X-/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5204G)
EPA 540-K-97-007
September 1998
www.epa.gov/superfund
About the Community
Advisory Group Toolkit
A Summary of the Tools
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A Community Advisory Group is a committee, task force,
or board made up of people affected by a hazardous waste
site or other environmental problems. Forming a
Community Advisory Group is one of the most effective
ways you can help decide how to clean up the site or deal
with other environmental issues. The Group provides a
public forum where you and your neighbors can discuss
your concerns about the site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
developed the Community Advisory Group Toolkit to help
you organize and run your Group. The Toolkit contains
outlines, forms, publications, and other "tools" you can
use in establishing and operating your Group.
This booklet briefly describes the information, tips, and
tools in the Toolkit. It can help you understand what a
Community Advisory Group is and decide if your
community needs one. If you live in an area that already
has a Community Advisory Group, this information can
help you become more involved in it.
Each Community Advisory Group and the Community
Involvement staff in each EPA Regional Office has a
Toolkit containing all the materials described. Contact
your Community Advisory Group or the
nearest EPA Regional Office to get a copy of
specific tools highlighted in this booklet.
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September 1998
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Meet the Community
ttdvisory Group
A Community Advisory Group is a way for
people to actively participate in making
decisions at sites with Superfund or other
environmental concerns. People who belong
to Community Advisory Groups can learn
more about their site. They can get up-to-
date information about cleanup status and
ask questions. They can discuss their
concerns with the EPA, state and tribal
agencies, and others involved in the
cleanup and other environmental
programs.
Many people may be interested in the
Community Advisory Group, but
only a few can devote the time
necessary to be members. Group
members must attend meetings and
share information with their neighbors.
Members also are responsible for learning about site issues.
They must review information about site cleanup plans and provide
information to the EPA on the community's concerns about the site.
Not everyone can be a member of the Community Advisory Group.
Still, every citizen has an important role to play and can
support the Group and its activities. The best way to get
involved is to attend meetings and participate in
discussions. Others in the community can help the
Community Advisory Group by offering their knowledge
and time or by making donations. This includes parents
September 1998
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and longtime residents, community organizations, churches, environmental
groups, doctors and nurses, scientists, business owners, and banks.
Making presentations to community groups and civic organizations is an
excellent way to get support for your Community Advisory Group. It also is
a good way to encourage everyone to participate. To be effective,
presentations should be no longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Urge people in the
audience to ask questions and leave time for answering them.
The Community Advisory Group Toolkit contains materials that you can use
for presentations about your Group.
September 1998
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Tips for Involving
Hard-To-tteach Segments
of the Community
You may need to take special
steps to ensure that everyone can
participate in making decisions
about the site. This is especially
true in communities with low-
income and minority
populations.
The Community Advisory
Group Toolkit contains
several suggestions to help
you reach out to these
groups. Start by learning
more about the low-income
and minority people in
your area. Stress that
every person has a voice.
Encourage everyone to
work together to solve
community problems. Take
time to build relationships with community
groups that people already trust. Be sensitive to different
cultures when you prepare materials to hand out. Avoid
stereotypes. Use language that people can
understand. Don't talk down to people.
Distribute information in a variety of ways to
ensure that everyone has a chance to get it.
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September 1998
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You may form a Community Advisory
Group at any point in the environmental
cleanup process. However, they are most
effective when they are formed early. This
allows the community more time to have
an impact on site activities and
decisions._It is up to the people in the
community to decide if and how they
want to form a Group. The EPA can
provide ideas and assistance.
The process usually begins with a
well-publicized meeting. At this
meeting, people can discuss the
purpose of a Community Advisory
Group and find out who is
interested in forming one. If
enough people are interested, you
should consider several initial
steps. One is choosing a name. Another is
defining a mission. Decide a basic organizational structure for
your Community Advisory Group. Decide how Group members will
share information with each other. Investigate whether your Group
should incorporate and seek tax-exempt status. This booklet
highlights some of these steps, and the Toolkit provides
more details.
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September 1998
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Wrtng a
Mission
Statement
Your Community Advisory Group's
mission statement tells why the Group
exists and what it has set out to do. A
mission statement is a short, to-the-point
description of the overall purpose of your
Group. A well-written mission statement
brings a clear focus to an organization.
The mission statement is important for
letting the community know about your
Group's goals and objectives.
Community Advisory Groups should
answer four primary questions in writing
a mission statement:
(1) What is the Group's function or
job?
(2) For whom does the Group work?
(3) How does the Group carry out its
function?
(4) Why does this Group exist?
To prepare a mission statement, write a
sentence or short paragraph that answers
these questions. Then list a few of the
Community Advisory Group's priorities. After Group
members thoroughly discuss and agree upon the mission
statement and priorities, present the mission statement to
the community. Be sure that all segments of the community
understand and accept your mission statement. Be willing to
revise the mission statement over time, as issues and
community concerns change.
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September 1998
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Developing
Operating
Procedures
Written operating procedures
explain how you will organize
the Community Advisory
Group, how it will conduct
business, make decisions,
and resolve disputes.
These procedures provide
the basic structure for
how the Group will do its
work. Your operating
procedures should
answer the following
questions:
(1) What will you call your Group?
(2) What will be the size and composition of the membership?
(3) Who will lead the Group?
(4) What basic ground rules will the Group follow?
(5) How often will the Group meet?
(6) How will it announce and publicize meetings?
(7) How will it resolve disputes?
(8) How will it set meeting agendas, keep records of meetings,
and share this information with the rest of the
community?
Effective operating procedures do not have to be long
or complicated. The Community Advisory Group
Toolkit contains a guide to help you prepare operating
procedures for your Group.
