EPA Environmental Justice Winners and Award History
Quick Answer: EPA environmental justice winner history is not one clean award list.
Full answer and how we checked it
The strongest public source is EPA's Community Change Grants selection record: EPA's December 2024 release added 84 selections, bringing the program total to 105 selected applications (nearly $1.6B), counting the July 2024 group of 21 selected applications (more than $325M). EPA also announced 98 EJCPS awardees and 88 EJG2G recipients in 2023. EPA terminated nearly all Community Change grants by the end of May 2025 and Congress rescinded the unobligated funds, so use these rows as history, not as proof that any program is open or that any selection is still spending.
This guide is for: Community-based nonprofits, tribal governments, local governments, environmental health coalitions, university partners, fiscal sponsors, and grant writers checking EPA environmental justice winners before choosing an EPA, HUD, USDA, state, or foundation route.
Data note: Grantsights checked EPA Community Change press releases, EPA's December 2024 Community Change selection-summary PDF, EPA EJCPS and EJG2G announcement materials, EPA grants pages, Grants.gov listing context, and the EPA Office of Inspector General's March 2026 Track I review report on June 18, 2026, and added GAO's October 2026 decision and P.L. 119-21 on October 10, 2026. The main public table below uses EPA selected-application rows, not a final obligated-award export.
In this guide (8 sections)
Status, October 2026: These grants are no longer active. EPA began terminating Community Change grants in May 2025, and GAO's October 7, 2026 decision B-337485 (opens in a new tab) reports that EPA terminated 274 Environmental and Climate Justice program grants between February 21 and July 4, 2025, including 96 Community Change grants. Section 60016 of the 2025 tax law (P.L. 119-21 (opens in a new tab)) rescinded the unobligated balances for Clean Air Act section 138, the program's funding source. GAO found the termination violated the Impoundment Control Act, but that finding didn't restore the money. Read this page as award history.
| EPA source signal | Public value checked | Applicant meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Community Change total selections through December 2024 | 105 selected applications (21 in July plus 84 in December) | Large EJ projects needed partner depth and implementation controls |
| Community Change total selected amount | Nearly $1.6B | Amounts were large, but selections were not the same as simple cash grants |
| Community Change July 2024 selections | 21 selected applications | EPA used rolling selection timing during the closed competition |
| 2025 terminations and rescission | 96 Community Change grants terminated; unobligated funds rescinded July 4, 2025 | No current Community Change money to apply for |
| Community Change application pressure | About 2,700 applications and more than $40B requested | Demand far exceeded the announced selected total |
| 2023 EJCPS and EJG2G announcement | 98 EJCPS awardees and 88 EJG2G recipients | Smaller EJ routes and government-to-government routes matter alongside Community Change |
According to EPA's December 2024 Community Change announcement (opens in a new tab), EPA added 84 selections, bringing the total to 105 applications and nearly $1.6 billion. According to EPA's selection-summary PDF, selected rows include lead applicant, statutory partner, state or territory, track, target investment area when listed, and amount requested. According to the EPA Office of Inspector General's 2026 evaluation (opens in a new tab), EPA's Track I review and selection controls met the reviewed requirements; the report covers about $1.5 billion to 80 Track I grantees whose grants EPA had already terminated. According to Grants.gov listing 351071 (opens in a new tab), Community Change was a $2 billion competition under Assistance Listing 66.616.
Where official sources stop: EPA pages show public selections and program rules. They do not tell an applicant whether a local coalition has enough partner authority, procurement readiness, and fiscal controls to manage a multi-year EJ award. This guide adds that decision layer.
Winner history should change the route decision before it changes the narrative. A selection table can make EPA EJ funding look open to any group with a strong story, but the public winners show something more specific: the lead and partner structure matters. The project must connect burden evidence with a funded intervention, a real partner role, and a reporting system that can survive federal oversight.
8 EPA Environmental Justice Winner Records From Public Selection Sources
This table uses public EPA source rows. It is a selected-application sample, not the full export and not a statement that every selected project has the same obligation status.
