Gulf of Mexico Program RFP 2018 - Final.pdf

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: Gulf of Mexico Program Cooperative Agreements 2018

ACTION: Request for Proposals (RFP)

RFP NUMBER: EPA-GM-Cooperative-Agreements-2018-1

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO: 66.475

DATES: Proposal packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov

(https://www.grants.gov) no later than July 31st at 11:59 pm ET in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program is soliciting proposals under this announcement from eligible entities that address water quality improvement; coastal habitat and ecosystems enhancement, restoration and/or protection; environmental education and outreach; and community resilience in the Gulf of Mexico region and its watersheds. Proposals must fully describe the scope of the project, budget and environmental results. Criteria, as described in Section V, will be used to evaluate eligible proposals.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total amount anticipated to be awarded under this announcement is approximately

$5 million. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 12 cooperative agreements from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of proposals received, and other applicable considerations.

Tentative Timeline

June 1st RFP Posted

June 1st Please review the Q&A posted at https://www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico before submitting questions. If the answer needed is not already included in the Q&A, please submit questions to GMP-RFP@epa.gov. Q&A will be updated weekly if new questions are received.

July 31st Proposals Due to the Gulf of Mexico Program by 11:59pm ET

Early October Selected applicants notified.

Late

November

Final application packages submitted to EPA.

Late February Final awards made.

The above lines (other than the proposal submission date) are anticipated dates and subject to change.

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico mailto:GMP-RFP@epa.gov

CONTENTS BY SECTION

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Proposal and Submission Information

V. Proposal Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

Appendix A. Example format of Proposal Information Page, Proposal Narrative and Proposal Budget

Appendix B. Helpful Reminders for Applicants

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background. The Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) is a non-regulatory program of the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) founded to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the Region. To carry out its mission, GMP continues to maintain and expand partnerships with State and Federal agencies, Federally recognized Tribes, local governments and authorities, academia, regional business and industry, agricultural and environmental organizations, and individual citizens and communities. For more examples of projects funded through previous GMP RFPs, please see the map at the bottom of our webpage, https://www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico.

B. Scope of Work. EPA is seeking technically sound proposals to improve the health of the Gulf of Mexico watershed. Proposals should achieve measurable improvement, quantitatively define environmental results, and provide timeframes for achieving those results.

Under this solicitation, the EPA will only consider funding projects that support one (or more) of the following four priority areas:

• water quality improvement (measured by obtaining a minimum of 5% improvement in at least one water quality parameter);

• protect, enhance, and/or restore habitat (measured in number of acres restored or protected);

• environmental education and outreach (measured by # of expected audience(s) and/or individuals served); and

• community resilience (measured by resulting # of communities with improved resiliency)

On the title page, the applicant must declare which priority area the project should be evaluated under and identify any secondary priority areas that are included.

In addition, the project’s place of performance must be in the Gulf of Mexico region (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) and its watersheds, including their out-of-geographic region contributory watersheds.

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The project must address one or more of the priority areas listed below and demonstrate how it will result in meeting an output, as described below.

Priority Area I: Water Quality Improvement

The following output must be included in projects addressing this priority:

Demonstrate a minimum 5% improvement in at least one water quality parameter in a water body and/or segment by the end of the project period as compared to the initial project baseline. Examples of water quality parameters that could be demonstrated in a water quality improvement project include but are not limited to:

dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, fecal indicator bacteria, excess nutrients, temperature, and garbage/trash (e.g.

trash traps; cleanups coupled with prevention outreach; demonstration or implementation of innovative or creative prevention methods).

Activities:

GMP seeks to fund projects to improve water quality in a water body and/or segment. Please identify the eight-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) in which activities will occur. For more information on HUC identification see: https://enviroatlas.epa.gov/enviroatlas/InteractiveMapEntrance/InteractiveMap/index.html. Zoom to your location, click on Boundaries and Natural Features tab, select Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) Boundaries and labels, expand Hydrologic Unit Code, and select HUC 8.

• These projects must include at least one of the following: demonstration/implementation of an innovative technique, methodology or approach that improves water quality in receiving/downstream waters; green practices at schools/colleges and public facilities/spaces; source tracking techniques that lead to partnership based source reduction; improved and innovative community wastewater solutions;

and/or locally driven pollution control practices.

