EPA is announcing a renewed commitment to working with the agricultural community as a partner in the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP). EPA seeks to support the agricultural community by reinstating PESP grants for projects that explore innovative practices, technologies, education, and non-regulatory solutions that promote the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) adoption. PESP grants will enable grantees to implement sustainable pest management practices that reduce unnecessary risks from pests and pesticides. This multi-million-dollar initiative aligns with the agency’s goal of providing a healthier environment for all Americans. 

Program Overview:

PESP is guided by the principle that partnership programs complement the standards and decisions established by regulatory and registration actions. This partnership has previously invested nearly $4 million to support more than 100 successful grants, awards for outstanding stewardship, and collaborative efforts that have promoted IPM in agriculture, schools, integrated vegetation management on utility rights-of-ways, information sharing on tick management strategies, and EPA Region-specific projects on sustainable pest management practices.

Today, over 400 organizations partner with EPA through PESP.  EPA welcomes the opportunity to partner, through PESP, with organizations that share a commitment to environmental stewardship where we live, work, play and farm.

How much money can grantees expect to receive?

This fiscal year, EPA expects to award approximately $2 million total through the PESP grant initiative. The maximum award possible will be $200,000 per awardee. EPA is seeking grant applicants who represent the diversity of the 10 EPA regions and whose projects align with the goals and objectives of the grant initiative.

What is the anticipated timeline for this grant initiative?

EPA expects to place a call for submissions in January 2021 and applicants will have 45 days to submit their applications. Awarded projects could start as early as August 2021. Proposed project periods may be up to 2 years.

Who will be able to apply for a PESP grant?

• States or state agencies, territories, city or township governments, and federally recognized tribes;
• Public and private universities and colleges; and
• Other public or private nonprofit institutions and 501(c)(3) organizations.

PESP membership is not an eligibility requirement.

What types of projects will PESP grants support?
PESP grants will broadly support projects that promote IPM practices and pest/pesticide risk reduction.

EPA specifically seeks to build IPM capacities or to evaluate the feasibility of new IPM approaches (i.e., innovative approaches and methodologies that reduce the unnecessary pest/pesticide risks). Examples of this include, but are not limited to, the following priorities:

• Agricultural issues (on sites including agricultural production areas, greenhouses, nurseries, and rangeland) involving pesticides for which IPM advancements are sought:
  • Resistance management, especially for Palmer amaranth and other herbicide-resistant weeds
  • Citrus greening
  • Pollinator protection 
• Vegetation management issues involving herbicides, noxious weeds, and invasive weeds in federal/state/public land areas including rangeland, grazing areas, utility and highway rights-of-ways, and public recreation areas.