EPA-R1-SNEP-2023R.pdf

SOUTHEAST NEW ENGLAND PROGRAM

2023 Request for Applications for the Southeast New England Program Priority Research Grants

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

Funding Opportunity Title: Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Priority Research Grants

Announcement Type: Request for Applications (RFA)

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R1-SNEP-2023R

Assistance Listing Number: 66.129

Important Dates

Information Session (Webinar) June 22, 2023, 12:30 EST

Deadline to Submit Questions via Email

Questions should be direct to

SECoastalNE@epa.gov

July 24, 2023, 11:59 EST

Closing Date/Application Deadline

Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through grants.gov (see

Section IV for details)

July 28, 2023, 11:59 EST

Anticipated Applicant Notifications September, 2023

Anticipated Announcement of Awards October, 2023

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 Contacts

VIII. Other Information

Appendices mailto:SECoastalNE@epa.gov

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A) Background for the SNEP

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

Led by EPA Region 1, SNEP is a geographically based program intended to serve as a collaborative framework for advancing ecosystem and community resiliency, protecting and restoring water quality, habitat, and ecosystem function, and developing and applying innovative policy, science, and technology to environmental management. The program was created to help communities, Tribes, government agencies and private organizations improve ecosystem health and build resilience to the unique water quality, habitat and climate stressors faced within southeast coastal New England watersheds, recognizing that the region’s economy and community health are vulnerable and directly tied to the health of its ecological systems.

Stressors include but are not limited to nutrient and bacteria pollution; loss of healthy habitat and natural land; vulnerability to sea level rise, changing groundwater levels, and extreme weather patterns; the continued impacts of past industrial uses; and the national legacy of environmental injustice and systematic racism, which has resulted in increased pollution and an historic lack of resources to communities most in need throughout the SNEP region and beyond.

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

(https://www.epa.gov/snep/snep-strategic-plan).

B) SNEP Priority Research Areas

SNEP’s Strategic Plan includes three overarching program goals: to ensure and support the development of 1) a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters, 2) thriving watersheds and natural lands; and 3) sustainable communities. In support of these goals, SNEP has identified the need for research to fill informational/knowledge gaps in the following Priority Research Areas:

• Modeling and assessing coastal lake and pond health

• Lessons learned from implementing permeable reactive barriers

• Eelgrass viability: flowering and seeding, impacts of climate change, long-term prognosis https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-systemic-racism-speaker-series https://www.epa.gov/snep/snep-strategic-plan https://www.epa.gov/snep/snep-program-plans-and-reports

Applicants must address at least one of the Priority Research Areas. More details on the targeted research questions related to priority research areas can be found below. This funding opportunity is designed to support 3-6 projects that address one or more of these research areas in holistic approaches that shed light onto outstanding SNEP region questions and management challenges. Final funding will be subject to availability of funds, the quality of applicants received, and other applicable considerations described. These proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts with substantial subject area knowledge using the evaluation criteria in Section

V.

Priority Research Area Descriptions

Ultimately, the goal of the SNEP priority research solicitation is to address outstanding regional questions and increase understanding of common environmental challenges throughout the region. EPA intends to use the lessons learned from these priority research projects to demonstrate and apply future solutions to similar issues in other watersheds across the SNEP region.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support actionable research that produces information to fill identified knowledge gaps and increases our understanding of common regional challenges and environmental stressors or conditions. Outputs of research should be sharable with towns, federal and state agencies, and NGOs in the SNEP region and enhance the ability of managers to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions to prevent, reduce, or mitigate anthropogenic stressors and promote sustainable environments and communities within the SNEP region. In addition to proposing a research project related to at least one of the three (3) priority research areas outlined below, proposals must clearly describe their capability and approach to answering the stated research questions(s) and identify partners participating in each project. The application should also describe how the applicant will communicate lessons learned from the project. The priority research projects are intended to fill critical knowledge gaps identified for the SNEP region to aid in increased knowledge sharing for entities involved in restoration, protection, research, and remediation work, and thus applicants should address how they plan to ensure publication and presentation of this information in peer-reviewed literature, reports, and regional or national conferences.

