EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006.pdf

US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs

Notice of Funding Opportunity:

Farmworker Training and Education Program for Pesticide Safety

EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006

Summary

Federal Awarding Agency Name: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (PRD)

Funding Opportunity Title: Farmworker Training and Education Program for Pesticide Safety

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number (FON): EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006

Assistance Listings Number(s): 66.720 (PRIA 5: Farm Worker and Health Care Provider Training and Education Grants)

Key Dates:

NOFO closes – applications are due: December 19, 2024 Anticipated notification of selection – EPA tells the recipient they are chosen: March 2025 Anticipated award: June 2025

Deadline: Applications must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) no later than December 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (EST).

Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding.

To allow for efficient management of the competitive process, EPA requests that potential applicants submit an Intent to Apply by October 31, 2024, to OPPGA@epa.gov. Please include the number of this announcement (EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006) in the subject line of the email notice. Intent to apply is optional but helps EPA anticipate staff time for efficient review, evaluation, and selection of applications. Please note that in order to be considered for funding, complete application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by the closing date and time noted above.

This page gives basic information about the funding:

• Who is giving the funding out (EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs)

• The name of the grant program (Farmworker Training and Education Program for

Pesticide Safety)

• When applications are due (December 19, 2024).

• If planning to apply, send an email to OPPGA@epa.gov by October 31, 2024 to let

EPA know.

http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OPPGA@epa.gov www.grants.gov https://Grants.gov mailto:OPPGA@epa.gov https://Grants.gov

Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is accepting applications for two types of cooperative agreements. All cooperative agreements will help prevent pesticide illness by training and educating farmworkers on the Worker Protection Standard (WPS), agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights. They will also support the development of educational materials and outreach for farmworker communities. The first type of cooperative agreement will focus on the required, EPA-approved WPS trainings for workers and handlers. The second will fund a subaward program for local and regional pesticide safety education projects for farmworker communities. These projects will supplement or reinforce WPS trainings. EPA expects to provide an estimated $600,000 for the first project year and up to $6.3 million over the five years (2025 to 2030).

Funding/awards: The total funding for this competitive opportunity is estimated to be up to $6.3 million over a five-year period. EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements from this announcement—one for each type—subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

Note: An EPA grant recipient is providing assistance for applicants to these agreements.

More details about technical assistance are found in Section IV.A., Technical Assistance.

Note: FON EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006 has been translated into Spanish for the benefit of Spanish-speaking applicants. However, only applications in English will be accepted.

Table of Contents Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background

B. Scope of Work: Purpose and Goals, Objectives, and Activities

1. Purpose and Goals

2. Objectives

3. Activities to be Funded

C. Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs, Outcomes, Performance Measures, and EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

1. Outputs

2. Outcomes

3. Performance Measures

4. Linkage to the EPA Strategic Plan

D. Statutory Authority

E. Human Subjects Studies

F. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Section II. Award Information

A. What is the Amount of Funding Available?

B. How Many Subawards for Local and Regional Projects Should there be? And How Much Money Should go to Subawards? (Type 2 agreement only)

C. How Many Agreements will EPA Award in This Competition?

D. What is the Project Period for Awards Resulting from this Solicitation?

E. Partial Funding Provision

F. Funding Type

Section III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Entities

1. Who is eligible to apply for these awards?

2. What is a community-based farmworker nonprofit organization?

3. What is a community?

4. Who are farmworkers and farmworker communities?

5. What is a nonprofit?

6. Examples of Eligible Organizations

7. Examples of Ineligible Organizations

B. Partnerships

1. What are partnerships?

2. Do all organizations in the partnership need to be community-based nonprofit farmworker organizations?

3. What are the requirements for applying as a partnership?

4. Other Requirements

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

D. Cost Share

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Technical Assistance

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

C. Submission Deadline & Instructions: SAM.gov, Grants.gov, Submission Process, and Technical Issues with Submission (See Appendix A)

D. Application Materials

E. Project Narrative Contents

F. Submission Dates and Times

Section V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

C. Additional Provisions Incorporated by Reference

Section VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notification

B. Pre-award Costs

C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

D. Reporting Requirements

E. Debriefings

F. Disputes

G. Copyrights

H. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Section VII. Agency Contact

Appendix A – Submission Instructions

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

B. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

C. Application Submission Process

D. Technical Issues with Submission

Appendix B – Example Budget Tables

Appendix C – Example Allowable/Unallowable Costs

Appendix D – Application Checklist (Optional)

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Note: An EPA grant recipient is providing assistance for applicants to these agreements.

