Source Reduction Assistance

EPA is interested in supporting P2, source reduction, and resource conservation projects that will provide an overall benefit to the environment by preventing pollutants at the source. Source reduction projects can include but are not limited to: 1) improving facility and institutional operations that reduce hazardous material use and exposure, 2) reformulating and procuring products to reduce toxics, 3) providing direct technical assistance to businesses and other organizations, 4) encouraging green product design and manufacturing, 5) conducting outreach, 6) collecting and analyzing P2 data, and 7) integrating P2 concepts into state, regional and tribal environmental multimedia programs. Grant activities must be consistent with the grant guidelines of the statutory authorities listed for this program. The statutory authorities are listed in this assistance listing and in the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). SRA assistance agreements must carry out activities within the terms of the EPA's statutory authorities. The statutes authorize the agency to award grants or cooperative agreements using methods of: research, investigations, experiments, education, training, surveys, studies, and/or demonstration of innovative techniques. SRA assistance agreement activities must relate to gathering or transferring information or advancing awareness. Applications must emphasize this "learning" concept, as opposed to "fixing" an environmental problem using a well-established method. This program makes Federal awards on a discretionary basis. A discretionary award means an award in which the Federal awarding agency, in keeping with specific statutory authority that enables the agency to exercise judgment (“discretion”), selects the recipient and/or the amount of Federal funding awarded through a competitive process or based on the merit of proposals. A discretionary award may be selected on a non-competitive basis, as appropriate.

Examples of unacceptable grant applications involve: recycling, treatment, clean-up, disposal, and/or energy recovery projects. In addition, demonstrations of P2 practices must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not a demonstration. Please reference the current grant announcement posted on EPA's Grants for Pollution Prevention page for additional information. See web page reference here: https://www.epa.gov/p2/grant-programs-pollution-prevention#sra.For purposes of this assistance listing announcement, P2 does not involve practices which alter the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a pollutant, hazardous substance or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or the providing of a service (refer to Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), Section 6603 and 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662). Recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal activities, and management of or processing of non-hazardous solid waste (e.g., paper/cardboard, glass, plastics, etc.) are not P2 activities and cannot serve as a basis for SRA award funding. If any of these activities represent more than a small and ancillary part of the proposed work for funding under this grant, EPA will not consider the application for an award. For assistance with recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal, and management or processing of non-hazardous solid waste activities, please contact the EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.