Funding Opportunities for the Western Region

EPA Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Program (Applications are due April 9, 2007)

(Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 6, 2007) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that money is available to support community-based partnerships to reduce toxic risks in local communities.  

EPA will award about $2.7 million in cooperative agreements at two levels through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program.  Level 1 cooperative agreements will help establish community-based partnerships and set priorities for reducing toxic risks in a community.  EPA anticipates awarding eight to 10 cooperative agreements under Level 1, ranging from $75,000 to $100,000. 

Level 2 cooperative agreements are for communities that already have undertaken a comprehensive process to assess multimedia toxic risks, formed a broad-based collaborative partnership, have identified risk reduction priorities and are ready to implement risk reduction strategies.  EPA expects to award six to eight cooperative agreements, ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.

A range of community groups may apply, including county and local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities.  EPA will conduct three conference calls, Feb, 20 and 26 and March 1, for prospective applicants to ask questions about the application process. 

The CARE program, which began in 2005, helps build broad-based local partnerships for reducing risks from toxic pollutants that come from numerous sources.  Additional information about CARE, projects awarded in 2005 and 2006, and how to apply are on EPA’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/care.

The CARE Request for Proposal can be found at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=12472&mode=VIEW.

The EPA Region 7 contact is Kathleen L. Fenton in Kansas City, Kan.  She may be reached at (913) 551-7874, e-mail fenton.kathleen@epa.gov, or toll-free at (800) 223-0425.