FY2021 Region 10 Healthy Resilient & Sustainable Communities Grant RFA _final.pdf

FEDERAL AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: FY 2021 Region 10 Healthy, Resilient and Sustainable

Communities Grant Program

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Request for Applications (RFA)

ASSISTANCE LISTING: 66.717

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-R10-HRSC-2021

IMPORTANT DATES:

February 1, 2021 RFA OPENS

April 30, 2021 RFA CLOSES – APPLICATIONS DUE

August 30, 2021 ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF FUNDING SELECTION

September 30, 2021 ANTICIPATED AWARD

COVID-19 Update: EPA is providing flexibilities to applicants experiencing challenges related to

COVID-19. Please see the Flexibilities Available to Organizations Impacted by COVID-19 clause in Section IV of EPA’s Solicitation Clauses: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses.

Applications are due by Friday, April 30, 11:59 pm, (EDT). EPA will receive applications electronically through grants.gov. Applications will be electronically date and time stamped. Please refer to Section IV and Appendix D of this announcement for full information on the submission process. Applications must be submitted on time in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 (EPA), is issuing a Request for

Applications (RFA) from eligible entities to improve community health, resilience, and/or sustainability through pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management implementation.

Pollution prevention (P2) is any practice that 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. Pollution prevention reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants or contaminants.

Sustainable materials management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire life cycle, we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

Eligible entities include Region 10 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.

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

Eligible projects must take place within EPA Region 10, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and

Washington.

FUNDING / AWARDS: EPA Region 10 anticipates awarding approximately $120,000 under this announcement. Awards will be issued and managed through EPA’s Region 10 Office. EPA anticipates awarding 2-4 grants, ranging from $30,000 to $60,000.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

B. Scope of Work

C. Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs, Outcomes and Performance Measures

D. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

E. EPA Statutory Authorities for Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Community Awards

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Federal Funding Amounts

B. Partial Funding

C. Agreement Types

D. Project Period

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities

B. Cost Share/Matching Requirement

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirements to Submit Through Grants.gov and Application Submission Deadline

B. Content of Application Package

C. Instructions for Preparing Application Packages

D. 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

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notification

B. Administrative Requirements

C. Reporting Requirement

D. Disputes

F. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

VII. AGENCY CONTACT

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Template for Narrative Proposal

Appendix B: Example Budget Table and Narrative

Appendix C: Example Timeline

Appendix D: Grants.gov Instructions and Limited Exception Procedures

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 (EPA), is issuing a Request for Applications

(RFA) from eligible entities to improve community health, resilience, and/or sustainability through pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management implementation.

Pollution prevention (P2) is any practice that 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. Pollution prevention reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants or contaminants. For more information about P2 please visit: https://www.epa.gov/p2

Sustainable materials management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire life cycle, we can find new opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources and reduce costs. For more information about SMM please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smm

The Region 10 Healthy, Resilient and Sustainable Communities grant program will support Region 10 communities as they develop and implement pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management systems that help make their communities safer, healthier, and more resilient.

P2 and SMM are powerful tools that can build community health including:

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

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

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

P2 and SMM implementation also helps to build community resilience and sustainability including:

• Reducing the demand for virgin, raw materials

• Reducing the demand for and cost of utility services such power, water, and wastewater treatment through energy and water efficiency

• Increasing the efficiency of materials use and reuse

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

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

B. Scope of Work

This section is intended to provide examples of the range of projects that might be supported through an

EPA Healthy, Resilient and Sustainable Communities grant. This list of project types is not exhaustive;

we welcome new and creative ideas.

https://www.epa.gov/p2 https://www.epa.gov/smm

EPA is especially interested to support projects that support and/or align with a state and/or local mandate, policy, and/or community priority to improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability and projects that can demonstrate a commitment and intention to continue efforts to support pollution prevention and sustainable materials management implementation after EPA funding for the project has ended.

