44860 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5878–7]

Solicitation Notice; Environmental

Education Grants Program; Fiscal Year

1998

Contents

Section I—Overview and Deadlines

Section II—Eligible Applicants and Activities

Section III—Funding Priorities

Section IV—Requirements for Proposals and

Matching Funds

Section V—Review and Selection Process

Section VI—Grantee Responsibilities

Section VII—Other Information and Mailing

List

Section I. Overview and Deadlines

A. Purpose of Solicitation

This notice solicits grant proposals

from education institutions,

environmental and educational public

agencies, and not-for-profit

organizations to support environmental

education projects, as defined in this

notice. This solicitation notice contains

all the information and forms necessary

to prepare a proposal. If your project is

selected as a finalist after the evaluation

process is concluded, EPA will provide

you with additional forms needed to

process your proposal.

The Environmental Education Grants

Program provides financial support for

projects which design, demonstrate, or

disseminate environmental education

practices, methods, or techniques. This

program is authorized under Section 6

of the National Environmental

Education Act of 1990 (the Act) (Pub. L.

101–619). EPA anticipates funding of

approximately $3 million in Fiscal year

1998, subject to the availability of funds.

The Act requires that 25% of available

funds go to small grants of $5,000 or less

and sets a maximum limit of $250,000

for a single grant. These grants require

non-federal matching funds for a

minimum of 25% of the total cost of the

project.

B. What is Environmental Education?

Environmental education: increases

public awareness and knowledge about

environmental issues; provides the

public with the skills needed to make

informed decisions and take responsible

actions; enhances critical-thinking,

problem-solving, and effective decisionmaking skills; and teaches individuals

to weigh various sides of an

environmental issue to make informed

and responsible decisions.

Environmental education does not

advocate a particular viewpoint or

course of action.

EPA will not fund projects that are

solely designed to develop or

disseminate environmental

‘‘information.’’ Environmental

information provides facts or opinions

about environmental issues or problems,

but may not enhance critical-thinking,

problem-solving, or decision-making

skills. Although information is an

essential element of any educational

effort, environmental information is not,

by itself, environmental education.

C. Due Date and Grant Schedule

An original proposal signed by an

authorized representative plus two

copies, must be mailed to EPA

postmarked no later than November 15,

1997. Proposals which are postmarked

after that date will not be considered for

funding. EPA expects to announce the

1998 grant awards in the Spring of 1998.

Applicants should anticipate project

start dates no earlier than Summer and,

for planning purposes, may use July 1,

1998, as the start date.

D. Addresses for Mailing Proposals

Proposals requesting over $25,000 in

federal environmental education grant

funds must be mailed to EPA

headquarters in Washington, DC;

proposals requesting $25,000 or less

must be mailed to the EPA regional

office where the project takes place. The

headquarters address and the list of

regional office mailing addresses by

state is included at the end of this

notice. Proposals submitted to EPA

headquarters and regional offices will be

evaluated using the same criteria, as

defined in this solicitation.

E. Funding Limits Per Proposal

Since implementation of this grants

program in 1992, there has been a great

deal of public enthusiasm for

developing environmental education

projects. Consequently, EPA has

consistently received many more

applications for these grants than can be

supported with available funds. The

competition for grants is intense,

especially at headquarters where in past

years approximately 5% of proposals

received have been funded. Regional

offices generally fund less than 10% of

proposals they receive for over $5,000

and about 15% of proposals for $5,000

or less.

Although the Act sets a maximum

limit of $250,000 in environmental

education grant funds for any one

project, because of limited funds, EPA

prefers to award smaller grants to more

recipients. Proposals submitted to the

EPA Regions have a better chance of

being funded, in part because under

Section 6(i) of the Act, EPA is required

to award 25% of the total amount of its

grant funds for projects which request

$5,000 or less. Consequently, most

regional grants are for $5,000 or less.

You will significantly increase your

chance of being funded if you request

$5,000 or less from a Regional Office or

$150,000 or less from headquarters.

Section II. Eligible Applicants and

Activities

F. Eligible Applicants

Any local or tribal government

education agency, state government

education or environmental agency,

college or university, not-for-profit

organization as described in Section 501

(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or

noncommercial educational

broadcasting entity may submit a

proposal. A teacher’s school district, an

educator’s nonprofit organization, or a

faculty member’s college or university

may apply, but an individual teacher,

educator, or faculty member may not.

These terms are defined in Section 3 of

the Act and 40 CFR Part 47.105. ‘‘Tribal

education agency’’ means a school or

community college which is controlled

by an Indian tribe, band, or nation,

which is recognized as eligible for

special programs and services provided

by the United States to Indians because

of their status as Indians and which is

not administered by the Bureau of

Indian Affairs.

