[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1630-1634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-625]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6521-7]
Office of Environmental Justice Small Grants Program; Application
Guidance FY 2000
Introduction
This guidance outlines the purpose, goals, and general procedures
for application and award under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 Office of
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. For FY 2000, EPA will make
available approximately $1,100,000 in grant funds to eligible
organizations (pending availability of funds); $600,000 of this amount
is available for superfund projects only. Applications must be mailed
to your appropriate EPA regional office (listed in Section III) and
postmarked by U. S. Postal Service no later than midnight Friday, March
3, 2000.
This guidance includes the following:
I. Scope and Purpose of the OEJ Small Grants Program
II. Eligible Applicants and Activities
III. Application Requirements
IV. Process for Awarding Grants
V. Expected Time-frame for Reviewing and Awarding Grants
VI. Project Period and Final Reports
VII. Fiscal Year 2001 OEJ Small Grants Program
Translations Available
A Spanish translation of this announcement may be obtained by
calling the Office of Environmental Justice at 1-800-962-6215.
Hay traducciones disponibles de este anuncio en espanol. Si usted
esta interesado en obtener una traduccion de este anuncio en espanol,
por favor llame a La Officina de Justicia Ambiental conocida como
``Office of Environmental Justice,'' linea gratuita (1-800-962-6215).
I. Scope and Purpose of the OEJ Small Grants Program
The purpose of this grant program is to provide financial
assistance to eligible community groups (i.e., community-based/
grassroots organizations, churches, or other non-profit organizations)
and federally recognized tribal governments that are working on or plan
to carry out projects to address environmental justice issues.
Preference for awards will be given to community-based/grassroots
organizations that are working on local solutions to local
environmental problems. Funds can be used to develop a new activity or
substantially improve the quality of existing programs that have a
direct impact on affected communities. All awards will be made in the
form of a grant not to exceed one year.
Background
In its 1992 report, Environmental Equity: Reducing Risk for All
Communities, EPA found that minority and low-income populations may
experience higher than average exposure to toxic pollutants than the
general population. The Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) was
established in 1992 to help these communities identify and assess
pollution sources, to implement environmental awareness and training
programs for affected residents, and to work with community
stakeholders to devise strategies for environmental improvements.
In June of 1993, OEJ was delegated granting authority to solicit,
select, supervise, and evaluate environmental justice-related projects,
and to disseminate information on the projects' content and
effectiveness. Fiscal year (FY) 1994 marked the first year of the OEJ
Small Grants Program. The chart below shows how the grant monies have
been expended since FY 1994.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dollar Number of
Fiscal year amount awards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1994.......................................... $ 500,000 71
1995.......................................... 3,000,000 175
1996.......................................... 2,800,000 152
1997.......................................... 2,700,000 139
1998.......................................... 2,500,000 123
1999.......................................... 1,455,000 95
------------------------------------------------------------------------
How does EPA Define Environmental Justice Under the Environmental
Justice Small Grants Program?
Environmental justice 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. Fair
treatment means that no groups 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 programs and policies.
II. Eligible Applicants and Activities
A. Who May Submit Applications and May an Applicant Submit More Than
One?
Any affected, non-profit community organization 501c(3) or 501c(4)
1 or federally recognized tribal government may submit an
application upon publication of this solicitation. Applicants must be
non-profit to receive these federal funds. State recognized tribes or
indigenous peoples organizations are able to apply for grant assistance
as long as they meet the definition of a non-profit organization.
``Non-profit organization'' means any corporation, trust, association,
cooperative, or other organization that (1) is operated primarily for
scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in
the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3)
uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its
operations. While state and local governments and academic institutions
are eligible to receive grants, preference will be given to non-profit,
community-based/grassroots organizations and federally recognized
tribal governments. Preference may be given to those organizations that
have not received previous Environmental Justice grants. Individuals
are not eligible to receive grants.
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\1\ As a result of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, EPA (and
other federal agencies) may not award grants to non-profit,
501(c)(4) organizations that engage in lobbying activities. This
restriction applies to any lobbying activities of a 501(c)(4)
organization without distinguishing between lobbying funded by
federal money and lobbying funded by other sources.
