Amended_FY 20-21 P2 Grant RFA_3-19-20.pdf

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

TITLE: FY 2020 and FY 2021 Pollution Prevention Grant Program

ACTION: Request for Applications (RFA) Amendment No. 1

RFP NO: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-001

CFDA: 66.708

DATE: March 19, 2020

SUMMARY: This Notice revises the grant application submission deadline and revises the anticipated funding notification date.

Accordingly, Page numbering has been updated throughout document to reflect this amendment.

Important Dates section now notes:

Applications are due April 30.

Anticipated Funding Notification June 15.

First paragraph now notes: Applications are due by Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:59 pm (EDT)

Section IV.A – Application and Submission Instructions Application Submission Deadline now notes: The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:59 pm, (EDT).

Page C-3 of Appendix C

Grants.Gov Instructions - paragraph now notes: Applications are due Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:59 pm, (EDT).

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FEDERAL AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, EPA Regional Pollution Prevention Program Offices

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: FY 2020 – FY 2021 Pollution Prevention Grant Program

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, Section 6605, Public Law 101-508

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Applications

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 66.708

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2020-001

IMPORTANT DATES

January 28, 2020 RFA OPENS April 30, 2020 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS DUE June 15, 2020 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF FUNDING SELECTION September 30, 2020 ANTICIPATED AWARD

Applications are due by Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:59 pm, (EDT). EPA will receive applications electronically through Grants.gov. Applications will be electronically date and time stamped. Please refer to Section IV of this announcement for full information on the submission process. Applications must be submitted on time in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCEMENT

EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Pollution Prevention assistance agreements for projects that provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses and their facilities to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise being released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. In keeping with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, EPA is encouraging P2 because implementing these practices can result in reductions in toxic pollutants, the use of water, energy and other raw materials, while also lowering business costs. States, state entities, federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply.

For this current round of grants, EPA is emphasizing the importance of grantees documenting and sharing P2 best practices identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes. To achieve this, EPA will require grant recipients to document and report on P2 recommendations that they provide to business facilities as part of the technical assistance and, at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by those facilities. Alternative reporting provisions are available if technical assistance is broadly provided to multiple businesses – see Section VI.C.3.c. We are also requiring grantees to develop P2 case studies on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted or where detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other businesses or P2 technical assistance providers (see Appendix F, “Guidance for Developing P2 Case Studies). EPA expects that each grantee will develop at least one of these case studies during the grant period. In addition to case studies, we also encourage other means to document and amplify http://www.grants.gov/

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(widely share) P2 best practices and lessons learned through the technical assistance (e.g., training, tools, videos).

Awardee budgets and workplans may set aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding for an optional third-year to collect and report on the P2 practices adopted and to complete P2 case studies.

EPA’s national P2 Program will host two informational webinars for potential applicants and interested stakeholders. The webinars will be held on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm (EST) and Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm (EST). More information on the webinars and how to register is provided in Section IV.D.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read this announcement in its entirety because it provides important information on the goals and priorities of the program, explains statutory program requirements and offers agency grant policies and procedures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Programmatic Description

B. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria

C. How Does EPA Define P2?

D. What is Not P2?

E. What P2 Technical Assistance Approaches May Be Considered Under this RFA?

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance G. Scope of Work – P2 National Emphasis Areas H. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage ………………………………………………………….….................…... 9 I. Measuring and Reporting Environmental Results: Output & Outcome Performance Measures

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Funding Amounts

B. Partial Funding

C. Agreement Types

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements C. Requirements for Applicants Using Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) Agreements

D. PPG Cost Share/Match Reduction for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia

E. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISISON INSTRUCTIONS

A. Application Submission Deadline

B. Content and Format of Application Package

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C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

D. Opportunity for Questions and Answers Regarding this Announcement

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation…...………..............…

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Submission Requirements

C. Administrative Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDICES

Appendix A NEA With Applicable NAICS Codes ....................................................................................... A-1

