EPA-LCRD-SMMS-2021-1_EPA_LCRD_05_07.pdf

COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses.

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT GRANTS

ACTION: REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA-LCRD-SMMS-2021-1

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO.: 66.808

IMPORTANT DATES:

05/07/21 Issuance of RFA 06/18/21 Application submission deadline (See Section IV.B) 07/25/21 Approximate date for EPA to notify applicants of results 09/30/21 Approximate date of award

DATES: The closing date and time for the receipt of applications is June 18, 2021, by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time (ET) in order to be considered for funding. Application packages must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) on or before this date and time in order to be considered for funding. See Section III (C)(2) for more details about the deadline and Section IV(B) for submission instructions.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications that support the EPA Sustainable Materials Management Program, for the benefit of States or communities within EPA Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Indian Nations). Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire life cycle, we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources and reduce costs. Specifically, this RFA addresses the following programmatic priorities: Sustainable Management of Food, and Sustainable Packaging.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total funding for this competitive opportunity shall not exceed $85,000. EPA anticipates awarding up to three assistance agreements from this announcement, subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards.

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

CONTENTS BY SECTION:

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contact

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By examining how materials are used throughout their life cycle, an SMM approach seeks to:

• Use materials in the most productive way with an emphasis on consuming less;

• Reduce toxic chemicals and environmental impacts throughout the material life cycle;

• Assure we have sufficient resources to meet today’s needs and those of the future.

How our society uses materials is fundamental to our economic and environmental future. Global competition for finite resources will intensify as world population and economies continue to grow. More productive and less impactful use of materials helps our society remain economically competitive, contributes to our prosperity and protects the environment in a resource-constrained future.

U.S. and global consumption of materials increased rapidly during the last century. According to the Annex to the G7 Leaders’ June 8, 2015 Declaration, global raw material use rose during the 20th century at about twice the rate of population growth. For every 1 percent increase in gross domestic product, raw material use has risen by 0.4 percent. This increasing consumption has come at a cost to the environment, including habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, overly stressed fisheries and desertification. Materials management is also associated with an estimated 42 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Failure to find more productive and sustainable ways to extract, use and manage materials, and change the relationship between material consumption and growth, has grave implications for our economy and society.

EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM) Strategic Plan represents the collective thinking of EPA staff and management across the country, and includes stakeholder https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/06/08/annex-g-7-leaders-declaration https://www.epa.gov/smm/epa-sustainable-materials-management-program-strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2017-2022 input from states, industry and nongovernmental organizations. This announcement focuses on the following two strategic priority areas of EPA Region 2 SMM efforts:

1. Sustainable Food Management (SFM) – SFM focusses on reducing food loss and waste and diverting food from the landfill according to EPA’s Food Waste Reduction Hierarchy, found at: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recoveryhierarchy. Source Reduction, otherwise known as waste prevention, is at the top of the hierarchy, followed by donation, industrial applications, and composting. This solicitation is open to projects focusing on source reduction strategies; i.e., this RFA solicits applications focused on preventing waste before it is generated. Even after source reduction strategies are applied, there is nearly always some unavoidable food waste. Including food donation and composting as project components to deal with this unavoidable remainder is acceptable, so long as source reduction is the primary focus of the project.

2. Sustainable Packaging – Together, food and packaging/containers account for almost 45% of the materials landfilled in the United States. Common trash from consumer goods comprises the majority of what eventually becomes marine debris, polluting waterways and oceans. Plastics in the aquatic environment are of great concern because of their persistence and effects on the environment, wildlife, and human health.

Sustainable packaging projects should focus on developing methods to reduce packaging waste and thereby decrease the quantity of materials directed toward the landfill. Simply increasing recycling rates of packaging waste is not an acceptable focus for this RFA. Fundable projects should strive to create lasting change in the community.

Under this RFA, EPA Region 2 is soliciting applications which address one or both of the two above-noted goals of our SMM program. Fundable projects must involve research, investigations, experiments, trainings, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs and/or studies that address strategies to reduce food and/or packaging waste, primarily through source reduction. Laboratory research projects will not be funded. Organizations may submit more than one application as long as each one is separately submitted. Projects must benefit States or communities within EPA Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, eight Indian Nations).

B. Scope of Work

As noted above, applications must address at least one of the SMM Strategic areas listed in Section I.A (Sustainable Food Management or Sustainable Packaging). Applications that do not address at least one of the areas will not be reviewed.

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures

EPA’s Strategic Plan is available at https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan.

