2015-school-ipm-grants---educational-networks-updated-deadline-2.pdf

US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs

Funding Opportunity Announcement:

Using Educational Networks to Increase Schools’ Adoption of Integrated Pest Management

(EPA-OPP-2015-006)

June 25, 2015

Updated August 10, 2015

Funding Opportunity Announcement

Using Educational Networks to Increase Schools’ Adoption of Integrated Pest Management

Overview Information

The following list provides key information concerning this funding opportunity:

A. Federal Agency and Office Name: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical

Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP)

B. Funding Opportunity Title: Using Educational Networks to Increase Schools’ Adoption of Integrated Pest Management

C. Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OPP-2015-006

D. Announcement Type: Request for Proposals (RFP)

E. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 66.716 - Surveys, Studies, Demonstrations, Educational Outreach, and Special Projects within the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention

F. Statutory Authority: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Section 20

G. Dates: Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time on August 12, 2015. Proposals received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding. The estimated project period for the award resulting from this solicitation will begin in January 2016. The proposed project period is up to two (2) years.

Brief Description

The Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is soliciting proposals from eligible parties for an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cooperative agreement to provide financial assistance to an eligible organization to provide education, training, resources, and technical assistance to increase Integrated Pest Management (IPM) implementation in kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) public and tribal schools nationwide. IPM is a sustainable approach to managing pests that combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks. The grantee will conduct a national program, using their existing organizational structure and established relationships with school districts throughout the US, to further IPM adoption by schools.

EPA encourages projects that utilize consortia, partnerships, and other collaborative means of conducting the project. However, the project must not propose to engage pest management firms as primary collaborators. The grantee may utilize existing EPA approved school IPM educational materials. Proposed projects must conform to applicable state and/or tribal pesticide requirements and regulations.

This announcement provides qualification and application requirements to those interested in submitting proposals. Eligible applicants include states, U.S. territories or possessions, federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American Organizations, public and private universities and colleges, schools and school districts, other public or private nonprofit institutions, local governments, and individuals. The estimated funding available for award is expected to be approximately $250,000. The Agency anticipates making one award of up to $250,000 depending on funding availability, proposal quality, and other considerations. The proposed project period is up to two

(2) years.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. History The Food Quality Protection Act (PL 110-170, Section 303) defines for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as, “a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks.” EPA's mandate for IPM in schools comes from basic federal law: “support the adoption of IPM,” which is stated in the U.S. Code at Title 5, Section 136r-1. The EPA mission to protect human health and the environment also contributes to this mandate.

In 2010, EPA increased its commitment to further the implementation of IPM in K-12 public and tribal schools. The goal of EPA’s School IPM Program is to reduce the risks from pests and pesticides in buildings and on grounds around K-12 public and tribal schools in the United States. EPA’s vision is for all children to be in schools with verifiable and ongoing IPM programs.

More information on school IPM is available at http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools.

The Agency’s is utilizing a two-pronged approach to increase school districts’ adoption of IPM.

The Agency is collaborating with national organizations to inform school administrators and business officials that IPM can give them a healthier school environment, fewer pest complaints, fewer absences due to asthma, increased revenue with higher attendance, and quality pest control. EPA is also providing compelling information on the benefits of IPM (fewer pests, fewer pesticides, and healthier learning environments) to parents, teachers, and school staff.

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance IPM implementation in schools, the Office of Pesticide Programs has offered funding opportunities. Information on school IPM projects funded by EPA since 2012 may be obtained at http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants. The current assistance agreement aims to leverage existing organizational capacities and established relationships with school districts nationwide to provide school districts with information, education, training, and technical support on IPM.

B. Authority

EPA expects to award assistance agreements under the authority provided in Section 20 of FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. 136r which authorizes the Agency to issue assistance agreements for research, public education, training, monitoring, demonstration and studies. Regulations governing these agreements are found at 2 CFR Parts 200 and 1500. All costs incurred under this program must be allowable under 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E. In accordance with applicable law, regulation, and policy, any recipient of funding must agree to comply with restrictions on using assistance funds for unauthorized lobbying, fund-raising, or political activities (i.e., lobbying members of Congress or lobbying for other federal grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts). See e.g. 2 CFR

200.450. Funds generally cannot be used to pay for travel by federal agency staff. Proposed project activities must also comply with all state and federal regulations applicable to the project area. The applicant must also review the solicitation for any other programmatic funding restrictions applicable to this program. If awarded funding, the recipient must refer to the terms and conditions of its award for other funding restrictions applicable to its award. It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these requirements.

http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants

C. Program Description

1. Purpose and Scope

The cooperative agreement awarded under this program is intended to provide financial assistance to:

a. increase IPM adoption in school districts nationwide through education, training, promotion, and technical support.

b. assess and report on the increased use of IPM practices that come about as a result of the project.