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September 1998
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Incorporating
Your Community
ttdvisory Group
By incorporating, your
organization adopts a widely
recognized structure and certain
operating procedures required by
state law. It is important to
identify your Group as a
nonprofit organization when
you incorporate.
The process for incorporating
your Group as a nonprofit
organization varies from state
to state. Consult the
corporate law of your state
government for the specific
requirements and
procedures you must
follow.
One important advantage of
incorporating is that it can help your Group
qualify for financial assistance
from federal, state, public, or private sources. For example,
Groups formed at National Priorities List (NPL) sites must
be incorporated as nonprofit organizations to
be eligible for EPA Technical Assistance
Grants (TAGs). The TAG program provides
funds for hiring an independent technical
advisor who can offer reliable technical
expertise to help Groups participate in the
decision-making process.
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Incorporating also has other advantages. For example,
banks and other financial institutions often view
incorporated organizations favorably. Incorporation also
shields officers, board members, and the employees of a
corporation from liability from debts incurred by or legal
judgements against the corporation. Consult an attorney
for more information on the legal and financial benefits of
incorporating your Group as a nonprofit organization.
Incorporating your Community Advisory Group as a
nonprofit organization does not exempt the Group from
taxation. The Group must file a corporate tax return (U.S.
Internal Revenue Service Form 1120} with the federal
government, even if it takes in no revenue. The only
nonprofit corporations that do not have to file a corporate
tax return are those that the IRS has recognized as "tax-
exempt." Filing for tax-exempt status is a separate
process. The next section describes the procedures for
obtaining tax-exempt status.
Most states also require nonprofit corporations to file
corporate income tax returns, even if the nonprofit
corporation has no revenue. Some states impose a
minimum tax on any corporation, even a nonprofit one,
that is not recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS. Not all
states impose minimum taxes. Requirements and
definitions vary widely among the states, so it is important
for your Group to find out what your state requires.
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September 1998
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Securing
Tax-€xempt
Status
Incorporating your
Community Advisory
Groups as a nonprofit
organization does not
exempt the Group from
taxation. Your Group
must apply to the
Internal Revenue
Service for tax-exempt
status under Section
501(c)(3)ofthe
Internal Revenue
Code. Unless the
Group obtains
tax-exempt status from
the IRS, it must file a corporate tax return
(IRS Form 1120} with the federal government each year,
even if the Group takes in no revenue.
If the Group also wants to be exempt from state and local taxes, it
must file separate applications with state and local taxing
authorities. Approval of these applications usually is automatic if
your Group already has received tax-exempt status from the IRS.
Securing tax-exempt status from the IRS has several
advantages. The income and assets of your Group
are free from federal taxes. Tax-exempt status under
Section 501(c)(3) provides the legal authority to
accept contributions. Contributors can deduct the
contributions from their income taxes.
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You can get the necessary forms for applying for tax-exempt
status from the IRS. You will need IRS Form
1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Your
Community Advisory Group also must apply for an
Employer Identification Number (EIN), using IRS Form
SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number,
whether or not the Group has employees or plans to hire any.
Copies of both of these forms are in the Community
Advisory Group Toolkit. Another booklet, IRS Publication
557, Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization, is a helpful
document available free from the IRS. Find the address of
the nearest IRS office in the "United States Government"
section of your local telephone directory. Many IRS
publications and forms also are available on the
Internet at www.irs.ustreas.gov.
It is wise to have an attorney or accountant help
you prepare your application or review the
documents before you submit them to the IRS.
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September 1998
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Community advisory
Groups and
Technical assistance
Programs
Access to reliable technical
advice and expertise is
fundamental to the
success of a Group.
Most Groups will need
to engage the services of
an independent
technical advisor.
Groups may get
technical assistance
from several sources
at the local, state,
and federal levels.
The EPA's Technical
Assistance Grant (TAG) program is open
to Groups at National Priorities List (NPL) sites. The
Technical Assistance Grant program provides grants of up to
$50,000 to qualified citizens' groups to hire independent technical
advisors. The role of the technical advisor is to help citizens
understand and comment on site-related information. This helps
ensure citizen participation in cleanup decisions.
Contact your Community Involvement Coordinator
or the Technical Assistance Grant program manager
in your EPA Regional Office for more information.
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A Superfund Technical Assistance Grants Fact Sheet
(PB93-963301) is available free from the National
Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield, VA. You may order by telephone by
calling 703-487-4650. Include the publication number listed
after the title with your order.
Community Advisory Groups also may receive technical
assistance through the EPA's Technical Outreach
Services for Communities (TOSC) program. This
program provides grants to the national network of
Hazardous Substance Research Centers. The Centers then
provide independent technical advice to communities. For
more information on this program, contact the Community
Involvement Coordinator in your EPA Regional Office.
You also may contact the Technical Outreach Services for
Communities program coordinator in your regional
Hazardous Substance Research Center.
If your Community Advisory Group does not qualify for
assistance under these programs, look for other
federal, state, and local sources. Ask Group members and
federal, state, and local government officials for
suggestions.
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September 1998
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Finding Funding
for Community
advisory Groups
Where can Groups find
funds to support their
work? While many
people look first to
the federal
government or to
national charitable
foundations, most
support is found
closer to home.
Local companies,
major retailers,
and even small
businesses are
potential contributors
to Groups. There also are voluntary
service organizations and scores of small, local
foundations and plant-level corporate-giving programs eager
to support worthwhile local programs.
Thinking locally is very important. Even getting funds from
state and federal sources often depends on making contacts
at the local level first. The key is to talk to people in your
area. Form partnerships with local agencies and
organizations. The Community Advisory Group
Toolkit contains a guide to help you write an
effective proposal to attract funders to your
Group.
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