Appendix B Examples of P2 Technical Assistance Projects........................................................................... B-1 Appendix C Grants.gov Instructions and Limited Exception Procedures....................................................... C-1

Appendix D Sample Cover Page .................................................................................................................... D-1

Appendix E Guidance for Reporting Grant Outputs and Outcomes .............................................................. E-1

Appendix F Guidance for Developing Case Studies....................................................................................... F-1 Appendix G Itemized Budget Detail Guidance and Template Example ....................................................... G-1

Appendix H Quality Assurance Guidance for Environmental Outcome Reporting for P2 Grant Projects.... H-1

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FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Programmatic Description: Under the authority of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA), EPA is announcing a two-year competitive funding opportunity for awards to states, state entities 1, federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia to provide technical assistance (e.g., information, training, tools) to businesses to encourage the development and implementation of source reduction practices (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). Source reduction practices can help business facilities save money by reducing resource use, expenditures, waste and liability costs, while at the same time reducing their environmental footprint and helping to protect human health and the environment.

Under this funding opportunity, EPA is emphasizing the importance of grantees documenting, reporting and sharing information on P2 best practices they identify and develop through their grant so that others can replicate those P2 practices and outcomes. Therefore, as described in Section VI.C.3 and Appendix E of this RFA, award recipients must document and report on P2 recommendations they provide to businesses as part of the technical assistance, and at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by those business facilities.

Alternative reporting provisions are described in Section VI.C.3.c if technical assistance is broadly provided to multiple businesses. EPA is requiring grantees to develop P2 case studies on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted, or where the grantee believes detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other business facilities or P2 technical assistance providers (see Appendix F, “Guidance for Developing P2 Case Studies). EPA expects that each grantee will develop at least one of these case studies during the grant period. Case studies submitted by grantees will be used to build and share a body of knowledge about P2 practices that could be implemented at other similar business facilities. In addition to case studies, we also encourage other means to document and widely share P2 best practices and lessons learned through the technical assistance provided through these grants (e.g., trainings, tools, videos, etc).

Awardee budgets and workplans may set aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding provided for an optional third-year to perform the required follow-up with businesses for reporting on P2 actions implemented and developing case studies on the P2 practices adopted.

P2 awards may be funded in the form of grants or cooperative agreements under the authority of Section 6605 of the PPA of 1990, public law 101-508,42 USC 13104, 40 CFR 35.340 et. seq. and 35.660 et. seq.

Refer to https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990 for more information.

B. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria: Pursuant to Section 6605(b) of the PPA and EPA's P2 regulations at 40 CFR 35.342 and 35.661, a P2 grant application must address at least one of the following:

1. Makes specific technical assistance available to businesses seeking information about source reduction opportunities, including funding for experts to provide on-site technical advice to businesses and to assist in the development of source reduction plans;

2. Targets assistance to businesses for whom lack of information is an impediment to source reduction; or

1 State entities refers to state agencies, state colleges or universities. Colleges or universities that are agencies or instrumentalities of a state government are eligible. Colleges and universities must be chartered, commissioned or publicly-owned/operated by the state in order to be eligible.

https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990

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3. Provides training in source reduction techniques. Such training may be provided through local engineering schools or other appropriate means.

C. How Does EPA Define P2? Pollution prevention, also called "source reduction," is any practice which reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling of discarded material, treatment, or disposal; and reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of those substances, pollutants, or contaminants. P2 practices include equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in maintenance, training, or inventory control. EPA has also interpreted P2 as including practices that increase efficient use of water, energy, raw materials, or other resources, or that may protect natural resources through conservation methods, or in-process recycling (i.e., process improvements to reuse materials within the same business/facility in the production process). Reducing the amount of pollution in the environment means producing less waste to control, treat, or dispose. Less pollution means fewer hazards posed to public health and the environment.

