EPA-I-R1-SNEP-2024A (FINAL).pdf

SOUTHEAST NEW ENGLAND PROGRAM

2024 Request for Proposals for the Southeast New England Program Opportunity to Advance Resilience (SOAR) Fund

Federal Agency Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Region 1

Funding Opportunity Title: 2024 Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Opportunity to Advance Resilience (SOAR) Fund

Announcement Type: Request for Proposal (RFP)

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-I-R1-SNEP-2024A

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.129

Important Dates

Informational Webinar April 16, 2024; 11:00AM – 1:00PM EDT via Microsoft Teams

Last day to Ask Questions May 1, 2024; 11:59PM EDT RFP Closing Date and Proposal Deadline June 7, 2024; 11:59PM EDT Anticipated Applicant Notification Late June 2024 Anticipated Deadline for Recipients to Submit Remaining Required Proposal Materials

Within 30 days of selection notification

Anticipated Award of Funds August 2024 Anticipated Project(s) Start date Fall 2024 *Project start date is negotiable

Dates: Proposal must be received by electronic submission through Grants.gov on or before 11:59 P.M.

EDT 06/7/2024. Late proposals will not be considered for funding. Questions about this RFP must be submitted in writing via e-mail (SECoastalNE@epa.gov) and must be received by the Agency Contact identified in Section VII by 05/1/2024. EPA will post written responses on EPA’s website at:

http:/www.epa.gov/snep. Following evaluation of proposals, EPA will notify all applicants regarding their proposal status.

Note to Applicants: If the applicant names sub-awardees/sub-grantee and /or contractor(s) in their proposal to assist with the proposed project, please pay careful attention to the information in the CONTRACTS AND SUBAWARDS provision founds at https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients.

Contents by Section

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A) Executive Orders and Definitions

B) Background of the Southeast New England Program (SNEP)

C) SNEP Strategic Plan

D) SNEP Opportunity to Advance Resilience (SOAR) in Disadvantaged Communities https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MDExNDU1ODYtODg5Yi00YjBkLWExNmEtYTA5M2UzYjM5MWNj%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2288b378b3-6748-4867-acf9-76aacbeca6a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22a0e85d0d-c4a6-489d-9e61-7200e096bdfa%22%7d mailto:SECoastalNE@epa.gov http://www.epa.gov/snep https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients

Project Categories:

Examples of Subpar Projects and How to Improve Them:

Funding

Reporting

Community Involvement

Additional Information

E) EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

F) Expected Outputs and Outcomes

G) Statutory Authorization for Award

H) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Linkage

I) Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

J) Minority Serving Institutions

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A) Funding Amount and Expected Number of Awards

B) New Applicant and CEJST Set Aside

C) Award Type

D) Award Funding and Partial Funding Provision

E) Expected Project Period

F) Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Signage Requirement

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A) Eligible Applicants

B) Cost Sharing/Match Requirements

C) Threshold Eligibility Criteria

D) Encouraging Minority Serving Institutions to Compete

IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION FOR RFP

A) Programmatic Capability and Past Performance

B) Coalition Coverage

C) Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

D) Submission Instructions

1. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) Registration Instructions

2. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

3. Proposal Submission Process

4. Proposal Submission Deadline

E) Technical Issues with Submission

F) RFP Proposal Guidelines

G) Proposal Materials

H) Partnerships

V. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

A) Evaluation Process and Criteria

B) Evaluation Criteria for RFP - Maximum Score 100 Points

C) Review and Selection Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A) Award Notification

B) Administrative and National Policy Requirements

C) Reporting

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

A. Feedback on the RFP Proposal Process

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

APPENDIX A. SNEP Map of Disadvantaged Communities

APPENDIX B. Checklist of Required Materials and Description of Proposal Content

Required Materials (as outlined in Section IV.A)

Recommended Format for Project Narratives

Recommended Format for Budget Narratives

APPENDIX C. General Budget Development Guidance

APPENDIX D. Project Metrics

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A) Executive Orders and Definitions For this RFP:

• The “applicant” refers to the organization applying.

• “We” refers to EPA

• “SNEP” refers to the Southeast New England Program. The term “SNEP geographic boundaries” refers to the area within Massachusetts and Rhode Island that includes the south-facing coastal watersheds between Westerly, Rhode Island and Chatham, Massachusetts, the watersheds of the Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay National Estuary Programs (NEPs), and the offshore islands of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Elizabeth Islands (Town of Gosnold, MA), and Block Island (Town of New Shoreham, RI). Projects must occur within this geographic area to be eligible to be considered for funding. A high-resolution map of the SNEP aera is found in

Appendix A and at https://www.epa.gov/snep/background-information-southeast-new-england-program.