Eligible research project types vary, but must broadly address at least one of the following priority research areas:

Modeling and Assessing Coastal Lake and Pond Health

Lakes and ponds are critical elements of the SNEP region and landscape. Despite the wide variety of ecosystem services they provide to regional residents and visitors, there is limited long-term and systematic monitoring of their conditions, which can be deeply affected by the local impacts of development and the widespread impacts of climate change on eutrophication, temperature, and precipitation. Due to their sheer number and geographic extent, physically sampling all, or even a majority of, these ponds on a regular basis would be extremely resource-intensive. Volunteer monitoring programs, while valuable, have not been able to fill the need for additional data at the regional scale that would better enable understanding of the impacts of larger scale environmental change (e.g., climate change, decreases in acid rain deposition, nutrient inputs, etc). Information gathered from remote-based monitoring of coastal lake and pond conditions is desired to provide end users (local managers and practitioners) with a fuller picture of regional conditions on a relevant timescale for decision-making.

A regional Minnesota Lakes Browser (lakes.rs.umn.edu) has added colored dissolved organic matter to satellite imagery and information correlated to water quality characteristics such as water clarity and primary productivity (chlorophyll a). Recent work to investigate whether a similar model can be used at a larger scale without introducing bias in other regions is yet to be explored. The use of a global model, or possibly development of a Northeast regional model, would facilitate the use of satellite images collected every 5-12 days to estimate changes in water quality parameters for all lakes and ponds above a certain size threshold, adding information for water bodies not currently monitored and filling in gaps between sampling events at water bodies where monitoring occurs. Potential research questions to be modeled and/or explored include but are not limited to:

• Can a global or regional model created from colored dissolved organic matter and satellite imagery be created/adapted on a spatial and temporal scale fine enough to be prescriptive of local conditions in the SNEP coastal region or within sub-regions for end users?

• Can predictive modeling be implored to forecast lake and pond environmental conditions?

• Can remote sensing models forecast conditions in response differing climate scenarios?

• What do trends analyses from satellite records show on historic and current conditions of coastal lakes and ponds in the SNEP region?

This opportunity seeks to fund a research project to build or refine a localized lake and pond model for one or more sub-region within the SNEP coastal region that utilizes existing ground-true data to give local managers a clearer picture of regional lake and pond health. This effort is in line with SNEP’s Strategic Plan goals to ensure and support the development of a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters and thriving watersheds and natural lands.

Lessons Learned from Implementing Permeable Reactive Barriers

Within the past decade, many permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have been installed with the goal of removing nitrogen in ground water to reduce eutrophic conditions in embayments across the SNEP region. Currently, no single entity is tracking the number of PRBs installed to improve coastal water quality in the SNEP region. Also, no region-wide study has been conducted to determine how effective these PRBs are at removing nitrogen in situ, or to capture lessons learned from their siting, installation, and operation. PRBs may be a viable option for treating nitrogen in groundwater from various diffuse sources at the “end of pipe” rather than at the source. As communities search for multiple ways to treat their groundwater nitrogen, it is important that they understand the efficacy and longevity of tools such as PRBs. Research is needed to compile results and lessons learned from previously installed PRBs used to capture nitrogen in ground water to advance our understanding of how to best install and maximize performance of PRBs in the future. Potential research questions to be explored in situ and remotely include, but are not limited to:

• How many groundwater PRBs have been installed in the SNEP coastal region, where are they located, and what type of carbon source is used to treat nitrogen?

https://lakes.rs.umn.edu/

• What, if any, issues were experienced during their installation? How were issues resolved?

• Are installed PRBs installed at varying times functioning as intended? Have any changes to their design, siting, or operation been necessary to maximize their effectiveness?

• On average, how much nitrogen is removed from groundwater sourced? What is the N-removal impact on surface waters and is there a seasonal effect on their efficacy?

