Deadline- November 21, 2012
Countries/Region- U.S
Request for Proposals are invited for EPA’s Environmental Education Regional Grants to increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and provide the skills that participants in its funded projects need to make informed environmental decisions and take responsible actions toward the environment.
This grant program funds environmental education (EE) projects. Environmental information and outreach may be important elements of EE projects, but these activities by themselves are not environmental education. By itself, environmental information only addresses awareness and knowledge, usually about a particular environmental issue. Outreach involves information dissemination and requests or suggestions for action on a particular issue (often without the critical thinking, problem solving and decision making steps in between). EE covers the range of steps and activities from awareness to action with an ultimate goal of environmental stewardship.
EPA’s Educational Priorities–
- Community Projects: Addressing environmental stewardship in a local formal or informal educational context in rural, suburban and urban settings, and using outdoor, place-based, experiential, service learning and/or community-focused stewardship activities as the primary teaching tools.
- Human Health and the Environment: Educating students of any age group, from the very young through the elderly, and training* their educators or community leaders on how to teach, in formal and non-formal settings, in the outdoors and in classrooms, about human health threats from environmental pollution and how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health.
- Career Development: Educating students of any age group, from the very young through the elderly, and training* their educators or community leaders on how to teach, in formal and non-formal settings, about environmental issues, solutions and stewardship for the purpose of encouraging interest in careers in environmental fields.
EPA’s Environmental Priorities-
The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA has identified the following priorities that help focus the work of the Agency.
- Protecting Air Quality – These efforts help protect the health of all Americans and the ecosystems we depend on by preventing pollution and increasing energy efficiency, improving indoor and outdoor air quality, reducing industrial air pollution and pollution from vehicles and engines, protecting the stratospheric ozone layer, reducing acid rain, and addressing climate change.
- Assuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution – These efforts protect all Americans and the environment from potential risks from pesticides and toxic chemicals and prevent pollution before it begins.
- Cleaning Up Our Communities – These efforts provide guidelines for safe and environmentally friendly practices in waste management and support the redevelopment and reuse of potentially contaminated sites.
- Protecting America’s Waters – These efforts ensure that drinking water is safe, and restores and maintains oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.
Awards–
EPA expects approximately $2,160,000 to be available for grants in the amount of approximately (but no more than) $216,000. Each of EPA’s 10 Regions anticipates funding one (1) grant, resulting in 10 grants nationwide, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of applications received.
Applicants can submit more than one proposal under this solicitation so long as each one is for a different project and is separately submitted.
Eligibility-
- Applicants must represent one of the following types of organizations to be eligible for an environmental education grant-
- local education agency
- state education or environmental agency
- college or university
- non-profit organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- noncommercial educational broadcasting entity
- tribal education agency (which includes schools and community colleges controlled by an Indian tribe, band, or nation)
- A teacher’s school district, an educator’s not-for-profit organization, or a faculty member’s college or university may apply, but an individual teacher is not eligible
- Applicant organizations must be located in the United States or territories and the majority of the educational activities must take place in the United States; or in the U.S. and Canada or Mexico; or in U.S. Territories
How to apply?
- Download the application (Federal Form SF-424) and budget form (Federal Form SF-424A) to complete the application electronically. Print a hard copy of the completed application and budget form and mail it to EPA as described in the Solicitation Notice. Applicants may submit their proposals in one of two ways: (1) hard copy; or (2) electronically through website.
- Applicants choosing to submit applications in hard copy must submit an original and two copies of the proposal materials by mail or express delivery service to the Regional Office in which the project will be located.
- Applicants choosing to apply electronically, should follow the instructions through the website.
- Check the Solicitation Notice carefully to determine the point of contact and address at one of EPA’s 10 Regional Offices to which your application will be sent.
- Grant applications should be submitted to the regional point of contact in the EPA Region in which the proposed project will take place.
- NO grant applications should be submitted to EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
For more information, visit this link
