[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 114 (Friday, June 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32322-32324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15563]



[[Page 32322]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00216; FRL-5722-4]


Notice of Availability of FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and 
Lead Hazard Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Funds

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of funds availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting pre-application grant proposals under a new 
grant program for Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Awareness 
Public Education and Outreach. EPA anticipates that $450,000 will be 
available in Fiscal Year 1997, with individual grants awarded in the 
range of $20,000 to $60,000. The purpose of this program is to deliver 
public education and outreach products and services to increase lead-
based paint hazard awareness and promote lead poisoning prevention to 
high-risk target audiences. For the purposes of this grant proposal 
application process, the term high-risk target audience refers to 
communities which are predominantly low-income, minority (e.g., African 
American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American Indian), 
located in large metropolitan areas, or communities which consist 
predominantly of older housing. The Agency chose to define high-risk 
target audience in this way because children living in these 
communities are especially at risk to elevated levels of lead exposure. 
These grant funds will be used for projects that deliver lead hazard 
awareness and poisoning prevention information to the parents, to care-
takers or service providers (e.g., pediatricians) of children under 6 
years of age, and to other vulnerable populations (e.g., pregnant 
women) in high-risk target audiences.

DATES: All pre-application grant proposals must be post-marked by July 
28, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit pre-application proposals to: Megan Carroll, EPA 
Project Officer, Mail Code 7404, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M 
St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan B. Hazen, Director, 
Environmental Assistance Division (7408), Office of Pollution 
Prevention and Toxics, Rm. E-543B, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 
M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, (202) 554-1404, TDD: (202) 554-0551, 
e-mail: TSCA-H[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scope and Purpose of the FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and 
Lead Hazard Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Program

A. Existing EPA/Federal Lead Outreach Program

    This new FY 1997 Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard 
Awareness Public Education and Outreach Grant Program will build upon 
the Federal lead poisoning prevention outreach program already in 
place. The Federal program has recently relied on the National Lead 
Information Center hotlines (in English and Spanish) to respond to 
public inquiries, public service announcements on radio and television, 
transit ads, brochures, videos, pamphlets, individual EPA staff 
efforts, targeted outreach mailings, and cooperative efforts with 
states and other non-federal partners. With this new grant program, EPA 
hopes to build on these efforts by harnessing the expertise and the 
ability of other smaller organizations, such as local governments, 
community groups, and other specialized non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) which operate on the local level, to deliver lead hazard 
awareness and poisoning prevention messages to targeted audiences at 
highest risk.

B. Recent NHANES Study

    A recent study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination 
Survey (NHANES) indicates that children of urban, minority (e.g., 
African American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American 
Indian), or low-income families, or who live in older housing, continue 
to be most vulnerable to lead poisoning, and have elevated blood-lead 
levels. The February 21, 1997 Center for Disease Control's Morbidity 
and Mortality Weekly Report states that: ``Despite the recent and large 
declines in BLLs [blood lead levels], the risk for lead exposure 
remains disproportionately high for some groups, including children who 
are poor, non-Hispanic black, Mexican American, living in large 
metropolitan areas, or living in older housing.'' The report also 
states:
    The risk for lead exposure in children is primarily determined 
by environmental conditions of the child's residence. The most 
common source for lead exposure for children is lead-based paint 
that has deteriorated into paint chips and lead dust.* In the United 
States, approximately 83% of privately owned housing units and 86% 
of public housing units built before 1980 contain some lead-based 
paint.* In addition, soil and dust contaminated with residual lead 
fallout from vehicle exhaust contribute to exposure; concentrations 
of lead in soil and dust are highest in central urban areas.* For 
adults, the most common high-dose exposure sources are 
occupational.* Other exposure sources for adults and children can 
include lead dust brought into the home on clothing from workplaces, 
lead used for some hobbies, lead contained in some ``folk'' 
medicines and cosmetics, and lead in plumbing and in crystal and 
ceramic containers that leaches into water or food.*1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    1Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control. February 21, 
1997, Vol. 46, No. 7. *See this report for references within the 
quotation.

