The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking applications for its Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge.
Donor Name: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Challenge
Deadline: 01/31/2024
Size of the Grant:
- Phase 1: Up to $25,000
- Phase 2: $70,000
Details:
The Challenge mechanism provides an opportunity for community voices to participate in developing novel innovative approaches to addressing the adverse health impacts of environmental conditions and increase community resilience within their local, disproportionately impacted communities.
HHS is creating a national competition to identify innovative and effective approaches to enhance community-driven efforts to address the health consequences of communities burdened by environmental and climate change-related hazards. Desired outcomes include the development of community-driven strategies and application of data-driven tools to advance health equity and address environmental hazards including those related to climate change, and the cumulative impacts of environmental and other stressors. Participants will have access to a technical assistance opportunity in each phase of the Challenge. This Challenge seeks to achieve its desired outcomes by providing support to community-based and Tribal organizations in the areas of:
- Development or implementation of innovative and effective community-driven strategies to address health disparities in communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards including those related to climate change, and the cumulative impacts of environmental and other stressors.
- Application of publicly available data tools (i.e., Environmental Justice Index, Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, Environmental Justice Screen) to identify signals or patterns of an inequity in the distribution of environmental and climate change-related hazards, support measures of community resilience and research around the effectiveness of exposure mitigation efforts on human health.
- Effective partnerships between community-based or Tribal organizations and other civil organizations, such as faith-based, healthcare and public health and educational organizations, to address environmental and climate change-related hazards and support community resilience.
- Innovative approaches to building capacity in community-based or Tribal organizations on project planning, needs assessment, budgeting, engagement with community members, and grant application writing, to address environmental and climate change-related hazards as drivers of health disparities.
- Novel approaches to addressing the mental health impacts of environmental and climate change-related hazards and other cumulative stressors, especially among children and youth.
Prizes
Total cash prizes
$1,000,000
- Phase 1: Design of Concept (Idea) or Development of Approach (Pilot Project) –
- Submissions during Phase 1 may take one of two structures: 1) design of an innovative concept (idea) to enhance community-driven efforts to mitigate environmental health disparities and advance environmental health equity within a specific population; or 2) development of an effective approach (pilot project) to support a previously developed innovative concept. Up to 12 submissions may be selected to each receive a prize of up to $25,000.
- Phase 2: Small-Scale Testing or Implementation –
- Participants selected to receive a Phase 1 prize may enter phase 2 to test dissemination and uptake of their approaches at a small scale/community level. Additionally, separate participant entries (not submitted in Phase 1) of well-developed approaches for community-driven efforts to mitigate environmental health disparities and advance environmental health equity will be accepted. Up to 10 submissions may be selected to each receive a minimum prize of $70,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, a Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) —
- Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by HHS as published in this announcement;
- Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this announcement;
- In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; However,
non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria. Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents are not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part). Their participation as
part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced. - May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment;
- May not be a Federal employee of the Department of Health and Human Services) (or any other component of HHS) acting in their personal capacity;
- Who is employed by a Federal agency or entity other than HHS (or any component of HHS), should consult with an agency Ethics Official to determine whether the Federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a prize under this Challenge;
- May not be a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse, parent, step-parent, child, or step-child).
- Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop their Challenge submissions unless use of such funds is consistent with the purpose of their grant award and specifically requested to do so due to the Challenge design as described in this announcement.
Federal grantees who use Federal funds to develop their Challenge submissions must also obtain written prior approval from the appropriate grants management or program officer and provide documentation of prior approval upon request by HHS. - Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.
- Submissions must not infringe upon any copyright or any other rights of any third party.
- By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the Federal government and its related entities (as defined in the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act, as amended), except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise. - Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant (whether
an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to participate in this Challenge. - By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to indemnify the Federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities.
- A Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participants participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
- By participating in this Challenge, each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) warrants that he, she, or it is the sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises, that the works are
wholly original with the Participant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the Participant has sufficient rights to use and improve), and that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which the Participant is
aware. In addition, each Participant grants to HHS an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable,
irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on its behalf, the solution throughout the world. Each Participant will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant must
warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant’s rights to the Federal government. To receive an award, Participants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to HHS, but
Participants must grant to the Federal government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein. - HHS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to (a) cancel, suspend, or modify the Challenge, and/or (b) not award any prizes if no entries are deemed worthy.
- Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
- Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant’s full and unconditional agreement to
abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein. - Each Participant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) working with Tribal communities may be asked to provide a letter of approval to ensure activities involving American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes has been approved by the Tribal governments
with jurisdiction over the populations involved.
For more information, visit HHS.