The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting grant applications for its Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Program.

Proposals are due by March 17. EPA will conduct three conference calls on January 18, February 11, and 27, for prospective applicants to ask questions about the application process.

CARE is a competitive grant program that offers an innovative way for communities to organize and take action to reduce toxic pollution in their air, land and water. By joining forces, for-profit and non-profit organizations can work together to improve the environmental health of a community and its residents.

EPA anticipates awarding CARE cooperative agreements in two levels. Level I cooperative agreements range from $75,000 to $100,000 and can be used to create community-based partnerships to develop local environmental priorities.

Level II awards, ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 each, will support communities which have already established broad-based partnerships, have identified the priority toxic risks in the community, and are prepared to measure results, implement risk reduction activities, and become self-sustaining.

In 2007, $3.4 million in cooperative agreements were made available to more than 20 communities through the CARE program, a community-based, community-driven program that builds partnerships to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources

Examples of previously-funded projects include addressing pollution from the Philadelphia ports, reducing the impacts of pesticides on public health and the environment in low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia, addressing abandoned, contaminated industrial and residential properties in Gary, Ind., dealing with agriculture-related toxics in Yakima County, Wash., and reducing air emissions from diesel trucks and buses in Woonsocket, R.I.

The following entities are eligible to apply: local, public nonprofit institutions and organizations, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Native American organizations, private nonprofit institutions and organizations, colleges and universities and quasi-public nonprofit institutions and organizations (both interstate and intrastate).

For applications and more information, visit the Community Action for a Renewed Environment Program webpage.

1/4/2008