Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP)

Providing grants to be matched by states for projects aimed at reducing the risks and uses of pesticides in agricultural and nonagricultural settings

The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) is a voluntary program that forms partnerships with pesticide users to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with pesticide use and implement pollution prevention strategies. The EPA started the program in 1994.

There are two categories of membership in PESP:

Partners: Organizations that use pesticides or represent pesticide users.
Supporters: Organizations that do not use pesticides, but have significant influence over the pest management practices of pesticide users. (Food processors, for example, may influence the use of pesticides on produce they buy, even though they do not apply pesticides to the produce themselves.) Supporters may also include public interest groups whose constituencies have a strong interest in pesticide risk reduction.

All PESP members make a commitment to reduce pesticide risk and develop activities to achieve risk reduction.

Project Examples

A grant of $40,000 was given to the University of Maine for a study on management of the European fire ant in eastern Maine.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Rutgers University Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute were awarded $40,000 for research on integrated pest management strategies for urban residential areas.
Virginia Tech was awarded $19,656 to develop integrated pest management training for Virginia schools.
A $40,000 grant was given to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and Auburn University to use a statewide coalition to implement IPM in schools.
Oklahoma State University was granted $39,935 for pesticide risk reduction using the PEET Multi-Objective Decision-Support System.
A $34,220 grant was awarded to the University of Nebraska for learning modules and in-service training for IPM in K-12 schools in Nebraska.

Application and Financial Information
Two separate grant programs are associated with PESP. Each is administered differently and has unique eligibility requirements.

Regional PESP Grants: Also known as Regional Initiative Grants, these grants are administered by EPA's regional offices. These grants support pollution prevention projects that are important to and complement ongoing efforts in the EPA regional offices.
National Foundation for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Education Grants: Administered by the National Foundation for IPM Education, these grants support the overall goal of PESP, which is to reduce the risks from the use of pesticides in agricultural and nonagricultural settings in the United States.

The federal share of project grants is limited to a range of $30,000 to $40,000 of allowable project costs. Organizations receiving funds are required to match federal funds by at least 50 percent. For example, a grant request for $30,000 would support a project of no less than $60,000, with the state providing the balance. State contributions may come in the form of dollars, in-kind goods and services, and/or third party contributions. The project duration should be 18 to 24 months.

The EPA Regional Offices are responsible for all mailings of the Request for Proposals within each region. Proposals should be submitted to regional offices for review and ranking. Proposals that the region ranks the highest are evaluated by a panel composed of headquarters and regional representatives. Funding decisions will be made based on the ranking panel's recommendations.

Criteria for evaluation of applications include but are not limited to the partner's progress toward developing a stewardship strategy, the technical merits of the project, the need for the project, and the potential of the project to contribute to meaningful and measurable pesticide risk and use reduction.

Proposals must be submitted on the format provided by the PESP. The deadline is generally in June. Notification is usually given in less than 30 days.

Application forms and instructions are available from the PESP website.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Projects must address the risk/use reduction goals of PESP, pesticide pollution prevention or integrated pest management (IPM). Other projects may be considered if they complement these goals, such as work with nutrient management.

The types of projects that will be considered include education, demonstration, outreach, and technology transfer. Construction projects are not permitted under this award.

All organizations with a commitment to pesticide use/risk reduction are eligible to join PESP, either as partners or as supporters. Eligible applicants include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any U.S. territory or possession, any agency or instrumentality of a state, including state universities, and all federally recognized Native American tribes. For convenience, the term "state" in this notice refers to all eligible applicants.

Local governments, private universities, private nonprofit entities, private businesses, and individuals are not eligible. The organizations excluded from applying directly are encouraged to work with eligible applicants in developing proposals that include them as participants in the projects.

Contact your EPA Regional Environmental Stewardship Program coordinator for assistance in identifying potential project partners. The EPA strongly encourages this type of cooperative arrangement.

Contact
PESP
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M St. SW (7511C)
Washington , DC 20460
Phone: (703) 308-8712 or (800) 972-7717
Fax: (703) 3087026

Internet
www.epa.gov/pesp/

Last Updated September 14, 2008