SNEP continues to prioritize research to understand the effectiveness of PRBs to reduce nitrogen inputs to coastal waters. This effort is in line with SNEP’s Strategic Plan goals to ensure and support the development of thriving watersheds and natural lands and sustainable communities.

Eelgrass Viability: Flowering and Seeding, Impacts of Climate Change, Long-term Prognosis

Extent of eelgrass (Zostera marina) has been documented to be in steady decline within the New

England region and regional eelgrass restoration efforts to date have been, overall, time- and labor-intensive, short term, and often testing just one method or question at a time. In line with

SNEP’s goals to develop resilient ecosystems of safe and healthy waters that can support the sensitive species of eelgrass, research is necessary to understand the most effective protection and restoration measures for eelgrass habitat in the coastal waters off Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island, and in Buzzards Bay, and Narragansett Bay. This opportunity specifically seeks to initially fill a knowledge gap related to the phenology and timing of eelgrass flowering, which is relevant to understand optimal seeding methodologies and elements of long-term successful restoration of eelgrass beds. We seek proposals to study one or more of the SNEP subregions. Potential research questions to be field tested include but are not limited to:

• Where are the highest flowering rates in the SNEP region or in subregions?

• When and where do subpopulations of eelgrass beds flower and when is the optimal seed harvesting time following flowering?

• Can harvested eelgrass seeds exposed to variable environments in mesocosm experiments exhibit hardness and viability when replanted in the field?

• What are the most important factors contributing to long-term successful restoration of eelgrass in previous seeding efforts in Southeastern MA and New England?

To aid in regional efforts with other programs ramping up in New England, this research would aim to determine eelgrass flowering rates in coastal waters of the SNEP region. Secondly, the project would seek to identify the optimal time for seed collection in the SNEP region, while monitoring related site-specific parameters such as temperature, water quality, water clarity, water depth, slope gradient, substrate makeup, etc. This opportunity seeks to support a project with capacity for high levels of regional collaboration in order to build capacity and produce transferrable findings in line with a common goal of successful eelgrass restoration desired across New England. This effort is in line with SNEP’s Strategic Plan goals to ensure and support the development of a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters and thriving watersheds and natural lands.

Quality Assurance

Any data collection and/or synthesis associated with the projects much be governed by a quality assurance project plan (QAPP) approved by EPA before any data gathering and/or modeling can begin. Examples of the types of data collection or use which requires a QAPP includes (but are not limited to): new primary data; existing secondary data use (new use for data collected for a different purpose, whether by the same or different groups); water or other environmental media monitoring; modeling; GIS/Spatial analysis; data associated with assessment, development or design of project plans (e.g., fish passage, nitrogen prevention/reduction, green infrastructure, habitat restoration, resilience), development or design of watershed or community plans (e.g., watershed, hazard mitigation/resilience), and surveys/workshops. All QAPPs produced are public information.

Applicants should budget time and resources in their proposal to complete this task. Plan to submit a QAPP at least four months in advance of data collection. The timing of review, comment, approval by EPA is dependent upon the quality of the draft QAPP submission and may involve several iterations. General assistance will be available to projects to help with scoping and review of draft QAPPs. For more information, follow the link to EPA QA. Contact

SEcoastalNE@epa.gov if you have any questions about QAPP requirements.

C) EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7 requires EPA to link proposed assistance agreements to the

EPA Strategic Plan. EPA also requires grant applicants and recipients to adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements. See EPA

Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements

(https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf)

The activities to be funded under this solicitation must support the FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Awards made under this solicitation will support Goal 5 “Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All

Communities,” Objective 5.2 – Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds; and Goal 1

“Tackle the Climate Crisis,” Objective 1.2 – Accelerate Resilience and Adaptation to Climate

Change Impacts of the EPA Strategic Plan.