2. Goals and Objectives EPA expects that the recipient will use funding provided under this solicitation to:

a. provide IPM education, tools, resources, training, and technical support to increase the implementation of IPM in K-12 public and tribal schools nationwide, and

b. use existing national networks to increase demand for school IPM. Such organizations or entities may include, but are not limited to, educational service agencies and national organizations with state or local chapters providing services to school districts.

D. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan/GPRA Architecture

The award made under this announcement will support EPA Strategic Plan Goal 4, Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals & Preventing Pollution; Objective 4.1 Ensure Chemical Safety and Objective 4.2 Promote Pollution Prevention. To see EPA’s 2011-2015 Strategic Plan visit http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2014-2018-strategic-plan.

2. Outputs The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal and objective, that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period.

The anticipated outputs of this cooperative agreement include, but are not limited to:

a. IPM programs for public and/or tribal schools that comply with state and tribal pesticide and IPM laws and regulations;

b. multi-state, tribal or regional school IPM education, such as webinars or distance learning opportunities;

c. on-site training for school administrators, teachers, facility managers, custodians, maintenance staff, food service staff, and pest management professionals providing pest control services to schools; and

d. conferences, meetings, and/or seminars focused on the adoption of IPM in schools.

3. Outcomes The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be (1) environmental, (2) behavioral, (3) health related or (4) programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative. They can be short-term, mid-term, and/or long-term. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html

4. Expected outcomes from this cooperative agreement include, but are not limited to:

a. increasing the number of school districts adopting IPM policies and implementing IPM practices;

b. increasing the number of students and staff protected in K-12 public and/or tribal schools that are implementing school IPM programs;

c. increasing the with K-12 public and/or tribal school ground acreage under an IPM program; and

d. quantitative measurements of the changes in pesticide use and pest complaints realized through school districts’ adoption of IPM practices.

II. Award Information

A. Amount of Funding Available The total estimated amount available for award under this announcement is up to $250,000, dependent on the availability of funds.

B. Total Number of Awards EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement with a maximum funding level of $250,000, subject to the availability of funds, the quality of evaluated proposals, and other applicable considerations. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no awards.

EPA also reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.

C. Partial Funding In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

D. Start Date/Project Duration

The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation will begin in January 2016. Proposed project periods is up to two (2) years.

E. Funding Type

Successful applicants will be issued a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement that is used when there is substantial federal involvement with the recipient during the performance of an activity or project. EPA awards cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial interaction with the recipient throughout the performance of the project. EPA will negotiate the precise terms and conditions of “substantial involvement” as part of the award process. Federal involvement may include close monitoring of the recipient’s performance; collaboration during the performance of the scope of work; in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements; reviewing qualifications of key personnel; and/or review and comment on the content of printed or electronic publications prepared. EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient. The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient.

F. Pre-award Costs In accordance with 2 CFR 1500.8, EPA award recipients may incur allowable project costs 90 calendar days before the federal awarding agency makes the federal award. Expenses more than 90 calendar days pre-award require prior approval of EPA. All costs incurred before EPA makes the award are at the recipient’s risk. EPA is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the recipient does not receive a federal award or if the federal award is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants Assistance under this program is generally available to states, U.S. territories or possessions, federally-recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American Organizations, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, other public or private nonprofit institutions, local governments, and individuals.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. While not considered to be a “non-profit organization(s)” as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, colleges and universities, hospitals, state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit proposals under 2 CFR Part 200 and this

RFP.

The following are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity: for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.

B. Cost Sharing/Matching No matching funds are required under this competition.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria These requirements, if not met by the time of proposal submission, will result in elimination of the proposal from consideration for funding. Only proposals that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of the announcement. Applicants 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. Applicants must be eligible (see Section III.A) to receive funding under this announcement.

2. The proposal must address at a minimum all of the activities to be funded. The activities to be funded are listed under Section I.C.3.

