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Grant Workshop Program Descriptions
Round Robin Sessions
Sustaining Community Projects Through Logic ModelsMany programs and projects often run into trouble because they lack a well-articulated road map describing the logic of the program or project. A logic model is an effective tool to help show the linkages (or disconnects) between the activities of your project or program and the results you aim to achieve. It will help you identify the resources that go into a project or program, the activities that will be conducted, the outputs that will result from those activities, and the outcomes that are needed in order to reach the long-term goal. Having well articulated outputs and outcomes is also a requirement in many grant applications. In this workshop participants will learn key logic model terminology, and learn how to develop a logic model for your program or project.
Environmental Justice Small Grants and Collaborative Problem-Solving Grants
The Office of Environmental Justice's Small Grants Program was established in 1994 to provide financial assistance to eligible community groups. The program provides financial assistance to eligible affected local community-based organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health concerns.
The Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) Cooperative Agreements Program was established in 2003 to provide financial assistance to eligible affected local community-based organizations working on or planning to work on projects to address local environmental and/or public health concerns, using EPA's "environmental justice collaborative problem-solving model." Information on the "model" can be found in the (PDF) publication "Environmental Justice Collaborative Model: A Framework to Ensure Local Problem-Solving." (PDF, 67 pp, 4.5 MB)
Air Toxics Monitoring
EPA Office of Air and Radiation periodically provides funding for nationally air toxics monitoring opportunities, normally on an annual basis. These Request fro Proposals (RFPs) are designed to assist state and local communities in identifying and profiling air toxics sources, developing and assessing emerging measurement methods, characterizing the degree and extent of local air toxics proposals in community oriented settings. Proposals have been awarded up to $500,000 in the past and can be submitted by the states or tribes in Region 8. Collaboration with states and tribes by local agencies or universities is encouraged.
For more information, visit the OAR RFP website.
CARE Grant
The Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) is a new and unique community-based, community-driven, multimedia demonstration program. The grants will help communities understand and reduce the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals.
Level I cooperative agreements will help establish community-based partnerships and set priorities for reducing toxic risks in a community. EPA anticipates awarding eight to 10 cooperative agreements under Level I, ranging from $75,000 to $100,000.
Level II cooperative agreements are for communities that already have a broad-based collaborative partnership, have identified risk reduction priorities and are ready to implement risk reduction strategies. EPA expects to award six to eight cooperative agreements, ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.
Brownfields Grant Programs
A brownfield is defined as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant." Competitive brownfields grants are available for assessment, cleanup, revolving loan fund, and job training. State and local governments, tribes, coalitions, and state-chartered redevelopment agencies are eligible for brownfields grants. Non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for cleanup grants as long as they own the property; colleges, universities, community training centers and other non-profits are also eligible to apply for job training grants.
Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI) Multi-media Funding
The Regional Geographic Initiative (RGI) is a grass roots approach for environmental protection tailored to the community. RGI was established in 1994 to help each EPA Region address its own unique environmental challenges. It is a model of government partnering with communities and industries to develop long-term solutions to environmental protection. Many RGI Projects are problems of high regional priority, which are not addressed by national, media-specific environmental programs.
For further information, please contact Cynthia Gonzales at 1-800-227-8917 or gonzales.cynthia@epa.gov.
RGI projects:
- Address places, ecosystems, or sectors; and/or
- Are based on a regional, state, tribal or other strategic plan; and/or
- Address problems that are multi-media or innovative in nature of ill a critical gap in the protection of human health and the environment; and/or
- Demonstrate state, local, and/or other stakeholder participation; and/or
- Focus on environmental outcomes; and/or Identify opportunities for leveraging other sources of funding.
RGI funds support water quality and air quality projects that have been identified as a high priority by Region, States, Tribes, localities or citizen groups due to high or potentially high human health or ecosystem risk, or due to significant potential for risk reduction or avoidance.
Due to limited funding, RGI emphasizes funding in the following program areas (Note: emphasis may change based on Regional Priorities):
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Water Quality Coordination:
This funding program supports coordination of research, investigations, experiments and studies focused on characterization and restoration of the water quality for open water and wetland features in the Great Salt Lake Watershed. The selection of this focus area was based on its relevance and importance to the EPA Regional Priority of Enhancing State Capacity. Proposals must be for the coordination of research, investigations, experiments and study activities among the pertinent stakeholders, e.g., Utah state governmental agencies, federal agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Water Quality Assessment:
This funding supports efforts to build state capacity in making water quality attainment determination for the Great Salt Lake. Water quality assessment refers to the process through with a decision about the condition/quality of water is made - this usually involves interpreting the data against some societal value or goal (aka, threshold). Establishing these goals or thresholds for unique water bodies such as the Great Salt Lake can be data and time intensive and necessitates a clear articulation of the question being asked and an understanding of the scientific complexities associated with the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
Community-based Air Toxics:
Community-based projects must support and promote risk reduction activities at a local level. This may include reducing risk from exposure to air pollutants through collaborative action, developing a comprehensive understanding of sources of risk from air toxics and setting priorities for effective action and create multi-faceted partnerships to improve air toxics conditions. These activities may be accomplished through the creation of multi-stakeholder partnerships, improved inventories and modeling, efforts to understand mobile, indoor, and stationary sources, a better understanding of local areas of highest risk, developing outreach and education materials and conducting training courses addressing air toxics. In the past grants have gone to proposals focused on education and outreach activities and/or demonstration projects which implement air toxics risk reduction activities.