D) Expected Outputs and Outcomes

For this RFA:

• The term “outcome” means the results that will be achieved by carrying out a research project that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. For this

RFA, “Desired Outcomes” describe the project outcomes related to current knowledge gaps that we aim to fill for the SNEP region with priority research projects, which link back to the SNEP Strategic Plan. Efforts to achieve these outcomes will steer the actions necessary to meet specific five-year targets (see Section I.C.).

• Widespread dissemination of information is implicit in all grants, and thus publication in

“open access” journals is strongly encouraged. Applicants may include within their budget the cost of manuscript preparation. Include journal and page reprint charges on a second line. Applicants should be aware that EPA requires recipients to acknowledge

EPA SNEP financial support in any publications and scholarly presentations resulting from funded projects.

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

https://www.epa.gov/quality/guidance-quality-assurance-project-plans-epa-qag-5 mailto:SEcoastalNE@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

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

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

E) Statutory Authorization for Award

The SNEP program is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law

117-328). This authority allows EPA to award grants and cooperative agreements to carry out the

SNEP, including planning, research, monitoring, outreach, and implementation projects within the SNEP geographic area.

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 Section VII to obtain the provisions.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A) Funding Amount Available

The total estimated funding available for awards under this competitive opportunity is up to $800,000, with individual awards between $100,000 and $300,000.

This award requires the applicant to provide a minimum non-federal match of 15% of the total Federal request. See Section III.B. for detailed information on the match requirement.

All funding decisions are subject to funding availability, quality of proposals, and other applicable considerations.

B) Number and Amount of Awards

EPA expects to award up to 3-6 cooperative agreements for activities under this RFA.

C) 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.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617 https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

D) No Awards Provision

EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no award under this announcement.

E) Additional Awards

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 selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions.

F) Award Type

EPA intends to award 3-6 cooperative agreements under this solicitation. A cooperative agreement is an assistance agreement that is used when there is substantial federal involvement with the recipient during the performance of an activity or project. EPA awards cooperative agreements for those projects in which it expects to have substantial interaction with the recipient throughout the recipient’s performance of the project. EPA will negotiate the precise terms and conditions of “substantial involvement” as part of the award process. Federal involvement may include close monitoring of the recipient’s performance; collaboration during the performance of the scope of work; in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.317 and 2 C.F.R. § 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurements, reviewing qualifications of key personnel, and/or review and comment on the content of printed or electronic publications prepared. EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the recipient. The final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient. 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.

• Review of proposed procurements in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.317 and 2

C.F.R. § 200.318.

• Approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award applicant).

• Review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of the report rests with the applicant).

• EPA personnel do not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the successful applicant or to direct, recommend or direct that the pass-through entity make a subaward to a particular organization.

EPA personnel may, if requested by the successful applicant, participate in selection panels to the extent permitted by section 10(b) of the EPA Subaward Policy. EPA staff https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients may also approve the substantive terms of subawards to ensure compliance with legal or policy requirements.

G) Expected Project Period

The expected project period for these assistance agreements is up to three years. The expected start date for the awards resulting from this RFA is October 1, 2023. Any subawards or contracts funded under the grant must be completed prior to the end of the grant project period.

H) Pre-Award Costs

EPA award recipients may incur allowable project costs 90 calendar days before we make the Federal award. Expenses more than 90 calendar days pre-award require prior approval of EPA. All costs incurred before EPA makes the award are at the recipient's risk. EPA is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the recipient does not receive a Federal award or if the Federal award is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs.

I) Award Funding and Incremental Funding/Full/Partial Funding

Awards will be funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations. Recipients have discretion to spend awarded funds over the course of the project period.

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

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

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

A) Eligible Applicants

Assistance under SNEP is available to state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments;

institutions of higher education; nonprofit institutions and organizations; intertribal consortia; and interstate agencies. Private businesses, federal agencies, and individuals are not eligible to be grant recipients; however, they are encouraged to work in partnership with eligible applicants on projects.

Applicants are not limited to the geographic area of southeastern coastal New England, however, those applying from outside the specified region must carry out their projects and have at least one local partner from within the geographic area specified in the competitive funding announcement.

