This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) to knik tribe

Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 awarded $349,822 to Knik Tribe on March 1, 2026, under the Pollution Prevention Grants Program (CFDA 66.708) to deliver pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses in Alaska Native villages and rural Alaska through February 28, 2029.

Knik Tribe will provide technical assistance, training, and outreach on safer choice certified cleaning products directly to local stores, schools, health clinics, offices, and other businesses located in Alaska Native villages in rural Alaska. The recipient will develop and distribute education and outreach materials tailored to targeted rural communities, utilize training events including Alaska Federation of Natives, Alaska Native Training and Education Center, and Alaska Connect forums to promote safer choice and pollution prevention best practices, track quantitative measures such as the number of businesses receiving technical assistance and adopting certified products, and develop two case studies and two success stories for distribution through Knik Tribe and partner websites. Work aligns with EPA's National Emphasis Area #6: Supporting Pollution Prevention in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages.

Place of performance is Alaska. Knik Tribe, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribal government based in Palmer, Alaska, serves over 10,000 Alaska Native and Indian people across a 25,000 square mile service area in the upper Cook Inlet region. The assistance type is a project grant.

The recipient will provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices (also known as pollution prevention (P2)). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise being released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. P2 practices can help businesses save money by reducing their resource use, expenditures, waste and liability costs, while at the same time reducing their environmental footprint and helping to protect human health and the environment. Activities:the priorities for P2 technical assistance (information, training, and tools) align with one or more of the program's national emphasis areas (neas). Specifically, the project(s) activities will address the following: 1) technical assistance on the use of safer choice certified cleaning products will be provided directly to local stores, schools, health clinics, offices, and other business located in alaska native villages in rural alaska; 2) develop and dispense education and outreach materials specific to targeted rural community; 3) utilize AFE, atcem and alaska connect training events to further promote and amplify safer choice and P2 best practices; 4) collect/track measures on quantitative such as how many businesses received safer choice technical assistance and how many businesses adopted use and sale of certified products; and 5) develop 2 case studies and 2 success stories that will be included as deliverables and amplified through the knik tribe and partner websites. In support of the pollution prevention (P2) national emphasis areas (neas), EPA's national emphasis area # 6: supporting pollution prevention in indian country and alaska native villages, will allow the grantee to carry out a P2 technical assistance project with businesses in alaska native villages. This project facilitates and encourages local stores, schools, health clinics, offices, and other business located in alaska native villages in rural alaska to adopt P2 practices, with an emphasis on the safer choice program which provide tangible benefits to human health and the environment in alignment with NEA #6. Subrecipient:for this project, knik tribe will work with sub-recipient alaska forum. Alaska forum will oversee community and business engagement efforts around promoting safer choice. Alaska forum will provide technical assistance to businesses, distribute safer choice outreach materials and toolkits, collect/track measures data and contribute to EPA reporting, develop 2 case studies and 2 success stories. Subaward reporting requirements have been included in the programmatic terms and conditions. Outcomes:the technical assistance conducted by the recipient will benefit alaska native villages in rural alaska. The recipient is expected to submit semi-annual reports on P2 performance measures (outputs and outcomes), progress of the project, and develop 2 case studies and 2 success stories. The recipient will note which local stores, schools, health clinics, offices, and businesses benefit from the technical assistance as well as committing to follow up with local stores, schools, health clinics, offices, and businesses to find out whether the safer choice products were adopted and P2 practices implemented which will benefit rural alaskan communities.