fy18-fy19_amended_sra_rfp.pdf

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

TITLE: FY 2018 and FY 2019 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program

ACTION: Request for Proposals (RFP) Amendment No. 1

RFP NO: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-002

CFDA: 66.717

DATE: July 13, 2018

SUMMARY: This Notice makes a correction to the grant selection language.

Accordingly, Page 25, Section V. Review and Selection Process, Part B.2 now reads as follows:

EPA anticipates grant funding selections will be made by September 28, 2018. Awards will be made and managed by the applicable Regional P2 Program.

Page 26, Section VI. Award Administration Information, Part C.1 now reads as follows:

Award Management: Funding selections are anticipated to be made in FY 2018. Awards will be managed by the applicable EPA Regional P2 Program.

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

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: FY 2018 and FY 2019 Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program

STATUTORY AUTHORITIES: Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3), 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-2018-002

SUBMISSION DATE: Proposals are due Thursday, August 23, 11:59 pm (EDT). Proposals will be date and time stamped. EPA will receive proposals electronically through Grants.gov. Refer to Section IV for full information on the submission process. Proposals must be submitted on time in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY OF ANNOUNCEMENT

EPA is announcing a grant competition to fund two-year Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) agreements that support source reduction approaches (also known as “pollution prevention” and herein referred to as “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. EPA is interested in receiving proposals that:

1. Offer practical pollution prevention (P2) tools or approaches to measurably improve the environmental footprints of state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, businesses, municipal/local governments and/or local communities while also supporting efficiency to reduce resource use, expenditures, waste and liability costs.

2. Adhere to the statutory authorities for this program by using one or more of these technical assistance methods: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques – to carry out source reduction/P2 activities.

3. Place additional emphasis on documenting and sharing P2 best practices and innovations identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these approaches and outcomes. Therefore, in general, grant recipients must document and report on the P2 recommendations where they are provided to a technical assistance beneficiary (e.g., state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, business, facility, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities that received the technical assistance) and, at a later http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html date, report on P2 actions adopted by the technical assistance beneficiary (alternative reporting provisions are available, if technical assistance is broadly provided – see Section VI.C.3.b.).

4. Focus project activities on one or more of the P2 Program’s National Emphasis Areas:

Business-Based Pollution Prevention Solutions Supporting Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Priorities and Chemical Safety; Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing;

and, Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Approaches in States or Communities

The EPA plans to award a total of approximately $2 million in federal SRA grant funding issued over a two-year funding cycle (approximately $1 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $1 million in FY 2019 funds). SRA awards are expected to be performed in EPA regions and will be funded in the form of grants or cooperative agreements. Please note that notwithstanding the potential amounts stated above, these amounts are estimates only and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations.

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), nonprofit 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 activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read this announcement in its entirety as it provides important new information on the goals of the program, offers updated agency grant policies and program requirements, and provides new evaluation criteria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. BACKGROUND

A. Programmatic Description…………………………………………………………………………...5

B. EPA Statutory Authorities for SRA Awards

C. How Does EPA Define P2?

D. What is Not P2?

E. Engaging Partners in SRA Activities………………………..………………………………… F. Scope of Work – P2 National Emphasis Areas…………………………………………………...…8 G. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Federal Funding Amounts

B. Funding Types C. Partial Funding

III. ELIGIBILITY

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements C. Threshold Program Requirements

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Proposals through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures

B. Grants.gov Submission Instructions

C. Technical Issues with Submission D. Proposal Content and Format

E. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

C. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated Into the Solicitation……..……………..……..25

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Submission Requirements

C. Administrative Requirements

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDICES

Appendix A National Emphasis Area Project Examples ................................................................... A-1

Appendix B Sample Cover Page ......................................................................................................... B-1

Appendix C Guidance for Addressing Environmental Results, Measurement and Reporting ............ C-1

Appendix D Itemized Budget Detail Guidance and Template Example ........................................... D-1 Appendix E Quality Assurance Guidance for Environmental Outcome Reporting for SRA Grant

Projects. .......................................................................................................................................... E-1

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

Section I. BACKGROUND

A. Programmatic Description: EPA is announcing a grant competition to support two-year Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) assistance agreements.1 Through this program, EPA is soliciting projects aimed at reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. In this regard, EPA looks forward to reviewing SRA proposals that offer practical pollution prevention (P2)/source reduction information, tools or approaches to help state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, businesses, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities assess their environmental footprint and propose activities that will reduce or eliminate harmful air emissions, use of hazardous materials, reduce water and energy consumption and identify other resource efficiencies. SRA proposals must incorporate one or more of the following technical assistance methods to carry out P2 activities: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques.

