2018rfpp2grant.pdf

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 2018 – FY 2019 Pollution Prevention Grant Program

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

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Proposals

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 66.708

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-001

SUBMISSION DATE: Proposals are due Thursday, April 26, 2018, 11:59 pm, (EDT). Proposals will be electronically date and time stamped. EPA will receive proposals electronically through Grants.gov. Please refer to Section IV for full information on the submission process. Proposals 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 expected to be performed in each EPA region that provide technical assistance and/or training to businesses/facilities to help them adopt source reduction approaches (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise 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 approaches can result in reductions in toxic pollutants, the use of water, energy and other raw materials, while also lowering business costs. For this current round of grants, EPA is putting additional emphasis on documenting and sharing the P2 best practices and innovations identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these approaches and outcomes. Therefore, in general, grant recipients must document and report on the P2 recommendations where they are provided to businesses/facilities as part of the technical assistance, and at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by the businesses/facilities that received the technical assistance and training (alternative reporting provisions are available if technical assistance is broadly provided to businesses/facilities – see Section VI.C.3.b.). If necessary, awardee budgets and workplans may allot time and/or set-aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding provided for an optional third-year to collect and report on the P2 approaches adopted. States, state entities and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply.

If Congress appropriates Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and 2019 funds for the P2 Program at levels comparable to

FY 2017 funding levels, the EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding for these two-year assistance agreements (approximately $4.69 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2019 funds). P2 awards are expected to be performed in each EPA region and will be funded in the form of grants or cooperative agreements. Please note that notwithstanding the potential amounts stated above, these amounts are estimates only and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations.

http://www.grants.gov/

2 | P a g e

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read this announcement in its entirety as it provides important new information on the goals of the program, offers updated agency grant policies and program requirements, and provides new evaluation criteria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. BACKGROUND

A. Programmatic Description

B. How Does EPA Define P2?

C. What is Not P2?

D. What P2 Technical Assistance/Training Approaches May Be Considered Under this RFP? ….…..…...5

E. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria ….………………………………………………………….….5

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance/Training …………………………………………………...6

G. Scope of Work – P2 National Emphasis Areas …………………………………………………………6

H. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes & Performance Measures …………………...8

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Funding Amounts

B. Funding Types

C. Partial Funding

III. ELIGIBILITY

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……...……………..…………13

E. Threshold Program Requirements

IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISISON INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Proposals through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

B. Grants.gov Submission Instructions

C. Technical Issues with Submission

D. Proposal Content and Format

E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

3 | P a g e

F. Opportunity for Questions and Answers Regarding this Announcement……………….……………..21

V. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation……..………………………...24

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Submission Requirements

C. Administrative Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDICES

Appendix A National Emphasis Area Project Examples .......................................................................... A-1

Appendix B Sample Cover Page ................................................................................................................B-1

Appendix C Guidance for Addressing Environmental Results, Measurement and Reporting ..................C-1

Appendix D Itemized Budget Detail Guidance and Template Example .................................................. D-1

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

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

SECTION I. BACKGROUND

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 expected to be performed in each

EPA region to provide information, training and technical assistance to businesses/facilities to encourage the adoption and implementation of source reduction approaches. Adoption of source reduction approaches can help businesses to 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. For this funding opportunity, EPA is putting additional emphasis on documenting, reporting and sharing information on P2 approaches to allow others to benefit from the lessons learned from the technical assistance/training provided through these grants so they may replicate those P2 approaches and outcomes. Therefore, as described in Section VI.C.3 of this RFP, award recipients must document and report on P2 recommendations where they are provided to

4 | P a g e businesses/facilities as part of the technical assistance, and at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by the businesses/facilities that received the technical assistance (alternative reporting provisions are available if technical assistance is broadly provided to businesses/facilities – see Section VI.C.3.b). If necessary, awardee budgets and workplans may allot time and/or set-aside funds from the potential two years of federal funding provided for an optional third-year to perform the required follow-up with the businesses/facilities in order to report on the P2 approaches adopted.

If Congress appropriates Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and 2019 funds for the P2 Program at levels comparable to FY 2017 funding levels, the EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding for these two-year assistance agreements (approximately $4.69 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2019 funds). Please note that notwithstanding the potential amounts stated above, these amounts are estimates only and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations. Eligible entities for awards include States, state entities, federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia (see Section III for additional eligibility information). 1 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.

