The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), is seeking a diverse group of subject matter experts with relevant expertise and experience to assist in the grant application review process for awards under the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (CCG Program) Notice of Funding Opportunity,  EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-04 (CCG Program NOFO), that was issued on November 21, 2023. Compensation will be available for non-federal reviewers as further described below!  

Background - The CCG Program NOFO offers an unprecedented opportunity to transform disadvantaged communities across the United States into healthy, climate resilient, and thriving communities for their current and future residents. The CCG Program will fund community-driven projects that address climate and pollution challenges while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. These grants will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs. The CCG Program NOFO provides comprehensive information about the program, eligibility and application requirements, the evaluation process, technical assistance, and other relevant information necessary to complete an application.  Application packages will be accepted through Grants.gov on a rolling basis, as explained in the CCG Program NOFO, until November 21, 2024, at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time). 

Reviewer Recruitment – With the assistance of GrantSolutions, a federal shared-service provider, OEJECR is seeking a diverse group of subject matter experts with relevant expertise and experience to assist with the CCG Program NOFO application review process. Potential reviewers must have no conflicts of interest with respect to applications submitted under the CCG Program NOFO. See note on conflicts of interest below.

Compensation:  Non-federal reviewers will receive compensation through GrantSolutions for the time spent reviewing grant applications. Non-federal reviewers assigned to a review panel will receive up to $200 per application reviewed. It is expected that non-federal reviewers will be assigned no more than 10 applications to review. 

Federal employees acting as reviewers will be cooperating with EPA pursuant to Section 102 of the Clean Air Act and will not receive any compensation beyond their regular federal salary.
 

Availability:  Individuals interested in serving as application reviewers for the CCG Program NOFO should expect to dedicate approximately 10-15 hours per application reviewed. Reviewers may choose to request to serve during one review cycle or multiple ones.  Among other responsibilities, reviewers will independently review their assigned applications, document their reviews of applications based on the criteria in the CCG Program NOFO, participate in discussions with other reviewers, and finalize comments and scores for each application they review. Providing comprehensive and substantively written evaluative comments on the applications reviewed is critical. Reviewers may also need to provide support in connection with any debriefings of unsuccessful applicants. Reviewers will be required to participate in an approximately 60-minute training session to discuss the review process and reviewer responsibilities prior to gaining access to the assigned applications.

Conflicts of interest (COI) - All reviewers will be required to sign a conflict-of-interest statement prior to reviewing applications. As a general matter, conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, situations, relationships, activities, or circumstances which could impact a reviewer’s ability to review applications in an unbiased and impartial manner due to financial interests in the grant program or a relationship with potential applicants. For example, if you believe your organization or an organization that employs an immediate family member has applied or may apply for a grant under the CCG Program NOFO as a Lead Applicant and/or Statutory Partner, or may participate in a CCG Program-funded project as a collaborating entity or contractor/consultant, then you likely have a conflict of interest and cannot serve as a reviewer. If you are unsure whether you have a conflict of interest, you may discuss your situation further during the reviewer vetting process.