3. Proposals must be submitted through www.grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the proposal submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their proposal is timely submitted.

http://www.grants.gov/

4. Proposals 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 relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their proposal through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with Cara Finn at finn.cara@epa.gov or 703-305-5659 as soon as possible after the submission deadline -failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

5. EPA will consider only the first proposal submitted by each individual investigator.

Proposals from different investigators within the same organization are acceptable.

6. Proposals must comply with the submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV. Where page limitations are established, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

7. Submissions must contain specific outputs and outcomes (see Section I.D) and state how those will be measured and documented including the number of students and school districts with an IPM program as a direct result of this project.

8. The maximum funding level requested for a project must not exceed $250,000. Proposals requesting more than the maximum will be rejected.

9. The proposed project period of performance must not exceed two years.

10. Submissions must demonstrate that the project take place in the United States.

11. Ineligible activities: If a proposal is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the proposal will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the proposal, render the entire proposal ineligible for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. How to Obtain Application Information The required forms are available through EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment website at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/how_to_apply.htm.

B. Requirement to Submit through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through http://www.grants.gov for this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no Internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to http://www.grants.gov, the applicant must contact OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

USEPA Headquarters William Jefferson Clinton Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Mail Code: 3904R Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

USEPA Headquarters Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Rm #51267 Washington, DC 20004 http://grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://grants.gov/ mailto:finn.cara@epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/how_to_apply.htm http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.gov

In the request, the applicant must include the following information:

Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

Organization Name and DUNS

Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number)

An explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through grants.gov because of 1) limited Internet access or 2) no Internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through http://www.grants.gov.

EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will timely respond to the request – all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2015, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2015). Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through Grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2015 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2016, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2016.

Please note that the process described in this section is only for requesting alternate submission methods. All other inquiries about this announcement must be directed to the Agency Contact listed in Section VII of the announcement. Queries or requests submitted to the email address identified above for any reason other than to request an alternate submission method will not be acknowledged or answered.

C. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions (see Attachment A)

Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time on August 12, 2015. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application process and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Proposals submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically.

If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from Grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact Cara Finn at 703-305-5659. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

D. Content of Proposal Package Submission

The proposal package must include all of the following materials, in the sequential order shown. Additional guidance on completing the documents is available through EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment (http://www.epa.gov/ogd/).

1. Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance

Complete the form available at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm. There are no attachments. Be sure to include organization fax number and e-mail address in Block 5 of the SF-424 form. Clearly state the total funding amount requested for the ENTIRE project period in Block 15.

Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included on the SF-424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705- 5711. Alternatively, applicants may also request a DUNS number online by going to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform and following the instructions for a cooperative agreement.

2. SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs Complete the form available at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm. There are no attachments. The total amount of federal funding requested for the project period should be shown on line 5(e) and on line 6(k) of SF-424A. The amount of indirect costs should be entered on line 6(j). The indirect cost rate (i.e. a percentage), the base (e.g., personnel costs and fringe benefits), and the amount should also be indicated on line 22. Clearly state the total funding amount requested for the ENTIRE project period in Block 15.

3. Project Proposal

a. Cover Page (page 1). The cover page must list the following information with your letterhead:

EPA docket ID number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-006 Project Title:

Project Coordinator:

Organization Name and Address:

Telephone No.: Fax No.: Email Address:

Project Duration (including Starting Date and Ending Date):

First Year Funding Request:

Second Year Funding Request, if applicable:

Total Funding Request (for the entire project):

Indicate if this application is for new activities connected with a previously EPA funded project. If yes, please provide the following:

o EPA Assistance Number: _________________________ o Budget Period of Project: _________________________

b. Table of Contents (Page 2): A one-page table listing the different parts of the application and the page number on which each part begins.

c. Executive Summary (page 3). Stand-alone, one page document that concisely explains the project objectives, outputs, and outcomes. It must also include an assurance that the eligibility factors, as listed in Section III (Eligibility Information), are addressed in the proposal.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/ http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm

d. Project Narrative (10 pages or less). The description shall contain the Parts I – V as identified below. The project narrative must be 10 pages or less typewritten on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, single spaced. The project narrative must contain the following information in the sequential order shown:

Project title

Part I. Project Summary and Approach

i. Purpose Statement: One sentence description of what will be accomplished as a result of the project, focusing on expected outcomes.

ii. Project Design: Describe the project activities and how they will advance the adoption of verifiable school IPM region-wide or nationwide, thereby improving human health, the environment, and/or the school community. Describe how the project activities build upon or consider lessons learned from existing efforts.

