Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities

Background
Pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), this grant opportunity aims to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities with environmental and health outcome disparities. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award funds to support community and local efforts to monitor their own air quality and to promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments.

Grant Details
Under this grant, EPA is soliciting applications from eligible entities for projects designed to monitor air pollutants of greatest concern in communities with disproportionate and adverse health outcomes. The objective is to enable communities to monitor their own air quality and promote monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and/or local governments. The projects should include detailed plans for enhancing air quality monitoring, such as building capacity and knowledge of local-scale, real-time air quality; measuring levels of certain air pollutants; collecting data in situations where there is persistent and complex air pollution (e.g., wildfires); or advancing air monitoring system resiliency. The projects must address engagement with relevant communities to ensure their meaningful participation with respect to the design, planning, and performance of the proposed project. Additionally, the projects should demonstrate how they will effectively address disproportionate health outcomes from pollution and the COVID–19 pandemic that have affected people/communities of color, low income, tribal, and indigenous populations. The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation is expected to begin by July 2022.

Eligibility Requirements
Applications will be accepted from states (including the District of Columbia); local governments; U.S. territories and possessions; Indian tribes; public and private hospitals and laboratories; and other public or private nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations must be operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest, not organized primarily for profit, and use net proceeds to maintain operations. For-profit organizations are not eligible for this funding opportunity. To be eligible for the tribal set-aside, the applicant must meet the definition of Indian tribe under Section 302(r) of the Clean Air Act. To be eligible for the community-based organization set-aside, the applicant must be an eligible nonprofit or not-for-profit corporation in good standing under state or tribal law with authority to enter into binding legal agreements.

Period of Performance
Proposed project periods may be up to three years from the project start date.

Grant Value
The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $20,000,000. Approximately $2 million dollars of this amount will be awarded to tribal governments under a tribal government set-aside, and approximately $2 million will be awarded to eligible community-based organizations under a community-based organization set-aside.