EPA Small Business Innovation Research Phase I

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed, and underemployed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field.Brownfields Job Training Grants fund training programs that strengthen local workforces by preparing program graduates for environmental jobs that support cleanup and revitalization efforts in their own communities.Training may include a range of brownfield-related environmental skills such as the assessment and cleanup of solid and hazardous waste; chemical risk management; stormwater management relating to site cleanup; planning and site preparation for low-impact development activities; site preparation for green infrastructure installation; and vulnerability assessment and contamination mitigation planning.Please carefully review Section 4.E. of these guidelines, Section IV of EPA NOFO Clauses, and the Frequently Asked Questions, which can be found at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/frequently-asked-questions-about-brownfields-job-training-jt-grants. A checklist of required application forms and documents is in Section 4.A.For the purposes of these guidelines, the term “grant” refers to the cooperative agreement that EPA will award to a successful applicant. In this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), “Project” refers to the applicant’s proposed Brownfields Job Training effort to be funded under this competition. Unless otherwise noted, “training program” is used synonymously with “project.” Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OLEM-OBLR-26-01. Assistance Listing: 66.815. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: ENV. Award Amount: Up to $300K per award.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) section 1459E to accelerate career pipelines in the water utilities sector and provide access to water utility workforce opportunities. This action advances the Administration’s priorities, including the goals of Make America Healthy Again, by focusing on building the nation’s water workforce which is critical to ensuring public health and environment protection. Consistent with the law, this action will help inform people about the role of water and wastewater utilities in their communities and increase the awareness of water utility career opportunities.The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support expanding career opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and elevating public awareness about jobs in the water workforce. Eligible applicants under this funding opportunity are Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), nonprofit organizations, and public works departments and agencies. Eligible activities include apprenticeship and internship programs, education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students, regional industry collaborations, and training programs designed to support decentralized workforce. Efforts should aim for measurable results and clearly show tangible benefits for water systems and communities. The proposed activities support the Agency’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative’s Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American. Examples include training individuals through an apprenticeship program and placing them into water sector jobs, training individuals for industry accreditation, and developing collaborations with community colleges, technical schools, utilities to address the water utility employment needs. Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OW-OWM-26-03. Assistance Listing: 66.445. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: ED. Award Amount: Up to $7.8M per award.