Pollution Prevention: EPA is soliciting applications for projects that support pollution prevention through research, investigation, study, demonstration, education and training. EPA is particularly interested in receiving applications that offer hands on practical P2 tools, information and/or innovative

P2 approaches to measurably improve public health and the health of the environment, by reducing the use of hazardous substances, reducing toxic pollutants, supporting efficiencies in reducing resource use

(e.g., water and energy), and reducing business expenditures and liability costs. Project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Provide technical assistance to businesses and their facilities to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices.

• Conduct trainings or conferences/roundtables for businesses and P2 technical assistance providers to share pollution prevention best practices or to demonstrate a pollution prevention technology.

• Develop and promote site specific pollution prevention assessments to help businesses and communities prioritize which environmental problems to address, and in which order.

• Conduct training and pollution prevention outreach to teach businesses and communities to identify and reduce the use of hazardous chemicals, water, and energy (e.g., introduce EPA’s

Safer Choice, ENERGY STAR, and WaterSense programs).

• Conduct a program to promote the procurement and use of safer cleaners and disinfectants at businesses in your area.

• Assist businesses to develop green cleaning policies and procedures.

• Provide P2 training to businesses that use and/or store hazardous substances in order to raise awareness about preventing the release of hazardous substances and hazardous waste during a flood, earthquake, or other natural disaster.

• Help businesses find opportunities to reduce air emissions (e.g., prevent ammonia refrigeration leaks or other fugitive releases, substitute the use of aqueous materials for volatile materials).

• Help businesses implement “in-process” recycling systems to convert “waste” streams into useful inputs (e.g., anaerobic digestion technology).

• Promote energy efficiency and/or conservation by providing education, outreach, and technical assistance on energy systems, weatherization, and/or energy best management practices and policies especially utilizing ENERGY STAR tools and resources.

• Conduct trainings or workshops on opportunities for energy use reduction including energy efficiency retrofits and improved energy management practices.

• Design an energy competition for local schools and students on energy savings through behavioral changes.

• Develop a project to help build electric grid resilience through renewable energy development, energy storage, and/or microgrid technology.

• Help businesses find opportunities to conserve water (e.g., use high-volume, low pressure washing systems, extend production line times between cleanings).

• Help businesses find opportunities to reduce pollutants discharged to water (e.g., reduce the quantity and/or toxicity of cleaning products which may contaminate water, reduce process chemicals that contribute to wastewater contamination).

Sustainable Materials Management: EPA is soliciting applications for projects that support Sustainable

Materials Management through research, investigation, study, demonstration, education and training. In

2021, EPA is accepting proposals in the three main SMM national priority areas of the Built

Environment, Sustainable Management of Food, and Sustainable Packaging. EPA is especially interested in project proposals that promote waste prevention, waste minimization, and recovery and reuse of materials. “Reuse” maintains products in their original form and utilizes the embodied energy, resources and impacts already incurred in the production of the original products. This is in contrast to recycling which is a series of activities that includes collecting used, reused, or unused items that would otherwise be considered waste; sorting and processing the recyclable products into raw materials; and remanufacturing the recycled raw materials into new products. While products produced with recycled content are typically preferable to manufacturing from virgin resources, reuse offers significantly greater potential for conserving resources and reducing pollution.

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

Project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Built Environment projects may include o Convene and host a regional built environment conference that focuses on life cycle impacts of the built environment in either the residential or commercial real estate sector.

o Develop and deliver education and outreach materials that address the impact of embodied carbon in the built environment.

o Develop and implement a program to promote deconstruction over mechanical demolition.

o Develop and implement a training program for contractors to become certified deconstruction contractors.

o Host a workforce development training program for deconstruction workers.

o Develop flexible and adaptable deconstruction ordinance templates or toolkits.

o Support market development for salvaged construction materials.

o Develop and launch a life cycle (or zero-carbon) residential home challenge which addresses both operational and embodied carbon.

o Conduct a waste audit to determine construction and demolition waste prevention and minimization opportunities.