More details about technical assistance are found in Section IV.A, Technical Assistance.

Note: This FON EPA-OCSPP-OPP-2024-006 has been translated into Spanish for the benefit of Spanish-speaking applicants. However, only applications in English will be accepted.

A. Background

This section gives general information about the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and EPA cooperative agreements.

A “cooperative agreement” is a type of grant with more EPA involvement.

The Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a regulation designed to reduce the risk of pesticide illness to people who work with and around pesticides used in agricultural production. The WPS applies to farms, fields, nurseries, and enclosed spaces (such as greenhouses and hoop houses) where pesticides are used.

The WPS contains protections for people who do tasks such as harvesting, thinning, and pruning of crops (called “hand-labor tasks”). These people are called “workers” in the regulation. The WPS also contains protections for people who handle pesticides (mainly mix, load, or apply pesticides). These people are called “pesticide handlers.” The regulation defines workers and pesticide handlers by the tasks they perform as employees. Pesticide handlers may be considered “farmworkers” in other contexts. People who are usually workers may sometimes also do handler tasks.

One requirement of the WPS is that workers and handlers receive pesticide safety training every year. The WPS lists topics that these trainings must cover. Pesticide handler training covers all worker training topics plus information on working directly with pesticides.

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) funds cooperative agreements related to the WPS (examples are the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative and National Farmworker Training Program). A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement in which EPA has substantial involvement in conducting project activities. (See Section II.E for more information.)

In 2022, Congress passed the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5). That law reserves funding for cooperative agreements to train workers, handlers, and their communities on the WPS and related rights. It also reserves funds to create educational materials and for outreach on these topics. In response, OPP is funding the cooperative agreements described below.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/11/02/2015-25970/pesticides-agricultural-worker-protection-standard-revisions https://www.pesticideresources.org/ https://afop.org/health-safety/training-program/ https://afop.org/health-safety/training-program/

B. Scope of Work: Purpose and Goals, Objectives, and Activities

This section describes what the funding is for.

“1. Purpose and Goals” describes why EPA is funding the program. It describes the program generally.

“2. Objectives” describes more specific goals of the program.

“3. Activities” are what grant recipients can do.

1. Purpose and Goals

The purpose of these cooperative agreements is to protect human health by helping prevent pesticide illness in farmworker communities. The goal of these cooperative agreements is to prevent pesticide illness by improving farmworker communities’ understanding of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS), agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights.

The cooperative agreements will improve farmworker communities’ understanding of the WPS, agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights through training, the development of trainings and materials, and outreach.

The cooperative agreements will involve farmworker communities and organizations.

This involvement will make training and materials more culturally appropriate, which aims to increase their effectiveness.

There will be two different types of cooperative agreements:

• The Type 1 agreement will train farmworker communities nationally (across rural areas in many states and territories). It will focus on the required, EPA-approved WPS trainings for workers and handlers.

• The Type 2 agreement is for a subaward program. The grant recipient will distribute funds to other organizations for education and outreach projects with farmworker communities. Projects will focus on topics in agricultural pesticide safety that supplement or reinforce the WPS requirements. They will be local and regional (relating to a particular area or part of the country).

EPA anticipates awarding two, five-year cooperative agreements under this program (one of each type).

Organizations may apply for one cooperative agreement only, whether as a lead applicant or serving as a partner.

2. Objectives The cooperative agreements have these objectives:

• Develop or improve training programs, materials, and outreach for farmworker communities on the WPS, agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights.

• Improve farmworker communities’ understanding of the WPS, agricultural pesticide safety, and related rights.

• Ensure trainings, materials, and outreach take into account farmworkers’ primary languages, reading levels, and culture.

• Involve farmworkers and farmworker organizations in the design of pesticide safety education.

• Evaluate activities and share lessons learned, with farmworkers’ input.

3. Activities to be Funded All activities support the purpose, goal, and objectives described above. Below, activities for Type 1 and Type 2 agreements are listed separately. All activities for each agreement type are required.

