Environmental Justice Grant Supplement A. Evaluation of Project Proposals

The rationale for scoring and evaluating Project proposals is derived from the following:

Project Eligibility Requirements

Application Timeliness: The application must be postmarked or hand delivered no later than 5:00 PM, Wednesday, April 23, 2008.
Application Completeness: The application form and all attachments must be complete.
Applicant Eligibility: The applicant must be a community group, or multiple community groups in partnership, located in the affected community, with more than fifty percent of its members living in the affected community; be a Not-For-Profit Corporation (NFP) or partner with an NFP that will serve as a financial agent for the applicant; and declare that it has not caused or contributed to the environmental harms or risks to be the subject of the Project.
Requested Funds: The funds requested must be no less than $2,500 and no more than $50,000.
Harms and Risks: The proposed Project must address a community's exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks.
Research: The Project must include a research component.
Education: The Project must expand the community residents' knowledge or understanding about the multiple environmental harms and risks.
Information Distribution: Information about the Project and any results must be distributed to community residents.

Immediately after the deadline for the submission of applications, all applications received will be opened and assessed for completeness and eligibility. Completeness and eligibility will be assessed based on the Application Checklist and the requirements listed above. Completeness and eligibility will be evaluated on a YES/NO basis. Proposals that receive a NO for any of the completeness and eligibility requirements will be dropped from further consideration for funding. Projects that are found to be complete and eligible will then be evaluated and scored based on the following priorities and evaluation factors.

Project Requirement Compliance Form
Item	Requirement	Rationale	Compliance with Requirement
1	Application Timeliness	Was the application postmarked or hand delivered no later than 5:00 PM, Wednesday, April 23, 2008?	YES NO
2	Application Completeness	Are the application form and all attachments complete?	YES NO
3	Applicant Eligibility	Is the applicant a community group, or multiple community groups in partnership?	YES NO
		Is the Applicant Community Group located in the affected community?	YES NO
		Does the Applicant Community Group include more than 50% members who live in the affected community?	YES NO
		Is the Applicant Community Group a Not-For-Profit Corporation (NFP) or partnering with a NFP that will serve as a financial agent for the applicant?	YES NO
		Has the Applicant Community Group verified that it (and the NFP, if different) has not caused or contributed to the harms or risks to be the subject of the Project?	YES NO
4	Requested funds	Are the funds requested no less than $2,500 and no more than $50,000?	YES NO
5	Harms and Risks	Does the proposed Project intend to address a community's exposure to multiple environmental harms and risks?	YES NO
6	Research	Does the Project include a research component?	YES NO
7	Education	Is the Project intended to expand the community residents' knowledge or understanding about the multiple environmental harms and risks?	YES NO
8	Information Circulation	Does the Project include the distribution of information about the Project and any results to community residents?	YES NO

Priorities and Evaluation Factors

The Projects will be evaluated by a Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant Program Evaluation Team. The evaluation process will be conducted by a team of DEC Central Office and Regional staff with expertise in the subject matter of the Project. A maximum of 100 points will be awarded to each application and the applications will be ranked as described in the Information for Applicants section of these instructions. Applications scoring less than 65 will not be eligible for funding. Points will be awarded in the following categories:

Letter of Support: Applications that include a letter of support will be awarded additional points in the Project proposal scoring.
Affected Community: Greater priority will be given to Projects that serve
- a minority and/or low-income community, as defined in DEC Commissioner Policy 29, Environmental Justice and Permitting, available on the Internet at http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/36929.html (see link in right column) or by calling 1-866-229-0497). Maps showing these areas can be found on the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/899.html (see link in right column); OR
- census tracts and block numbering areas which, as of the two thousand census, shows a poverty rate of at least twenty percent according to the 2000 Census, and an unemployment rate of at least one and one quarter times the New York State average; OR
- census tracts and block numbering areas which, as of the two thousand census, shows a poverty rate of at least two times the poverty rate for the county in which the tract is located.
- The Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) has designated census tracts that meet these second and third criteria as Environmental Zones. Maps of Environmental Zones in each county can be found on the ESDC Brownfield Redevelopment website at http://www.empire.state.ny.us/Brownfield_Redevelopment/Default.asp. See link in right column.
- Note: The ESDC has designated the Environmental Zones for the purpose of providing tax incentives for brownfield redevelopment. The Environmental Justice Community Impact Grants ARE NOT related in any way to the Brownfield Redevelopment tax incentives. The link to the ESDC Brownfield Redevelopment website is provided here only as a reference to the Environmental Zone maps.
Source of Harms and risks: Greater priority will be given to Projects that examine the effects of pollution from more than one source, including but not limited to multiple industrial facilities and the various contaminants that they emit, and transportation related pollution.
Public Health: Greater priority will be given to Projects that examine and/or address public health concerns.
Environmental benefits: Proposed Projects will be reviewed and assessed regarding the potential environmental benefits to the community likely to accrue from the Project.
Effectiveness: The methods proposed for accomplishing the proposed Project will be carefully evaluated. The methods should have a high likelihood of being able to accomplish the goals and objectives proposed for the Project.
Cost Effectiveness: Proposed Projects will be reviewed and assessed based upon the cost effective nature of the proposal. Proposed Projects with clearly written budgets that are deemed cost effective will be awarded higher points.

Priority and Evaluation Scoring Form
Item	Scoring Factor	Rationale	Score
1	Letter of Support	Does the application include a letter of support? If so, award 5 points. If not, award 0 points.	0 or 5
2	Affected Community	Does the Project serve: • a minority and/or low-income community; • census tracts and block numbering areas which, as of the two thousand census, show a poverty rate of at least twenty percent according to the 2000 Census, and an unemployment rate of at least one and one quarter times the New York State average; OR • census tracts and block numbering areas which, as of the two thousand census, show a poverty rate of at least two times the poverty rate for the county in which the tract is located? If yes, award 15 points. If no, award 0 points.	0 or 15
3	Source of Harms and Risks	Does the Project examine and/or address the effects of pollution from more than one source? If yes, award 10 points. If no, award 0 points.	0 or 10
4	Public Health	Does the Project examine and/or address public health concerns? Award 0 to 10 points, based on the degree to which the Project addresses these concerns.	From 0 to 10
5	Environmental Benefits	Assess the environmental benefits to the community likely to accrue from the Project. Award 0 to 15 points, based on the degree to which the Project provides an environmental benefit to the community.	From 0 to 15
6	Effectiveness	Assess the methods proposed for accomplishing the Project. Award 0 to 15 points, based on the degree to which the proposed methods will accomplish the goals of the Project.	From 0 to 15
7	Cost Effectiveness	Assess the cost effectiveness of the Project's budget. Award 0 to 30 points, based on the degree to which the Project budget appears cost effective.	From 0 to 30
		TOTAL SCORE	100 Maximum