Funding Opportunity: EPA Releases STAR Solicitation
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC – September 21, 2021
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development has issued a request for applications (RFA) for community-based research intended to inform solutions to address environmental health-related disparities as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants program. In particular, the solicitation seeks proposals for transdisciplinary research to understand environmental health impacts at the intersection of climate change, environmental justice (EJ), and vulnerable populations and life stages that can be utilized by state, tribal, and local environmental programs as well as communities. This RFA is aligned with several Biden Administration priorities, including addressing climate change and incorporating equity across the federal government – and is also part of EPA’s agency-wide response to three Biden Administration executive orders that outline the need for urgent action to address both topics. The responses submitted to this solicitation are likely to inform future EPA EJ-focused programs and improve EPA’s ability to deliver upon its mission to protect human health and the environment.
Successful applicants will partner and engage with underserved communities and find cross-disciplinary solutions, integrating social science, environmental health, public health, epidemiology, toxicology, economics, and environmental science as well as any other relevant field. The solicitation lays out three research questions which all must be answered in the proposal:
- “What may be the most influential community-, population- or life stage-specific vulnerabilities caused by ongoing climate change that would elevate exposure to pollutants or contaminants and further exacerbate the health effects from exposure to pollutants or contaminants in underserved communities?
- What are the cumulative health impacts of climate change related stressors on vulnerable groups or susceptible life stages in underserved communities?
- How can community-based scientific research results be translated and/or applied to provide effective solutions to reduce climate change impacts on human health in underserved communities?”
Although not required, applicants are encouraged to utilize EJ screening and mapping tools and EJ indictors to enable a data driven approach to the questions above.
Award Information: EPA intends to provide $8.1 million for a total of six awards, with award funding up to $1.35 million per project. Performance periods will not exceed three years.
Eligibility: This solicitation is open to institutions of higher education (Minority Serving Institutions are highly encouraged to apply) and hospitals as well as state, local, and tribal Governments. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) may not apply, though FFRDC employees are able to participate in “planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant.” For-profit entities are ineligible to apply.
Evaluation Criteria: All proposals in response to this solicitation will be peer reviewed based on pre-established criteria described in the full RFA. Award decisions will be made based on merit, though the solicitation indicates that at least one award is intended for a new awardee, defined as an entity that has either never received EPA funding or has not received funding for a project period start date of 2016 or earlier.
Important Deadlines:
- An informational webinar for will be hosted on October 5, 2021, from 1-2 p.m. EST.
- Applications are due November 16, 2021.
Sources and Additional Information:
- The full RFA is available at https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-09/shc-climate-change-and-ej-rfa_-final.pdf.
- Registration instructions for the informational webinar are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/informational-webinar-cumulative-health-impacts-of-climate-change-tickets-171347925257.
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