• Projects are encouraged to take advantage of currently existing baseline water quality data to provide efficiency in measuring water quality improvement and currently existing watershed plans (i.e. National

Estuary Program, Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, or other existing watershed management plans.

• Partnerships are encouraged to increase efficiency of practices to improve water quality.

• Partnerships are encouraged between local, state, and federal agencies; business and industry;

nongovernmental organizations; and private landowners to identify critical areas in the region where on-the-ground efforts will produce visible results.

Under the Water Quality Improvement Priority Area, budgets may not exceed $800,000. Anticipated results should align with the funding level requested.

Priority Area II: Protect, Enhance or Restore Habitat

The following output must be included in any project addressing this priority:

Estimate the expected number of habitat acres that will be enhanced, restored and/or protected and provide a report at the end of project period of the actual number of acres enhanced, restored, and/or protected.

https://enviroatlas.epa.gov/enviroatlas/InteractiveMapEntrance/InteractiveMap/index.html

Activities: GMP seeks to fund projects that protect, enhance and/or restore Gulf habitat (including collaboration with private landowners).

• These projects must include the following: New and innovative techniques, approaches, or methodologies to increase efficiency of cost per habitat acre(s) measured; coastal prairie restoration or enhancement; restoration or protection of wildlife corridors; partner easements; controlled burning;

community habitat planting/restoration; riparian zone improvement; greenway/blueway; development and/or innovative/new implementation of an invasive eradication plan to eliminate threats to habitat;

and/or other innovative habitat ideas.

• Projects are encouraged to take advantage of existing habitat restoration and management plans (i.e.

National Estuary Program CCMP, Land Trust, Tribal).

Under the Protect Enhance or Restore Habitat Priority Area, budgets may not exceed $500,000. Anticipated results should align with the funding level requested.

Priority Area III: Environmental Education and Outreach

The following output must be included in any environmental education project:

An estimate of the number of expected audience(s) and/or individuals to be served. Track and report the actual number of individuals reached and the method(s) used to reach them as a result of the project.

Activities: GMP seeks to fund projects to develop or improve existing environmental education and outreach programs that build stewardship as it relates to improving water quality; protecting, enhancing or restoring habitat; and/or promoting smart growth practices. The projects are encouraged to target underserved and underrepresented populations within the Gulf of Mexico watershed. Below is a project example, but many types of projects are allowed:

• Foster integrated approaches to restoring water quality, habitats, and ecosystems by engaging K-12 students to identify and implement best management practices and utilize citizen science/volunteer monitoring to track environmental results.

Under the Environmental Education and Outreach Priority Area, budgets may not exceed $200,000.

Anticipated results should align with the funding level requested.

Priority Area IV: Strengthen Community Resilience

The following output must be included in any resilience project:

Describe how the community will become more resilient at the end of the project. Report the actual number of communities that implemented a program, project or tool to strengthen community resilience.

Activities: GMP seeks to fund projects that utilize existing or new techniques, tools, and information to assist coastal stakeholders, municipalities and federally recognized tribes, in assessing risks and vulnerabilities to natural or man-made disasters to improve community resiliency. Project examples include:

• Develop and implement a strategy (via program, project or tool) to address identified gaps in community resilience.

• Assess community resilience needs, develop and implement tools (handouts, phone apps, and/or use social media) to strengthen community resilience efforts in local/regional communities.

• Develop and implement mitigation efforts along with corresponding resilience curriculum to assist local leaders and individuals in decision making for stronger and more resilient communities.

• Investigate climate variability to develop and implement a risk assessment for future extreme events that will be utilized by stake holders and policy makers in Gulf communities.

Under the Strengthen Community Resilience Priority Area, budgets may not exceed $300,000. Anticipated results should align with the funding level requested.

EACH PROPOSAL MUST ALSO INCLUDE AN OUTREACH COMPONENT. The outreach component could include, but is not limited to:

• Developing news releases for local media sources

• Presenting project to community groups, schools, local/state government organizations, etc.

• Involving community members in the project

• Disseminating lessons learned, project goals etc. to stakeholders

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures. Pursuant to

Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA must link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s Strategic Plan. EPA also requires that grant applicants and recipients adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements

(see EPA Order 5700.7, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700.7.pdf).

