GRANT DESCRIPTION:  A total of $250,000 in funding is available through the Michigan Community Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant Program for waste reduction of school chemicals for 2006.  The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will provide matching grants to K-12 schools, school districts, county governments, local health departments, municipalities and regional planning agencies to fund school chemical waste reduction.  The goal of the Community P2 Grant Program is to promote local P2 initiatives that foster partnerships and sustainability.  Projects should be innovative, transferable, and act as models to be shared by other communities across the state.    Requests for funding will be accepted from December 1, 2005  through February 15, 2006. 

Preference will be given to projects that include community-based coalitions and serve a large segment of the local school district.  Projects should be transferable, and act as models to be shared by other communities across the state.

ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT:  Michigan has a long history of effectively providing sound protection of its natural resources through the development and implementation of environmental programs.   According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, every year throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on school incidents involving chemicals such as spills and fires. These incidents involve potentially dangerous chemicals which, in some cases, had been unused for more than thirty years. In addition to financial costs, these spills may also cause school closures that result in a loss of valuable education time.

By reducing hazardous materials and wastes at the source, steps are being taken towards eliminating pollutants that would otherwise be released to the environment. Waste reduction and pollution prevention encourage safety for students, teachers and building staff, as well as the environment.  School laboratory P2 results in better laboratory air quality, less exposure to toxic chemicals and reduced exposure to fire and explosion hazards for students and staff.

Schools are highly visible members of the community, and waste reduction provides the opportunity to set an example for the community. Practicing waste reduction and pollution prevention in schools teaches environmental responsibility. By emphasizing the importance of these approaches to their students, teachers can help instill habits that will be of value the rest of their lives. 

ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS:  Include K-12 schools, school districts, county governments, local health departments, municipalities, and regional planning agencies.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES:   The following are examples of activities that could qualify for funding under this grant program:

• Development of a detailed chemical inventory of all chemicals used in the school including arts, automotive, industrial arts departments, custodial and landscaping supplies.
• Provide training on proper laboratory chemical management with an emphasis on P2, for both staf and students.
• Set-up a centralized purchasing of chemicals and link purchasing requests into an inventory system, so that excess chemicals in stock can be used before buying more.
• Storage of materials within centralized chemical storage areas and implement a system to identify purchase dates and the ags of all chemicals in inventory.
• Set-up a program to clean out all chemicals in the school, including arts, automotive, industrial arts departments, and custodial and landscaping supplies.
• Implement micro-scale or small-scale chemistry.

AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS:      A total of $250,000 in funding is available.  The match requirement, of at least 25%, has been established by law.  The maximum dollar amount requested should be based upon what is needed to carry out the identified tasks and products.  Total grant fund requests must be no larger than $24,000; however local match expenditures can bring total grant expenditures over the $24,000 limit (state grant, $24,000 + local match, $8,000 = $32,000.)  Project contracts can run for one or two years and will be on a cost-reimbursement basis.  Requests for funding will be accepted from December 1, 2005 through February 15, 2006.

MATCHING REQUIREMENTS:   Organizations receiving grants are required to match total project costs by at least 25 percent.  Grantee contributions may include dollars, in-kind goods and services, and/or third party contributions.

TIMELINE:    The following is the anticipated schedule for the program.

December 1, 2005 ... Release 2006 Request for Proposal (RFP)

February 15, 2006 ... Deadline for RFP submittal

April 14, 2006 ... The DEQ Director announces grant awards

May 16, 2006 ... Grantee training

June 26, 2006 ... Grant agreements signed

DUE DATE:  Proposals are due no later than February 15, 2006