D. What is Not P2? For purposes of this announcement, P2 does not involve practices which alter the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a pollutant, hazardous substance or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or in providing a service. See PPA Section 6603 and 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662. The following are not P2 activities and cannot serve as the basis for P2 grant funding: recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal activities, managing or processing of non-hazardous solid waste (e.g., paper, cardboard, glass, plastics), and the implementation of Lean manufacturing activities that do not involve reductions in the use/release of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, greenhouse gas releases or water use. If any of these activities represent more than a small and ancillary part of the proposed work, EPA will not consider the application for an award. For assistance with recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal and management or processing of non-hazardous solid waste activities, please refer to EPA’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle website.

E. What P2 Technical Assistance Approaches May Be Considered Under this RFA? General approaches for providing P2 technical assistance to businesses to encourage the adoption and implementation of source reduction may include, but are not limited to: 1) P2 Best Practices – Promoting, identifying, developing, researching, and documenting P2 best practices or new P2 tools for businesses and disseminating the practices and outcomes for others to replicate; 2) On-site Technical Assistance – Conducting technical assistance on source reduction practices at business facilities; 3) Off-site Technical Assistance – providing information on P2 practices to businesses remotely, such as by phone or e-mail; 4) Safer Chemical Use – Helping business facilities assess and redesign their operations, processes and supply-chain practices to replace harmful toxic chemicals with safer chemical alternatives; 5) Training – Conducting introductory, intermediate and/or advanced P2 trainings on use of P2 tools, adopting P2 practices on preventing or reducing the release of hazardous materials or adopting environmental management system protocols; 6) Community-based P2 –Enhancing existing or creating new community-initiated or community-based projects on P2 to help businesses decrease their environmental footprints; 7) P2 Themed Roundtables, Collaborations and Meetings – Organizing business or community collaborations where P2 opportunities and solutions are identified, developed, enhanced, and shared and where follow-up is conducted with participants to track and record behavioral change; and 8) Leadership or Certification Programs – Providing awards or certifications to businesses which recognize the adoption of P2 practices, provided these https://www.epa.gov/recycle https://www.epa.gov/recycle

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All applications must describe how the P2 technical assistance will be provided, e.g., on-site technical assistance visits to business facilities to identify and develop P2 best management practices and innovations;

off-site or remote technical assistance; referring clients to other technical assistance materials and sources;

offering training to multiple businesses; organizing, hosting, or facilitating P2 roundtables within business sectors and/or communities that will assist with developing, implementing, documenting and/or sharing P2 management practices, etc.

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance: Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop partnerships with other technical assistance providers, P2 experts, trade associations or environmental programs (at the federal, state or local level) to strengthen their ability to provide technical assistance to businesses and facilitate the development, adoption and dissemination of P2 solutions.

Partnerships may include university-based technical assistance and cooperative extension programs, and other environmental assistance programs offered within a State or Tribe. Partnerships are also encouraged among trade organizations, federal programs, nonprofit organizations, and with regional and national programs such as with EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) Compliance Assistance Centers, EPA's Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs), the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Industrial Assessment Centers, etc.2

G. Scope of Work – P2 National Emphasis Areas: In order to direct resources and funding to generate more impactful and measurable results, EPA’s national P2 Program has adopted program priorities referred to as P2 National Emphasis Areas (NEAs), which are described below. Focusing technical assistance on the NEAs should also provide opportunities for synergy among P2 grantees and businesses in similar sectors where they may be able to share information, expertise, lessons learned, training, and tools. Many of the NEAs align with the Agency’s smart sector initiative to help develop sensible approaches that better protect the environment and public health.

Under Section V of this RFA, applications will be evaluated on criteria such as:

o Whether the narrative identifies and supports at least one of the NEAs described below as the focus of their P2 grant work;

o Whether the grant describes the types of businesses to be targeted for technical assistance, including the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code if possible, and how the targeting will support the NEA(s) selected for the grant project; 3 and

2 If a partnership is formed with another federal government program, the cash or in-kind contribution from the federal entity may not be used by the applicant to meet the match requirement of the P2 assistance agreement. For more information on Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements, refer to Section III.B. In addition, if partnerships will involve contracts and/or subawards, applicants are strongly advised to consult the applicable rules for using contracts and subawards in federal assistance agreements. Applicants will find a discussion of the applicable rules in Section IV of the EPA Solicitation Clauses website at – https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses.