Awards made under this announcement must support one or more of the following: 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), and Objective 1.3 (Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination). Specifically, the activities to be funded under this announcement will be linked to EPA’s Strategic Plan consistent with EPA’s current priorities for preventing contamination and helping communities, including local governments, to achieve goals. Applicants must explain in their applications how their project will further one or more of these objectives.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements). Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the priorities described above.

Outputs. 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 of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Examples of expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement include the following: meetings, conference calls, training sessions, or other measurable efforts towards an environmental goal. Progress reports and a final report will be a required output, as specified in Section VI (C) of this announcement, “Reporting Requirements.” Applicants must describe their outputs and will be evaluated on their clarity and thoroughness.

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 environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

Projects to be funded under this announcement are expected to produce at least one, and preferably all, of the following environmental outcomes: reduction in food and/or packaging waste going to the landfill, conservation of natural resources, conservation of energy, reduced https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policyenvironmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policyenvironmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements costs, improved air and/or water quality, preserved land. Applicants must describe their outcomes and will be evaluated on their clarity and thoroughness.

The following are questions to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results:

i) What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve?

ii) How does the plan measure progress in achieving the expected results (including outputs and outcomes) and how will the approach use resources effectively and efficiently?

Performance Measures. The applicant must also develop performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in the application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful process and outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients. It is expected that the description of performance measures will include the following: A measure of how much solid waste will be diverted from the landfill, and by what strategy. Other performance measures may also be described.

D. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this action is the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA), Section 8001(a)(5), 42 U.S.C. Section 6981(a)(5) which authorizes grants to public authorities, agencies, and institutions, private agencies and institutions, and individuals (no profit makers) for purposes which include conducting and promoting the coordination and acceleration of, research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs and studies relating to the reduction of the amount of solid waste and unsalvageable waste materials.

Applications selected for funding under this solicitation must be consistent with the authorized activities above. Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project; such activities are not eligible for funding under this announcement. You must specify how your project fits within the above statutory authority.

II. Award Information

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated funding expected to be available for all awards in this competitive opportunity is $85,000.

B. Partial Funding Provision

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

C. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

EPA anticipates award of up to three grant agreements under this announcement with a total combined value of up to $85,000, subject to the availability of funds, quality of evaluated applications, and other applicable considerations. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this announcement. In addition, EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selection. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selection.

EPA Region 2 reserves the right to distribute awards using a geographic criterion. If EPA Region 2 receives multiple high-scoring applications from different parts of the Region (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, eight Indian Nations) and, in the event multiple awards are being made, EPA Region 2 has a preference for making awards distributed across the different parts of the Region. All applications will be reviewed, scored and ranked by score. If applications have very similar scores, EPA Region 2 may pass over a closely ranked applicant in order to ensure geographic distribution of the grant awards.

D. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?

The estimated project period for the award(s) resulting from this solicitation will begin in November 2021. Proposed project periods will be one year.

E. Funding Type

The funding for the selected project will be in the form of a grant. A grant is an assistance agreement in which the EPA is not substantially involved in carrying out the project.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Entities

Consistent with CFDA No. 66.808, the following entities are eligible to compete under this solicitation: States, local, Tribal, interstate, and intrastate government agencies and instrumentalities, and non-profit organizations that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby, including non-profit educational institutions and non-profit hospitals. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible. Non-profit organizations, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations.

Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of “non-profit organization” because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally recognized Tribal governments.

While not considered to be a “non-profit organization(s)” as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.1 are also eligible to apply.

For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible for this funding opportunity.

Additionally, non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. Eligible non-profit organizations must have documentation of non-profit status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

This competition does not require matching funds or cost sharing.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

These are requirements that if not met by the time of application submission will result in elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Only applications 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. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.

Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the narrative proposal, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

2. In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement.

Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely submitted.

3. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant www.SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in www.SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Dale Carpenter, carpenter.dale@epa.gov, as soon as possible after the submission deadline—failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

4. The applicant must be an eligible entity as described in Section III.A above.

5. Applications must support current administration priorities as described in Section I.C.

of this solicitation.

6. All applications must specify and promote one or both of the Sustainable Materials Management program priorities described in Section I.A, that is, either Sustainable Food Management, Sustainable Packaging, or both. In addition, applications must support the top of the waste management hierarchy, that is, source reduction. Other strategies may be supported as well but if source reduction is not fundamental to the project, the project will be rejected.

7. All applications submitted under this solicitation must conduct or promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs and studies relating to the reduction of the amount of solid waste and unsalvageable waste materials as described in Section I of this announcement. Laboratory research projects will not be funded.

