Test Results Summary: Lead Levels in Local Tribal School and Daycare Communities

Factsheet on Lead Testing within Indigenous Community

, and Administrator

2025 September 1 . 9:24 PM

2 min read

Report: Testing for Lead Exposure in School and Child Care Among Local Tribal Communities

Test Results Summary: Lead Levels in Local Tribal School and Daycare Communities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a grant program designed to help reduce lead exposure in school and child care settings within Tribal communities. Known as the Tribal Community Lead Testing Grant Program, this initiative provides funding to states, territories, and Tribal consortia to assist local educational agencies in the voluntary testing and remediation of lead in drinking water in these facilities.

The program is focused on aiding local and tribal educational agencies, with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged communities within Tribal territories. The goal is to support lead testing efforts and, if necessary, remediation activities to protect children from lead poisoning.

The grant program enables funds to be used for sampling water, identifying lead sources, planning remediation, and implementing corrective actions to reduce lead levels in drinking water systems of schools and child care facilities. It is important to note that while the program does not mandate testing, it provides comprehensive guidelines for voluntary testing.

Eligible applicants for the grant include states, territories, and Tribal consortia. To apply, applicants must register through sam.gov and submit their application via grants.gov following EPA’s guidelines for grant applications. Compliance with federal procurement and reporting rules, including the Uniform Grants Guidance (2 CFR 200), is expected.

The EPA has released a factsheet titled "Tribal Community Lead Testing in School and Child Care" as a resource for understanding lead testing procedures in tribal communities. This factsheet, published on July 28, 2020, is 183.02 KB in size and is intended to aid local and tribal educational agencies and child care programs. The factsheet emphasizes the importance of testing drinking water for lead and provides information about the program's focus on tribal communities.

In summary, the EPA's Tribal Community Lead Testing Grant Program helps Tribal entities identify and address lead contamination in drinking water at schools and child care programs through voluntary testing and remediation funding. The program aims to protect children’s health by supporting lead testing efforts and, if needed, remediation activities in schools and child care facilities within Tribal communities.