Agreement Type 1 – National Farmworker Training Program

The grant recipient(s) will train workers and handlers nationally (with broad coverage across many states and territories, not necessary to represent all 50 states). They will focus on rural areas with large farmworker communities or where there is unmet need.

a) Activity #1 – Trainings

i. Pesticide safety training of workers and handlers

1. Give workers yearly WPS trainings, following all federal and state requirements.

2. Give pesticide handlers yearly WPS trainings, following all federal and state requirements.

3. Train participants on the difference between the worker and handler roles under the WPS.

4. Make sure that trainings are given in the languages farmworkers speak, at their reading level, and take into account their culture and experience.

5. Work together with employers and/or labor contractors to offer these trainings and support with recordkeeping.

ii. Training of trainers

1. Train trainers to give the WPS trainings, following all federal and state requirements.

2. Train trainers in popular education and other innovative delivery methods.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-E/section-170.401 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-F/section-170.501

3. Train trainers on how to best incorporate the farmworkers’ languages, reading levels, and culture when giving a training.

iii. Other farmworker community trainings

1. The grant recipient(s) may give other trainings on agricultural pesticide safety, besides what the WPS requires. (For example, trainings on pesticide safety during pregnancy, or trainings solely on take home pesticide exposure, rather than all WPS required topics.) However, these other trainings should not be the main focus of their work.

2. The EPA project officer will review all materials in advance of the trainings.

b) Activity #2 – Materials

i. Create or select materials

1. Create materials for the WPS worker and handler trainings that meet the WPS requirements (found at §170.401 and §170.501). Obtain EPA approval or choose other materials that EPA previously approved.

2. Work with community groups and language professionals to translate materials into languages such as Haitian Creole, Mesoamerican Indigenous languages, and Asian and Pacific Island languages, as appropriate.

3. Pilot the materials with farmworkers to make sure that materials are in the languages they speak, at their reading level, consider their culture, and use effective training methods. To encourage farmworker involvement in the pilot, consider factors such as meeting location, time, and language.

4. Or, propose to use materials piloted before.

c) Activity #3 – Outreach and Recruitment

i. Outreach to agricultural employers

1. Work with agricultural employers (including crew leaders) and/or labor contractors to recruit trainees.

2. Conduct outreach to agricultural employers and/or labor contractors about the benefits of the program and training methods.

3. Conduct outreach to other groups who work with agricultural employers and/or labor contractors, to increase awareness and adoption of the program.

ii. Recruit trainers

1. Recruit trainers from farmworker communities and organizations.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-E/section-170.401#p-170.401(c)(4) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-F/section-170.501

d) Activity #4 – WPS Support

i. WPS support

1. Hold workshops/events to help trainers better understand the WPS and rights related to pesticide safety so that they can be a resource to farmworkers.

2. Hold workshops/events for farmworker organizations on the same topics.

3. Hold workshops/events for agricultural employers (including crew leaders), and/or labor contractors on the same topics.

e) Activity #5 – Evaluation

i. Note: Evaluations do not have to be done with all people trained and may be done verbally.

ii. Evaluate effectiveness of trainings

1. Evaluate how much workers and handlers learned from the trainings.

2. Evaluate how much trainers learned from trainings they’ve received.

3. Evaluate learning from all other trainings.

iii. Evaluate satisfaction

1. Evaluate workers’ and handlers’ satisfaction with the trainings, materials, and training methods.

2. Evaluate trainers’ satisfaction with the trainings, materials, and training methods.

3. Evaluate agricultural employers’ and/or labor contractors’ satisfaction with trainings for their employees.

4. Evaluate satisfaction with all other trainings.

iv. Evaluate methods and outreach

1. Evaluate how well the popular education and innovative delivery methods are working.

2. Evaluate how well outreach to agricultural employers and/or labor contracts is working.

v. Evaluate and monitor program

1. Prepare and retain quarterly financial and programmatic reports to monitor and evaluate the program as a whole, working, as necessary with the EPA’s project officer for the Office of Pesticide Programs technical assistance cooperative agreement.

Agreement Type 2 – Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program

Activities for the Main Grant Recipient

The main grant recipient will manage a subaward program. They will distribute funds to other community-based nonprofit farmworker organizations and support them.

