EPA Environmental Education Local Grants Program (Region 4)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting applications for its Environmental Education Local Grants Program (Region 4) to support locally-focused environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers, and community members.

Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

State: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina , and Tennessee

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 11/08/2023

Size of the Grant: $50,000-$100,000

Grant Duration: 2 years

Details:

This grant program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques that increase public awareness and knowledge about local environmental issues and provides participants in its programs the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions toward the environment.

The goal of this solicitation is to fund locally-focused EE projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques, as described in this solicitation. EPA will provide financial support for projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop informed, knowledgeable, and responsible individuals in the community(ies) in which the project is located.

EPA’s Educational Priorities

• Applications must address at least one of these Educational Priorities to be considered eligible.
  • Community Projects
    • Increasing public understanding of the benefits of and participation in environmental stewardship through community collaboration on issues including, but not limited to climate change, water and soil quality, food waste management, management of ecosystem health and/or local fire or flood prevention.
  • Career Development
    • Educating students of any age group and/or training their educators or community leaders on how to teach, in formal and non-formal settings, about environmental issues, solutions and stewardship for the purpose of encouraging interest in gratifying careers in one of the environmental fields. These fields include, but are not limited to natural resource conservation and/or management, climate change, water infrastructure, and water and air quality management.
  • Environmental Education Capacity Building
    • Building the capacity of agencies and organizations to develop, deliver, and sustain comprehensive environmental education programs. Capacity building proposals may focus on one state, multiple states, or a region of the country.
  • Environmental Justice
    • For purposes of this solicitation, Environmental Justice (EJ) refers to activities increasing public awareness and knowledge that disproportionate and adverse environmental, human health, climate-related and other cumulative impacts are more likely to affect or have affected underserved communities.
  • Indigenous Knowledge
    • Educating project participants on the importance of recognizing, understanding, supporting, and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into strategies aimed at solving local environmental issues.

EPA’s Environmental Priorities

• The National Environmental Education Act, applications must address at least one of the Administrator’s Environmental Priorities to be considered eligible.
  • Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality
    • These efforts help protect the health of all Americans and the ecosystems we depend on by preventing pollution, increasing energy efficiency, improving indoor and outdoor air quality, reducing industrial air pollution and pollution from vehicles and engines, protecting the stratospheric ozone layer, reducing acid rain, and addressing climate change.
  • Ensuring Clean and Safe Water
    • These efforts help ensure that drinking water is clean and safe for all communities. They also contribute to the restoration and maintenance of oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitats for wildlife and plants.
  • Cleaning Up Communities by Revitalizing Land and Preventing Contamination
    • These efforts provide guidelines for safe and environmentally friendly practices in waste management to support cleaning up and restoring land for productive uses and healthy communities. These efforts also lead to a reduction in waste, an increase in reuse, and prevention of environmental contamination.

Funding Information

The total amount of funding available under this announcement is approximately $360,000, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. It is anticipated that 3-5 awards will be made under this announcement. Each Region 4 grant will be funded for no less than $50,000, and no more than $100,000 in federal funds. Region 4 covers the states of Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Kentucky (KY), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), and Tennessee (TN)

Period of Performance

Project periods should be proposed for one or two years or any time period between one and two years.

Eligibility Criteria

The National Environmental Education Act, and EPA’s Policy for Competition of Assistance Agreements, entities that are eligible to receive a grant under this competition are:

• Local education agencies
• College or universities
• State education or environmental agencies
• Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
• Tribal organizations that qualify as nonprofit organization described Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
• Tribal education agencies
• Noncommercial educational broadcasting entity as defined and licensed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

For more information, visit Grants.gov.