3 North American Industry Classification System, or “NAICS” is the “standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.”

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

8 | P a g e o How well the project describes the specific work planned and how that work will support the NEA(s).

Note: Applicants may refer to Appendix A for NAICS codes covered by the NEAs, and to Appendix B for examples of possible P2 grant projects that can support an NEA. The project examples in Appendix B are provided for illustrative purposes only.

Applications must address at least one of the following NEAs in order to be eligible for award:

NEA #1: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with food and beverage manufacturing and processing businesses normally associated with NAICS codes 311 and 3121 for the purpose of reducing toxic air emissions or water discharges, water or energy usage, hazardous materials generation and use. Technical assistance projects or activities associated with entities that are not included under NAICS codes 311 or 3121, such as restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments, do not qualify for this NEA.

NEA #2: Chemical Manufacturing, Processing and Formulation: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses normally associated with NAICS code 325 and associated subsectors (4-6 digit NAICS codes under 325). Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within this NAICS code to identify, develop, and adopt P2 practices in the production of chemical products and formulations. Projects can also include working with businesses within this NAICS code to promote research, development, and marketing of green chemistry products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances.

NEA #3: Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in the automotive industry, normally associated with NAICS codes 3361, 3362, 3363, and 8111 and associated subsectors. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in manufacturing and maintenance of automobiles and automotive products.

NEA #4: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing and Maintenance: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses in the aerospace industry, normally associated with NAICS codes 3364 and subsectors for manufacture and 488190 for maintenance. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in any aspect of aerospace product and parts manufacturing and maintenance.

NEA #5: Metal Manufacturing and Fabrication: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects with businesses normally associated with NAICS codes 331 and 332, (primary metal manufacturing and/or fabricated metal manufacturing and subsectors). Primary metal manufacturing is associated with smelting and/or refining ferrous and nonferrous metals from ore, pig or scrap, using electrometallurgical and other process metallurgical techniques. Fabricated metal product manufacturing includes transforming metal into intermediate or end products, such as forging, stamping, bending, forming, and machining, used to shape individual pieces of metal; and other processes, such as electroplating, polishing, coating, welding and assembling. Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage business facilities within these NAICS codes to identify, develop and adopt P2 practices in any aspect of primary metal manufacturing and/or fabricated metal manufacturing and subsectors.

Refer to https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/.

https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=311&search=2017%20NAICS%20Search https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=3121&search=2017%20NAICS%20Search https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=325&search=2017 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=3361 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=3362 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=3363 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=8111 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=3364 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=488190 https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/?code=331 https://siccode.com/naics-code/332/fabricated-metal-product-manufacturing https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/

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H. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage: Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7a1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements” (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015- 03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf), EPA must review the linkage of proposed assistance agreements with the Agency’s Strategic Plan. EPA will issue awards to applications that must support the EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan (http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html), under Goal 1: Core Mission

– A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, Objective 1.1 – Improve Air Quality; Objective 1.2 – Provide for Clean and Safe Water; Objective 1.3 – Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination; Objective 1.4 – Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace; and, Goal 2: More Effective Partnerships, Objective 2.1 Enhance Shared Accountability. All applications must describe how the work proposed will support one or more of the goals and objectives identified above.

I. Measuring and Reporting Environmental Results: Output & Outcome Performance Measures:

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7a1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA requires that grant applicants and recipients describe environmental outputs (e.g., activities, products) and outcomes (results achieved from the outputs, e.g., reduction in pounds of hazardous material used and of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released, reductions in gallons of water used) expected under the assistance agreements. Applicants must provide an estimate of expected outputs and outcomes, as well as a plan for reporting outputs and outcomes during the grant period.