The EPA plans to award a total of approximately $2 million in federal SRA grant funding issued over a

1 EPA Region 1 and 3 are not participating in this announcement. Region 1 encompasses the states of: CT, NH, MA, ME, and VT, and Region 3 encompasses the states of: DE, MD, PA, VA and WV. Applicants in those states may propose work in one of the eight participating Regions.

two-year funding cycle (approximately $1 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $1 million in FY 2019 funds). SRA awards are expected to be performed in EPA regions and will be funded in the form of grants or cooperative agreements. Please note that notwithstanding the potential amounts stated above, these amounts are estimates only and the amount of grant funding awarded will be dependent on Congressional appropriations, funding availability, the quality of proposals received, satisfactory performance and other applicable considerations. EPA is not expecting to issue an RFP for these grants in FY 2019.

Under this competition, EPA is placing additional emphasis on having grant recipients document and share P2 best practices and innovations identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these approaches and outcomes. Therefore, in general, grant recipients must document and report on the P2 recommendations where they are provided to a technical assistance beneficiary (e.g., state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, the business, facility, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities that received the technical assistance) and at a later date, report on P2 actions adopted by the technical assistance beneficiary (alternative reporting provisions are available if information or technical assistance is broadly provided to businesses/facilities – see Section VI.C.3.b). If necessary, awardee budgets and workplans may allot time and/or set-aside funds from the two years of federal funding provided for an optional third-year to collect and report on the P2 approaches adopted. The amount of grant funding released each year will be dependent on Congressional appropriation and the quality of proposals received.

B. EPA Statutory Authorities for SRA Awards: SRA grants and cooperative agreements are awarded under the following EPA statutory authorities: Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3), 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: SRA grants and cooperative agreements must carry out activities within the terms of EPA’s statutory authorities. The statutes authorize the agency to award grants or cooperative agreements for research, investigations, experiments, education, training, surveys, studies and/or demonstration of innovative techniques. SRA grants and cooperative agreement activities must relate to gathering or transferring information or advancing awareness. Proposals must emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem using a well-established method. Examples of unacceptable grant proposals involve: recycling, treatment, clean-up, disposal and/or energy recovery projects.

For projects that will support demonstration activity, the project must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not a demonstration. The applicant must clearly explain in the proposal how the P2 technologies, methods, or approaches used are new or experimental and how the project otherwise meets the requirements of a demonstration as described in this RFP. If your project uses technologies, methods or approaches that have been used previously in other geographic areas and/or business sectors, then your proposal must include an explanation as to how your demonstration project is different from such prior projects and is a true demonstration.

The applicant must also explain what will be learned in the industry from the demonstration project. If your project is truly a demonstration and complies with other eligibility factors then it will be considered for funding.

C. How Does EPA Define P2? Pollution prevention, also called "source reduction," is any practice which 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 of discarded material, treatment, or disposal; and reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of those substances, pollutants, or contaminants. P2 practices include equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications, reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control. EPA has also interpreted P2 as including practices that increase efficient use of water, energy, raw materials, or other resources, or that may protect natural resources through conservation methods. Reducing the amount of pollution in the environment means producing less waste to control, treat, or dispose. Less pollution means fewer hazards posed to public health and the environment.