G. Multiple or Repeat Proposals

An organization may submit more

than one proposal if the proposals are

for different projects. No organization

will be awarded more than one grant for

the same project during the same fiscal

year. Applicants who were awarded

funds in the past may submit new

proposals to expand a previously

funded project or to fund an entirely

different one. Each new proposal will be

evaluated based upon the specific

criteria set forth in this solicitation and

in relation to the other proposals

received in this fiscal year. Due to

limited resources, EPA does not

generally sustain projects beyond the

initial grant period. This grant program

is geared toward providing seed money

to initiate new projects or to advance

existing projects that are new in some

way, such as to new audiences or in

new locations.

H. Eligible Activities

As specified under the Act,

environmental education activities that

are eligible for funding under this

program include, but are not limited to,

the following:
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices 44861

1. Training or educating teachers,

faculty, or related personnel;

2. Designing and demonstrating field

methods, educational practices and

techniques, including assessing

environmental and ecological

conditions or specific environmental

issues or problems;

3. Designing, demonstrating, or

disseminating environmental curricula

(see next paragraph); and

4. Fostering international cooperation

in addressing environmental issues and

problems in the United States, Canada,

and/or Mexico.

Curricula: Regarding Item 3 above,

EPA strongly encourages applicants to

demonstrate or disseminate existing

environmental curricula rather than

designing new curricula because experts

indicate that a significant amount of

quality curricula have already been

developed and are under-utilized. EPA

will consider funding new curricula

only where the applicant demonstrates

that there is a need (e.g., that existing

curricula cannot be adapted well to a

particular local environmental concern

or audience, or existing curricula are not

otherwise accessible). The applicant

must specify what steps they have taken

to determine this need (e.g., you may

cite a conference where this need was

discussed, the results of inquiries made

within your community or with various

educational institutions, or a research

paper or other published document).

I. Ineligible Activities

Environmental education funds

cannot be used for:

1. Construction projects;

2. Technical training of

environmental management

professionals;

3. Non-educational research and

development; and/or

4. Environmental information projects

that have no educational component, as

explained in Section I(B).

Regarding Item (1) above, EPA will

not fund construction activities such as

the acquisition of real property (e.g.,

buildings) or the construction or

modification of any building. EPA may,

however, fund activities such as

creating a nature trail or building a bird

watching station as long as these items

are an integral part of the environmental

education project, and the cost is a

relatively small percentage of the total

amount of federal funds requested.

Section III. Funding Priorities

J. EPA Educational Priorities

All proposals must satisfy the

definition of ‘‘environmental education’’

under Section I(B) and also satisfy one

of the following EPA educational

priorities. Effective this year, EPA

Headquarters will fund projects for

more than $25,000 in only the three

categories listed below; and regional

offices will fund projects of $25,000 or

less in the six categories listed below.

The order of the list is random and does

not indicate a ranking.

Headquarters Priorities

Health: Educating teachers, students,

parents, community leaders, or the

public about human-health threats from

environmental pollution, especially as it

affects children.

Capacity Building/Education Reform:

Increasing state, local, or tribal capacity

to develop and deliver coordinated

environmental education programs and/

or utilizing environmental education as

a catalyst to advance state, local, or

tribal education reform and

improvement goals.

Community Issues: Designing and

implementing model projects to educate

the public about environmental issues

in their communities through

community-based organizations or

through print, film, broadcast, or other

media.

Regional Office Priorities

Health: Educating teachers, students,

parents, community leaders, or the

public about human-health threats from

environmental pollution, especially as it

affects children.

Capacity Building/Education Reform:

Increasing state, local, or tribal capacity

to develop and deliver coordinated

environmental education programs and/

or utilizing environmental education as

a catalyst to advance state, local, or

tribal education reform and

improvement goals.

Community Issues: Educating the

public about environmental issues in

their communities through communitybased organizations or through print,

film, broadcast, or other media.

Teaching Skills: Educating teachers,

faculty, or nonformal educators about

environmental issues to improve their

environmental education teaching skills

(e.g., through workshops).

Career Development: Educating

students in formal or nonformal settings

about environmental issues to

encourage environmental careers.

Environmental Justice: Educating lowincome or culturally-diverse audiences

about environmental issues, thereby

advancing environmental justice.

Definitions

The terms used above and in Section

IV are defined as follows:

New or significantly improved

includes projects that reach a specific

audience or community for the first

time, develop a new or improved

teaching strategy, or use a new or

improved method of applying existing

materials.