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan. The activities to be funded under this announcement support

EPA’s FY 2018-22 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will support at least one of the following EPA Strategic Plan Goals:

a. Goal 1 - Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land, and water, and ensure chemical safety, Objective 1.2 - Provide for Clean and Safe Water: Ensure waters are clean through improved water infrastructure and, in partnership with states and tribes, sustainably manage programs to support drinking water, aquatic ecosystems, and recreational, economic, and subsistence activities.

b. Goal 2 – Cooperative Federalism: Rebalance the power between Washington and the states to create tangible environmental results for the American people, Objective 2.2 - Increase

Transparency and Public Participation: Listen to and collaborate with impacted stakeholders and provide effective platforms for public participation and meaningful engagement.

All applications must be for projects that support at least one of the goals and objectives identified above.

Please read EPA’s FY2018-22 Strategic Plan for more information.

2. Environmental Outputs and Outcomes. The significance of environmental outputs and outcomes you expect to achieve will be considered under the evaluation criteria during the selection process and must be addressed in the proposal submission (See Sections IV.C. and V.A.)

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a. 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 period of time or by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period. Progress reports and a final report are required outputs for every project, as specified in Section VI.C. of this announcement, “Reporting Requirement.” In addition, at least one of the expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement must be one of the outputs listed in Section I.B.

b. Outcomes. The term "outcome" means an environmental result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out project activities and/or completing outputs related to an environmental goal. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative. Proposals must include a description of project outcomes resulting from the project outputs, even if the outcome to be achieved is beyond the assistance agreement funding period.

During preparation of the proposal, the applicant should consider the following questions in order to develop output and outcome measures which document project results:

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

ii) How will the applicant measure progress in achieving the expected and measurable results?

Additional information regarding EPA's definition of environmental results in terms of "outputs" and

"outcomes" can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-

03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf.

D. Statutory Authority. The statutory authority for this action is the Clean Water Act, §104(b)(3), which authorizes the award of cooperative agreements to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of pollution. A demonstration/implementation 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 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 is not a demonstration.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding. The total estimated funding expected to be available for awards under this competitive funding opportunity is approximately $5 million unless additional funding (e.g. FY 2019 funding) becomes available.

EPA anticipates award approximately 12 cooperative agreement(s) under this announcement, subject to the availability of funds, quality of evaluated proposals, and other applicable considerations.

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The following is the expected range of awards in each of the priority areas:

1. Priority Area I: Water Quality Improvement. Funds requested may not exceed $800,000; up to 7 awards.

2. Priority Area II: Protect, Enhance or Restore Habitat. Funds requested may not exceed $500,000; up to 7 awards.

3. Priority Area III: Environmental Education and Outreach. Funds requested may not exceed $200,000; up to

5 awards.

4. Priority Area IV: Strengthen Community Resilience. Funds requested may not exceed $300,000; up to 7 awards.

NOTE: Funding requested must align with the priority area chosen for review and anticipated results should align with the funding level requested.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding (e.g. FY 2019 funding) becomes available after the original selections. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selections.

B. Project Period for Awards. The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation will begin in Calendar Year 2019. Proposed project periods may be up to three years.

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

D. Funding Type. The funding for selected projects will be in the form of a cooperative agreement.

Cooperative agreements permit substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicants in the performance of the work supported. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial Federal involvement for this project will be:

• close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

• collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

• in accordance with 2 CFR 317 and 2 CFR 318, review of proposed procurement;

• approving qualifications of key personnel (EPA will not select employees or contractors);

• review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities. The following entities are eligible to apply for funding under this announcement; State and local governments, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities, and other public or non-profit organizations.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. While not considered to be a non-profit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA.

For-profit organizations, including for-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals, are not eligible entities for this funding opportunity. Additionally, non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the

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

Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.

Notice to non-profit organizations:

• Non-profit applicants that are recommended for funding under this announcement are subject to pre-award administrative capability reviews consistent with Section 8b, 8c and 9d of EPA Order 5700.8:

EPA's Policy on Assessing Capabilities of Non-Profit Applicants for Managing Assistance Awards. In addition, non-profit applicants that qualify for funding may, depending on the size of the award, be required to fill out and submit to the grants management office the Administrative Capabilities Form with supporting documents contained in Appendix A of EPA Order 5700.8. This review may cause a delay in award.