• Sustainable Management of Food projects may include o Projects that prioritize actions organizations can take to prevent and divert wasted food based on the Food Recovery Hierarchy. Each tier of the Food Recovery Hierarchy

(https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy) focuses on different management strategies for wasted food. The top tiers of the hierarchy are the best ways to prevent and divert wasted food because they create the most benefit for the environment, society, and the economy.

o Develop a project to increase public awareness of the environmental, social, and economic benefits of reducing wasted food.

o Encourage the development of food loss and waste infrastructure to effectively divert excess food to new markets and recover wasted food.

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/food-recovery-hierarchy o Provide technical assistance to support EPA’s School Food Share program by reducing, diverting, or minimizing wasted food and other recyclable commodities in the K-12 school sector utilizing EPA’s waste management and food recovery hierarchies.

o Provide technical assistance to support colleges and universities in reducing, diverting, or minimizing wasted food utilizing EPA’s waste management and food recovery hierarchies and tools.

o Develop a food waste prevention challenge for households to help them learn about the impacts of wasted food and how to prevent it, while tracking, measuring, and recording their food waste.

o Develop and implement a local outreach campaign for food service businesses appropriate to current industry challenges (e.g., focus on ways food waste prevention can reduce costs to newly reopening businesses).

o Advance the adoption of food waste prevention measurement tools and/or develop innovative prevention solutions.

o Test innovative approaches or scale up proven models that advance the recovery and distribution of perishable food.

o Accelerate innovations and programs that improve organic recycling of inedible food scraps and compostable service ware.

o Facilitate the development of coordinated food waste prevention and rescue outreach tools for state, local and tribal governments, and private businesses.

o Conduct a waste audit to determine food waste prevention and minimization opportunities.

• Sustainable Packaging projects may include o Develop methods to reduce the generation of packaging waste.

o Distribute information to public or private buyers of materials or products about buying packaging products with recycled content.

o Develop methods to improve market information and/or connection between markets

(e.g. different geographic locations or industries) for recovered packaging products.

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

o Research packaging design innovation, including design for reuse.

o Investigate or test process innovations, e.g., reusable packaging systems, zero packaging, behavioral change.

o Conduct a waste audit to determine packaging waste prevention and minimization opportunities.

C. Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outputs, Outcomes and Performance Measures

Pursuant to EPA Order 5700.7 “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA requires that all grant applicants and recipients adequately address environmental outputs and outcomes. Outputs and outcomes differ both in their nature and in how they are measured. Applicants must discuss environmental outputs and outcomes in the Project Narrative Proposal (see Appendix A).

1. Outputs: The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an environmental goal and objective that will be produced or provided over a specified period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period.

Pollution Prevention outputs include but are not limited to:

• Number of business facilities and/or other entities that were provided technical assistance.

• Number of P2 recommendations made to businesses and/or other entities.

• Number of P2 recommendations implemented by businesses and/or other entities.

• Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process.

• Number of activities that widely share P2 practices (i.e., training/demonstration projects, webinars, roundtables, or other outreach).

• Number of attendees at training/demonstration projects, webinars, roundtables, or other outreach conducted.

• Types of skills and abilities achieved by training participants.

• Number of outreach materials developed and distributed (e.g., fact sheets, leaflets, social media posts and case studies).

Sustainable Materials Management outputs include but are not limited to:

• Pounds of food recovered through projects with schools, businesses and institutions aimed at reducing food waste, diverting food from disposal and encouraging food donations

• Number of schools or school districts implementing a School Food Share program or the

Food Recovery Challenge

• Number of businesses who have made commitments to increasing food recovery

• Number of food rescue partners

• Number of stakeholder groups involved in the process

• Number of individuals or businesses trained

• Number of outreach materials developed and distributed (e.g., fact sheets, leaflets, social media posts and case studies).

• Number of deconstruction projects implemented

• Number of attendees at training/demonstration projects, webinars, roundtables, or other outreach conducted.

• Number of participants in a developed program or challenge

• Number of jobs created from a training program

2. 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 or quantitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature. Applications must include a description of anticipated project outcomes resulting from the project outputs, even if the outcome to be achieved is beyond the assistance agreement funding period. Include the quantitative target associated with the outcome, as appropriate.

