[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 114 (Friday, June 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32322-32324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15563]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-00216; FRL-5722-4]
Notice of Availability of FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and
Lead Hazard Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Funds
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of funds availability.
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SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting pre-application grant proposals under a new
grant program for Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Awareness
Public Education and Outreach. EPA anticipates that $450,000 will be
available in Fiscal Year 1997, with individual grants awarded in the
range of $20,000 to $60,000. The purpose of this program is to deliver
public education and outreach products and services to increase lead-
based paint hazard awareness and promote lead poisoning prevention to
high-risk target audiences. For the purposes of this grant proposal
application process, the term high-risk target audience refers to
communities which are predominantly low-income, minority (e.g., African
American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American Indian),
located in large metropolitan areas, or communities which consist
predominantly of older housing. The Agency chose to define high-risk
target audience in this way because children living in these
communities are especially at risk to elevated levels of lead exposure.
These grant funds will be used for projects that deliver lead hazard
awareness and poisoning prevention information to the parents, to care-
takers or service providers (e.g., pediatricians) of children under 6
years of age, and to other vulnerable populations (e.g., pregnant
women) in high-risk target audiences.
DATES: All pre-application grant proposals must be post-marked by July
28, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Submit pre-application proposals to: Megan Carroll, EPA
Project Officer, Mail Code 7404, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M
St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan B. Hazen, Director,
Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics, Rm. E-543B, Environmental Protection Agency, 401
M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, (202) 554-1404, TDD: (202) 554-0551,
e-mail: TSCA-Hotline@epamail.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scope and Purpose of the FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and
Lead Hazard Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Program
A. Existing EPA/Federal Lead Outreach Program
This new FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard
Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Program will build upon
the Federal lead poisoning prevention outreach program already in
place. The Federal program has recently relied on the National Lead
Information Center hotlines (in English and Spanish) to respond to
public inquiries, public service announcements on radio and television,
transit ads, brochures, videos, pamphlets, individual EPA staff
efforts, targeted outreach mailings, and cooperative efforts with
states and other non-federal partners. With this new grant program, EPA
hopes to build on these efforts by harnessing the expertise and the
ability of other smaller organizations, such as local governments,
community groups, and other specialized non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) which operate on the local level, to deliver lead hazard
awareness and poisoning prevention messages to targeted audiences at
highest risk.
B. Recent NHANES Study
A recent study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) indicates that children of urban, minority (e.g.,
African American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American
Indian), or low-income families, or who live in older housing, continue
to be most vulnerable to lead poisoning, and have elevated blood-lead
levels. The February 21, 1997 Center for Disease Control's Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report states that: ``Despite the recent and large
declines in BLLs [blood lead levels], the risk for lead exposure
remains disproportionately high for some groups, including children who
are poor, non-Hispanic black, Mexican American, living in large
metropolitan areas, or living in older housing.'' The report also
states:
The risk for lead exposure in children is primarily determined
by environmental conditions of the child's residence. The most
common source for lead exposure for children is lead-based paint
that has deteriorated into paint chips and lead dust.* In the United
States, approximately 83% of privately owned housing units and 86%
of public housing units built before 1980 contain some lead-based
paint.* In addition, soil and dust contaminated with residual lead
fallout from vehicle exhaust contribute to exposure; concentrations
of lead in soil and dust are highest in central urban areas.* For
adults, the most common high-dose exposure sources are
occupational.* Other exposure sources for adults and children can
include lead dust brought into the home on clothing from workplaces,
lead used for some hobbies, lead contained in some ``folk''
medicines and cosmetics, and lead in plumbing and in crystal and
ceramic containers that leaches into water or food.*1
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1Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control. February 21,
1997, Vol. 46, No. 7. *See this report for references within the
quotation.