Wide application pertains to a project

that targets a large and diverse audience

in terms of numbers or demographics; or

that can serve as a model program

elsewhere.

High priority environmental issue is

one that is important to the community,

state, or region being targeted by the

project (e.g., one community may have

significant air pollution problems which

makes teaching about human health

effects from it and solutions to air

pollution important, while rapid

development in another community

may threaten a nearby wildlife habitat,

thus making habitat or ecosystem

protection a high priority issue).

Partnerships refers to the forming of a

collaborative working relationship

between two or more organizations such

as governmental agencies, not-for-profit

organizations, educational institutions,

and/or the private sector. It may also

refer to intra-organizational unions such

as the science and art departments

within a university collaborating on a

project.

Building, state, local, or tribal

capacity refers to developing or

improving the infrastructure needed to

enhance the coordinated delivery of

environmental education at the state,

local, or tribal level. This should

involve a coordinated effort by the

major education and environmental

education providers from the respective

state, locality, or tribe in the planning

and implementation of the project (e.g.,

state education and natural resource

departments, local school districts and

boards, professional education and

environmental education associations or

coordinating councils, as well as

nonprofit education and environmental

education organizations) and may also

include other types of organizations and

private businesses as partners. Examples

of how to build state, local, or tribal

capacity include, but are not limited to,

the following:

—Identifying and assessing needs and

setting priorities;

—Evaluating current programs and links

among programs;

—Developing and implementing

coordinated strategic plans;

—Identifying funding sources and

creating grant programs;

—Identifying existing resources,

developing databases of such

resources, and disseminating these

resources and information;
44862 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices

—Establishing or enhancing on-line

communications to facilitate

networking among organizations;

—Ensuring sustained professional

development activities; and/or

—Holding leadership seminars and

other types of training.

Education reform and improvement

refers to state, local, or tribal efforts to

improve student academic achievement

and to equip students with the

necessary knowledge and skills to be

lifelong learners. Your proposal should

clearly describe what your state, local,

or tribal educational reform and

improvement needs and goals are, and

how they relate to your environmental

education project. Examples of possible

reform and improvement strategies to

which the proposed environmental

education program might be linked

include, but are not limited to, the

following:

—Curricular and instructional

innovations, such as more emphasis

on inquiry and problem-solving;

—Learning experiences that have

practical application in the real

world;

—Project-based learning;

—Team building and group decisionmaking;

—Interdisciplinary study;

—Development of new high content and

performance standards;

—Design of corresponding assessment

systems and the realignment of

curriculum and instructional practice

to the new high standards and

assessment systems;

—Use of technology in promoting

learning;

—Implementation of sustained and

intensive professional development

activities; and/or

—Creation of family and community

partnerships.

Human health threats from

environmental pollution as used here is

intended to address recommended

actions stated in EPA’s ‘‘National

Agenda to Protect Children’s Health

from Environmental Threats.’’ The

action reads as follows ‘‘We call on

American parents, teachers and

community leaders to take personal

responsibility for learning about the

hazards that environmental problems

pose to our children—and provide them

with the information they need to help

protect children from those risks at

home, at school and at play. An

informed, involved local community

does a better job of making

environmental decisions than a distant

bureaucracy—and never more so than

when it comes to our children. Parents,

teachers and community leaders can

and should play a vital, day-to-day role

in learning about the particular

environmental hazards their children

face in their own communities, and then

use that knowledge to make more

informed decisions that prevent

environmental health problems and

protect children.’’ Therefore, through

this solicitation, EPA encourages

environmental education projects to

educate the public about environmental

hazards and how to minimize human

exposure to preserve good health.

Environmental justice refers to EPA’s

goal to encourage applicants to submit

proposals that include efforts to target

low-income and culturally-diverse

populations, thereby promoting

environmental justice. The term

environmental justice refers to the fair

treatment of people of all races,

cultures, and income with respect to the

development, implementation and

enforcement of environmental laws,

regulations, and policies. Fair treatment

means that no racial, ethnic, or

socioeconomic group should bear a

disproportionate share of the negative

environmental consequences that might

result from the operation of industrial,

municipal, and commercial enterprises

and from the execution of federal, state,

local, and tribal programs and policies.

An example would be an education

project directed at an environmental

problem with a disproportionately high

and adverse human health or

environmental impact in a low-income

or culturally-diverse community.