Anticipated outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Measurable improvements to environmental and/or ecosystem conditions and management including, but not limited to:

o pounds of toxic or hazardous materials reduced, o pounds hazardous waste reduced o pounds of solid waste reduced including food waste or construction & demolition waste o gallons of water reduced o metric tons of greenhouse gas eliminated o reduction in kilowatt hours of energy used o increase in gallons of water conserved o pounds of construction and demolition material diverted from the landfill and/or recycling facilities o pounds of food waste diverted from the landfill o pounds of packaging waste diverted from the landfill

• Dollars saved through pollution prevention/sustainable materials management implementation.

• Increased resources to benefit communities at risk.

• Increased access to information and tools that increase understanding and reduction of environmental and human health risks.

• Increased public understanding of chemical risks in their community.

• Increase in the number of pollution prevention assessments, lifecycle analyses, and/or lean manufacturing assessments conducted at businesses, institutions or local government facilities

• Adoption of pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials management activities at businesses and/or communities

• Measurable improvements in public health conditions.

• Increased community and/or environmental resilience.

• Increased community, environmental, and/or economic sustainability

3. Performance Measures. The applicant should also develop performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in their application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful processes and output and outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients. It is expected that the description of performance measures will directly relate to the project outcomes and outputs. The following are questions to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results:

• What are the measurable short-term and longer-term results that the project will achieve?

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

D. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1: A Cleaner, Healthier Environment; Objective 1.1

Improve Air Quality, Objective 1.2 Provide for Clean and Safe Water, Objective 1.3 Revitalize Land and

Prevent Contamination, and Objective 1.4 Ensure Safety of Chemical in the Marketplace; Goal 2: More

Effective Partnerships, Objective 2.1 Enhance Shared Accountability, Objective 2.2 Increase

Transparency and Public Participation; and Goal 3: Greater Certainty, Compliance and Effectiveness, Objective 3.1 Compliance with the Law, Objective 3.2 Create Consistency and Certainty, 3.3 Prioritize

Robust Science, 3.4 Streamline and Modernize, and 3.5 Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness. All proposed projects must support one or more of the goals and objectives identified above.

View EPA’s Strategic Plan online at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

E. EPA Statutory Authorities for Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Community Awards

Region 10 Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities assistance 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 application activities must apply at least one of the statutory authorities listed above.

The grant authorities within each statute authorize the agency to award assistance agreements to (1) conduct research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies related to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and control of air and/or water pollution;

(2) conduct research, development, monitoring, public education, training, demonstrations, and studies on pesticides; (3) develop, expand, or carry out a program (that may combine training, education, and employment) for occupations relating to the public health aspects of providing safe drinking water; (4) conduct and promote the coordination of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs, and studies relating to solid waste (e.g., health and welfare effects of exposure to materials present in solid waste and methods to eliminate such effects); and (5) conduct research, development, monitoring, public education, training, demonstrations, and studies on toxic substances.

Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, and it is encouraged that the results of these projects will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Number of Expected Awards and Federal Funding Amounts

EPA Region 10 anticipates awarding approximately $120,000 in federal funding under this announcement. Awards will be issued and managed through the EPA Region 10 Office.

EPA anticipates awarding 2-4 awards. Federal funding amounts for individual grant awards are anticipated to be in the range of $30,000 to $60,000.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this solicitation, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection decisions.

B. Partial Funding https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

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

C. Agreement Types

Region 10 Healthy, Resilient and Sustainable awards will be issued in the form of grants and/or cooperative agreements.

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 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 cooperative agreement recipient. As such, EPA may:

• Review and approve project phases;

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

• Review proposed procurements in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318;

• Monitor the operation of the projects;

• Review qualifications of key personnel (EPA does not have the authority to select employees or contractors employed by the 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).

