Jump to main content or area navigation.

Contact Us

Children's Health Protection

Grants and Funding


EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education (OCHPEE) supports projects that work to protect children’s health from environmental threats. EPA awards grants each year based on available funding. Choose from the topics below for the latest information about OCHPEE grants and other related funding opportunities.

Current Funding Opportunities

 Children's Health Grants Awarded

 Past Solicitations

 Materials Needed to Apply for an EPA Grant

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Current Funding Opportunities

OCHP Funding Opportunities

  • Today, February 27, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public comment the K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines for States, Tribes and Territories. In December 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Subtitle E, Section 504 of EISA requires the EPA, in consultation with the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and other relevant federal agencies, to develop voluntary guidelines to assist states in establishing and implementing environmental health programs in K-12 schools.

    EPA is pleased to announce the release of a Request for Applications (RFA) which will provide funding for voluntary implementation of the EPA draft K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines. Eligibility for funding under this competitive solicitation is limited to states, tribes and territories. Total funding available is expected to be $750,000 and applications for up to $150,000 will be accepted. The closing date for receipt of applications is April 10. For more information, including a copy of the RFA, go to: www.epa.gov/schools/ehguidelines/index.html#rfa.

    Exposure to environmental hazards in schools can negatively impact the health of students and school staff. Unhealthy school environments can affect attendance, concentration and performance. In carrying out this statutory mandate, EPA, with assistance from its federal partners and feedback from stakeholders, developed these draft voluntary State K-12 School Environmental Health Program Guidelines. The guidelines are primarily intended to be used as a resource for the establishment of a state, tribal, or territorial K-12 school environmental health program.

    Your feedback will help in the development of useful guidelines to states, tribes, and territories that will better support healthy school environments for our nation's children. We encourage you to review the draft guidelines and provide comments by April 13, 2012. Please visit the EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection School's website at www.epa.gov/schools to post your comments.


  • EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection is pleased to announce the release of a solicitation for grant proposals to address children's environmental health in underserved communities by building capacity for these communities to reduce environmental exposures in child-occupied settings, eg, homes, schools and child care centers. Funds available for award are expected to total approximately $1.5 million, and EPA intends to award approximately 15-20 awards, each for an amount not to exceed $100,000. The due date for initial proposals is February 18, 2011. Assistance under this competition is available to States or state agencies, territories, city or township governments, county governments, the District of Columbia, federally recognized American Indian Tribes, possessions of the U.S, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, other public or private nonprofit institutions, and 501(c)(3) organizations. View the full Notice of Funding Availability.


Other EPA Funding Opportunities

  • EPA has recently announced the availability of funds through a regional request of applications. Eligible entities will gain funding for projects to conduct demonstrations, trainings, education and/or outreach activities to reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants and yield measurable environmental outcomes primarily in homes and schools. The projects will be carried out at the regional, state or local level within the 10 EPA Regions. For more information, visit the grant application web site.


  • EPA Announces Solicitation of Applications for $1 Million in Environmental Justice Grants: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Agency is seeking applicants for $1 million in environmental justice small grants expected to be awarded in 2012. EPA's environmental justice efforts aim to ensure equal environmental and health protections for all Americans, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. The grants enable non-profit organizations to conduct research, provide education, and develop solutions to local health and environmental issues in communities overburdened by harmful pollution.

    The 2012 grant solicitation is now open and will close on February 29, 2012. Applicants must be incorporated non-profits or tribal organizations working to educate, empower and enable their communities to understand and address local environmental and public health issues.

    EPA will host four pre-application teleconference calls on December 15, 2011, January 12, 2012, February 1, 2012 and February 15, 2012 to help applicants understand the requirements.

    Environmental justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, the environmental justice small grants program has provided more than $23 million in funding to community-based nonprofit organizations and local governments working to address environmental justice issues in more than 1,200 communities. The grants represent EPA's commitment to expand the conversation on environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across the nation.

    More information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants program and a list of grantees:
    http://ww w.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html. Environment Justice Small Grants 2012 Request for Proposals and schedule of pre-application teleconference calls: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publicat ions/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2012.pdf .


  • The EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs is soliciting grant proposals to further the implementation of integrated pest management in and around the nation's public schools. Approximately $1 million is available for awards under this competitive opportunity.

    The grants will provide financial assistance to eligible applicants for projects focusing on IPM approaches that (1) implement verifiable IPM programs that identify and reduce the risks associated with pests and pesticide use in and around kindergarten to 12th grade public and tribal schools and (2) measure and document the impacts of verifiable public and/or tribal school IPM programs on the environment and human health. Eligible applicants include the 50 states, U.S. territories or possessions, federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American organizations, public and private universities and colleges, schools and school districts, other public or private nonprofit institutions, local governments and individuals. The project period of performance is limited to 2 years.