Organizations that receive the funds (called “subrecipients”) will do local or regional education and outreach on agricultural pesticide safety for farmworker communities.

(“Regional” here means relating to a particular area or part of the country. It does not mean an official EPA Region.)

a) Activity #1 - Choose local or regional projects

i. Design a method to choose local and regional projects on pesticide safety in farmworker communities. (Note: do not choose them until after you receive an award.)

ii. Prioritize large farmworker communities or unmet needs; limit duplication of efforts.

iii. Conduct outreach in farmworker communities so that community-based farmworker nonprofit organizations know about the program.

b) Activity #2 – Distribute funds

i. Ensure subrecipients meet all requirements to receive federal funds.

(Example: having a Unique Entity Identifier.)

ii. Review budgets to make sure that expenses for local and regional projects are allowed under EPA grants policy.

iii. Distribute money for projects.

c) Activity #3 – Project Support

i. Meet with subrecipients at least quarterly to monitor progress and problem-solve.

ii. Hold workshops/events and provide materials to help subrecipients better understand the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights. These must address:

a. How workers can access pesticide safety information, including through a WPS designated representative.

b. Limiting take-home pesticide exposure.

iii. Review all education, materials, and outreach by subrecipients for accuracy, especially relating to the WPS.

iv. Connect subrecipients to each other and to stakeholders who can support their projects.

v. Provide other support to subrecipients, as necessary.

vi. Work with the grant recipient for the Office of Pesticide Programs technical assistance cooperative agreement to help subrecipients learn to manage federal grants.

d) Activity #5 – Reporting

i. Help subrecipients report on their activities every quarter.

ii. Submit overall reports to EPA every quarter and at the end of the project. These reports should be both programmatic and financial.

e) Activity #6 – Evaluation

i. Create a system for subrecipients to share experiences throughout the project. (Example: an advisory committee.)

ii. Evaluate what farmworker communities learn from the projects.

iii. Evaluate farmworker communities’ satisfaction with the projects.

iv. Evaluate any outreach and training methods used.

v. Regularly incorporate the results of evaluations to improve local and regional projects.

vi. Share evaluation results with grant recipients from other agreements.

vii. Evaluations can be qualitative (like a focus group) or quantitative (like a pre- and post-test).

viii. Monitor and evaluate the program as a whole, and include these results in reports.

Requirements for Local and Regional Projects

The main grant recipient will design the method for choosing projects. However, the projects must meet these requirements:

a) Subrecipients

i. Subrecipients must be community-based nonprofit farmworker organizations (defined in Section III. Eligibility Information, A.

Eligible Entities) able to work within farmworkers’ cultural and linguistic context.

ii. Projects must be conducted at a local or regional level, even if the organization represents a national community.

b) Activities

i. Projects must be education, outreach, or developing materials about the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights.

ii. Examples: creating materials, translating materials, giving talks, radio campaigns, outreach from community health workers (promotores de salud), outreach in strategic locations, other innovative delivery methods, or any combination of these.

c) Topics

i. Projects should add to or reinforce the WPS trainings and requirements.

ii. For example, they can discuss topics not found in the required WPS trainings, like tasks specific to certain crops or chemicals.

iii. Or, they can focus on a single topic from the WPS, like the designated representative, without doing the required WPS trainings.

iv. If they wish to do the yearly WPS trainings required in the regulation, subrecipients must meet all requirements (listed in 40 CFR 170.401) and collaborate with a recipient of the Type 1 agreement.

d) Audience

i. Projects can focus on anyone within the farmworker community, not just workers and handlers. (Examples: children of workers, staff in schools near agricultural fields.)

e) Timeframe

i. Projects can last for the entire project period (up to five years), or for a shorter period of time. The length of the project should correspond to the proposed activities.

If the activities the successful applicant has proposed (for either agreement type) involve the collection and/or use of environmental data, a full quality assurance/quality control plan would have to be negotiated with EPA after selection. The submission of a written Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) to EPA for approval may thus be required under this announcement, depending upon the successful applicant’s project design. If EPA determines that a QAPP is necessary, no environmental data activities may begin until EPA approves a QAPP. QAPPs are not required with applications.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-E/section-170.401 https://www.epa.gov/grants/implementation-quality-assurance-requirements-organizations-receiving-epa-financial

C. Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs, Outcomes, Performance Measures, and EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

This section gives more detail about the results of the activities.