• The term “SNEP disadvantaged communities” or “priority areas” refers to the areas within the SNEP geographic region that meets at least one of the criteria in Section I.A. An interactive web proposal detailing these areas is included here:

https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=35aa363ddd574202bc12dcf01 ede86ca

• For the purposes of this RFP, the term “resilience” is defined as a community’s ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant multi-hazard climate-related threats.

• “Meaningful Involvement” means that: (1) potentially affected community residents have an appropriate opportunity to participate in decisions about a proposed activity that will affect their environment; (2) the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision;

(3) the concerns of all participants involved will be considered in the decision-making process;

and (4) the decision-makers seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected. To demonstrate meaningful involvement, applicants must provide a description of the characteristics of the population and challenges facing the community, neighborhood, or Tribe benefitting from the proposed activity, an identification of the potential environmental burdens experienced, and an explanation of how the proposed project will address the identified burdens to demonstrate that their project will provide fair treatment and meaningful involvement to members of communities, neighborhoods, or Tribes in New England that potentially have been disproportionately affected by environmental burdens.

• “Coastal Area” refers to surface waters and land in the SNEP geographic boundary within the Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, and Islands watersheds, and within the state of Rhode Island.

• The “Mission of the SOAR Fund” is to improve and support the resilience of disadvantaged communities throughout the SNEP region with meaningful community involvement as it relates to the design and implementation of projects to address the anticipated effects of climate change and the historic, long-term impacts of environmental and social injustices.

• “Watershed” refers to the direct surface water drainage/runoff and/or ground water recharge area to a receiving water.

• “Shall” means “must.”

• “DAC” refers to disadvantaged communities.

• “SNEP DACs” refers to disadvantaged communities within the boundaries of the Southeast New

England Program that meet the criteria listed below.

This RFP is being issued to support Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, issued on January 20, 2021, which expressed Administration policy that the Federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. For the purposes of this RFP, a “disadvantaged community” or “SNEP disadvantaged community” as defined by SNEP refers to any community (identified at the block group or census tract-level, where specified) that meets at least one of the following criteria:

• Any census block group at or above the 90th percentile for any of EJScreen’s Supplemental Indexes when compared to the nation or state. The National Supplemental Demographic Index is an average of:

Percent low-income;

https://www.epa.gov/snep/background-information-southeast-new-england-program https://www.epa.gov/snep/background-information-southeast-new-england-program https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=35aa363ddd574202bc12dcf01ede86ca https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=35aa363ddd574202bc12dcf01ede86ca mailto:https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen/ejscreen-map-descriptions#soci

Percent limited English speaking;

Percent less than high school education;

Percent unemployed; and where data is available, Communities with low average life expectancy.

• Any census tract defined as disadvantaged in current and future iterations of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool;

• Any current or future federally recognized Tribal Land; and

• Any census block that meets current and future state-level criteria for disadvantaged communities other than those included due to explicit consideration of race-based indicators.

For easy reference, a complete map of disadvantaged communities in the SNEP region that meet this definition is included in the following web mapping proposal.

Please be advised that this definition has been updated as of February 2024 to be more consistent with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Disadvantaged Communities Map. For more information, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/inflation-reduction-act-disadvantaged-communities-map

This RFP also supports Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, issued on January 27, 2021, which deepened the Administration’s commitment to advancing environmental justice by creating the Justice40 Initiative. The Justice40 Initiative establishes a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments—including those in climate change; clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure—flow to disadvantaged communities. Increased technical assistance and community engagement of disadvantaged communities was included as a benefit under Justice40 per the Interim Implementation Guidance for the Justice40 Initiative (M-21-28).

“Environmental justice” as defined by the EPA is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no one group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal environmental programs, and policies.

B) Background of the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) The objective of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) is to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters." Despite continuing progress in achieving these goals, coastal ecosystems are recognized as particularly vulnerable to upstream pollution sources, fragmented management, and the impacts of climate change. The coastal watersheds of southeast New England are prime examples of this vulnerability.

