selection does not guarantee an award will be made. Statutory authorization, funding, or other issues during the award process may affect the ability of the EPA to make an award.

The official award notice, as signed and sent by an EPA grants officer, is the authorizing document and will be provided through electronic or postal mail following the finalization of award processing. Successful applicants may need to prepare and submit additional documents and forms, which must be approved by the EPA before the grant can officially be processed for award.

Due to delays in the FY25 competition, applicants who submitted applications with now-expired indirect cost rates will be asked to provide their new rate to EPA as soon as possible, to allow for necessary application corrections prior to award. Applicants are also asked to submit new Key Contact Forms ( EPA Form 5700-54 ) if there have been changes to project staff since application submittal.

For more information, please contact: ExchangeNetwork@epa. gov Webinar Series: FY25 Applicant Webinars The FY25 application webinar series has closed; see Resources for Applicants and Grantees (below) for the webinar slide deck.

Resources for Applicants and Grantees Note: Optional templates, budget tools, FAQs, and the applicant webinar presentation are updated annually; applicants should always be sure to use the current grant cycle’s guidance.

Updated (V2) FY25 Optional Cover Letter Template (docx) Updated (V2) FY25 Optional Project Narrative Template (docx) Updated (V2) FY25 Optional Budget Narrative Attachment Form Template (docx) Updated (V10) FY25 Optional Budget Calculating Tool (v9) (xlsx) Exchange Network Applicant FAQs Updated (V2) FY25 Applicant Webinar (pdf) (pdf) See Post Award Guidance for Grantees for grantee guidance related to post-award management, including reporting requirements, change requests, and close-out activities.

Requirements of the EN Grant Program Please note that the below language is not intended to be an exhaustive overview, but a highlight of some of the key requirements under the Exchange Network Grant Program. Applicants should review annual EN Solicitation Notices (SNs) for further details on current requirements.

Quality Assurance (QA) Document Submittal Requirements EPA will review applications to determine what QA documentation is required, if any. QA requirements will be communicated to the grantee at the time of award by the applicant’s Regional Exchange Network Coordinator ( RENC ).

EN grant projects which include environmental information operations (EIO) such as collection and/or data monitoring, etc., will be required to submit applicable QA documentation such as a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and/or a Quality Management Plan (QMP). Grantees are responsible for submitting any required QA documentation within the time frame specified in each award’s Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) .

RENCs may reject semi-annual progress reports for grantees who fail to submit and implement required QA documentation. Additionally, project work (goals and outputs) which includes EIO cannot begun until the formal approval of submitted QA documentation by EPA.

Applicants who believe their projects include EIO are encouraged to budget for the preparation and submission of QA documentation within their project workplan (as the first goal(s) and output(s) of the proposed project).

See the following links for additional information on QA: Quality Management Plan (QMP) Standard and EPA's Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Standard ; contain quality specifications for EPA and non-EPA organizations and definitions applicable to these terms and conditions. EPA QA/G-5: Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans .

EPA’s Quality Program website has a list of QA managers , and Specifications for EPA and Non-EPA Organizations . The Office of Grants and Debarment Implementation of Quality Assurance Requirements for Organizations Receiving EPA Financial Assistance .

EN Reusability Requirement Applicants must commit, in writing within submitted applications, to reuse existing data flows, EN services, and other IT resources (e.g., widgets, RESTful web services, etc.) when/where possible within proposed projects. Please see the annual Solicitation Notice for further information on the Exchange Network’s emphasis on reusability.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the IT Component and Project Registration section of this website for potential IT components and technologies that may be appropriate for reuse. EN IT Component and Project Registration Requirement Applicants must register any newly developed resources and the reuse of existing resources by completing an EN ‘IT Component and Project Registration Form’ at the time of grant close-out.

EN grantees must work with their Regional Exchange Network Coordinator ( RENC ) to complete this registration. Upon review and approval of this form by EPA, it will be made available on the EN website. Examples of this form, as filled out by prior grantees, can be found in the IT Component and Project Registration section of this website.

The current version of the IT Component and Project Registration Form is available here: IT Component and Project Registration Form (pdf) The completion of this form (required since 2011) is a scored element within the past performance evaluation criterion, during application scoring for submitted EN applications.

Past grantees who have not met this requirement can submit these forms to their RENC at any time to avoid point loss under this criterion. Please note that the sharing of developed code, proprietary software, etc., is not mandatory under this requirement. However, grantees are encouraged to share technical information, to the extent they are comfortable doing so, to promote the Exchange Network’s emphasis on reusability.

The Exchange Network Forum is a bi-monthly online venue to discuss how to improve and better use the Exchange Network’s services and partnerships to share information among EPA, States, Tribes, and Territories. The Forum convenes on the second Thursday of alternating months from 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern.

See the Environmental Information Exchange Network Forum page for more information on these bi-monthly forums, including meeting dates, connection links, and recordings of past calls. Related Information About Grants Review information on Exchange Network grants awarded between 2002 to 2023.

Find out more about the types of activities in which states, tribes and territories are involved to support the Environmental Information Exchange Network. Read a summary record for all non-construction EPA grants awarded in the last 10 years, including grants that were awarded before that time, but that remain open. Understanding, managing, and applying for EPA grants.

Visit the federal government's single access point for over 1,000 grant programs offered by all federal grant-making agencies. Searchable IT Component and Project Registration Forms PDF versions of completed 'IT Component and Project Registration Forms' can be viewed at this link. Additionally, users can search for specific applicant or project types by selecting one or more filters as provided in the field options.

Post Award Guidance for Grantees Guidance for current Exchange Network grantees, as relates to the management of grants following award; includes an overview of reporting requirements and grantee instructions for processing change requests and close-outs. Exchange Network Applicant and Grantee FAQs A comprehensive compilation of frequently asked questions by EN applicants and grantees over recent competition cycles.

Contact Us About the Environmental Information Exchange Network Contact Us About the Environmental Information Exchange Network to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Last updated on April 24, 2026