Look into Funding

Now that you have a completed Action Model, learn more about funding — and whether your project needs it. This section will guide you through some of your options.

Tools

Evaluating Your Needs

Do I need funding?

Does your Action Model project need funding? It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Lots of Action Model redevelopment projects start — and even finish — without any funding at all. They just rely on volunteers. Even without funding, you also get different local, state, and federal government organizations to help. They can offer their time and resources for free.

Some Action Model projects succeed without funding. In Detroit, community members didn’t have any funding at all, but they got other agencies — like the EPA and the state environmental agency — to come in and inspect buildings, enforce rules against polluters, and answer the community’s questions.

Know your options.

Other projects will need grants or other financial resources. You can start looking for funding at any stage in the process of developing your Action Model. But keep in mind that a completed Action Model can be a powerful tool when you’re applying for grants. You can show possible backers your plan to explain exactly what you want to accomplish and how.

When it comes to grants and other resources, you have a lot of different options.

Grants and Resources

Research grants.

You start by looking into available grants. If you don’t know about applying for grants, ask if someone in your Development Community does.

Different local, state, and federal government organizations may help you apply for grants too. For example, your local library or university may offer free grant workshops and assistance in finding grants. Here’s an overview of some of these organizations with links, so you can research them further.

Look into federal resources.

ATSDR Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative provides funding for community health projects related to brownfields.
National Center for Environmental Health Built Environment and Health Initiative offers resources to help design healthier communities.
EPA Brownfields Program offers grants and help for cleaning up and reusing old industrial sites (called brownfields).
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation gives grants for economic and community development that preserves, enhances, and sustains the country’s historic resources.
Preserve America recognizes communities that sustainably promote community revitalization, tourism, and education by using historic resources.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Program gives technical assistance to communities with brownfields to help people improve their quality of life.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a government agency that works to create sustainable, affordable homes that boost the local economy and quality of life. Specific HUD programs include the Community Renewal/Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Initiative (RC/EZ/EC), the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI), and others.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides a variety of funding for projects from rural housing assistance to farmers markets

Check out state and local resources.

Health departments, both in your local area and the state, improve public health by offering services, inspecting homes and businesses, and keeping track of community wellness.
State environmental protection agencies focus on the environment and its effect on people’s health.
Local health agencies focus on the health needs of people in local communities and work to improve their health and quality of life.

Get help from ATSDR.

We want to hear about you and your community! Tell us about yourself, what your community is like, how you heard about the Action Model, and if we can follow up with you.

Remember, ATSDR designed the Action Model, so we can help you create your own, learn more about funding, and put your plan into action. We have representatives across the country.

Just email the ATSDR Land Reuse Team at atsdr.landreuse@cdc.gov. Or, you can use this Community Partnerships Assistance Request Form to give us more detailed information about the health and environmental concerns in your community.

Learn more about the members of the ATSDR Land Reuse Team, which created the Action Model.

+ Tina Forrester
Acting Deputy Director
Division of Community Health Investigation, Atlanta, Georgia Dr. Tina Forrester is the acting director of the Division of Community Health Investigations of ATSDR. Dr. Forrester was a founding member of ATSDR’s Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative. She built the program into a national effort that has funded pilot projects and provided technical assistance to land reuse communities across the country. Dr. Forrester has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Toxicology from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Forrester has been with ATSDR for more than 20 years.

+ Laurel Berman
National Brownfields Coordinator
Division of Community Health Investigation, Chicago, Illinois Email: LABerman@cdc.gov
Phone: 312-886-7476

Dr. Laurel Berman is the National Brownfields Coordinator with ATSDR’s Division of Community Health Investigation. She coordinates the ATSDR Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative, which integrates public health and redevelopment from the early planning stages. Dr. Berman brings skills from a long career as an environmental scientist and a community organizer. She has helped the Initiative create tools and resources to construct healthier communities through revitalization practices. Dr. Berman began her environmental career working as a civil/environmental engineer, which led her to pursue graduate studies in public health. She holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, with a focus on industrial hygiene and toxicology.

+ Leann Bing
Regional Representative
Region 4, Atlanta, Georgia Email: Kbing@cdc.gov
Phone: 404-562-1784

Kathryn Leann Lemley Bing (Leann) is an Environmental Health Scientist working as an ATSDR regional representative in Atlanta, Georgia. She has more than 19 years working experience in environmental health. Ms. Bing graduated from the University of South Carolina with B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Biology in 1991. Leann has specialized expertise working in brownfield/land reuse communities. She helped create tools, resources, and “how to” videos to encourage communities to protect and promote community health in brownfields and land reuse projects. Leann has provided environmental health assistance and education at Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Superfund, and brownfields hazardous waste sites. Ms. Bing has partnered with Environmental Protection Agency to celebrate Children's Health Month by providing environmental health education to middle and high school students.

+ Gary Perlman
Regional Representative
Region 1, Boston, Massachusetts Email: Gap6@cdc.gov
Phone: 617-918-1492

Captain Gary Perlman is an Environmental Health Officer with the U.S. Public Health Service currently at ATSDR in Boston. He has been working in environmental health for 20 years. Captain Perlman provided environmental health support during the mustard agent incident in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and to residents of Louisiana during the public health response shortly after Hurricane Katrina, focusing on the Murphy oil spill. He has also provided environmental health support on several occasions for large toxic fires or explosions. He has assisted with the Group of 8 Summit in Georgia, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and several other National Special Security Events. He is currently working with the Penobscot Indian Nation to assess the levels of harmful substances in foods that are part of their traditional diet. He helped develop several public health software tools for first responders and others assessing chemical contamination throughout the United States, Canada, France, and Romania. He shared these software tools with Tribal attendees at the National Tribal Science Council and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed and incorporated some of their suggestions to improve the tools. Captain Perlman is also an EMT-B, a licensed amateur radio operator, and a Registered Sanitarian (M.A.).

Congratulations!

You finished the Action Model Toolkit. Come back at any time to refresh your memory and download any of the additional materials.

We also want to applaud people like you, who are working to find solutions to problems in local communities. Across the country, redevelopment with the Action Model is transforming neighborhoods, towns, and cities. And it always starts with a few passionate, dedicated people like you.

Check out the Resources