• Non-profit organizations must have documentation of non-profit status from the U.S. Internal Revenue

Service or their state of incorporation.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching. Neither a cost share nor matching funds are required under this competition.

C. Ineligible Activities. Projects ineligible for funding under this program are:

• Actions required to settle a formal enforcement action or included in a court order; or specified as a required mitigation measure under a state, local, or federal permit for a specific project; however, grant funding may be used to enhance or expand such projects beyond minimum requirements for compliance.

• Work involving only routine maintenance of storm water infrastructure and other facilities.

• Projects which fall under the existing planning responsibilities of an individual state or local government

(e.g., development of TMDLs or MS4 permits).

• Routine “gray infrastructure” projects (e.g., installation of sewer lines).

D. Threshold Eligibility Criteria. 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.

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1. Priority Area Selection: Proposals must identify ONE main priority area to be evaluated under.

Proposals that do not identify a priority area from Section I or identify more than one main priority area will not be considered.

2. Program Relevance: Proposals must include at least one of the priorities and activities listed in Section

I.B. and demonstrate how the project meets the output associated with the priority selected. If the project does not address at least one of the priorities, outputs and activities listed in I.B. it will not be considered.

Note: Proposals may include more than one priority area and activity listed in Section I.B.

3. Project Location: Projects must be carried out in the Gulf of Mexico region (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) and its watersheds, including their out-of-geographic region contributory watersheds.

4. Funding Request Limit: Requests for EPA funding amounts in excess of the funding amounts listed in

Section I.B for each priority area, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. For example, if the Environmental Education priority area is selected, your proposal should not request more than $200,000 in EPA funding.

5. Outreach: Proposals that do not contain an outreach component as described in Section I will not be considered.

6. Ineligible activities: If a proposal is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities (listed in

III.C), the proposal will be ineligible for funding.

7. Substantial Compliance: Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the narrative proposal and budget, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

8. Proposal submission: In addition, proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section

IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the proposal submission deadline of 11:59

Eastern Time on July 31, 2018 Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in

Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their proposal is timely submitted.

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 relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their proposal/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. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with gmp-rfp@epa.gov as soon as possible after the submission deadline—failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures.

1. Limited Exception Procedure: Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through

Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through grants.gov because of limited or no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials to

Grants.gov, the applicant must contact OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., by http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:gmp-rfp@epa.gov hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand

USEPA Headquarters

William Jefferson Clinton Building

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R

Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand

Ronald Reagan Building

1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Rm # 51278

Washington, DC 20004

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

Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

Organization Name and Unique Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS)

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 above and will timely respond 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 the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 25, 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, 2018 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2019, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning

January 1, 2019.

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

2. 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 in order to submit an application through grants.gov, go to 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 dropdown menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through Grants.gov, you must use Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit Adobe Reader Compatibility Information on Grants.gov

You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for the 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-GM-Cooperative-Agreements-2018, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.475), 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.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than July 31st 11:59 PM ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

B. 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. It is essential to allow sufficient time to ensure that your application is submitted to Grants.gov BEFORE the due date identified in Section IV of the solicitation. The Grants.gov support desk operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except Federal

Holidays.

A successful transfer will end with an on-screen acknowledgement. For documentation purposes, print or screen capture this acknowledgement. If a submission problem occurs, reboot the computer – turning the power off may be necessary – and re-attempt the submission.

Note: Grants.gov issues a “case number” upon a request for assistance.

3. Transmission Difficulties. If transmission difficulties that result in a late transmission, no transmission, or rejection of the transmitted application are experienced, and following the above instructions do not resolve the problem so that the application is submitted to Grants.gov by the deadline date and time, follow the guidance below. The Agency will make a decision concerning acceptance of each late submission on a case-by-case basis. All emails, as described below, are to be sent to Jeanne Allen at gmp-rfp@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact Jeanne Allen at 228-679-5892. Be aware that EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to transmit due to Grants.gov or relevant www.Sam.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access.