Organizations must be capable of undertaking and managing activities that advance

SNEP priorities, including managing potentially complex fiscal and administrative requirements. Nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal

Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying

Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply; the term interstate agency is defined in

Clean Water Act Section 502 as an agency of two or more States established by or pursuant to an agreement or compact approved by the Congress, or any other agency of two or more States, having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of pollution as determined and approved by the Administrator. Intertribal consortia must meet the requirements of 40 C.F.R. § 35.504.

B) Match Requirements

This award requires that at least 15% of the total federal dollars awarded must be matched by non-federal funds. This award therefore requires that applications include at least a 15% match, i.e., $3 in non-federal match for every $20 of federal funds requested.

To calculate the minimum match under this RFA, multiply the total federal request by

0.15 using the following formula.

Total Federal Funds Requested ($) times (0.15) = minimum cost share/match ($)

For example, if an applicant is requesting $200,000 in federal funds, they would need to provide $30,000 in match, for a total project cost of $230,000.

Match/cost shares can be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, such as the use of volunteers and/or donated time, equipment, expertise, salaries, or other verifiable costs and must be carefully documented. Involvement from foundations, watershed groups, private sector, eligible governmental, as well as non-conventional partners can help with match. The match/cost share must be for allowable project costs under the SNEP funding authority described in Section I.E, and any restrictions on the use of grant funds also apply to the use of cost share/matching funds. In the case of salaries, applicants may use either minimum wage or fair market value. All funds are subject to federal audit.

Applicants that do not describe how they will meet the minimum match/cost share requirements in their submission will not be considered for funding. Other federal grants may not be used as cost share/match for this solicitation without specific statutory authority. Regulations governing match/cost share requirements are found in 2 C.F.R. §

200.306.

C) Threshold Eligibility Criteria

Only proposals from eligible entities (see Section III.A above) that meet the following threshold eligibility criteria will be evaluated. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendars days of the ineligibility determination.

a. Applicant activities and subaward projects funded under this RFA must be eligible for funding under the Assistance Listing 66.129, Geographic Programs – https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617 https://sam.gov/fal/0c227372e97b4bcc8042d8b16a812bbb/view

Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program and carried out within SNEP geographic region (see map in Appendix A).

b. Applications must address at least one of the priority research areas listed in

Section I.B of this solicitation.

c. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this solicitation or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the application, or parts thereof, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed. Citations pages will not count towards the page limit.

Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in application format, including selecting a legible font type and size for use in the application.

d. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet match requirements of at least 15% of the total federal dollars requested.

e. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov on or before the submission deadlines stated in Section IV of this solicitation. (Section IV provides for a very limited set of circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed.). Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in

Section IV and ensuring timely submittal. Please note that applicants experiencing technical issues with submitting through Grants.gov should follow the instructions provided in Section IV, which include both the requirement to contact Grants.gov and email a full application to EPA prior to the deadline.

f. Applications submitted outside of Grants.gov will be deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was due to EPA mishandling or technical problems associated with Grants.gov or

SAM.gov. Failure to timely submit an application through Grants.gov because of late or improper registration in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a submission outside of Grants.gov.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A) Coalition Coverage

Groups of two or more eligible applicants may choose to form a coalition and submit a single application under this RFA; however, one entity must be responsible for the grant.

Coalitions must identify which eligible organization will be the recipient of the grant and which eligible organization(s) will be subrecipients of the recipient (the “pass-through entity”). Subawards must be consistent with the definition of that term in 2 C.F.R. §

200.1 and comply with EPA’s Subaward Policy. The pass-through entity that administers the grant and subawards will be accountable to EPA for proper expenditure of the funds and reporting and will be the point of contact for the coalition. As provided in 2 C.F.R. §

