EPA-R7-LCRD-2021_EPA_R7_03_19.pdf

FEDERAL AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: FY 2021-22 Region 7 Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable

Materials Management Grant

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a)(5), 42 U.S.C. Section

6981 (a)(5)

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Applications

ASSISTANCE LISTING: 66.808

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-R7-LCRD-2021

IMPORTANT DATES:

Request for Applications Issuance: March 19, 2021

Application Deadline: May 3, 2021

Anticipated Notification of Selection(s): June 15, 2021

Anticipated Award: September 30, 2021

COVID-19 Update: The EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by

COVID-19 clause in Section IV of the EPA’s Solicitation Clauses

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

Applications are due by Monday, May 3, 2021 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time in order to be considered for funding. Application packages must be submitted electronically to the EPA through Grants.gov

(https://www.grants.gov/). Applications will be electronically dated and time stamped. Please refer to Section IV and Appendix A of this announcement for full information on the submission process. Late applications will not be considered, unless they meet an exception specified in

Appendix A.

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCEMENT: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

(EPA) is issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible entities to address at least one (1) of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Key Pillars and Program Focus Areas identified in Section I.C. Applications must demonstrate the SMM benefit to states, tribes, and/or communities within Region 7, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

The total amount of federal funding potentially available under this announcement is approximately

$600,000 (up to $300,000 in FY 2021 funds and up to $300,000 in FY 2022 funds based on anticipated funding, which is not guaranteed and may change). The number and dollar amount of awards issued is contingent upon funding availability (e.g., Congressional appropriations), satisfactory performance, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

The EPA anticipates making three to six (3-6) individual awards ranging from $50,000 to

$200,000, each with a project period of up to two (2) years. Awards will be incrementally funded in

FY 2021 and FY 2022 subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations.

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

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read this announcement in its entirety because it provides important information on the goals and priorities of the program, explains statutory program requirements, and offers Agency grant policies and procedures.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Goals & Objectives

B. Statutory Authority

C. Scope of Work

1. SMM Key Pillars: Source Reduction, Reuse, & Recycling

2. SMM Program Focus Areas

D. Linkage to the EPA’s Strategic Plan

E. Measuring & Reporting: Output & Outcome Performance Measures

1. Outputs

2. Outcomes

F. Applicant Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards & Funding Amounts

B. Partial Funding

C. Agreement Types

SECTION III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Cost Sharing & Matching Requirements

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

SECTION IV. APPLICATION & SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission Deadline

B. Content, Format, & Instructions for Preparing an Application Package

1. Mandatory Documents

2. Optional Attachments

3. Project Narrative

C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review & Selection Process

C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Submission Requirements

C. Administrative & National Policy Requirements

1. Award Management

2. Quality Assurance/Quality Control

3. Reporting

D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

SECTION VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDIX A. GRANTS.GOV INSTRUCTIONS & LIMITED EXCEPTION PROCEDURES.. 24

A. Application Submission Requirements & Limited Exception Procedures

B. Application Submission Instructions

C. Technical Submission Issues

D. Transmission Difficulties

SECTION I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Goals & Objectives

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible entities to improve community health, resiliency, and sustainability through source reduction, reuse, and recycling, key pillars of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) hierarchy. SMM (https://www.epa.gov/smm) is a systemic approach to using materials more productively over their life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's life cycle, we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

SMM can build community health, resiliency, and sustainability by:

• Reducing the use, release, and exposure to toxic chemicals;

• Implementing life cycle approaches to reduce the health and environmental impacts of materials use;

• Employing upstream solutions that reduce the need and cost of environmental cleanup and pollution management;

• Reducing the demand for virgin, raw materials;

• Increasing the efficiency of materials use and reuse;

• Creating opportunities for in-process recycling and the innovative reuse of materials;

• Fostering systems in which materials, like edible food and building materials, are used for their best and highest purpose;

• Reducing contamination in the recycling stream;

• Increasing recycling processing efficiency; and

• Improving and developing markets for recycled materials.

Under this announcement, the EPA is seeking to fund projects that demonstrate: 1) a commitment to support SMM efforts, particularly those that move towards source reduction; 2) SMM implementation after EPA funding for the project has ended; and 3) projects that are replicable by other entities and in other locations. The EPA is especially interested in projects that support and/or align with a state/local government or community mandate, policy, and/or priority to improve community health, resiliency, and sustainability through source reduction, reuse, and recycling.