1. Requirements for Estimating Outputs and Outcomes: Grant applicants must describe and estimate their expected outputs (e.g., number of business facility visits, number of trainings, number of businesses attending a training) and, to the maximum extent practicable, their expected outcomes. See Section I.2 directly below for a list of outputs and outcomes.

To estimate anticipated outcomes, applicants can refer to EPA’s P2 measurement guidance [https://www.epa.gov/p2/collecting-and-reporting-p2-results-regional-measurement-guidance], EPA P2 calculators [https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-tools-and-calculators; click on Calculators to Measure Outcomes], or use another identified means of their choosing.

2. Requirements for a Reporting Plan: Applicants must provide a comprehensive plan for gathering and reporting on outputs and outcomes described below. Grant recipients will be expected to report on grant output and outcome measures, as described in this section and Appendix E, and are encouraged to report outputs and outcomes in table form. See the business and facility-level reporting template examples offered in Appendix E. For the convenience of grantees, an Excel spreadsheet template may be used for the required reporting and is available from the EPA Pollution Prevention Website and EPA Regional P2 Program Offices. EPA will use this information to determine if workplan requirements are being met and to build a repository of P2 practices that can be widely shared and replicated.

Grant recipients will be expected to follow up with all business facilities assisted over the course of the grant period to determine, as feasible, what P2 practices were adopted or implemented. Reporting on that follow-up will vary depending on the nature of the project – see Section VI.C.3 and Appendix E for specific requirements. Therefore, grant applicants must include in their project narrative a comprehensive reporting plan on how they intend to follow up with the business facilities they assist to determine P2 recommendation implemented.

Listed below are the output and outcome elements that P2 grant recipients are required to report to

EPA.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/p2/collecting-and-reporting-p2-results-regional-measurement-guidance https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-tools-and-calculators https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-11/p2_grantee_facility_reporting_template_example_6-04-2018.xlsx https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-11/p2_grantee_facility_reporting_template_example_6-04-2018.xlsx

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a. Output Measures:

o Number of case studies and other P2 documentation products describing specific P2 best practices identified, developed or implemented through the grant.

o Number of amplification activities that widely share P2 practices and documentation (i.e., training, webinars, roundtables, other outreach).

o Percentage of business facilities provided technical assistance that the grantee follows up with

(e.g., phone call, visit, letter or email) to determine which P2 practices were implemented (should be 100%).

o Number of business facilities provided technical assistance.

o Percentage of business facilities that implemented at least one new P2 practice as a result of the technical assistance provided by the grantee.

In addition, grant recipients may report optional project outputs, such as:

• Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process.

• Number of technical assistance assessments or visits.

• Number of recommendations made to business facilities.

• Number of P2 recommendations implemented by business facilities.

• Number of innovations and/or best practices developed.

• Number of workshops, trainings and courses conducted.

• Number of businesses attending workshops, trainings and courses.

• Number of outreach materials developed (e.g., fact sheets, leaflets).

• Types of skills and abilities achieved by training participants.

b. Outcome Measures:

o Reduction in pounds of hazardous material used and of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released.

o Reductions in gallons of water used.

o Reductions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) released.

o The dollar savings associated with achieving reductions in hazardous material use, hazardous releases, water use, and energy use, including savings from reduced regulatory burden.

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Funding Amounts: It is anticipated that EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding over a two-year funding period ($4.69 million in FY 2020 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2021 funds based on anticipated FY 2021 funding which is not guaranteed and may change). Individual grant awards may potentially be in the range of $40,000- $500,000 for the two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $250,000 incrementally funded per year). EPA regions that have a lower award cap are noted below. Future incremental funding will be contingent on satisfactory performance, funding availability and congressional appropriations. Awardees will be expected to provide funds to match the federal award, as described in Section III.B and III.D.

The awardee’s budget and workplan may allot time and set aside funds from the two-year award for an optional third year for the purpose of obtaining and reporting the required information on the adoption of P2

11 | P a g e practices by business facilities to whom they provided technical assistance under the grant, as described in Section VI.C.3 of this RFA.