D. What is Not P2? For purposes of this announcement, P2 does not involve practices which alter the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics or the volume of a pollutant, hazardous substance or contaminant through a process or activity which itself is not integral to and necessary for the production of a product or the providing of a service (refer to Pollution Prevention Act (PPA), Section 6603 and 40 CFR 35.343 and 35.662).2 Recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal activities, and management of or processing of non-hazardous solid waste (e.g., paper/cardboard, glass, plastics, etc.)

are not P2 activities and cannot serve as a basis for SRA award funding. If any of these activities represent more than a small and ancillary part of the proposed work for funding under this grant, EPA will not consider the proposal for an award. For assistance with recycling of discarded materials, waste clean-up, disposal and management or processing of non-hazardous solid waste activities, please contact the EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.

2 Section 6603 of the PPA defines source reduction as any practice that:

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.

ii. Reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

iii. EPA further defines pollution prevention as the use of other practices that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources, or protection of natural resources, or protection of natural resources by conservation.

https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990 http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management-olem#orcr

E. Engaging Partners in SRA Activities: Applicants are encouraged to develop relationships with federal agencies, state/tribal agencies, other technical assistance providers, trade associations or environmental programs to strengthen their expertise and knowledge of P2 approaches and their ability to provide technical assistance through: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques to businesses, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities in order to leverage resources.

Partnerships may include university-based technical assistance and cooperative extension programs, and other environmental assistance programs offered within a State or Tribe, among federal programs, trade organizations, nonprofit organizations, and with regional and national programs such as with EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) Compliance Assistance Centers, EPA's Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs (SBEAPs), the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Industrial Assessment Centers, etc.3

F. Scope of Work – P2 National Emphasis Areas: In order to direct resources and funding to generate more impactful and measurable results, EPA’s national P2 Program adopted program priorities referred to as P2 National Emphasis Areas (NEAs). The NEAs can also help facilitate sharing information from P2 technical assistance and/or training to businesses nationwide.

Applicants must choose one or more of the NEA topic areas described below as the focus of their SRA grant proposals. Applicants must also identify in their proposals which region the project will be performed in.

Note: For added guidance, a list of possible SRA grant projects that may be carried out under each NEA are provided in Appendix A. The NEA project examples in Appendix A are provided for illustrative purposes only.

• NEA #1: Business-Based Pollution Prevention Solutions Supporting Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Priorities and Chemical Safety: Carry out P2 technical assistance through: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or

g) demonstration of innovative techniques that identify, test, implement and/or disseminate business-based P2 solutions for TSCA-regulated chemicals4, with particular emphasis on chemicals identified in the TSCA 2014 Workplan for Chemical Assessments.5 Projects under this NEA should facilitate, and encourage state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, businesses, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities to identify and adopt chemical and process alternatives, and promote innovative efforts on market-driven

3 If a partnership is formed with another federal government program, the cash or in-kind contribution from the federal entity may not be used by the applicant to meet the match requirement of the P2 assistance agreement. For more information on Cost Sharing and Matching Requirements, refer to Section III.B.

4 TSCA Inventory – https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory.

5 TSCA 2014 Workplan – https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update.

https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/tsca-work-plan-chemical-assessments-2014-update research, product design, product substitution and product applications that target source reduction, i.e., reducing the use and release of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.

Refer to Appendix A for project examples.

• NEA #2: Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Processing: Carry out P2 technical assistance through: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques, to support more sustainable food and beverage manufacturing and processing entities within North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 311 and 3121 resulting in reduced toxic air emissions or water discharges, water or energy usage, hazardous materials generation and use, and/or business costs.6 Technical assistance projects or activities associated with entities that are not included under NAICS codes 311 or 3121, such as restaurants, grocery stores and other retail establishments do not qualify for this NEA, but may be considered under other NEAs if the scope of the project is consistent with those other NEAs. Refer to Appendix A for project examples.

• NEA #3: Hazardous Materials Source Reduction Approaches in States or Communities:

Carry out P2 technical assistance through: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques, to support state or community-based approaches to hazardous materials source reduction to reduce the generation and use of hazardous materials from business or industry sectors.7 This NEA is intended to leverage governmental/ business/economic/infrastructure resources within a geographically contiguous area to address local (community) or broader (state) environmental and public health issues using P2 approaches. Note: For federally-recognized tribes, businesses may also include businesses operated by the tribe. Refer to Appendix A for project examples.