| Year | Source unit | State or area | Lead applicant | Partner or route signal | Amount shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Multi-state: AL and GA | Groundswell | City partner, home energy, resilience hubs | $20.0M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Tribes in MN, MI, and WI | Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association | GRID Alternatives, tribal weatherization and energy work | $19.8M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Nationwide with NJ, PA, and MN focus | The New School | Energy governance training and consultation process | $3.0M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | OH, IN, and WI | Groundwork USA | Regional climate-adaptation resident capacity work | $2.2M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Alabama | Texas A&M University | Rural wastewater systems with a community partner | $14.4M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Alaska | Tanana Chiefs Conference | Water, sewer, housing, woodstove, solar, and cleanup work | $20.0M |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | Indiana | City of Evansville and Welborn Baptist Foundation | Mobility hubs, e-bikes, charging, and transit electrification | $20.0M requested |
| 2024 | Community Change selection | North Carolina | Working Lands Trust and Democracy Green | Gullah Geechee water-quality and wetland restoration work | $20.0M requested |
The pattern is not "EJ group plus need statement wins." The visible rows show lead applicants with named partners, a defined place, and a project that can be inspected. Energy upgrades, water and sewer work, mobility, workforce, resident engagement, and resilience hubs appear because the project can tie the environmental burden to a deliverable.
Honest friction: the common mistake is reading a Community Change selection as proof that a new small group should chase the same amount. A group with strong air-monitoring goals but no signed data-sharing role with the city and no procurement policy for sensor purchases would be better served by a smaller state or foundation request first. Use the environmental justice grants guide and EPA environmental justice grants guide to decide whether the current route is open before copying a selected project.
Next route: Pair this winner-history page with the environmental justice grants guide, EPA environmental justice grants guide, EPA grants guide, environment grant route, grant search, and the free eligibility checker.
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What The Award Pattern Means
| Pattern | What it proves | Applicant decision |
|---|---|---|
| Community leads and public partners both appear | EPA allowed partnership models, not solo wish lists | Put partner authority in writing before drafting |
| Tribal and rural rows appear | EJ funding was not only urban air or climate work | Use the route that fits place, governance, and source rule |
| Amounts range from about $2M to $20M in selected rows | Project scale varies sharply | Build budget from workplan and controls, not from a headline |
| Selection pressure was high | About 2,700 applications competed for Community Change | Do not treat a large closed competition as a normal annual grant |
| EPA OIG reviewed Track I controls in 2026 | The selections were made properly, even though EPA later terminated them | Don't treat a terminated selection as a funding source |
For example, a neighborhood air-monitoring coalition with resident support but no signed city data agreement may be a better fit for a smaller EJ grant, foundation grant, or technical assistance year. A tribal consortium with utility agreements, site control, energy-cost evidence, and project management capacity may have a stronger case for a larger EPA route or adjacent federal infrastructure program.
The budget lesson is equally practical. A water project may need USDA water and environmental grants or CDBG before EPA. A cleanup site may need Brownfields. A public-health housing project may need HUD lead or healthy-homes funding. Winner history is useful only when it moves the applicant to the program owner that can legally fund the work.
What Official Sources Don't Tell You About EPA EJ Winners
EPA source pages are useful, but they do not function as a readiness score.
| Source | What it proves | What it does not decide |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Community Change announcement (opens in a new tab) | Selection count, total amount, and sample project themes | Whether a future competition will open or whether a selected application is spending today |
| EPA selection-summary PDF (opens in a new tab) | Lead, partner, location, track, target area, and amount requested | Application volume by state, scoring details, or final grant terms |
| EPA OIG Track I review (opens in a new tab) | Reviewed selection-control posture for Track I | Whether a new applicant has the systems to manage an award |
| Grants.gov listing 351071 (opens in a new tab) | NOFO context and Assistance Listing 66.616 | Current application availability after the closed window |
| GAO decision B-337485 (opens in a new tab) | EPA terminated 96 Community Change grants in 2025 and the unobligated funds were rescinded | Whether Congress will fund a future EJ competition |
The Grantsights recommendation is to read a winner row as an evidence checklist. If the public winner has a city partner, utility partner, tribal governance role, or university role, your file needs the equivalent proof before you write a $10M request. If the public winner has a bounded project area, your file needs maps, residents, facilities, housing units, monitoring sites, or infrastructure endpoints that can be audited.
Apply, Wait, Partner, Or Skip
| Decision | Pass signal | Stop signal |
|---|---|---|
| Apply if EPA opens a new notice | Eligible lead, source-backed burden evidence, signed partner duties, budget controls, and reporting capacity | No open notice exists today, or the lead entity isn't eligible |
| Partner | Community group has trust and local data but lacks federal systems | Partner role is vague or only a support letter |
| Wait | EPA route is closed or contested, but the project can build proof | Team wants to hold all work for one uncertain competition |
| Use another federal lane | Housing, water, brownfield, CDBG, USDA, or transit source is a cleaner owner | EPA EJ frame forces the wrong applicant or budget |
| Skip | No source-backed burden, no intervention, or no partner authority | The application would mostly describe need without fundable work |
Use EPA winner history to choose the route, not to copy a project. A water and sewer project may belong in USDA rural water or CDBG before EPA. A lead-hazard project may belong with HUD. A brownfield site may belong with EPA Brownfields. Environmental justice describes the harm and community role, but the program owner still controls eligibility and spend rules.
