EPA is issuing this solicitation to request applications for the design and management of a new Environmental Justice (EJ) competitive pass-through program where EPA will competitively select multiple pass-through entities to provide grant funds via subawards to community-based nonprofit organizations and other eligible subrecipient groups representing underserved and disadvantaged communities. The definition of the term Pass-through entity in 2 CFR 200.1 provides that a pass-through entity is a non-Federal entity that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal program. The EPA provides extensive guidance to pass-through entities in the EPA Subaward Policy and related materials available on the EPA internet website.
EPA plans to award cooperative agreement(s) to pass-through entities (referred to as Grantmakers by the program) who will collaborate with EPA to design and build their own processes to receive and evaluate competitive community project applications from communities for EJ Thriving Communities Subgrant activities. These activities consist of assessment, planning, and/or project development activities addressing local environmental and/or public health issues. Grantmakers will provide EJ Thriving Communities Subgrants (i.e., subawards) to Eligible Subrecipients.
Consistent with EPA’s mission and Administration priorities, including those set forth in Executive Orders 13985 and 14008, and using funding available for environmental justice, and other potential funding as available and appropriate, EPA is seeking applications from eligible entities as described in Section III to become an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaker. EPA is making available up to approximately $550 million total for the EJ TCGM program. EPA expects to make up to 11 awards for the Grantmakers.
EJ Thriving Communities Subgrants will be available for three distinct phases:
Multiple Applications: Applicants can submit up to two applications under this RFA so long as each application is separately submitted and is for a different geographic area(s) (e.g., an applicant cannot submit two applications for geographic area 1). Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
Deadline: May 31, 2023
The proposed research should be as responsive as possible in addressing and integrating all three research questions described below into one comprehensive and holistic environmental health research project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage, partner, and collaborate with underserved community(ies) in addressing each research question.
(1) What may be the most influential community-, population- or lifestage-specific vulnerabilities caused by ongoing climate change that would elevate exposure to pollutants or contaminants and further exacerbate the health effects from exposure to pollutants or 15 contaminants in underserved communities?
(2) What are the cumulative health impacts of climate change related stressors on vulnerable groups or susceptible lifestages in underserved communities?
(3) How can community-based scientific research results be translated and/or applied to provide effective solutions to reduce climate change impacts on human health in underserved communities?
The entities eligible to apply under this assistance listing and serve as an EJ Thriving Communities Grantmaker are as follows:
• a community-based nonprofit organization (includes philanthropic organizations and community foundations); or
• a partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations*
• a partnership between*— a federally recognized tribal government and a community-based nonprofit organization
• a partnership between*— an institution of higher education and a community-based nonprofit organization
Institutions of Higher Education as defined in 2 CFR 200.1 may only apply for funding in statutory partnership with one or more community-based nonprofit organizations as required by section 138(b)(3) of the Clean Air Act.
Multiple Applications: Applicants can submit up to two applications under this RFA so long as each application is separately submitted and is for a different geographic area(s) (e.g., an applicant cannot submit two applications for geographic area 1). If an applicant submits more than 2 applications, EPA staff will contact the applicant to identify which 2 applications EPA will consider. Notwithstanding the above, an applicant may be a partner on another application from another eligible organization.
EPA anticipates awarding a total of approximately $550 million in funding under this RFA. EPA expects to make up to 11 incrementally funded awards with periods of performance of three years with total funding of approximately up to $50 million per award, with up to approximately $16.5 million budgeted for each year. There will be one award for each Regional Geographic Area detailed in Section I.D.4 plus one award for a National Grantmaker. Depending on funding availability, the quality of applications, satisfactory progress, and other applicable considerations. The specific number of awards and the amounts may vary from these estimates. For example, if an applicant submits two applications, one for Regional Geographic Area #1 and one for Regional Geographic Area #2 and is selected for award to cover both geographic areas, then EPA may combine both awards into one award to that single entity..