Section IV. Requirements for Proposals

and Matching Funds

K. Contents of Proposal

The proposal must contain two

standard federal forms, a work plan

with a detailed budget, and appendices,

as described below:

Federal Forms: Application for

Federal Assistance (SF–424) and Budget

Information (SF–424A): The SF–424

and SF–424A are required for all federal

grants and must be submitted as part of

your proposal. These forms, along with

instructions and samples, are included

at the end of this notice. Only finalists

will be asked to submit additional

federal forms needed to process their

proposal.

Work Plan: A work plan describes

your proposed project. It must include

and be formatted according to all five

sections described below. When the

proposals are scored, the total number

of points possible for each proposal is

100. Each of the following five sections

of the work plan are assigned points

which add up to 90. Reviewers will be

given the flexibility to provide up to 10

extra points for exceptional projects

based upon the overall quality of the

proposal, evidence that EPA’s priorities

will be effectively advanced by the

project and that it will provide a good

return on the investment. Examples of

factors for extra points include strong

partnerships, creative use of resources,

and sustainability of the project.

(1) Project Summary: Provide an

overview of your entire project in this

format. The summary must briefly cover

the following and fit on one page:

(a) Organization: Describe your

organization (and list your key partners

for this grant, if applicable).

Partnerships are encouraged and

considered to be a major factor in the

success of projects.

(b) Summary Statement: Provide an

overview of your project that explains

the concept and your goals and

objectives. This should be a very basic

explanation in layman’s terms to

provide a reviewer with an

understanding of the purpose and

expected outcome of your educational

project.

(c) Educational Priority: Identify

which EPA priority listed in Section III

you will address, such as education

reform. Proposals may address several

educational priorities, however, EPA

cautions against losing focus on

projects. Evaluation panels often select

projects with a clearly defined purpose,

rather than projects that attempt to

address multiple priorities at the

expense of a quality outcome.

(d) Audience: Describe the

demographics of your target audience

including the number and types you

expect to reach, such as, teachers,

students, specific grade levels, ethnic

composition, members of the general

public, etc.

(e) Delivery Method: Explain how you

will reach your audience, such as

workshops, conferences, interactive

programs, etc.

(f) Costs: List the types of activities for

which EPA funds will be spent. The

project summary will be scored on how

well you provide an overview of your

entire project using the topics stated

above.

Project Summary Maximum Score: 10

points

(2) Project Description: Explain how

your proposed project meets these

mandatory requirements for funding:

(a) Addresses a high priority

environmental issue, such as clean air,

ecosystem protection, or cross-cutting

issues; and the importance of the issues

to your community, state or region;

(b) Addresses at least one of EPA’s

educational priorities listed in Section
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices 44863

III, such as education reform or

children’s health;

(c) Is new or significantly improved;

and

(d) Has the potential for wide

application.

Describe precisely what your project

will achieve—how, when, why, and

who will benefit. Explain the strategy,

objectives, activities, delivery methods,

and outcomes in enough detail to

answer questions in a reviewer’s mind.

Include a ‘‘timeline’’ to link your

activities and products to a clear project

schedule and lay them out over the

months of your budget period.

This subsection will be scored on how

clearly you describe your project and

how effectively your project meets the

following five criteria: (1) addresses an

EPA educational priority; (2) establishes

realistic goals and objectives; (3)

identifies its target audience and

demonstrates an understanding of the

needs of that audience, including

cultural diversity where appropriate; (4)

uses an effective delivery method for

reaching the target audience, and also

has the potential for wide application;

and (5) demonstrates that it uses or

produces quality educational products

or methods which teach criticalthinking, problem-solving, and

decision-making skills.

Project Description Maximum Score: 50

points (10 points for each of the five

elements identified above)

(3) Project Evaluation: Explain how

you will ensure that you are meeting the

goals and objectives of your project.

Evaluation plans may be quantitative

and/or qualitative and may include, for

example, surveys, observation, or

outside consultation.

The project evaluation will be scored

on the extent to which your plan will:

(a) Measure the project’s effectiveness;

and b) apply evaluation data gathered

during your project to strengthen it.

Project Evaluation Maximum Score: 10

Points (5 Points for Each of the two

Elements Identified Above)

(4) Budget: Describe how EPA funds

and non-federal matching funds will be

used for personnel/salaries, fringe

benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,

contract costs, and indirect costs.

Include a table which lists each major

proposed activity, and the amount of

EPA funds and/or matching funds that

will be spent on each activity. Smaller

grants with uncomplicated budgets may

have a table that lists only a few

activities. Budget periods not to exceed

one-year are preferred by EPA for all

grants and are mandatory for small

grants of $5,000 or less. Budget periods

for larger grants cannot exceed twoyears.

