Grant Memo: Agriculture, CTE, Tourism, and Additional Grant Opportunities for your District
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus July 8, 2026 | 9:42 AM
NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS
Department of Agriculture: Sustainable Agriculture Grant Program
Who May Apply: Family farm corporations, family farm partnerships, farm enterprises, nonprofit education institutions
Use: Reduce operating expenses through practices that are ecologically beneficial, improve soil quality and fertility, improve water quality, and reduce or eliminate the need for the purchase of off-farm inputs, such as chemical or synthetic fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides.
Funds: Grants may not exceed $25,000 except as provided in this subsection. An additional amount of up to $25,000 may be granted if the grantee matches that additional amount dollar for dollar so that an individual grant may not exceed $50,000 in one calendar year.
Application Deadline: August 28, 2026
More information: PDA Website
Department of Transportation: Career and Technical Education Grant
Who May Apply: Public, private, and cyber schools, career and technical centers, youth development centers, and institutions of higher learning
Use: To develop and implement new technical training curriculum or to expand existing technical training curriculum and/or delivery, relevant to the heavy highway industry
Funds: The total amount of direct grant reimbursement funding available under this program is $12 million. PennDOT intends to award a single individual grant up to $500,000 per eligible applicant. An additional $3 million is available, up to $10,000 per student, in supportive services through PennDOT’s Supportive Services Center
Application Deadline: September 1, 2026
More information: PennDOT Website
Department of Community and Economic Development: Sports Marketing and Tourism Account Program (SMAT)
Who May Apply: A municipality, a local authority, a nonprofit organization, or a legal entity that meets the criteria found here.
Use: To attract high-quality, amateur and professional sporting and e-sports events to this Commonwealth with the goal of advancing and promoting year-round tourism, economic impact, and quality of life through sport
Application Deadline: August 12, 2026
More information: DCED Website
PROGRAMS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS:
Department of Community and Economic Development: PA SITES
Who May Apply: Municipalities, economic development organizations, redevelopment authorities, municipal authorities, industrial development agencies, and for-profit organizations.
Use: To develop competitive sites for businesses to relocate or expand within Pennsylvania.
Funds: $400 million in funding is available.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and approved on a quarterly basis
More information: DCED Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate Program
Who May Apply: Pennsylvania residents whose total household income is below 400 percent of the Federal Income Poverty Level.
Use: This program provides a rebate to Pennsylvanians who purchase or lease alternative fuel vehicles.
Funds: Rebates vary depending on type of vehicle purchased.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted and evaluated on a first come, first served basis as long as funds remain available. Please note applications must be received within six months of the date of the vehicle purchase.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Environmental Protection: WIIN 2107: Voluntary School and Childcare Lead testing and Reduction Grant
Who May Apply: Childcare facilities and schools located in Pennsylvania with lead in drinking water sample results within 36 months of the application date showing water fixtures exceeding the remediation trigger level of 5 ppb (parts per billion).
Use: Reduction activities may include purchasing and installing hydration stations, point-of-use devices designed to remove lead or replacement of faucets. The primary goal of this grant program is to reduce children's exposure to lead in drinking water.
Funds: Funding under this grant has been appropriated under 1464(d) of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Funding provided will be up to $3,000 per hydration station per 100 students in one building. Up to $30,000 may be awarded per building/childcare facility or $100,000 per school district.
Application Deadline: Applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule a pre-application meeting to discuss their lead reduction plans to ensure they meet applicable program criteria. Meetings can be scheduled by emailing RA-EPWIINLEAD@pa.gov.
More information: DEP Website
Department of Community and Economic Development: Pennsylvania First
Who May Apply: Businesses, Municipalities, Municipal Authorities, Redevelopment Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or Corporations, Local Development Districts.
Use: Machinery/equipment; Job training; Infrastructure; Land and building improvements; Environmental assessment/remediation; Acquisition of land, buildings, right-of-ways; Working capital; Site preparation.
Funds: Grants and loans are available assuming an applicant can meet the private investment requirement.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
More information: DCED Website
Commonwealth Financing Authority: Solar for Schools Program
Who May Apply: A school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, cyber charter school, regional charter school, a chartered school for the education of the deaf or blind, a community college, the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
Use: Purchase and installation of equipment for a solar energy project, energy storage costs related to the storage of electricity, engineering, design, and inspection costs, site preparation for ground mounted systems, or any other cost associated with a solar energy project.