    Integrated Pest Management is a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks. The EPA promotes verifiable school IPM, which is an ongoing activity that includes:
    • Understanding your pests
    • Setting action thresholds for key pests - and knowing when to take action against key pests
    • Monitoring for pests and their locations
    • Eliminating conditions that allow pest infestations
    • Using one or more effective pest control methods, including sanitation, structural maintenance and non-chemical methods instead of or in combination with pesticides

    For more information about how to apply and available funding visit www.epa.gov/pestwise/grants/


  • EPA is making approximately $2 million available in 2011 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a community-based program that works with county and local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources. Since 2005, CARE has reached 78 communities in several states and territories. A recent evaluation by the National Association of Public Administration (NAPA) recognized the CARE program as a solid tested framework for engaging communities and other stakeholders.

    EPA will award CARE cooperative agreements in two levels. Level I awards range from $75,000 to $100,000 each and will help establish community-based partnerships to develop local environmental priorities. Level II awards range from $150,000 to $300,000 each and will support communities that have established broad-based partnerships, have identified the priority toxic risks in the community, and are prepared to measure results, implement risk-reduction activities and become self-sustaining.

    Please note that due to appropriation law concerns, until Congress provides separate authorization, EPA can only award CARE Level II cooperative agreements to applicants that have already received CARE Level I cooperative agreements.

    Applications for the CARE assistance agreements are due by March 22, 2011, 4 p.m. EST. EPA will conduct three Webcasts to answer questions from prospective applicants about the application process on February 8 and 23, and March 2 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

    For more information about the CARE assistance agreements visit: http://www.epa.gov/care/

    For more information, view the 2011 CARE Request for Proposals (RFP)


  • The National Institutes of Health has announced R01 and R21 funding for Reducing Health Disparities Among Minority and Underserved Children (physical environments included among target research areas)

    Specifically, this initiative focuses on ethnic and racial minority children and underserved populations of children such as: children from low literacy, rural and low-income populations, geographically isolated children, hearing and visually impaired children, physically or mentally disabled children, children of migrant workers, children from immigrant and refugee families, and language minority children. Specific targeted areas of research include bio-behavioral studies that incorporate multiple factors that influence child health disparities such as biological (e.g., genetics, cellular, organ systems), lifestyle factors, environmental (physical and family environments), social (e.g., peers), economic, institutional, and cultural and family influences; studies that target the specific health promotion needs of children with a known illness and/or disability; and studies that test and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of health promotion interventions conducted in traditional and nontraditional settings.

    R01 Funding Opportunity Number: PA-11-104
    Link to Full Announcement

    R21 Funding Opportunity Number: PA-11-105
    Link to Full Announcement

Top of page



Children's Health Grants Awarded

OCHPEE issued the following grants or cooperative agreements in 2010:

OCHPEE issued the following grants or cooperative agreements prior to 2005:

Top of page



Past Solicitations

OCHP issued the following solicitations in FY 11:

OCHP issued the following solicitations in FY 08:

OCHP issued the following solicitations in FY 07:

OCHP issued the following solicitations in FY 05:

OCHP issued the following solicitations in FY 04:

OCHP issued the following solicitation in FY 03:

Top of page



Materials Needed to Apply for an EPA Grant

  • EPA Grant Application Forms: EPA Grant Application Kit for Federal Assistance forms that are required for submission and consideration of a grant proposal are available on-line at www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/application.htm. All of the forms provided in this link are required to be completed for Full Proposals under the Solicitation known as “Building State, Territorial and Tribal Capacity to Address Children's Environmental Health: Environmental Triggers of Childhood Asthma” and the Pre-application Proposals of the Solicitation known as “Building Health Professional Capacity to Address Children's Environmental Health.” To use these forms, download them, print them out and manually enter the requested information. Electronic submission of the application is not available.


  • OMB Requirement: DUNS Number: Grant applicants are required to provide in their applications a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number will supplement other identifiers required by statute or regulation, such as tax identification numbers.

    OMB has determined that there is a need for improved statistical reporting of Federal grants and cooperative agreements. Use of the DUNS number government-wide will provide a means to identify entities receiving those awards and their business relationships. The identifier will be used for tracking purposes, and to validate address and point of contact information.

    Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711. An organization also can obtain a DUNS number at www.dnb.com/us/ Exit Disclaimer. This process takes 30 business days and there is no cost unless the organization requests expedited (one day) processing, which involves a fee.


  • Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal: Applicants are advised to refer to the Grants Administration Division link: www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm for Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal.


  • Quality Assurance Project Plans: Quality Assurance Project Plans may be required if and when your proposal is selected for award. Information on Quality Assurance Project Plans for assistance agreements can be found at: www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/assurance.htm. This requirement pertains to projects involving environmental programs, within the scope of the assistance agreement including direct measurements or data generation, environmental modeling, compilation of data from literature or electronic media, and data supporting the design, construction, and operation of environmental technology. EPA assistance agreement recipients with such environmental programs in their proposal must implement or have implemented a quality system conforming to the American National Standard ANSI/ASQC E4-1994, specifications and Guidelines for Quality Systems for Environmental Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs. For further guidance see: www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/assurance.htm and www.epa.gov/quality/.

Top of page




Jump to main content.