AGENCY:                           U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

                                             OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EXTERNAL

                                             CIVIL RIGHTS (OEJECR) 

TITLE:                                  ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE

                                             PROBLEM-SOLVING (EJCPS) COOPERATIVE

                                             AGREEMENT PROGRAM 

ACTION:                             REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA) 

FUNDING NO.:                 EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-01 

ASSISTANCE LISTING:    66.306 

DATES:                               ANNOUNCEMENT DATE:  January 10, 2023 

                                            CLOSING DATE:   April 10, 2023 

DEADLINE: Application packages must be submitted on or before April 10, 2023, at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) through Grants.gov. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding. Note –Prior to naming a contractor (including consultants) or subrecipient in your application as a “partner”, please carefully review Section IV.d, “Contracts and Subawards”, of EPA’s Announcement Clauses that are incorporated by reference in this announcement (See Section I.H). EPA expects recipients of funding to comply with competitive procurement contracting requirements as well as EPA’s rule on Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in EPA Programs in 40 CFR Part 33. The Agency does not accept justifications for sole source contracts for services or products available in the commercial marketplace based on a contractor’s role in preparing an application. 

CONTENTS BY SECTION 

I. Funding Opportunity Description                     p. 2

II. Award Information                                               p. 16 

III. Eligibility Information                                         p. 17

IV. Application and Submission Information      p. 20

V. Application Review Information                        p. 33

VI. Award Administration Information                 p. 41

VII. Agency Contacts                                                   p. 44

VIII. Other Information and Appendices              p. 44

A – Tips on Preparing an EJ Grant Application 

B – Visual Illustration of EJCPS Model 

C – Blank Logic Model Template 

D – Logic Model Guide – What each Category Means 

E – E xample Completed Logic Model 

F – Blank Itemized Budget Sheet Template 

G – E xample Completed Itemized Budget Sheet 

H – Quality Assurance Project Plan Questionnaire 

I – Health Impact Assessments Guidance 

 

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I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION (back to Contents by Section) 

A. Executive Orders and Definitions EPA is issuing this solicitation to request applications for projects supporting community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs) in their efforts to collaborate and partner with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that will significantly address environmental and/or public health issue(s) in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks. These projects will help transform disadvantaged and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges.

This competition is being launched in order to meet the goals and objectives of two Executive Orders (EO 14008 and EO 13985) issued by the Biden Administration that demonstrate the EPA’s and Administration’s commitment to achieving environmental justice and embedding environmental justice into Agency programs. 

Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, issued on January 27, 2021, affirmed the Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice (EJ) by creating the Justice40 Initiative. The Justice40 Initiative1 1 Further information on J40 can be found in OMB’s interim implementation guidance for the Justice40 Initiative (M-21-28). establishes a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments—including those in climate change; clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure—flow to disadvantaged communities22 2 EPA is currently in the process of defining the term “disadvantaged communities.” . In addition, Section 219 of the Executive Order stressed that environmental and economic justice are key considerations to factor into governmental decision-making and that transforming disadvantaged communities— historically marginalized, underserved, and overburdened—into healthy, thriving communities, and undertaking robust actions to mitigate climate change while preparing for the impacts of climate change across rural, urban, and Tribal areas are governmental priorities. The Executive Order also called for making environmental justice part of Agency missions by developing programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities, as well as the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts. 

Complementing Executive Order 14008, is Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity And Support For Underserved Communities Through The Federal Government, issued on January 20, 2021, which stated that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality 

“Environmental justice”, which is the common theme of these two Executive Orders, is defined by the EPA as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, 

 

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national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no one group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal environmental programs and policies. 

Meaningful involvement means that: 

• People have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; 
• The public’s contribution can influence the regulatory agency’s decision; 
• Community concerns will be considered in the decision-making process; and 
• Decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected. 

 

The underserved and disadvantaged communities for which these projects are focused on include, as defined by Executive Order 13985, “populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life…”. This includes communities such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; children, the elderly, members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. For purposes of this RFA, “underserved communities” also includes “environmentally overburdened communities” (that is, communities adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental, climate and human health harms and risks including remote, rural, and urban communities), and disadvantaged communities. 

Community-based Nonprofit Organizations (CBOs) 

For this RFA, the EJ Grants program defines a “community-based nonprofit organization” (CBO) as a public or private nonprofit organization that supports and/or represents a community and/or certain populations within a community through engagement, education, and other related services provided to individual community residents and community stakeholders. A “community” can be characterized by a particular geographic area and/or by the relationships among members with similar interests and can be characterized as part of a broader national or regional community where organizations can be focused on the needs of urban, rural, and/or tribal areas, farmworkers, displaced workers, children with high levels of lead, people with asthma, subsistence fishers, and other similar groups. Only entities that qualify as community-based nonprofit organizations are eligible for funding under this RFA. 

B. BACKGROUND 

The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment for all people with an emphasis on assisting those communities adversely and disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health harms and risks. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, EPA received significant investments for environmental justice and in the health, equity, and resilience of these, and all communities, to address past, current, and future environmental health and justice challenges. Additionally, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created the Environmental and Climate Justice block grant program in section 138 of the Clean Air 

 

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Act (CAA) and provided EPA with $2.8 billion in grant funding for the program for projects to benefit disadvantaged communities. To maximize these significant investments, the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to support community-based nonprofit organizations to collaborate and partner with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that will significantly address environmental and/or public health issue(s) at the local level. 

C. AUTHORITY 

The EJCPS Program is designed to address multi-statute environmental and/or public health issues. In support of this, Congress provided EPA with both funding and expanded authority to further environmental justice through financial assistance programs in the consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103), which provided funding for environmental justice implementation and training grants. Examples of grant applications involving implementation activities include: small-scale clean-ups, environmental treatments, pollution abatements, hazardous waste disposal and/or energy recovery projects. 

Additionally, under IRA, Congress created the Environmental and Climate Justice Block grant program in Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138 and appropriated $2.8 billion for grants for projects to benefit disadvantaged communities. Eligible projects with this funding fall into five broad categories and include: (A) community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation, and investments in low-and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants; (B) mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events; (C) climate resiliency and adaptation; (D) reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or (E) facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes. EPA interprets the term “community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention and remediation . . .” in CAA 138(b)(2)(A) to allow EPA to fund activities to address water pollution, drinking water contamination, pesticide contamination, toxic substance contamination, solid and hazardous waste contamination, and hazardous substance contamination as well as air pollution. 

Note that as provided in CAA 314 contractors and subcontractors for construction projects receiving financial assistance under CAA 138 must comply with the U.S. Department of Labor’s regulations (29 CFR Parts 1, 3, and 5) implementing Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements. EPA will use the definition of the term Construction in 40 CFR 33.103 to determine Davis Bacon Act applicability. Any infrastructure project as defined in M-22-11 must also comply with the domestic content preferences in the Build America, Buy America Act for iron and steel, manufactured products, and construction materials. Please note that infrastructure projects under $250,000 may be covered under EPA’s Small Project General Applicability waiver. 

The EPA also encourages project labor agreements (i.e., pre-hire collective bargaining agreements between unions and contractors that govern terms and conditions of employment for all workers on a construction project); the use of an appropriately trained workforce (i.e., through registered apprenticeships and other joint labor-management training programs that serve all workers, particularly those historically excluded); the use of an appropriately credentialed workforce (i.e., requirements for appropriate and relevant professional training, certification, and licensure); and neutrality with respect to union organizing. 

 

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D. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 

Collaborative Problem-Solving Model -The program’s objective is to support projects that demonstrate the utility of the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model. For the purposes of the EJCPS Program, collaborative problem-solving is defined as an effort to bring together groups and resources (e.g., information, labor, money) by three or more stakeholders to solve a set of problems that any single entity cannot solve individually. Collaborative problem-solving builds upon existing community understanding to establish and maintain partnerships capable of producing meaningful environmental and/or public health results. To provide a systematic approach towards collaborative problem-solving, OEJECR has developed a Collaborative Problem-Solving Model (Model). Such a Model is intended to assist vulnerable and underserved communities in developing proactive, strategic, and visionary approaches to address their environmental justice issues and achieve community health and sustainability. 

Collaborative problem-solving also involves developing a well-designed strategic plan with a built-in evaluation component to measure and achieve results on local environmental and/or public health issues and to sustain the partnerships. These elements are cross-cutting and interdependent and should be utilized in a proactive, strategic, and iterative manner. Determining which elements to undertake, and in what order, can vary greatly, however, depending upon the unique facts and circumstances surrounding each environmental and/or public health issue. Not all the elements are required to be used in every situation. Rather, the CPS Model and its seven elements can be viewed as a “toolbox” filled with different tools that can be used as needed. The seven elements are as follows: 

1. Issue Identification, Visioning, and Strategic Goal-Setting; 
2. Community Capacity-Building and Leadership Development; 
3. Development of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships and Leveraging of Resources; 
4. Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution; 
5. Constructive Engagement with Other Stakeholders; 
6. Sound Management and Implementation; and 
7. Evaluation 

 

For additional information about OEJECR’s CPS Model, please see follow the link below: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/cps-manual-12-27-06.pdf 

A key starting point for any collaborative problem-solving project is the identification of an environmental and/or public health issue and the community’s leadership in formulating goals (e.g., diesel reduction, lead abatement, reducing high incidence of asthma, land use changes, pollution prevention, implementation of fish advisories, hazardous waste, emissions reduction, risk reduction, community cleanups, or compliance with local environmental and/or public health regulations, etc.). Collaborative problem-solving involves the establishment and/or maintenance of partnerships between and among other stakeholders and the underserved community to address the community’s local environmental and/or public health issues. Partnerships may be financial, such as a partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations that apply for a CPS cooperative agreement, or non-financial such as cooperative relationships among stakeholders that do not involve subawards of EPA funding. 

Financial partnerships can include a subaward agreement between the direct recipient of EPA funds (a qualifying CBO) and organizations from the following stakeholder groups: 

 

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• Other local community-based non-profit organizations; 
• Local, regional, and national environmental non-profit organizations; 
• State, local, and tribal governments; 
• Federal government agencies; 
• Health care providers; 
• Faith-based organizations and local houses of worship; 
• Philanthropic organizations; 
• Civic organizations; 
• Local economic and/or community development corporations/organizations; 
• State, local and tribal government agencies; 

 

Other financial relationships can include the following: 

Contracts with for profit businesses and industry, such as local Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. 

Note -Prior to naming a contractor (including consultants) or subrecipient in your application as a “partner”, please carefully review Section IV.d, “Contracts and Subawards”, of EPA’s Announcement Clauses that are incorporated by reference in this announcement (See Section I.H). EPA expects recipients of funding to comply with competitive procurement contracting requirements as well as EPA’s rule on Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in EPA Programs in 40 CFR Part 33. The Agency does not accept justifications for sole source contracts for services or products available in the commercial marketplace based on a contractor’s role in preparing an application. 

Non-financial partnerships can include, but are not limited to the following stakeholder groups: 

• Other local community-based non-profit organizations; 
• Local, regional, and national environmental non-profit organizations; 
• State, local, and tribal governments; 
• Federal government agencies; 
• Health care providers; 
• Faith-based organizations and local houses of worship; 
• Philanthropic organizations; 
• Civic organizations; 
• Local economic and/or community development corporations/organizations; 
• Educational institutions (e.g., schools, colleges, and universities); 
• State, local and tribal government agencies; 
• Local businesses and industry; 
• Elected officials (you may not use Federal grant funds or cost-sharing funds to conduct lobbying activities); and 
• Labor and professional organizations. 

 

TYPES OF PROJECTS -The EJCPS Program has funded a wide range of projects and project types over the years that address local environmental and public health concerns through collaborative partnerships. All proposed projects should include activities designed to engage, educate, and empower communities to understand the local environmental and public health issues and to identify ways to address these issues at the local level. Types of projects the EJCPS program has funded in the past and would be eligible to be funded under this competition with CAA 138 IRA funding, include, but are not limited to, the following: 

 

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• Air quality & asthma 
• Water quality and sampling 
• Food access to reduce vehicle travel and fuel emissions 
• Stormwater issues and green infrastructure 
• Lead contamination 
• Pesticides and other toxic substances 
• Healthy homes 
• Illegal dumping 
• Emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency 
• Environmental job training 
• Youth development relating to Environmental Justice 

 

To find the latest information about the EJCPS program visit the following link: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-5 

Full Project Summaries of past projects dating back to the year 2007 are also available at the link above. 

All projects considered for funding under this announcement must include a work plan as described in Section IV.B.1. All work plans should include strategies for addressing local environmental and public health issues, educating and empowering the community about those issues, and approaches to building consensus and setting community priorities. In addition, the work plan should demonstrate collaboration with other stakeholders (e.g., other community-based organizations, environmental groups, businesses, industry, federal, tribal, state and local governments, and academic institutions) in an effort to realize project goals and objectives and build project sustainability leading to on-going efforts that address the local environmental justice issue(s). 

E. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS 

For this competition, EPA will give special consideration to applications that focus on the following program priority: 

• Projects addressing Climate Change, Disaster Resiliency, and/or Emergency Preparedness – The effects of climate change and extreme weather events tend to adversely impact the most vulnerable communities and populations disproportionately. Therefore, EPA may give special consideration to projects that address the needs of underserved and vulnerable communities that have been adversely impacted or are likely to be adversely impacted by natural disasters, including, but not limited to, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and future pandemics. 
• Rural areas – EPA will give special consideration to high-ranking proposals to be performed in rural areas as defined by the program. Rural areas, for the purposes of this competition, are defined as one of the following: Local areas with populations of 50,000 or less that have limited access to public or private resources commonly found in metropolitan areas 
• Community Network areas selected by the Rural Partners Network (See rural.gov for a complete list of communities) 

 

 

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• Coal and Energy Communities (See energycommunities.gov for a complete list of communities) 
• Applicants claiming rural status must provide sufficient detail (census data, population figures, descriptions of local resources, etc.) for EPA to validate the rural status of the underserved community. The goal of this special consideration is to encourage and increase project performance in rural areas in the EPA EJ Grants program. 
• Health Impact Assessment (HIA) – HIA is a “practice that aims to protect and promote health and to reduce inequities in health during a decision-making process.”3 One’s health is affected by genetics and the health care we receive, but also by the built, social, and natural environments in which we live and work. As such, there is growing recognition that a broad range of decisions can affect health, and health consequences, positive and negative, should be considered as part of decision-making. EPA may give special consideration to HIA projects that seek to determine the potential effects of a proposed environmental decision on the health of underserved and vulnerable communities and the distribution of those effects within the communities. 

3 Bhatia R, Farhang L, Heller J, Lee M, Orenstein M, Richardson M and Wernham A. Minimum Elements and Practice Standards for Health Impact Assessment, Version 3. September, 2014. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/learningopportunities/HIA_Best_Practice_Standards_2014.pdf 

The special considerations listed above will only be considered as an “other factor”, in addition to the scoring criteria in Section V, in making selection decisions. Additional other factors which may be considered during the selection process can be found in Section V of this funding announcement. The selection official may consider any (or all) of these “other factors” or none at all in making selection decisions. 

NOTE: Under this competition, projects not focused on the special considerations as identified in Section I are still eligible for award. 

F. ELIGIBLE PROJECT ACTIVITIES & PROJECT EXAMPLES 

Projects Sought Under this Funding Opportunity: 

1. 1. Eligible Project Categories – Consistent with section 138(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act, Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity must address one of the following five broad categories: community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation, and investments in low-and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants; 
   2. mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events; 
   3. climate resiliency and adaptation; 
   4. reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or 
   5. facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in Local, State and Federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings 

Eligible Project Activities -The following are more specific examples of the types of activities which may be considered for funding under this solicitation. It is provided for illustrative purposes 

 

 

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1. only and is not all inclusive: research that is incidental to the project design 
2. public education 
3. small-scale construction and demolition work (if needed for project) 
4. small-scale clean-ups 
5. installations of air or water filtration systems 
6. major disposal training 
7. energy recovery projects training 
8. building refurbishments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants 
9. mitigation of pollution 
10. remediation of lead or asbestos 
11. workforce development to support low and zero emission and resilient technologies that reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollutants. 
12. Environmental Justice partnership building that engages disadvantaged communities in Local, State and Federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings 
13. community revitalization planning in support of climate resiliency and adaptation 
14. monitoring of sources of pollution 
15. efforts to improve equitable transportation and mobility including through efforts to address barriers of cost and safety related to walking, bicycling, and public transit in order to reduce air pollution 
16. development of disaster preparedness plans 
17. community revitalization planning addressing local pollution and greenspace 
18. facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in State advisory groups, workshops and rulemakings and other public processes. 