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The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program is a competitive
process. In order not to give preferential treatment to any single
potential applicant, the Agency will offer training
[[Page 1631]]
and/or conference calls on grant application guidelines. We encourage
you to participate so that you can have your questions answered in a
public forum. Please call your regional office to inquire about the
scheduled dates of the special training and conference calls. (See
Contact List in this document).
EPA will consider only one application per applicant for a given
project. Applicants may submit more than one application as long as the
applications are for separate and distinct projects or activities.
Applicants that were previously awarded small grant funds may submit an
application for FY 2000. Every application for FY 2000 will be
evaluated based on the merit of the proposed project in relation to the
other FY 2000 pre-applications. However, past performance may be
considered during the ranking and evaluation process for those
applicants who have received previous grants.
B. What Types of Projects Are Eligible for Funding?
While there are many applications submitted from community groups
for equally worthwhile projects, EPA is emphasizing the need for
projects in two categories: 1. Projects which address public health
concerns/issues in minority/low-income communities. 2. Projects which
address how environmental information can be made available in
minority/low-income communities. Both of these areas of concentration
are important issues to local communities. In order to be considered
for funding, the application must include the following information:
(1) How the proposed project addresses issues related to at least two
environmental statutes and (2) How the proposed project meets at least
two of the program goals.
(1) Multi-Media Statutory Requirement
The OEJ Small Grants Program awards grants under a multi-media
granting authority. This means that recipients of these funds must
implement projects that address pollution in more than one
environmental medium (e.g., air, water). To show evidence of the
breadth of the project's scope, the application must identify at least
two environmental statutes that the project will address. In most
cases, your project will include activities outlined in the following
environmental statutes:
a. Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3): conduct and promote the
coordination of research, investigations, experiments, training,
demonstration, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, extent,
prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution.
b. Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442(b)(3): develop, expand, or
carry out a program (that may combine training, education, and
employment) for occupations relating to the public health aspects of
providing safe drinking water.
c. Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a): conduct and promote
the coordination of research, investigations, experiments, training,
demonstrations, surveys, public education programs, and studies
relating to solid waste (e.g., health and welfare effects of exposure
to materials present in solid waste and methods to eliminate such
effects)
d. Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3): conduct research,
investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies
related to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects),
extent, prevention, and control of air pollution.
In some circumstances, your project may be very research-oriented
and specific to a particular environmental problem. If this is the
case, you may reference the following environmental statutes (either
list one of the following in addition to one listed above or list two
of the following).
e. Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10(a): conduct research,
development, and monitoring activities on toxic substances.
f. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section
20(a): conduct research on pesticides.
g. Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, Section 203:
conduct research, investigations, experiments, training,
demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the minimizing or
ending of ocean dumping of hazardous materials and the development of
alternatives to ocean dumping.
h. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability
Act (CERCLA), Section 311(c) ``research with respect to the detection,
assessment, and evaluation of the effects on and risks to human health
of hazardous substances and detection of hazardous substances in the
environment. The term ``hazardous substances'' in CERCLA Section
101(14) and does not include many petroleum products.
EPA's grant regulations define ``research'' as ``systematic study
directed towards a fuller scientific knowledge or understanding of the
subject studied.'' 40 CFR 30.2(dd). EPA has interpreted ``research'' to
include study that extends to socioeconomic, institutional, and public
policy issues as well as the ``natural'' sciences.
Please note: if your project includes scientific research and/or
data collection, you must be prepared to submit a Quality Assurance
Plan (QAP) to your EPA Project Officer prior to the beginning of the
research.
(2) Special Requirements for ``Superfund'' EJ Research Grants
a. Superfund grants can only be made for research projects
authorized by CERCLA 311(c)--research with respect to the detection,
assessment, and evaluation of the effects on and risks to human health
of hazardous substances and detection of hazardous substances in the
environment.
b. Applicants must demonstrate that the research project relates to
``hazardous substances'' as that term is defined by CERCLA 101(14).
