Guide to Finding Federal Assistance and Resources for Environmental Justice Efforts a Guide from the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice


A Guide from the Federal Interagency
Working Group on Environmental Justice

The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental justice
(EJ IWG) includes several federal agencies and White House offices
that increase local community capacity to promote and implement
innovative and comprehensive solutions to environmental justice
issues. More information about the EJ IWG can be found here.
A goal of the EJ IWG is to provide greater public access to federal
information and resources, and this guide is part of that effort. This
guide shares tips on using beta.Sam.gov and Grants.gov to search
for federal assistance and help find the most relevant information.
Beta.SAM.gov is hosted by General Services Administration and
provides detailed, public descriptions of federal assistance listings.
You can use beta.SAM.gov as a first step in looking for assistance
listings across all government agencies to form a "big picture" of
potential funding options. This video shows more information on it.
Once you find a listing that you are interested in on beta.SAM.gov,
you need to follow up with that specific agency using the contact
information provided or link to the listing on Grants.gov. Grants.gov is
hosted by the Office of Management and Budget and provides a
centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal
funding opportunities. The Grants.gov system houses information on
over 1,000 grant programs and vets grant applications for federal
grant-making agencies.
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FAQs on Finding Resources
1. Where do I begin?
Visit the beta.SAM.gov website. On this homepage,
scroll down to the section "Federal Assistance" and
click on the second bullet point, "Search Assistance
Listings." Then scroll down to the section titled,
"Eligibility" and click on the arrow pointing down to
see the different categories that may apply to you
under "beneficiary" and/or "applicant" tabs. When
you see a category that may be applicable to you,
click on it to highlight it in blue. It should then be
added to your search criteria. You can highlight
more than one category in your search.
What is the difference between an applicant and a
beneficiary? Applicant means who is eligible to
apply for assistance. Beneficiary means who will
benefit from the assistance. For example, a state or
tribal government (applicant) could apply for
assistance that would benefit a minority group
(beneficiary). Or, a nonprofit organization (applicant)
could apply for assistance that would benefit a low-
income group (beneficiary).
There are many different categories you can search
for as a "beneficiary" and/or "applicant." Examples
are noted in the tables to the right. To see all of the
ways you can search for assistance, please visit the
beta.SAM.gov website.
While you don't need an account to look for
assistance listings on beta.SAM.gov. it may be
helpful to sign up for an account with them to save
your searches. For more information, visit their
guick start guide, learning center and/or call their
toll-free number at 1.866.606.8220.
BENEFICIARY CATEGORIES INCLUDE:
Government - Federal; Interstate; Intrastate; State;
Local
American Indian; Federally Recognized Tribal
Governments; Native American Organizations
Minority Group; Black; Spanish Origin; Asian; Other
Non-White; Migrant; Refugee/Alien; U.S. Citizen
Low Income; Moderate Income; Pension Recipient;
Welfare Recipient; Unemployed
Rural; Major Metropolis; Urban; Suburban; U.S.
Territories
Organizations; Nonprofits; Private Institutions
Individual, Family, Women, Children, Senior Citizen,
General Public
Physically Afflicted; Disabled
Small Business, Industrialist
Professionals: Health, Education, Scientist,
Researcher, Engineer, Architect, Artist, Humanist,
Builder, Contractor, Developer, Farmer, Rancher,
Agricultural Producer
Specialized Group (e.g. health professionals, students,
veterans); Veteran, Service person, Reservist
(including dependents)
Student/Trainee; Graduate Student; Education;
Preschool; School
APPLICANT CATEGORIES INCLUDE:	
Government - General, Federal, Interstate, Intrastate,
State, Local
Federally Recognized Tribal Governments; Native
American Organizations
U.S. Territories and Possessions (includes institutions
of higher education and hospitals)
Minority Group
Organizations/Institutions; Public and Private
Nonprofits; Private Organizations, etc.
Specialized Group (e.g. health professionals, students,
veterans)
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2. There are a lot of results when I check off the categories under "beneficiary" and as an
"applicant." Should I also add in some different types of "keyword" searches to narrow the results?
What are some examples of these keywords or phrases?
You can also search with "keywords" under the "keyword tab." Remember to use quotation marks when
typing in a keyword search on a phrase (e.g. "environmental justice"). Examples of keywords may include:
Infrastructure - Brownfields - Job Training - Lead - Emergency Response - Community-based - Environment
- Underserved - Diversity - Poverty - Underrepresented - Economically Disadvantaged - Homeless - Health
Disparities - Environmental Health - Environmental Justice - Vulnerability - Sustainable Development -
Health Risk - Health Impact - Place-based - Tribal Nation - Affected Communities - Community Revitalization
- Indigenous Population - Minority Community.
3. Can I search only using keywords, such as "environmental justice," and not check off any boxes
under "beneficiary" and/or "applicant"?
You may not see all of the opportunities available if you just do a "keyword" search on "environmental
justice." Different agencies may use different words to describe environmental justice efforts. It may be a
good idea to do several different types of searches using the categories under "beneficiary" and/or
"applicant" (e.g. minority, low-income, etc.) first. Please see the answer to question 2 for ideas of keywords
to search.
4. Do I need to check off any boxes under "type of assistance"?
You can check off boxes under this category to refine your search, depending on what type of assistance
(e.g. grant, loan, etc.) you are searching. If you do not check off any boxes in this category, you will see all of
the results for all of the different types of assistance that beta.SAM.gov identifies.
5. Now that I have a list of results from beta.SAM.gov, what do I need to do next?
Once you have a list of results, you will need to click on and look at each listing to follow up with that specific
agency to find out more about the opportunity. The agency's contact information is provided on the bottom of
the beta.SAM.gov listing. If the opportunity is a grant, you can also link directly to Grants.gov for more
information about how to apply for the grant. Please remember that Grants.gov only has information on
federal grants. Beta.SAM.gov provides information on all federal assistance, not just grants.
6. Where can I find tips on grant writing and information on the grant definitions, policies and
eligibility?
Grants.gov has the following links:
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Grants Learning Center
Grant Events & Trainings
Getting Started Checklist
Grant Writing Basics

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Other agencies have also created tip sheets and recorded webinar trainings on how to access federal
resources:
• The EJ IWG webinar recording "Increasing Awareness of Federal Grants and Resource
Opportunities" provides an overview of the Grants.gov registration process. It covers how
environmental justice stakeholders can search for funding opportunities and apply for those
opportunities using Grants.gov.
• The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) hosted the Grants Education and Technical
Assistance Webinar Series for Tribes. Tribal Organizations, Indian Health, Tribal and Urban Indian
Health Programs. You can use this link to access the recordings of this webinar series.
• The US Department of Agriculture created a Guide to Funding Resources.
• The US Department of Housing and Development compiled Tips on Writing a Winning Grant
Submission.
7. Are there other tools and guides to help find government resources on specific topic areas (e.g.
brownfields, water, air, etc.)?
Yes, please visit EPA's Resources for Creating Healthy, Sustainable and Eguitable Communities for more
tools and guides on government opportunities for specific topics - including brownfields, water, air,
renewable energy, and rural communities.
8. Are there any listservs or newsletters that I can sign up for to stay updated on upcoming federal
resources, opportunities and trainings?
You can sign up for EPA's EJ Listserv for ongoing announcements on federal agency environmental justice
resources, opportunities and trainings. You can also sign up for HRSA's Federal Office of Rural Health
Policy weekly newsletter, which includes information on funding opportunities.
9. Are there any other resources that could be obtained from the federal government that could help
support an environmental justice effort or project?
Eligible state and local government agencies and nonprofit organizations may be able to obtain personal
property that the federal government no longer needs. Check out the Federal Surplus Personal Property
Donation Program at General Services Administration and/or contact a State Agency for Surplus Property
representative in your region for more information. Donated property might quality as a matching in-kind
donation for some grants - you will need to check directly with the organization administering the grant.
10. I recently heard about "Opportunity Zones" as a tool to help economically-distressed
communities. Where can I find more information?
Opportunity Zones are a tool designed to spur economic development and job creation in distressed
communities by offering incentives for private investors. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed
community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax
treatment. For general information, please visit Opportunity Zones Freguently Asked Questions. To learn
more about the benefits and see if your community qualifies as an Opportunity Zone, please search your
state government website and "Opportunity Zones" online (e.g., California Opportunity Zones FAQ).
eistrateqy@epa.gov
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