Examples of EJCPS Projects See the list below for examples of EJCPS projects. This is not an exhaustive list:

a. Cleanup of nonhazardous trash (e.g., scrap tires, construction debris) in underserved communities, especially where illegal dumping is an ongoing concern.

b. Reduction of lead in underserved communities and vulnerable populations. Eligible activities include but are not limited to blood lead level (BLL) testing, surveillance, and linkages to service providers who can provide lead remediation services; Restoration, Repair and Paint (RRP) projects at schools and daycare facilities to remove lead-based paint; and paving lead-contaminated dirt in alleys and other public spaces. 

c. Development of Citizen Science Monitoring programs to address various environmental contamination issues including water quality. Programs should provide support for communities to not only participate but take ownership over the data collected and collaboratively develop solutions. 

d. Planning and development of heat island mitigation strategies in underserved communities. Eligible projects include but are not limited to installation of cool roofs and walls, green roofs, cool pavements, permeable pavers and other green infrastructure measures, and urban forestry initiatives, and extreme heat-related activities within local government 

 

 

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departments (e.g., public health, climate, parks, emergency management). 

e. Efforts to improve equitable transportation and mobility that encourage mode shift from private vehicles to walking, biking, and public transportation in underserved communities in order to reduce air pollution. Eligible projects include but are not limited to expansion of bike share programs and bike storage facilities, subsidies to encourage the adoption of bicycles including low-speed electric bicycles. Incidental activities for planning and signage for road safety interventions particularly on roadways and intersections with a history of injury and death to pedestrians and bicyclists as part of a larger project to encourage reductions in vehicle miles traveled in automobiles (e.g. dedicated bicycle lanes or pedestrian trails) is also eligible for funding. 

f. Energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy programs in K-12 schools including preventative maintenance of HVAC systems, energy audits, energy system upgrades, installation of on-site renewables and/or green infrastructure indoor air quality monitoring and related employee training. 

g. Planning and development of environmental justice mapping tools or methodologies to determine potential impacts to underserved communities from multiple disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues. 

h. Development of emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency plans and programs for underserved communities and vulnerable populations to minimize the exposure to pollutants in the event of a natural disaster. Disasters disproportionately impact communities of color, low-income, rural, elderly, and youth populations. Applicants may propose to develop plans or programs that specifically work to mitigate the disproportionate impacts of these disasters on their vulnerable populations. Disasters include but are not limited to hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding, oil spills, wildfires, and earthquakes. Projects should address and/or prepare communities for the increases in pollution that can result from these and other disasters. 

i. Monitoring and/or prevention and/or remediation of air quality issues related to living close to transportation networks (e.g., railroads, railyards, ports, heavily trafficked roadways) in the local area, especially in areas where data may be limited. 

j. Monitoring, preventing or remediation of nonpoint or point source releases of waterborne pollutants in underserved communities. 

k. Establishment of collaborative and coordinated efforts, processes or procedures, and communication strategies between state agencies and local governments regarding ongoing environmental monitoring, prevention, or remediation projects at local levels to maximize use of local resources and reduce duplication of efforts. 

 

NOTE: For all of the above described activities, reasonable costs to encourage program participation (e.g. training, community meeting participation and/or childcare stipends,) may be allowable with prior EPA approval to the extent provided for in EPA’s Guidance on Participant Support Costs. 

 

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G. HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROJECT GUIDANCE 

1. Health Impact Assessment Case Studies 

Two Health Impact Assessment (HIA) case studies are provided below to assist applicants in understanding how an HIA may be structured and implemented. NOTE: Applicants proposing to conduct HIAs through this opportunity will be expected to lead and coordinate the HIA along with their partners. Where availability allows, EPA staff may provide technical advice and guidance to an HIA project team. However, EPA staff will not lead the implementation and/or management of any HIA funded through this funding opportunity. 

a. Gerena School Renovation Project (Springfield, MA): Gerena Community School, located in Springfield, MA, is underwent renovations to improve the environmental conditions for its users. The facility functions as an elementary school and community center, serving students and residents of the North End Community. EPA collaborated with stakeholders, including departments within the City of Springfield and community-based groups, to perform an HIA. The purpose of this HIA was to provide valuable health-focused information to help the City of Springfield narrow down and prioritize those renovation actions that best addressed the existing environmental conditions and reduced the potential negative health impacts to students, faculty, staff, and community members who use the facility. The HIA also provided an avenue for the community and other stakeholders to be engaged in the decision-making process. Community stakeholders had raised concerns related to Gerena School, which included indoor air quality issues related to motor vehicle emissions, flooding, moisture, mold, and other indoor environment conditions. The HIA utilized on-site observations, reviewed evidence, and professional expertise to judge each of the proposed renovation options for potential impacts to respiratory health. Based on the predicted impacts to health, the HIA provided recommendations for renovation actions that aim to maximize potential benefits to health and mitigate and/or avoid potential adverse impacts to health. The executive summary for this case study is available at https://www.epa.gov/healthresearch/gerena-school-health-impact-assessment-hia-final-report. 

b. Kingsbury Bay-Grassy Point Habitat Restoration Project (Duluth, MN): This project informed the MN Department of Natural Resources and the City of Duluth decisions on design and implementation of habitat restoration and park improvement projects at two sites along the St. Louis River in Duluth, Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point. It evaluated the potential health impacts, specifically, seven pathways were identified and prioritized by stakeholders: water quality and habitat; equipment operation, traffic and transport; air quality; noise and light pollution’ crime and safety; recreation, aesthetics, and engagement with nature; and social/cultural aspects. The HIA concluded that the proposed projects will have positive and negative health impacts, and that the net impacts are expected to be positive. Impacts include improved water quality and aquatic habitat, reductions in crime from improved green spaces, increased opportunity for recreation, and access to cultural resources, among other things. The HIA also included recommendations to enhance the positive health impacts and reduce the negative health impacts, some of which were adopted by the decision makers. The HIA Project Team consisted of EPA staff, contractors, research fellows, and local professional stakeholders (e.g., individuals from academia; community organizations; local, county and state government agencies; and environmental organizations). Members of the HIA Project Team served on the HIA Leadership Team, HIA Research Team, or both. The HIA Project Team conducted the HIA with input and guidance from an HIA Advisory Committee, made up of technical experts and 

 

 

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representatives from several stakeholder groups. The executive summary for this case study is available at https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-09/kingsbury-bay-grassy-point-hia-summary-report.pdf. 

 

2. Potentially Eligible EJCPS Types of Decisions Informed by Health Impact Assessments 

HIAs consider the full range of potential impacts of the proposed decision — both positive and negative — on health and those factors known to directly and indirectly affect human health (known as health determinants). HIAs provide recommendations for maximizing the potential positive health impacts and minimizing and/or avoiding the potential negative health impacts of the decision. In addition to promoting human health considerations, HIAs also encourage democracy, health equity, a comprehensive approach to individual and community health, and sustainability in decision-making. 

The types of decisions informed by HIAs listed below are not an exhaustive list and are provided for illustrative purposes to help applicants as they develop their applications. Types of decisions that are eligible for this RFA include but are not limited to the following: 

Local 

-Land use policies and projects to promote climate resiliency and adaptation 

-Sitting of recreational centers and schools to promote climate resiliency and adaptation 

-Mass transit/transit-oriented design 

-Neighborhood/sub-area planning studies 

-Affordable housing siting to promote climate resiliency and adaptation 

County 

 

-County bicycle and pedestrian master plans 

-Placement and maintenance of community Gardens to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled to obtain fresh fruit and vegetables. 

-Sub-area plans for revitalizing highways and surrounding neighborhoods to reduce air pollutions 

State 

 

– Encouraging the use of mass transit and traffic control features that reduce unnecessary idling of automobiles and trucks 

– Energy assistance programs 

– Comprehensive planning and growth policies to reduce vehicle miles traveled and other sources of air pollution 

For further guidance on structuring HIAs, please refer to Section VIII.H. “Guidance of Structuring Health Impact Assessment” of this funding announcement. NOTE: For proposed HIA activities, reasonable costs to encourage program participation (e.g. training, community meeting participation and/or childcare stipends,) may be allowable with prior EPA approval to the extent provided for in EPA’s Guidance on Participant Support Costs. 

H. INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES 

The following are examples of ineligible activities under the awards to be made from this RFA4: 

⁴ This is not an exhaustive list of ineligible activities. All activities receiving EPA funding are subject to requirements for cost allowability in applicable regulations including limitations on consultant fees in 2 CFR Part 1500. Additionally, only activities described in the EPA approved scope of work are eligible for funding. 

 

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• Lobbying as restricted in 2 CFR 200.450. 
• Legal advice, services, or representation 
• Travel for federal employees 
• Projects or programs that are not eligible for funding under section 138(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act or the environmental justice implementation and training grant authority in EPA’s Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriation Act, Public Law 117-103. 

 

I. EPA STRATEGIC PLAN LINKAGE & ANTICIPATED OUTPUTS, OUTCOMES & PERFORMANCE MEASURES: 

This announcement supports key priorities of the Administration as detailed in Executive Order 13985 signed by President Biden on January 20, 2021 titled, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and Executive Order 14008 signed by President Biden on January 27, 2021, titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Specifically, the projects selected under this RFA will support the federal government’s efforts to advance racial equity and environmental and energy justice, address health outcome disparities, and support underserved communities. 

In addition, pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” (see https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements). EPA must link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s Strategic Plan. EPA’s Strategic Plan 2022 -2026 is available at https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan. 

The activities to be funded under this RFA support the FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan. Awards made under this RFA will support Goal 2 (Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights), Objective 2.1, (Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels) of the Strategic Plan which states that: “Building Community Capacity and Climate Resilience and Maximizing Benefits to Overburdened and Underserved Communities: EPA will increase support for community-led action by providing unprecedented investments and benefits directly to communities with environmental justice concerns and by integrating equity throughout Agency programs.” Applicants should explain in their application how their EJCPF proposal will further this goal and objective and they will be evaluated on this under the evaluation criteria in Section V.A. 

EPA Order 5700.7 also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements. Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the goals and objectives described above. 

1. Outputs (Evaluation Criteria, Section V.A) The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the funding period. Application narratives should address the specific output measures related to the proposed project.

Examples of possible output measures for awards under this competition include, 

 

 

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but are not limited, to:

• • The number of residents or workers who receive specific training in skills relating to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants. 
  • The number of community assessments performed, and tools developed to measure air quality issues 
  • The number of samples collected and related to waterborne pollution from nonpoint or point sources and their significance. 
  • The number of homes/residents/communities reached or impacted by an environmental/public health monitoring program (e.g., number of homes that undergo an at-home lead assessment). 
  • The number of homes assessed for specific environmental/public health hazards 
  • A survey tool for collecting data from residents for a community assessment of environmental/public health hazards. 
  • The number of resident participants in a survey to identify and prioritize environmental/public health needs of a community. 
  • The number of members from disadvantaged communities participating in state and federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings as a part of the project. 

2. Outcomes (Evaluation Criteria, Section V.A.) The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that relates to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature; must be quantitative; and may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Additionally, outcomes should be organized by expected time period (short-term, intermediate, and long-term). Short-term outcomes refer to changes in knowledge or attitudes and usually occur during the project period. Intermediate outcomes refer to changes in behaviors and actions due to the knowledge acquired and are usually measured within several months after the end of the project. Long-term outcomes refer to changes in conditions and are measured a year or several years after project completion. Short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes are related and build on one another. EPA encourages recipients to identify outcomes wherever possible because they lead to environmental and/or public health improvement more clearly than outputs. Using the previously listed output (creation of a community-wide indoor air monitoring program), here are examples of possible outcomes:

Examples of possible outcome measures expected to result from awards under this competition include but are not limited to:

• • Reduction in asthma-related hospital visits due to air pollution remediation activities and use of zero-emission technologies.
  • Increase in local job opportunities and worker skills to related to workforce development programs specializing in technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
  • Reduction in local temperatures in metropolitan areas due to urban heat island mitigation activities and planning. 
  • Increase in residents transitioning from private vehicles to public transit, walking, and bicycling. 
  • The reduction of waterborne pollutants in local waterbodies and/or increase in fish populations leading to reduced contaminant levels in consumed fish. 
  • The increased ongoing communication to the underserved communities resulting in measurable risk reduction in a specific media and communities’ participation directly in that risk reduction.

 

 

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Short-term (change in knowledge) -Increase in number of residents that know about indoor asthma triggers (during project) 

Intermediate (change in behavior) -Increase in number of residents that install and routinely check their home indoor air monitor (6 -12 months after project) 

Long-term (change in conditions) – Reduction in asthma rates among community residents (2+ years after project) 

 

 

3. Performance Measurement Plan (Evaluation Criteria, Section V.A.) Applicants should describe how they plan to track and monitor their project performance and progress throughout the project period. Outputs and outcomes are critical components of an applicant’s overall plan for measuring their project’s performance. An applicant will be evaluated on the quality of their overall performance measurement plan including the proposed outputs, outcomes, and associated timeframes for achieving those results. Generally, higher quality logic models and performance measurement plans include specific target metrics where possible for both outputs and outcomes. An applicant’s performance measurement plan will help gather insights, will be the mechanism to track successful progress, output and outcome strategies, and will provide the basis for developing lessons learned to inform future recipients. A logic model is useful in developing an overall performance measurement plan. See Appendices C, D, and E for a sample logic model template. 

 

The following questions are also useful to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results: 

1. What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve? 
2. How does the project measure progress in achieving the expected results (including outputs and outcomes) and how will the approach use resources effectively and efficiently? 
3. Are the projected outputs and outcomes specific and detailed? Did I include specific target measures where possible? Are my target measures reasonable and achievable within the project period and for the funding amount? 

 

J. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS FOR APPLICANTS INCORPORATED INTO THE ANNOUNCEMENT 

Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this RFA and/or awards made under this RFA, can be found at EPA Announcement Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this RFA and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this RFA. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please contact the 

 

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EPA point of contact listed in this RFA (usually in Section VII) to obtain the provisions 

II. AWARD INFORMATION (

back to Contents by Section) 

A. FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND PROJECT PERIOD 

The total estimated funding expected for all awards under this solicitation is approximately $30,000,000, broken down as follows: 

• $25,000,000 for CBOs proposing projects for up to $500,000 each. Approximately 50 awards for up $500,000 each are anticipated under this track. 
• $5,000,000 for qualifying small CBOs with 5 or fewer full-time employees proposing projects for up to $150,000 each. See more details under Section II.C. (Small Community-based Nonprofit Set Aside Track). Approximately 33 awards for up to $150,000 each are anticipated under this track. 

 

Between these two tracks of funding, EPA anticipates awarding approximately 83 cooperative agreements nationwide. Cooperative agreements resulting from this announcement will be funded for a three-year performance period and are expected to be fully funded at time of award. NOTE: Due to the restrictions in CAA 138(b)(1), EPA cannot extend the performance periods for EJCPS assistance agreements beyond three years. 

B. NUMBER AND TYPE OF ANTICIPATED AWARDS 

EPA anticipates issuing approximately 83 total awards. Applicants should plan for an estimated project period start date of October 1, 2023. 

The awards for selected projects will be in the form of cooperative agreements because the EJCPS program requires substantial involvement and interaction between the applicant and EPA. EPA will negotiate the precise terms and conditions of “substantial involvement” as part of the award process. Federal involvement may include: close monitoring of the recipient’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant; collaboration during the performance of the scope of work; in accordance with 2 CFR 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements; reviewing qualifications of key personnel; and/or review and comment on the content of printed or electronic publications prepared although recipients will make the final decisions on the content of documents. 

EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient. All subawards must be consistent with EPA’s Subaward Policy. The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient. 

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions of the proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicant or affect the basis upon which the application was evaluated and selected for award, thereby maintaining the integrity of the competition and selection process. 

EPA also reserves the right to make additional awards under this RFA, consistent with Agency 

 

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policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions. 

