EPA is making grant money available for projects that will help reduce environmental risks for New England communities at risk, such as environmental justice areas, urban areas, sensitive populations, and/or those impacted by climate change or stormwater run-off.

The Healthy Communities Grant Program is EPA New England’s main competitive grant program to work directly with communities to reduce environmental risks, protect and improve human health and improve the quality of life. The program is currently accepting initial proposals for projects that will benefit one or more New England communities. Depending on total available funding, EPA will award approximately 10 cooperative agreements of up to a maximum $25,000 each.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, Federally-recognized Indian Tribal Governments and K-12 schools or school districts (e.g. grassroots and/or community-based organizations).

The Healthy Communities Grant Program will achieve this through identifying and funding projects that:

• Target resources to benefit communities at risk from climate change impacts, areas impacted by stormwater run-off, environmental justice areas of potential concern, urban areas and sensitive populations (e.g. children, elderly, tribes, and others at increased risk);
   
• Assess, understand, and reduce environmental and human health risks;
   
• Increase collaboration through community-based projects;
   
• Build institutional and community capacity to understand and solve environmental and human health problems;
   
• Advance emergency preparedness and resilience;
   
• Achieve measurable environmental and human health benefits.

Eligible projects under this program must be located in and/or directly benefit one or more of the “target investment areas” and identify how the proposed project will achieve measurable environmental and/or public health results in one or more of the five “target program areas.”

In 2014, “Target Investment Areas” include 1) areas at risk from climate change impacts, 2) areas impacted by stormwater run-off, 3) “Environmental Justice” areas of potential concern, 4) sensitive populations, and/or 5) urban areas. “Target Program Areas” include: 1) capacity-building on environmental and public health issues; 2) clean, green, and healthy schools; 3) community and water resource resilience; 4) healthy indoor environments; and/or 5) healthy outdoor environments. A description of these target areas can be found in the 2014 Application Guidance.

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 for consideration. The deadline to submit an Initial Project Summary is April 24, 2014.

To help answer questions from prospective applicants, EPA will sponsor four informational conference calls on April 1, 10, 16 and 22, 2014. These information sessions are optional, but RSVP’s are required. A registration form can be found in the Application Guidance.