Green Recovery Alliance: Accessing Federal Funding for Climate Action in US States and Localities --- April 4, 2023 --- ONLINE DEADLINE April 28, 2023

On April 4, 2023, 2-3:30 pm Eastern, as part of the Green Recovery Alliance, the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) and the Climate Group (CG) will host a webinar for states, tribes, localities, and interested stakeholders on opportunities and needs regarding applications for the upcoming US EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. CCS and CG will provide insights, tools, templates, and case examples for subnational climate action planning that may be helpful to grant applicants and interested partners.

The EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant supports climate action planning and assessment and follow on investment in climate change policies and programs. It provides $3 million per state, $1 million per major metropolitan area, and a set aside of $25 million for tribes on a formula basis to support short-term and longer-term comprehensive planning and assessments. By developing climate action plans through the EPA grant, jurisdictions become eligible to apply for $4.6 billion of grant funding in early 2024 on a completive basis to implement specific policy and program actions identified in action planning processes.

The deadline for lead governmental organizations to submit a notice of intent to participate is March 31, 2023, and the application period for the first phase of the EPA grant closes on April 30, 2023, so time is of the essence. Applications must address some complex and time sensitive issues such as the inclusion of localities in state level planning, methods for stakeholder and community engagement, inclusion of disadvantaged communities, specifications for baseline and policy impact assessments, methods for accelerated planning procedures, incorporation of investment planning, and procurements for third-party technical assistance.

Through the Green Recovery Alliance, CCS and CG have been helping states, localities, and regions with deployment of federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including the EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Since 2004, CCS has assisted many states and localities with climate action planning, assessment, and implementation. The CG Under2 Coalition is the largest global network of states, regions, provinces, and other subnational governments committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

See the following links for more information about the Climate Action Plan webinar:

All lead organizations representing a state or metropolitan area must submit a Notice of Intent to Participate (NOIP) according to the deadlines and requirements laid out in the program guidance.

Applicants are encouraged to submit the NOIP as early as possible to help expedite EPA’s administration of the awards process and enable the organization to begin work and consultation with EPA as needed on development of a workplan to execute the planning grant. READ MORE