[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 128 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41069-41071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16763]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6728-3]


Community Based In-Home Asthma Environmental Education and 
Management

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Request for grant proposals.

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SUMMARY: Request for Proposals for Community Based In-Home Asthma 
Environmental Education and Management. This is an announcement of the 
availability of FY 2000 grant funds for the Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) Indoor Environments Division/Office of Radiation and 
Indoor Air. Section 103(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act authorizes the 
Administrator to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration 
of research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys and 
studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare 
effects), extent, prevention, and control of air pollution by ((b)(3)) 
making grants to air pollution control agencies, to other public or 
nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations, and to 
individuals, for purposes stated in 103(a)(1). The intended use of 
these funds is to support pilot studies of asthma education, including 
asthma management and indoor asthma trigger identification/mitigation, 
in existing Community-Based In-Home Environmental Management or 
Education programs. EPA is awarding these grants to support the 
recipients to conduct pilot studies of in-home asthma education and 
assess the effectiveness of their in-home approaches to educating 
children with asthma, their parents and/or primary care givers, and 
other people with asthma, including how to identify the indoor triggers 
to which the asthmatic(s) in the household may be sensitive, and how to 
mitigate them. EPA plans to award two grants to each of two 
organizations for $100,000.00 each, however the final number of awards 
and award amounts may vary depending on proposal quality and resource 
availability.

DATES: Letter of Intent due by July 7, 2000. Pre-application Assistance 
Conference Call dates are:

1. July 11, 2000, 12 noon until 2pm Eastern Daylight Time
2. July 14, 2000, 12 noon until 2pm Eastern Daylight Time

    Application Deadline: Postmarked no later than August 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send Letter of Intent and Applications to the attention of 
Sheila Brown, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW. (6609J), Washington, DC 20460

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheila Brown (202) 564-9370

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The focus for funding is to: (a) Reduce the 
impact of in-home environmental asthma triggers on children and adults 
with asthma; (b) strengthen the capacity of individual households to 
control in-home environmental asthma triggers; and (c) assess the 
effectiveness and sustainability of strategies for in-home 
environmental asthma trigger management and education within 
communities. Completed applications, including work plans and detailed 
budgets, are due to the Indoor Environments Division no later than 
August 7, 2000. If you intend to apply, you must send a letter of 
intent postmarked no later than July 7, 2000 to Attention: Sheila 
Brown,1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (6609J), Washington, D.C. 20460, 
or an e-mail to [email protected]> no later than 3 pm (EDT) on July 
7, 2000, indicating the name of your organization, the name and phone 
number of a contact person in the organization, whether you expect to 
participate in one of the pre-award technical assistance conference 
calls (see page 5), and if so, on which day. Should demand exceed 
capacity, we will schedule an additional call and inform you by 
telephone of the date and time.

Eligibility Criteria

    To be eligible for funding, an applicant must:
    (1) Demonstrate the ability to implement an in-home education 
program which includes: In-home identification and assessment of 
potential indoor environmental asthma triggers; direct one-on-one 
education in the home on asthma, asthma management, and mitigation of 
indoor environmental triggers to which household members with asthma 
may be sensitive;
    (2) Meet the standards for eligibility as identified in Section 103 
(3)(b) of the Clean Air Act (page 1, paragraph 1);
    (3) Request no more than $100,000.00 to accomplish pilot project 
objectives;
    (4) Properly complete and submit standard form SF-424 and a work 
plan no greater than seven pages in length (in no smaller than 12 point 
type) by the established due date;
    (5) Commit to complete the proposed pilot project activities within 
18-24 months of grant award.

Ranking Criteria

    Applications will be ranked on the basis of the criteria listed 
below. Ranking for each criterion is based on a scale of 1 (does not 
meet the requirement) to 10 (exceeds the requirement).
    (1) Applicant organization currently is established and operates 
within a base community, performing community level work. (1-10 
points).
    (2) Applicant organization currently is, or is affiliated with, an 
established in-home environmental management and/or education program. 
(1-10 points)
    (3) Education materials and assessment tools developed or selected 
for use in conducting in-home education and assessment pilot project 
activities address established indoor environmental triggers of asthma 
including: environmental (secondhand) tobacco smoke, house dust mites, 
cockroaches, molds, and animal dander. Materials are compatible with 
the

[[Page 41070]]

guidance contained in EPA's asthma brochure, ``Clear Your Home Of 
Asthma Triggers: Your Children Will Breathe Easier'' (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/asthma.html) and the findings and recommendations 
contained in the January, 2000 National Academy of Sciences report on 
asthma, ``Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures'' (http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9610.html). (1-10 points)
    (4) Mitigation methods for environmental (secondhand) tobacco 
smoke, house dust mites, cockroaches, molds, and animal dander included 
among the pilot project activities are compatible with the guidance in 
EPA's asthma brochure, ``Clear Your Home Of Asthma Triggers: Your 
Children Will Breathe Easier'' (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/asthma.html) and the findings and recommendations contained in the 
January, 2000 National Academy of Sciences report on asthma, ``Clearing 
the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures'' (http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9610.html). (1-10 points)
    (5) Education materials and assessment tools selected for the pilot 
project reflect current standards for conducting public health 
education and outreach activities, particularly with respect to 
motivating behavioral changes in low-literacy, low-income, and 
disproportionately impacted populations. (1-10 points)
    (6) Applicant adequately describes mechanisms for obtaining 
feedback about program effectiveness from households after the in-home 
education assessment visit(s). (1-10 points)
    (7) Applicant agrees to provide quarterly performance reports to 
EPA which shall include, at a minimum, information about: the number of 
homes visited, the number of children and adults with asthma educated, 
the number of homes in which indoor environmental triggers have been 
identified, and the number of households in which mitigation actions 
have been taken. (1-10 points)
    (8) The project demonstrates the effectiveness of education 
strategies that are appropriate to varied populations and geographic 
locations in the United States, and contributes to an improved 
understanding of how to conduct in-home asthma education programs. (1-
10 points)