Describe the target audience and geographic areas intended for this project, and how you will encourage participation by these groups. Explain the project benefits to the public, and specifically the potential audience(s) served. Provide evidence of stakeholder participation, consortia involvement, or partnerships in the project. If requesting a cooperative agreement, explain how the EPA will be substantially involved in the project.

Part II. Technical Merit Declare the project impact area(s) - environmental, human health, economic, and/or community. Outline the technical and scientific approaches, how they will be used to achieve individual project goals and used to measure project objectives, and the anticipated project outputs and human health/environmental outcomes.

Part III. Outreach, Transferability, and Sustainability Describe the applicant’s history of working with school districts and other state partners and stakeholders on IPM and other pesticide or environmental risk reduction projects over the last three years. Explain how the project design promotes meaningful involvement of partner organizations and stakeholders to advance IPM adoption by schools and districts. Outline how the project will be promoted to ensure project information and outcomes are clearly presented and reach the intended audience.

Describe how the project will ensure that information and outcomes will be of use to participating, we well as additional school districts, regions, and/or states so that the project may continue after EPA funding ends.

Part IV. Project Performance Measures and Expected Outcomes and Outputs Identify the expected project outputs (see Section I.D.2) and how progress towards achieving the expected outputs will be tracked and measured. For example, output measures should include the: number of school districts, student/staff size, number of school buildings, and school grounds or athletic field acreage impacted by the project.

Identify the expected quantitative and qualitative outcomes of the project (see Section I.D.3), including what measurements (direct or surrogate) will be used to track your progress towards achieving the expected outcomes and how the results of the project will be evaluated. Direct measures identify actual environmental changes occurring from IPM programs. For example: reductions in pesticide use over time, or attendance records pre- and post-IPM program implementation. In contrast, surrogate measures identify changes in strategies or behavior that should lead to environmental changes.

For example: an increase in the percentage of public and tribal schools or schools systems using an IPM technique. Explain how the results of the project will be evaluated.

Part V. Past Performance - Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance

Submit a list of federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe (i) whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and (ii) your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. Include the primary Federal contact’s name, phone number, and email address for each of the previous assistance agreements submitted. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or reporting information, please indicate this in the proposal and you will receive a neutral score for these factors (a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors

In addition, provide information on your organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project, and your staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

4. Budget Narrative In addition to the SF-424A form, prepare a detailed budget with narrative, explaining/outlining the need for funding under each of the appropriate budget categories as listed below. Link each task or activity from the project work plan to the associated resources needed to accomplish the activity.

Personnel: Include only direct costs for salaries of those individuals who will perform work directly for the project. Identify the personnel type by full time employee. Personnel costs do not include: costs for services of consultants, contractors or other partner organizations.

Include the requested federal and any non-federal cost share in these estimates.

Travel: Include the travel location(s), estimated number of trips, estimated total mileage, applicable reimbursement rate, and number of nights lodging required throughout the entire project period.

Equipment: Include only equipment proposed to be purchased as a direct cost. This does not include equipment to be leased/rented and service/maintenance contracts. Include costs for each item.

Supplies: Include tangible personal property other than equipment. Include a brief description of the supplies required to perform the work and categorized by major supply category. Example: office supplies, computer supplies, etc.

Contractual/Consultant Services: List services and associated costs that are to be carried out by an individual or organization other than the applicant in the form of a procurement relationship. Include a brief description of the scope of work or services to be provided.

Other Direct Costs: Include only those types of direct costs that do not fit in any of the other budget categories. Examples include: printing/photocopying and sub-award costs.

Sub-awards: Any award of financial assistance by any legal agreement made by the recipient to an eligible sub-recipient.

Include sufficient detail for EPA to determine if the costs are eligible, allocable, reasonable, and allowable. For more information, see http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm and for guidelines and a sample budget, see http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/budget%20sample.pdf.

If recommended for funding, you will be required to submit a copy of your organization’s Indirect Cost Rate Agreement if your proposed budget includes indirect costs.

5. Appendix A: Timetable Provide a timetable that details each project objective.

6. Appendix B: Letters of Support Provide letters of support from the organization(s) with whom you intend to collaborate.

7. Appendix C: Resumes Provide brief resumes (not to exceed two pages) for each of the major project participants.

G. Intergovernmental Review

Applicants must comply with the Intergovernmental Review Process and/or consultation provisions of Executive Order 12372 or Section 204 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act, if applicable, which are contained in 40 CFR Part 29. Further information regarding this requirement will be provided if your application is selected for funding.

