The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting proposals for the combined FY1999/2000 Sustainable Development Challenge Grant (SDCG) program, one of President Clinton’s "high priority" actions described in the 1995 report, "Reinventing Environmental Regulation." EPA also is soliciting comments on the SDCG program’s overall design. The EPA anticipates that approximately $9.4 million will be available for the SDCG program in FY 1999/2000. This includes $4.7 million already authorized by Congress for FY 1999 and an additional $4.7 million requested for the program in the President’s FY 2000 Budget Request and subject to Congressional authorization.

The SDCG program challenges communities to invest in a sustainable future that links environmental protection, economic prosperity and community well being. It provides an opportunity to develop place-based approaches to problem solving that can be replicated in other communities. The SDCG program strongly encourages community members, business and government entities to work cooperatively to develop flexible, locally oriented approaches that link place-based environmental management and quality of life activities with sustainable development and revitalization. These grants are intended to catalyze community-based projects to: (1) promote environmentally and economically sound sustainable development; (2) build partnerships that increase a community’s capacity to ensure the long-term health of ecosystems and humans, promote economic vitality, and community well-being; and (3) leverage public and private investments to enhance environmental quality by enabling community efforts to continue beyond the period of EPA funding.

EPA will select projects on a competitive basis using the criteria outlined in the section titled "SDCG Program Criteria." Applicants may compete for funding from EPA in two ranges for FY 1999/2000: (1) requesting $30,000 to $100,000 with a total project budget of $125,000 or less and (2) requesting between $100,001 and $250,000 with no limit on the total project budget amount. Proposals will compete with other proposals in the same range (i.e., a proposal for $30,000-$100,000 will not compete with a proposal requesting $100,001-$250,000). Applicants in each category are required to provide a minimum 20% match from non-federal funding sources.

Project proposals must be postmarked by September 29, 1999 to be considered for funding. For more information on the Challenge Grants Program, visit EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/region04/sustain/susgo.htm