Call for Proposals

2026 Call for Proposals

Applications for the 2026 EPIC Air Quality Fund open March 12, 2026. We are now accepting applications. Those interested in applying may preview application requirements here. To be notified when the application period opens, sign up for our mailing list here.

In this call, the EPIC Air Quality Fund will offer financial support to at least 20 selected groups over an 18-month period. The primary goal of the awards are for groups to achieve national-level policy impacts through the generation, use, and sharing of open air quality data. We expect award amounts to be roughly 50,000 USD for groups proposing to deploy lower cost sensors and roughly 75,000 USD for groups using regulatory grade or reference grade equipment.

It is the intention of the Fund to renew successful Awards for subsequent years of funding, pending available resources.

Application form: The EPIC Air Quality Fund opened its next round on 12 March 2026. We are now accepting applications. Please find here the link to the application submission portal. A preview of the application form is available for viewing here. PLEASE NOTE: This form is made available simply so potential awardees can see the questions in advance of the call opening. Applications will not be accepted before 12 March 2026 and must not be submitted using this form.

Watch the info session on the 2026 EPIC Air Quality Fund Call for Proposals.

Eligibility Criteria

Organizational Type

This call for applications is open to governmental and non-governmental organizations of any type, including universities, non-profits, for-profits, corporates, NGOs, and CSOs. Organizations are required to be legally authorized to receive funds from a US institution. Organizations are required to have a working bank account that is able to accept funds from a US institution. Individuals interested in applying must do so in partnership with an organization that meets the above criteria.

Country

Applications from all countries may apply, except for those on the US Department of State “State Sponsors of Terrorism” List and those that plan to implement their projects in the EU/EEA Country List. Please note the EPIC Air Quality Fund will prioritize applications that address air quality issues in 83 countries identified by EPIC’s Air Quality Award Team as high and medium-high opportunities for closing nationwide PM2.5 data gaps (see list of countries in appendix).The applicant must verify that it is legal to operate PM2.5 monitoring equipment, measure PM2.5, and share such data publicly in their country.

Selection Criteria

Country Location: The Fund prioritizes applications from the 83 countries where there is a “high” or “medium high” opportunity for a single monitoring effort to have a national-level impact. Here is a list of those countries from our analysis.

Project Relevance: Over an 18 month time frame, the proposed project must generate and share outdoor, stationary PM2.5 data over 12 months in order to support national-level clean air policy impacts.

Data Sharing and Transparency: All applicants must commit to providing full, open access to their air quality monitoring data. Please see this document, which further outlines the open data requirements of these awards and an assessment of whether popular air quality monitoring companies’ data policies meet our open data requirements.

Likelihood of National Impact: The overarching goal of the project is not to measure and share PM2.5 data, but to achieve a national-level policy impact on air pollution, through a variety of means, including but not limited to: heightened ambition in policy, greater government, philanthropic, development assistance or other financial investment; and of course actual decreases in PM2.5 levels (though we do not expect such reductions will yet be measurable during the 18 months of the funding). By ‘national-level’ policy impact, we mean impacts that can have a systemic effect on how air pollution is viewed or addressed in the country, rather than nationwide mitigation measures (e.g. distribution or increased awareness of masks, filters, etc.). We expect funded local actors/organizations will have specific plans – and actual measurable impacts – that will vary from country to country. Examples of ‘systemic national-level impact’ could be work that spurs the creation or raises the ambition of an air quality standard, activates an influential group of leaders within the country toward advocating for a specific air pollution policy, etc. Whereas some groups may hold workshops with the data, others may invest in apps, specific policy objectives, or myriad of other activities, depending on what their judgment is on what activities will affect change in their national level environment. Please note: We are not interested in academic or technical impacts unless they somehow were to feed directly into national level impacts on air pollution.

Prior Experience And/Or Ability to Learn Quickly and Continue Work for Multiple Years: Preference will be given to candidates that either have a proven track record in air quality and/or other related projects OR can share a compelling plan for how they will address any current knowledge gaps on their team. Preference will also be given to candidates that appear capable of and interested in monitoring air quality and working toward national-level impacts over multiple years.
Team and Larger Collaborative Ability: Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate the ability to put together a team that can effectively achieve a national-level impact through monitoring and sharing PM2.5, as well as carrying out additional activities to achieve that impact during the 18 month grant period and possibly beyond. Additionally, preference will be given to those applicants who demonstrate they are well-situated to connect the PM2.5 data they generate and share to a larger set of nationally-relevant stakeholders.

Privacy/Use of Private Information Notice

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) is responsible for the personal information you provide in this application. We use this information (including your name, contact details, organization, team information, and project/budget information) to receive and review your application, communicate with you about its status, and, if selected, to administer any award and related reporting. Your data will be accessed only by the EPIC Air Quality Fund team and processed in our online application system hosted by Submit Software Solutions Ltd. We keep your information only as long as needed to run this funding call, manage any awards, and meet our legal and audit obligations. Providing your information is voluntary, but if you do not provide the requested details, we may not be able to consider your application. Depending on your local laws, you may have rights to request access to, correction or deletion of your data, or to object to certain uses; you can contact us about this or with any questions at clean-air-info@uchicago.edu.