Program objective

Grants are awarded to support projects that meet two criteria: 1) They must be located in and directly benefit one or more Target Investment Areas and 2) They must achieve measurable environmental and public health results in one or more of the Target Program Areas. Target Investment Areas and Target Program Areas are identified in the annual competitive funding announcement. Funds for all projects should support activities to provide education, outreach, or training in the Target Program Areas. The Regional Office will only accept submissions for projects that affect the states, tribes, and territories within the five Region 6 states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Projects that are national in scope are not eligible for funding under this regional program. The statutory authorities for this program restrict the use of assistance agreements to support the following activities: conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and elimination of pollution. Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, and it is encouraged that the results of these projects will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project. Funding Priority – Fiscal Year 2023 – Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools: Projects that focus on creating clean, green, and healthy school environments by promoting EPA’s State School Environmental Health Guidelines; EPA’s Voluntary Guidelines for Selecting Safer School Location and their design, construction, and renovation; EPA’s 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools, and/or implementing replicable programs across Region 6 serving children’s environmental health at K-12 schools. Community and Water Infrastructure Resilience: Projects that provide education, outreach, and training to manage facilities at which hazardous substances are located; advance the emergency preparedness and resilience of communities and water infrastructure through training related to safer handling and removal of hazardous waste. Healthy Indoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing childhood lead poisoning through compliance assistance, outreach, and/or education on lead-based paint regulations, and/or small drinking water systems; reducing asthma triggers; promoting integrated pest management; promoting recycling, pollution prevention, food recovery, food waste minimization and/or diversion, and/or renewable energy; reducing childhood exposure to one or more toxins (lead, PCBs, dioxin, mercury, asbestos, pesticides, etc.); and promoting comprehensive healthy homes and/or other indoor environments for children or other sensitive populations. Healthy Outdoor Environments: Projects that focus on reducing and/or preventing exposure to toxics and pollutants in the air, soil, and/or water by addressing the causes, effects, extent, reduction, prevention, and/or elimination of pollution in rivers and/or other natural resources.