The EPA encourages applicants to work in collaboration with appropriate partners to implement the project effectively and efficiently and coordinate with other related projects or activities being performed by the applicant or others. Partnerships strengthen projects by increasing stakeholder support, information dissemination, positive environmental impacts, and replicability. They will be evaluated as part of the evaluation criteria listed in Section V.A.

B. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this action is the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA), Section

8001(a)(5), 42 U.S.C. Section 6981(a)(5). The SWDA authorizes grants and cooperative agreements for research, investigation, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs, and studies relating to the reduction of the amount of solid waste and unsalvageable waste materials.

Applications selected for funding under this announcement must specify how the project fits into the statutory authority and be consistent with the authorized activities above. Demonstrations must https://www.epa.gov/smm involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches where the results of the project will be disseminated so others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project.

A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project.

C. Scope of Work

This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits projects that address at least one (1) of the three (3)

EPA SMM Key Pillars – source reduction, reuse, and recycling – and one (1) of the SMM Program

Focus Areas outlined in this section: Sustainable Management of Food, Built Environment, Sustainable Packaging, and Prevention of Escaped Trash and Litter. Applications that do not address at least one (1) of the SMM Key Pillars and Program Focus Areas are ineligible and will not be reviewed.

Applications must demonstrate the SMM benefit to states, tribes, and/or communities within

Region 7, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Please note that under this announcement, federal funds may not be used to purchase recycling equipment or infrastructure, such as collection bins and trucks.

1. SMM Key Pillars: Source Reduction, Reuse, & Recycling

Source reduction, also known as pollution prevention, means reducing waste at the source, and is the most environmentally preferable SMM strategy. It can take many different forms, including reusing or donating items, buying in bulk, reducing packaging, redesigning products, or reducing toxicity. Source reduction is also important in manufacturing. Light-weighting of packaging, reuse, and remanufacturing are all becoming more popular business trends. Purchasing products that incorporate these features also supports source reduction. Source reduction can save natural resources, conserve energy, reduce pollution, reduce the toxicity of our waste, and save money for consumers and businesses alike.

Material recovery and reuse maintain products in their original form and use the embodied energy, resources, and impacts already incurred in the production of the original products. This is in contrast to recycling, which is a series of activities that includes collecting used, reused, or unused items that would otherwise be considered waste; sorting and processing the recyclable products into raw materials; and remanufacturing the recycled raw materials into new products. While products produced with recycled content are typically preferable to manufacturing from virgin resources, reuse offers significantly greater potential for conserving resources and reducing pollution.

Recycling is also a critical component of the EPA’s SMM approach. In November 2020, the EPA announced its National Recycling Goal (https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/us-national-recycling-goal) to increase recycling to 50 percent by 2030. To do this, the EPA drafted three (3) objectives: 1) Reduce contamination in recycling; 2) Make our recycling processing system more efficient; and 3) Strengthen the economic markets for recycled materials. Reducing contamination in the recycling stream allows more materials to be recycled and can result in less discarded and higher quality recycled materials produced for manufacturing feedstock. Investment and innovation are needed to increase the efficiency of material processing infrastructure and create more resilient https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/us-national-recycling-goal https://www.epa.gov/americarecycles/us-national-recycling-goal recycling systems. There is also a need to improve domestic markets for recyclable materials and products and to better integrate recycled materials into product and packaging designs.

Project examples for source reduction, reuse, and recycling include, but are not limited to:

• Provide technical assistance to businesses for developing and adopting source reduction practices;

• Develop or promote site-specific source reduction assessments to help businesses prioritize which environmental problems to address and in which order;

• Conduct workshops/forums for businesses and stakeholders to share best practices or demonstrate a technology that supports and/or enhances source reduction;

• Establish events to repair and reuse items (e.g., clothing, textiles, appliances, furniture);

• Design a campaign to promote the procurement and use of safer cleaners and disinfectants at local businesses;

• Assist businesses in developing green cleaning policies and procedures;

• Design or educate on disposal programs for residential/household hazardous waste and pesticides and the recycling of pesticide containers;