Failure of an applicant to submit timely because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or

Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of a late submittal.

a. If you are experiencing problems resulting in an inability to upload the application to Grants.gov, it is essential to call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 before the application deadline. 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. Be sure to obtain a case number from Grants.gov. If the problems stem from unforeseen exigent circumstances unrelated to Grants.gov, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access, contact Jeanne Allen at 228-679-5892.

b. Unsuccessful transfer of the application package: If a successful transfer of the application cannot be accomplished even with assistance from Grants.gov due to electronic submission system issues or unforeseen exigent circumstances, and you have already attempted to resolve the issue by contacting Grants.gov, send an email message to gmp-rfp@epa.gov prior to the application deadline. The email message must document the problem and include the Grants.gov case number as well as the entire application in PDF format as an attachment.

c. Grants.gov rejection of the application package: If a notification is received from Grants.gov stating that the application has been rejected for reasons other than late submittal and it is too late to reapply, promptly send an email to gmp-rfp@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line within one business day of the closing date of this solicitation. The email should include any materials provided by Grants.gov and attach the entire application in

PDF format.

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

C. Content of Proposal Submission: Applicants must include the information outlined below in their proposals. Pages in excess of the page limitations identified below will not be reviewed. Applicants must also ensure that the proposal narrative provides information addressing all the proposal evaluation criteria identified in Section V.A. and the threshold criteria identified in III.D. Please submit all the application materials described below using the Grants.gov application package accessed using the instructions below.

Proposal Submission Content

Required Forms

Application for Federal

Assistance (SF-424)

Include applicant (organization) name, address, contact person, phone number and email address. This form also requires a registration in the System for Award

Management (SAM.gov), a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B), and Data Universal

Number System (DUNS) number. The authorized representative must sign the

SF424.

Budget Information for

Non-Construction

Programs (SF424A)

Provide overall budget information on the form’s tabular format.

Assurances for Non-

Construction Programs

(SF-424B)

Grants.gov Lobbying

Form

The authorized representative must sign this form.

EPA Key Contacts Form

5700-54

EPA Form 4700-4 –

Preaward Compliance

Review Report

Form 4700-4 should be completely and accurately filled out.

Project Narrative

Attachment Form

Follow the Proposal Information Page, Proposal Narrative, and Budget instructions below.

Federal Indirect Cost Rate

Agreement

Use Other Attachments Form to submit. Only needed if requesting indirect costs.

Please ensure the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement is current.

Letters of support Use Other Attachments Form to submit. Letters of support from partners to support description of project involvement. Will be evaluated as identified in

V.A.1.f

Map Use Other Attachments Form to submit. Provide a map of the watershed and the proposed work areas related to the project. If the project includes water quality outputs, please identify the 8-digit HUC(s) of where the project will take place.

Biographical Sketch This optional attachment is not included in the page limits and not considered during the evaluation of the proposal.

Proposal Information Page (1 page limit) (see Appendix A for sample format)

a. Project Title

b. Applicant Information. Include applicant (organization) name, address, contact person, phone number, e-mail address and DUNS number.

c. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project and the amount you are requesting from EPA, if different. Project costs should align with the scope of the project.

d. Priority Area. Identify the priority area your project should be evaluated under or your project will not be considered. Choose ONLY ONE of the following: 1) Water Quality Improvement; 2) Protect, Enhance, and/or Restore Habitat; 3) Environmental Education and Outreach; or, 4) Strengthen Community Resilience.

e. Secondary Priority Areas(s). Identify any additional priority areas your project may include.

f. Briefly describe how your project meets EPA Strategic Goals (See Section I.C for more information)

g. Project Description. Briefly describe your project (1-2 sentences).

h. Measurable Outputs. Provide a brief description of the major outputs of your project. At least one output must align with the priority area selected (See Section I.B. for more information.)

i. Outreach Component: Provide a brief description of the project’s outreach component. If the whole project encompasses outreach, you only need a brief sentence stating such.

j. Place of Performance. Please identify the area(s) where your project will take place.

k. Project period. Provide anticipated project start date and anticipated project completion date.

Proposal Narrative (8-page limit) (see Appendix A for sample format)

EPA recommends that proposals be in 12-point font or larger and readability is of paramount importance.

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

Sections I-III of this announcement (including the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III.D), and must address each of the evaluation criteria set forth in Section V. It must also address how the applicant will perform the activities under the scope of work in Section I.B.

Project Description/Approach:

• The narrative should link the project activities with the required output(s) for the priority areas(s) identified on the cover page.

• The project approach should be described concretely and be appropriate for the desired outputs and outcomes without requiring more detail to assess the likelihood of success. This should include the technical or conceptual foundation for this approach. For example, plans, studies, pilot projects, successful projects elsewhere, etc.