Led by EPA Region 1, SNEP is a geographically based program intended to serve as a collaborative framework for advancing ecosystem and community resiliency, protecting, and restoring water quality, habitat, and ecosystem function, and developing and applying innovative policy, science, and technology https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5 https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5 https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=35aa363ddd574202bc12dcf01ede86ca https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/inflation-reduction-act-disadvantaged-communities-map https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/inflation-reduction-act-disadvantaged-communities-map https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/M-21-28.pdf to environmental management. The program was created to help communities, Tribes, municipalities, government agencies and private organizations improve ecosystem health and build resilience to the unique water quality, habitat and climate stressors faced within southeast coastal New England watersheds, recognizing that the region’s economy and community health are vulnerable and directly tied to the health of its ecological systems. Stressors include but are not limited to nutrient and bacteria pollution; loss of healthy habitat and natural land; vulnerability to sea level rise, changing groundwater levels, and extreme weather patterns; the continued impacts of past industrial uses; and the national legacy of environmental injustice and systematic racism, which has resulted in increased pollution and an historic lack of resources to communities most in need throughout the SNEP region and beyond.

The health, wealth, and wellness of communities throughout the region are directly tied to the region’s unique ecological systems. Traditionally, these problems have been addressed independently, separated by jurisdictions, institutional identities, and sometimes parochial interests. It has become clear, however, that the scope and scale of these environmental stressors calls urgently for a more holistic approach to protecting aquatic ecosystems and sustaining local communities. Created by Congress to take this approach, EPA-SNEP’s role as a partnership facilitator among multiple organizations is central to its mission to empower collective action in these areas, and its focus on the region’s ecosystems offers an opportunity to address complex common issues while also working at the local scale to align restoration and management efforts more broadly to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency.

SNEP’s priorities and goals for the coming years have been laid out in its Five-Year Strategic Plan (https://www.epa.gov/snep/snep-strategic-plan).

C) SNEP Strategic Plan SNEP’s Strategic Plan includes three overarching program goals and their outcomes

Goal 1: Safe and Healthy Waters Desired Outcomes: • Coastal waters support healthy seagrass and benthic communities, fisheries, and shellfisheries. • Coastal waters and ponds are free from algal blooms, hypoxia, and pathogen pollution above natural levels. • Coastal waters and ponds support safe water-based recreation (swimming, boating, fishing/shellfishing, etc.).

Goal 2: Thriving Watersheds and Natural Lands Desired Outcomes: • Water and landscape components maintain diverse natural lands and habitats;

support native species diversity and inhibit the introduction, spread, and impact of invasive and nuisance species; and provide critical services such as pollution attenuation, air purification, flood protection, carbon sequestration, and pollination. • Habitat can adapt and/or migrate in response to the climate change impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, higher temperature, and altered precipitation patterns. • Major rivers discharging to Narragansett Bay, and streams discharging to embayments sustain aquatic habitat with adequate stream flow, appropriate temperature, riparian buffer, and stream connectivity.

Goal 3: Sustainable Communities Desired Outcomes: • Secure sustainable water-based resources to foster local economies in the key areas of tourism, property values, and locally significant industries. • Communities support and implement resilient development that protects populated areas and vulnerable infrastructure through nature-based solutions and climate adaptation approaches. • Communities ensure widespread access to local greenspace to support mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. • The region develops a locally https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-systemic-racism-speaker-series https://www.epa.gov/snep/snep-strategic-plan http://chrome-extension/efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/snep-2021-2025-strategic-plan.pdf sustainable food production framework that provides access to healthy foods in the region. • The region establishes policies to foster social/climate equity and eliminate disproportionate harmful impacts to Environmental Justice (EJ) and underserved communities in the region.

In support of these goals, SNEP has outlined the following priority actions:

- Increase local capacity to complete projects and adopt new policies

- Increase available solutions

- Ensure diverse representation in program decision-making

- Demonstrate ways to address common challenges; and

- Increase community leaders’ understanding of the benefits of restoration projects

D) SNEP Opportunity to Advance Resilience (SOAR) in Disadvantaged Communities The Mission of the SOAR Fund is to improve and support the resilience of disadvantaged communities throughout the SNEP region with meaningful community involvement as it relates to the design and implementation of projects to address the anticipated effects of climate change and the historic, long-term impacts of environmental and social injustices. Through this initiative, SNEP plans to fund a host of planning, implementation, outreach, training, capacity, and staff-building projects that correspond with the goals, objectives and priorities outlined in SNEP’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

Project Categories:

To support the above goals, applicants should propose projects that broadly address at least one of the following categories:

Planning: Planning projects are those that engage subject matter experts and/or local input on the development of technical solutions to address the effects of short-, mid-, to long-term environmental challenges.

