Senior Environmental Employment Program
Active
- Assistance listing
- 66.508
- Grant awards
- 2,303 $1,191,265,986 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- SEE
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Formula Grant
- Treasury accounts
-
- 68-8145-0-1-304
- 68-8153-0-1-304
- 68-0108-0-1-304
- 68-0107-0-1-304
- 68-0103-0-1-304
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Environmental Protection Agency funds the Senior Environmental Employment Program (CFDA 66.508) to deploy retired and unemployed Americans aged 55 and older as technical and professional staff supporting EPA offices, regional operations, and related federal environmental agencies, with the most recent grant award issued on April 1, 2026.
The program remains actively funded and operationally steady. Grant awards have been disbursed consistently over nearly three decades, with the portfolio spanning from April 1997 to April 2026. Award cadence has averaged between 6 and 16 awards annually over the past five years, though 2026 shows only one award to date as of the snapshot date. The portfolio encompasses 2,303 total federal grant awards obligating $1.19 billion in combined federal dollars, with total obligated funding (including recipient cost-share) reaching $1.2 billion.
Recipients recruit and deploy SEE enrollees to perform administrative, technical, and professional work across EPA's mission-critical functions: air quality and radiation offices, water quality programs, pesticide and chemical safety operations, research and development centers, enforcement and compliance activities, inspector general operations, regional field offices spanning all ten EPA regions, and support functions including the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Deliverables center on providing qualified senior staff to help EPA meet its environmental protection and public health mission.
The portfolio is predominantly Project Grants (1,986 awards, 86 percent) with a substantial share of Cooperative Agreements (316 awards, 14 percent), and a single Formula Grant. Funding is heavily concentrated within EPA itself: the Environmental Protection Agency accounts for 2,220 awards obligating $1.02 billion; the EPA Office of Administration and Resource Management Funding Office has issued 80 awards totaling $175.5 million; and the EPA Headquarters Procurement Operations Division has issued 3 awards for $149 thousand.
Recent awards range widely in magnitude. Cooperative Agreement 84054101 (December 2022) for Region VIII operations in Denver obligated $9.77 million. Cooperative Agreement 84044201 (October 2022) for the Office of Transportation and Air Quality in Ann Arbor obligated $8.92 million. Cooperative Agreement 84092801 (July 2024) supporting the Office of Pesticide Programs and Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention obligated $5.24 million. Smaller awards such as Cooperative Agreement 84074401 (November 2024) for the Office of Inspector General obligated $28.7 thousand. Recipients include recurring grantees such as National Experienced Workforce Solutions, National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Center for Workforce Inclusion, and National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.
No recent grant opportunities are present in the source; applicants should contact EPA headquarters or regional offices directly for application deadlines and current solicitations. Eligible applicants must be private, nonprofit organizations designated by the Secretary of Labor under Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965, capable of operating nationwide, managing the program within prescribed administrative funding limits, and providing a quality fringe benefit package including health insurance to enrollees.
Objective and description
- Objective
To use the talents of Americans 55 years of age or older to provide technical assistance to Federal, State, and local environmental agencies for projects of pollution prevention, abatement, and control to achieve the Agency's goals. The Environmental
- Description
To use the talents of Americans 55 years of age or older to provide technical assistance to Federal, State, and local environmental agencies to achieve the Agency's mission to protect human health and the environment.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Private, nonprofit organizations designated by the Secretary of Labor under Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Federal, State, and local environmental agencies and individuals 55 years old or older.
- Uses of assistance
The SEE Act states that only nonprofit organizations which are designated by the Secretary of Labor under Title V of the Older Americans Act can participate. These cooperative agreements are to utilize the talents of older Americans in temporary full time or part time positions "providing technical assistance to Federal, State, and local environmental agencies for projects of pollution prevention, abatement, and control. "This program makes Federal awards on a discretionary basis. A discretionary award means an award in which the Federal awarding agency, in keeping with specific statutory authority that enables the agency to exercise judgement ("discretion"), selects the recipient and/or the amount of Federal funding awarded through a competitive process or based on merit of proposals. A discretionary award may be selected on a non-competitive basis, as appropriate. For further information, please contact the Headquarters or regional office.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Assistance covers a period of one to three years and is awarded in increments during that period.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Applications must demonstrate that the Organizations have the capability of operating nationwide; can manage the program within the prescribed administrative funding limits; and can provide a quality fringe benefit package to enrollees under the proposal (including health insurance).
- Award procedure
Each application shall be subjected to administrative evaluation to determine adequacy of application in relation to assistance regulations, and to program objectives.
- Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
- Appeals
Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 2,303 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Experienced Workforce Solutions, Inc. | $326,400,815 | 27% |
| 2 | CWI Works, Inc. | $175,679,822 | 15% |
| 3 | National Asian Pacific Center On Aging | $122,601,572 | 10% |
| 4 | Ncba, Inc. | $116,499,891 | 10% |
| 5 | La Asociacion Nacional Pro Personas Mayores (The National Association For Hispanic Elderly | $59,440,695 | 5% |
| 6 | National Council On The Aging, Inc. | $29,685,418 | 2% |
6 of 13 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $15,771,626 |
| FY2025 | $24,554,038 |
| FY2024 | $33,052,715 |
| FY2023 | $33,033,383 |
| FY2022 | $32,703,998 |
| FY2021 | $31,794,666 |
| FY2020 | $35,806,219 |
| FY2019 | $35,103,138 |
| FY2018 | $41,521,425 |
| FY2017 | $42,682,862 |
| FY2016 | $41,773,212 |
| FY2015 | $50,330,956 |
| FY2014 | $47,486,939 |
| FY2013 | $49,264,051 |
| FY2012 | $54,527,295 |
| FY2011 | $58,921,286 |
| FY2010 | $57,146,431 |
| FY2009 | $55,103,399 |
| FY2008 | $52,058,795 |
| FY2007 | $52,839,326 |
| FY2006 | $60,191,318 |
| FY2005 | $58,988,713 |
| FY2004 | $61,900,658 |
| FY2003 | $51,545,997 |
| FY2002 | $52,299,666 |
| FY2001 | $55,830,708 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 66.508?
Assistance Listing 66.508 is Senior Environmental Employment Program, a federal grant program run by Environmental Protection Agency.
What is the CFDA number for Senior Environmental Employment Program?
Its CFDA number is 66.508: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 66.508 awarded?
2,303 grant awards under 66.508 have obligated $1,191,265,986 in federal funds to 13 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 66.508?
The recipients obligated the most under Senior Environmental Employment Program are National Experienced Workforce Solutions, Inc. ($326,400,815), CWI Works, Inc. ($175,679,822) and National Asian Pacific Center On Aging ($122,601,572).
How much did 66.508 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 66.508 obligated $24,554,038 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
On GovTribe
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