Please Note the following funding

limitations:

—Indirect costs may be requested only

if your organization has already

negotiated and received a currently

valid ‘‘indirect cost rate’’ from a

cognizant federal agency.

—Funds for salaries and fringe benefits

may be requested only for those

personnel who are directly involved

in implementing the proposed project

and whose salaries and fringe benefits

are directly related to specific

products or outcomes of the proposed

project. EPA strongly encourages

applicants to request competitive

amounts of funding for salaries and

fringe benefits.

—EPA will not fund the acquisition of

real property (including buildings) or

the construction or modification of

any building.

Matching Funds Requirement: Nonfederal matching funds of at least 25%

of the total cost of the project are

required, and EPA encourages matching

funds of greater than 25%. The 25%

match may be provided by the applicant

or another organization or institution,

and may be provided in cash or by inkind contributions and other non-cash

support. In-kind contributions often

include salaries or other verifiable costs

and this value must be carefully

documented. In the case of salaries,

applicants may use either minimum

wage or fair market value.

Important: The matching non-federal share

is a percentage of the entire cost of the

project. For example, if the 75% federal

portion is $5,000, then the entire project

should, at a minimum, have a budget of

$6,667, with the recipient providing a

contribution of $1,667. To assure that your

match is sufficient, simply divide the

Federally requested amount by three. Your

match must be at one-third of the requested

amount to be sufficient. The proposed match,

including the value of in-kind contributions,

is subject to negotiation with EPA. All grants

are subject to federal audit.

Other Federal Funds: You may use

other federal funds in addition to those

provided by this program, but only for

different activities. You may not use any

federal funds to meet any part of the

required 25% match described above,

unless it is specifically authorized by

statute. If you have already been

awarded federal funds for a project for

which you are seeking additional

support from this program, you must

indicate those funds in the budget

section of the work plan. You must also

identify the project officer, agency,

office, address, phone number, and the

amount of the federal funds.

This subsection will be scored on: (a)

How well the budget information clearly

and accurately shows how funds will be

used; and (b) whether the funding

request is reasonable given the activities

proposed.

Budget Maximum Score: 10 Points (5

Points for Each of the two Elements

Identified Above)

(5) Appendices: Key Personnel and

Letters of Commitment: Attach one or

two page resumes for up to three key

personnel implementing the project. If

there are partners, include one page

letters of commitment from partners

explaining their role in the proposed

project. Do not include letters of

endorsement or recommendation; they

will not be considered in evaluating

proposals. Please do not submit other

appendices or attachments such as

video tapes or sample curricula.

This subsection will be scored based

upon whether resumes of key personnel

are included and whether the key

personnel are qualified to implement

the proposed project. In addition, the

score will reflect whether letters of

commitment are included (if partners

are used) and the extent to which a firm

commitment is made.

Appendices Maximum Score: 10 Points

L. Page Limits

Your work plan may include the

following number of pages for federal

fund requests for:

1. $25,000 or less: EPA prefers a work

plan of 3 pages, but will accept up to 5

pages.

2. Above $25,000: a work plan of up

to 10 pages.

These page limits apply only to the

work plan (i.e., the Summary, Project

Description, Project Evaluation and

Budget), not the Appendices. ‘‘One

page’’ refers to one side of a singlespaced typed page. The pages must be

letter sized (81⁄2 X 11 inches), with

normal type size (10 or 12 cpi) and at

least 1 inch margins. To conserve paper,

please provide double-sided copies of

the proposal.

M. Submission Requirements and

Copies

The applicant must submit one

original and two copies of the proposal

(a signed SF–424, an SF–424A, a work

plan, a budget, and appendices). Do not

include other attachments such as cover

letters, tables of contents, or appendices

other than resumes and letters of

commitment. The SF–424 should be the

first page of your proposal and must be

signed by a person authorized to receive

funds. Blue ink for signatures is
44864 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices

preferred. Proposals must be

reproducible; they should not be bound.

They should be stapled or clipped once

in the upper left hand corner, on white

paper, and with page numbers. Mailing

addresses are listed at the end of this

notice.

N. Regulatory References

The Environmental Education Grant

Program Regulations, published in the

Federal Register on March 9, 1992,

provide additional information on

EPA’s administration of this program

(57 Federal Register 8390; Title 40 CFR,

Part 47 or 40 CFR Part 47). Also, EPA’s

general assistance regulations at 40 CFR

Part 31 applies to state, local, and

Indian tribal governments and 40 CFR

Part 30 applies to all other applicants

such as nonprofit organizations.