Planning Project Example: The applicant’s community is threatened by sea-level rise, extreme storms, or other climate impacts. The applicant applies to the SOAR to find ways to address short-term issues related to these impacts, like flooding. The project includes a community-driven process to hear about community concerns and to identify solutions. A climate resilience strategy is developed that prioritizes short-, mid-, and long-term hazards, includes solutions that address resident concerns, and establishes a pathway to gain financing to address these hazards.

Implementation: Implementation projects are “shovel-ready” projects that stem from previously completed planning and design efforts. These can include the development of a floodable park, the restoration of a marsh with improved access to recreational spaces, etc.

Implementation Project Example: The applicant’s community has identified the issue of frequent neighborhood flooding due to insufficient stormwater control measures and previously completed a community-driven planning effort to identify solutions. The applicant requests funding to complete one or more of those solutions. Solutions provide both environmental and community benefits, for example using available space in the neighborhood to build a pocket park that is designed to hold flood waters and can also be used for public gatherings and to support a community garden. Alternatively, available vacant land is used to install raingardens to lessen flooding, while including adjacent tree shading to reduce air pollution and provide a relaxing space for residents. The applicant and community partners apply to the SOAR to implement the proposed design plans in partnership with residents and their city/town, which offers to provide additional funds in support of the project.

Outreach: Outreach projects can be completed jointly with planning and implementation work.

Outreach projects work to gather community input and involvement in the design, support, or understanding of a specific environmental challenge or proposed solution.

Outreach Project Example: The accessibly of a local pond to allow monitoring of water quality to access the impacts of climate change, which also provides the sole access to green space in an otherwise developed landscape, is poor to nonexistent. A local environmental organization applies to the SOAR to involve residents in a project to help with restoring walking trails, restoring native plants, increasing the tree canopy, and improving stormwater management and decreased runoff around this important community resource. However, the organization wants to make sure that the project is designed and implemented through a community-driven design process that prioritizes the input of residents. The organization applies to the SOAR Fund to hire professional facilitators and host three community meetings where residents are compensated for their time.1 The goal of these community meetings is to walk residents through several design charettes to ensure that the project meets the needs of the community. The grant will additionally support the development of a steering committee of regional partners that will develop a resilience plan, and a vision for the pond that includes community events.

Training: Projects that focus on the provision of new skillsets to local organizational members or paid volunteers to support environmental restoration practices to improve climate resiliency. Ideally, the training and skillsets provided will have a lasting benefit to recipients of the training and can be used to support environmental protection and career growth.

Training Project Example: A well-established community organization has been working for decades to restore and protect an urban river that had been previously polluted by years of industrialization and climate change. Their work has been successful in revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood, which has since seen a rapid development of affordable housing and urban green space. The community organization applies to the SOAR to develop a training program for local high schoolers to become climate resiliency stewards and educators – to participate in the maintenance of the riverbanks, to train and mentor younger volunteers, and to educate their communities on the history of the green space and the importance of its protection to improve climate resiliency. The training program is designed in a way to provide meaningful, hands-on skills, and expertise that can help participants enter the job market with experience as climate resiliency stewards and advocates.

Capacity building/staffing: Grant funds for capacity building and staffing would be applied towards increasing the administrative capacity of an organization to support climate change related projects in underserved and disadvantaged areas. These funds could be used to hire a paid intern or full/partially fund the hiring of a full-time staff person. Ideally, anyone hired with these capacity-building grants will be retained following the end of the grant cycle. Alternatively, grants funded under this category could be used to improve or modernize an organization’s capacity to engage in climate change related work in disadvantaged communities (DACs).

Capacity building/staffing Project Example: A local municipality recently received an influx of grant funding to support projects in underserved and disadvantaged sections of their city/town. The capacity of the municipality is limited; and the funding received, while generous, is not enough to cover the

1 Compensation for attending community meetings should be included in the budget as a participant support cost (PSC). For more information on EPA’s PSC policy, please reference Appendix C. and/or visit:

https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2018-g05-r1 https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2018-g05-r1 hiring and training of a new staff person to oversee the implementation of planned climate change related projects. The municipality applies to the SOAR to help pay for the hiring and training of a new staff person to oversee the implementation of climate resilience projects over the lifetime of the grant, after which point, the municipality will have had enough time to secure funds to keep their new hire on staff full-time.

