Announcing Anticipated Grant Awardees: Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grants

EPA Anticipates Award of Nearly $11 Million in Grants for Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings

EPA is announcing the anticipated award of nine grants, totaling $10.67 million in funding for projects under the Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grants Program.

“After the wildfires in Maui, the wildfire smoke that blanketed the East Coast last summer, and the many devastating wildfires in the West, we are all aware of the very real health impacts of smoke as well as the critical importance of smoke preparedness,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “EPA is providing more than $10 million in grant funding that will help provide important public health protections in communities across our country, especially in those communities who have been overburdened by smoke pollution for far too long.”

Awards will range from approximately $350,000 to $2,000,000 to organizations to enhance community wildfire smoke preparedness. Grantees will conduct project activities in seven states and the Nez Perce Tribal land.

For more information, see EPA's Press Release and video from EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe congratulating the selectees.

The following entities have been selected for awards, which are contingent on completion of all legal and administrative requirements relating to the grant:

• Arizona Board of Regents-Arizona State University, AZ - To engage diverse communities in Arizona to develop resilient solutions to the challenges that are posed by wildfires. The project is expected to: (1) engage community members with knowledge of indoor air pollution control and associated health fields, (2) evaluate the resilient capacity of facilities to handle the air pollution and heat impacts of wildfires, and (3) implement sustainable solutions in facilities to enhance resiliency towards the air quality and heat impacts of wildfires.
  
  
• Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, CA - To protect the people of South Los Angeles from wildfire smoke by strengthening wildfire smoke preparedness infrastructure in the Mercado La Paloma building and using the site as the launch pad for a grassroots education and outreach campaign.
  
  
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, CO - To design and implement a state-wide program to provide outreach, education, and training for local community partners on how to prepare for, and respond to, the public health threat of wildfire smoke.
  
  
• Nez Perce Tribe, Tribal land within boundaries of ID - To improve public health protection against smoke from wildfires by strengthening preparedness in community buildings. The project will enhance smoke readiness planning, outreach and training, deploy portable air cleaners, conduct indoor/outdoor air monitoring, complete weatherization, and upgrade HVAC systems. Three community centers, nine public libraries, and four youth centers will be upgraded to provide cleaner air spaces to the public during wildfire smoke events for effective reduction of occupants’ exposure.
  
  
• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, MT – To engage a variety of partners to increase wildfire smoke awareness, create and pilot a clean air shelter recognition program in six communities for easy replication in other high need areas, create culturally appropriate and tailored messaging on wildfire smoke and air quality, and provide training to building and facility managers on HVAC maintenance and importance of good indoor air quality (IAQ).
  
  
• Oregon State University, OR - To develop a set of interventions that includes tailored toolkits and resources that can be used by schools, preschools, and daycares to reduce wildfire smoke exposures and increase community resilience across Oregon.
  
  
• Utah Department of Environmental Quality, UT - To enhance communities’ resilience to wildfire smoke by (1) deploying indoor/outdoor low-cost PM_2.5 and CO₂ sensors at public schools, (2) developing air quality alerts, and (3) distributing air cleaners and filters to public schools/preschools and residents in target underserved areas.
  
  
• Bellingham School District No.501, WA - To focus on smoke readiness assessment and planning as well as indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring.
  
  

• Gonzaga University, WA - For activities that will reduce indoor exposure to pollutants in wildfire smoke in the City of Spokane and in three community centers serving disadvantaged communities.

Learn more about the Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings grant program.

Learn more about Indoor Air Quality