The EPA is committed to ensuring that all communities have access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water. Through the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Grant Program competitive announcement, the EPA promotes public health by investing in water infrastructure improvements to address lead exposure in drinking water in disadvantaged communities.

The EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants for lead reduction projects in disadvantaged communities in two National Priority Areas. The EPA expects to make at least one award in each area but may redistribute the awards per area based on the quality of applications received and other applicable considerations.

Awards made through this announcement are intended to promote public health and support the Justice40 initiative by addressing conditions that contribute to increased concentrations of lead in drinking water. Proposed projects must include at least one or more disadvantaged community.

Applications will be evaluated based on the extent to which the proposed project:

• is in and/or benefits a disadvantaged community(ies);
• benefits drinking water systems with at least one lead action level exceedance within the last three years or addresses lead levels in drinking water in schools/childcare facilities; and
• supports the Justice40 initiative.

National Priority Areas

Each application submitted under this announcement must address one, and only one, of the National Priority Areas described below. Applicants may submit more than one application package under this funding announcement so long as each application is separately submitted and addresses only one National Priority Area (NPA).

• National Priority Area One: Reduction of Lead Exposure in the Nation’s Drinking Water Systems through Full Lead Service Line Replacements and Treatment Improvements: Under this NPA, the EPA is soliciting applications to reduce lead in drinking water in disadvantaged communities through full lead service line replacements or treatment improvements, such as corrosion control practices. The goal of the full lead service line replacements and/or treatment improvement projects under this NPA is to reduce lead in drinking water in disadvantaged communities, improve and maintain the drinking water supply, and protect public health.
• National Priority Area Two: Reducing Children’s Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Childcare Facilities: Under this NPA, the EPA is soliciting applications for projects in disadvantaged communities that will reduce children’s exposure to lead in schools and childcare facilities through removal and/or replacement of lead-containing drinking water fixtures, fountains, outlets, and plumbing materials. For the purposes of this announcement, a childcare facility is defined as a Head Start program or an Early Head Start program, a state-licensed or regulated childcare program, a state pre-kindergarten program, or a program operated by a local educational agency serving children from birth through age six. For the purposes of this announcement, a school is defined as a nonprofit institutional day or residential school, including a public charter school, that provides elementary or secondary education, as determined under state law, from kindergarten through grade twelve. This definition, for the purposes of this announcement, also includes a school or community college that is controlled by an Indian Tribe, band, or nation, including any Alaska Native Villages, which is recognized as eligible for special programs and services provided by the Unites States to Indians because of their status as Indians. Facilities administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs are not included in this definition for the purposed of this announcement.

In addition, the EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.