Examples of Subpar Projects and How to Improve Them:

The following are examples of projects – organized by project category - that are subpar and not immediately well-suited to the mission of the SOAR Fund. Following each example is an explanation of how each example could have been improved.

Planning: A municipality that is partially identified as disadvantaged applies to the SOAR Fund for help in developing a Climate Action Plan for their entire town. The project does not have an explicit impact or focus on the disadvantaged areas of their town and does not include any specific involvement of DAC community members.

To make this project more competitive and in line with the mission of the SOAR Fund, this applicant could have worked explicitly with the DACs in their municipality to design a project that meets the needs of that community.

Implementation: A well-known wetlands restoration organization applies to the SOAR Fund to transition a retired cranberry bog back into a natural wetland. The bog is located just upstream of a DAC; but is not easily accessible to community members and does not have any history of being used as recreational space. Further, the proposed project does not include any plans to provide public access; and does not include any mention or evidence of meaningful community support or involvement in the project.

Because the applicant has not demonstrated any direct ties or benefit to an EJ community, this type of restoration project might not be the best fit for the SOAR Fund, even though it’s located upstream from a DAC. However, if the applicant could have demonstrated strong interest from DAC residents for restoration of the bog and improved recreational access, then this project would have been more competitive.

Outreach: A local community organization applies to the SOAR Fund for help designing and implementing a Trash-Free Waters campaign. SOAR Funds would be used to pay stipends to local community members to educate their community on the importance of minimizing single-use plastics, properly disposing trash, and refraining from littering. The campaign would be held over a 12-week period in the summer and then disband.

The primary focus of the SOAR Fund is to improve climate resilience in DACs throughout the SNEP region. In this example, the applicant makes no mention of benefits to DACs with this campaign; and while this project has merit on its own, a trash free campaign does not have strong ties to climate resilience. This applicant might instead have considered an outreach campaign to solicit community input on siting and designing pocket parks or cooling centers throughout a DAC to increase community resilience and to counteract the effects of a warmer climate.

Training: A local restoration organization is working on a project to minimize beach erosion through the planting of native beach grasses. The organization applies to the SOAR Fund for materials and funds to provide stipends to community volunteers who will be trained on how to plant and stabilize native beach grasses along the shore. The beach is in a DAC block group but is primarily used by waterfront property owners nearby the beach and is not readily accessed by DAC members. There is not strong community support within the DAC block group for the project.

To improve this project, the applicant might instead have considered developing community support for beach improvement and increased access to the waterfront for other members of the community.

The projects that are most well-suited to the SOAR Fund are those that have community support and tie directly to an increase in climate resiliency for DACs.

Capacity building/staffing: A municipality with several DACs received an influx of funding but has limited capacity to manage that funding. They apply to the SOAR to hire an administrative staff person to manage routine administrative tasks in their office so that they can assign their more experienced staff persons to oversee the implementation of climate resiliency projects in DACs.

To improve this proposal, the person hired via the SOAR grant should be the person to oversee climate resiliency projects in DACs. The SOAR grant cannot fund persons not directly related to the improvement of climate resiliency in DACs.

Funding Funding amounts can vary. The SOAR Fund is designed to fund projects in the $50k-$300k range. It is our intent to fund a range of project proposals, which could include up to three (3) $300k projects with the remaining funds allocated to smaller awards. New applicants who have not previously administered federal grant funds are strongly encouraged to tailor their proposals in accordance with their administrative and technical capacities and capabilities.

The SOAR Fund is inclusive of both new applicant and CEJST set asides with commitments of 40% and 70% of projects funded, respectively. For more information, please reference Section II.B.

EPA intends to issue a similar funding opportunity annually for the next four years. Each year, the SNEP- SOAR Fund intends to compete up to $1,250,000 plus any remaining unused funds from the year prior, if any. All funding decisions are subject to funding availability, quality of proposals, and other applicable considerations, such as the geographic distribution of project awards and the impact of each project on the Coastal Area, as previously defined in Section I.A.

SOAR-funded projects will be funded in full. No incremental awards will be provided via this funding opportunity. However, because the SNEP-SOAR Fund is expected to be competed annually over the next four years, prospective applicants might consider developing scalable projects. For example, an applicant could apply under this funding opportunity to fund a 1-year project to develop a green infrastructure plan for their community. Once complete, the applicant could then apply to the SOAR in a subsequent year to implement the plan that they’ve previously designed.

