Gulf of mexico program this action approves an award in the amount of $3,000,000 to winrock international

The Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 awarded a $3 million cooperative agreement to Winrock International under the Geographic Programs - Gulf of Mexico Program (CFDA 66.475). The purpose of this award is to support 8 to 20 organizations collaborating with underserved farmers on water quality, habitat, or forestry improvements to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen loss in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Winrock International will establish a competitive sub-award program to provide funding and monitoring support to sub-awardees, including capacity building, mentoring, and implementation of 8 to 20 selected projects. Anticipated outcomes include directly supporting at least 8 organizations, 100 farmers across 7,500 acres through agriculture, habitat, and forestry best management practices. This is expected to reduce phosphorus loss by 1,400 pounds or nitrogen loss by 19,000 pounds in the Mississippi River basin, benefiting water quality and residents, tourists, and fishermen in the region. The period of performance for this $3M cooperative agreement is from May 27, 2022 to May 26, 2027.

The purpose of this award is to support 8 to 20 organizations collaborating with underserved farmers on water quality, habitat, or forestry improvements, thus reducing phosphorus and nitrogen loss.activities:the activities to be performed include developing an advisory group to inform the application process, CO-developing the types of capacity-building offered, building trust and awareness among potential applicants, and serving as mentors to sub-awardees. A competitive sub-award program will be established to fund and monitor sub-awards and to provide support and trainings to sub-awardees. The project results will be reported to stakeholders and peers.subrecipient:subrecipient activities will be funded to assist with mentorship of sub-awardees, provide capacity building (including monitoring evaluation and environmental modeling) to sub-awardees, and implement 8-20 competitively selected projects.outcomes:anticipated deliverables and expected outcomes include a competitive sub-award program to directly support at least 8 organizations, 100 farmers, and 7,500 acres with a mix of agriculture, habitat, and forestry management practices. This support is anticipated to result in 1,400 pounds reduction in phosphorus loss or 19,000 pounds reduction in nitrogen loss in the mississippi river region. Intended beneficiaries are residents, tourists, and fisherman who will benefit from improved water quality in the upper and lower mississippi river basins and the gulf of mexico.