JvEPA Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program (United States Environmental Protection Agency xV What is the CPS Model? The CPS Model represents a systematic, community-based approach for stakeholders to achieve lasting solutions to local environmental and/or public health issues or concerns. There are seven elements in the CPS Model which can be used in distressed communities where people are committed to working together to bring about positive change. The seven elements are: Element 1 - Issue Identification, Community Vision, and Strategic Goal- Setting Element 2 - Community Capacity Building and Leadership Development Element 3 - Consensus Building and Dispute Resolution Element 4 - Multi-Stakeholder Partnership and Leveraging of Resources Element 5 - Constructive Engagement by Relevant Stakeholders Element 6 - Sound Management and Implementation Element 7 - Evaluation, Lessons Learned, and Replication of Best Practices EJCPS Overview In 2003, EPA's Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) launched the first solicitation for the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program. Since the Program's inception, EPA has funded over 40 projects to help communities understand and address exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks. The EJCPS Program provides up to $120,000 in financial assistance over a two-year period to enable community-based organizations to partner with stakeholders from across industry, government, academia to develop and implement solutions that will significantly address environmental and/or public health issues at the local level. Projects must use the CPS Model, comprised of seven elements of a successful collaborative partnership, to address local environmental and/or public health issues. Because EPA requires substantial involvement and interaction between the applicant, EPA regions and OEJ, these awards will be made in the form of cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement that is used when there is substantial federal involvement with the recipient during the performance of an activity or project. EPA awards cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial interaction with the recipient throughout the performance of the project. Is My Organization Eligible? An eligible applicant MUST BE one of the following entities: • Nonprofit organization- including, but not limited to, environmental justice networks • Federally recognized tribal governments; or • Native American organizations (includes Indian groups, cooperatives, partnerships, associations) Organizations claiming nonprofit status must be either a nonprofit as designated by the Internal Revenue Service or a nonprofit organization recognized by the state, territory, commonwealth or tribe in which it is located. Applicants must be located within the same state, territory, commonwealth, or tribe in which the proposed project is located. In addition, eligible applicants must demonstrate that they have worked directly with the affected community. An "affected community," for the purposes of EJCPS, is defined as a vulnerable community that may be disproportionately impacted by environmental harms and risks and has a local environmental or public health issue that is identified in the applicant's proposal. For more information about this program, visit https:// www.epa.gov/environmental-justice/environmental-justice-collaborative- problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-0 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Justice ------- |