ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

Grant: Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreements in support of communities directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Division: Office of Environmental Justice
Deadline: October 4, 2010

Description: This EPA notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals from eligible entities who will assist local communities facing environmental justice challenges in addressing and adapting community responses to local long-term environmental and/or public health issues as they relate directly to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Funding is limited to projects conducted within areas of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were directly affected by the Horizon Deepwater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

This program is designed for projects that address multi-media environmental and/or public health issues. For this reason, each project must include activities that are authorized by the following two federal environmental statutes:

• Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3): conduct and promote the coordination of research, investigations, training and studies (including monitoring) relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution.
• Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a): conduct and promote the coordination of investigations, training, projects, public education programs and studies (including monitoring) relating to solid waste (e.g. health and welfare effects of exposure to materials present in solid waste and methods to eliminate such effects).

Anticipated outputs may include, but are not limited to:

• Identification of the local environmental and/or public health issues resulting from the oil spill.
• Training for local residents in mitigation/monitoring/remediation techniques to address the local environmental and/or public health issues resulting from the oil spill.
• Formal agreements with one or more partners to facilitate participation of trained local residents from communities facing environmental justice challenges in mitigation/monitoring/remediation efforts in response to the oil spill.
• Studies (including monitoring), training and public education materials to inform and educate residents from communities facing environmental justice challenges and to understand and mitigate the adverse public health and environmental impacts of the oil spill.

Anticipated outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

• Increased community knowledge and understanding on how to leverage technical, social and/or financial resources to address the local environmental and/or public health issues arising from the oil spill.
• Improved local environmental and/or public health conditions in communities adversely impacted by the oil spill that also face environmental justice challenges.

Establishing partnerships, particularly with public health related organizations, is encouraged and is an important aspect of this program. Sub-grants or sub-awards may be used to fund partnerships with non-profit organizations and governmental entities.

Fit for public broadcasting: Public broadcasting stations in the areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were affected by the oil spill are eligible to apply for this grant program. This program encourages applicants to take action to improve community knowledge and understanding of how to address environmental and public health challenges caused by the oil spill. Public broadcasting stations are equipped to develop public training and education materials that will inform and educate residents affected by the oil spill. Because the EPA encourages partnerships for this program, public broadcasters can choose to apply as the lead applicant or as a partner with other community organizations.

Eligibility: The project's primary purpose must be to help those communities facing environmental justice challenges that are directly impacted by the local environmental and/or public health issue stemming from the oil spill. Projects must be conducted within areas of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were directly affected by the oil spill.

Proposals will be accepted from the following eligible entities: incorporated local non-profit community-based organizations – including faith-based organizations and those affiliated with religious institutions, environmental justice networks and local Native American tribal governments. Applicants must be eligible for award consideration at the time of application submission.

Anticipated funding: The total estimated program funding available for awards under this competitive opportunity is $300,000.

EPA will make awards of up to $30,000 with project periods of up to one year. EPA anticipates awarding 10 cooperative agreements under this announcement in amounts up to $30,000, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of the proposals submitted.

How to apply: Applicants can download individual grant proposal forms from EPA's Office of Grants.

Applications must be submitted on Grants.gov.

Resources:
Program notice
Program website