“1. Outputs” explains what things the activities will produce.

“2. Outcomes” explains the results or effects of the activities.

“3. Performance Measures” explains how these results can be measured.

“4. Linkage to the Strategic Plan” explains how the outcomes relate to EPA’s larger goals.

EPA requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements). Applicants must describe 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 goals and objectives described above.

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7A1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA must also link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s Strategic Plan.

1. Outputs

Outputs are the things that the activities will produce. Each output will link to an activity.

For example, if the activity is to train farmworkers, the output is trainings.

The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal and objective, produced or provided, over a period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance-agreement funding period. The anticipated outputs of these cooperative agreements are to successfully accomplish the activities listed in Section I. Funding Opportunity Description, B. Scope of Work and Objectives, 3.

Activities to be Funded, as well as any additional activities proposed by the applicants.

Examples of anticipated outputs from the cooperative agreements to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

Example Outputs for Type 1 – National Farmworker Training Program

a) Activity #1 - Training

• WPS-required worker and handler trainings

• WPS trainings-of-trainers

• Farmworker community trainings https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

b) Activity #2 – Materials

• Materials created or selected

• Pilot tests of materials (completed before or during the cooperative agreement)

c) Activity #3 – Outreach

• Trainers recruited

• Employers and labor contractors who adopt training program

• Presentations and/or information sessions with agricultural employers and

State Lead Agencies

d) Activity #4 – WPS Support

• Workshops on the WPS

• Question-and-answer sessions on the WPS

• Fact sheets and guides

e) Activity #5 – Evaluations

• Focus groups

• Pre- and post-tests

• Interviews

• Reports submitted to EPA each quarter

• Final report submitted to EPA

Example Outputs for Agreement Type 2 – Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program

a) Activity #1 – Choose local or regional projects

• System for choosing projects (need-based, application process, other)

• Social media posts about potential funding

• Information sessions with farmworker organizations about potential funding

b) Activity #2 – Distribute funds

• Subrecipients with a Unique Entity Identifier

• Approvable budgets

• Funds distributed for local and regional projects

c) Activity #3 – Project support

• Support sessions for local and regional projects

• Workshops on the WPS

• Materials that have been reviewed or fact-checked for accuracy to the

WPS

• Meetings between subrecipients and external organizations

• Trainings for subrecipients with the grant recipient for the Office of

Pesticide Programs Technical Assistance cooperative agreement

d) Activity #5 – Reporting

• Support sessions on reporting

• Reports submitted each quarter from local and regional projects

• Reports submitted each quarter to EPA

• Final report to EPA

e) Activity #6 – Evaluation

• Advisory committees

• Focus groups

• Interviews

• Pre- and post-tests

Not all of these outputs are required. However, progress reports and a final report are required.

2. Outcomes

Outcomes are results from the activities and outputs.

For example, if the activity is training farmworkers on pesticide safety, an outcome could be that farmworkers have a better understanding of how to keep themselves safe from pesticides.

An outcome may result from more than one activity.

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 and correlate with the objectives of the workplan. They do not have to be achieved within an assistance agreement funding period.

Examples of anticipated outcomes from the cooperative agreement to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

Example Outcomes for Type 1 – National Farmworker Training Program

• Workers, handlers, and farmworker communities have access to effective, appropriate educational materials on the WPS.

• Workers, handlers, and farmworker communities have a better understanding of the WPS.

• Trainers, farmworker organizations, and agricultural employers and/or labor contractors have a better understanding of the WPS.

• Evaluations show best practices for WPS trainings and materials for workers, handlers, trainers, and farmworker communities.

• Workers, handlers, and farmworker communities are better protected from pesticide exposure.

• Trainers, farmworker organizations, and agricultural employers and/or labor contractors have a better understanding of how to help workers, handlers, and farmworker communities protect themselves from pesticide exposure.

Example Outcomes for Type 2 – Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program

• Farmworker communities have access to effective, appropriate materials and information on the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights. These will reinforce and supplement the required WPS trainings.

