This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to texas southern university

The recipient is a regional grantmaker (RGM), in collaboration with achieving community tasks successfully (ACTS), for the subsequent award grantmaking activities. The grantmaker program will distribute $51,682,500 in subawards. An advisory committee will make the final determination of how many of each type of award (tier I, II, or III, plus noncompetitive subawards) will be distributed. Additionally, texas southern university will develop a system that requires all funded subrecipients to provide progress reports for each 6-month period of funding. Guidance including detailed information on what should be included in the progress report will be developed by the advisory committee and provided in english and spanish and other languages as requested. For subrecipients that have limited access to the internet, a paper version of the progress report will be accepted via email or mail. Challenges noted in the progress reporting will be reviewed by the program manager, discussed with members of the advisory committee, and referred to EPA as soon as possible if needed. Each subrecipient will be informed of the required subrecipient progress report due dates and provided instructions on how to submit via the grant platform secured for the regional grantmaker program. The purpose of this award is to fund the subsequent award for the pass-through entity texas southern university. Two hundred ninety-six (296) grant applications will be awarded during the three-year project period that will consist of three grant cycles annually during years 1-3. An outside independent evaluator will be secured to develop and oversee an ongoing evaluation plan focused on soliciting feedback from potential applicants and awarded subrecipient to assess (1) the usefulness of shared grant application information, (2) disseminate stories from applicants on environmental or climate justice concerns and how they stand to benefit from the funding, (3) program improvement with applicant assessment feedback, and (4) increased knowledge of applicants to determine whether their projects align with the funding criteria. Evaluation will also focus on capacity built among EJ frontline organizations, the perception of changes achieved by subrecipients, particularly in underserved, disadvantaged and/or remote communities, and successes and lessons learned. A semi-annual review of collected data will be completed by the advisory committee in january and june annually, and an annual retreat will be held in summer 2025 and 2026 to plan the upcoming year's grant program implementation. An annual report of program deliverables will be available in fall 2025 and 2026, and the final report including success stories will be available in summer 2027. Activities:the activities in the subsequent award phase include: texas southern university has hired various program staff who will oversee the program's operation and provide general project management and oversight of project implementation and evaluation; coordinate the advisory committee and proposed review teams; conduct outreach with state hubs and community-based organizations and translation services; serve as initial point of contact for eligible subrecipients through the application process and to awardees for reporting requirements. A conflict-of-interest plan has been created to ensure reviewers have completed the form and approved to participated in any upcoming grant application cycles. An online grant application portal, dedicated to the grantmaker program, has been created for eligible subrecipients to apply for funding. A reviewer database has also been developed to include potential reviewers by area of expertise and community; the review criteria will be examined and approved by the advisory committee. The bullard center's program manager and the financial administrator