Under this solicitation, EPA is interested in receiving proposals that will:

a. Provide technical assistance and/or training to businesses/facilities about source reduction techniques to help them adopt and implement source reduction approaches, and to increase the development, adoption, and market penetration of greener products and sustainable manufacturing practices.

b. Identify, develop, document and share P2 best management practices and innovations so this information may inform future technical assistance, and these P2 approaches and outcomes may be replicated by others.

B. 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 housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control. EPA has also interpreted P2 as including practices that increase efficient use of water, energy, 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 publically-owned/operated by the state in order to be eligible. Colleges and universities must include documentation within their proposal. Documentation 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, etc. Federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia must meet the requirements for treatment in a manner similar to a state. The requirements for tribes are referenced in 40 CFR 35.663 and 40 CFR 35.504 respectively.

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

5 | P a g e raw materials, or other resources, or that may protect natural resources through conservation methods.

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.

C. 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 the providing of a service (refer to PPA Section 6603 and 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662).

Recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal activities, and management of or processing of non-hazardous solid waste (e.g., paper/cardboard, glass, plastics, etc.) are not P2 activities and cannot serve as a basis for P2 grant funding. If any of these activities represent more than a small and ancillary part of the proposed work, EPA will not consider the proposal 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 contact the EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and

Recovery.

D. What P2 Technical Assistance/Training Approaches May Be Considered Under this RFP? General approaches for providing P2 information, technical assistance and training to businesses to encourage adoption and implementation of source reduction may include, but are not limited to: 1) Best

Management Practices – Identifying, developing and documenting P2 best management practices or new P2 tools for businesses and disseminating the approaches and outcomes for others to replicate; 2)

On-site Technical Assistance – Conducting on-site technical assistance for businesses/facilities on source reduction approaches; 3) Safer Chemical Use – Helping businesses assess and then redesign their operations, processes and supply-chain practices by replacing harmful toxic chemicals with safer chemical alternatives; 4) Training – Conducting rudimentary, intermediate and/or advanced P2 trainings on use of P2 tools, adopting P2 approaches on preventing or reducing the release of hazardous materials or adopting environmental management system protocols; 5) Community-based P2 –Enhancing existing or creating new community-initiated or community-based projects focused on P2 to help businesses decrease their environmental footprints; and, 6) P2 Themed Roundtables and Meetings –

Organizing business or community collaborations where P2 opportunities and solutions are identified, developed, enhanced, shared and follow-up is conducted with participants to track and record behavioral change.

E. Statutory/Regulatory Authority Criteria: As mandated under Section 6605(b) of the PPA and EPA's

P2 regulations at 40 CFR 35.342 and 35.661, a P2 grant proposal must address at least one or more 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

3. Provides training in source reduction techniques. Such training may be provided through local http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management-olem#orcr http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management-olem#orcr

6 | P a g e engineering schools or other appropriate means.

F. Engaging Partners in Technical Assistance/Training: Applicants are encouraged to develop relationships with federal, state or tribal agencies, other technical assistance providers, trade associations or environmental programs to strengthen their expertise and knowledge of P2 approaches, their ability to provide technical assistance service to businesses, and to leverage resources.

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 adopted program priorities referred to as P2 National Emphasis Areas (NEAs). The NEAs can also help facilitate sharing information from

P2 technical assistance and/or training to businesses nationwide.

Applicants proposals must address one or more of the NEA topic areas identified below as the focus of their P2 grant proposals. Below, descriptive language is provided to explain the intent of each NEA.

Note: For added information, a list of possible P2 grant projects that may be carried out under each NEA are provided in Appendix A. The NEA project examples in Appendix A are provided for illustrative purposes only.

NEA #1: Business-Based Pollution Prevention Solutions Supporting Toxic Substances Control

Act (TSCA) Priorities and Chemical Safety: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects that identify, test, implement and/or disseminate business-based P2 solutions for TSCA-regulated chemicals3, with particular emphasis on chemicals identified in the TSCA 2014 Workplan for

Chemical Assessments.4 Projects under this NEA should facilitate and encourage businesses to identify and adopt chemical and process alternatives, and promote innovative efforts on market-driven research, product design, product substitution and product applications that target source reduction, i.e., reducing the use and release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.

Refer to Appendix A for project examples.

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.

