Grantee Research Project Results

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program

CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY

Recipients List

Issues in Tribal Environmental Research and Health Promotion: Novel Approaches for Assessing and Managing Cumulative Risks and Impacts of Global Climate Change

This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.

Funding Opportunity Number:

Methods Development for Cumulative Exposure Assessment EPA-G2007-STAR-C1

Epidemiological Studies of the Cumulative Effects of Environmental Stressors EPA-G2007-STAR-C2

Methods Development for Modeling Health Impacts of Global Climate Change EPA-G2007-STAR-C3

Epidemiological Studies of the Health Effects of Global Climate Change EPA-G2007-STAR-C4

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.509

Solicitation Opening Date: September 25, 2006
Solicitation Closing Date: January 23, 2007 4:00 pm Eastern Time

Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9862
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9777
Technical Contact: Nigel Fields (fields.nigel@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9767

Table of Contents:
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
	Synopsis of Program
	Award Information
	Eligibility Information
	Application Materials
	Contact Person(s)
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
	A. Introduction
	B. Background
	C. Authority and Regulations
	D. Specific Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
	E. References
	F. Special Requirements
II. AWARD INFORMATION
III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
	A. Eligible Applicants
	B. Cost Sharing
	C. Threshold eligibility requirements
	D. Other
IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
	A. Internet Address to Request Application Package
	B. Content and Form of Application Submission
	C. Submission Dates and Times
	D. Funding Restrictions
	E. Submission Instructions and Other Submission Requirements
V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
	A. Peer Review
	B. Programmatic Review
	C. Funding Decisions
VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
	A. Award Notices
	B. Disputes
	C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Access Standard STAR Forms
Research awarded under previous solicitations

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Synopsis of Program:
There is an increased awareness that subsistence tribal populations may be differentially impacted by two ubiquitous phenomena: (1) cumulative chemical exposures and (2) global climate changes. EPA is interested in supporting community-based participatory research to generate data which identify (a) subsistence resources, (b) sensitive subpopulations within tribal communities, (c) complex chemical exposures from multiple sources and routes, and (d) links between environmental stressors and health outcomes. In addition, EPA is interested in research proposals which develop culturally relevant strategies for exposure mitigation and/or health promotion.

Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Estimated Number of Awards:

Methods development projects for documenting and assessing health impacts of cumulative exposures AND/OR the health impacts of climate change: Approximately 3 awards;
Epidemiologic investigations on the health impacts of cumulative exposures AND/OR climate change: Approximately 2 awards.

Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $3 million total for all awards
Potential Funding per Grant:

Methods development projects: Up to a total of $330,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years.
Epidemiologic investigations: Up to a total of $1,000,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 4 years.

Cost-sharing is not required. Proposals with budgets exceeding the total award limits will not be considered.

Eligibility Information:
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and hospitals) located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. See full announcement for more details.

Application Materials:
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. The necessary forms for submitting a STAR application will be found on the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) web site, https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. To apply electronically, you must use the application package available at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications" in Section IV). If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, you need to allow approximately one week to complete the registration process to apply electronically. This registration, and electronic submission of your application, must be performed by an authorized representative of your organization.

Contact Person(s):
Eligibility Contact: Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9862
Electronic Submissions: Bronda Harrison (harrison.bronda@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9777
Technical Contact: Nigel Fields (fields.nigel@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9767

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) invites research grant applications on "Issues in Tribal Environmental Research and Health Promotion: Novel Approaches for Assessing and Managing Cumulative Risks and Impacts of Global Climate Change."

EPA's research programs focus on reduction of risks to human health and ecosystems and on the reduction of uncertainty associated with risk assessment. Through its laboratories and through grants to academic and other not-for-profit institutions, EPA promotes research in both domains, according to the highest priority areas in which risk assessors are most in need of new concepts, methods, models and data. EPA also fosters the development and evaluation of new risk reduction technologies across a spectrum, from pollution prevention to end-of-pipe controls to remediation and monitoring. In all of these areas, EPA is especially interested in groups that may be at particularly high risk. This solicitation is focused on Federally Recognized Tribal populations. Because of their unique lifestyle including subsistence diets, occupations and hobbies, ceremonial customs and other cultural practices and/or environmental releases impacting Tribal land, subsistence tribal populations may be subject to risks that are different from the general population. This focus on Tribes also affirms the Agency's commitment to the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and the tribes, and to the trust responsibility arising from treaties, the historical relationship, statutes, case law, and executive orders.

