Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program

About the program

Congress appropriated funding starting in fiscal year 2023 for the EPA to establish and implement a grant program to assist Tribal entities in Alaska with addressing contamination on Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) lands that were contaminated prior to the time of conveyance. Funding is awarded as cooperative agreements for site assessment and remediation, as well as related community outreach and involvement. Visit Contamination on ANCSA Conveyed Lands for more information about EPA's ANCSA program.

On this page:

Program guidance

The objectives are to provide funding to characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement activities related to these lands, and carry out cleanup activities at ANCSA sites contaminated at the time of conveyance.

Proposals for cooperative agreements are accepted on a rolling basis with project periods of up to 5 years. The amount of funding available per project is expected to range from $1M to $8M depending on agency funding levels, agency priorities, and other applicable programmatic considerations. For any funding requests over $3M, applicants must provide documentation of cleanup options and cost estimates or similar by the time of final application. If cleanup alternatives and cost estimates are not specifically known, they may be developed as part of a cooperative agreement. 

The Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program Guidance describes program background, eligible entities and sites, allowable activities and costs, and outlines proposal required elements.

Eligible Tribal entities

  • Alaska Native Regional and Village Corporations
  • Federally Recognized Tribes in Alaska
  • Alaska Native Nonprofit Associations
  • Alaska Native Nonprofit Organizations
  • Alaskan Inter-Tribal Consortia

Eligible sites

EPA will award funding for site assessment and cleanup provided there is a reasonable basis to conclude it was contaminated at the time of conveyance. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that the site:

  1. Was conveyed pursuant to ANCSA.
  2. Was contaminated by hazardous or toxic substances, pollutants, contaminants, or oil at the time of conveyance.
  3. Is on EPA’s Contaminated ANCSA Sites Inventory.

Check EPA’s Contaminated ANCSA Sites Inventory to determine whether the site is included.

If the site is not included on the inventory, then the applicant must submit a new site for review. If you have general questions or concerns about a site in your community, or whether a site on the inventory is described accurately, please send an email to ANCSAInventory@epa.gov.

After a new site is submitted, the submitter will receive a confirmation email. It will then be listed on the Proposed ANCSA Sites Layer of EPA’s Common Operating Picture until it is verified for eligibility by EPA. To be eligible to receive EPA’s Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program cooperative agreements, sites must be "verified" – meaning on ANCSA conveyed land and contamination was present at the time of conveyance.

How to apply

Before submitting a proposal: please review the Contaminated ANCSA Sites Inventory to determine whether the site(s) you wish to assess and/or cleanup is eligible. If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Contaminated ANCSA Lands Site Inventory Manager, Stephen Nguyen (nguyen.stephen@epa.gov), 206-553-1073.

If you need technical assistance in considering cleanup options, learning more about grants, or working with qualified environmental professionals, please see our technical assistance for applicants and recipients resources listed below.

Eligible applicants may submit multiple funding requests for various sites. It may be possible to receive more than one award per entity.

Each funding request proposal must include:

  1. Narrative project description.
  2. Workplan components.
  3. Detailed budget.

If you work for an entity that intends to develop a Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program funding proposal, please contact Senior Contaminated ANCSA Lands Project Manager, Mahri Lowinger (lowinger.mahri@epa.gov), 907-271-6334.

The project manager who reviews your proposal will invite your organization to submit a complete application package in Grants.gov after completing the initial proposal review process.

Further details on how to apply are provided in the Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program Guidance, as well as on Grants.gov.

Proposal development templates and resources

Below are several resources for eligible entities to assist in the development of funding requests. The use of these optional templates may help ensure that all required elements are addressed.

Templates

A. Narrative description

B. Work plan components

C. Detailed budget

Indirect cost guidance

Indirect cost rates help ensure that recipients are compensated for administrative costs incurred under an EPA assistance agreement (e.g., costs for renting space, utilities, accounting services, human resource services). Applicants that have an indirect cost rate should include them in their detailed budget.

Application forms

Application forms for the Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program do not need to be provided at the time of submission of initial funding request proposals (narrative description, workplan components, and detailed budget).

The project manager who reviews your proposal will invite your organization to submit a complete application package in Grants.gov after completing the initial proposal review process.

The following application forms are typically required when applying for EPA grants. Visit EPA Grantee Forms for copies.

  • SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance: This form is required with every grant application.
  • SF 424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs: This form is required with every grant application.
  • EPA Form 4700 4, Pre-award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants and Recipients Requesting Federal Financial Assistance: This form is required with every grant application.
  • EPA Form 5700 54, Key Contacts Form: This form is required with every grant application.
  • EPA Form 6600 06, Certification Regarding Lobbying: This form is required for all grants over $100,000.

SAM.gov

For applicants considering this program, please ensure that your organization’s SAM.gov registration and unique entity ID are current.

Grants.gov

If you need to register your organization in Grants.gov, please allow up to four weeks to complete registration. For Grants.gov support, contact the Grants.gov Support Center – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Please do not submit federal application forms for the Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program in Grants.gov until you are provided specific instructions from EPA project managers.

Current projects

To learn about our current recipients and their projects, please check out EPA’s ANCSA story map (click on "Current Efforts").

Administrative resources and tools

Progress reporting

The Code of Federal Regulations outlines the requirements, which includes:

  • Description of accomplishments measured against work plan commitments (activities).
  • Cumulative effectiveness of the work performed under all workplan commitments.
  • Any problem areas.
  • Suggestions for improving the work plan, including the timeline for making improvements if appropriate.

Grantees typically report quarterly but may negotiate a different reporting schedule with their EPA Project Manager.

There is no required format for a progress report. However, to simplify reporting, below is a template you may use. Please contact your EPA Project Manager for any assistance or recommendations.

SF 425 federal financial report

This form is required annually within 90 days of the end of the performance period. In the last year of the Cooperative Agreement, the SF-425 must cover all cumulative years of the grant and is due 120 days of the end of the performance period. Visit EPA Grantee Forms.

EPA's Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment

This guide describes the financial transactions covered by the competitive contracting requirements and other rules you must follow when awarding and administering EPA funded contracts. Visit Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements.

Grant closeout resources

EPA determines that all projects funded by a grant or cooperative agreement are completed and administrative requirements are met through the grant closeout. Reports required for closeout must be submitted no later than 120 days after the project period end date. Visit Tribal Grant Closeouts in Region 10 for details.

Quality Assurance Project Plan resources

A Quality Assurance Project Plan is a written document that describes your plan for collecting and using environmental data. Grantees that develop QAPPs must obtain approval for the QAPP from EPA (or from states or Tribes with delegated QAPP approval authority) before starting environmental data activities. Visit Quality Assurance Project Plans for Tribes in Region 10 to find outlines of the required elements and templates to help you get started.

Technical assistance for applicants and recipients

EPA’s Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program partner organizations are available to provide technical support to Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Agreement applicants and recipients.

Assistance may be provided early in the process and can include site verification, project identification and scoping, proposal development, and community outreach.

Other EPA funding for contaminated sites

There are additional EPA grant programs, such as brownfields, which may be available to address contaminated ANCSA sites assessment or cleanup.

Region 10 Tribal Programs

Contact us about Tribal programs in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska
Contact us about Tribal programs in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on August 20, 2026