Lead Program Grants
Three funding opportunities were made available in FY08. While there is no
guarantee that funds will be available in FY09. The FY08 descriptions serve
as a good guideline of what to watch for in FY09.
FY08 Solicitation information:
Tribal Lead Grants
$500,000 for award to Federally-recognized Indian tribes and tribal consortia to support Tribal educational outreach and to conduct a baseline assessment of Tribal children's existing and potential exposure to lead-based paint and related lead-based paint hazards. Activities eligible for funding include educational outreach, data gathering, inspections, risk assessments, training, and development of new and innovative approaches to identifying or reducing lead poisoning. EPA is awarding grants to Federally-recognized Indian tribes to perform those activities and to encourage Indian tribes to consider continuing such activities in the future.
Targeted Grants to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning
$3 million in funding for Targeted Grants to Reduce Childhood Lead Poisoning; this competitive grant program addresses populations still at risk for elevated blood lead levels. For conducting activities to reduce incidences of childhood lead poisoning in vulnerable populations, including projects to: (1) Reduce lead poisoning in areas with high incidences of elevated blood-lead levels; (2) identify and reduce lead poisoning in under-studied areas with high potential for undocumented elevated blood-lead levels; and (3) develop tools to address unique and challenging issues in lead poisoning prevention, especially tools that are replicable and scalable for other areas. Activities eligible for funding include outreach and public education, data gathering, monitoring, training, inspections and assessments, and demonstrations of new and innovative approaches for identifying or reducing lead poisoning.
Lead-based Paint Program Grants
Non-matching financial assistance (grants) to States, Territories, the District of Columbia, and eligible Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia under the authority of section 404(g) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (15 U.S.C. 2684(g)). Lead-based paint program grants are awarded to develop and/or carry out authorized programs to ensure that individuals engaged in lead-based paint activities are properly trained, that training programs are accredited, and that contractors engaged in such activities are certified; and to develop and/or carry out lead pre-renovation education programs. The grants must be used to develop and implement authorized programs. States and Tribes that do not have authorized programs may receive grant funding, but only for the continued development of lead-based paint programs which will meet the requirements of TSCA Title IV. To receive continued funding, a State or Tribe without an authorized program must be making progress toward an authorized program. Therefore, the EPA Regional Offices, as part of their grant oversight responsibilities, will work with the grantees to determine the appropriate amount of continued funding based upon the amount of developmental work to be completed as the grantee makes progress toward authorization.
Grants Administration
This session will cover the paperwork requirements as well as policies and procedures that every organization needs to have in place in order to receive a federal grant.
OSWER Innovations Pilot Grants
The EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) initiates a series of innovative pilots to test new ideas and strategies for environmental and public health protection. A small amount of money is set aside to fund creative approaches to waste minimization, energy recovery, recycling, land revitalization, and homeland security that may be replicated across various sectors, industries, communities, and regions. Historically the set aside amount is between $400,000 - $500,000; with each pilot receiving a maximum amount of $75,000. State, local, and federal governments; nonprofit organizations and tribes are eligible to apply.
Targeted Watershed Grant (TWG) program
The Targeted Watershed Grant (TWG) program is a competitive grant program based on the fundamental principles of environmental improvement: collaboration, new technologies, market incentives, and results-oriented strategies. TWG projects focus on implementing multi-faceted watershed plans for protecting and restoring water quality. For example, projects address agricultural pollution such as nutrient loading; urban and industrial runoff; and streambank or wetland restoration for sediment control. Some projects include an innovative, market-based approach to improve water quality. The TWG program is offered once a year. For 2008, the announcement will be made in the Spring and proposals are usually due 90 days later. The total amount of grant money available is usually between $10 million and $20 million, and is often awarded to 10 to 15 watershed projects across the country. The program was designed to fund implementation projects for large watersheds where watershed plans already exist. The maximum amount of funding a project can apply for is $900,000, but can change depending on the appropriation amount. Potential applicants must submit proposals through their respective state or tribal environmental agencies according to the announcement. For additional information, please visit the TWG Web site.
Source Reduction Assistance (Pollution Prevention) Program
The goal of this grant program is to assist businesses and industries in identifying better environmental strategies and solutions for reducing or eliminating waste at the source. Pollution prevention/source reduction is defined as any practice which:
- Reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment or disposal;
- Reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances pollutants, or contaminants; and
- Reduces or eliminates the creation of pollutants through:
- increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources; or
- protection of natural resources by conservation.
Diesel Emission Reduction Grants
Through the National Clean Diesel Campaign, EPA will award grants to assist its eligible partners in building diesel emission reduction programs across the country that improve air quality and protect public health. For fiscal year 2008, the national amount of funding available was $49.2 million; an additional $49.2 million is anticipated to be available for FY09. There are four separate grant opportunities offered through the National Clean Diesel Campaign: The National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program; The Clean Diesel Emerging Technologies Program; The National Clean Diesel Finance Program; and the State Clean Diesel Grant Program.
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