Under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the United States Climate Change Science Program (USCCSP) is required to undertake scientific assessments of the potential consequences of global change for the United States (e.g. Patz et al., 2000). EPA is interested in the analysis of health outcomes that may be affected by future global changes and a better understanding of the consequences of global change for human health.

B. Background
There is an increased awareness that subsistence tribal populations may be differentially impacted by two ubiquitous phenomena: (1) cumulative chemical exposures and (2) global climate changes. For the purposes of this solicitation, subsistence is defined as a way of life that incorporates the use of ecosystem resources as a means of obtaining the necessities of life. A subsistence lifestyle may be reflected in the preparation and use of foods, medicines, crafts, tools or ceremonial objects as part of dietary, ritual/cultural and occupational practices. The use of subsistence resources is often based on traditional patterns and knowledge that may be passed down from previous generations. The need to increase capacity within Tribes to assess differential subsistence-based exposures and to estimate impacts on these communities because of chemical and physical changes in the natural environment is clear. EPA is interested in supporting community-based participatory research to generate data which identify (a) subsistence resources, (b) sensitive subpopulations within tribal communities, (c) complex chemical exposures from multiple sources and routes, and (d) links between environmental stressors and health outcomes. In addition, EPA is interested in research proposals which develop culturally relevant strategies for exposure mitigation and/or health promotion.

The specific Strategic Goal, Objective and Sub-objective from EPA's Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:

Goal 4: Healthy Communities and Ecosystems, Objective 4.5: Enhance Science and Research, Sub-objective 4.5.2: Conduct Relevant Research

The EPA's Strategic Plan can be found at https://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/2003sp.pdf. (PDF, 239pp., 4.75MB)

C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1; the Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609; the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, 7 U.S.C. 136r; the Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7404; and the Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6901.

D. Specific Research Areas of Interest/Expected Outputs and Outcomes
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an orientation to research that focuses on relationships between academic and community partners, with principles of co-learning, mutual benefit, and long-term commitment, incorporating community theories, participation, and practices into the research efforts (Wallerstein and Duran, 2006). CBPR in public health is a partnership approach to research that equitably involves, for example, community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process, in which all partners contribute expertise and share decision making and responsibilities (Israel et al. 1998, 2003). The aim of CBPR is to increase knowledge and understanding of a given phenomenon and integrate the knowledge gained with interventions and policy change to improve the health and quality of life of community members (Israel et al. 1998, 2003). Applicants must demonstrate tribal engagement and participation in designing the research aims, objectives, and methods and also demonstrate an ability to integrate traditional knowledge and practices in conducting the research. Successful proposals must demonstrate the ability to engage the community of concern in implementing culturally relevant exposure reduction/prevention and/or health promotion strategies.

All project proposals submitted must address one or more of the research areas listed below:
1. Tribal Cumulative Exposure and Risks from Multiple Environmental Stressors
  The potential for exposures and health risks that are greater than those experienced by the general population may stem from a variety of sources and vary across subsistence tribal populations and geographic regions. For example, they may be the result of increased consumption of fish and game that have high concentrations of harmful chemicals in edible tissues or from direct exposure to chemical residues on plants that are either eaten or used in craft, ceremonial, or occupation situations (e.g., grasses, berries, nuts). Although it is important to understand risks associated with certain practices, it is, perhaps, even more critical to understand the risks derived from the combined or "cumulative" exposure experience associated with concurrent dietary, cultural, and related practices. Additionally, recent studies demonstrate adverse interactive effects of chemical and psycho-social stresses. Therefore, stressors investigated as part of the cumulative risk approach need not be limited to chemical stressors (USEPA, 2003).
  
  Though subsistence continues to be a time-honed healthy way of life for many indigenous peoples of North America, there has been increasing concern that the introduction of multiple bioaccumulating toxicants within food webs may pose health risks for subsistence-based populations. Frequent exposures to multiple chemicals via multiple routes may in turn result in increased incidence of chemical-related diseases and adverse health conditions. Alternatively, recent data reveal that modern or more Western diets and behaviors also pose adverse health risks to tribal members accustomed to subsistence practices (Williams et al., 2001). Research producing both quantitative and qualitative data on the risks and benefits of subsistence lifestyles for the purpose of developing culturally relevant health promotion strategies is needed.
2. Impacts of Global Climate Change on the Cultural and Physical Health of Tribal Populations
  Functioning ecosystems produce the materials and services to meet human needs for sustenance, employment, development, and health (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2006), and a well functioning ecosystem requires a high level of biodiversity (Naeem, 2004). Global climate change is thought to be a major cause of biodiversity loss (Sala, 2000) and, therefore, is an important priority issue among subsistence-based tribes of North America. There is increasing evidence that climate change has already resulted in long-term shifts in seasonal weather patterns (e.g. less severe winters and earlier thaws in temperate climates) and consequent water availability (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2006). These effects, in turn, can adversely impact the extent, condition and sustainability of ecosystem services, productivity, and functions that serve basic human needs (Schroter et al., 2005). Subsistence tribal populations may be especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of global climate change, because their lifestyles and cultural practices are intimately tied to their reliance on the use of natural resources. Research is needed to integrate traditional ecological knowledge with the available data on the probability and magnitude of the effects of global climate change on the human health of subsistence populations in order to identify trends and irregularities over changing conditions and at different scales, and to help forecast and reduce risks to health.
  