200.332, subrecipients are accountable to the pass-through entity for proper use of EPA https://sam.gov/fal/0c227372e97b4bcc8042d8b16a812bbb/view https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=596401a1439e48a8a02ce9473b453c41 https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients funding. For-profit organizations are not eligible for subawards under this grant program but may receive procurement contracts. Any contracts for services or products funded with EPA financial assistance must be awarded under the competitive procurement procedures of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and/or 2 C.F.R. Part 1500, as applicable. The regulations at 2 C.F.R. 1500.10 contain limitations on the extent to which EPA funds may be used to compensate individual consultants. Refer to the Best Practice Guide for Procuring

Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements for guidance on competitive procurement requirements and consultant compensation. Do not name a procurement contractor (including a consultant) as a “partner” or otherwise in your application unless the contractor has been selected in compliance with competitive procurement requirements.

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

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this opportunity only are addressed in Section IV.

E, Technical Issues with Submission, below.

C) Submission Instructions

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

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using login.gov to complete your SAM.gov registration. Login.gov is a secure sign in service used by the public to sign into

Federal Agency systems including SAM.gov and Grants.gov. For help with login.gov please visit https://login.gov/help/. SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registrations includes obtaining Unique Entity ID (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization.

Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process.

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. SAM.gov requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active.

Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only.

Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization's legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Question on the difference for additional details.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/best-practice-guide-procuring-services-supplies-and-equipment-under-epa-assistance https://www.epa.gov/grants/best-practice-guide-procuring-services-supplies-and-equipment-under-epa-assistance https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/grants/exceptions-grantsgov-submission-requirement https://login.gov/ https://login.gov/help/ https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=51a2fa061b0bcd500ca4a97ae54bcb18 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0051214&sys_kb_id=dd40f4ef1b9641d0937fa64ce54bcb7a&spa=1

Organizations should ensure that their SAM.gov registration includes a current e-

Business (EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for Grants.gov Registration and system functionality.

Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday - Friday 8am - 8pm ET.

2. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is

FREE. If you have never applied for a federal grant before, please review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration instructions. As part of the Grants.gov registration process, the EBiz point of contact is the only person that can affiliate and assign applicant roles to members of an organization. In addition, at least one person must be assigned as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).

Only person(s) with the AOR role can submit applications in Grants.gov. Please review the Intro to Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace -

User Roles and Workspace Actions for details on this important process.

Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants.

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 application submission deadline.

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve technical issues with Grants.gov. 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. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays.

3. Application Submission Process

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click the red "Apply" button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this opportunity.

The electronic submission of your application to this funding opportunity must be made by an official representative of your organization who is registered with

Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance. If the submit button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the appropriate role to submit in your organization. Contact your organization's EBiz point of contact or contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxg5Tu3qHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPRj4ILn7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPRj4ILn7Y https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov

Applicants need to ensure that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the

UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's

SAM.gov account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

4. Application Submission Deadline

Your organization's AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than 07/28/2023 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.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. Please note that successful submission of your application through

Grants.gov does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

D) Technical Issues with Submission

If applicants experience technical issues during the submission of an application that they are unable to resolve, follow these procedures before the application deadline date:

• Contact Grants.gov Support Center before the application deadline date.

• Document the Grants.gov ticket/case number.

• Send an email with EPA-R1-SNEP-2023R in the subject line to miller.haley@epa.gov before the application deadline time and date and must include the following:

▪ Grant.gov ticket/case number(s)

▪ Description of the issue

▪ The entire application package in PDF format

Without this information, EPA may not be able to consider applications submitted outside of Grants.gov. Any application submitted after the application time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

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

EPA will make decisions concerning acceptance of each application submitted outside of Grants.gov on a case-by-case basis. EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to submit through Grants.gov 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 prior to the application submission deadline date because they did not properly or https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of an application outside of Grants.gov.