C. SMALL COMMUNITY-BASED NON-PROFIT SET-ASIDE TRACK 

EPA intends to set aside $5,000,000 for awards to community-based non-profit organizations (CBOs) who propose projects for up to $150,000 each and who have 5 or fewer full-time employees on staff at the time of submission of their application and award. The dollar amount intended for these awards may be adjusted depending upon the quality of applications received and other relevant considerations. This set-aside is intended to: 1) provide an equitable opportunity for smaller CBOs to receive direct federal funding and 2) to make available smaller funding amounts to those communities and grassroots organizations that would like to focus on smaller scale activities in their communities. Applications from these applicants will be evaluated separately, based on the Section V criteria, from the applications from other eligible applicants. Accordingly, there will be two selection lists developed under this competition – one list for applications from small organizations for $150,000 projects and another list for the remaining applications for $500,000 projects. To qualify for consideration under this set-aside, applicants must submit documentation with their application (such as an employee roster) verifying the number of full-time employees on staff and the associated hours per week and salary/wage details for each full-time employee. For this announcement, a full-time employee is defined as an employee who works 40 or more hours per week for the applying organization. NOTE -Applicants who meet the standard set forth above for inclusion under the set-aside at the time of submission of their application, but who during this competition subsequently grow larger than 5 full-time employees, must immediately notify EPA of their change in size. If an applicant can confirm that their change in size has no material impact on their original workplan, then they will be moved from the set-aside track and considered for award under the non-set aside track. However, if an applicant fails to notify EPA, then they may be deemed ineligible to receive an award under this competition. 

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION (back to Contents by Section) 

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Announcement Clauses. 

A. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES BASED ON THE ASSISTANCE LISTING 

-In accordance with CFDA 66.306 (as it will be updated to be consistent with this announcement), an eligible applicant must be one of the following entities: 

• a community-based nonprofit organization; or 
• a partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations* 

* NOTE: the partnership must be documented with a signed Letter of Commitment from the community-based nonprofit organization detailing the parameters of the partnership, as well as the role and responsibilities of the community-based organization. See further details about partnerships below. 

Partnerships with CBOs – for the purposes of the Environmental and Climate Justice Block 

 

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Grants programs authorized by section 138 of the Clean Air Act and this RFA, a “partnership” is a formal financial relationship between two or more community based nonprofit organizations (CBO) that is memorialized in writing and is legally binding under applicable law. The final partnership agreement (which may be finalized between the two partnering CBOs after selection and/or award) must specify which member of the partnership will enter into the assistance agreement with EPA for the purposes of accountability for the proper expenditure of Federal funds, performance of the assistance agreement, liability for claims for recovery of unallowable costs incurred under the agreement and must specify roles in performing the proposed scope of work for the assistance agreement. One CBO in the partnership must receive EPA funding as the direct recipient of the cooperative agreement and the other partner(s) or as a subrecipient(s). Thus, a qualifying partnership must include a subaward from the direct recipient of EPA funds to the partnering organization. The applying organization must explain in their workplan that they plan to subaward funds to their partner and detail the roles and responsibilities of the partnering CBOs throughout the project. Additionally, Letters of Commitment from the partnering CBO must indicate a subaward agreement is planned to establish the partnership. The final partnership agreement must also at a minimum specify other roles and responsibilities of each partner, including how the priority environmental and public health issues of the disadvantaged communities being served by the partnership are identified and selected for projects and activities, as well as the role of community leaders in the decision-making processes and implementation of the proposed projects for funding. NOTE -Applicants are not required to include the final partnership agreement as a part of their workplan but must include the necessary details as expressed above if a subaward is present. If a non-financial relationship exists between the two CBOs (i.e., in-kind support on the project), then a letter of commitment explaining the non-financial relationship is sufficient. 

Letters of Commitment – Applicants should include signed letters of commitment from the partnering CBOs (and entities from other stakeholder groups) that provide detailed information about the partnership agreement (e.g., roles and responsibilities), including information about the planned subaward (if applicable). Only partnerships that include a signed letter of commitment will be considered valid partnerships during the evaluation of your application. Please do not include generic letters of support. A generic letter of support will not count as a valid letter of commitment. EPA strongly encourages EJCPS projects to include at least three partners from three different stakeholder groups. Examples of different stakeholder groups can be found in Section I.B. 

Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR 200.1, the term “nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. are ineligible. Eligible nonprofit organizations may, but are not required to be, exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code. Workforce Investment Boards and organized Labor Unions that meet these criteria may be eligible community based nonprofit organizations. 

Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. 

The following entities are INELIGIBLE to receive an award, but we encourage applicants to 

 

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partner with these organizations, as appropriate (see Contracts and Subawards solicitation clause): 

• Tribes and tribal governments 
• US Territories 
• Freely associated states 
• International Organizations
• Public and Nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education ; 
• For-profit colleges, universities and trade schools, 
• hospitals; 
• state and local governments and their agencies and instrumentalities; 
• quasi-governmental entities (e.g., water districts, utilities)
• International organization means a public international organization in which the US participates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or making an appropriation for such participation, and which shall have been designated by the President through appropriate Executive order as being entitled to enjoy privileges, exemptions, and immunities conferred by the International Organizations Immunities Act. 22 U.S.C. § 288. ⁶ Generally, a quasi-governmental entity is one that: (1) has a close association with the government agency but is not considered a part of the government agency; (2) was created by the government agency but is exempt from certain legal and administrative requirements imposed on government agencies; or (3) was not created by the government agency but performs a public purpose and is significantly supported financially by the government agency. 

NOTE: Funds awarded under this announcement may not be used to support lobbying 

activities or any activities related to lobbying or the appearance thereof. Subawards made to 

nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 

Revenue Code that lobby are not allowed. 

B. THRESHOLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 

All applications must meet the eligibility requirements described in Sections III.A., B., and C. to be considered eligible for award. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination. 

1. Applications must substantially comply with the applications submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the applications workplan, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. In addition to any page limitations, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence with respect to such things as font type and size. 
2. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirement for community based nonprofit organizations described above. 
3. Initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this RFA (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline 

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published in Section IV of this RFA. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this RFA to ensure that their application is properly and timely submitted. Please note that applicants experiencing technical issues with submitting through Grants.gov should follow the instructions provided in the Section 

IV. Agrants.gov instructions, which includes both the requirement to contact Grants.gov and email a full application to EPA prior to the deadline. 

4. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Applications submitted outside of Grants.gov will be deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was due to EPA mishandling or technical problems associated with Grants.gov or SAM.gov. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a submission outside of Grants.gov. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Jacob Burney, Burney.Jacob@epa.gov as soon as possible after submission —failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed. 

DO NOT WAIT! Register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov as soon as possible. Finalizing these registrations could take a month or more. You do not want a late registration to prevent you from being able to properly submit your application through Grants.gov. 

1. Ineligible Activities – If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, including but not limited to those described in Section I.F, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding 
2. Multiple Applications – Applicants may submit only one application under this solicitation. If an applicant submits more than one, then they will be contacted by EPA prior to the evaluation process to determine which one to withdraw. However, an applicant organization may be a partner on a single application or multiple applications. Additionally, applicants can only receive one award under this EJCPS announcement. 
3. Please note that applications must be written in English only. Applications written in languages other than English will not be considered for award. 

 

C. COST-SHARING OR MATCHING FUNDS 

No cost-sharing or matching is required as a condition of eligibility or otherwise considered for evaluating applications for award. 

IV. APPLICATION & SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

(back to Contents by Section) Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Announcement Clauses. 

A. REQUIREMENT TO SUBMIT THROUGH GRANTS.GOV AND LIMITED EXCEPTION PROCEDURES 

 

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1. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures 

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this RFA based on the grants.gov instructions below. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception from applying through Grants.gov for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this RFA only are addressed in section 3, Technical Issues with Submission, below. 

2. Submission Instructions 

a. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) Registration Instructions 

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will need to create an account using login.gov7to complete your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registration includes obtaining an Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization. Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process. 7 Login.gov a secure sign in service used by the public to sign into Federal Agency systems including SAM.gov and Grants.gov. For help with login.gov accounts you should visit http://login.gov/help. 

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. SAM.gov requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active. 

Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only. 

Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization’s legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Question on the difference for additional details. 

Organizations should ensure that their SAM.gov registration includes a current e-Business (EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for Grants.gov Registration and system functionality. 

Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm ET. 

b. Grants.gov Registration Instructions 

Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is FREE. If you have never applied for a federal grant before, please review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration instructions. As part of the Grants.gov registration process, the EBiz point of contact is the only person that can affiliate and assign applicant roles to members of an organization. In addition, at least one person 

 

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must be assigned as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only person(s) with the AOR role can submit applications in Grants.gov. Please review the Intro to Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace – User Roles and Workspace Actions for details on this important process. 

Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the application submission deadline. 

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve 

technical issues with Grants.gov. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays. 

c. Application Submission Process 

To begin the application process under this RFA, go to Grants.gov and click the red “Apply” button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this opportunity. 

The electronic submission of your application to this RFA must be made by an official representative of your organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance. If the submit button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the appropriate role to submit in your organization. Contact your organization’s EBiz point of contact or contacGrants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. 

Applicants need to ensure that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization’s SAM.gov account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible. 

d. Application Submission Deadline 

Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than April 10, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit. 

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. Please note that successful submission of your application through Grants.gov does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered. 

3. Technical Issues with Submission 

If applicants experience technical issues during the submission of an application that they are unable to resolve, follow these procedures before the application deadline date: 

 

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a. Contact the Grants.gov Support Center before the application deadline date. 

b. Document the Grants.gov ticket/case number. 

c. Send an email with EPA-OEJECR-OCS-23-01 in the subject line to burney.jacob@epa.gov before the application deadline time and include the following information: Grants.gov ticket/case number(s).

1. Description of the issue 
2. The entire application package in PDF format  

Without this information, EPA may not be able to consider applications submitted outside of Grants.gov. Any application submitted after the application deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

Please note that successful submission through Grants.gov or email does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. 

EPA will make decisions concerning acceptance of each application submitted outside of Grants.gov on a case-by-case basis. EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to submit through Grants.gov due to Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access. Failure of an applicant to submit the application prior to the application submission deadline time and date because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of an application outside of Grants.gov. 

4. Application Materials 

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement: 

Mandatory Documents: 

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) 
2. Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) 
3. EPA Form 4700-4 Pre-award Compliance Review Report (Please see these Useful Tips for completing this form) 
4. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54 
5. Project Narrative Attachment Form: Use this to submit your Workplan, prepared as described in Section IV.B below. Please note the page limit that applies to the Workplan identified below. 
1. Use the Other Attachments Form for the following additional mandatory documents: Itemized Budget Sheet (See below Section IV.B.1 and Appendices E & F) 
2. Environmental Results/Logic Model (See below Section IV.B.1 and Appendices B, C, & D) 
3. Letters of Commitment from Partners (See Section IV.B.1 below) 
4. Resumes of the Project Manager (PM) and other key personnel (See Section IV.B.1 below) 

 

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION 

The forms and documents required as part of the application submission are described in Section IV.A. above. 

 

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1. APPLICATION WORK PLAN (Optional Template available in Section IV): The work plan is one of the most important parts of the application package. The work plan describes the project. Work plans that are focused and succinct are stronger than ones that try to address too many issues. Applications will be evaluated on the extent and quality of how well the project addresses program objectives and allowable activities under the criteria in Section V. The work plan, as described below, must not exceed eighteen (18) single-spaced typewritten pages (including the Project Summary Page) and be on letter size pages (8 1/2 X 11 inches). Any pages beyond 18 pages will not be reviewed by the Review Panel. It is recommended that applicants use a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Calibri, and Arial) and a 12-point font size with 1-inch margins. While these guidelines establish the acceptable type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the application. Supporting materials, such as resumes and partnership letters, can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 18-page limit. Project applications must be written in English. 

Workplans must address the information described above. The 18-page work plan must also contain the following components (items 1.0-6.0 below) and should be identified by the headings in the order listed below. Also ensure that the workplan addresses all the evaluation criteria in Section V and any necessary threshold eligibility criteria in Section III: 

1.0 PROGRAM OBJECTIVES 

a. Project Summary Page – Recommended one-page summary document (does count as part of 18-page workplan limit). Summary includes: • Project Title 

• Project Location (including community/neighborhood(s), city, state, and zip code) 

• Applicant Information (name, address, main contact information) 

• Brief Description of Applicant Organization — Provide a brief description (100 words or less) of the applicant organization, including its mission and key ongoing projects/activities in which it is involved. 

• Are you applying for the Small CBO Set Aside Track for $150,000 projects? (Yes/No) If yes, ensure you submit documentation with your application (such as an employee roster) verifying the number of full-time employees on staff and the associated hours per week and salary/wage details for each full-time employee. 

• Project Abstract — Brief description (250 words or less) of the main objective, activities, and outputs/outcomes of the project, including the specific geographic areas of focus. 

• Project Type(s) — such as training, monitoring, demonstration, small-scale construction, public education 

• Special Considerations – If applicable to your project, which special considerations do you believe your project qualifies for? (Climate Change/Disaster Resiliency, Rural Areas, Health Impact Assessments, and/or other factors identified in Section V) 

 

 

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•Environmental Issue – e.g., Air, Water, Waste, etc.

•List of Project Partners — include partner name and stakeholdergroup. For example, CBOs, State University (academic); Countycommissioner (local government); Houses of worship (faith-based);Corporate or local companies (business/industry); etc.

•Will you need to develop a QAPP for your project? (See AppendixH)

 

b.Environmental and Public Health information of the UnderservedCommunity – The applicant will be evaluated on the ability to clearlydescribe the local environmental justice issue(s) the project proposes toaddress and the community that is impacted. Please describe thefollowing:•Describe and characterize the underserved community directly impactedby disproportionate environmental and/or public health harms and risksand describe how the community is impacted by those harms and risks(i.e., Who is the community comprised of and what are thedisproportionate environmental and/or public health issues theyexperience?)

•What are the environmental/public health issue(s) that the projectseeks to address?

•What are the environmental/public health results the project seeks toachieve and how will the underserved community benefit from thoseresults?

 

 

*If your project relates to one or more of the other factors in Section V (e.g.,Health Impact Assessment, Rural Areas, Climate, or Disaster Resiliency) includeadditional details about how the project addresses those factors in this section.

The application must include relevant information such as demographics, geographic location, and community history. We strongly encourage the use of EPA’s EJSCREEN tool (or other EJ- based mapping tool) to help you characterize and describe your target community. Data from other sources (e.g., studies, census, and third-party reports) can also be included to give a more complete picture of the impacted communities and populations. Instructions and resources on how to use EJSCREEN are included at the hyperlink above. For any questions you have about EJSCREEN, please contact Tai Lung at Lung.Tai@epa.gov or 202-566-1296. 

c.Organization’s Historical Connection to Underserved Community – Theapplicant will be evaluated on the description of the strong connection betweentheir organization and the underserved community as that term is defined in thisannouncement. Please describe the following:

•The history of your organization’s involvement with the underservedcommunity, including the duration of involvement and circumstances that led to your organization’s involvement

 

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• How the organization has worked with the underserved community’s residents and/or organizations to address local environmental and public health issues currently or in the past and what are some of the results of that work. Include information about recent efforts in the community, if any, that have sought to address the disproportionate issues you described in 1.b. 

• Community Driven Participation – How the underserved community’s residents and/or organizations were involved in developing the current project plan and are part of the decision-making process 

 

d. EJCPS Model – Demonstrate how this application utilizes the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Model (Section I.B). Provide a clear and concise description about: • Which of the seven elements of the EJCPS Model will be undertaken for this project. Also, describe which EJCPS Model element(s) associated with this project may have already begun or been accomplished, o For example, EJCPS Model Element 1 – Community Vision and Strategic Planning may have occurred prior to applying. The EJCPS program focus is on developing and implementing solutions; it is anticipated that applicants may have already accomplished some aspects of EJCPS Model elements. 

 

 

e. Project Linkages Please describe the following: • Briefly describe how the project supports EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2, Objective 2.1 (Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels). https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan 

 

f. Partner and Collaborate – Provide a clear and concise description of how the proposed project promotes collaborations with partners from multiple stakeholder groups, such as industry, business, academia, government, etc., to develop solutions that will address environmental and/or public health issues. We encourage applicants to seek diversity in partnerships in an effort to enhance the process of achieving the project’s goals. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have at least THREE signed letters of commitment from partners representing at least THREE different stakeholder groups submitted with their application. • Describe how the project will accomplish its goals through the use of appropriate and diverse partnerships from multiple stakeholder groups, such as industry, business, academia, government, etc. 

• Identify and describe all partners involved, including those partnerships that may be under development. Include the following details about each of your partners. If you are not planning on 

 

 

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collaborating with other stakeholders or having partners for project performance, you must describe how you can effectively perform the project without such collaboration or partnerships: – Planned roles of each partner listed in your Project Summary. Include which stakeholder group the partner represents and the project activities each partner will be responsible for 

– how each partner will contribute to the project, 

– What resources each partner brings to the partnership 

– How the partner has a vested interest in working with this partnership [other than just getting income from a sub-award or contract] 

– How the applicant organization plans to maintain and sustain these relationships on into the future 

– If you intend to fund the partner’s participation in the project describe how the proposed financial transaction complies with applicable requirements in 2 CFR Part 200 on competitive procurement or for subrecipients EPA’s Subaward Policy or EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs. 

