Assistance program
Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Research Program
$185.4 Million committed in FY2018–FY2026
- Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency
- Assistance
- Project Grants
- CFDA number
- 66.509
- What it does
- The Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program's goal is to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment. It is a competitive, peer-reviewed, extramural research program that provides access to the nation's best scientists and engineers in academic and other nonprofit research institutions. STAR funds research on the environmental and public health effects of air quality, environmental changes, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, and pesticides. Awards made under this program support EPA’s priorities furthering robust science for air, climate, and energy; safe and sustainable water resources; sustainable and healthy communities; and chemical safety. Please check the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants for an updated listing of all solicitations.
- Who benefits
- Public nonprofit institutions/organizations and private nonprofit institutions/organizations located in the U.S.; state and local governments; Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments; U.S. territories or possessions; Anyone/General Public, Health Professional, Education Professional, Student/Trainee, Graduate Student, Scientists/Researchers.
- Who applies
- For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency’s Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Only these types of organizations may apply. Organization types are consistent with definitions at 2 CFR 200.1: • Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions. • Public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs) located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions. • State and local governments. • Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments. • U.S. territories and possessions. Note that 2 CFR § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this program. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to apply. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply. National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, “FFRDCsâ€) may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. An award recipient may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement. Federal employees may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations through awards made under this program unless authorized by law to receive such funding. Certain competitions may allow for early career awards. The following requirements in addition to the requirements listed above apply to early career awards. The early career awards will support research performed by Principal Investigators (PIs) with outstanding promise. PIs from eligible applicant institutions applying for the early career portion of the funding opportunity must meet the following additional eligibility requirements: 1. By the closing date of the funding opportunity, hold a doctoral degree (for example, a Ph.D. or equivalent) in a field related to the research being solicited; 2. Have received the doctoral degree no earlier than 10 years before the month of the closing date of the funding opportunity; and 3. Be untenured by the closing date of the funding opportunity. In order to be deemed eligible, the application must include an early career verification. See funding opportunities at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants for additional information pertaining to eligibility requirements.
- Authorized by
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Safe Drinking Water Act
- Toxic Substances Control Act
- Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
- Clean Air Act
- Clean Water Act
- Solid Waste Disposal Act
- Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
- Annual Appropriations Acts
- Program site
- https://www.epa.gov/research-grants ↗
Committed by fiscal year
* FY2026 is year-to-date — the fiscal year is still in progress, so its total is still filling in. The striped band and dashed line mark that provisional stretch.
Top recipients
By dollars committed.
How to read these numbers
- Committed through this program
Money committed under this assistance listing (its CFDA program), counted in the year each action happened.
- How it's paid
Most programs pay out one way — a grant, or a direct payment to individuals; the flow bar only appears when a program genuinely mixes types.
- Some recipients aren't itemized
For entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, the government reports one aggregate instead of naming tens of millions of people, so the recipient roster isn't part of the public record.
- Awards, counted once
An award count is the number of distinct awards with at least one action that year — each counted once, however many times it was amended.
- The colored bars
Every bar on this page splits by how the money moves:
Direct payments