C. New Grant Projects Will Expand Outreach Efforts

    EPA has successfully developed a variety of lead hazard awareness 
and poisoning prevention outreach materials and has the organization in 
place to respond to interested members of the public. With this new 
grant program, EPA will take the next steps to enable successful 
applicants (grantees) to deliver products directly to targeted 
audiences by funding public education and outreach projects that target 
high-risk communities who are especially at risk to elevated levels of 
lead exposure. EPA is not seeking proposals that will result in policy 
recommendations or national outreach strategies. Rather, EPA will fund 
projects that develop an ability to reach and benefit members of the 
public with appropriate outreach materials, with the expectation that 
successful projects may be replicated in other communities at a later 
time.

D. Outreach Materials

    Applicants may develop their own outreach materials or use already 
existing products as part of their proposal. EPA is aware that many 
state, tribal, and local departments of health and environmental 
protection, as well as advocacy groups and community development 
groups, have already developed useful lead poisoning prevention tools 
for conducting outreach and education campaigns. In addition, EPA and 
other federal agencies have already developed, and currently provide, a 
wide range of outreach materials available from the National Lead 
Information Clearinghouse (1-800-424-LEAD). (Those potential applicants 
who are not familiar with materials available through the National Lead 
Information Clearinghouse may want to call and speak to a trained 
specialist at 1-800-424-LEAD. The trained specialists can help 
applicants identify specific types of outreach materials that already 
exist and thereby avoid spending resources to recreate the materials.)

[[Page 32323]]

    If an applicant chooses to develop new materials or use non-EPA 
materials, selected applicants will be required to obtain approval for 
the use of those materials from the EPA Project Officer during the 
post-award phase of the project (i.e., after the grant agreement is in 
place but before the grantee actually begins outreach activities). This 
approval is limited to the use of the materials under this grant 
program and will not necessarily be a formal EPA review and endorsement 
of any other organization's product. Any new materials developed by the 
applicant must be consistent with the Federal lead hazard awareness and 
poisoning prevention program. Applicants who propose to use existing 
materials (either EPA materials or non-EPA materials) should include a 
copy (or citation of EPA materials) of the proposed outreach materials 
with the grant application.

II. Activities and Criteria

    EPA specifically seeks proposals for projects to conduct lead 
hazard awareness and lead poisoning prevention public education or 
outreach activities in high-risk communities. For the purposes of this 
grant proposal application process, the term high-risk target audience 
refers to communities which are predominantly low-income, minority 
(e.g., African American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, 
American Indian), located in large metropolitan areas, or communities 
which consist predominantly of older housing. The Agency chose to 
define high-risk target audience in this way because children living in 
these communities are especially at risk to elevated levels of lead 
exposure. EPA will not consider applications that propose to use the 
funds for abatement projects. Below are examples of the types of the 
projects that applicants may want to consider.
    Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:
     Training members of the medical profession who work in a 
particular community in lead-based paint hazard awareness and poisoning 
prevention.
     Increasing lead hazard awareness by distributing pamphlets 
and brochures at community meeting places, schools, and local events, 
and conducting follow-up seminars or information fairs.
     Developing and delivering lead poisoning prevention 
awareness programs for workers, living in high-risk target communities, 
who may bring lead back into their homes (due to occupational 
exposure).
     Creating a new information product, distributing it in a 
specified locale, and demonstrating that the product effectively 
communicates the lead hazard awareness messages.
    Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
    1. Identification of high-risk target audience.
     Does the applicant specify what subset of the population 
at-large will be the target audience for the project, e.g., parents of 
elementary school-age children in a particular public school district, 
or medical personnel in a specified neighborhood or district?
     Does the applicant indicate how the target audience fits 
into this grant program which targets people living in communities 
which are predominantly low-income, minority (e.g., African American, 
Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American, American Indian), located in 
large metropolitan areas, or consisting predominantly of older housing?
    2. Relevancy of applicant's proposed outreach materials and 
activities to the target audience.
     Does the applicant demonstrate that the proposed outreach 
materials and activities are suitable for the target audience (i.e., 
appropriate language comprehension and cultural identification)?
    3. Ability of applicant to deliver lead hazard awareness and 
poisoning prevention information directly to the applicant's intended 
target audience.
     Does the applicant indicate how the messages will be 
delivered, e.g., lecture, written material distribution, one-on-one 
interviews?
     Does the applicant indicate the number of people/families/
medical personnel/etc. that will be reached?
    4. Qualifications and experience of the applicant relative to the 
proposed project.
     Does the applicant demonstrate experience in community 
outreach activities?
     Does the applicant demonstrate experience in conducting 
public health or health education activities?
     Is the applicant knowledgeable about lead hazard awareness 
and poisoning prevention issues?
     Does the applicant have the properly trained staff and 
facilities to conduct the project?
    5. Consistency of applicant's proposed outreach materials and 
activities with the Federal lead hazard awareness and poisoning 
prevention program.
     Are the messages proposed by the applicant consistent with 
EPA/HUD/CDC policies, guidelines, and regulations?
    6. Provision for measuring and documenting the project's results 
quantitatively and qualitatively (evaluation).
     Is the applicant's proposed project designed in such a way 
that it is possible to measure and document the results quantitatively 
and qualitatively?
     Does the applicant identify the method that will be used 
to measure and document the project's results quantitatively and 
qualitatively?
    7. Likelihood that the project can be replicated in other areas by 
other organizations to benefit other communities.
     Can this project, taking into account typical staff and 
financial restraints, be replicated by similar organizations in 
different locations to address a problem that exists in other 
communities?

