The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Regions 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10 (the Regions) are issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible entities to implement pollution prevention projects through the Source Reduction Assistance grant program.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/23/2022
Size of the Grant: $200,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
How Does EPA Define P2? Pollution prevention is any practice which reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling of discarded material, treatment, or disposal; P2 reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of those substances, pollutants, or contaminants. P2 practices include equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, and substitution of raw materials. EPA has also interpreted P2 as including practices that increase efficient use of water, energy, raw materials, or other resources that may protect natural resources through conservation methods, or in-process recycling (i.e., process improvements to reuse materials within the same business/facility in the production process). Reducing the amount of pollution in the environment means producing less waste to control, treat, or dispose.
P2 is a powerful tool that can protect public health and the environment by:
- Reducing the use, release, and exposure to toxic chemicals
- Employing upstream solutions that reduce the need and cost of environmental cleanup and pollution management
- Reducing the demand for virgin, raw materials
- Reducing the demand for and cost of utility services such as power, water, and wastewater treatment through energy and water efficiency
- Increasing the efficiency of materials use and reuse
- Reduction of single-use plastics
The Regions are especially interested to support projects in the following priority areas:
- Prevention of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Examples of projects under this priority area may include, but are not limited to:
- Demonstrating pollution prevention activities that could support energy efficiency measures.
- Offering technical assistance to reduce energy consumption from industrial processes such as lighting, hot water use, compressed air, natural gas, etc.
- Offering training and other assistance to help identify substitutions for chemicals and substances with significant environmental impacts including manufacture or use of chemicals that could result in GHG releases.
- Hazardous Materials Source Reduction: Example projects include but are not limited to:
- Providing technical assistance/training to help develop and adopt pollution prevention and toxics reduction practices.
- Identifying and targeting pollution sources within environmental justice communities and promoting source reduction approaches to reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous materials.
- Conducting research, demonstration, or training on innovative ways to design, manufacture, or improve markets for environmentally preferable products (e.g., participating in EPA’s Safer Choice Program, using Safer Choice Labeled Products, using EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List, or products conforming to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels).
- Amplifying Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) P2 Reporting and using TRI P2 data to target similar businesses or operations for similar P2 opportunities in hazardous materials source reduction.
- Creating community partnerships (between businesses and local municipalities, schools, etc.) to identify and reduce use of hazardous materials.
- Innovative approaches to conservation of materials and resources: Example projects include but are not limited to:
- Conducting projects focused on source reduction of materials contributing to marine plastics pollution.
- Providing P2 technical assistance to reduce water use and contaminants contributing to urban runoff. Partnering with organizations that will support pollution prevention activities to reduce the embodied carbon of materials.
- Conducting trainings, conferences, or roundtables to share pollution prevention best practices and/or demonstrate pollution prevention technologies.
- Environmental Justice through P2 Actions:
- Example projects include but are not limited to:
- Educating retailers on the Safer Choice program, and the EPA Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels to support the increase in availability and use of safer cleaning products and other environmentally preferable products.
- Providing P2 technical assistance in multiple languages.
- Partnering with schools and daycare facilities to improve indoor air quality through P2 actions.
- Building capacity for organizations or residents to understand pollution prevention techniques and approaches and transfer those lessons in their communities.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $200,000
- Award Floor: $40,000
- All project activities must be completed within the negotiated project performance period of no longer than two years.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include States, local, interstate, and intrastate government agencies and instrumentalities, federally recognized tribes, inter-tribal consortia, and non-profit organizations formed under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby). All projects must take place within the geographic boundaries of one of the EPA Regions announcing this solicitation (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10).
- Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, 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 that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. 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 Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