9-Point EPA EJ Winner Checklist
Use this checklist before treating an EPA winner row as a model.
| Check | Why it matters | What to collect |
|---|---|---|
| Source unit | Selection, award, grantmaker, and subrecipient rows differ | EPA release, PDF row, Grants.gov listing, award agreement if available |
| Lead eligibility | EPA EJ routes often limit who can lead | IRS, tribal, local-government, university, or nonprofit proof |
| Partner authority | Public winners often name statutory partners | MOU, workplan role, budget role, data role |
| Place definition | EJ projects need a bounded community or service area | Census tract, facility, watershed, utility, housing, or route map |
| Burden evidence | Need must be source-backed | Screening data the notice allows, local health data, permits, complaints |
| Intervention | The work must reduce or measure a real harm | Monitoring plan, cleanup scope, energy scope, water scope |
| Budget control | Large awards need procurement and reporting systems | Cost policy, vendor rules, audit history, staff capacity |
| Timing | Community Change grants were terminated and funds rescinded in 2025 | Current EPA page, Grants.gov status, program officer note |
| Alternative route | EPA may not own the best funding lane | HUD, USDA, DOT, Brownfields, state EJ, foundation route |
According to EPA's December 2024 release, the Community Change competition received about 2,700 applications requesting more than $40B. That pressure matters. A public page that only lists selected applicants can make the program look easier than it was. The better applicant lesson is that the file must survive eligibility, partner, burden, procurement, and reporting checks before it is a narrative problem.
Where This Page Stops
This page gives source-labeled EPA selected-application examples, recipient-type patterns, amount ranges, apply or skip logic, and route boundaries. Nearly all Community Change grants were terminated in 2025, so don't rely on any row as an active award.
Use it to decide whether EPA EJ belongs on the shortlist. If the project owner is still choosing between EPA, HUD, USDA, Brownfields, CDBG, state, and foundation routes, the free grants search and eligibility checker can narrow that list by organization type and state.
Sources
- EPA Community Change December 2024 announcement - epa.gov (opens in a new tab)
- EPA Community Change July 2024 announcement - epa.gov (opens in a new tab)
- EPA Community Change selection-summary PDF - epa.gov PDF (opens in a new tab)
- EPA EJCPS and EJG2G announcement - epa.gov (opens in a new tab)
- EPA OIG Track I Community Change review - epa.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Grants.gov Community Change listing 351071 - grants.gov (opens in a new tab)
- GAO decision B-337485 on Community Change terminations (Oct. 7, 2026) - gao.gov (opens in a new tab)
- P.L. 119-21, Sec. 60016 rescission - govinfo.gov (opens in a new tab)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find EPA environmental justice winners?
Start with EPA Community Change selection releases, EPA selection-summary PDFs, EPA EJG2G and EJCPS announcements, and EPA grant program pages. Label whether the source is a selected application, award, grantmaker, or cooperative agreement.
How many Community Change applications did EPA select in December 2024?
EPA added 84 new selections in December 2024, bringing the program total to 105 selected applications, including the 21 announced in July 2024. EPA terminated nearly all Community Change grants by the end of May 2025, and the 2025 tax law (P.L. 119-21) rescinded the program's unobligated funds.
Are Community Change selected applications the same as final obligated awards?
No, and most are no longer active. GAO reported that EPA terminated 274 Environmental and Climate Justice program grants between February 21 and July 4, 2025, including 96 Community Change grants. Treat a selection row as history, not as a live award.
What recipient types appear in EPA environmental justice winner history?
Recent public samples include community nonprofits, tribal organizations, city partners, universities, health coalitions, local foundations, and regional environmental groups.
Should a small community group apply for a large EPA EJ grant?
There's no open Community Change round to apply to: EPA terminated the grants in 2025 and Congress rescinded the unobligated funds. If a future EPA notice opens, apply only with eligible lead status, signed partners, procurement capacity, fiscal controls, and a workplan that matches it. Until then, state, foundation, and other federal routes are the realistic options.
Last updated October 10, 2026. Corrected October 10, 2026: what changed. Published by Grantsights from public sources. See our editorial policy, how we build and check guides, corrections and how we make money.
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