Note: EPA Region 2 has elected to add Regional Focus Areas that expand upon one or more of the NEAs and reflect Regional Pollution Prevention Program needs. Applicants proposing projects for Region 2 should consider opportunities to support the Regional Focus Areas listed below.

Reference markers are placed by each Focus Area to note the applicable NEA.

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, and VI):

The Region encourages proposals from all eligible applicants, but is particularly interested in proposals that focus on:

6 North American Industry Classification System, or “NAICS” is the “standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S.

business economy.” Refer to https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/.

7 The term community as defined under this emphasis area applies to businesses, industry sectors, multi-organizational partnerships, and disadvantaged or underserved communities within geographically-defined land areas (like state, county, city, township, etc.).

https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=311&search=2017%20NAICS%20Search https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?code=3121&search=2017%20NAICS%20Search https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/

• Manufacturing and other sectors in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that use TSCA-regulated chemicals, especially chemicals identified as priorities under the Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. NEA #1

• Food and beverage manufacturing and processing sectors involving small businesses in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NEA #2

• Green engineering and green chemistry approaches in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NEA #3

G. EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures – Applicants must address the following items in their proposals:

1. Linkage to EPA’s Strategic Plan: The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan (available at http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html). Awards made under this announcement will be funded as supporting Goal 2 of the EPA Strategic Plan, Cooperative Federalism:

Rebalance the power between Washington and the states to create tangible environmental results for the American people, Objective 2.1 – Enhance Shared Accountability: Improve environmental protection through shared governance and enhanced collaboration with state, tribal, local, and federal partners using the full range of compliance assurance tools. In addition, the activities under this announcement also support Goal 2, Objective 2.2 – Increase Transparency and Public Participation; Goal 1: Core Mission – Deliver Real Results to Provide Americans with Clean Air, Land and Water, and Ensure Chemical Safety, Objective 1.1 – Improve Air Quality; Objective 1.2 – Provide for Clean and Safe Water; Objective 1.3 – Revitalize Land and Prevent Contamination: and, Objective 1.4 – Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace. All applications must be for projects that support one or more of the goals and objectives identified above.

2. Performance Measurement Plan for Expected Environmental Outcomes and Outputs:

Applicants must also include a comprehensive plan for gathering and reporting on the expected outputs and outcomes of the proposed project. Definition and guidance on the terms, “output” and “outcome” are provided below. This Plan shall:

i. State the types of state agencies, federally-recognized tribes, intertribal consortia, businesses, municipal/local governments, and/or local communities to be targeted for technical assistance through a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education,

e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques, including NAICS code if possible.

ii. Provide information on the expected environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will: a) meet its proposed objectives;

and b) contribute to the goals and objectives described in the Agency’s Strategic Plan.

iii. Describe the approach for providing the P2 technical assistance (i.e., a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies, and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques).

http://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html

iv. Describe how the information described in the reporting section of this RFP (Section

VI.C.3) will be collected (e.g., follow-up phone calls, letters, e-mails, or on-site visits), as well as how data on outputs and outcomes from technical assistance provided will be measured. For more information, refer to Appendix C - Guidance for Addressing Environmental Results, Measurement and Reporting. And, refer to EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements at:

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

• Outputs. The term “output” means an activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a period of time or by a specified date. In the P2 Program, outputs are work products (related to P2) that you expect to produce. 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 include the following outputs, or other output measures the awardee and EPA regional office would like to include:

o Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process o Number of technical assistance assessments or visits o Number of recommendations made to businesses/facilities o Number of recommendations implemented/adopted by businesses/facilities o Number of workshops, trainings and courses conducted o Number of businesses/facilities attending workshops, trainings and courses.

o Number of fact sheets developed or distributed o Types of skills and abilities achieved by training participants

• Outcomes. The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must also be quantitative. In the P2 Program, outcomes are results (corresponding to EPA P2 measures) that you expect to report from implemented P2 activities. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Expected outcomes from the P2 technical assistance and project(s) to be funded under this announcement may include the following measures, if applicable, as well as other outcomes the awardee and EPA regional office would like to include:

o Pounds of hazardous materials and emissions reduced o Gallons of water saved o Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced (MTCO2e) o Dollars saved through P2 efforts https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