• Farmworker communities have a better understanding of the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights.

• Farmworker organizations have a better understanding of the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights.

• Evaluations show best practices for trainings, materials, and outreach on the WPS, pesticide safety, and related rights.

• Farmworker communities are better protected from pesticide exposure.

3. Performance Measures

“Performance measures” are how you will measure your progress on the project. They relate to the outputs and outcomes above.

For example: If the output is trainings, the performance measure could be how many people you plan to train.

Performance measures are also related to your evaluation activities.

For example: If the evaluation is pre- and post-tests, the performance measure could be an increase in scores.

The measurements should follow a specific timeline, often called milestones.

State what you expect your progress to be each year and overall.

For example: We plan to train 1,000 people in the first year and 5,000 people overall.

The applicant should also develop performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in their application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful processes and output and outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients.

Descriptions of performance measures should directly relate to project outcomes and outputs, which will include tracking, measuring, and reporting actual accomplishments against proposed outputs/outcomes and timelines/milestones.

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

• What measurable short-term and long-term results will the project achieve?

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

• Are the outputs and outcomes specific and detailed? Are specific target measures included where possible? Are target measures reasonable and achievable within the project period and for the funding amount?

The description of performance measures should include:

• Overall five-year and annual goals, objectives, examples of outputs (including projects, programs and resources) and outcomes.

• Regular reports that document all activities and efforts on project implementation, and track and measure progress achieved toward the outputs, outcomes and milestones met in the overall five-year plan and each annual plan including customer satisfaction measures.

• A final report that demonstrates the success of the program, explains lessons learned, suggests how to carry the program forward and build on its success, and feedback from stakeholders on needed tools and resources.

4. Linkage to the EPA Strategic Plan

The Strategic Plan explains EPA’s goals and how these cooperative agreements relate.

Applicants also need to refer to the Strategic Plan in their Project Narrative (See Section IV.C.).

The activities to be funded under this announcement will support Goal 7 of EPA’s Strategic Plan (“Ensure Safety of Chemicals for People and the Environment”), which aims to “increase the safety of chemicals and pesticides and prevent pollution at the source.” Specifically, these activities will support Objective 7.1 (“Ensure Chemical and Pesticide Safety”), which aims to “protect the health of families, communities, and ecosystems from the risks posed by chemicals and pesticides.”

OPP works to address the safe use of pesticides and fulfill Objective 7.1. These OPP cooperative agreements will protect the health of families and communities by training and educating farmworker communities on the WPS and pesticide safety, providing them with educational resources, and supporting outreach on the WPS and other pesticide topics. In addition, evaluation and community involvement will make activities more culturally appropriate and effective.

Please read EPA’s FY 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan for more information.

D. Statutory Authority

This section describes which laws permit EPA the authority to fund and run this program.

The statutory authority for this action is Section 20 of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. 136r, which authorizes the Agency to issue assistance agreements for research, public education, training, monitoring, demonstration, and studies. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) of 2022, FY 23 Consolidated Appropriations Act PL 117-328 Section 703(a)(1)(G) amends FIFRA, reserving funds for assistance agreements that support the training and education of workers and pesticide handlers on the WPS and rights https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-03/fy-2022-2026-epa-strategic-plan.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title7/chapter6&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title7/chapter6&edition=prelim https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ328/PLAW-117publ328.pdf https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ328/PLAW-117publ328.pdf https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ328/PLAW-117publ328.pdf related to pesticide safety; the development of trainings and informational materials on these topics; and the development of innovative delivery methods for these trainings and materials.

These cooperative agreements will support FIFRA by funding activities, including education and training, aimed at protecting agricultural workers and their communities from pesticide exposure in agricultural production. These cooperative agreements will support PRIA by funding all activities described in Section 703(a)(1)(G).

E. Human Subjects Studies Questions about Human Subjects Studies should be directed to the Human Subjects Research Review Official.

F. 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 applications 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 in Section VII. to obtain the provisions.