EPA expects to make awards for projects in each EPA region. In their application, applicants should identify what region their project will be performed in. For a list of EPA regions and states within each region refer to Section VII.

Regional Funding Caps:

o Region 1 – Federal awards may be in the range of $40,000 - $200,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $100,000 incrementally funded per year). Projects that benefit multiple states in Region 1 may have a two-year cap of $250,000.

o Region 2 – Federal awards may be in the range of $40,000 - $300,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $150,000 incrementally funded per year).

o Region 4 – Federal awards may be in the range of $60,000 - $200,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $30,000 - $100,000 incrementally funded per year).

o Region 7 – Federal awards may be in the range of $50,000 - $350,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $25,000 - $175,000 incrementally funded per year).

The number and dollar amount of P2 grants issued will depend upon the factors noted above including funding availability, Congressional appropriations, satisfactory performance, the quality of applications received and other applicable considerations. Funding is not guaranteed. EPA anticipates that final selections will be made 180 days after this announcement is published. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and issue no awards or issue fewer awards than anticipated, under this solicitation. All awards will be consistent with applicable EPA regulations and grant policies. In addition, EPA reserves the right to issue additional awards under this announcement, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional awards will be made no later than six (6) months from the date of the original selections.

B. Partial Funding: In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of an application. If EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so in a manner that will not prejudice any applicant or affect the basis upon which an application or a portion thereof will be evaluated or selected for an award, thereby maintaining the integrity of the competition, evaluation and selection process.

C. Agreement Types: P2 grant funds will be issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements under the authority of PPA Section 6605 to cover a two-year funding period. EPA prefers to use cooperative agreements where feasible.

Definition of a Grant: An award of financial assistance by the federal government to an eligible recipient in the form of money, property or in-kind assistance in lieu of money by the federal government to an eligible recipient. The term does not include: technical assistance from federal employees or other assistance in the form of revenue sharing, loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, insurance, or direct appropriations. Also, the term does not include assistance, such as a fellowship or other lump sum award, which the recipient is not required to account for. The EPA will not be substantially involved in the performance of grants.

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Definition of a Cooperative Agreement: Under these types of agreements, substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicants will occur in the performance of supported work. EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, EPA will have substantial technical interaction with the cooperative agreement recipient. As such, EPA may:

o Review and approve project phases;

o Review proposed work of sub-grantees and contractors collaborating with the recipient;

o Review and approve proposed procurements in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318;

o Monitor the operation of the projects;

o Approve qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient);

o Closely monitor the recipient's performance;

o Approve any proposed changes to the work plan and/or budget; and o Review and comment on tasks or deliverables and reports or publications prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants: Section 6605 of the PPA and applicable parts of 40 CFR Part 35, Subparts A and B (40

CFR 35.340 et seq. and 35.660 et seq.) authorize EPA to award grants and/or cooperative agreements to the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the U.S. (40 CFR 35.345), any agency or instrumentality of a state, including colleges and universities of states, federally-recognized Indian tribes that meet the requirements as described in 40 CFR 35.663, and Intertribal Consortia that meet the requirements in 40 CFR 35.504. Colleges and universities must be chartered, commissioned or publicly-owned/operated by the state or the federally-recognized tribe in order to be eligible. Colleges and universities must include documentation within their applications, which may include, but is not limited to: a state constitutional reference, college/university charter, W-7 tax form that has confirmed the college or university to serve as an instrumentality of a state or a federally-recognized tribe. Note: Local governments, private universities, for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and individuals are not eligible to apply for funding under this announcement.

B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: P2 grant recipients, as required under Section 6605(c) of the PPA, must provide at least a 50 percent match of the total allowable project cost. Please note the different match requirements for tribes using a Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) in Section III.D below. For example, EPA will provide half of the total allowable project cost and the recipient will provide the remaining half. To further illustrate, if the total project cost is $100,000, in order to meet the 50% cost share/match requirement, the applicant must be able to provide $50,000 in cash or in-kind contributions in order to be eligible to receive $50,000 in federal grant funds from EPA.