Section II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Federal Funding Amounts: The EPA plans to award a total of approximately $2 million in federal SRA grant funding issued over a two-year funding cycle (approximately $1 million in FY 2018 funds and approximately $1 million in FY 2019 funds). The federal funding amounts for individual grant awards may potentially be in the range of $20,000- $260,000 in total issued over a two-year funding period (i.e., award estimates per year may be between $10,000 - $130,000). Future funding is contingent on satisfactory performance, funding availability, Congressional appropriation and/or other applicable considerations. EPA regions 2, 5 and 7 have provided lower award amounts as noted below. Awardees will be expected to provide funds to match the federal award, as described in Section III.C.

In their proposal, applicants should identify what region their project will be performed in. For a list of EPA regions and states within each region refer to Section VII. As noted, projects under this solicitation are not being requested for performance in Regions 1 or 3.

• Region 2 – Federal funded awards may be in the range of $20,000 - $100,000 for the two-year funding period (between $10,000 -$50,000 incrementally funded per year).

• Region 5 – Federal funded awards may be in the range of $20,000 - $100,000 for the two-year funding period (between $10,000 -$50,000 incrementally funded per year).

• Region 7 – Federal funded awards may be in the range of $20,000 - $200,000 for the two-year funding period (between $10,000 - $100,000 incrementally funded per year).

EPA anticipates receiving approximately 40 proposals and funding approximately 20 awards under this solicitation. EPA anticipates that final selections will be made 180 days after this announcement is published. EPA reserves the right to reject all proposals and issue no awards, or issue fewer awards than anticipated. All awards will be consistent with the applicable EPA regulations and grant policies. In addition, EPA reserves the right to issue additional awards under this announcement, if additional funding becomes available. Additional awards will be made no later than six (6) months from the date of the original selections.

B. Funding Types: SRA grants will be issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements under the statutory authorities noted in Section I.B.

Definition of a Grant: An award of financial assistance by the federal government to an eligible recipient in the form of money, property or in-kind assistance in lieu of money by the federal government to an eligible recipient. The term does not include: technical assistance from federal employees or contractors or other assistance in the form of revenue sharing, loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, insurance, or direct appropriations. Also, the term does not include assistance, such as a fellowship or other lump sum award, which the recipient is not required to account for. The EPA will not be substantially involved in the performance of grants.

Definition of a Cooperative Agreement: Under these types of agreements, substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicants will occur in the performance of supported work. EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, EPA will have substantial technical interaction with the grant recipient. As such, EPA may:

Review and approve project phases;

Review proposed work of sub-grantees and contractors collaborating with the recipient;

Review and approve proposed procurements in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2

CFR 200.318;

Monitor the operation of the projects;

Approve qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient);

Closely monitor the recipient's performance;

Approve any proposed changes to the work plan and/or budget; and Review and comment on tasks or deliverables and reports or publications prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

C. Partial Funding: In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete activities, portions, or phases of a proposal. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal, it 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.

Section III. ELIGIBILITY

A. 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.

B. 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. To further illustrate, if the total project cost is $80,000, in order to meet the 5% cost share/match requirement, the applicant must be able to provide $4,000 in cash or in-kind contributions in order to be eligible to receive $76,000 in federal grant funding from EPA.

Federal Award: $76,000

+ Cost share/match requirement: $4,000 Total Project Cost = $80,000

The match requirement may be applied at the time of award or at specified intervals during the two-year project period. Cost sharing and matching contributions may include, but are not limited to: dollars; in-kind goods and services (such as volunteered time, photocopying and printing services, etc.); third-party contributions consistent with 2 CFR 200.306; university faculty time or effort which can be offered as a cash contribution as long as the cost sharing occurs during the assistant agreement project period and while the faculty member is under a continuing contract with the university; etc. Applicants must document in their budgets the type of match applied and how it will be used. The EPA grant project officer in the region will monitor the grant recipient’s compliance with their match/cost share requirement. 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 disallow costs.8

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 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) are waived as a matter of law as authorized by the Omnibus Territories Act (OTA) of 1977, as amended, 48 U.S.C. Section 1469a. In accordance with the OTA, EPA may waive, in whole or in part, cost share/match requirements of $200,000 or more. Insular Area applicants with proposals totaling $200,000 or greater are advised to contact EPA to determine if cost share requirements will be waived in whole or in part.