Reporting Selected applicants will be expected to report on program and environmental metrics as the award progresses. Because each project will likely address differing environmental issues, specific metrics will be finalized by EPA and the applicant at the time of award, but generally are expected to be selected from a list of common SNEP metrics (see Appendix D). Applicants should include anticipated reporting costs in their budget. SNEP staff will be available to assist all recipients and will work with grantees to ensure that reporting burdens are commensurate with funding levels.

Community Involvement It is critical for proposals to clearly demonstrate how applicants plan to meaningfully engage, partner with, and embolden disadvantaged communities, and to clearly describe how their proposed project can scale up to support long-term climate change resilience in disadvantaged communities. The strongest projects are those that work to address an explicit environmental concern identified by the surrounding community and address climate resiliency, those that have the clear backing of the community and benefit from a community-driven design process, and those that are also consistent with the goals and priority actions outlined in the SNEP Strategic Plan.

Additional Information Any applicant not funded is encouraged to schedule a meeting with the SNEP Team to review the feedback provided by the review panel to gain further insight on how to improve their idea and reapply in the following year.

To assist prospective applicants in the development of their proposal, applicants might consider the use of the EPA Equitable Resilience Builder tool, which is designed to support communities in resilience planning with a focus on equity. More information on this tool and how to access it can be found here:

https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response-research/equitable-resilience-builder

E) EPA Strategic Plan Linkage Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7 requires EPA to link proposed assistance agreements to the EPA Strategic Plan. EPA also requires grant applicants and recipients to adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements. See EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements (www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015- 03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf).

The activities to be funded under this solicitation must support the FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this solicitation will support Goal 5 “Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities,” Objective 5.2 – Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds; Goal 2 “Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights,” Objective 2.2 – Embed Environmental Justice and Civil Rights into EPA’s Programs, Policies, and Activities; and Goal 1 “Tackle the Climate Crisis,” Objective 1.2

– Accelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts of the EPA Strategic Plan.

F) Expected Outputs and Outcomes For this RFP:

• The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will be achieved by carrying out an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, must be quantitative, and may not necessarily be achievable within a grant funding period. For this RFP, “Desired Outcomes” describe the project outcomes that we aim to achieve for the SNEP region that are found in the SNEP Strategic Plan. Efforts to achieve these outcomes will steer the actions necessary to meet specific five-year targets (see Section I.C.).

• The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable over https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response-research/equitable-resilience-builder http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf http://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan the term of the grant funding period. For this RFP, “Outputs (Actions)” are detailed activities that SNEP and our partners will undertake during each five-year period in order to meet quantitative targets, work towards accomplishing desired outcomes, and ultimately achieve the 2050 regional vision and goals.

Applicants should consider the following questions when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results:

• What are the measurable short-term and longer-term results the projects funded will achieve?

• How will progress be measured in achieving the expected results (including outputs and outcomes) and how will their proposed approach use resources effectively and efficiently?

• Are there ways to incorporate social and/or economic benefits as part of a broader environmental improvement effort?

G) Statutory Authorization for Award The SNEP program is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328) and the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024. (Public Law 118-22).

This authority allows EPA to award grants and cooperative agreements to carry out the SNEP, including planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation projects within the SNEP geographic area. Funding for this award will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL), Public Law 117-58.

H) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Linkage Funding for this award will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL), Public Law 117-58. SNEP has received a $15 million investment over five years from the IIJA to address infrastructure and environmental injustices throughout the SNEP region. To meet the commitments of the IIJA, SNEP has created the SOAR Fund, which will allow the program to meet a significant portion of Justice40 commitments under the IIJA, which requires federal agencies to allocate at least 40% of IIJA funding to disadvantaged communities.

I) Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this solicitation 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 contact the EPA point of contact listed in this solicitation (Section VI) to obtain the provisions.

J) Minority Serving Institutions EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities.

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(b)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; and

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A) Funding Amount and Expected Number of Awards The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided opportunities across federal and state government to begin addressing environmental injustices. Subject to the availability of appropriated funds and Agency priorities, the total estimated funding available under this competitive opportunity is $1,250,000.