D. Project Period

The estimated start date for projects resulting from this solicitation is October 1, 2021. All project activities must be completed within the negotiated project performance period of no longer than two years.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities

Eligible applicants include Region 10 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. Eligible projects must take place within Region 10, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

B. Cost Share/Matching Requirement

The grant program requires a cost share/match of 5% of the federal funds requested. Any voluntary cost share/match beyond the 5% will not be considered as part of the evaluation and selection process used to make award decisions. See 2 CFR 200.306(b) for a definition of match and a description of match criteria.

To further illustrate, if the total project cost is $50,000, the applicant must be able to provide $2,500 in cash or in-kind contributions in order to meet the 5% cost share/match requirement and be eligible to receive $47,500 in federal grant funding from EPA.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

Applications must meet the following threshold criteria when they submit their application. Applications that fail to meet any one of the threshold criteria will not be considered further. 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. Applications that successfully meet the threshold criteria will then be evaluated using the criteria described in Section V.A, Evaluation Criteria.

The threshold eligibility criteria are:

1. Applications must address the program objectives described in Section I.B (Scope of Work) of this announcement.

2. Federal funds requested must not exceed $60,000. This excludes the 5% cost share/match requirement. Applications requesting federal assistance funding in excess of $60,000 will not be considered.

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

In addition, applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as specified in Section IV and

Appendix D of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Appendix D) on or before the application submission deadline. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section

IV and Appendix D of this announcement to ensure that their application is submitted properly.

Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to submit their application 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. 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 Kathleen Compton at 206-553-

0290 or compton.kathleen@epa.gov. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

4. Eligible projects must take place within EPA Region 10, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and

Washington

5. Ineligible activities: If an application is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities, that portion of the application will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the application, render the entire application ineligible for funding.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirements to Submit Through Grants.gov and Application Submission Deadline

The deadline to submit an application is Friday, April 30, 11:59 pm, (EDT). In order to apply, the applicant’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit a completed application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov). Instructions for applying through Grants.gov are provided in Appendix D of this announcement.

Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application in the event unexpected errors require you to resubmit your application.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not Grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact please contact Kathleen Compton at 206-553-0290 or compton.kathleen@epa.gov. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

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

• Have an active DUNS number,

• Have an active System for Award Management (SAM) account (http://www.sam.gov),

• Be registered in Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), and

• Designate an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) as the individual submitting the application through Grants.gov.

Note: The registration process for applying through Grants.gov may take a month or more to complete.

Please start the registration process early. The electronic submission of your application must be made by the AOR of the organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for federal funding assistance.

If you do not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no Internet access which prevents you from being able to upload the required application materials to

Grants.gov, please refer to the procedures for an alternate submission exception request in Appendix D.

mailto:compton.kathleen@epa.gov https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:compton.kathleen@epa.gov http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

B. Content of Application Package

Please submit all of the application materials described below using the Grants.gov application package accessed using the instructions above and Appendix D, Grants.gov Instructions and Limited Exception

Procedures.

Mandatory Documents:

a. Standard Form 424 – Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

b. Standard Form 424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs

c. EPA Form 4700-4, Pre-Award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants Requesting Federal

Financial Assistance

d. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

e. Narrative Proposal. Follow the guidance in Section IV.C and clearly demonstrate how the proposed project meets the threshold eligibility criteria (Section III.C) and the evaluation criteria

(Section V). See Appendix A for the template narrative proposal.

f. Budget Table and Narrative. See Appendix B for an example.

g. Timeline. See Appendix C for an example.

Optional Attachments:

The following documentation, while not required, may benefit the application:

a. Letters of Support

b. Staff resumes

C. Instructions for Preparing Application Packages

The following documents are required for all application packages. In addition to the mandatory forms listed in Section IV.B, all applications must contain a Narrative Proposal, a Budget Table and Narrative, and a Timeline.

1. Narrative Proposal: The Narrative Proposal must explicitly describe the applicant’s proposed project and specifically address each of the evaluation criteria disclosed in Section V.A

Evaluation Criteria, and the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III.C. The Narrative Proposal, including the cover page, cannot exceed 8 single-spaced pages, with a minimum font size of 11.5.