E) Application Materials

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

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

3. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

4. EPA Form 4700-4 Preaward Compliance Review Report

5. Budget Detail (Budget Narrative Attachment Form)

6. Project Narrative Attachment Form: Use this to submit your Project Narrative, prepared as described in Section IV.F

7. Supporting Documents (Other Attachments Form)

a) Resumes or curriculum vitae of staff that will be working on the grant.

b) Letters of commitment from any partners identified in the proposal in order to confirm their partnership. Letters certifying match commitment from partners are required as applicable.

c) List documenting past or ongoing federal and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements administer by the applicant, including documentation supporting grant performance and meeting of reporting requirements.

d) Documents of non-profit status if appropriate.

e) Verification of proposed sources of required match.

Please see Appendix B for a checklist of application materials. Appendix C has information on where to find budgeting guidance.

F) Format for Proposal Narratives

Proposal narratives must be no longer than 12 numbered pages (“Pages” refers to one side of a single-spaced, typed page, i.e., a double-sided page equals two pages)

8.5x11 inches, single spaced, font size no smaller than 10pt) and should address the evaluation criteria in Section V.B. The narrative should include a cover page with applicant contact information and the proposal’s title. The 12 pages do not include the cover page, Supporting Documents listed above, the budget detail/narrative, the

SF-424, SF-424A, Key Contacts Form, EPA Form 4700-4, or literature cited.

Applicants should fully address the criteria listed in Section V.B.

While not required, it is recommended that applicants follow a similar structure to the headings below in their proposal:

1. Project Description/Relation to EPA Identified Priority Research Areas

a) Map of Proposed Project Area, as applicable

b) Indication of which of the Priority Research Areas the project relates to

2. Description of how the project Address one of EPA’s Priority Research Areas

3. Proposed Research Activity Plan including parameters that will be investigated or monitored

4. Partnerships

5. Programmatic Capability

6. Cost Effectiveness & Match

7. Data Management, Distribution, and Sharing of Results

8. Monitoring, Tracking, and Measuring of Environmental Results

9. Timely Expenditure of Funds

G) 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 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe:

i. whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements; and

ii. your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements; and

iii. 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.

In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these factors (a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.

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

H) Research Permits

Applicants must confirm any necessary permits and/or access for themselves and their partners to research sites; access must be documented as a term of the award agreement before research can start.

I) Contracts and Subawards

EPA awards funds to one eligible applicant as the recipient, even if other eligible applicants are named as partners or co-applicants or members of a coalition or consortium. The recipient is accountable to EPA for the proper expenditure of funds.

Funding may be used to provide subawards of financial assistance, which includes using subawards to fund partnerships, provided the recipient complies with applicable requirements for subawards including those contained in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and EPA's

Subaward Policy. EPA has also posted Additional Resources on Subawards for applicants to consult.

Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts, and conduct cost and price analyses, to the extent required by the procurement provisions of the regulations at 2 C.F.R. Part 200. Applicants are not required to identify subrecipients and/or contractors (including consultants) in their application. However, if they do, the fact that an applicant selected for award has named a specific subrecipient, contractor, or consultant in the application EPA selects for funding does not relieve the applicant of obligations to comply with subaward and/or competitive procurement requirements as appropriate. Note that applicants may not award sole source contracts to consulting, engineering or other firms assisting applicants with the proposal solely based on the firm's role in preparing the application. For additional guidance applicants should review EPA’s Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment

Under EPA Assistance Agreements.

Successful applicants cannot use subawards to avoid requirements in EPA grant regulations for competitive procurement by using these instruments to acquire commercial services or products from for-profit organizations to carry out its assistance agreement. The nature of the transaction between the recipient and the subrecipient must be consistent with the standards for distinguishing between vendor transactions and subrecipient assistance found at 2 C.F.R. § 200.331, the definitions of subaward and subrecipient at 2 C.F.R. § 200.1, and Appendix A to EPA’s Subaward Policy. EPA will not be a party to these transactions. Applicants acquiring commercial goods or services must comply with the competitive procurement standards in 2 C.F.R. § 200.319 and 2

C.F.R. § 200.320 and cannot use a subaward as the funding mechanism.

J) Intergovernmental Review Act

Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs, may be applicable to awards resulting from this announcement.