[Watersheds] FW: 2018 Healthy Communities Grant Program Request for Initial Proposals

[Panciera, Ernie (DEM)]

EPA Healthy Communities Grant Program

The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England's main grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks in order to protect and improve human health and the quality of life, advance resilience, and preserve/restore important ecosystems.  The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve these goals through identifying and funding projects that:


  *   Target resources to benefit communities at risk [areas needing to create community resilience, environmental justice areas of potential concern, sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes, urban and rural residents, and others at increased risk)].
  *   Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks.
  *   Increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects.
  *   Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.
  *   Advance emergency preparedness and ecosystem resilience.
  *   Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.

EPA plans to award approximately 10 cooperative agreements, each up to a maximum of $25,000.  To qualify as an eligible project under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposed projects must: (1) be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas; and (2) identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas.  In 2018, Target Investment Areas include: Areas Needing to Create Community Resilience, Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, and/or Sensitive Populations. Target Program Areas include: Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools; Community and Water Infrastructure Resilience; Healthy Indoor Environments; and/or Healthy Outdoor Environments.  A description of these target areas can be found in the 2018 Application Guidance at https://www3.epa.gov/region1/eco/uep/pdfs/2018-hcgp-rfip.pdf.


Eligible applicants include State and Local governments, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, K-12 schools or school districts; and non-profit organizations (e.g., grassroots and/or community-based organizations). Funding will be considered for a college or university to support a project with substantial community and/or tribal involvement. Applicants need not be physically located within the boundaries of EPA New England to be eligible to apply for funding, but all proposed projects must affect and benefit one or more Target Investment Area within the EPA New England States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and/or Vermont.

There is a two-step process for selecting projects to receive funding.  The program requires the submission of an initial proposal (SF424 and Project Summary) as a first step; then applicants with the highest scoring initial proposals will be invited to submit full proposals for consideration.  The deadline to submit an initial proposal is April 13, 2018.  Initial proposals must be submitted using https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=301477.

To help answer questions from prospective applicants, the Healthy Communities Grant Program will host three conference calls before the initial proposal is due.  These information sessions are being offered on March 27, 29, and April 3, 2018.  Participation in one of the information sessions is optional, but RSVP's are required.  A registration form can be found in the Application Guidance or you can send an email to Kayla King (king.kayla at epa.gov<mailto:king.kayla at epa.gov>) with the necessary contact information included.

For more information, please contact me at 617-918-1658 or marrese.katie at epa.gov<mailto:marrese.katie at epa.gov>.

Thanks,
Katie

Katie Marrese
Regional DWSRF Coordinator
Environmental Engineer
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, OEP-06-2
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 918-1658

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