The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has awarded $1.5 million to three organizations through the Promoting Readiness and Enhancing Proficiency to Advance Reporting and Data (PREPARED) program. This initiative aims to provide technical assistance to enhance EPA grant recipients' ability to generate data and information necessary for evaluating program outcomes and understanding community impacts.
The agency is also seeking additional proposals for a second round of funding, totaling up to $2 million over three years. This effort aims to support the data, reporting, and evidence-building capacity of EPA grant recipients representing small, underserved, and Tribal communities. These elements are crucial for EPA grant programs, but many recipients face challenges in engaging in these activities. Small, underserved communities and Tribes often opt not to apply for funding due to these capacity issues.
Through the PREPARED program cooperative agreements, the EPA intends to fund technical assistance providers who will equip communities with strategies, tools, and training to enhance their capacity for data, reporting, and evidence-building.
The recent awards include:
- $500,000 to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The project will build community capacity on evidence-based approaches to advance data dissemination, reporting, and integration of lived community experiences for EPA and State Revolving Fund applicants and grantees.
- $500,000 to Palmetto Futures. This project will provide comprehensive capacity-building support to community-based organizations in the Gullah Geechee Corridor. It will focus on improving local organizations' capabilities in managing EPA projects by enhancing data proficiency and project reporting. Additionally, it will conduct community engagement with organizations in coordination with their partner organization, the Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation.
- $500,000 to New Growth Innovation Network. This project aims to build individual, organizational, and collective capacity for potential recipients of EPA funds in small, underserved, or Tribal communities on data reporting and evidence-building so they can apply for future or current EPA grant opportunities.
More information on each awardee is available on the PREPARED website.
The EPA remains committed to implementing strategies designed to help small and underserved communities address data and reporting requirements for its grants. Consistent with longstanding agency policy for working with Tribal communities, the EPA is dedicated to enhancing their capacity for carrying out program responsibilities affecting Tribal communities' health and welfare.
The agency plans to award up to an additional $2 million over three years to as many as four recipients. The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now posted on grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-I-R-OCFO-02. Applications are due by July 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. More information about this funding opportunity is also available on the PREPARED website.