8. Projects that are demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project. If a proposal is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the proposal will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ affects the proposal, render the entire proposal ineligible for funding. State clearly how your project fits within the statutory authority provided in Section I.D.

9. Applications must be for projects that benefit states or communities within EPA Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and eight Indian Nations).

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Requirements to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OMS-ARM-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:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand USEPA Headquarters William Jefferson Clinton Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Rm # 51278 Washington, DC 20004

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

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

• Organization Name and Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS)

• Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number) https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

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

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2019, it is valid for any competitive or noncompetitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2019). Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through Grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2019 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2020, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2020.

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

B. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions

The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for federal assistance. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then go to the “Get Registered” link on the page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an Authorized Organization https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

Representative (AOR) and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible.

Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS number) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline.

Registration on Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and DUNS number assignment is FREE.

Applicants need to ensure that the AOR who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS number) is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the DUNS number listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization’s SAM account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then “Apply for Grants” from the dropdown menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov, you must use Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please click ‘Get Adobe Reader’ at the bottom of the Grants.gov webpage.

You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for the opportunity on Grants.gov. Go to Grants.gov and then click on “Search Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA-LCRD-SMMS-2021-1, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.808), in the appropriate field and click the Search button.

Please Note: All applications must now be submitted through Grants.gov using the “Workspace” feature. Information on the Workspace feature can be found at the Grants.gov Workspace Overview Page.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than June 18, 2021, 11:59 PM (ET). Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

Please submit all the application materials described below using the Grants.gov application package accessed using the instructions above.

Application Materials https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents

1. Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance. Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be included on the SF-424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1-866-705-5711.

2. Standard Form (SF) 424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

3. Narrative Proposal. Follow the guidance in Section IV.D and clearly describe how the proposed project meets the threshold eligibility criteria (Section III.C) and the evaluation criteria (Section V). The Narrative Proposal must be submitted in the format described in Section IV.D.1.

4. Budget Table and Narrative. (See IV.D.1.c for more information.)

5. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

6. EPA Form 4700-4 – Pre-award Compliance Review Report

Optional Documents:

1. Other attachments, if applicable.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from Grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact Dale Carpenter at 212-637-4110 or Carpenter.Dale@epa.gov.

Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

C. Technical Issues with Submission

1. Once the application package has been completed, the "Submit" button should be enabled. If the "Submit" button is not active, please call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726.

2. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. Applicants should save the completed application package with two different file names before providing it to the AOR to avoid having to re-create the package should submission problems occur or if a revised application needs to be submitted.

3. Submitting the application. The application package must be transferred to Grants.gov by an AOR. The AOR should close all other software before attempting to submit the application package. Click the “submit” button of the application package. Your Internet browser will launch, https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ and a sign-in page will appear. Note: Minor problems are not uncommon with transfers to Grants.gov. It is essential to allow sufficient time to ensure that your application is submitted to Grants.gov BEFORE the due date identified in Section 4 of the solicitation. The Grants.gov support desk operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except Federal Holidays. A successful transfer will end with an on-screen acknowledgement. For documentation purposes, print or screen capture this acknowledgement. If a submission problem occurs, reboot the computer. Turning the power off may be necessary and re-attempt the submission.

Note: Grants.gov issues a “case number” upon a request for assistance.

Transmission Difficulties. If transmission difficulties that result in a late transmission, no transmission, or rejection of the transmitted application are experienced, and following the above instructions do not resolve the problem so that the application is submitted to Grants.gov by the deadline date and time, follow the guidance below. The Agency will make a decision concerning acceptance of each late submission on a case-by-case basis. All emails, as described below, are to be sent to Dale Carpenter at Carpenter.Dale@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact Dale Carpenter at 212-637-4110. Be aware that EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to transmit due to Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access. Failure of an applicant to submit timely because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of a late submittal.

a. If you are experiencing problems resulting in an inability to upload the application to Grants.gov, it is essential to call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 before the application deadline. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606- 545-5035. Be sure to obtain a case number from Grants.gov. If the problems stem from unforeseen exigent circumstances unrelated to Grants.gov, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access, contact Dale Carpenter at 212-637-4110.

b. Unsuccessful transfer of the application package: If a successful transfer of the application cannot be accomplished even with assistance from Grants.gov due to electronic submission system issues or unforeseen exigent circumstances, and you have already attempted to resolve the issue by contacting Grants.gov, send an email message to Dale Carpenter at Carpenter.Dale@epa.gov prior to the application deadline. The email message must document the problem and include the Grants.gov case number as well as the entire application in PDF format as an attachment.

c. Grants.gov rejection of the application package: If a notification is received from Grants.gov stating that the application has been rejected for reasons other than late submittal and it is too late to reapply, promptly send an email to Dale Carpenter at Carpenter.Dale@epa.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ with the FON in the subject line within one business day of the closing date of this solicitation. The email should include any materials provided by Grants.gov and attach the entire application in PDF format.