  The purpose of this RFA is not to seek development of new models of climate change but to expand the knowledge of actual and potential health impacts of climate change on subsistence tribal populations. Using existing methods, researchers have identified extreme weather conditions, thermal stress, and infectious disease outbreaks as threats to human health resulting from climate change (Patz et al, 2000, 2005, McMichael et al., 2006). However it is more difficult to identify causal pathways and effects arising from climate changes in the food and natural resources (McMichael et al., 2006) upon which subsistence tribal populations are uniquely dependent. There is also increasing evidence and concern that climate warming trends may increase the release or bioavailability of environmental pollutants known to adversely affect human immune, respiratory, neurological and reproductive systems (Booth et al, 2005). Research is needed to better understand the health implications of toxicant stresses resulting from climate change. Examples of relevant research inquires include, but are not limited to the following questions: (a) Beyond infectious disease and extreme weather events, what other climate-health relationships are important to subsistence tribal populations? (b) What cultural and nutritional resources are at risk? (c) What methods can be used to identify the factors that contribute to adverse health impacts on subsistence tribal populations in the context of climate change? (d) What methods can be used to estimate the consequent impacts of changes in pollutant exposures on the health of subsistence tribal populations? (e) What cultural practices or activities might modulate the impact of climate change on health?
Project proposals, regardless of topic or funding level, should include new knowledge and/or data collection in all of the following domains:
1. Subsistence Resources (e.g., flora and/or fauna within a food web; cultural use patterns of land, water, plant or animal species for tribal hunting, ceremonial or other lifestyle activities)
2. Subsistence Lifestyle Behaviors and Practices in using resources (e.g. hunting methods, ceremonial traditions, housing conditions)
3. Chemical Exposure (e.g. total organochlorine exposure profiles, total mercury cycling within food webs)
4. Differentially Impacted Populations within the community and health outcomes data associated with environmental stressors (e.g. pregnant women, agricultural or industrial workers, hunters, children, elderly)

Risk Communication and Risk Management Approaches
All project proposals must address the development of approaches to reduce subsistence-based risk, especially those that may not compromise lifestyles to a significant extent. Risk communication and risk management approaches that are generalizable to a number of Tribes or can be adapted to different Tribes are preferable to non-generalizable strategies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- the development of approaches to estimate the distribution of subsistence-based risk within or across subsistence groups and geographic regions including the relative contribution of various practices, (e.g., diet, medicinal, cultural/ceremonial, occupational) to the cumulative exposure
- the development of methods, which may include educational and/or intervention materials, to reduce risk in subsistence groups
- the development of culturally sensitive strategies, approaches, and plans that will lead to the reduction of subsistence-based risk

Expected Outputs and Outcomes
1. Outputs expected from the research funded under this solicitation include:
  - analytical approaches or tools that describe, predict and/or indicate the health outcomes resulting from current trends in cumulative exposures or global climate change on subsistence lifestyles, considering all relevant exposure pathways in Tribal lifestyles, i.e., diet, cultural practice, and occupation
  - risk management strategies and/or interventions to reduce these exposures while preserving Tribal practices and traditions
  - methods and studies to quantify subsistence-based exposures and attendant effects that occur primarily through food, medicinal, cultural/ceremonial and occupational practices
  - models that integrate the data collected on the subsistence activities described above to ascertain/predict the cumulative exposure profile, that is, total exposure through diet, medicinal, cultural/ceremonial, and occupational and other practices, and attendant risks
2. Desired outcomes include:
  - improved scientific understanding of the magnitude of the effects of cumulative exposures from toxic substances on the health of subsistence tribal populations; and, novel predictive models and exposure data which are used to reduce uncertainty in risk assessment
  - reduction or mitigations of the effects of toxic exposures on subsistence lifestyles through the active involvement of the local Tribal community in risk management and communication
  - improved scientific understanding of the magnitude of the effects of global climate change on the health of subsistence tribal populations; and novel predictive or indicative models which are used to reduce uncertainty in risk assessment
  - reduction or mitigation of the effects of climate change on subsistence lifestyles through the active involvement of the local Tribal community in risk management and communication