Section V. Review and Selection

Process

O. Proposal Review

Proposals will be reviewed in two

phases—the screening phase and the

evaluation phase. During the screening

phase, proposals will be reviewed to

determine whether they meet the basic

requirements of this notice. Only those

proposals which meet all of the basic

requirements will enter the evaluation

phase of the review process. During the

evaluation phase, proposals will be

evaluated based upon the quality of

their work plans. Reviewers conducting

the screening and evaluation phases of

the review process will include EPA

officials and external environmental

educators approved by EPA. At the

conclusion of the evaluation phase, the

reviewers will score work plans based

upon the scoring system identified in

Section IV.

P. Final Selections

After individual projects are

evaluated and scored by reviewers, as

described under Section IV, EPA

officials in the regions and at

headquarters will select a diverse range

of finalists from the highest ranking

proposals. In making the final

selections, EPA will take into account

the following:

1. Effectiveness of collaborative

activities and partnerships, as needed to

successfully develop or implement the

project;

2. Environmental and educational

importance of the activity or product;

3. Effectiveness of the delivery

mechanism (i.e., workshop, conference,

etc.);

4. Cost effectiveness of the proposal;

and

5. Geographic distribution of projects.

Q. Notification to Applicants

Applicants will receive a

confirmation that EPA has received

their proposal once EPA has received all

proposals and entered them into a

computerized database, usually within

two months of receipt. EPA will notify

applicants again after awards have been

announced.

Section VI. Grantees Responsibilities

R. Responsible Recipients

The Act requires that projects be

performed by the applicant or by a

person satisfactory to the applicant and

EPA. All proposals must identify any

person other than the applicant who

will assist in carrying out the project.

These individuals are responsible for

receiving the grant award agreement

from EPA and ensuring that all grant

conditions are satisfied. Recipients are

responsible for the successful

completion of the project.

S. Incurring Costs

Grant recipients may begin incurring

costs on the start date identified in the

EPA grant award agreement. Activities

must be completed and funds spent

within the time frames specified in the

document.

T. Reports and Work Products

Specific reporting requirements will

be identified in the EPA grant award

agreement. Grant recipients with a

federal environmental education grant

greater than $25,000 will be required to

submit semi-annual progress reports;

and grantees for less may be required to

submit semi-annual reports. Grant

recipients will submit two copies of

their final report and two copies of all

work products to the EPA project officer

within 30 days after the expiration of

the budget period. This report will be

accepted as the final report unless the

EPA project officer notifies you that

changes must be made.

EPA plans to assemble a library of

final reports and work products at

headquarters in Washington, D.C. EPA

also plans to evaluate these final reports

and work products and disseminate

those that serve as model programs.

Section VII. Other Information and

Mailing List

U. Internet Access

You can view and download this

solicitation notice, a list of EPA

environmental education contacts, and

descriptions of past projects funded

under this program and information on

other education resource materials from:

‘‘http://eelink.umich.edu’’ or ‘‘http://

www.nceet.snre.umich.edu/grant.html’’

If you receive this solicitation

electronically and if the standard federal

forms for Application (SF–424) and

Budget (SF–424A) are not available or

cannot be printed, you may locate them

the following ways: The Federal

Register in which this Notice is

published contains the forms and is

available to be copied at many public

libraries; many federal offices use the

forms and have copies available; or you

may call or write the appropriate EPA

office listed at the end of this Notice.

V. Other Funding

Please note that this is a very

competitive grants program. Limited

funding is available and many grant

applications are expected to be received.

Therefore, the Agency cannot fund all

applications. If your project is not

funded, a listing of other EPA grant

programs may be found in the Catalog

of Federal Domestic Assistance. This

publication is available at local libraries,

colleges, or universities.

W. Classification of Notice

Under 5 U.S.C. 801 (a)(1)(A) as added

by the Small Business Regulatory

Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, EPA

submitted a report containing this rule

and other required information to the

U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of

Representatives, and the Comptroller

General of the General Accounting

Office prior to publication of this rule in

today’s Federal Register. This rule is

not a ‘‘major rule’’ as defined by 5

U.S.C. 804 (2).

Under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq., the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) has approved the

information collection requirements

contained in this solicitation and has

assigned OMB control number 2030–

0006.

X. Mailing List for 1999 Environmental

Education Grants

EPA develops an entirely new mailing

list for the grants program each year.

The Fiscal Year 1999 mailing list will

include all applicants who submitted

proposals for 1998 and anyone who

specifically requests the 1999

Solicitation Notice. If you do not submit

a proposal for 1998 and wish to be

added to our 1999 mailing list, please

mail your request—please do not

telephone—along with your name,

organization, address, and phone

number to: U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Environmental

Education Division (1707),

Environmental Education Grants

Program (FY 1999), 401 M Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices 44865

Dated: August 15, 1997.

