Cooperative Agreements to USA Nonprofits, Agencies, and Schools to Improve Health and Address Environmental Risks in Eligible Regions

2023 Healthy Communities Grant Program

Agency

Federal

GrantWatch ID#

154532

Funding Source

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

CFDA Number: 66.110

Funding or PIN Number: EPA-R1-HC-2023

Geographic Focus

USA: Connecticut; Maine; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Rhode Island; Vermont

Important Dates

Deadline: 05/26/23 11:59 PM ET

Grant Description

Cooperative agreements of up to $40,000 to USA public and private nonprofit organizations and institutions, government agencies, Tribal governments, and K-12 school districts and schools to improve health and reduce environmental risks in eligible regions. Required registrations may take a month or more to complete. This program is intended to provide seed funding to inspire and leverage broader investment to create healthy and resilient communities in Target Investment Areas within Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and federally recognized tribes in New England.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England's main competitive grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks to protect and improve human health and the quality of life. The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve this through identifying and funding projects that:

Target resources to benefit communities at risk [areas needing to create community resilience, environmental justice areas of potential concern, sensitive populations (e.g., children, elderly, tribes, urban and rural residents, and others at increased risk)].
Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks.
Increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects.
Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems.
Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.

To qualify as eligible projects under the Healthy Communities Grant Program, proposed projects must: (1) be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas; and (2) identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program seeks to fund projects that are in and/or directly benefit one or more of the Target Investment Areas: Areas near Ports that are being Redeveloped to Support Offshore Wind and Related Industries, Geographic Priority Areas or Sectors in Northern & Southern New England, Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, and/or Sensitive Populations in one or more of the EPA New England States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and/or tribal lands. Every application must clearly identify and explain how the project will link to one or more of the Target Investment Areas.

Target Investment Areas: Areas near Ports that are being Redeveloped to Support Offshore Wind and Related Industries, Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, Geographic Priority Areas or Sectors in Northern & Southern New England and Sensitive Populations

Every application must also clearly identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas.

Target Program Areas: Capacity Building on Environmental and/or Public Health Issues; Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools; Energy Efficiency; Healthy Indoor Environments; Healthy Outdoor Environments; Pollution Prevention; and Sustainable Materials Management

For more information about Target Investment Areas, Target Program Areas, EPA Strategic Plan Linkage, & Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs, see https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/epa-r1-hc-2023.pdf#page=6.

Recipient

Eligibility

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)

Additional Eligibility Criteria

In accordance with CFDA 66.110, eligible applicants for awards under this announcement include State and Local Governments, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, K-12 schools or school districts; and non-profit organizations (e.g., grassroots and/or community-based organizations). Applicants need not be physically located within the boundaries of the EPA regional office to be eligible to apply for funding, but must propose projects that affect the states, tribes, and territories within Region 1.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.1, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 C.F.R. § 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 non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 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 C.F.R. § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law.

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.

Ineligible

Private businesses, federal agencies, and individuals are not eligible to be grant recipients. However, they are encouraged to work in partnership with eligible applicants on projects.

For-profit organizations such as colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

Pre-Proposal Conference

EPA New England will sponsor two Microsoft Teams Information Sessions for potential applicants. The webinars are an opportunity to get more information about the EPA programs working in target investment areas across New England and learn more about the grant application process and the Healthy Communities Grant Program. Participation is optional, but RSVPs are required.

Webinars will be held on April 25, 27 and May 11, 2023

To register for one of the conference calls, please email (degler.zachary@epa.gov) all necessary information below or fax (617-918-0630) your completed registration form. Instructions for participating will be emailed to you once your registration form is received. If you have questions, please contact Zac Degler at (617) 918-1630.

See the registration form at https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/epa-r1-hc-2023.pdf#page=35.

Pre-Application Information

Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
- April 11, 2023 Healthy Communities Application Guidance is released.
- April 11 – May 26, 2023 Eligible grant recipients develop and complete their applications.
- April 25, 27 and May 11, 2023 Healthy Communities Grant Program hosts Information Sessions via webinar.
- May 26, 2023 Application submissions must be received by 11:59 PM
- May 31 - June 16, 2023 Application package submissions are reviewed and evaluated.
- June 2023 Applicants will be contacted via telephone if their application is being considered for funding. Some applicants may be asked to make minor revisions to their proposed project work plans. Formal letters will be sent to all applicants to notify them of the status of their submissions.
- September 2023 EPA New England expects to formally announce 2023 Healthy Communities Grant Program Recipients.

Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration because of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

Registrations:
- Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using login.gov to complete your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov registration is FREE.
- Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only. Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization's legal business name and address.
- Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is FREE.
- Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the application submission deadline.

The grant program does not require a match (cost share).

For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/newenglandhc.

View this opportunity on Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=347426

Additional Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding:

$500,000

Number of Grants

he Healthy Communities Grant Program anticipates awarding approximately 15 cooperative agreements from these project applications in 2023.

Estimated Size of Grant

Applications may be submitted for amounts up to $40,000. Although the project can last up to two years, the total amount requested for federal resources cannot exceed the $40,000 limit.

Term of Contract

The project period will start no earlier than October 1, 2023 and can last for a one or two-year period.

Contact Information

Applications may be submitted via https://www.grants.gov or via email to R1hcgrants@epa.gov.

For all questions and inquiries regarding the Healthy Communities Grant Program, please contact:
Zac Degler
EPA New England
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Phone: 617-918-1630
E-mail: Degler.Zachary@epa.gov

Contact the Federal Service Desk https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday - Friday 8am - 8pm ET.

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve technical issues with Grants.gov. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays.

Cooperative Agreements to USA Nonprofits, Agencies, and Schools to Improve Health and Address Environmental Risks in Eligible Regions

2023 Healthy Communities Grant Program

We have foundations for

We have grants for

Cookies