The New England regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has grant money for New England communities to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health, and improve the quality of life. The EPA New England’s Healthy Communities Grant Program is now accepting proposals.
State and local governments, public nonprofit institutions or organizations, private nonprofit institutions or organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions or organizations, federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, K-12 schools or school districts, and nonprofit organizations, such as grassroots and community-based organizations, are all free to apply.
The EPA’s grant program will identify and fund projects that target resources that benefit communities at risk, including areas such as community resilience, environmental justice, sensitive populations such as children, elderly, tribes, rural residents, and others at increased risk. The grant will recognize efforts to increase collaboration through partnerships and community-based projects, and those projects that assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks. Funding may also be awarded for projects that address emergency preparedness and ecosystem resilience.
Consideration will be given to applicants who target clean, green, and healthy schools; community and water infrastructure resilience; healthy indoor environments; healthy outdoor environments, and/or tribal youth environmental projects.
There is a two-step process for selecting proposals. The program requires the submission of an initial project summary as a first step. Then applicants with the highest-quality proposals will be invited to submit full proposals. The deadline to submit an initial project summary is April 7, 2017.
The Healthy Communities Grant Program will host three conference calls, on March 15, 21, and 30, before the initial project summary is due. These information sessions are optional, but RSVPs are required. Visit the EPA website for information about applying for the grants, or call Sandra Brownell at 617-918-1797 or email brownell.sandra@epa.gov.