Diane Esanu,

Acting Associate Administrator, Office of

Communications, Education, and Public

Affairs.

Mailing Addresses and Information

Applicants who need more

information about this grant program or

clarification about specific requirements

in this solicitation notice, may contact

the EPA Environmental Education

Division in Washington, D.C. for grant

requests of more than $25,000 or the

EPA regional office for grant requests of

$25,000 or less.

U.S. EPA Headquarters—For Proposals

Requesting More Than $25,000

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Env Ed

Grants, Environmental Education

Division (1707), Office of

Communications, Education, and

Public Affairs, 401 M Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460.

Information: Diane Berger and Sheri

Jojokian, Environmental Education

Specialists, 202–260–8619.

U.S. EPA Regional Offices—For

Proposals Requesting $25,000 or Less

Mail the proposal to the Regional

Office where the project will take place,

rather than where the applicant is

located, if these locations are different.

EPA Region I—CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region I,

Env Ed Grants, Grants Management

Office, JFK Federal Building (MGM),

Boston, MA 02203.

Hand-deliver to: One Congress Street,

11th Floor Mail Room, Boston, MA

(M–F 8am–4pm).

Information: Maria Pirie, EE

Coordinator, 617–565–9447, Angela

Bonarrigo, 617–565–2501.

EPA Region II—NJ, NY, PR, VI

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region II,

Env Ed Grants, Grants and Contracts

Management Branch, 290 Broadway,

27th Floor, New York, NY 10007–

1866.

Information: Teresa Ippolito, EE

Coordinator, 212–637–3671.

EPA Region III—DC, DE, MD, PA, VA,

WV

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region III,

Env Ed Grants, Grants Management

Section (3PM70), 841 Chestnut Street,

Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Information: Nan Ides, EE Office, 215–

566–5546.

EPA Region IV—AL, FL, GA, KY, MS,

NC, SC, TN

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region IV,

Env Ed Grants, Office of Public

Affairs, 61 Forsyth Street, S.W.,

Atlanta, GA 30303.

Information: Fred Thornburg, EE Office,

404–562–8317.

EPA Region V—IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region V,

Env Ed Grants, Grants Management

Section (MC–10J), 77 West Jackson

Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604.

Information: Julie Moriarty, EE Office,

312–353–5789, Suzanne Saric, EE

Coordinator, 312–353–3209.

Region VI—AR, LA, NM, OK, TX

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region VI,

Env Ed Grants (6XA), 1445 Ross

Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202.

Information: Jo Taylor, EE Coordinator,

214–665–2200.

Region VII—IA, KS, MO, NE

Mail proposal to: U.S. EPA, Region VII,

Env Ed Grants, Grants Administration

Division, 726 Minnesota Avenue,

Kansas City, KS 66101.

Information: Rowena Michaels, EE

Coordinator, 913–551–7003.

Region VIII—CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region

VIII, Env Ed Grants, 999 18th Street

(80C), Denver, CO 80202–2466.

Information: Cece Forget, EE

Coordinator, 303–312–6605.

Region IX—AZ, CA, HI, NV, American

Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA, Region IX,

Env Ed Grants, Office of

Communications and Government

Relations (CGR–3), 75 Hawthorne

Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Information: Matt Gaffney, Office of

Communications and Government

Relations (OCGR), 415–744–1166.

Region X—AK, ID, OR, WA

Mail proposals to: U.S. EPA,

Region X, Env Ed Grants, Public

Information Center, 1200 Sixth Avenue

(EXA–142A), Seattle, WA 98101.

Information: Sally Hanft, EE

Coordinator, 1–800–424–4EPA, 206–

553–1207.

Instructions for the SF 424—

Application

This is a standard Federal form to be

used by applicants as a required

facesheet for the Environmental

Education Grants Program. These

instructions have been modified for this

program only and do not apply to any

other Federal program.

1. Check the box marked ‘‘NonConstruction’’ under ‘‘Application’’.

2. Date application submitted to

Federal agency (or State if applicable) &

applicant’s control number (if

applicable).

3. State use only (if applicable).

4. If you are currently funded for a

related project, enter present Federal

identifier number. If not, leave blank.

5. Legal name of applicant

organization, name of primary

organizational unit which will

undertake the grant activity, complete

address of the applicant organization,

and name and telephone number of the

person to contact on matters related to

this application.