 

 

 

Note About Commitment Letters: Applicants working with partners are strongly encouraged to submit at least THREE signed letters of commitment from partners. Letters should be from partners representing different stakeholder groups. All applicants should involve in their project at least THREE PARTNERS from THREE different stakeholder groups as documented by at least THREE signed letters of commitment. The letters must be submitted by the applicant with the other application documents by the submission deadline. The letters of commitment should include information about the role and activities each partner or stakeholder organization will perform as well as any resources the partner or stakeholder will provide. The letters of commitment must be signed by the partnering organizations. 

Do not include generic letters of support or recommendation. Regardless of the source, generic letters of support will not be considered in evaluating applications. If no letters of commitment are included, then it will be assumed the applicant has no partners. If fewer than three letters of commitment are submitted, the applicant must demonstrate how it can effectively perform the project with fewer than three partners. 

Partnerships and collaboration with other interested stakeholders in performance of the project are integral to the success of this program. If an applicant does not demonstrate such partnerships or collaboration as described above, they must be able to convincingly demonstrate in their application how they can effectively perform the project without any partners or collaboration. 

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Given the nature of this program, failure to demonstrate effective partnerships or collaboration with other stakeholders, or having less partners/collaboration than recommended above, will likely adversely impact the applicant’s scoring under the relevant evaluation criteria in Section V and render the application less competitive than others that include partnerships and collaboration. All letters of commitment must be submitted by the applicant with its application package by the submission deadline. The Letters of Commitment should be included as attachments in the grants.gov application package and are not subject to the 18-page limit. 

2.0 Project Activities / Milestone Schedule / Detailed Please describe the following: 

a. Project Activities – Provide a clear description of the steps the applicant will take to meet the program objectives and execute the project. Provide clear descriptions and details for each project activity or component and the anticipated products/results associated with each activity. 

b. Milestone Schedule – Include a clearly articulated/organized milestone schedule, detailing timeframes and major milestones to complete significant project activities within the three-year period of performance. It is recommended that you insert a table in your work plan narrative to help organize your milestone schedule. Your milestone schedule should support and/or supplement the clear descriptions you provide in the Project Activities section 

c. Itemized Budget Sheet / Budget Narrative – Submit as Attachment (use Other Attachment Form in Grants.gov). See Section IV for detailed instructions. 

 

 

3.0 Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes, and Performance Measures (Logic Model) 

Please describe the following: 

a. Environmental Results (Logic Model) – Submit as Attachment (use Other Attachments Form in Grants.gov). See Section IV for detailed instructions on this optional submission. 

b. Performance Measurement Plan – Applicants should describe how they plan to track and monitor their project performance and progress throughout the project period. Applicants will be evaluated on the extent and quality to which the application demonstrates a sound plan for tracking progress towards achieving the expected outputs, outcomes, and associated timeframes for achieving those results. 

c. Sustainability Plan and Community Vision – Description of how the applicant plans to utilize the results and momentum of the proposed project 

 

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to come closer to achieve the community’s goals and objectives. Details about current work and initiatives in the community, and how the community has a vested interest in sustaining the project’s momentum on into the future should also be included. If applicable, applicant should also describe how the activities and results of their project can be used in communities elsewhere. 

 

4.0 Programmatic Capability 

In order to be evaluated under this criterion in Section V, applicants must provide information on their: 

a. Organizational Experience related to the proposed project and their infrastructure as it relates to their ability to successfully implement the proposed project. 

b. Staff Experience / Qualifications of Project Manager (PM) – Provide information that clearly demonstrates that the proposed PM and other staff associated with the project are qualified to perform the project successfully. This will be determined through the description of the following: – Why the PM and associated staff are qualified to undertake the project; 

– Illustrating the PM’s ties/historical connection to the community and the applicant organization. Please include detailed descriptions of any activities that the PM has worked on with the community and/or applicant organization. 

 

c. Expenditure of Awarded Grant Funds – Applicants will be evaluated based on their approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner and applicants must describe this in the workplan. 

 

5.0 Past Performance 

Submit a list of federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements that your organization performed within the last three years. Assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements, but not contracts. List no more than 5 agreements. If your organization received any EPA agreements in the last three years, please list those. For the agreements you list, describe: 

i. whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and 

ii. your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. 

 

In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider the 

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information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If your organization does not have any relevant or available past performance experience related to federal or non-federal grants, you should state this explicitly in your application (e.g., Our organization has no past grants experience.) Including this statement will ensure you receive a neutral score for these factors (a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). However, if you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors. 

6.0 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Information (If applicable) 

Please describe the following: 

• Indicate whether you believe that your project will involve the use of existing environmental data or the collection of new data (use the checklist in Appendix F to assist you in making this determination). For more information about Quality Assurance Project Plans, please consult the following website https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/g5-final.pdf. 

 

You are not required to develop a QAPP at this point. You are only being asked to determine whether or not you will need a QAPP should your project be selected for funding. If required, then an approved QAPP must be in place prior to the initiation of project activities. 

7) Other Attachments Form (not included in page limit): 

i. Itemized Budget Sheet (Optional Template available in Appendices E and F): 

Provide a detailed budget and estimated funding amount for each project component/activity. Identify the requested federal dollars. Keep in mind that EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions of the proposed projects. Clearly explain how EPA funds will be used. Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, contractual costs, travel, equipment, supplies, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs in their EPA budget request. All subaward funding should be located under the “other” category. This section provides an opportunity for narrative description of the budget or aspects of the budget such as “other” and contractual. Provide itemized costs with sufficient detail for EPA to determine the reasonableness and allowability of costs for each work plan component/activity. Where necessary, your itemized budget sheet should include a budget narrative to make it clear how you determined/calculated the costs for each budget category. Please refer to the link below for additional EPA guidance on preparing budgets for EPA grants: https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2019-g02 

In accordance with 2 CFR 200.414(f), recipients that do not have a current negotiated indirect cost rate under 10% are eligible for a de minimis rate of 10% 

of modified total direct costs for all Federal awards. Please see EPA’s IDC Policy at the following link for full details: https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2018-g02-r 

Note that as provided in 2 CFR 200.332 subrecipients who do not have current negotiated indirect cost rates may also use the 10% rate but that applicants may not force subrecipients to use the 10% rate rather than their negotiated rate. 

Total estimated costs in the itemized budget template should reflect federal funding only. Applicants are permitted to attach the itemized budget template as an “Other Attachment” to their application and it will not count against the 18page workplan limit. Applicants will not be penalized if they choose not to use the budget template. 

ii. Environmental Results / Logic Model 

Applicants will be evaluated on the quality of the expected project outputs and outcomes identified in the application for their project. The expected outputs and outcomes should be effective in achieving the Program Objectives listed in Section I, including developing strategies for addressing local environmental and public health issues, as well as building consensus and setting community priorities in the underserved community. Applicants are permitted to attach their completed logic models as an “Other Attachment” to their applications so the sheet will not count against the 18-page workplan limit. While not required, including a logic model as part of your application package is strongly encouraged. A logic models is a useful tool in developing output and outcome measures. It is a visual illustration that shows the relationship between your work and your desired results. It communicates the performance story of your project, focusing attention on the most important connections between your actions and the results. A logic model can serve as a basic road map for the project, explaining where you are and where you hope to end up. Applicants may use the logic model template provided in the appendices or use/create one of their own liking. If you choose not to provide a logic model, you must still detail the outputs and outcomes of your project and address how you will measure performance. (Logic model template and example are available in Appendices C, D, & E). 

When developing outputs and outcomes for all projects, it is important to consider the following: 

a. What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve? 

b. How will my project measure progress in achieving the expected results (including outputs and outcomes) and how will the approach use resources effectively and efficiently? 

c. Are the projected outputs and outcomes specific and detailed? Did I include specific target measures where possible? Are my target measures reasonable and achievable within the project period and for the funding amount? 

 

iii. Letters of Commitment from Partners (representing at least three stakeholder groups): 

Letters should be detailed and indicate how the supporting organization will 

 

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assist the project, such as providing resources or in-kind support. Please do not include generic letters of support. NOTE -If the applying organization is proposing to provide a subaward to a CBO partner, then details of that partnership agreement should be included in the letter of commitment from the partnering CBO, as well as in the workplan itself as explained under Section IV. f. The Letters of Commitment are not subject to the 18-page limit. See further details in Section IV of this funding opportunity. 

iv. Resumes of the Project Manager (PM) and Other Key Personnel: 

Applicants must attach a resume or curricula vitae (CV) for the PM and other key personnel named on the Key Contacts List. These are not subject to the workplan page limit although individual resumes should not exceed 2 pages in length. 

v. Proof of Non-profit Status. (Ensure you include this in your application) 

Applicant organizations claiming non-profit status must include documentation that shows the organization is either a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as designated by the Internal Revenue Service; OR a non-profit organization recognized by the state, territory, commonwealth or tribe in which it is located. These are not subject to the page limit. 

8) Intergovernmental Review Act Executive Order 12372, 

(For projects proposing construction and/or land use planning activities) NOTE -Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs may be applicable to awards resulting from this announcement. EPA implemented the Executive Order in 40 CFR Part 29. EPA may require applicants selected for funding to provide a copy of their application to their State Point of Contact (SPOC) for review as provided at 40 CFR 29.7 and 40 CFR 29.8. The SPOC list can be found on the webpage below. 

Office of Federal Financial Management Resources and Other Information 

 

EPA may require successful applicants from states that do not have a SPOC to provide a copy of their application for review to directly affected state, area-wide, regional and local government entities as provided at 40 CFR 29.7 and 40 CFR 29.8. These reviews are not required before submitting an application. Only applicants that EPA selects for funding under this announcement are subject to the Intergovernmental Review requirement. 

C. PRE-APPLICATION ASSISTANCE CALLS, WEBINARS & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

Currently, as shown in the table below, there will be two webinars. Webinar dates and times may be subject to change, so please refer to the web links in this section to have the most upto-date information. Applicants are invited to participate in webinars with EPA to address questions about the EJCPS Program and this solicitation. Interested persons may access the pre-application assistance calls by dialing the conference call-in information listed in the table below when prompted. Additional conference call information, webinar links, and call recordings can be found at the following website: 

 

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https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-5 Date	Time (Eastern Time)	Zoom Webinar Information
January 24, 2023 (EJCPS Live Webinar)	2:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET	Zoom Webinar Format -Applicants may ask general questions about this RFA. Visit the following link for log-in information: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmentaljustice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperativeagreement-5#Assistance
February 2, 2023 (EJCPS Live Webinar)	6:00pm – 7:30pm ET	Zoom Webinar Format -Applicants may ask general questions about this RFA. Visit the following link for log-in information: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-5#Assistance

 

You will find this text on page 3:

Community-based Nonprofit Organizations (CBOs)

For this RFA, the EJ Grants program defines a “community-based nonprofit organization” (CBO) as a public or private nonprofit organization that supports and/or represents a community and/or certain populations within a community through engagement, education, and other related services provided to individual community residents and community stakeholders. A “community” can be characterized by a particular geographic area and/or by the relationships among members with similar interests and can be characterized as part of a broader national or regional community where organizations can be focused on the needs of urban, rural, and/or tribal areas, farmworkers, displaced workers, children with high levels of lead, people with asthma, subsistence fishers, and other similar groups. Only entities that qualify as community-based nonprofit organizations are eligible for funding under this RFA.

and this text beginning on page 17:

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Announcement Clauses.

A. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES BASED ON THE ASSISTANCE LISTING

-In accordance with CFDA 66.306 (as it will be updated to be consistent with this announcement), an eligible applicant must be one of the following entities:

• a community-based nonprofit organization; or
• a partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations*

* NOTE: the partnership must be documented with a signed Letter of Commitment from the community-based nonprofit organization detailing the parameters of the partnership, as well as the role and responsibilities of the community-based organization. See further details about partnerships below.

Partnerships with CBOs – for the purposes of the Environmental and Climate Justice Block

 

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Grants programs authorized by section 138 of the Clean Air Act and this RFA, a “partnership” is a formal financial relationship between two or more community based nonprofit organizations (CBO) that is memorialized in writing and is legally binding under applicable law. The final partnership agreement (which may be finalized between the two partnering CBOs after selection and/or award) must specify which member of the partnership will enter into the assistance agreement with EPA for the purposes of accountability for the proper expenditure of Federal funds, performance of the assistance agreement, liability for claims for recovery of unallowable costs incurred under the agreement and must specify roles in performing the proposed scope of work for the assistance agreement. One CBO in the partnership must receive EPA funding as the direct recipient of the cooperative agreement and the other partner(s) or as a subrecipient(s). Thus, a qualifying partnership must include a subaward from the direct recipient of EPA funds to the partnering organization. The applying organization must explain in their workplan that they plan to subaward funds to their partner and detail the roles and responsibilities of the partnering CBOs throughout the project. Additionally, Letters of Commitment from the partnering CBO must indicate a subaward agreement is planned to establish the partnership. The final partnership agreement must also at a minimum specify other roles and responsibilities of each partner, including how the priority environmental and public health issues of the disadvantaged communities being served by the partnership are identified and selected for projects and activities, as well as the role of community leaders in the decision-making processes and implementation of the proposed projects for funding. NOTE -Applicants are not required to include the final partnership agreement as a part of their workplan but must include the necessary details as expressed above if a subaward is present. If a non-financial relationship exists between the two CBOs (i.e., in-kind support on the project), then a letter of commitment explaining the non-financial relationship is sufficient.

 

Additionally, under IRA, Congress created the Environmental and Climate Justice Block grant program in Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138 and appropriated $2.8 billion for grants for projects to benefit disadvantaged communities. Eligible projects with this funding fall into five broad categories and include: (A) community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation, and investments in low-and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants; (B) mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events; (C) climate resiliency and adaptation; (D) reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or (E) facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes. EPA interprets the term “community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention and remediation . . .” in CAA 138(b)(2)(A) to allow EPA to fund activities to address water pollution, drinking water contamination, pesticide contamination, toxic substance contamination, solid and hazardous waste contamination, and hazardous substance contamination as well as air pollution.

Beginning on page 6 you will find:

TYPES OF PROJECTS -The EJCPS Program has funded a wide range of projects and project types over the years that address local environmental and public health concerns through collaborative partnerships. All proposed projects should include activities designed to engage, educate, and empower communities to understand the local environmental and public health issues and to identify ways to address these issues at the local level. Types of projects the EJCPS program has funded in the past and would be eligible to be funded under this competition with CAA 138 IRA funding, include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Air quality & asthma
• Water quality and sampling
• Food access to reduce vehicle travel and fuel emissions
• Stormwater issues and green infrastructure
• Lead contamination
• Pesticides and other toxic substances
• Healthy homes
• Illegal dumping
• Emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency
• Environmental job training
• Youth development relating to Environmental Justice

Beginning on page 8 you will find:

F. ELIGIBLE PROJECT ACTIVITIES & PROJECT EXAMPLES

Projects Sought Under this Funding Opportunity:

Eligible Project Categories – Consistent with section 138(b)(2) of the Clean Air Act, Applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity must address one of the following five broad categories: community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and remediation, and investments in low-and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants;

1. mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood heater emissions, and wildfire events;
2. climate resiliency and adaptation;
3. reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or
4. facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in Local, State and Federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings

Eligible Project Activities -The following are more specific examples of the types of activities which may be considered for funding under this solicitation. It is provided for illustrative purposes

1. only and is not all inclusive: research that is incidental to the project design
2. public education
3. small-scale construction and demolition work (if needed for project)
4. small-scale clean-ups
5. installations of air or water filtration systems
6. major disposal training
7. energy recovery projects training
8. building refurbishments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants
9. mitigation of pollution
10. remediation of lead or asbestos
11. workforce development to support low and zero emission and resilient technologies that reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollutants.
12. Environmental Justice partnership building that engages disadvantaged communities in Local, State and Federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings
13. community revitalization planning in support of climate resiliency and adaptation
14. monitoring of sources of pollution
15. efforts to improve equitable transportation and mobility including through efforts to address barriers of cost and safety related to walking, bicycling, and public transit in order to reduce air pollution
16. development of disaster preparedness plans
17. community revitalization planning addressing local pollution and greenspace
18. facilitating the engagement of disadvantaged communities in State advisory groups, workshops and rulemakings and other public processes.

