Deadline: 1-Nov-24
The Environmental Protection Agency is inviting applications for the 2024 Healthy Communities Grant Program.
The Healthy Communities Grant Program is a competitive grant program for EPA New England to fund direct work with communities to support EPA’s mission to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health and improve quality of life. The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve these goals by identifying and funding projects that:
- Target resources to benefit communities at risk (environmental justice areas of potential concern and/or sensitive populations [e.g., children, elderly, tribes, urban and rural residents, and others at increased risk]).
- Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks.
- Increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects.
- Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.
- Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.
Target Investment Areas, Target Program Areas, & Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs
- To qualify as eligible projects under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposed projects must meet the following criteria: (1) be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas described below; and (2) identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas described below.
- The Healthy Communities Grant Program seeks to fund projects that are in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas: Areas near Ports that are being Redeveloped to Support Offshore Wind and Related Industries; Geographic Priority Areas or Sectors in Northern & Southern New England; Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern; and/or Sensitive Populations in one or more of the EPA New England States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and/or Tribal lands. Every application must clearly identify and explain how the project will link to one or more of the Target Investment Areas listed and described below.
- Target Investment Areas:
- Areas near New England Ports that are being Redeveloped to Support Offshore Wind and Related Industries: For the purposes of this grant program, these areas are defined as any communities near a New England port where there are known, active or planned redevelopment opportunities including, but not limited to, offshore wind or other industrial development. To qualify under this Target Investment Area, applicants must provide a description of the characteristics of the community or communities in or near a New England port, briefly describe port activities and/or services, describe the environment and/or public health challenges facing the area, and provide an explanation of known, active or planned redevelopment activities (e.g., offshore wind or other industrial development).
- Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern: For the purposes of this grant program, these areas are defined as communities, neighborhoods, geographic areas or Tribes in New England that potentially have been disproportionately affected by environmental and/or public health burdens in a defined geographic area. EPA New England is committed to promoting and supporting environmental justice, which is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
- Geographic Priority Areas or Sectors in Northern & Southern New England: For the purposes of this grant program, this Target Investment Area refers to areas and populations that are overburdened and underserved, including areas with mobile homes and/or manufactured housing in Northern New England states where drinking water quality and/or indoor or outdoor air quality may be an issue, including Portland, ME; Lewiston, ME; Burlington, VT; Winooski, VT; Nashua, NH and Manchester, NH. It also includes areas in Southern New England that are overburdened and underserved with cumulative environmental and/or public health impacts including, but not limited to, Chelsea, MA; New Bedford, MA; Central Falls, RI; Providence, RI; Pawtucket, RI; New Haven, CT; Bridgeport, CT; and Hartford, CT.
- Sensitive Populations: For the purposes of this grant program, “Sensitive Populations” refers to populations including infants, children and/or others at increased risk that are more susceptible to the effects of pollution and/or places where sensitive populations are located or spend significant time (e.g., homes, schools, day cares, etc.). This also includes schools and daycare facilities in areas with environmental justice concerns and programs that serve residents who experience food insecurity or who may not have stable housing. EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. However, health-based environmental standards are generally based on risks to healthy adult males, not sensitive populations. Infants and children are more susceptible to the effects of pollution because pound-for-pound they eat, drink and breathe more than adults, and their brains and nervous systems are still growing and developing.
- Target Program Areas:
- Capacity Building on Environmental and/or Public Health Issues: Projects that organize and convene community capacity-building events focused on increasing involvement in understanding or addressing the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention and/or elimination of at least one of the following environmental and public health issues: indoor/ambient air quality, asthma, climate resiliency, clean school buses, energy efficiency and/or safe drinking water; train and educate groups of community stakeholders on methods to identify, reduce, prevent or eliminate exposures to pollution in air or drinking water; increase regional, state, Tribal, community and neighborhood access to environmental information, dialogue, collection and use of data (e.g. GIS mapping, risk evaluation, risk mitigation, collecting emissions data, etc.) and/or improve methods of risk characterization; increase collaboration among residents, businesses and municipal governments to address community environmental issues previously mentioned; and/or build new or strengthen existing coalitions to address schools, states or regional programs and at least one or more of the environmental and public health issue(s) previously mentioned.
- Project Examples:
- Build a coalition of organizations to create an environmental justice network in a state, across states or throughout New England that can share information, support each other as a community of practice and connect communities with education, outreach and resources to improve local environment and public health conditions.