C. New Grant Projects Will Expand Outreach Efforts
EPA has successfully developed a variety of lead hazard awareness
and poisoning prevention outreach materials and has the organization in
place to respond to interested members of the public. With this new
grant program, EPA will take the next steps to enable successful
applicants (grantees) to deliver products directly to targeted
audiences by funding public education and outreach projects that target
high-risk communities who are especially at risk to elevated levels of
lead exposure. EPA is not seeking proposals that will result in policy
recommendations or national outreach strategies. Rather, EPA will fund
projects that develop an ability to reach and benefit members of the
public with appropriate outreach materials, with the expectation that
successful projects may be replicated in other communities at a later
time.
D. Outreach Materials
Applicants may develop their own outreach materials or use already
existing products as part of their proposal. EPA is aware that many
state, tribal, and local departments of health and environmental
protection, as well as advocacy groups and community development
groups, have already developed useful lead poisoning prevention tools
for conducting outreach and education campaigns. In addition, EPA and
other federal agencies have already developed, and currently provide, a
wide range of outreach materials available from the National Lead
Information Clearinghouse (1-800-424-LEAD). (Those potential applicants
who are not familiar with materials available through the National Lead
Information Clearinghouse may want to call and speak to a trained
specialist at 1-800-424-LEAD. The trained specialists can help
applicants identify specific types of outreach materials that already
exist and thereby avoid spending resources to recreate the materials.)
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If an applicant chooses to develop new materials or use non-EPA
materials, selected applicants will be required to obtain approval for
the use of those materials from the EPA Project Officer during the
post-award phase of the project (i.e., after the grant agreement is in
place but before the grantee actually begins outreach activities). This
approval is limited to the use of the materials under this grant
program and will not necessarily be a formal EPA review and endorsement
of any other organization's product. Any new materials developed by the
applicant must be consistent with the Federal lead hazard awareness and
poisoning prevention program. Applicants who propose to use existing
materials (either EPA materials or non-EPA materials) should include a
copy (or citation of EPA materials) of the proposed outreach materials
with the grant application.
II. Activities and Criteria
EPA specifically seeks proposals for projects to conduct lead
hazard awareness and lead poisoning prevention public education or
outreach activities in high-risk communities. For the purposes of this
grant proposal application process, the term high-risk target audience
refers to communities which are predominantly low-income, minority
(e.g., African American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American,
American Indian), located in large metropolitan areas, or communities
which consist predominantly of older housing. The Agency chose to
define high-risk target audience in this way because children living in
these communities are especially at risk to elevated levels of lead
exposure. EPA will not consider applications that propose to use the
funds for abatement projects. Below are examples of the types of the
projects that applicants may want to consider.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:
Training members of the medical profession who work in a
particular community in lead-based paint hazard awareness and poisoning
prevention.
Increasing lead hazard awareness by distributing pamphlets
and brochures at community meeting places, schools, and local events,
and conducting follow-up seminars or information fairs.
Developing and delivering lead poisoning prevention
awareness programs for workers, living in high-risk target communities,
who may bring lead back into their homes (due to occupational
exposure).
Creating a new information product, distributing it in a
specified locale, and demonstrating that the product effectively
communicates the lead hazard awareness messages.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Identification of high-risk target audience.
Does the applicant specify what subset of the population
at-large will be the target audience for the project, e.g., parents of
elementary school-age children in a particular public school district,
or medical personnel in a specified neighborhood or district?
Does the applicant indicate how the target audience fits
into this grant program which targets people living in communities
which are predominantly low-income, minority (e.g., African American,
Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American Indian), located in
large metropolitan areas, or consisting predominantly of older housing?
2. Relevancy of applicant's proposed outreach materials and
activities to the target audience.
Does the applicant demonstrate that the proposed outreach
materials and activities are suitable for the target audience (i.e.,
appropriate language comprehension and cultural identification)?
3. Ability of applicant to deliver lead hazard awareness and
poisoning prevention information directly to the applicant's intended
target audience.
Does the applicant indicate how the messages will be
delivered, e.g., lecture, written material distribution, one-on-one
interviews?
Does the applicant indicate the number of people/families/
medical personnel/etc. that will be reached?