Any pages submitted in excess of the page limit will not be reviewed.

a. Cover Page: The Cover Page (maximum of one page) must include:

i. Project Title.

ii. Applicant Name. Identify the name of the organization submitting the application.

iii. DUNS Number. List the organization’s DUNS number.

iv. Project Summary. Briefly describe the project in one to four sentences.

v. State the EPA Strategic Plan goal(s) and objective(s) which this project support.

vi. Contact Information. Include name, title, address, email address, phone number.

Applicant can list both a primary and an administrative contact.

vii. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project. Identify funding from other sources, including required 5% match.

viii. Funding Requested. Specify the amount of federal funding requested from EPA.

ix. Project Period. Provide estimated beginning and ending dates.

b. Narrative Proposal Work Plan: The Narrative Proposal Work Plan should provide the information below on how the applicant will implement and conduct the project and discuss how the proposal addresses each of the evaluation criteria in Section V of this announcement. The Narrative Proposal Work Plan must include:

i. Project Summary and Approach. The project summary and approach shall contain the following components:

1. Project Description: Provide a clear and detailed description of the project and project goals including a description of how the project will support and improve community healthy, resilience, and/or sustainability.

2. Scope of Work and Strategic Plan Linkage: Provide a clear and detailed explanation of how the proposed project addresses the requirements in

Section I.B (Scope of Work) and Section I.C (Strategic Plan Linkage).

3. Environmental and/or Human Health Concerns: Provide a clear and detailed description of how the project addresses an environmental and/or human health concern through implementation of pollution prevention, source reduction, waste prevention, and/or material reuse.

4. Project Workplan: Provide a clear and detailed workplan including project tasks and subtasks, key personnel roles and responsibilities, milestones, and anticipated outputs and outcomes.

5. Leveraging: Provide a clear and detailed plan to leverage the resources and expertise of partners and stakeholders in the project, including a description of how each partner will contribute to the success of the project.

ii. Environmental Results and Performance Measurement – Anticipated Outcomes and Outputs. This shall contain the following components:

1. Outputs and Outcomes: Provide a clear and detailed description of the project of the anticipated project outputs and outcomes, including quantitative targets as appropriate.

2. Measuring Success: Provide a clear and detailed description of how you will measure success in meeting the project’s objectives to improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability.

3. Project Replicability and Transferability: Provide a clear and detailed description of how the project might be replicated and may be transferable to other communities.

iii. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. Submit a list of federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include federal grants and cooperative agreements but not federal contracts) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than 5 agreements, and preferably

EPA agreements) and describe:

1. Past Performance – project management: Provide a clear and detailed description of your past performance and outcomes in successfully completing and managing projects of similar size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project, including but not limited to federal and non-federal assistance agreements.

2. Past Performance – reporting: Provide a clear and detailed description of your history of meeting the reporting requirements under previous assistance agreements. Demonstrate how you adequately and timely reported on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes under those agreements and if such progress was not being made, describe why not.

3. Organizational Capability: Provide a clear and detailed description of the organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project. This could include staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

iv. Project Sustainability. This shall contain the following components:

1. Project Alignment with Community Priorities: Provide a clear and detailed description of the extent to which the project supports and/or aligns with a state and/or local mandate, policy, and/or community priority to improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability.

2. Continuing Efforts in P2 and/or SMM Implementation: Provide a clear and detailed description of the intention and ability to promote and continue efforts to support Pollution Prevention and/or Sustainable

Materials Management after EPA funding for this project has ended.

2. Budget Table and Narrative: Include a detailed budget narrative which clearly explains how funds will be used and a description of the applicant’s approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner (Refer to

Appendix B: Example Budget Table and Narrative). The successful applicant’s budget narrative should identify (1) specific tasks for which EPA funding will be used; (2) the costs associated with each task, (3) the costs that the applicant or other partners will fund for each task, if appropriate, and (4) what outputs will be produced as a result of each task. (Refer to Section 1.C, Measuring Environmental Results: Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs and Performance Measures for a definition and examples.)