Examples of EJCPS Projects See the list below for examples of EJCPS projects. This is not an exhaustive list:

a. Cleanup of nonhazardous trash (e.g., scrap tires, construction debris) in underserved communities, especially where illegal dumping is an ongoing concern.

b. Reduction of lead in underserved communities and vulnerable populations. Eligible activities include but are not limited to blood lead level (BLL) testing, surveillance, and linkages to service providers who can provide lead remediation services; Restoration, Repair and Paint (RRP) projects at schools and daycare facilities to remove lead-based paint; and paving lead-contaminated dirt in alleys and other public spaces.

c. Development of Citizen Science Monitoring programs to address various environmental contamination issues including water quality. Programs should provide support for communities to not only participate but take ownership over the data collected and collaboratively develop solutions.

d. Planning and development of heat island mitigation strategies in underserved communities. Eligible projects include but are not limited to installation of cool roofs and walls, green roofs, cool pavements, permeable pavers and other green infrastructure measures, and urban forestry initiatives, and extreme heat-related activities within local government

 

 

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departments (e.g., public health, climate, parks, emergency management).

e. Efforts to improve equitable transportation and mobility that encourage mode shift from private vehicles to walking, biking, and public transportation in underserved communities in order to reduce air pollution. Eligible projects include but are not limited to expansion of bike share programs and bike storage facilities, subsidies to encourage the adoption of bicycles including low-speed electric bicycles. Incidental activities for planning and signage for road safety interventions particularly on roadways and intersections with a history of injury and death to pedestrians and bicyclists as part of a larger project to encourage reductions in vehicle miles traveled in automobiles (e.g. dedicated bicycle lanes or pedestrian trails) is also eligible for funding.

f. Energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy programs in K-12 schools including preventative maintenance of HVAC systems, energy audits, energy system upgrades, installation of on-site renewables and/or green infrastructure indoor air quality monitoring and related employee training.

g. Planning and development of environmental justice mapping tools or methodologies to determine potential impacts to underserved communities from multiple disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues.

h. Development of emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency plans and programs for underserved communities and vulnerable populations to minimize the exposure to pollutants in the event of a natural disaster. Disasters disproportionately impact communities of color, low-income, rural, elderly, and youth populations. Applicants may propose to develop plans or programs that specifically work to mitigate the disproportionate impacts of these disasters on their vulnerable populations. Disasters include but are not limited to hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding, oil spills, wildfires, and earthquakes. Projects should address and/or prepare communities for the increases in pollution that can result from these and other disasters.

i. Monitoring and/or prevention and/or remediation of air quality issues related to living close to transportation networks (e.g., railroads, railyards, ports, heavily trafficked roadways) in the local area, especially in areas where data may be limited.

j. Monitoring, preventing or remediation of nonpoint or point source releases of waterborne pollutants in underserved communities.

k. Establishment of collaborative and coordinated efforts, processes or procedures, and communication strategies between state agencies and local governments regarding ongoing environmental monitoring, prevention, or remediation projects at local levels to maximize use of local resources and reduce duplication of efforts.

 

NOTE: For all of the above described activities, reasonable costs to encourage program participation (e.g. training, community meeting participation and/or childcare stipends,) may be allowable with prior EPA approval to the extent provided for in EPA’s Guidance on Participant Support Costs.

 

 

 

 

Begins at bottom of page 19 of the RFA:

A. REQUIREMENT TO SUBMIT THROUGH GRANTS.GOV AND LIMITED EXCEPTION PROCEDURES

1. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception ProceduresApplicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this RFA based on the grants.gov instructions below. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception from applying through Grants.gov for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this RFA only are addressed in section 3, Technical Issues with Submission, below.

2. Submission Instructions

a. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) Registration Instructions

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will need to create an account using login.gov7to complete your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registration includes obtaining an Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization. Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process. [Login.gov a secure sign in service used by the public to sign into Federal Agency systems including SAM.gov and Grants.gov.] For help with login.gov accounts you should visit http://login.gov/help.

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. SAM.gov requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active.

Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only.

Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization’s legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Question on the difference for additional details.

Organizations should ensure that their SAM.gov registration includes a current e-Business (EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for Grants.gov Registration and system functionality.

Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday – Friday 8am – 8pm ET.

b. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is FREE. If you have never applied for a federal grant before, please review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration instructions. As part of the Grants.gov registration process, the EBiz point of contact is the only person that can affiliate and assign applicant roles to members of an organization. In addition, at least one person must be assigned as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only person(s) with the AOR role can submit applications in Grants.gov. Please review the Intro to Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace – User Roles and Workspace Actions for details on this important process.Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the application submission deadline.

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve

technical issues with Grants.gov. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays.

c. Application Submission Process

To begin the application process under this RFA, go to Grants.gov and click the red “Apply” button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this opportunity.

The electronic submission of your application to this RFA must be made by an official representative of your organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance. If the submit button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the appropriate role to submit in your organization. Contact your organization’s EBiz point of contact or contacGrants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Applicants need to ensure that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization’s SAM.gov account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

d. Application Submission Deadline

Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than April 10, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. Please note that successful submission of your application through Grants.gov does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

 

 

 

You may copy and modify this Application Benchmarks Template

AGENCY: 

 

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EXTERNAL CIVIL RIGHTS (OEJECR) 

 

TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING (EJCPS) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROGRAM 

 

ACTION: REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA) 

FUNDING NO.:  EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-01 

ASSISTANCE LISTING: 66.306 

DATES: 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: 

January 10, 2023 

 

CLOSING DATE: 

April 14, 2023 

DEADLINE: Application packages must be submitted on or before April 10, 2023, at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) through Grants.gov. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding. 

 

Application Benchmark Timeline [Administrator items are in Green. Grant Writer/Manager items are in Black.]

JAN 10,  2023	RFA Announced
FEB 2023
Set a date	Administrator reviews RFP administrative aspects
Set a date	Finance Personnel review RFP Budget Narrative Guidance (RFP Appendices F and G) and the Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) form
Set a date	Establish or update SAM.gov account
Set a date	Establish or update grants.gov account
Set a date	Negotiations with potential partners to determine: Eligible Applicant, Eligible Partners, Eligible Category, Eligible Activities, Scope of Work
Set a date	Draft language for any partnership agreements required and send to potential partner for signature or further negotiation
Set a date	Project Logic Model from Template once project design is decided
Set a date	PROJECT NARRATIVE Project Work Plan from Template: Divide up work and send out requests for any information or data that will take time to get back
Set a date	Download and Review Standard Government Forms Required (Assign to Submitter):  » Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) [V4.0] » EPA Form 4700-4 [V5.0] » EPA KEY CONTACTS FORM [V2.0] » Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) [V1.0]
MAR 2023
Set a date	Begin Budget Narrative per Work Plan and Negotiations with partners
Set a date	Review Logic Model and Work Plan Draft with Applicant Leads & Primary Partners
Set a date	Logic Model and Work Plan Revisions
Set a date	Consult with Grant Writer/ Project Manager to draft and send out Letters of Commitment w Roles & Responsibilities or SOW included based on Work Plan
Set a date	Consult with Grant Writer/ Project Manager to draft and send out Resume requests with formatting instructions
APR 2023
Set a date	Call and/or email anyone who has not returned a Letter of Commitment
Set a date	Call and/or email anyone who has not returned a Resume
Set a date	Core Application Team reviews application with the Evaluation Criteria (bottom of p. 33 of RFP)
Set a date	Upload all completed standard Government Forms through grants.gov to their respective links: » Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) [V4.0] » EPA Form 4700-4 [V5.0] » EPA KEY CONTACTS FORM [V2.0] » Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) [V1.0]
APR 8, 2023	Upload the Project Narrative through grants.gov to: » Project Narrative Attachment Form [V1.2]
APR 8, 2023	Compile the Other attachments into one PDF and upload through grants.gov to:  » Other Attachments Form [V1.2]
APR 8 & 9, 2023	Resolve any submission issues with grants.gov technical support
APR 14, 2023 11:59 PM (Eastern Time)	Deadline for Application packages submitted through grants.gov
After Applying
APR-MAY 2023	EPA Threshold Eligibility Review
JUN-AUG 2023	EPA Application Review, Final Award Selection
SEP 2023	Additional Application Documentation as needed
OCT 2023	National Announcements of Awards

 

 

 

Link to the Form with Instructions: EPA Form 4700-4 [V5.0]

Link to the Form: Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) [V1.0]

Form Instructions:

 

If you are a small CBO, one of the reasons to apply for the Small CBO Set Aside is to establish a record of handling federal funds. This cooperative agreement opportunity gives you the ability to do so if you are a small CBO. In that case, you must submit documentation with your application (such as an employee roster) verifying the number of full-time employees on staff and the associated hours per week and salary/wage details for each full-time employee.

If you have a critical need to do a larger project,  try to locate a collaborating entity that has experience managing federal or non-federal grants to serve as primary applicant.

The ability to receive federal funds as a primary applicant requires establishing that your organization, with its collaborating organization(s) or contractors, has the capacity to execute the workplan you submit. If you can meet that bar you may be able to qualify for additional funds.

Read through section 5.0 Past Performance, where you will see that your history of receiving and managing federal or non-federal funds is relevant to the evaluation of your proposal.

 

You will want to list the census tracts in which you will be working, identified as Justice40 disadvantaged census tracts (DACs) or not Justice40 disadvantaged census tracts (not DACs).

If your project will take place in Allapattah, Brownsville, Gladeview, Homestead, Liberty City, Little Haiti, Little Havana, Little River, North Miami, Overtown, Redland or West Perrine, proceed to the Dream.org EPA Data page.

Find the community you will be working in.

Click on “Justice40 Census Tracts” on the community card.

Copy down the  Census Tract numbers in the first column of the chart.

Determine the zip codes for your community by accessing the US Demographic and Statistical Atlas. You can Google search Allapattah, Miami, FL US Demographic and Statistical Atlas. When you arive at the page, scroll to the zip code map and copy down the zip codes.

Example Entry into a Summary Page for Allapattah:

Specific Geographic Areas of Interest: Justice40 Identified Disadvantaged Census Tracts: 12086002502, 12086002501, 1208602900, 12086003001, 12086003003, 12086003004, 1208603100*, 12086oo2402, 12086oo2403, 12085002404 in Zip Codes 33142, 33127, 33125 and 33136 in Allapattah, Miami Dade County, Florida.

This is the source citation for EPA EJSCREEN: EPA EJScreen. Retrieved: [Enter Month, Day, Year, from url (the url cited should be the exact url you accessed) or www.epa.gov/ejscreen for a general citation.]

If you use the data for Allapattah from Dream.org EPA Data page the citation would be EPA EJScreen. Retrieved: [March, 29,2023, from www.epa.gov/ejscreen]

If you are working in only a portion of a community or a community that is not featured on the Miami Dade County Data Page, enter the name of the city and state or the name of a civic building (like a school in the community that may be participating in your project) into the Search Bar of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). Click on the areas on the map where you will be working and copy down the corresponding census tracts that appear in the column on the right hand side of the map.

In the CEJST tool image below, (1) Miami Jackson Senior High School was entered into the Search Bar. (2) The census tract that appeared on the right hand side of the map was 12086002300. (3) The census tract is identified as disadvantaged. Note that the census tract is outlined in the map itself.

The citation for CEJST is Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) .Version #. (Accessed Month.Day.Year)

 

 

 

For the prompt “Environmental Issues:  e.g. Air, Water, Waste, etc.”

The text below means that if you will be engaged in addressing climate change, you would identify “Air” as your environmental issue. In this policy environment, greenhouse gas emissions that have caused climate change, and the activities of communities to build resilience and mitigate the impacts of climate change are issues of “Air.” The underlying legislation providing the funding for your work is therefore the Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 138.

If your project addresses water pollution or drinking water contamination, you will report “Water” as your environmental issue.

If your project addresses solid and hazardous waste contamination, or hazardous substance contamination, your environmental issue is “Waste”.

If your project addresses pesticide contamination or toxic substance contamination, use the environment which is contaminated as your environmental issue. If the contaminant is in both air and water, use both “Air and Water”. 

From the RFA p. 4

 

From Section V, page 40 of the RFA:

The Selection Official may consider any of the following “other factors” in making final selection decisions from among the high-ranking applications: 

(1) Projects addressing Climate Change, Disaster Resiliency, and/or Emergency Preparedness; Rural Areas; and/or Health Impact Assessments (See Section I); 

(2) Geographic Diversity – EPA may consider the mix of high-ranking projects located in urban and rural areas or different regions of the country when making final selections, as well as the geographical nature or impact of the project. 

(3) Programmatic Priorities – The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, EPA National Programs, and EPA Regional Offices develop annual goals and priorities that may focus on certain environmental and/or public health issues (e.g., lead contamination, safe drinking water, and risk management). These overarching goals and priorities may be a consideration when making final selections among high-ranking applications. 

(4) Availability of funds. 

Accordingly, in making the final funding decisions, the Selection Official will consider the review panel rankings and recommendations, OEJECR staff input based on their call with the review panel(s) and may also consider the other factors identified above. The “other factors” may only be considered by the Selection Official when determining final selections after the scoring and ranking process is complete. 

 

 

APPENDIX H 

Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights Quality Assurance Project Plan Requirement (QAPP) 

Check Yes or No for each of the items provided below as it applies to your specific project. If you answered YES to any of the items listed below, you are REQUIRED TO SUBMIT a Quality Assurance Project Plan in accordance with EPA Requirements and an approved QAPP must be in place prior to the initiation of activities. 

You will be contacted with information on how to prepare your QAPP.

In the meantime, please visit the website https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/g5-final.pdf which provides guidance on what must be submitted for grants/cooperative agreements. 

1. Your project will involve the collection of groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water, air, biota or fauna samples for chemical or biological analysis.  Yes  No 
2. Your project will use existing computer databases containing analytical data or personal information previously collected. Yes  No
3. Your project will use existing historical research pertaining to this project or application. Yes  No  
4. Your project will implement deed searches for current property or site. Yes  No  
5. Your project will conduct medical records search for the population covered in the grant. Yes  No  
6. Your project will compile meteorological data to determine weather trends or air mixing trends. Yes  No  
7. Your project will use existing statistical studies or will conduct these studies as part of the project. Yes  No  
8. Your project will create a new database based on the information gathered. Yes  No  
9. Your project will use this information for litigation purposes. Yes  No  
10. Your project will use this information for litigation purposes. Yes  No 

 

RFP page 25

b. Environmental and Public Health information of the Underserved Community – The applicant will be evaluated on the ability to clearly describe the local environmental justice issue(s) the project proposes to address and the community that is impacted. Please describe the following:

•Describe and characterize the underserved community directly impacted by disproportionate environmental and/or public health harms and risks and describe how the community is impacted by those harms and risks (i.e., Who is the community comprised of and what are the disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues they experience?)

The first part of this question is asking you to characterize the underserved community.  One way to do this is by creating a Justice40 profile using CJEST.

• Go to the CEJST Mapper and Enter the Name of the Community in the search bar

• Click on the map to (1.) The census tract number appear in the right hand column and (2) The categories appear to the right below (Climate, Energy, Health, Housing, Legacy Pollution, Transportation, Water and Wastewater, Workforce Development). 

• Construct a chart of the burden categories met by each census tract. If the census tract has met the burden, there will be a blue dot by the burden category

The community’s Justice40 profile:

Top line Justice40 qualified Disadvantaged Census Tract Data:

Allapatta is a community of 44,039. It is comprised of 10 CJEST-identified Justice40 disadvantaged census tracts, one of which is only partially within Allapattah. The burden categories met by all 10 census tracts include: Climate Change, Health, Housing, Legacy Pollution, Transportation, Water and Wastewater, and Workforce Development. The Energy burden threshold is met by Census Tract 12086002900 (also known as Census Tract 29.00),which is only partially within the project area,  and Census Tract 12086002404 (also known as Census Tract 29.00).

Source cited: Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#14.54/25.79278/-80.2008  

You will likely want to describe your community in a narrative that reflects the lived experience of the community. Here are two brief characterizations of  communities. This text begins to describe who the community is comprised of culturally and historically.

Example 1. Cultural/historical description of a community applying for an EPA Collaborative Problem Solving Cooperative Agreement

The Parramore community has faced tremendous economic and social challenges.  Segregation caused African-Americans to be forced to the area west of Downtown on the other side of “Division Street”.   In the 1920s, most of the land in Parramore was zoned for industrial use, even where the homes were.  Most of the Parramore streets were unpaved and there was a lack of city services, such as indoor plumbing, while the neighborhoods to the north and east of Parramore were enjoying paved roads, water and wastewater services.

