Eft
United States               Enforcement and
Environmental Protection      Compliance Assurance               December 2005
Agency                   (2201 A)                         EPA300-F-006-001
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaliustice/grants/ei smgrants.html

Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ)


Environmental Justice  Small  Grants Program

Fact  Sheet
Purpose

The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of
Environmental Justice (OEJ) established the EJ
Small Grant Program in fiscal year (FY) 1994.
Since its inception, the purpose of the Small Grant
Program has been to provide community-
based/grassroots organizations with assistance in
addressing local environmental problems with
local solutions.  It solicits grant applications from
eligible community-based organizations to support
projects that address a community's exposure to
multiple environmental harms and risks.  To be
eligible to receive a grant award under this
program, you must be a local community-based
organizations and must be a non-governmental,
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, located in the
affected community.  A more detailed definition is
on the next page.

Project Focus

The focus for this year's Environmental Justice
Small Grants Program is collaborative
partnerships. Each applicant must demonstrate
collaboration between local community-based
organizations and others (industry, federal, state
and local governments, academia, and
environmental organizations) to realize their
project goals and objectives.

A ccomplishments

In FY 1994, the pilot program started with only
$500,000 and a limit of $10,000 per award. Each
region received $50,000 and funded a total of 61
projects.  Each year, with additional funding
provided by Congress, OEJ continues to support
local community organizations.
Year
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Total Funding
$3,000,000
$2,800,000
$2,700,000
$2,500,000
$1,490,000
$899,000
$1,300,000
$1,113,000
$930,000
$423,545
$625,000
Number of grants
170
152
139
134
95
61
88
74
55
17
25
                      The 2006 Request for Applications period will be
                      open from January 30, 2006 to midnight March 31,
                      2006.


                      For More Information
                      If you would like more information about the EJ
                      Small Grants Program, please call the Office of
                      Environmental Justice's 24-hour hotline (1-800-
                      962-6215) or visit the website at:
                      http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustic
                      e/gran ts/ejsmgran ts. html

                      To be Eligible to Receive a Grant Under This
                      Program, you must be an "affected local
                      community-based organization". An affected
                      local community-based organization (LCBO) is
                      defined for this grant program as an
                      entity/organization that is:
(1) located in the same area as the environmental and/or
                      public health problem that is described in the application and where

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the residents of the affected community reside;
(2) focused primarily on addressing the environmental and/or
public health problems of the residents of the affected
community; and
(3) comprised primarily of members of the affected
community.
(4) able to demonstrate that it is a non-profit organization
through designation by the Internal Revenue Service as a
Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
(5) at the most basic level of the organizational hierarchy
such as a grassroots group/neighborhood organization that is
not affiliated with a larger national, regional or state
organization;
"Affected" is defined as being in the locale which is
influenced or altered by the environmental/public health
problem.

Individuals; universities; state, local, and tribal
governments; water districts or similar entities; water
districts or similar entities; large non-governmental
organizations such as national environmental groups;
environmental justice networks; churches; watershed
protection organizations; community development
corporations; or organizations that are not located in the
affected communities where the projects are located are
not eligible to receive Federal funds under this grant
program.
I issues, including minority and low-income
EPA's Commitment to Environmental Justice

On November 4, 2005, Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
issued a memorandum reaffirming EPA's commitment to
environmental justice for all people, regardless of race, color,
national origin or income. This means not only protecting
human health and the environment for everyone, but also
ensure that all people are treated fairly and are given the
opportunity to participate meaningfully in the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws,
regulations, and policies.

In recognizing that minority and/or low-income communities
frequently may be exposed disproportionately to
environmental harms and risks, EPA works to protect  these
and other burdened communities from adverse human health
and environmental effects of its programs, consistent with
existing environmental and civil rights laws, and their
implementing regulations, as well as Executive Order  12898
("Federal Actions to  Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," Feb. 11,
1994).

The memorandum also identifies 8 national environmental
justice priorities and directs the integration of environmental
justice into EPA's planning and budgeting processes,
including the Agency's Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2006-
2011. These national priorities include: reducing asthma
attacks; reducing exposure to air toxics;  increasing
compliance of regulations; reducing incidence of elevated
blood lead levels; ensuring that fish and shellfish are safe to
eat; ensuring that water is safe to drink; and using
collaborative problem-solving to address environmental
and/or public health concerns.

EPA will continue to fully implement its programs, policies,
and activities to ensure that they do not adversely affect
populations with critical environmental and public health
 Contact the appropriate regional coordinator named
 below.

 REGIONAL COORDINATORS
 Region 1 (ME, VT, NH, MA, CN, RI)
 Davina Wysin
 One Congress Street, 1 1th Floor, Boston, MA 02203
 Phone: 617/918-1020; Fax: 617/918-1029

 Region 2 (NY, NJ, PR, VI)
 290 Broadway, 26th Floor, New York, NY  10007
 Phone: 212/637-5027; Fax: 212/637-5046

 Region 3 (MD, DE, WV, VA, PA, DC)
 Reginald Harris
 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
 Phone: 215/814-2988; Fax: 215/814-2905

 Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC,TN)
 Elvie Barlow
 61 Forsyth Street, Atlanta, GA 30303-8960
 Phone: 404/562-9650; Fax:  404/562-9664

 Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)
 Margaret Millar d
 77 West Jackson Blvd. (T-16J), Chicago, IL  60604
 Phone: 312/353-1440
 Home: 312/922-9091; Fax: 312/353-6519

 Region 6 (AR, LA, MM, OK, TX)
 Shirley Quinones
 Fountain Place, 12th Floor, 1445 Ross Avenue (6RA-DJ), Dallas, TX
 75202-2733
 Phone: 214/665-2713; Fax:  214/665-6648

 Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NB)
 Althea Moses
 901 North 5th Street , Kansas City, KS 66101
 Phone: 913/551-7649 or 1-800-223-0425
 Fax: 913/551-7941

 Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)
 Nancy Reish
 999 18th Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80202-2405
 Phone: 303/312-6040; Fax: 303/312-6409

 Region 9 (CA, AZ, HI, NV, GM, AS)
 Karen Henry
 75 Hawthorne Street , San Francisco, CA 94105
 Phone: 415/972-3844; Fax:  415/538-5062

 Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA)
 Running Grass
 1200 Sixth Avenue (CEJ-163), Seattle, WA  98101
 Phone: 206/553-2899; Fax:  206/553-7176

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