3 TSCA Inventory – https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory.

4 TSCA 2014 Workplan – https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update.

https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update

7 | P a g e

NEA #2: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects to support more sustainable food and beverage manufacturing and processing entities in

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 311 and 3121 resulting in reduced toxic air emissions or water discharges, water or energy usage, hazardous materials generation and use, and/or business costs.5 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, but may be considered under other NEAs if the scope of the project is consistent with those other NEAs. Refer to Appendix A for project examples, NEA #3: Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Approaches in States or Communities: Carry out P2 technical assistance and projects to support state or community-based approaches to hazardous materials source reduction to reduce the generation and use of hazardous materials from business or industry sectors.6 This NEA is intended to leverage governmental/business/economic/infrastructure resources within a geographically contiguous area to address local (community) or broader (state) environmental and public health issues using P2 approaches. Note: For federally-recognized tribes, businesses may also include businesses operated by the tribe. Refer to Appendix A for project examples.

Note: Some EPA regions have elected to add Regional Focus Areas that expand upon one or more of the NEAs and reflect Regional Pollution Prevention Program needs. Applicants proposing projects to be performed within those regions should consider opportunities to support the Regional Focus Areas listed below in their proposals. Reference markers are placed by the Region’s Focus Area to denote the NEA with which they are associated.

Region 1 (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT):

Region 1 values projects focused on business sectors that use any of the TSCA priority chemicals which aim to evaluate alternatives, share information regarding alternatives and/or identify barriers to use of alternatives to these chemicals. Region 1 also values projects that identify sectors and universes that use TSCA priority chemicals and provide technical assistance and/or regulatory information and updates to business sectors identified. NEA #1

Region 1 values projects focused on dairy production which target reduction of water pollutant discharges and air pollutant emissions. Other projects for food manufacturing should focus on providing technical assistance resulting in pollutant reductions rather than roundtable discussions.

NEA #2

Region 1 values projects that achieve air pollutant reductions, especially targeting hazardous air pollutants in densely populated urban areas. Region 1 values projects conducted in partnership with business trade associations, municipal associations, community organizations and/or utility companies. Region 1 also values projects among beverage manufacturing/processing projects that

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

6 The term community as defined under this emphasis area applies to businesses, industry sectors, multi-organizational partnerships, and disadvantaged or underserved communities within geographically-defined land areas (e.g., federally-recognized tribal lands, state, county, city, township, etc.).

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/eos/www/naics/

8 | P a g e reduce discharges of water pollutants, especially those of brewery or other beverage operations with discharges impacting publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). NEAs #2 and #3

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, and VI):

Region 2 encourages proposals from all states and territories in the Region, but is particularly interested in proposals that focus on:

Manufacturing and other sectors in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that use TSCA-regulated chemicals, especially chemicals identified as priorities under the Lautenberg Chemical

Safety for the 21st Century Act. NEA #1

Food manufacturing and processing sectors involving small businesses in Puerto Rico and the

U.S. Virgin Islands. NEA #2

Green engineering and green chemistry approaches in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

NEA #3

Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE):

Region 7 encourages proposals from each NEA, but under the Hazardous Materials Source Reduction

Approaches in States or Communities NEA, the region is particularly interested in proposals that:

Carry out P2 projects to support state or community-based approaches to hazardous materials source reduction activities that reduce the generation and discharge of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants from business or industry sectors. NEA #3

H. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures:

Applicants must also address the following items in their proposals:

1. Linkage to EPA’s Strategic Plan: The activities to be funded under this announcement support

EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan (available at http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html). Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1: Core Mission – Deliver Real Results to Provide Americans with Clean Air, Land and Water, and Ensure Chemical Safety, Objective 1.1 – Improve Air Quality; Objective 1.2 –

Provide for Clean and Safe Water; Objective 1.3 – Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination: and, Objective 1.4 – Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace. All applications must be for projects that support the goals and objectives identified above.

2. Performance Measurement Plan for Expected Environmental Outcomes and Outputs:

Applicants must also include a comprehensive plan for gathering and reporting on the expected outputs and outcomes of the proposed project. Definition and guidance on the terms, “output” and

“outcome” are provided below. This Plan shall:

i. State the types of businesses to be targeted for technical assistance, including NAICS code if possible.

ii. Provide information on the expected environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html

9 | P a g e will demonstrate how the project will: a) meet the proposed objectives of project; and b) contribute to the goals and objectives described in the Agency’s Strategic Plan.

iii. Describe the means that the P2 technical assistance will be provided (e.g., on-site assistance technical assistance visits to businesses to identify and develop P2 best management practices and innovations; off-site or remote support; referring clients to other technical assistance materials and sources; offering training to multiple businesses; roundtables within business sectors or communities to explore and develop P2 solutions, etc.).

iv. Describe how the information described in the reporting section of this RFP (Section

VI.C.3) will be collected (e.g., follow-up phone calls, letters, e-mails, or on-site visits), as well as how data on outputs and outcomes from technical assistance provided will be measured.

For more information, refer to Appendix C – Guidance for Addressing Environmental

Results, Measurement and Reporting. And, refer to EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental

Results under Assistance Agreements, (https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements).

Outputs. The term “output” means an activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. In the P2 Program, outputs are work products (related to P2) that you expect to produce. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement may include the following measures, or other output measures the awardee and EPA regional office would like to include:

o Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process o Number of technical assistance assessments or visits o Number of recommendations made to businesses/facilities o Number of recommendations implemented/adopted by businesses/facilities o Number of workshops, trainings and courses conducted o Number of businesses/facilities attending workshops, trainings and courses.

o Number of fact sheets developed or distributed o Types of skills and abilities achieved by training participants

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 qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must also be quantitative. In the P2 Program, outcomes are results (corresponding to EPA P2 measures) that you expect to report from implemented P2 activities. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Expected outcomes from the P2 technical assistance and project(s) to be funded under this announcement should include the following measures as relevant, as well as other outcome measures the awardee and EPA regional office would like to include:

o Pounds of hazardous materials and emissions reduced o Gallons of water saved o Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced (MTCO2e) https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

10 | P a g e o Dollars saved through P2 efforts

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards & Funding Amounts: If Congress appropriates Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and 2019 funds for the P2 Program at levels comparable to FY 2017 funding levels, the EPA may award a total of approximately $9.38 million in federal P2 grant funding over a two-year funding cycle

(approximately $4.69 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $4.69 million in FY 2019 funds).

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). Future incremental funding will be contingent on satisfactory performance, funding availability, congressional appropriations and/or other applicable considerations. EPA regions that have lower award caps are noted below. Awardees will be expected to provide funds to match the federal award, as described in Section III.C. All awards will support P2 technical assistance and/or training, and the identification, development, documentation and sharing P2 best management practices and innovations. The awardee’s budget and workplan may allot time and set aside funds from the two-year award for an optional third-year if needed, to obtain the required follow-up information to report on the adoption of P2 approaches by businesses they provided technical assistance/training under the grant, as described in Section VI.C.3. of this RFP. EPA expects to make awards for projects in each EPA region. In their proposal, 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.

Region 1 – Federal awards may be in the range of $40,000-$180,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $90,000 incrementally funded per year). Projects that benefit multiple states in Region 1 may have a two-year cap of $200,000.

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).

Region 3 – Federal awards may be in the range of $40,000- $400,000 issued over a two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $200,000 incrementally funded per year).

Region 4 - Federal awards may be in the range of $40,000 - $160,000, issued over a two-year funding period (between $20,000 - $80,000 incrementally funded per year).

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

The number and amount of P2 grants issued will depend upon the factors noted above including funding availability Congressional appropriations, satisfactory performance, the quality of proposals 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 proposals and issue no awards, or issue fewer awards than anticipated, under this solicitation. All awards will be consistent with the 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.

11 | P a g e

B. Funding 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.

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 contractors 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.

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 grant recipient. As such, EPA may:

Review and approve project phases;

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

Review and approve proposed procurements in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2

CFR 200.318;

Monitor the operation of the projects;

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

Closely monitor the recipient's performance;

Approve any proposed changes to the work plan and/or budget; and

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).

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

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY

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 state colleges and universities, federally-recognized Indian tribes that meet the requirements for treatment in a manner similar to a state as described in (40 CFR 35.663), and Intertribal

Consortia that meet the requirements in (40 CFR 35.504). State agencies, state colleges and universities that are agencies or instrumentalities of a state government are eligible. Colleges and universities must

12 | P a g e be chartered, commissioned or publically-owned/operated by the state in order to be eligible. Colleges and universities must include documentation within their proposal, 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, etc. Federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia must meet the requirements for treatment in a manner similar to a state. The requirements for tribes are referenced in 40 CFR 35.663 and 40 CFR 35.504 respectively.

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.C.

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

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:

dollars; in-kind goods and services (such as volunteered time, photocopying and printing services, etc.);

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 assistant 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.7

Note: Cost sharing and matching requirements for proposals under $200,000 for Insular area applicants (the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands) are waived as a matter of law as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977, as amended, 48 U.S.C. Section 1469a. Insular area applicants with proposals that require a cost share of

$200,000 or greater are advised to contact EPA to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in whole or in part.