Despite these harsh living conditions, the Parramore community grew and flourished during the early to mid-nineteen hundreds. There were several industrial and agricultural related uses there within the community which led to a negative impact on the environment. During the early 1960’s, the “separate but equal” laws, created new roads and urban renewal projects, which caused Parramore to fragment, and lose much of its sense of place and cultural heritage. 

The Interstate 4 (I-4) was constructed in the 1960s and Orlando East-West Expressway (SR-408) was constructed in 1973, which further fragmented the Holden/Parramore neighborhood and displaced the residents and businesses. The extensive highway construction brought about the destruction of homes, businesses and cultural institutions; this intensification of certain industrial uses and the development of large institutional buildings, led to the loss of population and social fabric.  

The Parramore neighborhoods are part of a larger community that stretches across US 441 and extends all the way to John Young Parkway. Many of the residents of the neighborhoods west of US 441 originally lived in Parramore and moved when lending practices and available capital allowed African American residents to purchase single family homes in neighborhoods like Washington Shores and Rock Lake. A large number of these residents still return to Parramore to worship on Sundays and maintain a strong identity with the Parramore area. Many elderly residents of Parramore on fixed incomes moved to Mercy Drive as Section 8 housing became available there.

The underserved communities that comprise the study group for this project are culturally cohesive, and include Mercy Drive, Parramore and Holden Heights in the Orlando Metropolitan area.

Example 2. Cultural and historical description of communities that comprise a study area that has been greatly impacted by a hurricane in response to an offering addressing systemic inequities with a special set aside for disaster preparedness and response:

Before the catastrophic destruction caused in Bay County by Hurricane Michael that was swift, Glenwood and Millville, two neighborhoods within Panama City-Bay County, FL, have suffered from a slow, debilitating devastation. Glenwood and Millville were once safe and thriving communities whose residents were a significant part of the local labor force. Within these neighborhoods were small businesses and manufacturing companies that served the county, schools that produced literate students, and families that were strong. From the late 1920s to the early 1970s, nearly 50 years, these communities were on a growth trajectory. With the shifting population base away from these neighborhoods, the transition of retail centers from downtowns and strip shopping centers to retail malls (and, more recently, to Internet shopping), decreasing manufacturing job opportunities, and fewer jobs for high school drop outs, the Glenwood and Millville communities’ quality of life also disintegrated.

Today, these two communities are among the poorest in the country, and the children who live there suffer greatly from the inadequacies in food, housing and education. And family strength has greatly weakened.  It is not from lack of some provision, but similar to neighborhoods in urban communities throughout the nation, Glenwood and Millville have become high poverty, high crime geographical pockets. There is, however, great potential within these neighborhoods to rebound from the unwanted, unintended consequences setbacks due to societal circumstances outside of their control.

Who in the community is disproportionaltely harmed?

The second part of this question is to determine the characteristics of the population in the community project area that is “disproportionately harmed” by the risk you are planning to address in your project. To figure this out Google: EPA + the health harm you plan to address + vulnerable. You want the EPA’s definition of who in the population is most vulnerable to the environmental harm.

For example, Google EPA Heat Vulnerable to find this webpage. Restate this text found on the page and cite the page to have an EPA source to make the argument:

Text on the webpage:

Those most vulnerable to extreme heat are the elderly, very young children, infirm, poor, and socially isolated people, and those who are pregnant are at particular risk during heat waves.

People living in cities are already at a higher risk of heat waves because urban areas are warmer than surrounding non-urban areas due to the heat island effect. This may further compromise the health of vulnerable populations.

Write into the application:

Because the proposed project area is an urban area, the entire population is at a higher risk of exposure to heat waves due to the heat island effect. The groups that are most disproportionately impacted by the environmental public health harm of  extreme heat are the most vulnerable identified by the EPA as “the elderly, very young children, infirm, poor, and socially isolated people, and those who are pregnant.” (1)

In your data sources, you now cite:

(1) EPA webpage, Climate Adaptation – Extreme Heat and Health (Accessed 1.20.2023) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-extreme-heat-and-health#:~:text=Those%20most%20vulnerable%20to%20extreme,particular%20risk%20during%20heat%20waves. 

Also search National Institutes of Health articles. The following quotes are in the article titled Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States:

• “Historically redlined and contemporary CEJST disadvantaged census tracts and communities of color were found to be associated with increased vulnerability to heat.”
• “Communities of color were associated with increased vulnerability to heat and were overrepresented in the most vulnerable census tracts.”
• “Identifying place and race/ethnicity‐based disparities in heat vulnerability can help promote equitable climate change adaptation policies.”

(2) Manware M, Dubrow R, Carrión D, Ma Y, Chen K. Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States. Geohealth. 2022 Dec 1;6(12):e2022GH000695. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000695. PMID: 36518814; PMCID: PMC9744626.

Now you want some demographics to show how much of the community is in the vulnerable categories that make them suffer disproportionately.

For this you will use EPA EJSCREEN’s Standard Report. You use this source because it looks at community vulnerability through the lens of EPA-identified and relevant vulnerabilities to environmental harms and risks.

For this example, we will consider Allapattah as the geography and heat as the environmental harm or risk. 

1.  Enter your community into the search bar and click on the magnifying glass icon.  We will enter Allapattah, Florida.

2. When we click the icon, this map appears, with a small pink plus sign signifying the location.

EPA EJ Screen allows you to draw your study area on the map. It combines the data from all of the census tracts within the shape you draw. Here are instructions on how to do that. It prevents the need for having to chart out data for a list of census tracts.

Click on the Reports Icon.

Click on Draw an Area in the dropdown menu that appears.

Draw the boundaries of the project area by following along the street borders, creating a polygon.

Click anywhere in the polygon and the Reports pop-up box will appear. Be sure to label the geographic area in the Name bar.

Click on Explore Reports.

You will see 4 data categories in the tabs at the top.

• Environmental Justice Indexes combine socioeconomics with environmental harms
• Pollution and Sources are specific emvironmental indicators
•  
• Socioeconomic Indicators provide the demographics you are looking for
• The Supplemental Demographic index averages: 
  • % Low Income 
  • % Unemployed 
  • % Limited English Speaking
  • % Less than High School Education
  • Low Life Expectancy

  The supplemental demographic index is then combined with a single environmental indicator, to display areas with the highest intersection between these socioeconomic factors and the environmental indicator. 

  The supplemental indexes provide flexibility in the ways the data can be considered within EJScreen. They also increase EJScreen’s functionality and may be more relevant for use in certain situations, such as awarding grants.

Click on Get Data Table.

Click on the Download Button in the upper right corner.

The data for the “User Specified Area” you drew onto the map appears. The total population is in the title bar.

Proceed to the Demographics and look for the items on the vulnerability list that you can find: the elderly (Population over Age 64), very young children (Population under Age 5) , infirm, poor (Low Income Population), and socially isolated people, and those who are pregnant. This is a national competition, so you will use the Value column and the %-ile in USA column.

The People of Color Population is also heat vulnerable according to the NIH article, which stated,” Historically redlined and contemporary CEJST disadvantaged census tracts and communities of color were found to be associated with increased vulnerability to heat.”

Source Cited: Manware M, Dubrow R, Carrión D, Ma Y, Chen K. Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States. Geohealth. 2022 Dec 1;6(12):e2022GH000695. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000695. PMID: 36518814; PMCID: PMC9744626.

FLORIDA, EPA Region 4 (Population: 44,039)

This information can be written as:

Populations in the community that are vulnerable to heat include 61% of the population (89th %-ile in the US) that is low income, 6% of the population (64th %-ile) that is under 5 years old, 18% of the population that is over Age 64, and 95% of the population (92nd %-ile the US) that is comprised of people of color. (1)(2)(3)

It can be cited as:  

(1) EPA webpage, Climate Adaptation – Extreme Heat and Health (Accessed 1.20.2023) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-extreme-heat-and-health#:~:text=Those%20most%20vulnerable%20to%20extreme,particular%20risk%20during%20heat%20waves. 

(2) Manware M, Dubrow R, Carrión D, Ma Y, Chen K. Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States. Geohealth. 2022 Dec 1;6(12):e2022GH000695. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000695. PMID: 36518814; PMCID: PMC9744626.

(3) Allapattah project geography created using the EPA EJSCREEN Drawing Tool (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/ 

 

 

 

 

RFP page 25

Describe and characterize the underserved community directly impacted by disproportionate environmental and/or public health harms and risks and describe how the community is impacted by those harms and risks (i.e., Who is the community comprised of and what are the disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues they experience?)

FIND THE EVIDENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH HARMS AND RISKS existing in the specific geography related to your argument that the community is disproportionately harmed by heat.

For this example, we will continue to consider Allapattah as the geography and heat as the environmental harm or risk. 

Determine the health conditions specifically associated with vulnerability to heat. Use both EPA and CDC searches, and use the information that best fits your argument for the community’s need. You might search “chronic conditions heat vulnerability EPA” and repeat for “chronic conditions heat vulnerability CDC.”

EPA and CDC connect environmental hazards to health:

• “Temperature extremes can worsen some chronic medical conditions, such as heart and respiratory disease and diabetes.  At the same time, some medical conditions, such as obesity and heart disease, increase people’s sensitivity to heat, putting them at greater risk of heat illnesses.”

Source cited:  EPA. Climate Change and the Health of People with Chronic Medical Conditions. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-people-chronic-medical-conditions

• “Outdoor air quality: Warming temperatures complicate efforts of many communities to attain and maintain ground-level ozone air quality standards.”

Source cited: EPA. Climate Adaptation – Air Quality and Health. (Accessed Mo.Day.Yr) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-air-quality-and-health

• “If you have asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema, ozone can make your symptoms worse.”

Source cited: CDC. Ozone and Your Health. (Accessed Mo. Day. Year) https://www.cdc.gov/air/ozone.html

• “Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.  These conditions can result in increased numbers of emergency room visits, hospital admissions, absences from work and school, and premature deaths.”

Source cited: EPA. Learn About Impacts of Diesel Exhaust and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/dera/learn-about-impacts-diesel-exhaust-and-diesel-emissions-reduction-act-dera#:~:text=Human%20health%2C%20our%20environment%2C%20global,all%20affected%20by%20diesel%20emissions.&text=Human%20Health%20%2D%20Exposure%20to%20diesel,in%20children%20and%20the%20elderly.

 

Determine the Disproportionate Environmental Health Hazards related to heat in this chart that are in the 80th %-ile in the US or greater.

Diesel Particulate Matter is 0.669 ug/m3, which is in the 95th – 100th %-ile in the US

Traffic Proximity and Volume (daily traffic count/distance to road) is 400, which is in the 88th %-ile in the US.

Note that the pollution burden is also disproportionate from Superfund Proximity (95th %-ile in US), Hazardous Waste Proximity (82nd %-ile) and Underground Storage Tank Indicator (98th %-ile in US)

There are many EJ Indexes and Supplemental Indexes that are in the 80th %-ile or greater. If you are going to use any of the indexes, you must explain that the demographics and the environmental measurements combine to make the index.

The text to enter into the application is, therefore:

The Supplemental Demographic index averages % Low income, % Unemployed, % Limited English Speaking, % Less than High School Education and Low Life Expectancy. This supplemental demographic index is then combined with a single environmental indicator, to display areas with the highest intersection between these socioeconomic factors and the environmental indicator.

Because 61% of the population is low income (89th %-ile in US), 8% is unemployed (72nd %-ile in US),  49% is Limited English Speaking (98th %-ile in the US), 36% is Less than HS Education (94th %-ile), there is intersectionality between the socioeconomic factors and environmental indicators that indicates disproportionate impact on the community of Allapattah. The indexes related to respiratory hazards are disproportionately high. Eight of the Supplemental Indexes are in the 95th %-ile in the US or greater. These include: Diesel Particulate Matter and Superfund Proximity (99th %-ile in US), Toxic Releases to Air and Hazardous Waste Proximity (98th %-ile in US), Traffic Proximity (97th %-ile in the US), RMP Facility Proximity (96th %-ile in the US),  and Lead Paint (95th %-ile in US). Supplemental Index for Air Toxics Cancer Risk and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge are in the 83rd %-ile in the nation, and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge is in the 83rd %-ile in the nation.

The cumulative burden of environmental harms is disproportionately high in Allapattah.  

Source Cited: Allapattah project geography created using the EPA EJSCREEN Drawing Tool (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Synthesis of the data gathered to this point:

Allapatta is a community of 44,039.  Much of the population falls into socioeconomic categories that are associated with poor health outcomes. The Supplemental Demographic index averages % Low income, % Unemployed, % Limited English Speaking, % Less than High School Education and Low Life Expectancy. This Supplemental Demographic Index is then combined with a single environmental indicator, to display areas with the highest intersection between these socioeconomic factors and the environmental indicator. Because 61% of the population of Allapattah is low income (89th %-ile in US), 8% is unemployed (72nd %-ile in US),  49% is Limited English Speaking (98th %-ile in the US) and 36% is Less than HS Education (94th %-ile), it is clear that there is considerable intersectionality between socioeconomic factors and environmental hazards in the community.  Eight of the Supplemental Indexes are in the 95th %-ile in the US or greater. These include: Diesel Particulate Matter and Superfund Proximity (99th %-ile in US), Toxic Releases to Air and Hazardous Waste Proximity (98th %-ile in US), Traffic Proximity (97th %-ile in the US), RMP Facility Proximity (96th %-ile in the US),  and Lead Paint (95th %-ile in US). Supplemental Index for Air Toxics Cancer Risk and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge are in the 83rd %-ile in the nation, and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge is in the 83rd %-ile in the nation. These data indicate that the cumulative burden of socioeconomic and environmental burdens is disproportionately high in Allapattah. (1) 

Because the proposed project area is an urban area, the entire population is at a higher risk of exposure to heat waves due to the heat island effect. The groups that are most disproportionately impacted by the environmental public health harm of  extreme heat are identified by the EPA as “the elderly, very young children, infirm, poor, and socially isolated people, and those who are pregnant.” (2) In Allapattah,  61% of the population (89th %-ile in the US) that is low income, 6% of the population (64th %-ile) that is under 5 years old and 18% of the population that is over Age 64.(1)

People with chronic diseases are in the “infirm” category identified by the EPA as vulnerabule to heat.  The EPA states that  “Temperature extremes can worsen some chronic medical conditions, such as heart and respiratory disease and diabetes.  At the same time, some medical conditions, such as obesity and heart disease, increase people’s sensitivity to heat, putting them at greater risk of heat illnesses.”(3) EPA also states that, “Warming temperatures complicate efforts of many communities to attain and maintain ground-level ozone air quality standards.” (4) The CDC states that ozone can make the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema worse.(5) 

 The level of Diesel Particulate Matter is 0.669 ug/m3 in Allapattah, which is in the 95th – 100th %-ile in the nation.(1) The EPA reports, “Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.  These conditions can result in increased numbers of emergency room visits, hospital admissions, absences from work and school, and premature deaths.”(6)

 Sources Cited:

(1) Allapattah project geography created using the EPA EJSCREEN Drawing Tool (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/ 

(2) EPA webpage, Climate Adaptation – Extreme Heat and Health (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-extreme-heat-and-health#:~:text=Those%20most%20vulnerable%20to%20extreme,particular%20risk%20during%20heat%20waves. 

(3) EPA. Climate Change and the Health of People with Chronic Medical Conditions. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-people-chronic-medical-conditions

(4) EPA. Climate Adaptation – Air Quality and Health. (Accessed Mo.Day.Yr) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-air-quality-and-health

(5) CDC. Ozone and Your Health. (Accessed Mo. Day. Year) https://www.cdc.gov/air/ozone.html

(6) EPA. Learn About Impacts of Diesel Exhaust and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/dera/learn-about-impacts-diesel-exhaust-and-diesel-emissions-reduction-act-dera#:~:text=Human%20health%2C%20our%20environment%2C%20global,all%20affected%20by%20diesel%20emissions.&text=Human%20Health%20%2D%20Exposure%20to%20diesel,in%20children%20and%20the%20elderly.

 

Additional data needed  to add to the data assembled so far is chronic disease data that can demonstrate disproportionate health impacts consistent with known increases in health impacts from exposure to environmental harms.  The census tract level data in the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) includes data on asthma, heart disease and diabetes. The FDOH Health Data Mapper has chronic disease data by census tract. 

Accessing the CEJST data:

• Return to the list of census tracts that you put together for the Summary Page.

Specific Geographic Areas of Interest: Justice40 Identified Disadvantaged Census Tracts: 12086002502, 12086002501, 1208602900, 12086003001, 12086003003, 12086003004, 1208603100*, 12086oo2402, 12086oo2403, 12085002404 in Zip Codes 33142, 33127, 33125 and 33136 in Allapattah, Miami Dade County, Florida.