III. Eligibility

    Eligible recipients include, but are not limited to, non-profit 
organizations, institutions of higher learning, state and local 
associations, states, federally recognized Indian Tribes and tribal 
organizations, for-profit organizations, trade and professional 
associations, labor unions and joint labor/management trust funds. 
However, as a result of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, EPA (and 
other federal agencies) may not award grants to non-profit, section 
501(c)(4) organizations that engage in lobbying activities. This 
restriction applies to any lobbying activities of a section 501(c)(4) 
organization without distinguishing between lobbying funded by federal 
money and lobbying funded by other sources.
    In addition, the following conditions apply:
    1. There are no requirements for matching funding under this grant 
program.
    2. No applicant can receive two grants for the same project at one 
time. Applicants may submit more than one application so long as the 
applications are for separate and distinct projects.
    3. If applicants will use funding from other sources (private or 
public) in carrying-out their proposed projects, the applicants must 
disclose those sources of funding in the application.
    4. The grants under this program will be awarded as cooperative 
agreements to allow for the substantial involvement anticipated between 
EPA and the recipients during the post-award period for these projects.

IV. Grant Term

    The applicant's proposed project period should start no earlier 
than November 1, 1997, and may last for up to 2 years; successful 
applicants may be granted extensions beyond the 2-year

[[Page 32324]]

period, but those decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, if 
and when they become necessary.

V. Pre-application Procedure

    Applicants must submit a work plan and a budget (as described 
below) for the pre-application procedure. The Agency will use 
applicants' work plans and budgets to select projects to be funded 
under this grant program. After EPA conducts a review of all submitted 
pre-applications, successful applicants will be contacted and requested 
to submit other documents (such as the ``Application for Federal 
Assistance'' form (Standard Form 424 or SF424), a ``Budget Information: 
Non-Construction Programs'' form (SF424A) and other required forms) to 
complete the application process. However, for the purposes of the pre-
application process, applicants must only submit a work plan and 
budget.
    Applicants must submit one original and two copies of the 
application (double-sided copies are encouraged). Pre-applications must 
be reproducible (for example, stapled in the upper left hand corner, on 
white paper, and with page numbers).
    1. Work plan. A work plan describes the applicant's proposed 
project. Work plans must be no more than 10 pages total. One page is 
one side of a single-spaced typed page. The pages must be letter size 
(8 \1/2\'' x 11''), with normal type size (10 or 12 cpi) and must have 
margins that are at least 1 inch. The only appendices that EPA will 
accept are resumes of key personnel and copies of outreach materials 
(if appropriate to the application.)
    2. Budget. The budget should include the following categories of 
costs: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, 
contractual, construction, other, total direct charges (sum of 
personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, 
construction and other), indirect charges and total (sum of total 
direct charges and indirect charges.) All budgets must include funds to 
travel to Washington, DC or Atlanta, GA for an information sharing 
meeting of all successful grantees (at a time to be determined.)

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Lead.

    Dated: June 9, 1997.
William H. Sanders III,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

[FR Doc. 97-15563 Filed 6-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F