15th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Chemical Safety | EPA G2018 P3 Q4

Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2018 P3 Q4

The 15th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Chemical Safety is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant opportunity under the agency's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Award Program. It is a discretionary grant competition (CFDA 66.516) designed to support student-led, technology-based design projects that apply scientific principles to practical, real-world problems. The specific focus area highlighted here is chemical safety, meaning proposals should address challenges tied to safer chemicals, safer use, safer processes, or ways to reduce chemical risks in communities, products, or the environment while still delivering useful and workable solutions.

At the core of this opportunity is the P3 approach, which requires projects to aim for three outcomes at the same time: improving quality of life for people, delivering economic value or benefits (such as affordability, job creation, reduced operating costs, or increased efficiency), and protecting the environment (for example, reducing pollution, preventing waste, conserving resources, or lowering exposure to harmful substances). EPA is not looking for purely theoretical ideas; the solicitation emphasizes research, development, design, and demonstration, which signals an interest in teams that can move beyond a concept and show evidence that their solution works in practice, at least at a proof-of-concept or prototype level.

The competition is also framed around meeting needs within the United States, with explicit attention to communities that often face disproportionate environmental and public health burdens or practical constraints, including small, rural, tribal, and disadvantaged communities. That emphasis suggests strong proposals will not only present an innovative technical idea, but also show awareness of on-the-ground realities like cost, maintenance, training needs, local infrastructure limitations, and the ability to implement the solution in settings with fewer resources.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of $15,000 per project, with an expectation of about 20 awards. The funding instrument is a grant, and the opportunity category is discretionary, meaning awards are competitive and based on the merit and fit of the proposed work rather than on formula allocations. The funding opportunity number is EPA G2018 P3 Q4. The notice lists a creation date of December 22, 2017, and an original closing date of February 7, 2018, with a reminder to consult the solicitation's Section IV for official and complete closing date information.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with the note that applicants must refer to the solicitation's additional eligibility information for clarification. In practice, P3 is described as a national student design competition, so proposals are typically expected to be developed and carried out by student teams (often in partnership with a faculty advisor and an eligible host institution), but the exact eligibility rules and required applicant type would be defined in the full solicitation text.

Overall, this opportunity supports student-driven innovation in chemical safety that can be demonstrated and that clearly advances the triple bottom line goals of people, prosperity, and the planet, with a strong preference for solutions that can make a meaningful difference in U.S. communities that have historically been underserved or face higher environmental risks.

• The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "15th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Chemical Safety" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.516.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 22, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 07, 2018 See Section IV of the solicitation for close date information.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $15,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for EPA G2018 P3 Q4

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