• Go to the CEJST Mapper and Enter the Name of the Community in the search bar

• Click on the map to (1.) The census tract number appear in the right hand column and (2) The categories appear to the right below (Climate, Energy, Health, Housing, Legacy Pollution, Trancportation, Water and Wastewater, Workforce Development). Click on the Health Category 
•  The elements of the Health burden category appear. These are (1)Asthma, (2) Diabetes and (3) Heart Disease Data. These are the numbers you will pull for your spreadsheet.

• Your spreadsheet should have Census tract in the left column
• Record the data in a spreadsheet with the census tract list in the left column

 

• Summarize the important data points, remembering that 80th percentile and above is the threshold you are looking for 

Text for the health data:

All 10 census tracts in Allapatah are in the 91st percentile in the US or above for diabetes. Half of the census tracts are in the 80th percentile or above for heart disease. Census tract 1208603100 is only partially in Allapattah, and is in the 96th percentile in the nation.

Source cited: Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5

• Because the data on particulate matter suggest that there may be substantial respiratory disease that is not captured in the asthma data,  find out if there have been significant deaths associated with chronic Lower Respiratory Disease.
• Go to the Florida Health Charts Mapper and select the topic: Chronic Disease, the Group: Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, Indicator: Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease Deaths, in Miami-Dade county in the most recent timeframe (2017 – 2021).
• Look for the last three digits of the census tracts in the chart to the right of the tool, and transfer the data into your census tract spreadsheet. You are recording the quartile in which the census tract fits for death counts.
• Enter this new Data into the Census tract spreadsheet
• Summarize the important data pointsText for health data:Although no data is available for census tract 12086003003,  60% of the census tracts in Allapattah were in the highest (4th) quartile and 30% were in the 3rd quartile for Chronic Respiratory Disease Deaths in Miami-Dade County. With all of the census tracts in the top two quartiles for these respiratory disease associated deaths, it is reasonable to infer that the population of Allapattah has a substantial population that is vulnerable to heat a due to chronic lower respiratory disease.

Source Cited: Florida Department of Health. Bureau of Community of Public Health Statistics and Performance Management. Florida Health Charts Mapper (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=ChartsMaps.chartsMapper   

Add the new text to the response to the prompt and move on. You may return to this section as you develop your work plan to emphasize subpopulations you will be working with. See the Summary box below for the full response to this prompt. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RFP page 25

Describe how the community is impacted by those harms and risks (i.e. Who is the community comprised of and what are the disproportionate environmental and/or public health issues they experience?)

Clarify your argument so it exactly matches what the prompt is asking for:

 

Synthesis of the data gathered to this point:

Allapatta is a community of 44,039. It is comprised of 10 CJEST-identified Justice40 disadvantaged census tracts, one of which is only partially within Allapattah. The burden categories met by all 10 census tracts include: Climate Change, Health, Housing, Legacy Pollution, Transportation, Water and Wastewater, and Workforce Development. The Energy burden threshold is met by Census Tract 12086002900 (also known as Census Tract 29.00),which is only partially within the project area,  and Census Tract 12086002404 (also known as Census Tract 29.00).

The community is comprised of many vulnerable populations, some of whom are in vulnerable socioeconomic groups at higher risk for negative health outcomes. Others have preexisting medical conditions that can be exacerbated by environmental pollution and heat. The Supplemental Demographic index averages % Low income, % Unemployed, % Limited English Speaking, % Less than High School Education and Low Life Expectancy. This Supplemental Demographic Index is then combined with a single environmental indicator, to display areas with the highest intersection between these socioeconomic factors and the environmental indicator. Because 61% of the population of Allapattah is low income (89th %-ile in US), 8% is unemployed (72nd %-ile in US),  49% is Limited English Speaking (98th %-ile in the US) and 36% is Less than HS Education (94th %-ile), it is clear that there is considerable intersectionality between socioeconomic factors and environmental hazards in the community. Therefore eight of the Supplemental Indexes are in the 95th %-ile in the US or greater. These include: Diesel Particulate Matter and Superfund Proximity (99th %-ile in US), Toxic Releases to Air and Hazardous Waste Proximity (98th %-ile in US), Traffic Proximity (97th %-ile in the US), RMP Facility Proximity (96th %-ile in the US),  and Lead Paint (95th %-ile in US). Supplemental Index for Air Toxics Cancer Risk and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge are in the 83rd %-ile in the nation, and the Supplemental Index for Wastewater Discharge is in the 83rd %-ile in the nation. These data indicate that the cumulative burden of socioeconomic and environmental burdens is disproportionately high in Allapattah. (1) 

Because the proposed project area is an urban area, the entire population is at a higher risk of exposure to heat waves due to the heat island effect. The census tracts in Allapattah are CEJST disadvantaged communities of color. In their publication Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States, Manware, et. al state that “Communities of color were associated with increased vulnerability to heat and were overrepresented in the most vulnerable census tracts.”(10)  People of Color comprise 95 % of the population (92nd %-ile in USA) in Allapatah.(1) The groups that are most disproportionately impacted by the environmental public health harm of  extreme heat identified by the EPA are “the elderly, very young children, infirm, poor, and socially isolated people, and those who are pregnant.” (2) In Allapattah,  61% of the population (89th %-ile in the US) is low income, 6% of the population (64th %-ile in the US) is under 5 years old and 18% of the population is over Age 64.(1) People with chronic diseases are in the “infirm” category identified by the EPA as vulnerabule to heat.  The EPA states that  “Temperature extremes can worsen some chronic medical conditions, such as heart and respiratory disease and diabetes.  At the same time, some medical conditions, such as obesity and heart disease, increase people’s sensitivity to heat, putting them at greater risk of heat illnesses.”(3) EPA also states that, “Warming temperatures complicate efforts of many communities to attain and maintain ground-level ozone air quality standards.” (4) The CDC states that ozone can make the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema worse.(5) The EPA reports, “Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.  These conditions can result in increased numbers of emergency room visits, hospital admissions, absences from work and school, and premature deaths.”(6) The level of Diesel Particulate Matter is 0.669 ug/m3 in Allapattah, which is in the 95th – 100th %-ile in the nation.(1)  Residents of Allapattah are exposed to some of the highest levels of Diesel Particulate Matter in the country.  All 10 census tracts in Allapatah are in the 91st percentile in the US or above for diabetes. Half of the census tracts are in the 80th percentile or above for heart disease; and although census tract 1208603100 is only partially in Allapattah, it is in the 96th percentile in the nation for asthma. (7) Although no Florida Department of Health data on death counts from chronic lower respiratory disease is available for census tract 12086003003 in the FDOH Health Charts Mapper,  60% of the census tracts in Allapattah were in the highest (4th) quartile and 30% were in the 3rd quartile for Chronic Respiratory Disease Deaths in Miami-Dade County. With all census tracts in the top two quartiles for these respiratory disease associated deaths, it is reasonable to infer that the population of Allapattah has a substantial population that is vulnerable to heat due to chronic lower respiratory disease.(8) The public health issues experienced by residents of Allapattah from the environmental harms in the geography include the worsening of symptoms of heart disease, diabetes, asthma and other lower respiratory diseases, and negative health impacts from exposure to heat in the age groups and socioeconomic categories present in Allapattah.

 Sources Cited:

(1) Allapattah project geography created using the EPA EJSCREEN Drawing Tool (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://ejscreen.epa.gov/mapper/ 

(2) EPA webpage, Climate Adaptation – Extreme Heat and Health (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-extreme-heat-and-health#:~:text=Those%20most%20vulnerable%20to%20extreme,particular%20risk%20during%20heat%20waves. 

(3) EPA. Climate Change and the Health of People with Chronic Medical Conditions. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-health-people-chronic-medical-conditions

(4) EPA. Climate Adaptation – Air Quality and Health. (Accessed Mo.Day.Yr) https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/climate-adaptation-air-quality-and-health

(5) CDC. Ozone and Your Health. (Accessed Mo. Day. Year) https://www.cdc.gov/air/ozone.html

(6) EPA. Learn About Impacts of Diesel Exhaust and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.epa.gov/dera/learn-about-impacts-diesel-exhaust-and-diesel-emissions-reduction-act-dera#:~:text=Human%20health%2C%20our%20environment%2C%20global,all%20affected%20by%20diesel%20emissions.&text=Human%20Health%20%2D%20Exposure%20to%20diesel,in%20children%20and%20the%20elderly.

(7) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5

(8) Florida Department of Health. Bureau of Community of Public Health Statistics and Performance Management. Florida Health Charts Mapper (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=ChartsMaps.chartsMapper

(9) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. (Accessed Mo.Day.Year) https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#14.54/25.79278/-80.2008

(10) Manware M, Dubrow R, Carrión D, Ma Y, Chen K. Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States. Geohealth. 2022 Dec 1;6(12):e2022GH000695. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000695. PMID: 36518814; PMCID: PMC9744626.  

 

 

 

 

 

Make a clear statement that includes the prompt language.

Examples:

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of heat.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of air pollution.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of water pollution.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of natural disasters related to climate change.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of lack of access to drinking water.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of local flooding.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of solid waste disposal.

The proposed project will address the environmental/public health issue of landfill impacts on the community.

 

 

 

Make a simple statement that restates the prompt.

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) reduced exposure to heat during extreme heat events and (2) reduction of heat-related emergency room visits.

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) reduction of exposure to traffic-related air pollution and (2) an increase in air quality monitoring data measured within  the participating communities, and (3) increased use of Airnow.gov to support decision-making in vulnerable populations. 

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) reduced exposure to water pollution and (2) reduction of garbage in open ditches and storm drains.

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) increased energy availability for home medical equipment and refrigeration for medications during blackouts, (2) reduced swift water rescues, and (2) reduced ER visits associated with hurricane clean-up.

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) increase in correct compliance with boil water orders and (2) increased access to drinking water.

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) reduction of trash blocking storm drains, (2) increase in evacuation flood zone awareness, and (3) reduced exposure to mold.  

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) increased proper disposal of chemical waste/toxic home chemicals and  (2) reduced methane exposure

The environmental/public health results the project seeks to achieve are: (1) increased recycling and  (2) reduced methane exposure 

 

 

 

 

Consult this guidance on pages 7 and 8 of the RFP:

E. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

For this competition, EPA will give special consideration to applications that focus on the following program priority:

• Projects addressing Climate Change, Disaster Resiliency, and/or Emergency Preparedness – The effects of climate change and extreme weather events tend to adversely impact the most vulnerable communities and populations disproportionately. Therefore, EPA may give special consideration to projects that address the needs of underserved and vulnerable communities that have been adversely impacted or are likely to be adversely impacted by natural disasters, including, but not limited to, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and future pandemics.
• Rural areas – EPA will give special consideration to high-ranking proposals to be performed in rural areas as defined by the program. Rural areas, for the purposes of this competition, are defined as one of the following: Local areas with populations of 50,000 or less that have limited access to public or private resources commonly found in metropolitan areas
• Community Network areas selected by the Rural Partners Network (See rural.gov for a complete list of communities)

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

• Coal and Energy Communities (See energycommunities.gov for a complete list of communities)
• Applicants claiming rural status must provide sufficient detail (census data, population figures, descriptions of local resources, etc.) for EPA to validate the rural status of the underserved community. The goal of this special consideration is to encourage and increase project performance in rural areas in the EPA EJ Grants program.
• Health Impact Assessment (HIA) – HIA is a “practice that aims to protect and promote health and to reduce inequities in health during a decision-making process.”(3) One’s health is affected by genetics and the health care we receive, but also by the built, social, and natural environments in which we live and work. As such, there is growing recognition that a broad range of decisions can affect health, and health consequences, positive and negative, should be considered as part of decision-making. EPA may give special consideration to HIA projects that seek to determine the potential effects of a proposed environmental decision on the health of underserved and vulnerable communities and the distribution of those effects within the communities.

(3) Bhatia R, Farhang L, Heller J, Lee M, Orenstein M, Richardson M and Wernham A. Minimum Elements and Practice Standards for Health Impact Assessment, Version 3. September, 2014. https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/learningopportunities/HIA_Best_Practice_Standards_2014.pdf

The special considerations listed above will only be considered as an “other factor”, in addition to the scoring criteria in Section V, in making selection decisions. Additional other factors which may be considered during the selection process can be found in Section V of this funding announcement. The selection official may consider any (or all) of these “other factors” or none at all in making selection decisions.

NOTE: Under this competition, projects not focused on the special considerations as identified in Section I are still eligible for award.

RFP page 25

*If your project relates to one or more of the other factors in Section V (e.g. Health Impact Assessment, Rural Areas, Climate, or Disaster Resiliency) include additional details about how the project addresses those factors in this section.

Health Impact Assessment

Rural Areas (Consult the Health Resources and Services Administration List of Rural Counties and Designated Eligible Census Tracts in Metropolitan Areas to verify that the county or census tracts in which you will be working are designated as rural. If you do not find your geography there, check the population of the local area where your proposed project would take place on US Census Bureau Quick Facts to see if it has fewer than 50,000 residents. US Census Bireau Quick facts does not carry data on locations with populations less than 5,000. If you are working in a town, county or Census Designated Place (CDP) with a population less than 5,000 you may find your US Census data here.

Climate Change/Disaster Resiliency

 

 

 

 

CBOs with leaders who have multi-generational ties in the community, who are applying as primary applicant and who may have the original founders of the organization in leadership roles should be sure to communicate clearly that the primary applicant organization is of the community, working in the community and led by community members with intergenerational ties in the community.

1. A clear statement that Organization Name was established by, and is led by residents.

2. Why residents decided to form an organization. Explain the specific societal or environmental problems that motivated residents to form an organization.

3. If you are a service organization, explain the role you play in the community.

4. Explain the capacity you provide for the community.

3. Explain your history of addressing local environmental and public health issues. This might include work done on HIV/AIDs (Ryan White program, for example), the COVID pandemic, traffic calming, gun violence, teen pregnancy, drug addiction, disaster preparedness or response, planting shade trees, etc.

 

Primary Applicant organizations located outside the community that serve the community should:

• state how long they have been serving the community,
• explain their hostory working with partners in the community for the good of the community (whether those partners with whom they worked in the past are engaged in this opportunity or not),
• explain their relationship to the entities from within the community that are collaborating on the application, and
• explain the capacity they bring to the community.

If the primary applicant is serving as a fiduciary only, usually because the community organizations do not have the capacity to manage federal funds, that should be stated. A brief explanation of how the administrative and project management responsibilities are distributed across collaborators within and outside the community is also helpful.

 

Consult the EPA Collaborative Problem Solving Model (CPS model)as needed.

In this section, you will explain which of the elements of the CPS model the coalition submitting the application has used in the past. Note that there are 7 elements, and they are not necessarily sequential. Each element has lists of activities that are consistent with collaborative groups’ needs that help groups in underserved communities to address their environmental justice issues. If you are not sure if your group has a history that includes a particular element, read the description in the model linked above.

Here is the list of the elements of the CPS model.

RFP page 26

Briefly describe how the project supports EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2, Objective 2.1 (Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels). https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategic plan

This section requires the EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2, Objective 2.1 (Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels).

Here is that text of EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2: Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights

Here is the text of Objective 2.1: Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local Levels

You may begin your response to this prompt with any of these introductory sentences:

• If funded, this project will promote environmental justice & civil rights at the Federal, Tribal, Territorial, State & Local levels to further FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2 Objective 2.1 by:
• The project supports Goal 2, Obj 2.1 of the EPA Strategic Plan to Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Local Levels by:
• We will be promoting Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at Local Levels by:

Some of the items that may be in your workplan that you could list here include:

• Centering our work in the commitment to not only protect human health & the environment for everyone, but also to ensure that all people who request assistance are treated fairly and given assistance and training to prepare them to participate meaningfully in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies
• Embracing inclusivity & prioritizing systematic outreach to overburdened & underserved Justice40 disadvantaged communities with environmental justice & energy justice concerns,
• Using tools & methods that honor community-centeredness & the wisdom of lived experience as essential to building community capacity & climate resilience,
• Providing assistance & training that prepares people for productive lives,
• Working together in solidarity & mutuality to strengthen our neighborhoods, communities, counties, states, regions, tribes, territories & country by building partnerships that incorporate the goals & values of diverse groups in order to build strong trusting working relationships, and
• Treating coworkers & participants with justice & respect, both on an individual & on an organizational level, at the federal, tribal, territorial, state, local and hyper-local levels.

 

 

 

 

 

Provide a brief written narrative regarding the partnering entities.