C. Threshold Program Requirements: Proposals must meet the Threshold Program Requirements provided below at the time of submission in order to be considered for funding. These are requirements that if not met by the time of proposal submission will result in elimination of the proposal from consideration for funding. Only proposals from eligible entities (see above) that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of this announcement. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Proposals must adhere to the definition of pollution prevention and to the statutory criteria of

SRA grants – Sections I.B and I.C.

2. The preponderance of work described in proposals must support methods of gathering or transferring P2 information and technical assistance or advancing P2 awareness, such as:

research, investigations, experiments, education, training, studies and/or demonstration of innovative techniques. Non-P2 focused activities may only represent a small and ancillary part of the proposed work. If proposals include ineligible tasks or activities (i.e., those not considered to support P2) then those activities may be found ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent of the ineligible activities, render entire proposals ineligible for funding.

3. Proposals must address one or more of the P2 National Emphasis Areas – Section I.F.

4. Proposals must describe how they will further one or more of the applicable goals and objectives of the EPA Strategic Plan – Section I.G.

8 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

5. Proposals must be from eligible applicants – Section III.A.

6. Proposals must adhere to the 5 percent cost share/match requirement (Section III.B)

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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 timely submit their proposal through Grants.gov because they 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 proposals with their applicable EPA region noted in Section VII as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so may result in proposals not being reviewed.

10. Applicants must adhere to the page limit requirement for the narrative proposal (Section IV.D).

Excess pages will not be reviewed.

SECTION IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Proposals through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures:

Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this P2 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: Courier Address:

OGD Waivers OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand c/o Jessica Durand USEPA Headquarters Ronald Reagan Building William Jefferson Clinton Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.gov

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Rm # 51278 Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20004 Washington, DC 20460

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

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON) – EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-002

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

• Organization’s Contact Information (email address and phone number)

• 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 and will provide a timely response to the request – all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in this 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 toward 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 January 11, 2018, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2018). 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, 2017 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2018, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2018.

Note: The process described in this section is only for requesting alternate submission methods. All other inquiries about this announcement must be directed to the applicable EPA Regional Contact listed in Section VII of this announcement. Queries or requests submitted to the email address identified above for reasons other than to request an alternate submission method will not be acknowledged or answered.

B. Grants.gov Submission Instructions: The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed to submit an application through grants.gov, 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 have a Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS number) and a current registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. Registration on grants.gov, SAM.gov, and DUNS number assignment is FREE.

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

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then “Apply for Grants” from the drop-down menu and then follow the instructions accordingly.

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 Adobe Software Compatibility Information on Grant.gov.

You may also be able to access the P2 grant proposal package for this announcement by searching the funding opportunity on grants.gov. Go to Grants.gov and then click on “Search Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number – EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-002, or the CFDA number – CFDA 66.717, in the appropriate field and click the Search button.

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

Please submit all of the application materials described below using the Grants.gov submission instructions above.

Application Materials The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

Mandatory Documents:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

2. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

3. Narrative Proposal including cover page (Project Narrative Attachment Form), prepared as described in Section IV.D of the announcement

Optional Documents:

4. Letters of Support, resumes, other attachments-Other Attachments form

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact Michele Amhaz at 202-564-8857. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) no later than Thursday, August 23, 2018, 11:59 pm, (EDT). Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application and allow time for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

C. Technical Issues with Submission

1. Once the application package has been completed, the “Submit” button should be enabled. If the

“Submit” button is not active, please call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726.

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

2. Submitting the application. The application package must be transferred to Grants.gov by an

AOR. The AOR should close all other software before attempting to submit the application package. Click the “submit” button of the application package. Your Internet browser will launch and a sign-in page will appear.

Note: Minor problems are not uncommon with transfers to Grants.gov.