Addressing Environmental Concerns in Vieques, Puerto Rico Through Community Participatory Research | EPA G2019 ORD A1

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2019 ORD A1

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant opportunity titled "Addressing Environmental Concerns in Vieques, Puerto Rico Through Community Participatory Research" is a discretionary research grant intended to support a focused, community-engaged investigation into contamination issues on and around the island of Vieques. Issued under the authority and direction of Public Law 115-141, the program is framed as a targeted effort to generate credible, usable scientific information where there are known gaps, particularly given Vieques's long history as a military training installation. The central idea is to build a stronger evidence base that can guide realistic cleanup, risk reduction, and long-term mitigation decisions.

At its core, the funding is meant to enable research that improves how toxic substances in Vieques are tested, evaluated, and measured, and how potential mitigation approaches are identified and assessed. The scope is broad across environmental media and exposure pathways: soil, surrounding marine areas ("seas"), and the local ecosystem, including plants and animals. It also explicitly includes attention to the human population, which signals that the work is not limited to environmental sampling alone but is intended to connect environmental conditions to potential human exposure concerns. By emphasizing testing, evaluation, quantification, and mitigation, the opportunity points toward projects that combine field measurement with methods development, data analysis, and practical strategies for reducing or managing contamination.

A defining feature of this opportunity is the emphasis on community participatory research. That generally means residents and local stakeholders are expected to have a meaningful role in shaping the research questions, informing study design, supporting data collection where appropriate, and helping interpret and communicate results. In the Vieques context, this is especially important because the project is described as filling an "information void" and providing a baseline for future work. A baseline study, in practical terms, is meant to create a reliable snapshot of current conditions that later efforts can compare against, whether those efforts involve remediation, habitat restoration, seafood safety assessments, public health interventions, or ongoing monitoring programs.

From an administrative standpoint, this is an EPA grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) categorized under environmental activity (Funding Activity Category: Environment) and listed under CFDA number 66.511. The opportunity number is EPA G2019 ORD A1, indicating it is administered through EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) framework. The award structure is designed around a single, relatively large project: the expected number of awards is one, with an award ceiling of $800,000. That setup suggests EPA was looking for one lead applicant (potentially with a consortium of partners) capable of managing an island-wide or multi-media research effort and producing a cohesive set of findings rather than fragmented, smaller studies.

Eligibility is listed as "Others," with direction to consult the announcement text for clarification, which typically means the competition may be open to certain non-traditional entities depending on how EPA defined it in the full notice. In practice, opportunities like this often anticipate applications from research organizations, universities, nonprofit entities, or similar groups that can demonstrate both technical capacity and credible community partnerships, but the exact eligible categories would be governed by the detailed eligibility language in the RFA.

Key dates included in the listing show the opportunity was created on February 21, 2019, with an original closing date of April 23, 2019, and a reminder that Section IV of the full announcement controls submission methods and final due-date details. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a one-time, high-impact research award aimed at producing trustworthy measurements and analyses of contamination and exposure concerns in Vieques, while centering community participation and generating baseline information intended to support any future mitigation or remediation decisions.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Environmental Concerns in Vieques, Puerto Rico Through Community Participatory Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.511.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 21, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2019 Please refer to the announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on submission methods and due dates.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EPA G2019 ORD A1

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