For Release: July 23, 2015

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs is soliciting proposals for an assistance agreement (“The Economics of School Integrated Pest Management (IPM)”) to research and analyze the economics of integrated pest management in K-12 public and tribal schools in the United States. Currently, the only materials available on the economics of school IPM are anecdotal. The lack of scientifically robust economic information creates uncertainty within school districts about the costs and benefits associated with establishing and sustaining IPM programs. This project aims to remove this uncertainty by providing an unbiased assessment, supported by robust data, on the economics of IPM programs in several different school settings.

OPP intends that the recipient of the award will develop and present a robust and unbiased short- and long-term economic assessment of implementing an IPM program in several school settings (urban/rural/large/small) through research, data collection, and analysis.

The agency expects to fund this two-year cooperative agreement for up to $300,000.

EPA must receive proposals through Grants.gov no later than midnight Eastern Time on September 9, 2015. Additional information on this solicitation is available on Grants.gov unde Funding Opportunity announcement EPA-OPP-2015-007.

If you have questions, please contact Cara Finn at finn.cara@epa.gov.

For more information on EPA’s School IPM program, visit http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools.