Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA OCHP 01 2012

  • The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Building Capacity to Implement EPA Voluntary Guidelines for K 12 State, Tribal and Territorial School Environmental Health Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Mar 20, 2012 and posted on Mar 6, 2012.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by May 1, 2012 Please refer to the announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on submission methods and due dates.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $750,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
  • See Section III of the announcement for additional eligibility information.
Apply for EPA OCHP 01 2012

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Opportunity Summary:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant opportunity titled "Building Capacity to Implement EPA Voluntary Guidelines for K 12 State, Tribal and Territorial School Environmental Health Programs" was a discretionary funding program intended to help governments and other eligible entities strengthen how K-12 school environmental health is managed at the state, tribal, and territorial level. The core purpose was to support projects that create, implement, and evaluate practical models for comprehensive school environmental health programs that align with EPA's draft K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines. Those draft guidelines were released for public comment in February 2012 and made available through EPA's schools web resources. The funding was designed to push beyond one-off fixes in individual buildings and instead encourage system-level approaches that can be replicated, assessed, and improved over time.

The projects envisioned under this opportunity focused on building and demonstrating program capacity. That means applicants were expected to develop structured approaches that states, tribes, or territories could use to organize school environmental health work in a consistent way, then put those approaches into practice, and finally evaluate the results to show what works and what can be improved. In practical terms, the grant emphasized model-building: creating frameworks that can guide comprehensive school environmental health programs, testing them through implementation, and measuring outcomes or performance indicators so EPA and other jurisdictions can learn from the experience. The overall goal was to improve the environmental conditions that affect student and staff health in schools by promoting a more coordinated, guideline-consistent approach to issues that typically fall under environmental health, such as indoor environmental quality and other building- and site-related health factors addressed through state or territorial programs.

Eligibility was framed broadly enough to include jurisdictions at different stages of readiness. EPA indicated that applications could come from states, tribes, or territories that already had school environmental health programs in place, as well as from those that had not yet implemented such programs but could demonstrate a clear commitment to doing so. At the same time, the announcement noted an important boundary: while the opportunity references tribal participation, financial support specifically for tribes to implement the guidelines would be offered through a separate funding mechanism. The listing also notes that eligibility details were provided in Section III of the full announcement, and the eligible applicant category is shown as "Others," signaling that the official notice contained additional clarification about which entities could apply and under what conditions.

From a funding and award structure perspective, the program was relatively targeted and standardized. EPA anticipated making about five awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $750,000. Each award was set at $150,000, with both the ceiling and the floor listed as $150,000, which typically implies fixed award sizes rather than a range. The funding instrument type was a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant. That distinction matters because cooperative agreements generally involve substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project period, such as collaboration on project direction, deliverables, or evaluation expectations, rather than simply providing funds and receiving periodic reports. No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed, reducing a common barrier for public agencies and other eligible applicants.

Key dates show this was a time-limited 2012 opportunity. It was posted March 6, 2012, with an original closing date of April 10, 2012, later updated to a current closing date of May 1, 2012. The archive date was June 1, 2012, indicating the opportunity was no longer active after that point. The funding opportunity number was EPA-OCHP-01-2012, and the activity category was Environment. The notice also emphasized that applicants needed to consult the full announcement, particularly Section IV, for the exact submission methods and definitive due date requirements, which is typical for federal opportunities where submission rules can vary by platform and document requirements.

For applicants or researchers trying to track down the complete details, the announcement provided a point of contact at EPA: Kathy Seikel, reachable by phone at 202-564-0457, particularly for those who had difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically. The public-facing description repeatedly emphasizes alignment with EPA's voluntary guidelines and the intent to generate evaluated models that other jurisdictions can use, making the opportunity primarily about building durable, transferable program capacity rather than funding isolated school remediation projects.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title of this EPA funding opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "Building Capacity to Implement EPA Voluntary Guidelines for K 12 State, Tribal and Territorial School Environmental Health Programs."

What was the main purpose of this grant program?

The core purpose was to help strengthen how K-12 school environmental health is managed at the state, tribal, and territorial level by supporting projects that create, implement, and evaluate practical models for comprehensive school environmental health programs aligned with EPA's draft K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines.

What kind of projects was EPA trying to fund?

EPA was seeking projects focused on building and demonstrating program capacity. Applicants were expected to develop structured approaches (models or frameworks) that jurisdictions could use to organize and manage school environmental health work consistently, implement those approaches in practice, and evaluate results to identify what works and what can be improved.

How is this opportunity different from funding a one-time fix at a single school?

This opportunity emphasized system-level approaches that can be replicated, assessed, and improved over time. It was designed to push beyond isolated remediation in individual buildings and instead support durable, transferable program models at the jurisdiction level.

What guidelines were projects expected to align with?

Projects were intended to align with EPA's draft K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines. Those draft guidelines were released for public comment in February 2012 and were made available through EPA's schools web resources.

What types of environmental health issues were in scope?

The description points to school environmental conditions affecting student and staff health and mentions issues that typically fall under environmental health, such as indoor environmental quality and other building- and site-related health factors addressed through state or territorial programs.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was described broadly enough to include states, tribes, or territories that already had school environmental health programs as well as those that had not yet implemented such programs but could show a clear commitment to doing so. The listing indicates that the full eligibility details were provided in Section III of the full announcement, and the eligible applicant category was shown as "Others," suggesting additional clarifications in the official notice.

Does this opportunity provide funding for tribes?

The opportunity references tribal participation, but it also notes a key boundary: financial support specifically for tribes to implement the guidelines would be offered through a separate funding mechanism.

How many awards did EPA expect to make?

EPA anticipated making about five awards.

What was the total estimated funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $750,000.

How much funding was available per award?

Each award was set at $150,000. Both the ceiling and the floor were listed as $150,000, which generally indicates a fixed award size rather than a range.

Was cost sharing or a match required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement was listed.

What type of funding instrument was used (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?

The instrument type was a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant.

What does it mean that this was a cooperative agreement?

A cooperative agreement generally implies substantial federal involvement during the project period, such as collaboration on project direction, deliverables, or evaluation expectations, rather than simply providing funds and receiving periodic reports.

When was this opportunity posted?

It was posted on March 6, 2012.

What was the application closing date?

The original closing date was April 10, 2012, and it was later updated to a current closing date of May 1, 2012.

Is this opportunity still active?

No. The archive date was June 1, 2012, indicating the opportunity was no longer active after that point.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number was EPA-OCHP-01-2012.

What activity category did EPA list for this opportunity?

The activity category was Environment.

Where were the official submission requirements and due date rules described?

The notice emphasized that applicants needed to consult the full announcement, particularly Section IV, for the exact submission methods and definitive due date requirements.

Where were the official eligibility details described?

The listing notes that eligibility details were provided in Section III of the full announcement.

What was the overall intended outcome of the funded projects?

The overall goal was to improve environmental conditions affecting student and staff health in schools by promoting a coordinated approach consistent with EPA's voluntary guidelines, and by generating evaluated program models that other jurisdictions can learn from and replicate.

Who was the EPA point of contact for questions or access issues?

The announcement provided an EPA contact: Kathy Seikel, phone 202-564-0457, particularly for those who had difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically.

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