H. Allowable Costs EPA grant funds may only be used for purposes set forth in the assistance agreement, and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. Assistance agreements funds may not be used to match funds for other federal grants, lobbying or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal government or any other governmental entity. All costs identified in the budget must conform to applicable Federal Cost Principles contained in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E.

I. Additional Provisions For Applicants Incorporated Into The Solicitation:

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to those related to confidential business information, pre-proposal/application assistance, management fees, contracts and subawards under grants, and duplicate funding, can be found at.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing proposals for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/budget%20sample.pdf http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm

V. Proposal Review Information

All proposal packages received will be reviewed by the Agency Contact, or their designee who will determine if the proposals meet the threshold eligibility criteria established in Section III. Proposal packages that meet the threshold eligibility criteria will be evaluated by a review panel convened by the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, against the evaluation criteria described below.

A. Evaluation Criteria Each eligible proposal will be evaluated according to the criteria set forth below. Applicants must directly and explicitly address these criteria as part of their proposal package submittal. Each proposal will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

Criteria Points

1. IPM in Schools Priorities. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the extent to which the project clearly addresses the goals and objectives identified in Section I.C.2.

2. Project Design. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the extent to which the project objectives:

(a) describe a technically/scientifically sound approach with clearly described project goals and measurable objectives (10 points), and

(b) clearly describe anticipated outputs and outcomes and how they protect human health and the environment within the proposed project including technical merit and related improvements (5 points), and

(c) build upon or consider lessons learned from existing efforts (5 points), and

(d) demonstrate collaboration through relevant letters of support (5 points).

3. Outreach, Transferability and Sustainability. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on:

(a) the extent to which the project builds the capacity of organizations to provide resources and support to school districts to increase their adoption of IPM practices (15 points), and

(b) how the project will ensure that information and outcomes will be disseminated to school districts, regions, and states so that the project may continue after EPA funding ends (10 points).

4. Project Performance Measures & Expected Outcomes and Outputs. Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the effectiveness of the applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress toward achieving expected project outputs and outcomes.

The Agency will look at:

(a) the extent to which the proposed project is projected to result in an increase in school districts’ adoption of verifiable school IPM practices (5 points), and

(b) the extent to which the performance measures proposed quantitatively assess the impact of the project (i.e., number of public and/or tribal school students and staff affected by a verifiable school IPM program) (10 points), and

(c) the extent to which the project includes methods for tracking and measuring the applicant’s progress towards achieving the expected project outcomes and outputs. (5 points)

Criteria Points

5. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance: Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to successfully complete and manage the proposed project taking into account the applicant’s:

(a) history of meeting the reporting requirements under the assistance agreements identified in the narrative proposal as described in Section IV.D.3.d.V of the announcement including whether the applicant submitted acceptable final technical reports under those agreements and the extent to which the applicant adequately and timely reported on their progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes under those agreements and, if such progress was not being made whether the applicant adequately reported, why not, (4 points),

(b) organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project (3 points), and

(c) staff expertise and qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project (3 points).

NOTE: Note: In evaluating applicants under items i and ii of this criterion, the Agency will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources including agency files and prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please indicate this in the proposal and you will receive a neutral score for these subfactors (items a and b above-a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.

7. Budget/Resources: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the following factors:

(a) whether the proposed project budget is appropriate (e.g., realistic, reasonable) to accomplish the proposed goals, objectives, and measurable environmental outcomes (5 points), and

(b) whether the budget narrative provides details of the budget designated for each major activity and justifies the proposed costs (3 points), and

(c) whether the proposed approach, procedures, and controls exist for ensuring that awarded grants funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner. (2 points)

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals will first be evaluated against the threshold eligibility criteria listed in Section III. Only those proposals which meet all the threshold eligibility criteria will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed above by a review panel convened by EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs. Each proposal will be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered according to the average of the reviewers’ numerical scores. Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the Selection Official based on this ranking.

C. Other Factors Final funding decisions will be made by the Selection Official based on the rankings and preliminary recommendations of the EPA evaluation team. In making the final funding decisions, the Selection Official may also consider programmatic priorities and geographic diversity of funds. Once final decisions have been made, a funding recommendation will be developed and forwarded to the EPA Award Official.