 

Create a chart to describe how the project will accomplish its goals through the use of appropriate and diverse partnerships from multiple stakeholder groups, such as industry, business, academia, government, etc.

• Identify and describe all partners involved, including those partnerships that may be under development. Include the following details about each of your partners. If you are not planning on collaborating with other stakeholders or having partners for project performance, you must describe how you can effectively perform the project without such collaboration or partnerships:

– Planned roles of each partner listed in your Project Summary. Include which stakeholder group the partner represents and the project activities each partner will be responsible for

– how each partner will contribute to the project,

– What resources each partner brings to the partnership

– How the partner has a vested interest in working with this partnership [other than just getting income from a sub-award or contract]

– How the applicant organization plans to maintain and sustain these relationships on into the future

Use this Partner Chart format:

Your Administrator will use this chart and the Milestone and Activities Chart to create the Budget and the Budget Narrative initial drafts.

Make sure your Administrator has this information.

 

– If you intend to fund the partner’s participation in the project describe how the proposed financial transaction complies with applicable requirements in 2 CFR Part 200 on competitive procurement or for subrecipients EPA’s Subaward Policy or EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs.

 

 

 

 

 

Use this chart that your grant writer will have filled in to create draft letters that you will email to each of the partners for quick turnaround. You will use this chart again together with the Milestone and Activities Chart to create the Budget and the Budget Narrative initial drafts. 

Save copies of all Letters of Commitment. You will use them to create MOUs if funded.

Construct a Letter of Commitment for Each Partner. Replace the all blue text that you can to speed up turnaround. When you email the letter to your partner let them know that they can edit it, but must leave the elements that you inserted from the chart as they are. If they need to change those items they must contact you, because this chart must tie out to the Milestone/Activities Chart, the Budget, the Budget Narrative these Letters of Commitment and the Logic Model.  

Letter Structure (On organization Letterhead):

Dear Name of Administrator,

[Partner Name] is a [non-profit/for-profit entity or CBO or faith based group or consulting firm] that serves [geography of service area.] Our Mission is [state the Mission of the organization.] [Brief statement of the type of work the organization does or something the organization has done recently that shows alignment with the primary applicant and the proposed project]. We understand that [Name of Primary Applicant] is applying for an EPA Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving cooperative agreement under FUNDING NO.: EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-01 to  [insert a brief 1 sentence description stating what what your project will do].  

We wholeheartedly support this application.  If funded, [Partner name] will serve as [Planned Role(s) of Partner] to [Partner contributions to the Project].

We bring [Partner resources] to this collaboration, and are invested in the outcome because [Partner’s vested interest in working with this partnership].

[Sincerely/Warm Regards],

Signature

Title

 

 

 

 

 

 

RFP pages 27 and 28

Keep the list of activities in 2a. brief. Use the chart in 2b to capture the structure of the Activities (in the right column) assosciated with each major milestone. You can use this chart to create a Gantt chart of the project. Administrators creating the budget can use this chart to verify that they have captured the categories of direct expenses for each activity.

Example:

2.0 Project Activities / Milestone Schedule / Detailed Itemized Budget Sheet / Budget Narrative; please describe the following: 

a. Project Activities After establishing the Administrative framework, outreach will begin. Community Organizations/Leaders will be contracted in each community to coordinate the disaster initiative. Each of these organizations will host Community Forums, conduct a Survey and attend the Serious Games tabletop simulation exercise. Participatory budgeting will provide a list of renewable energy disaster preparedness assets to be pre-positioned in the participating communities. Disaster plans will be written.

b.Project Activities / Milestone Schedule:  Period of Performance Nov 2023- Sep 2026

 

 

If funded, your administrator will use this information when creating organizational Memoranda Of Understanding and when performing the control functions that involve performance tracking associated with budget disbursements.

Federal grants have goals and objectives defined by US policy and underlying legislation. When you write your Logic Model, be sure that your Objectives support the Goals of the funding offering, and mirror its objectives. (See page 13 of the RFP.)

RFP pages 28 and 29

3.0 Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes, and Performance Measures (Logic Model)

Please describe the following:

a. Environmental Results (Logic Model) – Submit as Attachment (use Other Attachments Form in Grants.gov). See Section IV for detailed instructions on this optional submission.

b. Performance Measurement Plan – Applicants should describe how they plan to track and monitor their project performance and progress throughout the project period. Applicants will be evaluated on the extent and quality to which the application demonstrates a sound plan for tracking progress towards achieving the expected outputs, outcomes, and associated timeframes for achieving those results.

c. Sustainability Plan and Community Vision – Description of how the applicant plans to utilize the results and momentum of the proposed project to come closer to achieve the community’s goals and objectives. Details about current work and initiatives in the community, and how the community has a vested interest in sustaining the project’s momentum on into the future should also be included. If applicable, applicant should also describe how the activities and results of their project can be used in communities elsewhere.

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EPA Envronmental Justice RFAs  have suggested Outputs and suggested Outcomes that they expect successful applications to include. If you return to page 13 of the RFA, you find the lists of possible Outputs and Outcomes. Whenever possible, cut and paste the suggested Outputs and Outcomes directly into your Logic Model.

1. Outputs (Evaluation Criteria, Section V.A) The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the funding period. Application narratives should address the specific output measures related to the proposed project.

Examples of possible output measures for awards under this competition include,  but are not limited, to:

1. • • The number of residents or workers who receive specific training in skills relating to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
     • The number of community assessments performed, and tools developed to measure air quality issues
     • The number of samples collected and related to waterborne pollution from nonpoint or point sources and their significance.
     • The number of homes/residents/communities reached or impacted by an environmental/public health monitoring program (e.g., number of homes that undergo an at-home lead assessment).
     • The number of homes assessed for specific environmental/public health hazards
     • A survey tool for collecting data from residents for a community assessment of environmental/public health hazards.
     • The number of resident participants in a survey to identify and prioritize environmental/public health needs of a community.
     • The number of members from disadvantaged communities participating in state and federal public processes, such as advisory groups, workshops, and rulemakings as a part of the project.

   2. Outcomes (Evaluation Criteria, Section V.A.) The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that relates to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature; must be quantitative; and may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Additionally, outcomes should be organized by expected time period (short-term, intermediate, and long-term). Short-term outcomes refer to changes in knowledge or attitudes and usually occur during the project period. Intermediate outcomes refer to changes in behaviors and actions due to the knowledge acquired and are usually measured within several months after the end of the project. Long-term outcomes refer to changes in conditions and are measured a year or several years after project completion. Short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes are related and build on one another. EPA encourages recipients to identify outcomes wherever possible because they lead to environmental and/or public health improvement more clearly than outputs. Using the previously listed output (creation of a community-wide indoor air monitoring program), here are examples of possible outcomes:

   Examples of possible outcome measures expected to result from awards under this competition include but are not limited to:

   • • Reduction in asthma-related hospital visits due to air pollution remediation activities and use of zero-emission technologies.
     • Increase in local job opportunities and worker skills to related to workforce development programs specializing in technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
     • Reduction in local temperatures in metropolitan areas due to urban heat island mitigation activities and planning.
     • Increase in residents transitioning from private vehicles to public transit, walking, and bicycling.
     • The reduction of waterborne pollutants in local waterbodies and/or increase in fish populations leading to reduced contaminant levels in consumed fish.
     • The increased ongoing communication to the underserved communities resulting in measurable risk reduction in a specific media and communities’ participation directly in that risk reduction.

    

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Example 1 (Disaster Resilience) Logic Model, Performance Plan and Sustainability Plan:

a. Logic Model (Disaster Resilience):

b. Performance Plan (Disaster Resilience):

c. Sustainability Plan and Community Vision (Disaster Resilience) 

The applicant will work with its partners to coordinate community disaster preparedness with the County Emergency Services. By working at County scale and connecting the network to the County, communications and pre-positioning of assets during hurricane season should become sustainable due to the many different talents and resources among the collaborators. It is difficult to create social cohesion in low income rural areas, but by working together in ways that build relationships, more people will be aware of distant neighbors, and are more likely to continue to strengthen the disaster network over the years.

Example 2 (Clean Energy Refurbishment with Facility Disaster Plan and Workforce Training) Logic Model, Performance Plan and Sustainability Plan

a. Logic Model (Clean Energy Refurbishment with Facility Disaster Plan and Workforce Training)

b. Performance Measurement Plan (Clean Energy Refurbishment with Facility Disaster Plan and Workforce Training)

c. Sustainability Plan and Community Vision (Clean Energy Refurbishment with Facility Disaster Plan and Workforce Training)

The results and momentum of the proposed project will be leveraged to apply for more funding to continue to refurbish the campus. This will allow for additional workforce training. The overarching restoration plan includes restoration of the library, the establishment of a day care center for senior citizens, a community garden and expanded youth programming. The education and mentorship of youth, the workforce training for the clean energy jobs pipeline and the medical career awareness and connection program with college field trips, shadowing, mentoring, credit, course mapping and assistance implementing dual enrollment strategies will prepare our youth to sustain the community. The educaton and mentorship model is replicable as is the refurbishment of divested property to support the diverse communities in which they are situated. 

 

 

RFP page 29

4.0 Programmatic Capability 

In order to be evaluated under this criterion in Section V, applicants must provide information on their: 

a. Organizational Experience related to the proposed project and their infrastructure as it relates to their ability to successfully implement the proposed project. 

Address the composition of your Board here and the activities they oversee. This includes the role that the primary applicant organizaton has played to date within the community to address the environmental health issue the project addresses. Examples of this organizational experience include:

• convening stakeholders to define the issue (Name the stakeholders you have convened)
• outreach work, including how the outreach teams were formed and directed
• policy work that may have included communications to the community on how to stay safe and healthy as well as statements to the broader public, local government or decision-makers about the need to address the environmental health issue
• interventions conducted by your organization, and by your organization in collaboration with other stakeholders (This might include the work your organization has done related to disaster response or specific public health issues like asthma or pollution. Explain any infrastructure you have developed by convening stakeholders. For example, your organization put together teams for the US Census or for the Point in Time Homeless Survey, or conducted a needs assessment.)

b. Staff Experience / Qualifications of Project Manager (PM) – Provide information that clearly demonstrates that the proposed PM and other staff associated with the project are qualified to perform the project successfully. This will be determined through the description of the following: – Why the PM and associated staff are qualified to undertake the project; 

– Illustrating the PM’s ties/historical connection to the community and the applicant organization. Please include detailed descriptions of any activities that the PM has worked on with the community and/or applicant organization. 

Address your staff composition and credentials here.

If you are hiring a Project Manager that is not on your staff, be sure to give enough information for the evaluators to see the lived experience the Project Manager has had in and with the community. You need to show that the Project Manager will work well in the community by explaining how this was successful in the past. 

Be sure to also indicate the credentials of the Project Manager and refer to the resume you are submitting in the “Other Attachments.”

 

c. Expenditure of Awarded Grant Funds – Applicants will be evaluated based on their approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner and applicants must describe this in the workplan. 

This is a request for a statement about your internal controls. Your administrator or other individual who is preparing your budget should provide this language for the application.

Example 1:

The Chairman of the Board will manage the expenditure of awarded grant funds consistent with this work plan. The approach will be to use GAAP compliant quality control methods. Procedures will include segregation of funds. Control will ensure that awarded grant funds are expended in a timely and efficient manner. The Project Manager will work with the treasurer to complete ASAP training.When funds are deposited into the bank account established for that this project, the organizational check writing policy will be followed in coordination with the Treasurer in a timely and efficient manner. Check Writing, Signing & Distribution Policy requires the following: Payment request must be approved by the Chapter Treasurer, 1st Vice President or Financial Secretary. All checks require two signatures and the corresponding invoice must be checked for accuracy by Chapter Treasurer or Financial Secretary. Electronic Payments and Transfers (EPT): The processing of EPT is the same as writing checks. When making a wire transfer or ACH payment, all of the documentation must be authorized before any disbursement can be made.

The Board will maintain an account specifically for the expenditure of awarded grant funding; The board will submit all reports to maintain compliance of all procurement procedures to support the accountability of funds.  The board will meet monthly to ensure that funds are expended in a timely and efficient manner. The Project Manager will be tasked with the responsibility to provide  documentation to support all expenses indicated in the project. The treasurer will report all financial statements and expenditures associated with the grant. The project team members will contract with a financial consultant/ CPA  to oversee budgets and assure that proper bookkeeping is maintained.

Example Template:

(Name of Organization) will manage the expenditure of awarded grant funds consistent with this Work Plan. The approach will be to use GAAP compliant quality control methods. Procedures will include segregation of funds. Controls will ensure that awarded grant funds are expended in a timely and efficient manner. The Project Manager and Treasurer will complete ASAP training. When funds are deposited into the bank account established for that purpose, (Name of Organization’s) check writing policy will be followed in coordination with the Treasurer in a timely and efficient manner. (Name of Organization’s) Check Writing, Signing & Distribution Policy requires the following: Payment requests must be approved by the Board Treasurer, Vice President or Board Secretary. All checks require two signatures and the corresponding invoice must be checked for accuracy by Chapter Treasurer or Financial Secretary. Electronic Payments and Transfers (EPT): The processing of EPT is the same as writing checks. When making a wire transfer or ACH payment, all of the documentation must be authorized before any disbursement can be made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RFP pages 29 and 30

Submit a list of federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements that your organization performed within the last three years. Assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements, but not contracts. List no more than 5 agreements. If your organization received any EPA agreements in the last three years, please list those. For the agreements you list, describe: 

i. whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and 

ii. your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. 

Example Template 1:

(Prime Applicant Organization Name) achieves excellent well managed programming that relies heavily on In Kind contributions and a reservoir of goodwill in the communities it serves, without grant support. A federal grant of (Dollar amount) was obtained by (Organization Name) to address (issue). (Organization Name) managed a (Dollar amount) sub-grant from (funder). (Organization Name) established appropriate procedures and controls to manage the funds, expended the funds in a timely and efficient manner for project expenses, and met the reporting requirements of the grants in a timely fashion.  (Organization Name) received (recognition or follow-on funding).

Example Template 2:

(Prime Applicant Organization Name’s) most recent successful grant management includes (Dollar amount) from (funding agency) to address vaccinaton equity, Federal Award Project Title: (Funding Opportunity Number and Title), Final reporting complete and timely. The grant was successfully completed and funded for an additional year: (Dollar amount), (Funding Opportunity Number and Title). Interim reporting is complete and timely. An additional grant for (Dollar amount) from (Organization Name) will begin (Date). A past grant of (Dollar amount) from (funder) to increase voter turnout. Our efforts increased voter participation by 25% in the County Municipal Election 2023. Final reporting on the grant was complete and timely. An additional year of the grant has been funded. A grant for (Dollar amount) for social justice and health equity through community action from (funder) has just been successfully completed, with timely reporting. 

Example Template 3:

Micro- Grants: (Prime Applicant Organization Name) satisfied reporting requirements under the following agreements, including adequately and timely reporting on progress and achieving the expected outputs and outcomes, maintaining successful completion of the following funded agreements:

          (Funder)– Awarded funds to support and maintain the summer school program.

          (City) CRA (City Redevelopment) Awarded funding to support minor facility repairs.

 

In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If your organization does not have any relevant or available past performance experience related to federal or non-federal grants, you should state this explicitly in your application (e.g., Our organization has no past grants experience.) Including this statement will ensure you receive a neutral score for these factors (a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). However, if you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following checklist will help you determine if you will need to develop a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). Your Administrator will need to know if there needs to be a QAPP so adequate budget can be devoted to the drafting of the QAPP, meetings with EPA Liaisons regarding the QAPP, and QAPP management.

If you answered No for each question, then you do not need to file a QAPP. If the response to one of the 10 questions is Yes, then you will respond Yes.

RFP page 30

You are not required to develop a QAPP at this point. You are only being asked to determine whether or not you will need a QAPP should your project be selected for funding. If required, then an approved QAPP must be in place prior to the initiation of project activities.

Organize your Other Attachments into One PDF with page numbers and a Table of Contents.

Use your Table of Contents as a Checklist. It should include the following:

	1. Itemized Budget Sheet
	2. Logic Model
	3. Letters of Commitment
	4. Resumes of Project Manager and Other Key Personnel: Applicants must attach a resume or curricula vitae (CV) for the PM and other key personnel named on the Key Contacts List. These are not subject to the workplan page limit although individual resumes should not exceed 2 pages in length.
	5. Primary Applicant 501(c)3 letter or proof of non-profit status: Applicant organizations claiming non-profit status must include documentation that shows the organization is either a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization as designated by the Internal Revenue Service; OR a non-profit organization recognized by the state, territory, commonwealth or tribe in which it is located. These are not subject to the page limit.