Please note that successful submission through Grants.gov or via email does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award.

D. Content of Application Submission

The following documents are required for all application packages. In addition to the mandatory documents listed in Section IV.C, all applications must contain a “Narrative Proposal,” and a “Budget Table and Narrative.” The “Narrative Proposal,” a maximum of 10 pages in length, must explicitly describe the applicant’s proposed project and specifically address each of the evaluation criteria disclosed in Section V.A Evaluation Criteria, and the threshold eligibility criteria in Section

III.C.

1. Narrative Proposal. Narrative proposals must be concise, well organized, and not exceed 10 typed, single-line spaced, 8 1/2 x 11” pages, which includes the one-page Summary Information Page. The font shall not be smaller than 10 points. The “Summary Information Page” page, item “a” below, is included in this page limit. The Narrative Proposal must provide the information detailed in this section and include responses to all Section III.C, Threshold Criteria; Section V.A, Evaluation Criteria; as well as the information identified in Section I, Funding Opportunity Description. Detailed information about your proposed project must be provided. Do not include discussions of broad principles that are not specific to the proposed work or project covered by your application. Responses to evaluation criteria should include the criteria number and title but need not restate the entire text of the criteria. Sufficient detail must be provided to allow for an evaluation of the merits of the proposal. Vague descriptions, redundancy, and failure to address each of the evaluation criteria will result in a lower ranking.

The Narrative Proposal must substantially conform to the following outline and content:

a. The Summary Information Page (maximum of one-page) must include:

i. Project Title.

ii. Applicant Name. Identify the name of the organization submitting the application.

iii. DUNS Number. List the organization’s DUNS number.

iv. Project Summary. Briefly describe the project in one to four sentences.

v. Contact Information. Include name, title, address, email address, phone number.

You can list both a primary and an administrative contact.

vi. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project. Identify funding from other sources, including leveraging or in-kind resources.

vii. Funding Requested. Specify the amount you are requesting from EPA.

viii. Project Period. Provide estimated beginning and ending dates.

b. The Narrative Proposal Work Plan should provide the information below on how the applicant will implement and conduct its project and discuss how the proposal addresses each of the evaluation criteria in Section V of this announcement. The Narrative Proposal Work Plan must include:

i. Project Summary/Approach. The summary shall contain the following components:

- Detailed project summary, description of specific actions and methods to be undertaken and the responsible institutions, including estimated timeline for each task;

- Description of the associated work products to be developed;

- Explanation of project benefits to the public, and specifically the potential audience(s) served;

- Description of the roles of the applicant and partners, if any;

- Description of the applicant’s organization and experience related to the proposed project;

- Description of staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project;

- Description of how the project is transferable to other entities or communities.

ii. Environmental Results and Performance Measurement: Anticipated Outcomes and Outputs. Describe what success looks like for your project. Describe the qualitative or quantitative outputs and outcomes that you will track to demonstrate that your project meets your intended objectives.

Anticipated Outcomes. Specify the expected environmental outcomes including those described in Section I.C, Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outcomes and Outputs of this announcement. Discuss how you propose to track and measure your progress towards achieving the project outcomes and results. Include quantitative targets for outcomes when applicable. (Refer to Section V.A, Evaluation Criteria)

Anticipated Outputs. Identify the expected project outputs, including those described in Section I.C, Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outcomes and Outputs of this announcement and describe how you will track and measure your progress towards achieving the expected project outputs. Outputs, quantitative or qualitative, must be measurable during the project performance period. Include quantitative targets for outputs when applicable.

Identified Support for the Project: Here is where to describe community groups who support your project, partners who will assist you, and any local or state policies or laws which support or require the activities of the work plan. Leveraged funds also get included here. If funds, even from outside organizations, are necessary for the completion of the work plan, they must be included in the budget breakout. Applications will be evaluated on the strength of this support for the project.

iii. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. Submit a list of federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include federal grants and cooperative agreements but not federal contracts) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than five agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe (i) whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and (ii) your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. In evaluating applicants under these factors, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score of half credit for that criterion.