The Budget Detail portion of the project narrative must include a detailed description of the required cost share/match and how the cost share/match funding will be used. Please see Section

III.B if this RFA for more detailed information on the match requirement.

Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual costs, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs.

The Budget Table and Narrative should not exceed 4 pages. The Budget Table and Narrative is not included in the 8-page limit for the project narrative.

3. Timeline: Provide a schedule indicating start times and completion dates of significant tasks and responsibilities under your program. For efficiency, it is suggested that project milestones be coordinated with important events (e.g., budget cycle, meetings, etc.). See Appendix C for an example you may wish to use.

The Timeline should not exceed one page. The Timeline is not included in the 8-page limit for the project narrative.

4. Optional Attachments: Please consider supplementing your application with the following documentation. These items are not included in the 8-page limit for the project narrative.

a. Letters of Support: To describe the service(s) the grant partner(s) will provide to help carry out and enhance the project activity.

b. Staff resumes: To reflect the knowledge, experience and/or expertise to conduct the proposed work.

D. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, and application assistance and communications, can be found on the EPA Solicitation Clauses page at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses. These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria

Eligible entities whose applications meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation criterion set forth below. Applicants must directly and explicitly address these criteria and are strongly encouraged to follow the Template for Narrative Proposal shown in

Appendix A and follow the Example Budget Table and Narrative and Example Timeline in Appendices B and C. Each application will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

Criterion

Maximum

Points per

Criterion

1. Project Summary and Approach. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which:

a. The narrative proposal clearly describes the project and project goals including a description of how the project will support and improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability. (10 points)

b. The narrative proposal includes a detailed explanation of how the proposed project addresses the requirements in Section I.B (Scope of Work) and

Section I.C (Strategic Plan Linkage). (5 points)

c. The narrative proposal clearly describes how the project addresses an environmental and/or human health concern through implementation of pollution prevention, source reduction, waste prevention, and/or material reuse. (5 points)

d. The narrative proposal includes a detailed workplan including project tasks and subtasks, key personnel roles and responsibilities, milestones, and anticipated outputs and outcomes. (15 points)

e. The narrative proposal describes a plan to leverage the resources and expertise of partners and stakeholders in the project, including a description of how each partner will contribute to the success of the project. Letter(s) of support from partners and/or stakeholders are optional and encouraged. (10 points)

2. Environmental Results and Performance Measurement – Anticipated

Outcomes and Outputs. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which the narrative proposal realistically describes how the project will lead to measurable environmental results, including:

a. The applicant provides a detailed description of the anticipated project outputs and outcomes, including quantitative targets as appropriate. (5 points)

b. The applicant describes how they will measure success in meeting the project’s objectives to improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability. (5 points)

c. The applicant provides a description of how the project might be replicated and may be transferable to other communities. (5 points)

3. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which the applicant can demonstrate their ability to successfully complete and manage the proposed project, including:

a. Past performance and outcomes in successfully completing and managing projects of similar size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project, including but not limited to federal and non-federal assistance agreements. (5 points)

b. History of meeting the reporting requirements under previous assistance agreements. The extent to which the applicant adequately and timely reported on their progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes under those agreements and if such progress was not being made whether the applicant adequately reported why not. (5 points)

c. Organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project. This could include staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project. (5 points)

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

4. Project Sustainability. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which:

a. The applicant describes the extent to which the project supports and/or aligns with a state and/or local mandate, policy, and/or community priority to improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability. (5 points)

b. The applicant demonstrates their intention and ability to promote and continue efforts to support Pollution Prevention and/or Sustainable Materials

Management after EPA funding for this project has ended. (5 points)

5. Budget and Timeline. Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which:

a. The budget table and narrative include proposed costs that are eligible, appropriate; reasonable and realistic to perform the project; and clearly correlate with the proposed tasks and activities.