Federal Award: $50,000 + Cost share/match requirement: $50,000

Total Project Cost = $100,000

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The match requirement may be applied at the time of award or at specified intervals during the two-year project period. Cost sharing and matching contributions may include, but are not limited to: cash; in-kind goods and services (e.g., volunteered time, photocopying and printing services), third-party contributions consistent with 2 CFR 200.306, university faculty time or effort which can be offered as a cash contribution as long as the cost sharing occurs during the assistance agreement project period and while the faculty member is under a continuing contract with the university, etc. Applicants must document in their budgets the type of match applied and how it will be used. The EPA grant project officer in the region will monitor the grant recipient’s compliance with their match/cost share requirement. If the match requirement is not met or is not applied at specified intervals during the project period, federal funding will cease and the recipient may be subject to an enforcement action, whereby, EPA may disallow costs.4

Note: Cost sharing and matching requirements for applications under $200,000 for Insular area applicants (the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) are waived as a matter of law as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act, as amended, 48 U.S.C. Section 1469a. Insular area applicants with applications that will require a cost share of $200,000 or more are advised to contact the applicable EPA contact in Section VII to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in whole or in part.

C. Requirements for Applicants Using Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) Agreements: Funds for a P2 grant awarded under this announcement may be included in a PPG. Applicants should indicate in their application submission if they anticipate incorporating the proposed project, if selected for funding, into an already existing PPG or if they intend to create a new PPG that would include the project proposed under this announcement. A PPG enables entities to combine funds from more than one environmental program grant into a single grant with a single budget. PPG agreements should be in place before the time of P2 grant award or created concurrently with the award of grant funds. The proposed project under this grant announcement must have a project period that is within the PPG project period and cannot be longer than the PPG project period. Under this solicitation, applications from eligible entities must first be selected under the competition as described and, in accordance with 40 CFR 35.138. The proposed P2 grant work-plan commitments must be included in the PPG work-plan. If an applicant is selected for an award under this announcement (40 CFR

35.135 and 35.535), the P2 grant funds will be included in the PPG. For further information, refer to the final federal regulations on Environmental Program Grants for states and state entities and interstate agencies provided in 40 CFR Part 35 Subpart A and Environmental Program Grants for federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia provided in 40 CFR Part 35, Subpart B.

D. PPG Cost Share/Match Adjustment for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia: If a tribe and intertribal consortia includes the awarded P2 grant funds under this announcement in an approved PPG, the P2 grant cost share/match requirement, unless waived as described below, shall be reduced from 50 percent to five percent (see 40 CFR 35.536(c)) based on the allowable cost of the work-plan budgets. This action will apply to P2 grant funds issued during the first two years in which tribes or intertribal consortia participate in the PPG agreement. After two years, the cost share/match requirement may be increased up to a maximum of 10 percent of the work-plan budget for those funds as determined by the applicable Regional Administrator or delegated EPA official. If the applicant’s PPG is older than two years at the time of the award of the competitive grant funds under this announcement, the applicant should contact the EPA person identified in Section VII. The Agency will then make a preliminary determination as to the percent of cost share/match required from the applicant for P2 grant funds awarded under this announcement (see the regulations at 40

4 For additional information on cost share or matching requirements, refer to 2 CFR 200.306.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div6&view=text&node=40:1.0.1.2.32.1&idno=40 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=36b93a1b033dd72618e9867c2032b53b&rgn=div6&view=text&node=40:1.0.1.2.32.2&idno=40 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-306.pdf

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CFR 35.536(c)) so that the applicant can include that cost share/match requirement in their application.

If the tribe or intertribal consortia is interested in obtaining a cost share/match waiver for the funds to be awarded under this announcement, they must submit a cost share waiver request as part of their application submission – such a request is not subject to the 14-page limitation for the cover page and project narrative, as specified in Section IV.B of this solicitation. The cost share/match requirement may be waived entirely by the Regional Administrator if, based on an objective assessment of socioeconomic indicators, the Regional Administrator determines that meeting the cost share would impose an undue economic hardship.