• Create education and outreach materials on reducing pesticide wastes through sustainable pest management strategies for schools, public health facilities, or other facilities housing vulnerable populations to include biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools;

• Identify effective ways to educate the public about recycling and test methods via pilot educational campaigns using e.g., community-based social marketing (CBSM), which emphasizes direct contact amongst community members to remove structural barriers and inspire behavior change;

• Generate recycling messaging and educational materials, such fact sheets and infographics, on key issues to promote awareness of environmental, social, and economic benefits, increase recycling participation, and ensure a more consistent stream of recyclable material;

• Enlist the assistance of traditional and social media, governments, and product manufacturers to disseminate messaging campaigns (e.g., toolkits, direct mailers, “oops” cart tags, and brochures);

• Create toolkits for best practices on policies, programs, funding opportunities, and outreach through a free, publicly accessible online clearinghouse;

• Improve consistency of labels for recyclable products, recycling bins, and trash cans;

• Develop a map of existing recycling infrastructure that includes key elements of the recycling system, from available collection points (e.g., drop-off centers, scrap yards, Material Recovery Facilities [MRFs]), sortation and secondary processing facilities (e.g., MRFs, baling operations, scrap yards, plastics reclaimers, pulp mills, glass beneficiation facilities), and ultimately remanufacturing centers (e.g., plastic/products manufacturers, paper/paperboard mills, steel/aluminum mills, glass product/packaging manufacturers);

• Conduct a needs assessment of the community, state, or region’s recycling infrastructure;

• Analyze different state and local policies that could address recycling challenges;

• Research and develop new technologies and processes that result in environmental gains from improvements in manufacturing and processing efficiencies;

• Design new products that consider the recycling sorting process to increase efficiency;

• Identify gaps in managing materials, reducing waste, and advancing equity across SMM

(e.g., recycling, waste collection, disposal), with emphasis on historically underserved communities in both urban and rural areas; and

• Use EPA science and research tools to enhance projects and identify actions communities and businesses can take to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials, plan for and integrate climate-friendly, resilient infrastructure, prevent trash and litter, and engage underserved communities. Examples include the Materials Management Wizard, SMM Prioritization

Tools, Excess Food Opportunities Map, EnviroAtlas, and EJSCREEN. For more information, check out the EPA’s research website at: https://www.epa.gov/research.

2. SMM Program Focus Areas

a. Sustainable Management of Food

Currently 30-40 percent of all available food in the U.S. goes uneaten. When wholesome, edible food ends up in a landfill, embedded natural resources, along with money, time, and labor spent to get them from farm to plate, are wasted. This impacts the environment, our communities, and the economy. Led by an interagency agreement, the EPA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S.

Food and Drug Administration are working with communities, organizations, and businesses along with partners in state, tribal, and local government to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent over the next 10 years as identified in the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal

(https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal). In order to address these challenges, the EPA is requesting applications for projects that leverage ongoing state-wide, multi-agency, or regional initiatives to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to prevent wasted food and/or divert wasted food from landfills in Region 7. Projects should build on the principles outlined in the EPA’s Food Recovery

Hierarchy (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy) and demonstrate progress to reaching the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal.

Please note that under this announcement, federal funds may not be used for anaerobic digestion or other energy-related projects.

Project examples under this focus area include, but are not limited to:

• Increase awareness of the environmental, social, and economic benefits of reducing wasted food;

• Develop and implement a local outreach campaign for food service businesses appropriate to current industry challenges including food safety, donation liability, and tax deduction;

• Advance food loss and waste by focusing on at least one (1) of the following contributing sectors: consumer, restaurant, and/or grocery;

• Improve data quality and collection on the topic of food loss and waste;

• Encourage the development of infrastructure to effectively divert excess safe and healthy food from going to the landfill with an emphasis on feeding people and animals;

• Test innovative approaches or scale up proven models that advance the safe recovery and distribution of nutritious, perishable food;

• Work with local health departments to promote food donation safety and technical guidance on websites and during food purveyor inspections; and

• Promote new methods for reducing the environmental impact of food waste by moving excess food management pathways up the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy to be used for its’ “highest purpose.”