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

iv. Project Sustainability: Describe how the results or improved situation resulting from the completion of this project will be sustained after EPA funding for this project has ended.

v. Expenditure of Awarded Grant Funds. Describe your organization’s procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.

c. Attachments. The following documents shall be included as attachments to the narrative proposal. These documents will not count as part of the 10-page limit and do not have an individual page limitation. Attachments beyond the required attachments below will not be considered. Please provide a list of all attachments to the application.

Detailed Budget Narrative. Include a detailed budget narrative which clearly explains how funds will be used. The successful applicant’s budget narrative should identify (1) specific tasks for which EPA funding will be used; (2) the costs associated with each task, (3) the costs that the applicant or other partners will fund for each task, if appropriate, and (4) what outputs will be produced as a result of each task. (Refer to Section I.D, Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs, for a definition and examples of outputs.)

Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual costs, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs.

Applicants should use the following instructions and budget object class descriptions to complete the Budget Detail section of the work plan).

Personnel - List all staff positions by title. Give annual salary, percentage of time assigned to the project, and total cost for the budget period. This category includes only direct costs for the salaries of those individuals who will perform work directly for the project (paid employees of the applicant organization as reflected in payroll tax records). If the applicant organization is including staff time (in-kind services), this should be included as Personnel costs. Personnel costs do not include: (1) costs for services of contractors (including individual consultants), which are included in the “Contractual” category; (2) costs for employees of subrecipients under subawards, or non-employee program participants (e.g. interns or volunteers) which are included in the “Other” category; or (3) effort that is not directly in support of the proposed project, which may be covered by the organization’s negotiated indirect cost rate. The budget detail must identify the personnel category type by Full Time Equivalent (FTE), including percentage of FTE for part-time employees, number of personnel proposed for each category, and the estimated funding amounts.

Fringe Benefits -Identify the percentage used, the basis for its computation, and the types of benefits included. Fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits may include, but are not limited to the cost of leave, employee insurance, pensions and unemployment benefit plans. If the applicant’s fringe rate does not include the cost of leave, and the applicant intends to charge leave to the agreement, it must provide supplemental information describing its proposed method(s) for determining and equitably distributing these costs.

Travel -Specify the mileage, per diem, estimated number of trips in-State and out-of-State, number of travelers, and other costs for each type of travel. Travel may be integral to the purpose of the proposed project (e.g. inspections) or related to proposed project activities (e.g.

attendance at meetings). Only include travel costs for employees in the travel category. Travel costs do not include: (1) costs for travel of contractors (including individual consultants), which are included in the “Contractual” category; (2) travel costs for employees of subrecipients under subawards, and non-employee program participants (e.g. trainees) which are included in the “Other” category. Further, travel does not include bus rentals for group trips, which would be covered under the contractual category. Finally, if the applicant intends to use any funds for travel outside the United States, it must be specifically identified.

Equipment - Identify each item to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit and a useful life of more than one year. Equipment also includes accessories necessary to make the equipment operational. Consistent with SWDA 8001, research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstration projects, surveys, public education programs, and studies relating to solid waste management are eligible under this RFA. Equipment is an eligible cost for this RFA as long as it is part of a demonstration project or if there is a clear connection to how the project will increase learning and understanding of AD. Equipment does not include: (a) equipment planned to be leased/rented, including lease/purchase agreement; or

(b) equipment service or maintenance contracts that are not included in the purchase price for the equipment. These types of proposed costs should be included in the “Other” category. Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 should be categorized as supplies, pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1. The budget detail must include an itemized listing of all equipment proposed under the project.

Note: If your organization has written procurement procedures that define a threshold for equipment costs that is lower than $5,000 then that threshold takes precedence.

Supplies - “Supplies” means all tangible personal property other than “equipment.” The budget detail should identify categories of supplies to be procured (e.g., laboratory supplies or office supplies). Non-tangible goods and services associated with supplies, such as printing service, photocopy services, and rental costs should be included in the “Other” category.

Contractual -Identify each type of proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost. Contractual services (including consulting services) are those services to be carried out by an individual or organization, other than the applicant, in the form of a procurement relationship.

EPA’s Subaward Policy and Supplemental Frequent Questions has detailed guidance available for differentiating between contractors and subrecipients. Leased or rented goods (equipment or supplies) should be included in the “Other” category.

EPA does not require applicants to identify specific contractors. The applicant should list the proposed contract activities along with a brief description of the anticipated scope of work or services to be provided, proposed duration, and proposed procurement method (competitive or non-competitive), if known. Any proposed non-competed/sole-source contracts in excess of $3,500 must https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-subaward-frequent-questions include a justification. Note that it is unlikely that EPA will accept proposed sole source contracts for goods and services (e.g. consulting) that are widely available in the commercial market.