E. References

Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Parker EA, Becker AB. Review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annual Review of Public Health (19) 173-202 (1998).
Israel B.A., Schulz A.J., Parker E.A., Becker A.B., Allen A., Guzman J.R. Critical issues in developing and following community-based participatory research principles. In Community-Based Participatory Research for Health (Minkler M, Wallerstein N, eds). San Francisco, CA, 2003
Kruger, L. Community and Landscape change in southeast Alaska. Landscape and Urban Planning (72) 235-249 (2005).
McMichael, A.J., Woodruff, R.E., and Hales, S. Climate Change and Human Health: Present and Future Risks. Lancet (367) 859-69 (2006).
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Island Press, 2005.
Naeem, Shahid. "How biodiversity loss affects the health of ecosystems." February 2004. SciDevNet. http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=policybrief&policy=48&dossier=11
Patz, J.A., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Holloway, T., and Foley, J.A. Impact of Regional Climate Change on Human Health. Nature (438) 310-7 (2005).
Patz, J.A., McGeehin, M.A., Bernard, S.M., Ebi, K.L., Epstein, P.R., Grambsch, A., Gubler, D.J. Reiter, P., Romieu, I., Rose, J.B., Samet, J.M., and Trtanj, J. The Potential Health Impacts of Climate Variability and Change for the United States: Executive Summary of the Report of the Health Sector of the U.S. National Assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives (108) 367-76 (2000).
Sala, O. E. e. al. Global Biodiversity Scenarios for the Year 2100. Science (287) 1770-4 (2000).
Schroter, D. et al. Ecosystem Service Supply and Vulnerability to Global Change in Europe. Science 310 (5752): 1333 - 1337 (2005).
USEPA Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment, EPA/630/P-02/001F. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Risk Assessment Forum, 2003.
Wallerstein, N.B. and Duran, B. Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Address Health Disparities. Advanced publication. Health Promotion Practice. June 2006.
Wiliams, D.E., Knowler, W.C., Smith, C.J., Hanson, R.L., Roumain, J., Saremi, A., Kriska, A.M. Bennett, and P.H., Nelson, R.G.. The effect of Indian or Anglo dietary preference on the incidence of diabetes in Pima Indians. Diabetes Care 25 (5), 811-816. (2001).

F. Special Requirements
Agency policy prevents EPA technical staff and managers from providing individual applicants information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs, endorse an application or discuss in any manner how the Agency will apply the published evaluation criteria for this competition.

Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a consortium and submit a single application for this assistance agreement. The application must identify which organization will be the recipient of the assistance agreement and which organizations(s) will be subawardees of the recipient. Proposed budgets should reflect adequate sharing of in-kind resources and funding between research partners. Proposals that have received Tribal resolutions are highly encouraged, although not required.

Data Collection and Funding Levels
This solicitation will support research at two different levels of data collection and analysis:
1. Methods development: Recognizing the need to both stimulate new investigations and to support the formation of environmental health research and health promotion partnerships, applications may be submitted as initiating/exploratory or methods development grants for up to three years of support at $330,000 total costs. Successful proposals will address the development of analytical tools and predictive/indicative models to explore the effects of cumulative exposures or the impacts of global climate change.
2. Epidemiology research: Applications demonstrating solid, tribal-academic-health practitioner partnerships seeking to collect and analyze detailed biological, environmental or epidemiological data may be submitted as hypothesis/observationally driven investigations, for up to four years of support at $1,000,000 total costs. The primary focus of these epidemiology studies should be health outcomes. Successful applicants will investigate relationships between multiple environmental stressors and health outcomes OR investigate potential links between climate change and the health and wellness of subsistence tribal populations
Summary of Research Theme and Funding Requirements
1. All project proposals must address one or more of the following research themes (discussed in Section I.D.1 above):
  1. Tribal cumulative exposure and risks from multiple environmental stressors
  2. Impacts of global climate change on the cultural and physical health of Tribal populations
2. All submissions should indicate which of the two following levels of data collection and funding will support their research objectives:
  1. Methods development at up to $330,000 total direct and indirect costs over 2-3 years.
  2. Epidemiology study at up to $1,000,000 total direct and indirect costs over 3-4 years.
3. All project proposals, regardless of topic or funding level, should include new knowledge and/or data collection in all of the following domains (as discussed in Section I.D above):
  1. Subsistence resources
  2. Subsistence lifestyle behaviors and practices
  3. Chemical exposures
  4. Differentially impacted populations and health outcomes data
4. All proposals must address risk communication and risk management approaches to reduce subsistence-based risk, particularly those that may not significantly compromise traditional lifestyles to a significant extent.
5. Each proposal must identify the appropriate Funding Opportunity Number (FON) code that reflects the research theme and funding level as described above in a and c. For example, proposals seeking to model the impacts of global climate change on the health and wellness of tribal communities correspond to code EPA-G2007-STAR-C3 (see section IV.B.9(b) for list of appropriate FONs).