Applicants should indicate in their application submission if they anticipate incorporating the proposed project, if selected for funding, into an already existing PPG or if they intend to create a new PPG that would include the project proposed under this solicitation.

Where the applicant’s stated purpose is to include a P2 grant awarded under this announcement in a PPG, the tribe or intertribal consortia should prepare the budget and proposed work-plan based upon the assumption that EPA will approve the adjusted cost share for the grant or a waived cost share as authorized for PPGs under 40 CFR 35.536. If the tribe or intertribal consortia does not or cannot include the P2 grant awarded under this solicitation as part of an approved PPG, or subsequently chooses to withdraw the awarded P2 grant funds from the PPG, the tribe or intertribal consortia must then meet the applicable cost share/match requirements of fifty (50) percent as identified above in Section III.B and negotiate a new work-plan and budget with the EPA project officer based on the same total project cost and work initially proposed. Since the new budget will be based upon the initially proposed total project cost and the applicable cost share/match requirements will be increased, the federal award amount will be reduced accordingly. The purpose of this is to ensure that all work-plan activities for a competitively awarded projects will be performed as initially proposed and in accordance with the adjusted budgets reflecting the applicable cost share/match requirements and federal award amount.

E. Threshold Eligibility Criteria: Each application must meet the Threshold Eligibility Criteria provided below at the time of submission in order to be considered for funding. These are requirements that if not met by the time of submission will result in elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Only applications from eligible entities (Section III.A) that meet all threshold criteria will be evaluated against the ranking criteria in Section V.A of this RFA. Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Applications must adhere to the statutory criteria of P2 grants by addressing one or more of the criteria in

– Section I.B and the definition of P2 in Section I.C.

2. The preponderance of work described in applications must support: a ) providing technical assistance (e.g., information, training and tools) to businesses on P2, and b) documenting and widely sharing the P2 best practices and innovations that have been identified or developed through the grant Section I.A.

Non-P2 technical assistance, training and information may only represent a small and ancillary part of the proposed work and must be funded from other sources that do not include the grant match or cost share resources that will support the P2 grant. If applications include ineligible tasks or activities (i.e., those not considered to be pollution prevention/source reduction) then those activities may be found ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent of the ineligible activities, render the entire application unsuitable for funding– Section I.D.

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3. Applications must support at least one of the P2 National Emphasis Areas (NEAs) – Section I.G.

4. Applications must describe how the work described in the grant will link to the goals and mission of

EPA’s Strategic Plan and support expected outputs and outcomes – Section I.H and Section I.I.

5. Applications must be from eligible applicants – Section III.A.

6. The application’s budget plan must adhere to the 50 percent cost share/match requirement (Section III.B) or to an allowable 5 percent match for federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia under the conditions described in Section III.D.

7. Application packages must substantially comply with the submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV.B of this RFA in order to be considered for funding or else they will be rejected.

Where a page limit is indicated for the project narrative section of the application, pages in excess of the 14-page limitation will not be reviewed.

8. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV.A of this RFA (except in limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV.A and Appendix C) on or before the submission deadline to ensure that their application is submitted in a timely fashion.

9. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or the System for Award Management (SAM) website at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. An applicant’s failure to submit their application on-time through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. The applicant should confirm receipt of their application package with their applicable EPA region noted in Section VII of this RFA as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in the application not being reviewed. Note: To access the SAM site, applicants are advised to use Internet Explorer version of IE 11 or higher, or use another supported browser type, e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Application Submission Deadline: The deadline to submit an application is: Thursday, April 30, 2020, 11:59 pm, (EDT). In order to apply, the applicant’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit a complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov).

Instructions for applying through Grants.gov are provided in Appendix C of this announcement.

Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application in the event unexpected errors require you to resubmit your application.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not Grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact, EPA representative listed Section VII. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/

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Prior to applying through Grants.gov, the applicant…