Section II. Award Information

This section gives more details about the funding:

A. Explains how much money is available in total and for each agreement.

B. Explains how many local projects there should be for the Type 2 agreement.

C. Explains how many agreements EPA will award.

D. Explains the length of agreements and approximately when they will begin.

E. Explains that EPA can choose to give an organization only some of the money they ask for.

F. Explains what type of agreements these are (cooperative agreements, not grants).

https://www.epa.gov/scientific-leadership/forms/contact-us-about-programs-office-science-advisor https://www.epa.gov/scientific-leadership/forms/contact-us-about-programs-office-science-advisor https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

A. What is the Amount of Funding Available?

EPA expects cooperative agreements to be up to $2.5 million (for the Type 1 agreement) and $3.8 million (for the Type 2 agreement). There is a total of up to $6.3 million available for this program.

The total funding for these cooperative agreements is estimated to be up to $6.3 million over 5 years. Depending on EPA’s budget, EPA expects to award an estimated $600,000 for the first project year and up to an additional $5,700,000 for the remaining four years.

Funding for the Type 1 Award – National Farmworker Training Program

• The award is expected to be up to $2.5 million over a five-year grant cycle.

• The award recipient is expected to receive an estimated $300,000 in the first project year and no more than $600,000 per year for the remaining four years.

Funding for the Type 2 Award –Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program

• The award is expected to be up to $3.8 million over a five-year grant cycle.

• The award recipient is expected to receive an estimated $300,000 in the first project year and no more than $900,000 per year for the remaining four years.

The actual award amounts under each agreement type may differ from the estimated amounts for many reasons including the number of meritorious applications received, Agency priorities, and funding availability. In addition, EPA reserves the right to increase or decrease (including decreasing to zero) the amounts of awards under each agreement type.

Awards may be fully funded or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

B. How Many Subawards for Local and Regional Projects Should there be? And How Much Money Should go to Subawards? (Type 2 agreement only)

The Type 2 cooperative agreement (Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program) must manage a certain number of local and regional projects.

At least 60% of funding for the Type 2 award must go to local and regional projects.

Applicants for the Type 2 cooperative agreement (Farmworker Community Pesticide Education Subaward Program) must plan to manage a certain number of subawards for local and regional projects depending on the amount of annual funding they receive. See the table below:

Anticipated Annual Funding Amount Each Year

Number of Subaward(s) Minimum Each Year

$900,000 9 or more

$800,000 - $899,999 8 or more

$600,000 - $799,999 6 or more

$400,000 - $599,999 4 or more

$300,000 - $399,999 3 or more

$200,000 - $299,999 2 or more

When negotiating yearly workplans with the award recipient, EPA will use the corresponding year’s funding amount to determine the minimum required number of subawards.

If a project receives less than $200,000 in a project year, they still must have at least one local or regional project subaward.

A minimum of 60% of annual funds must go directly to subrecipients for local and regional projects. The award recipient is encouraged to provide the maximum practical amount to subrecipients. The award recipient of the cooperative agreement may not utilize any of the funds set aside for subawards to cover costs incurred for competitions, administration and management of these subawards.

Subawards do not need to all receive the same amount of funds. Instead, the distribution of funds among subaward projects should be determined by the complexity and nature of the project.

C. How Many Agreements will EPA Award in This Competition?

EPA expects to award one Type 1 agreement and one Type 2 agreement.

The actual number may be different.

EPA expects to award two cooperative agreements under this solicitation—one of each type.

The actual number of projects awarded under each agreement type described may differ from the estimated number for reasons including the number of meritorious applications received, Agency priorities, and funding availability. In addition, EPA reserves the right to change the total number of awards under each agreement type, or the ratio of assistance agreements it awards among the agreement types.

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

D. What is the Project Period for Awards Resulting from this Solicitation?

The project period for awards resulting from this solicitation is anticipated to begin June 1, 2025. Proposed project periods may be up to five (5) years.

E. 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, or portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, and therefore maintains the integrity of the competition and selection process.

F. Funding Type

EPA 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 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, review of proposed procurement;

• Approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient); 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 decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient.

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

This section describes who is eligible to apply for these agreements.

“A. Eligible Entities” gives definitions and examples of who is eligible to apply by themselves or as a lead partner.

“B. Partnerships” explains that organizations may choose to apply as partners and explains what partnerships involve.

“C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria” explains the criteria that an organization has to meet for their application to be scored.

“D. Cost Share” Explains that organizations do not have to match the amount EPA gives them with other funds (called “cost share”).