The awards under this RFA may involve the collection of "Geospatial Information," which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

This solicitation will make awards at two different funding levels:

Methods and/or model development projects: Approximately 3 awards for up to a total of $330,000, including direct and indirect costs, with a maximum duration of 3 years.
Epidemiology research: Approximately 2 awards for up to a total of $1,000,000, including direct and indirect costs with a maximum duration of 4 years.

It is anticipated that a total of approximately $3 million will be awarded under this announcement, depending on the availability of funds and quality of applications received. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 5 grants under this RFA.

The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right, consistent with Agency policy and without further competition, to make additional awards under this RFA if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 4 months after the original selection decisions.

EPA may fund both grants and cooperative agreements under this announcement.

Under a grant, EPA scientists and engineers are not permitted to be substantially involved in the execution of the research. However, EPA encourages interaction between its own laboratory scientists and grant Principal Investigators after the award of an EPA grant for the sole purpose of exchanging information in research areas of common interest that may add value to their respective research activities. This interaction must be incidental to achieving the goals of the research under a grant. Interaction that is "incidental" does not involve resource commitments.

Where appropriate, based on consideration of the nature of the proposed project relative to the EPA's intramural research program and available resources, the EPA will fund cooperative agreements under this announcement. When addressing a research question/problem of common interest, collaborations between scientists and the institution's principal investigators are permitted under a cooperative agreement. These collaborations may include data and information exchange, providing technical input to experimental design and theoretical development, coordinating extramural research with in-house activities, the refinement of valuation endpoints, and joint authorship of journal articles on these activities. Proposals should not identify EPA cooperators or interactions; specific interactions between EPA's investigators and those of the prospective recipient for cooperative agreements will be negotiated at the time of award.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants
Public nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes public institutions of higher education and hospitals) and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes private institutions of higher education and hospitals) located in the U.S., state and local governments, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, and U.S. territories or possessions are eligible to apply. Profit-making firms are not eligible to receive assistance agreements from the EPA under this program.

Eligible nonprofit organizations include any organizations that meet the definition of nonprofit in OMB Circular A-122. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible to apply.

National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, "FFRDCs") may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. The institution, organization, or governance receiving the award may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. However, salaries for permanent FFRDC employees may not be provided through this mechanism.

Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on an assistance agreement, and may not receive salaries or augment their Agency's appropriations in other ways through awards made under this program.

The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector. Examples are purchase of satellite data, census data tapes, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.

Potential applicants who are uncertain of their eligibility should contact Tom Barnwell (barnwell.thomas@epa.gov); phone: 202-343-9862.

B. Cost-Sharing
Institutional cost-sharing is not required.

C. Threshold eligibility requirements
Applications from eligible applicants must meet the requirements listed below. Those that do not meet these requirements will not be reviewed nor considered for funding.

All project proposals submitted must address one or more of the research areas listed in Section I.D.1.
Applicants must demonstrate tribal engagement and participation in designing the research aims, objectives and methods; and, an ability to integrate traditional knowledge and practices in conducting the research.
All project proposals must address the development of approaches to reduce or prevent subsistence-based risk and/or health promotion strategies, especially those that may not compromise lifestyles to a significant extent.

D. Other
In addition, applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. In addition, where a page limitation is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, pages in excess of the page limit will not be reviewed. Applications must be received by the EPA, or Grants.gov, on or before the solicitation closing date and time in Section IV of this announcement or they will be returned to the sender without further consideration. Also, applications exceeding the funding limits or project period term described herein will be returned without review. Further, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal agency) will not be funded.

In addition, to be eligible for funding consideration, a project's focus must consist of activities within the statutory terms of EPA's financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air, water, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control, or pesticide control. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this "learning" concept, as opposed to "fixing" an environmental problem via a well-established method. Proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term "environment" such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., must describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.

Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration will be notified within fifteen calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application (but not both) for this announcement. Instructions for both types of submission follow. If not otherwise marked, instructions apply to both types of submissions.

A. Internet Address to Request Application Package
For paper applications, forms and instructions can be found on the NCER web site: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.

For electronic applications, use the application package available at https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications").

For both paper and electronic applications, an email will be sent by NCER to the Principal Investigator and the Administrative Contact (see below) to acknowledge receipt of the application and transmit other important information. The email will be sent from receipt.application@epa.gov; email to this address will not be accepted. If you do not receive an email acknowledgment within 30 days of the submission closing date, immediately inform the Eligibility Contact shown in this solicitation. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed. See "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications" for additional information regarding acknowledgment of receipt of electronically submitted applications. Please note: Due to often lengthy delays in delivery, it is especially important that you monitor NCER's confirmation of receipt of your application when using regular mail.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission
The application is made by submitting the materials described below. It is essential that the application contain all information requested and be submitted in the formats described.

Standard Form 424
The applicant must complete Standard Form 424. This form will be the first page(s) of the application. Instructions for completion of the SF424 are included with the form. (However, note that EPA requires that the entire requested dollar amount appear on the 424, not simply the proposed first year expenses.) The form must contain the original (or electronic) signature of an authorized representative of the applying institution.

Applicants are required to provide a "Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System" (DUNS) number when applying for federal grants or cooperative agreements. Organizations may receive a DUNS number by calling 1-866-705-5711 or by visiting the web site at http://www.dnb.com.

Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," applies to most EPA programs and assistance agreements, unless the program or assistance agreement supports tribal, training/fellowships (other than Wastewater and Small Water Systems Operator training programs), and research and development (with some exceptions). The SF424 refers to this Executive Order requirement. National research programs are generally exempt from review unless the proposals (a) require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), or (b) do not require an EIS but will be newly initiated at a particular site and require unusual measures to limit the possibility of adverse exposure or hazard to the general public, or (c) have a unique geographic focus and are directly relevant to the governmental responsibilities of a State or local government within that geographic area. To determine whether their state participates in this process, and how to comply, applicants should consult http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
Key Contacts
The applicant must complete the "Key Contacts" form as the second page of the application; a Key Contacts continuation page is also available at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. The Key Contacts form should also be completed for major sub-agreements (i.e., primary co-investigators). Please make certain that all contact information is accurate.
Table of Contents
Provide a list of the major subdivisions of the application indicating the page number on which each section begins. (Not required for electronic submissions.)
Abstract (1 page)
The abstract is a very important document in the review process. Therefore, it is critical that the abstract accurately describes the research being proposed and conveys all the essential elements of the research. Also, the abstracts of applications that receive funding will be posted on the NCER web site.

The abstract should include the information described below (a-h). Examples of abstracts for current grants may be found on the NCER web site.
1. RFA Title, and Funding Opportunity Number for this proposal.
2. Title: Use the exact title of your project as it appears in the application. The title must be brief yet represent the major thrust of the project. Because the title will be used by those not familiar with the project, strike a balance between highly technical words and phrases and more commonly understood terminology. Do not use general phrases such as "research on."
3. Investigators: List the Principal Investigator, then the names and affiliations of each co-investigator who will significantly contribute to the project. Provide a web site URL or an email contact address for additional information.
4. Institution: In the same order as the list of investigators, list the name, city and state of each participating university or other applicant institution. The institution applying for assistance must be clearly identified.
5. Project Period and Location: Show the proposed project beginning and ending dates, and the geographical location(s) the work will be conducted.
6. Project Cost: Show the total dollars requested from the EPA (include direct and indirect costs for all years).
7. Project Summary: Provide three subsections addressing: (1) the objectives of the study (including any hypotheses that will be tested), (2) the experimental approach to be used (a description of the project proposed), and (3) the expected results of the project and how it addresses the research needs identified in the solicitation, including the estimated improvement in risk assessment or risk management that will result from successful completion of the proposed work.
8. Supplemental Keywords: Without duplicating terms already used in the text of the abstract, list keywords to assist database searchers in finding your research. A list of suggested keywords may be found at: https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms.

