SEPA
United Statqs
Environmental
Protection Agency
. Office of Communications,.
Education, and
Media Relations
(1704)
January 1999
Environmental Education
Grants Program
for Developing
Successful
Grant Applications
««&8SSt_ • •
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"Tips FOR DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICATIONS"
Each year the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) awards environmental, education
grants worth between $2.4 to $3 million to
support quality environmental education
projects. These grants provide seed money to
help support projects that increase the public's
awareness and knowledge about the environment
1 and provide the skills to make informed decisions
and take responsible action. The competition
for environmental education grants is intense,
and approximately 250 grantees are selected
nationwide from among more than 1,500
applications received.
The tips in this document are intended to provide
helpful hints for grant applicants. The items should
guide the development of an application and help
you avoid common errors that result in the
disqualification of an application or a decision by
EPA not to award a grant. This document is intended
to supplement, not replace, the instructions
provided in EPA's annual Environmental Education
Grant .Solicitation Notice. Visit EPA's Office of
Environmental Education World Wide Web site at
for a copy of the
solicitation notice and additional information
about EPA's environmental education grants
program. You should also visit EPA's new grant-
writing tutorial available on-line at to walk
through the grant-writing process and participate
in a mock grant-writing activity.
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GOALS
Environmentaleducation projects must enhance
critical-thinking, problem-solving, or decision-making skills
of the target audience. EPA will not fund projects
that provide opinions about environmental issues or
problems or projects that simply disseminate information.
ADMINISTRATIVE
® Meet the deadline for submitting your application~EPA will
not consider proposals postmarked after the deadline
© Submit all the application materials required:
B Complete work plan, including: (1) project summary;
(2) full project description with time line; (3) evaluation
plan; (4) detailed budget; (5) resumes of key personnel
B Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF 424)
B Federal Standard Budget Form (SF 424A)
B Letters of commitment or memoranda of understanding
from partner organizations, as applicable
* For grant requests of up to $25,000, submit your
application to your EPA regional office
Q For grant requests over $25,000, submit your application to
EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC . .
* Make sure your organization is eligible to apply for grant funds:
e A college or'university; a local or tribal government
education agency; a state education or environmental
agency; a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization; or a
noncommercial educational broadcasting entity is eligible
B A teacher's school district, an educator's not-for-profit
organization, or a faculty member's college or university
may apply, but an individual teacher is not eligible
sa The primary applicant must be based in the U.S.; partner
organizations and project activities may be located in
Canada or Mexico
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Describe clearly how the project will meet at least one of
EPA's environmental education priorities, such as teacher
training, which are identified annually in the solicitation
notice
Stay focused — don't try to address through one project
every EPA category listed in the solicitation notice. .Avoid
restating the goals and priorities listed in the solicitation
notice. Evaluation panels often select projects with a
clearly defined purpose which cari be accomplished, rather
than projects that attempt to address multiple priorities
Avoid proposing ineligible projects, such as technical
training of environmental management professionals;
research and development not of an educational nature; or
environmental information projects that have no
educational component
Describe the project accurately and precisely:
• Define the specific goals and objectives of the project
• Describe exactly what you are going to do and how you
are going to do it
• Identify the products that you will use or produce and
how you will distribute them (EPA prefers not to fund
new curriculum)
• Specify the methodology you will use to implement the
project and explain how it teaches critical-thinking,
problem-solving or decision-making skills
• Research the project and describe exactly why there is a
need for the project in your community or in the field of
environmental education
• Identify existing efforts related to the project — use the
information to support the project or to justify a different
approach
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Target your audience carefully: ': |j
m Describe clearly the individuals or groups that make up . |l
your audience; for example, indicate that 30 high school jij
teachers or 60 middle school students will attend a |j
summer workshop ^i
B Explain why your audience needs the project ||
Explain the project's potential for wide, application or how |j
it could serve as a model for other communities or ' ||
organizations : |j
Build strong partnerships and alliances with community
organizations and environmental and industry groups: ;
B Enlist the support of other groups that have similar or .'
related goals . ': .- I*
B Secure a commitment of services or do.llars • •
B Identify how partners will collaborate and describe/.. '
specific responsibilities of each partner •
B Submit letters of commitment and memoranda of
understanding from partners with your application
Develop a realistic time line:
B Demonstrate that you can complete the project within
the funding period (one year for small grants and up to
two years for grants over $25,000)
a List the sequence and time frames of all tasks you will
undertake to meet the goals of the project (on a schedule
that covers the entire grant period)
B Identify the personnel, materials, and other resources you
will need to implement the project:
A Identify those that you and your partners already have
and those for which you need funding ||
A Determine'which costs will be charged to matching
funds, in-kind matches, EPA funds, or other funding
sources ;
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® Describe how the project will be sustained after the federal
funding period ends
^ Develop a methodology for evaluating the project:
• Describe how you will know when the goals and objectives
have been met (for example, measures of success)
• Identify the strategies, milestones, and tools that you
will use to monitor the project
® Set a realistic limit on the amount of EPA funds you request:
• EPA has approximately $3 million per year for the entire
grants program and must limit the size of the grants to
ensure nationwide coverage
• The likelihood that EPA will award funds for your project
increases significantly if you request $5,000 or less from an
EPA regional office or $75,000 or less from EPA Headquarters
*© Develop a realistic budget:
• Make the budget clear and concise
• Present the budget in such a manner that someone
unfamiliar with your organization will understand it
, ' • • Clearly identify matching funds:
• Show that your organization has obtained the required
level of nonfederal matching funds, that is, at least 25
percent of the total cost of the project (including your
required match)
• Carefully document both matching funds that are
provided in cash and those represented by in-kind
contributions and other nonmonetary support
<® Explain how the funds, both the EPA award and the
matching funds, will be spent
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© Make certain you don't include unallowed items, such as
construction costs
© Be cautious about including what might appear to be
excessive personnetand travel costs
$> Check the budget forms for mathematical errors
FORMAT
® Meet the format requirements specified in the solicitation
notice: l
a Pages must bie letter-size — 81/2 x 11 inches
• Use a standard type size — 10 or 12 cpi
• Number every page
• Provide one original signed copy and additional copies as
•specified in the solicitation notice
a Do not exceed the page limit specified in the solicitation
notice ;
* Spell out each acronym at first use
® Perform an internal or external review of the application, or
both: ;
B If possible, ask someone who has experience in writing
grant proposals to review the application
• Perform an editorial review for clarity and conciseness
• Check the proposal for typographical and grammatical errors
*© Perform a final quality control check to ensure that
application materials are complete and that the copies are
legible '
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