South Florida Program (SFP): Equity and Inclusion
The South Florida Program ensures that grant funding benefits disadvantaged communities. Locations of disadvantaged communities are identified by using EJScreen. EJScreen is the EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool. This tool provides a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and socioeconomic indicators. The SFP uses the EJScreen Supplemental Index, above the 80th percentile, to locate disadvantaged communities. Identified communities are associated with the waterbody in which they occur. For larger waterbodies, typically coastal areas, bays or large lakes, the community association may be based on use of the waters for Clean Water Act purposes. View the Equity and Inclusion Interactive Map application below to view these areas on a map.
Disadvantaged Community: Population or geographic location in the United States that experiences disproportionate environmental and climatic harms and risks. This disproportionality can be a result of greater vulnerability to environmental hazards, lack of opportunity for public participation or other factors. Increased vulnerability may be attributable to an accumulation of negative or lack of positive environmental, health, economic or social conditions within these populations or places. The term describes situations where multiple factors, including both environmental and socioeconomic stressors, may act cumulatively to affect health and the environment and contribute to persistent environmental health disparities. (NCA5 Glossary)
SFP Grant Evaluation Criteria
Applications for a SFP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are evaluated on the extent the proposed project:
- benefits disadvantaged communities
- mitigates climate change risks to disadvantaged communities and sensitive populations
- includes engagement with disadvantaged communities. Especially local residents to ensure their meaningful participation with respect to the design, project planning, and performance of the project will be considered.
The Equity and Inclusion Interactive Map below may be used to determine if a project location is within the boundaries of a disadvantaged community. Due to the proximity of south Florida residents to water, any project that improves a waterbody will benefit all residents of the watershed and all users of that waterbody.
To learn more about the SFP grants evaluation criteria, refer to the most recently published NOFO.
Equity and Inclusion Interactive Map
Explore the interactive map application by typing a location in the search box or zooming into the map.