C. Requirements for Applicants Using Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) Agreements: 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 the grant funds. The proposed project under this grant announcement must have a project period that is within the PPG project period. It cannot be longer than the PPG project period. Under this competition, proposals from eligible entities must first be selected under the

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

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-306.pdf

13 | P a g e competitive grant process described in this announcement and, in accordance with 40 CFR 35.138, the work-plan commitments that would have been included in the work-plan must be included in the PPG work-plan. If selected for an award under this competitive grant process (40 CFR 35.535), P2 grant funds will be included in the PPG. At that point, the recipient does not need to account for these funds in accordance with the funds’ original program source. If the work-plan differs significantly from the work-plan approved for funding under this competition, the Regional Administrator must consult the

National Program Office (40 CFR 35.535). The purpose of this consultation requirement is to address the issue of ensuring that a project which is awarded funding under this competition is implemented as proposed once combined with other grant programs in a 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 tribes and intertribal consortia provided in 40 CFR Part 35, Subpart B.

Note: Applicants should indicate in their proposal 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.

D. PPG Cost Share/Match Reduction for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia: Tribes and intertribal consortia that include awarded P2 grant funds into an approved PPG, will have their cost share/match requirement reduced from 50 percent to five percent (40 CFR 35.535 (b)) of the total allowable cost of their work-plan budgets. This action will apply to those grant funds 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 Regional Administrator – 40 CFR 35.536(d)). If the PPG is older than two years at the time of award of the competitive grant funds under this solicitation, tribes and intertribal consortia should contact the EPA person identified in Section VII of this solicitation or the project officer for the

PPG. The Agency will then make a preliminary determination as to the percent of cost share/match required for the grant funds awarded under this announcement (see the regulations at 40 CFR 35.536(c)) so that applicants can include that cost share/match requirement in their applications.

Tribes and intertribal consortia should prepare budgets and proposed work-plans based upon the assumption that EPA will approve the adjusted cost share for the grant funds or a waived cost share as authorized for PPGs under 40 CFR 35.536. If tribes or intertribal consortia do not or cannot include grants awarded under this announcement as part of an approved PPG, or subsequently choose to withdraw the competitively awarded grants from their PPG, the tribe or intertribal consortia must then meet the applicable cost share/match requirements 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 requirement 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 project will be performed as initially proposed and in accordance with the adjusted budget reflecting the applicable cost share/match requirement and federal award amount.

Additionally, tribes or intertribal consortia interested in obtaining a cost share/match waiver for the funds to be awarded under this announcement must submit a cost share waiver request as part of their proposal submission-such request is not subject to any page limitations specified for the proposal in Section IV of this solicitation. The cost share/match requirement may be waived entirely by the Regional 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

14 | P a g e

Administrator if, based on an objective assessment of socioeconomic indicators, the Regional

Administrator determines that meeting the cost share would impose an undue hardship.

E. Threshold Program Requirements: Proposals must meet the Threshold Program Requirements 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 proposal submission will result in elimination of the proposal from consideration for funding. Only proposals from eligible entities (see above) that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of this 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. Proposals must adhere to the definition of P2 and statutory criteria of P2 grants – Sections I.B and

I.E.

2. The preponderance of work described in proposals must support providing technical assistance, training and information to businesses on P2 and/or the identification, development, documentation and sharing of P2 best management practices and innovations so this information may be further used as technical assistance – Sections I.A, I.B and I.D. Non-P2 technical assistance, training and information may only represent a small and ancillary part of the proposed work. If proposals 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 entire proposals unsuitable for funding.

3. Proposals must address one or more of the P2 National Emphasis Areas – Section I.G.

4. Proposals must describe a link to the EPA Strategic Plan and Expected Environmental Outcomes and Outputs – Section I.H.

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

6. Proposals 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 Sections III.D.

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

8. Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the proposal submission deadline. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV by the submission deadline.

9. 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 System for Award

Management (SAM) issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their proposal through http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1 https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1

15 | P a g e

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 proposals with their applicable EPA region noted in Section VII as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in proposals not being reviewed. Note: To access the SAM site, users will need to use Internet Explorer version of IE 11 or higher, or use another supported browser type, e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.

10. Applicants must adhere to the page limit requirement for the narrative proposal (Section IV.D).

Excess pages will not be reviewed.

SECTION IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Proposals through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures:

Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this P2 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 Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by 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: Courier Address:

OGD Waivers OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand c/o Jessica Durand

USEPA Headquarters Ronald Reagan Building

William Jefferson Clinton Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Rm # 51278

Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20004

Washington, DC 20460

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

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) – EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-001

Organization’s Name and DUNS Number

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

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 Grants.gov.

EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated and will provide a timely response 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 http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.gov

16 | P a g e and deadlines in this 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 toward 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…