4. Qualifications and experience of the applicant relative to the
proposed project.
Does the applicant demonstrate experience in community
outreach activities?
Does the applicant demonstrate experience in conducting
public health or health education activities?
Is the applicant knowledgeable about lead hazard awareness
and poisoning prevention issues?
Does the applicant have the properly trained staff and
facilities to conduct the project?
5. Consistency of applicant's proposed outreach materials and
activities with the Federal lead hazard awareness and poisoning
prevention program.
Are the messages proposed by the applicant consistent with
EPA/HUD/CDC policies, guidelines, and regulations?
6. Provision for measuring and documenting the project's results
quantitatively and qualitatively (evaluation).
Is the applicant's proposed project designed in such a way
that it is possible to measure and document the results quantitatively
and qualitatively?
Does the applicant identify the method that will be used
to measure and document the project's results quantitatively and
qualitatively?
7. Likelihood that the project can be replicated in other areas by
other organizations to benefit other communities.
Can this project, taking into account typical staff and
financial restraints, be replicated by similar organizations in
different locations to address a problem that exists in other
communities?
III. Eligibility
Eligible recipients include, but are not limited to, non-profit
organizations, institutions of higher learning, state and local
associations, states, federally recognized Indian Tribes and tribal
organizations, for-profit organizations, trade and professional
associations, labor unions and joint labor/management trust funds.
However, as a result of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, EPA (and
other federal agencies) may not award grants to non-profit, section
501(c)(4) organizations that engage in lobbying activities. This
restriction applies to any lobbying activities of a section 501(c)(4)
organization without distinguishing between lobbying funded by federal
money and lobbying funded by other sources.
In addition, the following conditions apply:
1. There are no requirements for matching funding under this grant
program.
2. No applicant can receive two grants for the same project at one
time. Applicants may submit more than one application so long as the
applications are for separate and distinct projects.
3. If applicants will use funding from other sources (private or
public) in carrying-out their proposed projects, the applicants must
disclose those sources of funding in the application.
4. The grants under this program will be awarded as cooperative
agreements to allow for the substantial involvement anticipated between
EPA and the recipients during the post-award period for these projects.
IV. Grant Term
The applicant's proposed project period should start no earlier
than November 1, 1997, and may last for up to 2 years; successful
applicants may be granted extensions beyond the 2-year
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period, but those decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, if
and when they become necessary.
V. Pre-application Procedure
Applicants must submit a work plan and a budget (as described
below) for the pre-application procedure. The Agency will use
applicants' work plans and budgets to select projects to be funded
under this grant program. After EPA conducts a review of all submitted
pre-applications, successful applicants will be contacted and requested
to submit other documents (such as the ``Application for Federal
Assistance'' form (Standard Form 424 or SF424), a ``Budget Information:
Non-Construction Programs'' form (SF424A) and other required forms) to
complete the application process. However, for the purposes of the pre-
application process, applicants must only submit a work plan and
budget.
Applicants must submit one original and two copies of the
application (double-sided copies are encouraged). Pre-applications must
be reproducible (for example, stapled in the upper left hand corner, on
white paper, and with page numbers).
1. Work plan. A work plan describes the applicant's proposed
project. Work plans must be no more than 10 pages total. One page is
one side of a single-spaced typed page. The pages must be letter size
(8 \1/2\'' x 11''), with normal type size (10 or 12 cpi) and must have
margins that are at least 1 inch. The only appendices that EPA will
accept are resumes of key personnel and copies of outreach materials
(if appropriate to the application.)
2. Budget. The budget should include the following categories of
costs: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,
contractual, construction, other, total direct charges (sum of
personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual,
construction and other), indirect charges and total (sum of total
direct charges and indirect charges.) All budgets must include funds to
travel to Washington, DC or Atlanta, GA for an information sharing
meeting of all successful grantees (at a time to be determined.)
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Lead.
Dated: June 9, 1997.
William H. Sanders III,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 97-15563 Filed 6-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F