6. Enter Employer Identification

Number (EIN) as assigned by the

Internal Revenue Service. You can

obtain this number from your payroll

office. It is the same Federal

Identification Number which appears on

W–2 forms. If your organization does

not have a number, you may obtain one

by calling the Taxpayer Services

number for the IRS.

7. Enter the appropriate letter in the

space provided.

8. Check the box marked ‘‘new’’ since

all proposals must be for new projects.

9. Enter U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency.

10. Enter 66.951 Environmental

Education Grants Program.

11. Enter a brief descriptive title of the

project.

12. List only the largest areas affected

by the project (e.g., State, counties,

cities).

13. Self-explanatory (See Section IV

(K) (4) in Notice).

14. In (a) list the Congressional

District where the applicant

organization is located; and in (b) any

District(s) affected by the program or

project. If your project covers many

areas, several congressional districts

will be listed. If it covers the entire

state, simply put in STATEWIDE. If you

are not sure about the congressional

district, call the County Voter

Registration Department.

15. Amount requested or to be

contributed during the funding/budget

period by each contributor. Line (a) is

for the amount of money you are

requesting from EPA. Lines (b-e) are for

the amounts either you or another

organization are providing for this

project. Line (f) is for any program

income which you expect will be

generated by this project. Examples of

program income are fees for services

performed, income generated from the

sale of a brochure produced with the

grant funds, or admission fees to a

conference financed by the grant funds.

The total of lines (b-e) must be at least

25% of line (g), as this grant has a match

requirement of 25% of the TOTAL

ALLOWABLE PROJECT COSTS. Value
44866 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 163 / Friday, August 22, 1997 / Notices

of in-kind contributions should be

included on appropriate lines as

applicable. If both basic and

supplemental amounts are included,

show breakdown on an attached Budget

sheet. For multiple program funding,

use totals and show breakdown using

same categories as item 15.

16. Check (b) (NO) since your

application does not have to be sent

through the state clearinghouse for

review.

17. This question applies to the

applicant organization, not the person

who signs as the authorized

representative. Categories of debt

include delinquent audit disallowances,

loans and taxes.

18. The authorized representative is

the person who is able to contract or

obligate your agency to the terms and

conditions of the grant. (Please sign

with blue ink.) A copy of the governing

body’s authorization for you to sign this

application as official representative

must be on file in the applicant’s office.

Instructions for the SF–424A-Budget

This is a standard Federal form used

by applicants as a basic budget. These

instructions have been modified for this

grant program only and do not apply to

any other Federal Program.

Do NOT fill in Section A—Budget

Summary.

Complete Section B—Budget

Categories—Columns (1), (2) and (5).

For each major program, function or

activity, fill in the total requirements for

funds by object class categories.

All applications should contain a

breakdown by the relevant object class

categories shown in Lines (a-h):

Columns (1), (2), and (5) of Section B.

Include Federal funds in Column (1)

and non-Federal (matching) funds in

Column (2), and put the totals in

Column (1) and non-Federal (matching)

funds in Column (2), and put the totals

in Column (5). Many applications will

not have entries in all object class

categories.

Line 6i—Show the totals of lines 6a

through 6h in each column.

Line 6j—Show the amount of indirect

costs. (To be applicable, you must have

a currently valid ‘‘indirect cost rate’’

from a Federal agency.)

Line 6k—Enter the total of amounts of

Lines 6i and 6j.

Line 7—Program Income—Enter the

estimated amount of income, if any,

expected to be generated from this

project. Do not add or subtract this

amount from the total project amount.

Describe the nature and source of

income in the detailed budget

description.

Detailed Itemization of Costs: The

proposal must also contain a detailed

budget description as specified in the

Notice in Section IV (K) (4), and should

conform to the following:

Personnel: List all participants in the

project by position title. Give the

percentage of the budget period for

which they will be fully employed on

the project (e.g., half-time for half the

budget period equals 25 percent, fulltime for half the budget period equals 50

percent, etc.). Give the annual salary

and the total cost over the budget period

for all personnel listed.

Travel: If travel is budgeted, show

destination and purpose of travel as

well as costs.

Equipment: Identify all equipment to

be purchased and for what purpose it

will be used.

Supplies: If the supply budget is less

than 2% of total costs, you do not need

to itemize.

Contractual: Specify the nature and

cost of such services. EPA may require

review of contracts for personal services

prior to their execution to assure that all

costs are reasonable and necessary to

the project.

Construction: Not allowable for this

program.

Other: Specify all other costs under

this category.

Indirect Costs: Provide an explanation

of how indirect charges were calculated

for this project.

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
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[FR Doc. 97–22365 Filed 8–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6500–50–PC