There is a list of hazardous substances at 40 CFR 302.4 which, while
not exclusive, does provide useful guidance.
c. Research funded under CERCLA 311(c) cannot relate to petroleum
products excluded from the definition of hazardous substances found at
CERCLA 101(14).
d. Applicants must meet the requirement that the project relate to
two environmental grant authority statutes by proposing a research
project that is authorized by both CERCLA 311(c) and another statute
listed above which authorizes research funding.
e. The project must be of a research nature only, i.e., survey,
research, collecting and analyzing data that will be used to expand
scientific knowledge or understanding of the subject studied. Projects
which expand the scientific knowledge or understanding of community
members of hazardous substances issues that affect them can be funded
as EJ Superfund grants.
f. The project cannot carry out training activities, other than
training in research techniques, or outreach, technical assistance, or
public education or awareness activities.
g. The project can include conferences only if the purpose of the
conference is to present research results or gather research data.
(3) Office of Environmental Justice Small Grants Program Goals
In addition to the multi-statute requirement outlined above, the
application must also include a description of how an applicant plans
to meet at least two of the three program goals listed below. See
Section III ``Application Requirements'' for more details.
1. Identify necessary improvements in communication and
coordination among all stakeholders, including existing community-
based/grassroots organizations and local, state, tribal, and
[[Page 1632]]
federal environmental programs. Facilitate communication and
information exchange, and create partnerships among stakeholders to
address disproportionate, high and adverse environmental exposure
(e.g., workshops, awareness conferences, establishment of community
stakeholder committees);
2. Build community capacity to identify local environmental justice
problems and involve the community in the design and implementation of
activities to address these concerns. Enhance critical thinking,
problem-solving, and active participation of affected communities.
(e.g., train-the-trainer programs).
3. Enhance community understanding of environmental and public
health information systems and generate information on pollution in the
community. If appropriate, seek technical experts to demonstrate how to
access and interpret public environmental data (e.g., Geographic
Information Systems (GIS), Toxic Release Inventories (TRI), and other
databases).
The issues discussed above may be defined differently among
applicants from various geographic regions, including areas outside the
continental U.S. (Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each application should define its issues
as they relate to the specific project. In your narrative/work plan,
include a succinct explanation of how the project may serve as a model
in other settings and how it addresses a high-priority environmental
justice issue. The degree to which a project addresses a high-priority
environmental justice issue will vary and must be defined by applicants
according to their local environmental justice concerns.
C. How Much Money May Be Requested, and Are Matching Funds Required?
The ceiling in federal funds for any one grant is $15,000 for non
superfund projects or $20,000 for superfund projects. The Headquarters
Office of Environmental Justice will provide each region with
approximately $110,000 to issue awards of which $60,000 is available
exclusively for superfund projects. Some regions may augment their
regional pools with additional funds subject to availability. Please
check with your regional contact for the amount of funds that will be
available in each region.
Applicants are not required to provide matching funds.
D. Are There Any Restrictions on the Use of the Federal Funds?
Yes. EPA grant funds can only be used for the purposes set forth in
the grant agreement. Among other things, absent specific statutory
authority, grant funds from this program cannot be used for matching
funds for other federal grants, lobbying, or intervention in federal
regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, the recipient may
not use these federal assistance funds to sue the federal government or
any other government entity. Refer to 40 CFR 30.27, entitled
``Allowable Costs''. Further, the scope of EJ grants may not include
construction, personal gifts (e.g., t-shirts, buttons, hats), and
furniture purchases.
III. Application Requirements
A. What Is Required for Applications?
In order to be considered for funding under this program, proposals
from eligible organizations must have the following:
1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) the official form
required for all federal grants that requests basic information about
the grantee and the proposed project. The applicant must submit the
original application, plus two copies, signed by a person duly
authorized by the governing board of the applicant.
Please complete Part 10 of the SF-424 form, ``Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance Number'' with the following information: 66.604--
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.
2. The Federal Standard Form (SF-424A) and budget detail, which
provides information on your budget. For the purposes of this grants
program, complete only the non-shaded areas of SF-424A. Budget figures/
projections should support your work plan/narrative. The EPA portion of
these grants will not exceed $15,000 for non superfund or $20,000 for
superfund projects, therefore your budget should reflect this limit on
federal funds.