b. Built Environment

The Built Environment is an EPA program that promotes an SMM approach to reducing waste and https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/mwiz https://www.epa.gov/smm/smm-prioritization-tools-index https://www.epa.gov/smm/smm-prioritization-tools-index https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/excess-food-opportunities-map https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen https://www.epa.gov/research https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy reuse and recycling of materials generated during the construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges. The EPA identifies certain construction and demolition (C&D) materials as commodities that can be used in new building projects, thus avoiding the need to mine and process virgin materials. C&D materials are generated when new building and civil engineering structures are built and when existing buildings and civil engineering structures are renovated or demolished (including deconstruction activities). Civil engineering structures include public works projects, such as streets and highways, bridges, utility plants, piers, and dams. C&D materials often contain bulky, heavy materials such as concrete, wood, asphalt, bricks, and other energy-intensive resources.

• Research and pilot studies for the beneficial reuse of industrial non-hazardous secondary materials as replacements for virgin materials in construction (e.g., coal ash, foundry sand, iron, steel slag; https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-industrial-non-hazardous-secondarymaterials);

• Develop new methods of reusing or recycling hard to recycle materials, such as wind turbines, solar panels, treated wood, railroad ties, and Polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastics;

• Look to reuse materials and prioritize deconstruction practices vs. demolition in community development, renovations, and redevelopment

(https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainablemanagement-construction-and-demolition-materials);

• Develop best practices for reducing, reusing, and recycling C&D materials in all types of building, infrastructure, and redevelopment projects (https://www.epa.gov/smm/best-practices-reducing-reusing-and-recycling-construction-anddemolition-materials); and

• Design strategies for managing debris generated during natural disasters that diverts valuable materials from landfills and burning.

c. Sustainable Packaging

Packaging materials are some of the most ubiquitous and easily recognizable items people use in their daily lives. Packaging includes plastic bottles, metal cans, food wrappings, corrugated cardboard boxes, and many more materials. Understanding the production and disposal of these materials is crucial in making economic and environmentally conscious decisions.

• Develop methods to reduce the generation of packaging waste;

• Research and analyze packaging design or process innovations (e.g., reusable packaging, zero packaging, supply chains, behavior changes);

• Evaluate improved approaches to the collection, recycling, or marketing of commonly and less commonly recycled plastics, such as agricultural plastics;

• Address known problems and knowledge gaps in relation to plastic packaging (including flexible film), working with project partners and actors from across the supply chain;

• Distribute information to public/private buyers of materials or products about buying packaging products manufactured with recycled content; and

• Develop methods to improve market information and/or connections between markets (e.g., different geographic locations or industries) for recovered packaging products.

https://www.epa.gov/smm/best-practices-reducing-reusing-and-recycling-construction-anddemolition-materials https://www.epa.gov/smm/best-practices-reducing-reusing-and-recycling-construction-anddemolition-materials

d. Prevention of Escaped Trash & Litter

Region 7 is geographically situated within the two largest river systems in the U.S., the Missouri

River and the Mississippi River. Protecting these river systems and their tributaries is a priority for the EPA. SMM can help reduce and prevent trash and litter on land and in waters (e.g., the

Missouri River and the Mississippi River) through innovative projects that address source reduction and infrastructure.

• Develop preventative measures and tracking methods with local businesses, industries, and state and local governments to reduce the amount of trash and litter that is polluting lands and waters;

• Conduct litter mapping in a community impacted by legacy trash and litter and use data to identify hot spots and actions to reduce/prevent litter, illegal dumping, and/or trash leakage;

• Design and/or install stormwater collection devices (e.g., trash traps) in trash/litter-impacted waters. These should be used to study materials entering local waterways, provide education and awareness, and develop source reduction actions to prevent materials from entering nearby waterways;

• Develop education and outreach campaigns to improve public understanding of the connection between land and water (e.g., how trash in inland waters can make its way to major rivers, seas, and oceans; the importance of keeping storm drains, roadways, public spaces, schools, parking lots, and construction sites free from trash and litter); and

• Investigate behavior change strategies in areas impacted by trash and litter.

D. Linkage to the EPA’s Strategic Plan

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

Awards made under this solicitation will support Goal 1: A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, Objective 1.1 Improve Air Quality; Objective 1.2 Provide for Clean and Safe Water; Objective 1.3

Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination; and Objective 1.4 Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the

Marketplace; and Goal 2: More Effective Partnerships, Objective 2.1 Enhance Shared

Accountability; and Objective 2.2: Increase Transparency and Public Participation of the EPA

Strategic Plan. All applications must be for projects that support the goals and objectives identified above.

E. Measuring & Reporting: Output & Outcome Performance Measures

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7a1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance

Agreements,” the EPA requires that assistance agreement applicants and recipients describe expected environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved. These are further defined below.

Applicants must provide an estimate of expected outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, outcomes, as well as a plan for tracking progress and reporting outputs and outcomes during the award period. It is recommended that applicants include a footnote or citation referencing the source (e.g., calculator, model) used to estimate anticipated outcomes.

1. Outputs

An output is an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to a goal and/or objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date.

Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement may https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf include the following: meetings, conference calls, training sessions, or other measurable efforts towards an environmental goal. Progress reports and a final report will also be a required output, as specified in Section VI.C.3 of this announcement.

Examples of outputs include, but are not limited to:

• Number of businesses and/or other entities that were provided technical assistance;

• Number of source reduction recommendations made to businesses and/or other entities;

• Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process;

• Number of attendees at training/demonstration projects, webinars, or roundtables;

• Number of outreach materials created/circulated (e.g., fact sheets, social media posts, case studies);

• Pounds/tons of materials recovered through projects with e.g., schools, businesses, and institutions aimed at reducing wasted materials and diverting from disposal;

• Number of businesses who have made commitments to increasing material(s) recovery; and

• Number of deconstruction projects implemented.

2. Outcomes

An outcome is the result, effect, or consequence that occurs from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to a goal and/or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

Examples of outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Reduction in pounds/tons of solid waste going to landfill;

• Reduction in gallons of water used;

• Conservation of natural resources;

• Improved air, water, and/or land quality;

• Cost savings associated with achieving reductions in e.g., water or energy use, including savings from reduced regulatory burden and those saved through recycling and/or reuse efforts; and

• Other economic benefits, including jobs created and/or retained.

F. Applicant Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces, while continuing to build scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) competence. At the same time, the EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated or been underrepresented in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, the EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III.A, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

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

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as defined by the Higher Education

Act (20 U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black

Colleges and Universities;

https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/

• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20

U.S.C. § 1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities;

• Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §

1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;

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

and

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

Institutions.

SECTION II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards & Funding Amounts

The EPA anticipates awarding up to $600,000 under this announcement (up to $300,000 in FY

2021 funds and up to $300,000 in FY 2022 funds based on anticipated funding, which is not guaranteed and may change). The number and dollar amount of awards issued are contingent upon funding availability (e.g., Congressional appropriations), satisfactory performance, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates making three to six

(3-6) individual awards ranging from $50,000 to $200,000, each with a project period of up to two

(2) years. Awards will be incrementally funded in FY 2021 and FY 2022 subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance, and other applicable considerations. If necessary, project periods can be extended.

The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards or fewer awards than anticipated under this announcement. In addition, the EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, 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 six (6) months after the original selection decisions. All awards will be consistent with applicable EPA regulations and grant policies.

B. Partial Funding

In appropriate circumstances, the EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If the 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.

C. Agreement Types

Successful applicant(s) will be issued a grant or cooperative agreement as appropriate. 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. The 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. The 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 https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/hsi-eligibles-2016.pdf https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 performance of the scope of work; in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 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. The 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

A. Eligible Applicants

Consistent with the Applicant Eligibility Section of Assistance Listing 66.808, applications will be accepted from states, local governments, county governments, tribal governments, interstate and intrastate government agencies and instrumentalities, public educational institutions, and non-profit organizations that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby, including non-profit educational institutions and non-profit hospitals.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that: 1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; 2) is not organized primarily for profit; and 3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations.

Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or non-profit Institutions of

Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of non-profit at 2 CFR

200.1 are also eligible to apply as non-profits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

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

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

Groups of two (2) or more eligible applicants may choose to form a partnership and submit a single application under this RFA; however, one (1) eligible applicant must be responsible for the assistance agreement. Partnerships must identify which eligible organization will be the award recipient and which organization(s) will be subawardees of the recipient. Subawards must be consistent with the definition of that term in 2 CFR 200.1. The recipient must administer the assistance agreement, will be accountable to the EPA for proper expenditure of the funds and reporting, and will be the point of contact for the coalition. As provided in 2 CFR 200.332, subawardees are accountable to the recipient for proper use of EPA funding. Please review the

EPA’s Subaward Policy (https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients) for subaward requirements, guidance, and training.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients https://www.epa.gov/grants/grants-policy-issuance-gpi-16-01-epa-subaward-policy-epa-assistance-agreement-recipients

B. Cost Sharing & Matching Requirements

This competition does not require matching funds or cost sharing.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

Each application must meet the threshold eligibility criteria provided below at the time of submission in order to be considered for funding. Only applications from eligible entities (Section

III.A) that meet all threshold criteria will be scored against the evaluation criteria in Section V.A of this announcement. If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding. Applications deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

• Applications must adhere to and address the statutory authority – Section I.B.

• Applications must address at least one (1) of the SMM Key Pillars and Program Focus

Areas – see Section I.C.

• Applications must describe how the work will link to the goals and objectives of the EPA’s

Strategic Plan and support expected outputs and outcomes – Section I.D and Section I.E.

• The applicant must be an eligible entity and support work that benefits Region 7 states, tribes, and/or communities – Section III.A.

• Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV and Appendix A of this announcement or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV.B.3 with respect to the application, or parts thereof, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

• In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov

(https://www.grants.gov) as stated in Section IV and Appendix A of this announcement

(except in limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Appendix A) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV.A of this announcement. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV and Appendix A of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely submitted.

• Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with

Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov (https://www.sam.gov/SAM) system issues, as described in Appendix A. An applicant’s failure to timely submit the application through Grants.gov because the applicant did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Gayle Hubert at (913) 551-7439 or hubert.gayle@epa.gov as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in the application not being reviewed.

• If an applicant submits more than one (1) application for an identical project (either in error or to replace a previously submitted application), the EPA will only review the most recently submitted application, unless the applicant notifies Gayle Hubert at (913) 551-7439 or hubert.gayle@epa.gov and specifies which application should be reviewed.

https://grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://grants.gov/ mailto:hubert.gayle@epa.gov

SECTION IV. APPLICATION & SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Submission Deadline

The deadline to submit an application is Monday, May 3, 2021 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. In order to apply, the applicant’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit a complete application package electronically to the EPA through Grants.gov. Instructions for applying through Grants.gov are provided in Appendix A of this announcement.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be electronically dated and time stamped. If the applicant has not received a confirmation of receipt from the EPA (not Grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact the EPA representative listed in Section VII. Failure to do so may result in the application not being reviewed.

Prior to applying through Grants.gov, the applicant must:

• Designate an AOR as the individual submitting the application through Grants.gov;

• Have an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (e.g., a Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number);

• Have an active System for Award Management (SAM) account; and

• Be registered in Grants.gov.

Note: The registration process for applying through Grants.gov may take a month or more to complete. Please start the registration process early and allow for enough time to successfully submit an application in the event unexpected errors require resubmission. The electronic submission of an application must be made by the AOR of the organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for federal funding assistance.

If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no Internet access which prevents the applicant from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, please refer to the procedures for an alternate submission exception request in Appendix A.

B. Content, Format, & Instructions for Preparing an Application Package

Please submit the application materials described below using the Grants.gov application package accessed using the instructions in Section IV.A and Appendix A.

1. Mandatory Documents

Applicants must use the forms available for download directly from Grants.gov:

• Standard Form 424: Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) o When filling out this form, applicants must provide a DUNS number. Applicants can receive a DUNS number, at no cost, by calling the toll-free DUNS Number request line at (866) 705-5711 or visiting D&B’s website: https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/.

• Standard Form 424A: Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) o Prepare the form as indicated to document the project budget details.

• EPA Form 4700-4: Pre-Award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants Requesting

Federal Financial Assistance o Prepare the form as indicated.

• EPA Form 5700-54: Key Contacts o Identify personnel who will file/manage paperwork, fund activities, and direct work.