Application Process

    Applicants must complete standard form 424 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf424.pdf) and submit a work plan no 
greater than five pages in length (12 point type). The work plan must 
include: (1) A summary of specific objectives, expected outcomes, and 
deliverables; and (2) a discussion of the budget and how the budget 
relates to the objectives, outcomes, and deliverables in the work plan. 
Resumes and supplementary biographical information, if any, should not 
exceed an additional two pages. The project work plan submitted with 
the completed application SF-424 should conform to the following 
outline:
    (1) Title.
    (2) Description of the applicant organization, experience in 
community work (especially with children and adults with asthma), 
existing in-home education efforts, existing indoor air quality/asthma 
activities, and the organization's infrastructure as it relates to its 
ability to do in-home assessments and/or education programs.
    (3) Description of staffing and funding resources needed to 
implement proposed work plans, including number of staff and 
qualifications.
    (4) Description of experience implementing evaluation and tracking 
procedures and managing grants (e.g., submitting reports, budgets, 
etc.).
    (5) Project Period--beginning and ending dates.
    (6) Project purpose.
    (7) Description of basic structure of the in-home asthma education 
and assessment pilot project proposed, curricula and assessment tools 
to be used, and resource lists including references. Describe why the 
curricula and protocols were selected or created; what other materials 
you may have considered (including reasons for not selecting them); 
and, if possible, a discussion of how the asthma education approaches 
you wish to demonstrate compare or contrast to other known approaches.
    (8) Description of target audiences, community, and any special 
asthma-related demographics of areas targeted for this work.
    (9) Description of mechanisms for question resolution and follow-up 
with asthmatics and their families and/or primary care givers following 
in-home visit(s). Reasons for selecting or creating these mechanisms 
and, if possible, a discussion of how the selected mechanisms compare 
to other available mechanisms.
    (10) Description of any types of follow-up materials or training 
that may be given to the households such as community resource lists, 
household repair and maintenance training, lessons on how to obtain 
services in the community, etc.
    (11) Definition of success for the project and how success will be 
measured. Describe mechanisms for tracking program outputs (e.g., how 
many households were educated, how many homes were assessed, in how 
many homes actions were taken), summarizing and characterizing program 
outcomes (i.e., the effectiveness of the education and mitigation 
methods, the level of increased awareness).
    (12) Identification of other localities, regions, or states that 
might benefit from the lessons you expect to learn as a result of your 
pilot project.
    (13) Schedule--indicate tasks, quarterly report submission and 
final report submission dates.
    (14) Budget. Indicate funds used for salaries, materials, 
equipment, contracted activities, travel, overhead, and other pertinent 
information.
    If you would like to apply for assistance under the Community Based 
In-Home Asthma Environmental Education and Management program, 
application materials are available at the web addresses listed below 
or by calling the Indoor Environments Division at (202) 564-9370. The 
application kit contains the following information:

--Application for Federal Assistance-- http://www.epa.gov/region4/grantpgs/grants.htm)
--Instructions for completing the application
--Assurances/certifications

    An original application and one copy must be received at the 
following address no later than close of business on Monday, August 7, 
2000:

Mailing Address: Attn: Sheila Brown, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Indoor Environments Division, In-Home Program (6609J), 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460
Courier Address: Attn: Sheila Brown, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Indoor Environments Division, In-Home Program (6609J), 501 3rd Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20001

    Questions regarding the administrative aspects and programmatic 
aspects, including work plan, should be referred to Sheila Brown (202) 
564-9370. Two pre-application assistance conference calls have been 
scheduled to help prospective applicants:

1. Tuesday, July 11, 2000 from 12 noon until 2pm Eastern Daylight Time. 
Call in number (202) 260-1015, then dial access code 9490#
2. Thursday, July 14, 2000 from 12 noon until 2pm Eastern Daylight 
Time. Call in number (202) 260-7280, then dial access code 0792#

    Twenty lines have been reserved for each call. To ensure access, 
please

[[Page 41071]]

follow the instructions for submitting the letter of intent described 
on page 1 of this announcement.
    In addition, prospective applicants should obtain a copy of the 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, Part 30 (and for State and 
local agencies, also see Part 31). This portion of the CFR includes 
regulations applicable to your assistance agreement. Copies of the CFR 
are available at your local U.S. Government Bookstore, the U.S. 
Government Printing Office or on the internet at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants.htm. Once at this site, select ``Administrative Regulations 
and Policies/Subchapter B-Grants and Other Federal Assistance'' and 
select Part 30 or Part 31.
    Selected projects will be announced on or around October 15, 2000. 
If you have any questions regarding this grant notice, please contact 
Sheila Brown (202) 564-9370.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401-7626; Pub. L. 159, 69 Stat. 322.

    Dated: June 26, 2000.
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 00-16763 Filed 6-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U