This Request for Applications (RFA) aims to further advance the scientific knowledge essential for obtaining an accurate and realistic assessment of the cumulative impacts from multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors, exacerbated by environmental factors, including racial and social injustices in underserved communities.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territory: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $2,000,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
It seeks applications for community-based scientific research to assess cumulative impacts from multiple combined and interacting environmental stressors upon human health in underserved communities.
This RFA is a follow-up to the EPA STAR RFA, “Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions” in terms of making progress toward developing and evaluating practical approaches or methods to conduct cumulative impact assessments that incorporate key environmental justice factors into solutions. While many environmental issues may be common across communities, each community is also unique in terms of its people and the issues they face. A program or policy that works for one community may not work for another. Therefore, for the solution to be effective, it must reflect and address the community’s needs to eliminate environmental health disparities. The goal is not only to understand cumulative impacts from a community perspective, but also to consider community dynamics and variability in the development of solutions. The RFA will seek research proposals to improve health, well-being, and quality of life outcomes by assessing and addressing cumulative impacts resulting from combinations of chemical and non-chemical stressors in underserved communities and investigate how the scientific information can be used to develop effective cumulative impact assessment approaches and/or methods; and investigate how cumulative impact assessment approaches and/or methods can be used to shape better informed practical programs, policies, and decisions to eliminate environmental health disparities. The applicants are asked to identify and work with specific communities, state, tribal, and/or local programs and policies that cumulative impact assessment can improve and inform explicitly where in the decision-making process the cumulative impact assessment can be applied.
Expected Outputs and Outcomes
- Environmental Justice
- To the maximum extent practicable, applicants should demonstrate in their application how they will advance environmental justice for underserved communities. EJ is the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, income, Tribal affiliation or disability, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the adverse environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, and commercial operations or policies.
- Innovation and Sustainability
- To the maximum extent practicable, research applications must embody innovation and sustainability. Innovation for the purposes of this RFA is defined as the process of making changes; a new method, custom, or device. Innovative research can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses.
- Community Engagement Plan
- A community engagement plan is required. Researchers should involve underserved community(ies) or community-based organizations in the formulation of research objectives and in clarifying their real-world exposures and/or health effects. Researchers are strongly encouraged to partner with underserved community(ies). Applications should, at minimum, describe how: applicants will work in partnership with appropriate partners (e.g., MSIs, states, tribes, academia, industry groups, non-profit organizations, associations, and local communities/community-based organizations) to effectively design and implement the proposed project; to the extent possible, coordinate with and/or complement other projects or activities being performed by others that will result in a greater positive impact; and demonstrate how the proposed project will address the needs and concerns of underserved communities including how community-based organizations and/or other appropriate parties will be engaged to enhance the project’s effectiveness and/or efficiency.
Funding Information
- It is anticipated that a total of approximately $10 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds, quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately five awards under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $2,000,000 per award, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered.
- The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed 3 years.
Eligibility Criteria
- Public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations, public and private institutions of higher education (IHEs), and hospitals located in the U.S. and its territories or possessions; state and local governments; Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments; and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms and individuals are not eligible to apply.
- Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization, 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. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note, specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation.
- For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