• The narrative should describe the relevance of the project, including how it will benefit the Gulf of

Mexico region and if successful, how can it be replicated elsewhere. Example questions to consider in this description include:

o Does the project pioneer a new or innovative approach?

o Does it build local or regional capacity?

o Does it address an existing issue in the Gulf of Mexico watershed?

• The narrative should include language describing how the project supports one or more EPA Strategic

Goals (Please see Section 1.C.).

• The narrative should describe how the project will be implemented through collaborative partnerships, including responsible parties for each task. If applicable, the applicant should also highlight local partners and connections and describe volunteer contributions and roles. Letters of support from partners are required to support description of partner involvement. Letters of support are not included in the 8-page limit.

Environmental Results:

• Identify well defined outputs that are specific, quantified and significant, including target numbers, throughout the project timeframe.

• The proposal should clearly demonstrate how the project will support achieving the outputs, including the output required for the priority area(s) selected.

• The proposal should discuss plans to track and measure progress and provide a tracking tool such as a milestone or GANTT chart. The tracking tool should also include the reports schedule.

• The proposal should describe major tasks, deliverables for each task, and schedule for completion. The link between the tasks and achievement of identified outputs and outcomes should be clear.

• For awards under this competition that are expected to exceed $200,000 in federal funding AND involve the generation or use of environmental data, please provide a statement acknowledging 1) your need to demonstrate competency prior to beginning work and 2) your understanding that a Quality Management

Plan (QMP) and/or a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) may be required. Please see Section IV. O.

at the following link for more information: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses#competency. For further information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions Document regarding this EPA requirement: https://www.epa.gov/measurements/documents-about-measurement-competency-under-assistance-agreements

• The proposal should describe how it will ensure a lasting impact beyond the period of performance.

Applicant Capability and Past Performance

• The proposal should describe the applicant’s history of successfully a) completing and managing assistance agreements and b) meeting the reporting requirements under the assistance agreements, including whether the applicant submitted acceptable final performance reports under those agreements and the extent to which the applicant adequately and timely reported on their progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes. If such progress was not being made, please describe why.

Note: This section of the proposal should include a list of federally funded assistance agreements

(assistance agreements include Federal grants and cooperative agreements but not Federal contracts) similar in size, scope and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than three agreements, and preferably EPA agreements)

• The proposal should describe the applicant’s organizational experience and staff expertise to be able to assess the ability of applicant to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

Outreach Component

• The proposals should identify and describe who the results will be shared with, provided to, or otherwise used to inform better environmental stewardship. This should include information about why this project is important to the audience specified and how the applicant plans to engage them.

• The proposal should describe how the project information will be publicized and how project results will continue to be shared beyond the period of performance.

Note: For academic applicants, this Outreach criterion is about how the results will be shared and why they are important outside the academic area.

Expenditure of Awarded Funds

• The proposal should describe the financial controls currently in place to ensure that awarded funds are expended in a timely and efficient manner.

Budget (3-page limit) (see Appendix A for sample format)

Budget

• The proposal should provide a budget table. The budget table should cross-reference the SF-424A budget categories while breaking out the line items for each budget category. Budget resources necessary for completing a QAPP (if applicable), sharing project information broadly, and reporting progress should be included. The budget table should identify major costs associated with the approach in an easily understandable format.

• The proposal should provide a budget narrative. The budget narrative should cross-reference the budget table, providing explanation of all costs – detailing the purpose of the expenditure and how it was calculated. Where possible, the budget narrative should link expenses with tasks and deliverables from the project description. Budget resources necessary for completing a QAPP (if applicable), sharing project information broadly, and reporting progress should be included. The budget narrative should clearly explain cost calculations and correlate the costs to activities identified in the proposal.

• The overall project costs and various components should be well justified and reasonable.

* The indirect cost rate assessed by organization may be considered in the evaluation of the budget narrative, tables and project costs

*Selected applicant(s) will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency prior to award.

Applications submitted through grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically.

Please email Jeanne Allen at gmp-rfp@epa.gov to confirm receipt of your proposal. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

D. Submission Dates and Times. The closing date and time for submission of proposals is July 31st, 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time (ET). Proposals submitted after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding.

E. 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 proposal assistance and communications, can be found 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 proposals 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. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

Only eligible entities whose proposals meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation…