fy15 sra grant program rfa (revised 4.23.15).pdf

FEDERAL AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Regional Pollution

Prevention Program Offices

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: Fiscal Year 2015 Source Reduction Assistance Grant

Program

STATUORY AUTHORITY: Clean Air Act, Section 103(b), as amended; Clean Water Act, Section

104(b)(3), as amended; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, as amended;

Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442 (a)(1) and (c), as amended; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section

8001(a), as amended; and Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, as amended.

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Proposals (RFP)

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 66.717

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2015-004

SUBMISSION DATE: Proposals are due Thursday, May 28, 2015, 11:59 pm, (EDT). EPA will receive proposals electronically through Grants.gov. Proposals will be date and time stamped.

Proposals must be submitted on time in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) awards are issued annually, subject to Congressional appropriation and the quality of proposals received. This Request for Proposals announces that EPA’s

Regional Pollution Prevention (P2) Program Offices (herein referred to as the Regions) collectively anticipate having approximately $1,200,000 in total grant funds in Fiscal Year 2015 to issue SRA grants.1 SRA awards will be issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. Award selection, funding and grant oversight will be managed by the Regions.

Collectively, the Regions are interested in funding projects that support the P2 Program’s National

Emphasis Areas – 1) Climate Change Mitigation/Prevention of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 2) Food

Manufacturing and 3) State or Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction.

Proposals will need to demonstrate P2/source reduction through surveys, studies, research, investigation, experimentation, education, training and/or innovative practices. Proposals that principally support recycling, clean-up, treatment, disposal and/or energy recovery efforts (e.g., incinerating solid waste to generate electricity) will not be considered for funding.

Eligible applicants include: the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school district governments, state controlled institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia. Individuals, private business/entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying

1 All estimates are subject to Congressional appropriation. FY 2015 represents the period from

October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

Section I. Funding Opportunity Description

Section II. Award Information

Section III. Eligibility Information

Section IV. Proposal Submission Information

Section V. Proposal Evaluation and Review Information

Section VI. Award Administration Information

Section VII. Agency Contacts

Appendices

Appendix A Sample Cover Page

Appendix B Guidance for Addressing Environmental Results and Measures

Appendix C Project Timeline Samples

Appendix D Itemized Budget Detail Guidance and Sample

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Note: Applicants are advised to read this announcement carefully as it provides important new information on the goals of the program, policy and program requirements, and information on the evaluation and selection process.

I. Funding Opportunity Description: The Regions are announcing the availability of SRA grants and/or cooperative agreements to fund projects supporting pollution prevention/source reduction and resource conservation. It is anticipated that the Regions collectively will have approximately

$1,200,000 in total grant funds in Fiscal Year 2015 to issue SRA grants.2

A. National Emphasis Areas for FY 2015: EPA’s national P2 Program is retooling the SRA grant program to address three topic areas suitable for leveraging and ready for amplification by eligible applicants. The three topic areas are referred to as the National Emphasis Areas. Under each topic area, examples are provided to explain the types of activities that may be considered. Applicants are to select one or more of the national emphasis areas as the focus of their SRA grant proposals.

1. Climate Change Mitigation/Prevention of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Implement P2 projects that achieve significant and measureable reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and/or energy efficiency through technical assistance to businesses.

2 All estimates are subject to Congressional appropriation. FY 2015 represents the period from

October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015.

Examples of projects under this national emphasis area may include, but are not limited to:

Implementing pollution prevention activities that could support energy efficiency measures for businesses that States are considering for their §111(d) plan.3

Implementing and measuring energy use/GHG reductions through combined heat and power projects for businesses, could involve a multi-sector approach.

Implementing and measuring energy use/GHG reductions through implementation of pump and generator efficiencies for businesses, could involve a multi-sector approach.

Involving college and university engineering departments to identify opportunities to reduce heat loss in targeted industries.

Focusing on Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) assessments concerning GHG reductions through process and materials substitution as well as chemical substitutions for hydrofluorocarbons and other highly potent GHGs.

Offering training and other assistance to businesses and technical assistance providers to help identify and implement substitutions for chemicals and substances with significant environmental impacts including highly potent GHG chemicals.

Offering technical assistance to businesses to reduce their energy consumption from industrial processes such as lighting, hot water use, compressed air, natural gas, etc.

2. Food Manufacturing – Implement pollution prevention projects that support more sustainable food manufacturing resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, hazardous materials generation and use, and/or business costs.

Examples of activities under this national emphasis area may include, but are not limited to:

Implementing and measuring water conservation techniques (e.g., use of high volume, low pressure washing systems that reuse water; implement alternatives to wastewater conveyance by transferring solids and particulate matter using augers or conveyors or manually to minimize loadings to wastewater systems).

Implementing and measuring reduction of energy use and energy efficiency.

3 Under §111 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) EPA has the broad authority to issue standards, regulations or guidelines that address greenhouse gas emissions released by new and existing electric utility power plants, including modifications to those plants. Under §111(d) of the CAA, EPA has the authority to establish air emission guidelines while the states have the authority to design and support environmental programs to carry out those guidelines in order to realize air emission reductions. SRA grants may be used to support measures to help carry out those guidelines.

http://www2.epa.gov/e3

Implementing and measuring green chemistry solutions (e.g., reduce quantity and toxicity of cleaning products or food processing chemicals).

Implementing and measuring reduced air emissions and water discharges (e.g., focus on Clean

Air Act §112(r) requirements to prevent ammonia refrigeration leaks and other accidental releases – http://www2.epa.gov/rmp).

Establishing food-manufacturing roundtables to exchange information, ideas, and technology information among food manufacturers.

Focusing Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) assessments on source reduction of food waste at one facility or at multiple points in the supply chain through more efficient food processing and handling of products.

3. State or Community Approaches to Hazardous Materials Source Reduction – Implement state or community-based approaches to hazardous materials source reduction activities that result in reduced generation and use of hazardous materials.4

Examples of activities under this national emphasis area may include, but are not limited to:

Assisting businesses to improve material practices that reduce the risk of release of hazardous chemicals during a storm or other event.

Identifying and targeting businesses within environmental justice communities or communities at high risk of flooding or natural disasters that use hazardous materials and provide P2 assessment and training.

Amplifying Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) P2 reporting and using TRI P2 data to target similar businesses or operations for similar P2 opportunities in hazardous materials source reduction.

Creating community partnerships (between businesses and local municipalities, schools, etc.) to identify and reduce use of hazardous materials.

Creating training and other assistance methods to teach businesses to identify and reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in their facilities through source reduction techniques and/or practices, e.g., participating in EPA’s Safer Choice program, using Safer Choice-labeled products, or using EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List.

Creating regional manufacturing roundtables.

4 The term community defined under this emphasis area draws from the Agency’s cross-agency strategy action plan on communities. For more information, click on:

http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-02/documents/communities-action-plan-fy15.pdf.

http://www2.epa.gov/rmp http://www2.epa.gov/e3 http://www2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/pollution-prevention-p2-and-tri http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-02/documents/communities-action-plan-fy15.pdf

Developing community-based Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) projects that would result in reduced generation and use of hazardous substances, pollutants, and/or contaminants and increase efficiency by manufacturers.

Promoting remanufacturing of certain higher-value used solvents into commercial-grade products to extend their useful life and reduce the manufacturing and use of virgin solvents, resulting in economic efficiencies, fewer hazardous releases, as well as increased energy conservation and reduced GHG emissions.

B. EPA Regional P2 Priorities: Each Region has developed a set of priorities that may expand upon the national emphasis areas noted above and/or may highlight specific environmental issues, projects, and/or programs of particular interest to the Region. Applicants are to select one or more of the Region’s priority areas as part of their proposals. Work proposed in multiple Regions will not be considered.5

Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, RI, NH, VT)

Promote New England state P2 projects that assist businesses to Lean and Green their operations. Of particular interest are collaborative projects to implement Economy, Energy and Environment initiatives, with the goal of achieving measurable P2 results.

Note: Region 1 will have a maximum funding capacity of $25,000 to issue SRA awards.

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, VI)

Promote projects that:

o Achieve quantifiable, measurable results in energy conservation, water conservation, reducing the generation and use of hazardous materials (e.g., toxics in products and processers), and saving money. Results need to be in one or more of the following metrics:

metric tons of carbon equivalents gallons of water pounds of hazardous materials dollars o Address the above criteria and focus on reducing hazardous materials through P2 practices

(e.g., green chemistry and engineering, green procurement, etc.). The projects should focus on manufacturing and commercial operations that impact local communities, especially in communities that:

bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial and commercial operations; and are susceptible to flooding.

5 Applicants residing in one Region may propose work in a different Region. In this circumstance, proposals must be sent to the Region where the work will take place.

http://www2.epa.gov/e3 http://www.epa.gov/lean/ http://www.e3.gov/

Region 3 (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV) o Support Economy, Energy and Environment projects for any manufacturing sector to achieve measurable source reduction results.

o Support technical assistance to businesses in implementing the remanufacturing exclusion in the 2014 Definition of Solid Waste Rule to achieve measurable source reduction results.

Note: Region 3 will limit individual SRA awards to a maximum of $75,000.

Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) o Focus on implementing community-level hazardous materials source reduction activities that result in reduced generation and use of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

Priority will be granted to projects that create community, business and local government partnerships that would result in reduced generation and use of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and increased efficiency by manufacturers as well as new jobs for the community. Of particular interest are projects that identify and target businesses that use hazardous waste and are at high-risk for flooding or natural disasters to provide P2 assessments and training.

o Focus on the collegiate sports sector promoting sustainability within athletics and/or campus recreational programs/facilities that could lead to measureable cost savings, energy efficiency and reduction in hazardous waste and/or water consumption. Projects that will not be considered under this topic area include those that seek to use funds for equipment and supplies that will be used to retrofit buildings (e.g., changing out lighting, windows, etc.), building system upgrades or setting up recycling programs.

o Encourage industries, utilities, municipalities and other institutions to reduce pounds of pollution, conserve water and/or energy, reduce greenhouse gases, and save money through

Economy, Energy and Environment by using Lean and Green initiatives. Of particular interest are proposals that provide P2 and Lean assessments that result in recommendations leading to measureable reductions in hazardous waste, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and energy consumption while saving money.

Note: Region 4 will limit individual SRA awards to a maximum of $60,000.

Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)

Promote projects that support P2 technical assistance to businesses that achieve measureable results in reduction of hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants; conservation of water and/or energy;

reduction in greenhouse gases; and cost savings in one or more of the three P2 national emphasis areas as defined above. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit proposals that demonstrate new, http://www.e3.gov/ innovative practices that promote measurable P2/source reduction efforts.

Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) o Use P2/source reduction techniques and strategies for any business, as referenced in the

Pollution Prevention Act (e.g., energy efficiency, Lean and Green techniques) and achieve measurable results by reducing pollution and hazardous waste, limiting water use, saving money, reducing greenhouse gases and/or conserving energy.

o Are in impacted vulnerable communities.

o Achieve P2 results in high impact sectors such as petrochemical industry, resource extraction, entertainment (sports, hospitality, parks) and agriculture.

o Integrate P2 into emerging environmental challenges (drought, weather variability, peak demand).

o Promote education and training that help states, tribes, local governments and businesses manage materials in a more sustainable way including an emphasis on measurable source reduction.

Region 7 (IA, KS, MO, NE) o Attain powerful, demonstrable, achievable, viable P2 performance outcomes (greenhouse gases, water, toxics/pollutants, and savings).

o Support more sustainable water systems – water quality as it relates to discharges and water quantity as it relates to consumption.

Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) o Provide pollution prevention technical assistance that addresses environmental priorities, reduces greenhouse gases and hazardous waste, increases energy and water efficiency, and saves money while leading to measurable environmental outcomes.

o Demonstrate new, innovative practices that promote measurable P2/source reduction efforts.

o Leverage P2 resources focused on coordinated community change (e.g., coordinating with businesses to support behavioral changes in a community).

Region 9 (AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU) o Assist state and local governments to implement climate reduction strategies through public procurement, leveraging the work of the West Coast Climate and Materials Management

Forum or similar existing programs.

o Encourage multimedia pollution prevention and waste reduction in the food manufacturing and processing sector.

o Encourage the development and use of safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals, including those identified as priorities by U.S. EPA (EPA workplan chemicals), or the California

Department of Toxic Substances Control Safer Consumer Products program (DTSC’s Safer

Consumer Products Candidate Chemical List), or other authoritative lists.

Region 10 (AK, ID, OR, WA) o Support technical assistance provider programs/networks in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and

Washington that assist businesses in preventing and reducing air, water, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions at the source.

o Support P2, Lean and the Environment and/or Economy, Energy and Environment assessments in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, to achieve P2 outcomes.

C. Grant Program Requirements: This section lists grant policies and requirements.

1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the

United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school district governments, state controlled institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia.

2. Terminology for P2/Source Reduction: Under this announcement, the term P2 also means

“source reduction.” The Pollution Prevention Act defines “source reduction” to mean any practice which: (i) reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and (ii) reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants. P2 also may refer to any practice which reduces or eliminates the creation of pollutants through: increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy and water;

protection of natural resources by conservation activities; or actions that prevent pollution by reducing the use of toxic chemicals.

http://westcoastclimateforum.com/sites/westcoastclimateforum/files/related_documents/July%202014%20Newsletter.pdf http://westcoastclimateforum.com/sites/westcoastclimateforum/files/related_documents/July%202014%20Newsletter.pdf

Examples of acceptable P2/source reduction activities include, but are not limited to: providing technical assistance to manufacturers or small businesses, equipment or technology modifications, trainings or studies of process or procedural modifications, redesigning products, encouraging environmentally preferable methods, extending the life of non-discarded hazardous materials, etc.

Note: When the reuse and/or remanufacturing of material product is integral and necessary for the production of product, the reuse or remanufacturing of a material product before discard is considered source reduction, whether the reuse or remanufacturing occurs in the same facility or a different facility. However “out-of-process recycling” of materials that have been discarded (e.g., used water bottles) cannot be counted as P2, and will constitute traditional recycling for energy and resource conservation. Recycling of discarded material cannot serve as a basis for SRA funding. Rather this type of activity is best suited for funding through

EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. For more on recycling, composting and related activities, please visit http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/.

3. EPA Statutory Authorities for SRA Awards: SRA grants and cooperative agreements are awarded through the following EPA statutory authorities: Clean Air Act, Section 103(b), as amended; Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3), as amended; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and

Rodenticide Act, Section 20, as amended; Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442 (a)(1) and

(c), as amended; Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001(a), as amended; and Toxic

Substances Control Act, Section 10, as amended. All proposal activities must be applicable under at least one of these statutory authorities.

Note: Projects must consist of activities within the statutory terms of the EPA authorities. The statutes authorize EPA to award grants or cooperative agreements to support: research, investigations, experiments, education, training, surveys, studies and demonstration of innovative techniques. These activities relate generally to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing awareness. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem using a well-established method. For example, a proposal to install a more energy efficient heating system in a facility in order to conserve energy would not fall within research, studies, demonstrations, etc. Other examples of unacceptable grant proposals involve: recycling, treatment, clean-up, disposal and/or energy recovery projects.

4. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: Applicants are required to provide a 5 percent match, as part of the total allowable project cost.6 Refer to Section III.A.

5. Funding Period: Applicants may submit one or two-year proposals.

6. Programmatic and Agency Environmental Results Policy:

6 The total allowable project costs refer to costs that are eligible, reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the project; permitted by the appropriate federal cost principles, and approved by EPA in the assistance agreement (refer to 2 CFR 200.83).

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/

a. To comply with programmatic requirements and the agency’s Environmental Results Policy

Order, 5700.7A1, applicants are required to provide qualitative and quantitative estimates of expected outcomes and outputs of SRA grant project activities, and develop a plan for tracking and measuring their progress towards achieving the expected outcomes and outputs. For specific guidance on what is required, please refer to Appendix B.

b. For expected outcomes specifically, applicants are required to provide a plan for itemizing any and all facility-level results with the corresponding facility implementation activities or state why this would be burdensome or present a confidentiality concern. Further explanatory guidance is provided in Appendix B.

7. Alignment with EPA’s Strategic Plan: Proposals are required to commit to working towards the five long-term P2 targets provided in the Agency’s FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. The P2

Program’s targets are located under Goal 4: Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing

Pollution, Objective 4.2: Promote Pollution Prevention.

Strategic measures:

o By 2018, reduce 600 million pounds of hazardous materials cumulatively through pollution prevention.

o By 2018, reduce 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2Eq.)

cumulatively through pollution prevention.

o By 2018, reduce 6.9 billion gallons of water use cumulatively through pollution prevention.

o By 2018, save $1.3 billion in business, institutional, and government costs cumulatively through pollution prevention improvements.

o By 2018, increase the number of safer chemicals and safer chemical products cumulatively by 1,900 products as recognized by the Design for the Environment program.7

To view the Plan, click here: EPA's FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. Refer to pp. 35-36 and p.72 for information related to P2.

8. Addressing Evaluation Criteria: Eligible proposals will be evaluated on several criteria using a 100-point scale. Please refer to Section V for details.

II. Award Information: SRA awards are issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, the degree of involvement will be determined by the Region. The Regions collectively anticipate having approximately $1,200,000 in total to issue

SRA awards. It is anticipated that awards will be issued in the range of approximately $10,000 –

7 In March 2015, EPA’s Design for the Environment Program was renamed the Safer Choice Program.

http://www.epa.gov/dfe/ http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-09/documents/epa_strategic_plan_fy14-18.pdf http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice

$130,000. 8 Award estimates are subject to Congressional appropriation and the quality of proposals received. It is anticipated that collectively the Regions will receive approximately 40 grant proposals and issue between 12 - 18 awards. The Regions anticipate final funding decisions will be made 180 days after the post date of this announcement.

Note: Consistent with Agency policy, the Regions reserve the right to make additional awards under this announcement, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six (6) months from the date of the original selections. The Regions also reserve the right to reject all proposals and issue no awards under this announcement, or issue fewer awards than anticipated.

A. Partial Funding: In appropriate circumstances, Regions may reserve the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of a proposal. Regions which decide to partially fund proposals will do so in a manner that will not prejudice any applicant or affect the basis upon which a proposal or a portion thereof will be evaluated or selected for an award and therefore maintain the integrity of the competition, evaluation and selection process.

Partial funding allows for flexibility in awarding SRA grant funds. In order to be considered for partial funding, applicants will draft budgets that have clearly delineated activities or phases with separate budget estimates for each activity/phase of a project. The proposals will include budgets that estimate costs for each category (e.g., labor, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractors, and other direct costs or indirect costs). The budgets will itemize these costs under each project and will identify activities (and corresponding estimated costs) covered by the 5 percent match. Refer to Section III.A for additional information on the match requirement.

B. Incremental Funding: Award funding may also be issued in two-year increments. For example, an applicant may request $40,000 in total funding to be evenly divided in increments of

$20,000 over a two-year period. In this example, the applicant will need to provide a two-year budget detailing how funds will be used for each year. The Region will have the discretion to fund or not fund the two years. If incremental funding is offered, use of such funding is not guaranteed. Incremental funding will be contingent upon a range of factors, including federal funding availability in subsequent years, programmatic and performance history of the grantee, programmatic priorities of the Region and/or other evaluation factors.

C. Funding Restrictions: Award funds may not be used for matching funds for other federal assistance agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings.

Award funding needs to be consistent with at least one statutory authority (Section I.C.3) and may not be used to sue the federal government or any other government entity. All costs incurred under this program must be allowable under 2 CFR 200, Subpart E. In accordance with applicable law, regulation, and policy, any recipient of funding must agree to comply with restrictions on using assistance funds for unauthorized lobbying, fund-raising, or political activities (i.e., lobbying members of Congress or lobbying for other federal grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts). See e.g., 2

8 Region 1 will have a maximum funding capacity of $25,000 to issue SRA awards. Region 3 will limit individual award amounts to a maximum of $75,000. Region 4 will limit individual award amounts to a maximum of $60,000.

CFR 200.450. Funds generally cannot be used to pay for travel by federal agency staff. Proposed project activities must also comply with all state and federal regulations applicable to the project area.

The applicant must also review this announcement for any other programmatic funding restrictions applicable to this program. If awarded funding, the recipient must refer to the terms and conditions of its award for other funding restrictions applicable to its award. It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure compliance with these requirements. In addition, please see 2 CFR §1500.8 for information on pre-award costs. If necessary, the Region will subtract the proposed ineligible costs from the final approved budget.

D. Type of Assistance Instrument: Awards will be issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements. If a cooperative agreement is selected for funding, the Region will have substantial technical interaction with the recipient. For such projects the Region may: 1) review project phases in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318; 2) review proposed procurements; 3) collaborate with the recipient on the scope of work and mode of operation of the project; 4) closely monitor the recipient's performance; 5) approve any proposed changes to the proposal/application or budget; 6) review qualifications of key personnel; and 7) review and comment on reports prepared under the assistance agreement. The Region will not be substantially involved in the performance of grants.

III. Eligibility: Eligible applicants include the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the United States

Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, local governments, city or township governments, independent school district governments, state controlled institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations (other than institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, community-based grassroots organizations, and federally-recognized tribes and intertribal consortia.

A. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements: SRA grant recipients, as required by the P2

Program, must provide at least a 5 percent match of the total allowable project cost. For example, the federal government will provide 95 percent of the total allowable project cost and the recipient will provide the remaining 5 percent. Cost sharing and matching contributions may include dollars, in-kind goods and services (such as volunteered time, photocopying and printing services, etc.) and/or third party contributions consistent with 2 CFR 200.306. In the budget, the use of the matching funds must be documented. Note: The match requirement may be applied at the time of award or at specified intervals during the project period. The grant applicant must document in the budget the type of match to be applied and how it will be used. The grant project officer in the Region will monitor the grant recipient’s compliance. If the match requirement is not met or is not applied at specified intervals during the project period, federal funding will cease and the recipient may be subject to an enforcement action, whereby EPA may, for example, disallow costs.9

Note: Cost sharing and matching requirements for proposals under $200,000 for Insular area applicants (the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands) are waived as a matter of law as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977, as amended, 48

U.S.C. Section 1469a. Insular area applicants with proposals that require a cost share of $200,000 or greater are advised to contact EPA to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in whole or in part. For more information, contact the applicable Region noted in Section VIII.

9 For additional information on cost share or matching requirements, refer to 2 CFR 200.306.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-306.pdf

B. Threshold Program Requirements: Proposals must meet the Threshold Program Requirements provided below at the time of submission in order to be considered for funding. The Region will evaluate proposals based on these preliminary requirements. If applicants are found ineligible, emails or letters will be sent within 15 calendar days after the Region reaches its decision.

Proposals must include the following items in order to be eligible for review.

1. Proposals must address one or more of the national emphasis areas (Section I.A);

2. Proposals must address one or more of the Region’s priority areas. (Section I.B);

3. Proposals must substantially comply with all SRA grant program requirements. These are numbered 1-8 (Section I.C);

4. If a proposal includes ineligible tasks or activities (i.e., those not considered to be

P2/source reduction) that portion of the proposal will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the proposal, render the entire proposal ineligible for funding.

C. Threshold Submission Requirements: This section addresses how applicants should prepare and submit proposal packages in ordered to be considered for funding.

1. Proposal packages must substantially comply with the submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement in order to be considered for funding or else they will be rejected.

2. Proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the proposal submission deadline. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section

IV by the submission deadline.

3. Proposals 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 System for Award Management (SAM)/SAM.gov issues. An applicant’s failure to submit their proposal through Grants.gov in a timely fashion because they did not 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 proposals with their applicable Region noted in Section VII as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in proposals not being reviewed.

4. Applicants must adhere to the page limit requirement of 10 pages or fewer (Section

IV.C.4).

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

IV. Proposal and Submission Information

A. Submission Deadline: Proposals are due Thursday, May 28, 2015, 11:59 pm (EDT).

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

Procedures: Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Barbara Perkins

USEPA Headquarters

William Jefferson Clinton Building

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Mail Code: 3903R

Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Barbara Perkins

Ronald Reagan Building

1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Rm # 51267

Washington, DC 20004

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

o Funding Opportunity Number (FON) o Organization Name and DUNS o Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number) o Explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through

Grants.gov because of: 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access, which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.

EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will respond quickly to these requests – all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:Grants.gov mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.gov and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2015, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2015). Applicants need only request an exception once in a calendar year and all exceptions will expire on December 31 of that calendar year. Applicants must request a new exception from required electronic submission through Grants.gov for submissions for any succeeding calendar year. For example, if there is a competitive opportunity issued on December 1, 2015 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2016, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning

January 1, 2016.

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

C. Grants.gov Submission Instructions: The electronic submission of your proposal must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information, go to http://www.grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then go to the “Get

Registered” link on the page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization has a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM). The process for obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through Grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. Registration on Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and obtaining a DUNS number assignment are FREE.

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to http://www.grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then “Apply for Grants” from the drop down menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov you must use

Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html.

You may also be able to access the proposal package for this announcement by searching for the opportunity on http://www.grants.gov. Go to http://www.grants.gov and then click on “Search http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html

Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2015-004, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.717), in the appropriate field and click the Search button. Alternatively, you may be able to access the application package by clicking on the Application Package button at the top right of the synopsis page for the announcement on http://www.grants.gov. To find the synopsis page, go to http://www.grants.gov and click “Browse

Agencies” in the middle of the page and then go to “Environmental Protection Agency” to find the

EPA funding opportunities.

Please submit all proposal materials described below using the Grants.gov application package that you downloaded using the instructions above. For additional instructions on completing and submitting the electronic package, click on the “Show Instructions” tab. The materials numbered from 1 – 4 are required to be submitted with the proposal. Please download and fill out the materials using the instructions provided on Grants.gov.

1. Cover Page must include:

a. SRA grant program title;

b. Funding opportunity number of this announcement;

c. Title of proposal;

d. Short description of proposal;

e. Total funding of project and requested funding of project;

f. Applicant’s contact information (i.e., name of applicant, name of organization, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and email address); and

g. System for Award Management Registration Date (refer to Section VI.C).

Note: A sample Cover Page is provided in Appendix A.