Research Plan and Quality Assurance Statement
1. Research Plan (15 pages)
  Applications should focus on a limited number of research objectives that adequately and clearly demonstrate that they meet the RFA requirements. Explicitly state the main hypotheses that you will investigate, the data you will create or use, the analytical tools you will use to investigate these hypotheses or analyze these data, and the results you expect to achieve. Research methods must be clearly stated so that reviewers can evaluate the appropriateness of your approach and the tools you intend to use. A statement such as: "we will evaluate the data using the usual statistical methods" is not specific enough for peer reviewers.
  
  This description must not exceed fifteen (15) consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins. While these guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the proposal.
  
  The description must provide the following information:
  1. Objectives: List the objectives of the proposed research and the hypotheses being tested during the project, and briefly state why the intended research is important and how it fulfills the requirements of the solicitation. Describe the policy, planning and/or decision-making that the research is intended to inform. This section should also include any background or introductory information that would help explain the objectives of the study. If this application is to expand upon research supported by an existing or former assistance agreement awarded under the STAR program, indicate the number of the agreement and provide a brief report of progress and results achieved under it (one to two pages recommended).
  2. Approach/Activities: Outline the research design, methods, and techniques that you intend to use in meeting the objectives stated above (five to ten pages recommended).
  3. Expected Results, Benefits, Outputs, and Outcomes: Describe the results you expect to achieve during the project (outputs) and the potential benefits of the results (outcomes). This section must also discuss how a risk communication or risk management plan may be implemented to increase tribal awareness of the investigated environmental concerns and to reduce subsistence-based risk. A clear, concise description will help NCER and peer reviewers understand the merits of the research (one to two pages recommended).
  4. General Project Information: Discuss other information relevant to the potential success of the project. This should include facilities, personnel expertise/experience, project schedules, proposed management, interactions with other institutions, etc. Applications for multi-investigator projects must identify project management and the functions of each investigator in each team and describe plans to communicate and share data (one to two pages recommended).
  5. Appendices may be included but must remain within the 15-page limit.
2. Quality Assurance Statement (1 to 3 pages in addition to the 15-page research plan) For projects involving environmental data collection or processing, conducting surveys, modeling, method development, or the development of environmental technology (whether hardware-based or via new techniques), provide a Quality Assurance Statement (QAS) regarding the plans for processes that will be used to ensure that the products of the research satisfy the intended project objectives. Follow the guidelines provided below to ensure that the QAS describes a system that complies with ANSI/ASQC E4, Specifications and Guidelines for Quality Systems for Environmental Data Collection and Environmental Technology Programs. Do not exceed three consecutively numbered, 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.
  Address each section below by including the required information, referencing the specific location of the information in the Research Plan, or explaining why the section does not apply to the proposed research.
  1. Identify the individual who will be responsible for the quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) aspects of the research along with a brief description of this person's functions, experience, and authority within the research organization. Describe the organization's general approach for conducting quality research. (QA is a system of management activities to ensure that a process or item is of the type and quality needed for the project. QC is a system of activities that measures the attributes and performance of a process or item against the standards defined in the project documentation to verify that they meet those stated requirements.)
  2. Discuss project objectives, including quality objectives, any hypotheses to be tested, and the quantitative and/or qualitative procedures that will be used to evaluate the success of the project. Include any plans for peer or other reviews of the study design or analytical methods.
  3. Address each of the following project elements as applicable:
    1. Collection of new/primary data:
      (Note: In this case the word "sample" is intended to mean any finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole. If certain attributes listed below do not apply to the type of samples to be used in your research, simply explain why those attributes are not applicable.)
      1. Discuss the plan for sample collection and analysis. As applicable, include sample type(s), frequency, locations, sample sizes, sampling procedures, and the criteria for determining acceptable data quality (e.g., precision, accuracy, representativeness, completeness, comparability, or data quality objectives).
      2. Describe the procedures for the handling and custody of samples including sample collection, identification, preservation, transportation, and storage, and how the accuracy of test measurements will be verified.
      3. Describe or reference each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC checks or procedures with the associated acceptance criteria, and any procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance evaluation of the analytical instrumentation.
      4. Discuss the procedures for overall data reduction, analysis, and reporting. Include a description of all statistical methods to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable error rates and/or power, and any statistical software to be used.
    2. Use of existing/secondary data (i.e., data previously collected for other purposes or from other sources):
      1. Describe or reference each analytical method to be used, any QA or QC checks or procedures with the associated acceptance criteria, and any procedures that will be used in the calibration and performance evaluation of the analytical instrumentation.
      2. Discuss the procedures for overall data reduction, analysis, and reporting. Include a description of all statistical methods to make inferences and conclusions, acceptable error rates and/or power, and any statistical software to be used.
    3. Method development:
      (Note: The data collected for use in method development or evaluation should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)
      Describe the scope and application of the method, any tests (and measurements) to be conducted to support the method development, the type of instrumentation that will be used and any required instrument conditions (e.g., calibration frequency), planned QC checks and associated criteria (e.g., spikes, replicates, blanks), and tests to verify the method's performance.
    4. Development or refinement of models:
      (Note: The data collected for use in the development or refinement of models should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)
      1. Discuss the scope and purpose of the model, key assumptions to be made during development/refinement, requirements for code development, and how the model will be documented.
      2. Discuss verification techniques to ensure the source code implements the model correctly.
      3. Discuss validation techniques to determine that the model (assumptions and algorithms) captures the essential phenomena with adequate fidelity.
      4. Discuss plans for long-term maintenance of the model and associated data.
    5. Development or operation of environmental technology:
      (Note: The data collected for use in the development or evaluation of the technology should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)
      1. Describe the overall purpose and anticipated impact of the technology.
      2. Describe the technical and quality specifications of each technology component or process that is to be designed, fabricated, constructed, and/or operated.
      3. Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting and controlling design changes.
      4. Discuss the procedure to be used for documenting the acceptability of processes and components, and discuss how the technology will be benchmarked and its effectiveness determined.
      5. Discuss the documentation requirements for operating instructions/guides for maintenance and use of the system(s) and/or process(s).
    6. Conducting surveys:
      (Note: The data to be collected in the survey and any supporting data should be described in the QAS as per the guidance in section 3A and/or 3B above.)
      Discuss the justification for the size of the proposed sample for both the overall project and all subsamples for specific treatments or tests. Identify and explain the rationale for the proposed statistical techniques (e.g., evaluation of statistical power).
  4. Discuss data management activities (e.g., record-keeping procedures, data-handling procedures, and the approach used for data storage and retrieval on electronic media). Include any required computer hardware and software and address any specific performance requirements for the hardware/software configuration used.
  Page allowances for the following section(s) are in addition to those allowed for the Research Plan and Quality Assurance Statement.
3. References: References cited are in addition to the 15-page Research Plan limit.