3. Narrative/work plan of the proposal, not to exceed five pages.
Applications may not be considered if they exceed five single pages. A
narrative/work plan describes the applicant's proposed project. The
pages of the work plan must be letter size (8\1/2\'' x 11''), with
normal type size (12 characters per inch), and at least 1'' margins.
The narrative/work plan is one of the most important aspects of
your application and (assuming that all other required materials are
submitted) will be used as the primary basis for selection. Work plans
must be submitted in the format described below:
a. A one page summary that:
Identifies the environmental justice issue(s) to be
addressed by the project;
Identifies the EJ community/target audience;
Identifies at least two environmental statutes/Acts
addressed by the project; and
Identifies at least two program goals that the project
will meet and how it will meet them.
b. A concise introduction that states the nature of the
organization (i.e., how long it has been in existence, if it is
incorporated, if it is a network, etc.), how the organization has been
successful in the past, purpose of the project, EJ community/target
audience, project completion plans/time frames, and expected results.
c. A concise project description that describes how the applicant
is community-based and/or plans to involve the target audience in the
project and how the applicant plans to meet at least two of the three
program goals outlined in Section IIB: ``Office of Environmental
Justice Small Grants Program Goals.'' Additional credit will not be
given for projects that fulfill more than two goals.
d. A conclusion discussing how the applicant will evaluate and
measure the success of the project, including the anticipated benefits
and challenges in implementing the project.
e. An appendix with resumes of up to three key personnel who will
be significantly involved in the project.
4. Letter(s) of commitment. If your proposed project includes the
significant involvement of other community organizations, your
application must include letters of commitment from these
organizations. This requirement may not apply to your proposed
project--only include if applicable.
Applications that do not include the information listed above in
items 1-3 and if applicable, item 4, will not be considered for an
award.
Please note: your application to this EPA program may be subject to
your state's intergovernmental review process and/or the consultation
requirements of Section 204, Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan
Development Act. Check with your state's Single Point of Contact to
determine your requirements--some states do not require this review.
Applicants from American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands should also check with their Single Point of Contact. If you do
not know who your Single Point of Contact is, please call your EPA
regional contact
[[Page 1633]]
(Section III) or EPA Headquarters at (202) 260-9266. Federally
recognized tribal governments are not required to comply with this
procedure.
B. When and Where Must Applications be Submitted?
The applicant must submit/mail one signed original application with
required attachments and one copy to the primary contact at the EPA
regional office listed below. The application must be postmarked by
United Parcel Postal Service no later than Friday, March 3, 2000.
Regional Contact Names and Addresses
Region l--Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont
Primary Contact: Ronnie Harrington, (617) 918-1703, USEPA Region 1
(SAA), 1 Congress Street--Suite 1100, Boston, MA 02114-2023.
Secondary: Pat O'Leary (617) 565-3834.
Region 2--New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Primary Contact: Natalie Loney (212) 637-3639, USEPA Region 2, 290
Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10007.
Secondary: Melva Hayden (212) 637-5027.
Region 3--Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia
Primary Contact: Reginald Harris (215) 814-2988, USEPA Region 3
(3DA00), 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029.
Secondary: Kathy Duran (215) 814-5441.
Region 4--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
Primary Contact: Gloria Love (404) 562-9672, USEPA Region 4, 61
Forsyth Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303-8960.
Secondary: Connie Raines (404) 562-9671.
Region 5--Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Primary Contact: Margaret Millard (312) 353-1440, USEPA Region 5
(MC T-175), 77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604-3507.
Secondary: Karla Johnson (312) 886-5993.
Region 6--Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Primary Contact: Olivia Balandran (214) 665-7257, USEPA Region 6
(6EN), 1445 Ross Avenue, 12th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75202-2733.
Secondary: Shirley Augurson (214) 665-7401.
Region 7--Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
Primary Contact: Althea Moses (913) 551-7649 or 1-800-223-0425,
USEPA Region 7, 726 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101.
Secondary: Cecil Bailey (913) 551-7462.
Region 8--Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Primary Contact: Nancy Reish (303) 312-6040, USEPA Region 8 (8ENF-
EJ), 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80202-2466.
Secondary: Marcella Devargas (303) 312-6161.