- Develop tools for citizen science and resident engagement focused on environmental justice. Undertake activities that enable citizen science around air and water quality, lead, PFAS and other contaminants, including in port areas, schools and/or areas with mobile or manufactured housing.
- Example Outputs:
- Creation and implementation of effective education, outreach, demonstration and/or training tools to reach 1,000 local residents.
- Creation of 10 to 15 risk assessment and public consumption advisories for wild game, fish and/or plants based upon toxicity levels measured and analyzed.
- Project Examples:
- Clean, Green and Healthy Schools: Projects that focus on creating clean, green and healthy school environments and addressing environmental issues by developing school environmental quality plans that include standards for school building, design, construction, and renovation; identifying and mitigating ongoing air pollution hazards in low-income and disadvantaged communities; promoting EPA’s State School Environmental Health Guidelines, EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for Selecting Safe School Location and their design, construction and renovation, EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools, and/or implementing replicable programs across New England that serve the environmental health needs of K-12 schools.
- Project Examples:
- Develop approaches to reducing air pollution at public schools, daycare facilities and/or senior homes.
- Engage students to increase learning and take actions around air pollution concerns at their schools, as well as other activities that can reduce exposures to air pollutants at schools, such as exploring filtration technology, increasing green space and/or analyses to inform actions that can improve student learning, health and indoor air quality or quality of life outcomes for seniors.
- Example Outputs:
- Number of schools in urban, rural or suburban communities that receive school environmental health information (e.g., lead, asthma, exposure to toxic substances, etc.), participate in capacity-building exercises, and/or take action to become cleaner, greener and healthier.
- Number of school decision-makers who receive school environmental health information and/or participate in capacity-building exercises.
- Project Examples:
- Energy Efficiency: Projects that promote energy efficiency and/or conservation by providing education, outreach and technical assistance on energy systems, weatherization and/or energy management best practices and policies.
- Project Examples:
- Outreach materials or training tools for effective education, outreach and demonstration to reach target population.
- Trainings or workshops on opportunities for energy use reduction, including energy efficiency retrofits and improved energy management practices.
- Example Outputs:
- Creation of effective education, outreach, demonstration and/or training tools to reach target population.
- Number of families, individuals, businesses, industry sectors or stakeholders reached through education, outreach, demonstrations or trainings on opportunities for energy use reduction.
- Project Examples:
- Healthy Indoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing exposures of hazardous substances and environmental contaminants to the general public, focusing particularly on childhood health and other vulnerable populations. Examples of this include childhood lead poisoning mitigation through compliance assistance, outreach and education on lead-based paint regulations and/or small drinking water systems; reducing asthma triggers in the home and school environments; promoting integrated pest management; promoting renewable energy; reducing childhood exposure to one or more toxins (lead, PCBs, dioxin, mercury, asbestos, pesticides, etc.) and promoting comprehensive healthy homes.
- Project Examples:
- Conduct outreach to prevent and/or manage asthma and asthma triggers in early education centers, day care centers, schools and residences through training opportunities, education and other resources to build capacity of impacted target populations.
- Design and conduct an education and outreach campaign to promote lead-safe indoor environments by minimizing risk of lead in the indoor environment, including risk from lead paint, lead dust and/or lead in drinking water.
- Example Outputs:
- Number of families, caregivers, individuals, stakeholders or geographic areas serviced through education, outreach, training or intervention to reduce indoor air pollutants.
- Reduction in childhood asthma severity or other health impacts due to better management of asthma triggers.
- Project Examples:
- Healthy Outdoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing exposure to toxics and pollutants in the air, soil and/or water by addressing the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention and/or elimination of pollution in rivers and/or other natural resources.
- Project Examples:
- Create approaches, tools and techniques to protect residents’ health and reduce flood risks, especially educational activities and other work to help residents who experience pollution in their homes during and after floods in disadvantaged communities with combined sewer systems.
- Conduct activities to protect and/or improve water quality in areas with mobile and/or manufactured housing.
- Example Outputs:
- Number of families, individuals, municipalities or stakeholders reached through education, outreach, demonstrations, training, surveys and/or studies related to the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention or elimination of pollution in soil, water and/or air.
- Creation of effective education, outreach, demonstration and/or training tools to reach target population.
- Project Examples:
- Pollution Prevention: Projects that provide technical assistance to businesses and their facilities to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices. Source reduction means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise being released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment or disposal. In addition to reducing pollutants entering the environment, source reduction also includes reducing the use of water, energy and other raw materials. Specific pollution prevention practices include Process Modifications, Product Modifications, Material Use Substitution and Modification, Inventory Control, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, Spill and Leak Prevention, and Preventative Maintenance.