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices

1. EPA anticipates notification to the successful applicant will be made via telephone or electronic by September 21, 2015. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the proposal or the project contact listed in the proposal. This notification, which advises that the applicant’s proposed project has been recommended for award, is not an authorization to begin performance. The official notification of award will be made by the Grants Management Officer. Applicants are cautioned that only a grants officer is authorized to bind the Government to the expenditure of funds; selection does not guarantee an award will be made. For example, statutory authorization, funding, or other issues discovered during the award process may affect the ability of EPA to make an award to an applicant. The Approval Official may also consider programmatic priorities and the similarity of the project to other projects already being funded by the EPA. The award notice signed by the EPA grants officer is the authorizing document and will be provided through electronic or postal mail. At a minimum, this process can take up to 90 days or longer from the date of recommendation.

A listing of successful proposals will be posted on the EPA website (http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants) at the conclusion of the competition.

2. EPA anticipates notification to unsuccessful applicant(s) will be made via email by September 21, 2015. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the Standard Form

(SF) 424.

B. Quality Assurance Requirements Awards involving the collection of environmental data will be subjected to the requirements of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and will require coordination with the Agency contact and Project Officer. A QAPP is not required at the time of submittal.

In accordance with 40 CFR 30.54 and 31.45, projects that include the generation or use of environmental data are required to submit a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). This includes efficacy and performance data, surveys and similar results. The award recipient must develop and implement quality assurance and quality control procedures, specifications and documentation that are sufficient to produce data of adequate quality to meet project objectives. The QAPP is the document that provides comprehensive details about the quality assurance/quality control requirements and technical activities that must be implemented to ensure that project objectives are met. The QAPP must be prepared in accordance with EPA QA/R-5: EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans. The QAPP must be submitted to the EPA Project Officer at least 30 days prior to the initiation of data collection or data compilation. Requirements for QAPP’s can found at http://www.epa.gov/quality1/qa_docs.html.

C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements A listing and description of general EPA regulations applicable to the award of assistance agreements may be viewed at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/applicable_epa_regulations_and_description.htm.

If a conference or workshop is an element of the project, the applicant will be required to answer the following questions: Who is initiating the conference/workshop/meeting? How will it be advertised? Whose logo will be on the agenda and materials? What is the percentage of participants, i.e. federal, state, local or public? Will the grant recipient prepare the proceedings and disseminate the information back to the targeted community? Will program income be generated from this event?

http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/school-integrated-pest-management-ipm-grants http://www.epa.gov/quality1/qa_docs.html http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/applicable_epa_regulations_and_description.htm

Indirect costs must be included in the funding amount. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.414, any non-federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, except for those non-federal entities described in 2 CFR 200 – States and Local Government and Indian Tribe Indirect Cost Proposals, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all federal awards until such time as a non-federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-federal entity may apply to do at any time. Any non-federal entity that has a federally negotiated indirect cost rate may apply for a one-time extension of a current negotiated indirect cost rate for a period of up to four years. This extension will be subject to the review and approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs. If an extension is granted, the non-federal entity may not request a rate review until the extension period ends. At the end of the four-year extension, the non-federal entity must re-apply to negotiate a rate.

D. Reporting Requirements The successful applicant(s) will be required to submit project activity reports throughout the duration of the project, as frequently as quarterly, as directed by the EPA Project Officer.

Project activity reports must address the status of all objectives and activities outlined in the project (including measures), a statement of impacts, and incurred project expenses. A final project report is also required 90 days following the end of the project period. Related published reports and research publications on the project with analytical data should be attached when applicable. All reports can be submitted either electronically or in hard copy.

E. Dispute Resolution Process Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005) which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/resolution.htm. Copies of these procedures may also be requested by contacting the Agency Contact listed in Section

VII.B.

F. Additional Provisions For Applicants Incorporated Into The Solicitation:

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to DUNS, SAM, copyrights, disputes, and administrative capability, can be found at.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing proposals for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

VII. Agency Contact If you have questions or need additional information regarding this announcement, please contact Cara Finn at 703-305-5659 or finn.cara@epa.gov. All questions or comments must be communicated in writing via email to the contact person listed above. Questions and answers will be posted until the closing date of this announcement on OPP’s web site at:

http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/ipm-grant-faqs.

List of Subjects:

Environmental Protection, School, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Cooperative Agreement, Grant, Assistance Agreement, Pesticides, Pest Management, Educational Networks.

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/resolution.htm http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm http://www2.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/ipm-grant-faqs

ATTACHMENT A. Grants.gov Submission Instructions

Grants.gov Instructions

The electronic submission of your application must be made…