Assistance Listing 66.203
Environmental Finance Center Grants
Environmental Protection Agency · Environmental Protection Agency
The verdict for a small nonprofit
Worth applying, even as a first-time applicant. 46% of awards go to organizations new to this program, and nonprofits win 56% of them.
Based on 35 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 6% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $499,999. Expect about 74 days between posting and deadline.
- First-time winners
- 46%
- of new awards, last 3 FYs
- Nonprofit share
- 56%
- 39% higher ed · 0% gov't
- Under-$1M orgs
- 6%
- of nonprofit awards
- Median award
- $500K
- $485K – $2.5M middle half
- New awards, FY2025
- 3
- $5.4M committed to them
- Usually posts
- Jun
- irregular · 74-day window
Open right now under this program
Nothing open · from Grants.gov, checked every 10 minutes
Who won in FY2025
Largest recipients by dollars. From USAspending.
| Recipient | Type | State | Awards | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Community Assistance Corporation | Nonprofit | CA | 3 | $11,404,105 |
| University of New Mexico | Higher ed | NM | 2 | $10,659,026 |
| University of Maine System | Higher ed | ME | 2 | $8,104,281 |
| University of Maryland, College Park | Higher ed | MD | 2 | $6,076,013 |
| Syracuse University | Higher ed | NY | 2 | $5,519,233 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Higher ed | NC | 2 | $5,097,953 |
| National Rural Water Association | Nonprofit | OK | 2 | $4,976,904 |
| Wichita State University | Higher ed | KS | 2 | $4,437,711 |
| University Enterprises, INC. | Other | CA | 2 | $1,138,688 |
| U.S. Water Alliance | Nonprofit | CA | 1 | $13,170,835 |
New awards by fiscal year
Awards first made in each fiscal year; dollars are the total committed to that year's new awards over their life.
| FY | New awards | Committed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | $35K | $35K | $35K – $35K |
| 2023 | 29 | $104M | $3.3M | $908K – $4.6M |
| 2024 | 3 | $1.5M | $500K | $500K – $500K |
| 2025 | 3 | $5.4M | $500K | $485K – $2.5M |
Past rounds
Every announcement under this listing that Grants.gov still lists. Use it to plan next year.
| Posted | Closed | Window | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-14 | 2024-07-29 | 45 d | EPA-I-R-OCFO-02 · Promoting Readiness and Enhancing Proficiency to Advance Reporting and Data |
| 2023-09-22 | 2023-12-15 | 84 d | EPA-I-R-OCFO-01 · Promoting Readiness and Enhancing Proficiency to Advance Reporting and Data |
| 2022-04-18 | 2022-07-01 | 74 d | EPA-I-OW-OWM-22-01 · ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER GRANT PROGRAM |
| 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-29 | 46 d | EPA-OW-OWM-16-01 · Environmental Finance Center Grant Program for EPA Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming) |
| 2015-03-03 | 2015-04-30 | 58 d | EPA-OCFO-CEF-15 · ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER GRANT PROGRAM |
| 2009-05-28 | 2009-07-15 | 48 d | EPA-OCFO-CEF-09-01 · ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTER GRANT PROGRAM |
Common questions
How hard is it to win a grant under 66.203?
Worth applying, even as a first-time applicant. 46% of awards go to organizations new to this program, and nonprofits win 56% of them. Based on 35 new awards in FY2023–25. Organizations under $1M in revenue won 6% of the awards that went to nonprofits. The median award is $499,999. Expect about 74 days between posting and deadline.
How much does Environmental Finance Center Grants award?
In FY2025 the median new award was $500K; the middle half ran from $485K to $2.5M. 3 new awards were made, with $5.4M committed to them.
When does 66.203 usually post?
Over the last several years, new rounds most often posted in Jun with about 74 days to apply. The most recent round posted Jun 14, 2024.
Who runs this program?
Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency). Assistance Listing 66.203 on SAM.gov describes the authorizing statute and standard terms.
Sources: USAspending FY2021–25 award archive (2026-10-06); Grants.gov Search2 (fetched 2026-10-28); IRS EO BMF (fetched 2026-10-28). Award counts are new awards by fiscal year of first action. Shares are computed from award counts, not dollars; the under-$1M share covers the 80% of nonprofit awards that matched an IRS revenue record. Recipient type comes from the award record's business-type codes. Always confirm details in the official announcement.