Funds: $25 million in state funding is available.
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.
More information: DCED Website
Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES)
Who May Apply: Private non-profit agency or unit of local government
Use: To build on the work that has been completed to date and advance statewide training and technical assistance around the JJSES framework with a strong focus on continuous quality improvement and fundamental fairness
Funds: A total of $450,000 in federal Title II Formula Grant funds is being announced to support this initiative. PCCD expects to fund one grant with a budget not to exceed $450,000 over the 12- month project period. Matching funds are not a requirement of this funding opportunity, but a sustainability plan must be included as part of the application submitted.
Application Deadline: July 13, 2026
More information: PCCD Website
Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvements
Who May Apply: State, county, or municipal forensic crime laboratories to support activities that improve the quality and timeliness of forensic services.
Use: To improve the quality and timeliness of forensic services throughout Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on combating opioids and synthetic drugs through laboratory accreditation, the certification of forensic scientists, and the purchase of laboratory equipment.
Funds: A total of approximately $740,000 in federal Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvements funds is being announced to support this initiative. PCCD expects to fund four to six grants with budgets not to exceed $200,000 over the 12-month project period.
Application Deadline: July 14, 2026
More information: PCCD Website
Commission on Crime and Delinquency: 2026/27 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Single Solicitation for Local Initiatives
Who May Apply: Units of government (including counties) and non-profit organizations
Use: To implement projects and programs that directly address the PCCD Objectives and Goals outlined in PCCD’s 2026-2030 Strategic Framework
Funds: A total of $8,221,880 in federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funds is being announced to support this initiative. PCCD expects to fund approximately 30-35 grants with budgets not to exceed $250,000 over the two-year project period.
Application Deadline: July 14, 2026
More information: PCCD Website
Emergency Management Agency: Nonprofit Security Grant
Who May Apply: Nonprofit organizations
Use: Provides funding for physical and cybersecurity enhancements and other security-related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high-risk of a terrorist or other extremist attack.
Funds: This program is funded through FEMA using federal dollars. The maximum award request is $200,000.
Application Deadline: July 14, 2026
More information: PEMA Website
Commonwealth Financing Authority: Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF)
Who May Apply: Municipalities, councils of government, businesses, economic development organizations, public transportation agency, ports (rail/freight)
Use: The MTF provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure a safe and reliable system of transportation exists in Pennsylvania. The program is intended to provide financial assistance in order to improve public transportation assets that enhance communities, pedestrian safety, and transit revitalization.
Funds: Requests must have a total eligible cost of $100,000 or more and no request shall exceed $3,000,000 for any project.
Application Deadline: July 31, 2026
More information: DCED Website
Commission on Crime and Delinquency: 2026 First Chance Trust Fund
Who May Apply: Eligibility for these funds is open to any school district identified as having statistically higher high school dropout and incarceration rates based on data from the PA Department of Education and the PA Department of Corrections. Please refer to Appendix A for a full listing of eligible school districts.
Use: Direct financial support to eligible students via scholarship, administrative support directly related to the administration of student scholarships and connecting at-risk youth with community-based organizations, or community-based organization (CBO) direct programming support.
Funds: A total of $3.3 million in state funding is being made available to support this initiative. PCCD anticipates awarding up to $150,000 per grantee for an initial two-year project period.
Application Deadline: August 11, 2026
More information: PCCD Website
Department of Transportation: National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Round 1 (Southeastern Region)
Who May Apply: Contractors installing a publicly available community charger
Use: To plan, design, construct, operate, and maintain charging stations across Pennsylvania. Subsequent rounds for other regions will be announced at later dates.
Funds: Applicants may apply for up to 80 percent federal cost share of the eligible costs, with a minimum required match of 20 percent from non-federal sources. The maximum award size per selected Project is $1 million
Application Deadline: August 21, 2026
More information: PennDOT Website
Department of Environmental Protection: Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants
Who May Apply: School districts; Municipal authorities; Political subdivisions; Incorporated nonprofit entities; Corporations; Limited Liability Companies; Partnerships
Use: To improve Pennsylvania’s air quality and reduce consumption of imported oil through the use of homegrown alternative fuels that will help the Commonwealth’s economy and environment
Funds: Up to $5,000,000 is available via the Utilities Gross Receipts Tax.
Application Deadline: October 7, 2026
More information: DEP Website