2. Application for Federal Assistance Form (SF-424): When filling out the form applicants must provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering

System (DUNS) number. Applicants can receive a DUNS number, at no cost, by calling the toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1-866-705-5711, or visiting the D&B website: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

3. Key Contacts Form (5700-54): Please identify key personnel who will file and manage the paperwork, fund activities and direct the proposal.

4. Proposal Narrative: The proposal narrative includes parts – a and b noted below which will be evaluated along with other evaluation criteria (Section V.A). The proposal narrative is subject to a 10-page limit.

a. Narrative: Applicants are asked to address their programmatic capability and past performance under previous grant agreements.

b. Strategy: The project strategy should lay out a realistic and thoughtful plan for implementing P2 technical assistance/training. The Region will evaluate the project’s strategy based upon the evaluation criteria in Section V.A.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

5. Letters of Support: Including Letters of Support as part of the grant proposal is optional. The Regions will consider Letters of Support that describe the service the grant partner(s) will provide to help carry out the work.

Note: Proposals submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from Grants.gov) within 30 days of the proposal deadline, please contact the appropriate Region. Failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

D. Proposal Length and Format: Regions will review proposal narratives up to 10 single-spaced pages (i.e., a page equals one side). A page limit does apply, but only pertains to the proposal narrative. Proposals are to be submitted in Adobe PDF or MS Word.

E. Submission Requirements:

1. Federal Requirements: If an applicant’s proposal shows merit for federal funding, the applicant will be contacted by the Region and instructed to submit required application forms.

All application forms must be filled out in their entirety, prior to being considered for an award refer to 2 CFR Part 200, as applicable. Successful applicants will be required to certify that they have not been debarred or suspended from participation in federal assistance awards in accordance with 2 CFR Part 108.

2. Intergovernmental Review: The SRA grant program is eligible for coverage under E.O.

12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs” and 40 CFR Part 29. Applicants selected for funding may be required to provide a copy of their application to their State Point of Contact (SPOC) for review, pursuant to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. This review is not required with the Initial Application and not all states require such a review. A listing of State Point of Contacts (SPOC) may be viewed at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. Federally-recognized Tribal governments are not required to comply with this procedure.

F. Additional Submission Provisions: The following list of provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, include but are not limited to: Confidential

Business Information, Contracts and Subawards under Grants, Management Fees can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review these and other grant provisions when preparing proposals for this solicitation. If there is difficulty in accessing the provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the appropriate EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

G. Pre-proposal/Application Assistance and Proper Communication with Applicants:

In accordance with EPA's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1),10

P2 program staff may not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposals, provide informal comments on draft proposals, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to evaluation criteria.

EPA Order 5700.5A1 - http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/5700_5_a_1_comp_policy_revised.pdf.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/ http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/5700_5_a_1_comp_policy_revised.pdf

However, consistent with the provisions in the announcement, P2 program staff can respond to questions from applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement. In addition, if necessary, EPA may clarify threshold eligibility issues with applicants prior to making a determination on eligibility.

H. Duplicate Funding: Applicants are not prohibited from submitting the same or virtually the same proposal to EPA under multiple competitions, if appropriate. However, if an applicant does so, and the proposal is selected for award under another competition, the selection may affect their ability to receive an award under this competition for that proposal.

I. Opportunity for Questions and Answers Regarding this Announcement: EPA’s national P2

Program held an informational question and answer webinar on March 25, 2015 with potential applicants and interested stakeholders about the National Emphasis Areas featured in this announcement. Frequently Asked Questions and Answers from the webinar will be posted to EPA’s

P2 Grant web site. For details about the types of questions, EPA can respond to, please refer to Section

IV.E of this announcement.

V. Proposal Review Information: Only eligible entities whose proposals meet the threshold and submission criteria in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation criteria set forth below. Applicants should explicitly address these criteria as part of their proposal package submittal. Each proposal will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

A. Evaluation Criteria:

1. Programmatic Capability & Past Performance [15 points]

a. Programmatic Capability

(i) Applicants will describe their…