Budget and Budget Justification
1. Budget
  Prepare a budget table using the Itemized Budget Sheet form found at https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. If a sub-agreement, such as a subcontract with an educational institution, is greater than $25,000 and is included in the application, provide a separate budget and budget justification for the sub-agreement. Include the total amount for the sub-agreement under "Other" in the master budget. Any project containing sub-agreements or subcontracts that constitute more than 40% of the total direct cost of the application will be subject to special review. Additional justification for use of these must be provided, discussing the need for the agreement/contract to accomplish the objectives of the research project.
  
  Please note that institutional cost-sharing is not required. However, if cost-sharing is proposed, a brief statement concerning cost-sharing should be added to the budget justification, and estimated dollar amounts must be included in the appropriate categories in the budget table.
2. Budget Justification (2 pages in addition to the Section 5 page limitations)
  Describe the basis for calculating the personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and other costs identified in the itemized budget. The budget justification should not exceed two consecutively numbered (bottom center), 8.5x11-inch pages of single-spaced, standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins.
  
  Budget information should be supported at the level of detail described below:
  1. Personnel: List all staff positions by title. Give annual salary, percentage of time assigned to the project, and total cost for the budget period.
  2. Fringe Benefits: Identify the percentage used and the basis for its computation.
  3. Travel: Specify the estimated number of trips, locations, and other costs for each type of travel. Explain the need for any travel, paying particular attention to travel outside the United States. Include travel funds for annual STAR program progress reviews (estimate for two days in Washington, D.C.) and a final workshop to report on results.
  4. Equipment: Identify all tangible, non-expendable personal property to be purchased that has an estimated cost of $5,000 or more per unit and a useful life of more than one year. (Personal property items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are considered supplies.)
  5. Supplies: "Supplies" means tangible property other than "equipment." Identify categories of supplies to be procured (e.g., laboratory supplies or office supplies). Specifically identify computers to be purchased or upgraded.
  6. Contractual: Identify each proposed contract for supplies or consultants and specify its purpose and estimated cost. Contracts greater than $25,000 must have a separate itemized budget and budget justification, not to exceed one additional page each, included as part of the application.
  7. Other: List each item in sufficient detail for the EPA to determine the reasonableness of its cost relati

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

Grantee Research Project Results

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Issues in Tribal Environmental Research and Health Promotion: Novel Approaches for Assessing and Managing Cumulative Risks and Impacts of Global Climate Change

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