A. Eligible Entities

Organizations eligible to apply by themselves lead partners are “community-based farmworker nonprofit organizations.”

These organizations must have experience training or creating educational materials for farmworkers.

A “community” can be a geographic place or a group of people who are located across the country and have common interests or characteristics.

Note: This section contains important definitions and examples of eligible organizations.

1. Who is eligible to apply for these awards?

Only community-based farmworker nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for these awards as lead partners, in accordance with 66.720 PRIA 5: Farm Worker and Health Care Provider Training and Education Grants.

To be eligible, these organizations must also have experience training workers and pesticide handlers or developing educational materials for them.

Subawards for the Type 2 agreement must also go to community-based farmworker nonprofit organizations as defined below.

Note: Please see “B. Partnerships” to see the eligibility criteria for a partner.

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

2. What is a community-based farmworker nonprofit organization?

For these agreements, “community-based nonprofit farmworker organization” means a public or private nonprofit organization that supports and/or represents the farmworker community through engagement, education, and other related services provided to community residents and community stakeholders.

Because these agreements require significant farmworker involvement, if the organization “supports” the farmworker community but does not “represent” it (i.e., if the organization is not founded or staffed by members of the farmworker community), then the organization must demonstrate their connections to the farmworker community. That is, the organization must show that their primary focus is to engage with and educate farmworkers, or provide related services to them, and that they have established trust in the farmworker community. An organization may demonstrate its connections and focus through its mission statement, letters of support from farmworkers and farmworker organizations, or other means. Examples of eligible and ineligible organizations are found below. Institutes of higher education and their associated nonprofits and foundations are not considered community-based farmworker organizations under PRIA 5. Hospitals and their associated nonprofits are not considered community-based farmworker organizations under PRIA 5.

3. What is a community?

A “community” can be characterized by a particular geographic area and/or by the relationships among members with similar interests and can be characterized as part of a broader national or regional community where organizations can be focused on the needs of farmworkers.

4. Who are farmworkers and farmworker communities?

“Farmworkers” is a term that includes both people who do “worker” tasks (hand labor such as harvesting, thinning, and pruning) and people who do “pesticide handler” tasks (such as mixing, loading, and applying pesticides) on agricultural establishments including farms, forests, enclosed spaces, and nurseries.

“Farmworker communities” is a broad term that includes both workers and handlers and people with relationships to workers and handlers. It includes people who have concerns similar to workers and handlers, and who may be affected by agricultural pesticides, but who are not workers and handlers under the WPS definition. It can also refer to places with large numbers of farmworkers.

Examples of farmworker community members are:

• Children of workers and handlers

• Other family members of workers and handlers

• People like produce packers, who work on agricultural establishments but who may not be “workers” or “handlers” https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-170/subpart-A/section-170.3

• People who live near agricultural establishments

• People who work in or attend schools near agricultural establishments

• People who rely on the income earned by farmworkers to meet their basic needs

5. What is a nonprofit?

Consistent with the definition of nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 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. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Institutes of higher education are not considered to be a non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education and are not eligible to submit applications as lead partners under this solicitation. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

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 exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.

6. Examples of Eligible Organizations

• Nonprofits that serve farmworker communities and that are located in areas with large farmworker communities

• National or regional nonprofits with organizational missions to serve farmworker communities

• Nonprofit labor organizations that represent farmworkers

7. Examples of Ineligible Organizations

• Institutions of higher education, including nonprofits associated with those institutions

• Organizations who have served some farmworker communities in the past but whose primary organizational focus is not farmworker communities

• Nonprofits who serve farmworkers but have only 501(c)(4) status

• Individuals

• For-profit organizations

• Hospitals

• The recipient of EPA OPP’s noncompetitive technical assistance agreement for this NOFO

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.

B. Partnerships

Organizations can apply as partners to submit one joint application.

If organizations apply as partners, they must choose one organization to be the lead partner (the one who will report to EPA). The lead partner must be a community-based farmworker nonprofit organization.

For example, a small farmworker organization may partner with a university.

Organizations that apply as partners must have a written agreement that says which activities each organization will do.

For example, the local farmworker organization will be responsible for training and materials development. The university will be responsible for WPS support and evaluation.

Partners are not the…