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• Project Narrative, including cover page o Prepare as described below in Section IV.B.3.

2. Optional Attachments

The following documentation, while not required, can be submitted by applicants:

• Partner Letters of Support o Describe service(s) to be provided to help carry out and enhance the project.

• Staff resumes o Reflect the knowledge, experience, and/or expertise to conduct the proposed work.

• Graphs or tables of project budgets and timelines o Provide an illustrative example of milestones for completing proposed work.

3. Project Narrative

The project narrative must describe how the proposed project meets the guidelines established in

Sections I-III (including the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III.C) and address all evaluation criteria set forth in Section V.A of this announcement.

The project narrative, including the cover page, must not exceed 12 single-spaced pages, with a minimum font size of 11, one-inch margins, and page numbers. While these guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of utmost importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the application. Any pages submitted in excess of the page limit will not be reviewed. Supporting materials, as described above in Section IV.B.2, can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 12-page limit.

a. Cover Page

The following should be included in the project narrative’s cover page. It is recommended for this not to exceed one (1) page.

• Funding Opportunity Title and Number;

• Project Title;

• Project Period (e.g., start and end dates);

• Total Project Cost and Funding Requested from the EPA;

• Contact Information (e.g., applicant name, organization name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address);

• DUNS Number; and

• SAM Registration Date.

b. Project Narrative Elements

The following is the recommended approach for organizing the project narrative and items to include in it.

• Project Goal Statement: Provide an introductory goal statement (2-3 sentences) summarizing how the project addresses at least one (1) of the SMM Key Pillars and

Program Focus Areas (Section I.C).

• Linkage to the EPA’s Strategic Plan: Identify and explain how the project is linked to the

EPA’s Strategic Plan goals and objectives (Section I.D).

• Estimate of Expected Outputs and Outcomes: Provide an estimate of expected outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, outcomes (Section I.E).

• Linkage to the Evaluation Criteria: Identify and explain how the project addresses all the evaluation criteria and reference the criteria number and title. The evaluation criteria are summarized below, but please refer to Section V.A for the complete description of the evaluation criteria that must be addressed in this section of the project narrative.

o Project Summary – Describe what will be done, why it will be done, how it will be done, and an estimate of how long it will take to complete each task. Provide a detailed project description and workplan; identify which SMM Key Pillar(s) and

Program Focus Area(s) and EPA Strategic Plan goal(s) and objective(s) are addressed (Section I.C and Section I.D) and the alignment with a state, local, and/or community priority; describe the anticipated environmental and/or human health concerns and how the project helps address them; describe how the project includes other partners; describe how the project sparks creativity and innovation within

SMM Key Pillars and Program Focus Areas; describe how project results will be disseminated and provide benefit to others inside and outside of Region 7.

Note: If the proposed project will involve contract(s) and/or subaward(s), applicants are strongly advised to consult the applicable provisions for using contracts and subawards in federal assistance agreements, which can be found in the EPA’s Solicitation Clauses (https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses).

o Environmental Results, Measurement, and Reporting – Provide a comprehensive overview of the anticipated project outputs and outcomes and a plan for and statement of commitment to reporting, as described in Section I.E. Also, describe the plan and approach for tracking and measuring progress towards achieving outputs and outcomes.

o Timeline – Provide project timeframes and milestones for completing project tasks and reporting deliverables (e.g., outputs, outcomes).

o Budget – Explain budget tasks and applicable categories. Breakdown how federal and additional funding (if any) will be spent and itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, contractual costs, travel, equipment, supplies, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs. Refer to https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2019-g02 for budget guidance.

Note: Explaining the project’s budget details is separate from and a supplement to submitting Standard Form 424A: Budget Information – Non-

Construction Programs (this form is noted in Section IV.B.1). Budget explanations are required in order to inform the EPA how budget plans justify funding the proposed project(s). For this reason, budget explanations must be included within the application’s project narrative.

o Past Performance and Programmatic Capability – Submit a list of 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 the applicant’s organization performed within the last three (3) years (no more than five (5) agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe: i) whether and how it was able to successfully complete and manage those agreements; and ii) its history of meeting the reporting https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2019-g02 requirements under those agreements including whether it adequately and timely reported on progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether it submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section V, the 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).