EPA Announces Grant Funding to Support Healthy School Environments
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2020) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking grant applications through the Children's Healthy Learning Environments Grant Initiative from states, federally recognized tribes, universities, local governments, non-profits, and other groups to support children’s environmental health in school and childcare settings. These grants advance children’s environmental health by providing education, training, tools and capacity building.
“EPA knows it’s critical to help schools and childcare settings understand how to reduce environmental exposures,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These Children’s Health Protection grants will address improvements in schools and childcare settings that can advance awareness and change attitudes about environmental hazards for both children and adults. This is an important initiative that I fully support.”
EPA anticipates awarding two grants of approximately $145,000 each for up to a two-year funding period. Grant applications should reflect multi-media and holistic approaches for reducing environmental exposures in schools and childcare settings through capacity building, trainings, and technical assistance. Proposals should also demonstrate a broad reach and collaborative problem-solving with appropriate partners.
This grant is just one part of EPA’s focus on health and safety in schools and protecting children’s health. In March 2020, EPA and the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at increasing children’s environmental health knowledge among high school students. The partnership will culminate in a leadership challenge available to more than 200,000 high school members on simple steps students can take to improve their school environmental conditions.
In addition, EPA is working to customize comprehensive environmental health in schools materials for middle-school teachers, students, and parents. Through EPA's contract with Scholastic, EPA will reach more than 1.5 million middle school students and 50,000 teachers with a wide range of on-line tools.
Applications are due by June 1, 2020. Additional information is available on www.grants.gov, under Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-OA-OCHP-20-01.
For more information, visit the Office of Children’s Health Protection website: https://www.epa.gov/children/childrens-healthy-learning-environments-grant-initiative-rfa-june-2020.