For 2024, EPA expects to award five (5) to ten (10) cooperative agreements for activities under this RFP in amounts most likely ranging from $50,000-$300,000. The total estimated funding available for cumulative awards under this competitive opportunity is $1,250,000.

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

B) New Applicant and CEJST Set Aside To encourage the submissions from new applicants (defined as entities who have not received an EPA grant in the past five (5) years), EPA-SNEP will rank new applicants separately from those who have received EPA funding in the past five (5) years from the posted date of this award. For this RFP, EPA- SNEP intends to allocate up to 40% of awards to new applicants. For example, if EPA-SNEP only plans to award ten cooperative agreements but receives ten highly graded proposals from repeat applicants and ten highly graded proposals from new-applicants, EPA-SNEP will fund a minimum of four proposals submitted by new applicants.

Additionally, EPA-SNEP is working to prioritize the most at-need communities as identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. To this end, EPA-SNEP has set a goal to fund 70% of projects either located within or directly benefiting CEJST communities. For a detailed map, please see Appendix A. Communities shown in red are those identified as disadvantaged by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool whereas the remaining communities are identified as disadvantaged by state definitions and EJScreen.

The actual award amounts and number of projects awarded under each of the set-asides described in above may differ from the estimated amounts for many reasons including the number of meritorious proposals received, agency priorities, and funding availability. In addition, EPA reserves the right to increase or decrease (including decreasing to zero) the total number and amount of awards under each set-aside or change the ratio of assistance agreements it awards among the set-asides.

https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/ https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4

C) Award Type EPA-SNEP intends to award cooperative agreements under this solicitation. Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicant(s) in the performance of the work supported. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for these projects may include:

• close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

• collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

• in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.317 and 2 C.F.R. § 200.318, review of proposed procurements;

• approving qualifications of key personnel; and

• review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient. The final content of project final reports rests with the recipient, though a template for semi-annual and final reports will be provided and may be used (see Section VI.C.).

D) Award Funding and Partial Funding Provision Awards will be fully funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations, including ???. Recipients have discretion to spend awarded funds over the course of the project period.

The actual award amounts and number of projects awarded under each of the set-asides described in Section I may differ from the estimated amounts for many reasons including the number of meritorious proposals received, Agency priorities, and funding availability. In addition, EPA reserves the right to increase or decrease (including decreasing to zero) the total amount and number of awards under each set-aside or change the ratio of assistance agreements it awards among the set-asides.

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

E) Expected Project Period The expected project period for these assistance agreements is one to five years, with five years serving as an absolute maximum. The expected starting period for the awards resulting from this RFP is Fall/Spring 2024.

F) Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Signage Requirement The creation of publicly viewable signage is required for all construction and infrastructure solicitations and contracts, or any projects which contain a substantial component of construction or are viewable by the public, that is funded in whole or in part by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act or the American Rescue Plan, in excess of the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT).

Signs shall be in place before beginning any physical work on the site and shall remain displayed and in good condition for the duration of the project. Signage should be made of recycled material whenever possible.

As such, applicants that intend to fund construction/infrastructure projects or projects viewable to the public should include the time and cost of creating and installing signage in their proposal. This is an eligible expense. For more about EPA signage requirements, go to https://www.epa.gov/invest/investing-america-signage.

More specifics about signage design and requirements will be included in the Terms & Conditions of final awards.

Please direct questions about this requirement to Londa Scott-Forte (202-564-1504; scott-forte.londa@epa.gov) and/or Jini Ryan (202-564-1075; ryan.jini@epa.gov).

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.

A) Eligible Applicants EPA has limited eligibility for this funding opportunity under Assistance Listing 66.129 to the following eligible entities as permitted by the applicant eligibility section of the listing which allows EPA to limit eligibility to a subset of eligible applicants: state, local and tribal governments, public and private universities and colleges, public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes institutions of higher education such as community colleges, and philanthropic organizations), interstate agencies, and Intertribal Consortia (a coalition between two or more Indian tribal governments authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance and participate in self-governance). Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 C.F.R. § 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law.

Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 C.F.R. § 200.1, the term “nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Note that 2 C.F.R. § 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit proposals under this RFA. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools and hospitals are ineligible. Eligible nonprofit organizations may, but are not required to be, exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status, such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit 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 are not eligible to apply.

https://www.epa.gov/invest/investing-america-signage mailto:scott-forte.londa@epa.gov mailto:scott-forte.londa@epa.gov mailto:ryan.jini@epa.gov

The following entities…