ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts To Reduce Environmental Exposure | CDC RFA TS17 1701

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA TS17 1701

ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts to Reduce Environmental Exposure, commonly referred to as the APPLETREE Program, is a cooperative agreement funding opportunity run by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The core purpose of the program is to strengthen the ability of public health partners across the country to identify, assess, and respond to community concerns about hazardous substances in the environment. By investing in state, local, and tribal capacity, ATSDR aims to better protect communities from harmful environmental exposures and the diseases that can be associated with those exposures.

The program is designed around practical, site-specific environmental health work. Awardees use funding to build and maintain the skills, staffing, and systems needed to investigate potential exposure situations and to take action to reduce risk. In practice, this includes identifying and mapping exposure pathways at contaminated or potentially contaminated sites, communicating clearly with residents and stakeholders about what is known and what is uncertain, and translating technical findings into real-world prevention steps. APPLETREE partners also educate local health professionals so clinicians and other providers understand what contaminants may be present, what health effects might be expected, and how to respond to patient concerns in an informed way.

A major emphasis of APPLETREE is connecting environmental conditions to public health decision-making. Awardees review and interpret health outcome data to evaluate whether there may be patterns consistent with environmental exposures, while recognizing the complexities and limitations of linking contaminants to specific health outcomes. They also develop recommendations to prevent or reduce exposure, which can include advisories, community guidance, and coordination with environmental agencies and site managers. Another important element is documenting the public health impact of environmental remediation, meaning partners help assess whether cleanup or other interventions are translating into measurable improvements in exposure conditions and, where possible, health-related indicators.

Because this is a cooperative agreement rather than a typical grant with minimal federal involvement, ATSDR staff play an active role. Technical Project Officers (TPOs) work closely with awardees in shaping workplans, reviewing site-specific documents, and providing ongoing technical and programmatic guidance. When a site has complex or unusual issues, TPOs connect awardees with subject matter experts at ATSDR headquarters. ATSDR regional staff also support awardees, particularly in situations with strong community interest or where coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is important. This structure is intended to ensure that local efforts stay aligned with ATSDR methods and standards while still being responsive to local conditions.

The opportunity also reflects a practical operational advantage for ATSDR. By funding partners located throughout the country, ATSDR can carry out site-related public health activities more quickly and with less travel time than if work were conducted primarily by federal staff. Local or state partners are often more familiar to the community and may be viewed as more accessible and trusted than federal personnel, which can be critical in high-concern situations. Collectively, the public health assessment and consultation work done through APPLETREE contributes a substantial share of ATSDR's annual site-specific environmental health evaluations nationwide, making the program a key component of ATSDR's broader mission.

From the opportunity details provided, the funding opportunity title is "ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts To Reduce Environmental Exposure," with Funding Opportunity Number CDC-RFA-TS17-1701. It is categorized as a discretionary opportunity and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, with the activity category listed as health and CFDA number 93.240. Eligible applicants include state governments as well as county and city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations. The agency is listed as HHS/CDC-ATSDR. The posting creation date is November 4, 2016, with an original closing date of January 9, 2017, and applications were required to be submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. The expected number of awards is 25, consistent with the program's history of funding 25 state health departments, while the award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data (which typically indicates that a specific ceiling was not provided in that summary field rather than implying no funding).

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - ATSDR in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ATSDR's Partnership to Promote Local Efforts To Reduce Environmental Exposure" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.240.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 04, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 09, 2017 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for CDC RFA TS17 1701

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