- Project Examples:
- Promoting, identifying, developing, researching and documenting P2 best practices or new P2 tools for businesses and disseminating the practices and outcomes for others to replicate.
- Conducting technical assistance on source reduction practices at businesses.
- Example Outputs:
- Number of business facilities and/or other entities that received technical assistance.
- Number of P2 recommendations made to business facilities.
- Project Examples:
- Sustainable Materials Management: Projects that advance the sustainable use of materials to minimize waste and environmental impacts. These projects should support the SMM priorities of supporting the development of a circular economy, preventing food loss and waste through source reduction and/or food rescue, decreasing plastics and packaging usage, conserving materials and/or developing community resiliency to climate change through improvements to construction, maintenance and end-of-life management of the nation’s roads, buildings and infrastructure. Please note that under this announcement, federal funds may not be used to purchase recycling program infrastructure such as collection bins and trucks.
- Project Examples:
- Develop and implement a program to promote deconstruction over mechanical demolition.
- Develop and implement a training program for contractors to become certified deconstruction contractors.
- Example Outputs:
- Pounds of material (municipal solid waste) being diverted, reused, recycled or composted.
- Pounds of food recovered through projects with schools, businesses and institutions aimed at reducing food waste, diverting food from disposal and encouraging food donations.
- Project Examples:
- Capacity Building on Environmental and/or Public Health Issues: Projects that organize and convene community capacity-building events focused on increasing involvement in understanding or addressing the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention and/or elimination of at least one of the following environmental and public health issues: indoor/ambient air quality, asthma, climate resiliency, clean school buses, energy efficiency and/or safe drinking water; train and educate groups of community stakeholders on methods to identify, reduce, prevent or eliminate exposures to pollution in air or drinking water; increase regional, state, Tribal, community and neighborhood access to environmental information, dialogue, collection and use of data (e.g. GIS mapping, risk evaluation, risk mitigation, collecting emissions data, etc.) and/or improve methods of risk characterization; increase collaboration among residents, businesses and municipal governments to address community environmental issues previously mentioned; and/or build new or strengthen existing coalitions to address schools, states or regional programs and at least one or more of the environmental and public health issue(s) previously mentioned.
- Anticipated short-term outcomes include but are not limited to:
- Measurable improvements to environmental and/or ecosystem conditions and management including, but not limited to:
- Pounds of toxic or hazardous materials reduced, pounds of solid or hazardous waste reduced, gallons of water reduced, number of pounds or metric tons of greenhouse gas eliminated;
- Expanded state and nonprofit organization monitoring capacity and collection and communication of environmental data, adoption of riparian and headwaters protection strategies;
- Reduction in kilowatt hours of energy used;
- Increased resources to benefit communities at risk.
- Increased access to information and tools that increase understanding and reduction of environmental and human health risks.
- Increased public understanding of chemicals at risk in their community.
- Improved institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.
- Measurable improvements to environmental and/or ecosystem conditions and management including, but not limited to:
Funding Information
- This grant program is intended to provide seed funding to inspire and leverage broader investment to create healthy and resilient communities in Target Investment Areas within Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Tribal lands. EPA anticipates approximately $500,000 in federal funding to be available for cooperative agreements under this announcement to fund approximately 15 awards, depending on funding availability and other applicable considerations. It is anticipated that approximately 5 to 10 awards will be made for FY 24 and approximately 5 to 10 awards will be made for FY 25.
- Applications may be submitted for amounts up to $40,000 in federal funding. It is anticipated that project periods for agreements awarded under this announcement will have one- or two-year project periods that will start no earlier than April 1, 2025. Although the project can last up to two years, the total amount requested for federal resources cannot exceed the $40,000 limit.
Eligibility Criteria
- In accordance with Assistance Listing 66.110, eligible applicants for awards under this announcement include state and local governments, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, federally recognized Indian Tribal governments, K-12 schools or school districts, and nonprofit organizations (e.g., grassroots and/or community-based organizations).
- Applicants need not be physically located within the boundaries of the EPA regional office to be eligible to apply for funding, but must propose projects that affect the states, Tribes, and territories within Region.
- Private businesses, federal agencies and individuals are not eligible to be grant recipients. However, they are encouraged to work in partnership with eligible applicants on projects.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.