Region 9--Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam
Primary Contact: Willard Chin (415) 744-1204, USEPA Region 9 (A-2-
2), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
Secondary: EJ Information Line (415) 744-1565.
Region 10--Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Primary Contact: Victoria Plata (206) 553-8580, USEPA Region 10
(CEJ-163), 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101.
Secondary: Mike Letourneau (206) 553-1687.
IV. Process for Awarding Grants
A. How Will Applications be Reviewed?
EPA Regional offices will review, evaluate, and select grant
recipients. Applications will be screened to ensure that they meet all
eligible activities and requirements described in Sections II and III.
Applications will also be evaluated by Regional review panels based on
the criteria outlined in this solicitation. Applications will be
disqualified if they do not meet these criteria.
B. How Will the Final Selections be Made?
After the individual projects are reviewed and ranked, EPA Regional
officials will compare the best applications and make final selections.
Additional factors that EPA will take into account include geographic
and socioeconomic balance, diverse nature of the projects, cost, and
projects whose benefits can be sustained after the grant is completed.
Regional Administrators will select the final grants.
Please note that this is a very competitive grants program. Limited
funding is available and many grant applications are expected to be
received. Therefore, the Agency cannot fund all applications. If your
project is not funded, a listing of other EPA grant programs may be
found in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. This publication
is available at local libraries, colleges, or universities.
C. How Will Applicants be Notified?
After all applications are received, EPA Regional offices will mail
acknowledgments to applicants in their Regions. Once applications have
been recommended for funding, the EPA Regions will notify the finalists
and request any additional information necessary to complete the award
process. The finalists will be required to complete additional
government application forms prior to receiving a grant, such as the
EPA Form SF-424B (Assurances--Non-Construction Programs), EPA Form
5700-48, and the Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and
Other Responsibility Matters. The federal government requires all
grantees to certify and assure that they will comply with all
applicable federal laws, regulations, and requirements.
The EPA Regional Environmental Justice Coordinators or their
designees will notify those applicants whose projects are not selected
for funding.
V. Expected Time-Frame for Reviewing and Awarding Grants
December 8, 1999--FY 2000 OEJ Small Grants Program Application Guidance
is available and published in the Federal Register.
December 9, 1999 to March 3, 2000--Eligible grant recipients develop
and complete their applications.
March 3, 2000--Applications must be postmarked by this date and mailed
or delivered to the appropriate EPA regional office.
March 3, 2000 to April 9, 2000--EPA Regional Program Officials review
and evaluate applications and select grant finalists.
April 9, 2000 to August 6, 2000--Applicants will be contacted by the
region if their application is being considered for funding. Additional
information may be required from the finalists, as indicated in Section
IV. EPA regional grant offices process grants and make awards.
September 30, 2000--EPA expects to release the national announcement of
the FY 2000 Office of Environmental Justice Small Grant Recipients.
[[Page 1634]]
VI. Project Period and Final Reports
Activities must be completed and funds spent within the time frame
specified in the grant award, usually one year. Project start dates
will depend on the grant award date (most projects begin in August or
September). The recipient organization is responsible for the
successful completion of the project. The recipient's project manager
is subject to approval by the EPA project officer but EPA may not
direct that any particular person be the project manager.
All recipients must submit final reports for EPA approval within
ninety (90) days of the end of the project period. Specific report
requirements (e.g., Final Technical Report and Financial Status Report)
will be described in the award agreement. EPA will collect, review, and
disseminate grantees' final reports to serve as model programs.
For further information about this program, please visit EPA's
website at www.epa.gov/oeca/oej/00grants.html or call our hotline at 1-
800-962-6215.
VII. Fiscal Year 2001 OEJ Small Grants Program
A. How Can I Receive Information on the Fiscal Year 2001 Environmental
Justice Grants Program?
If you wish to be placed on the national mailing list to receive
information on the FY 2001 Environmental Justice Small Grants Program,
you must mail your request along with your name, organization, address,
and phone number to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program (2201A), FY 2001 Grants
Mailing List, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, 1 (800) 962-6215.
Thank you for your interest in our Small Grants Program and we wish
you luck in the application process.
Barry E. Hill,
Director, Office of Environmental Justice.
[FR Doc. 00-625 Filed 1-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U
