LWCF Funding opportunity - FY15.doc

Land and Water Conservation Fund State and Local Assistance Program

FY 2015 Grant Funding Opportunity Notice Summary Information

· Federal Agency Name: State and Local Assistance Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

· Funding Opportunity Title: FY2015 Land and Water Conservation Fund State Formula Grants

· Funding Opportunity Number: P15AS00004

· Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 15.916, Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development, and Planning

· Program Purpose and Use of Funds: The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program provides grants to States, their political subdivisions, and Indian tribes to acquire and/or develop public land for outdoor recreation purposes. Certain State agencies may also apply for and receive grants for the preparation or update of Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans or supporting elements, which are required for overall program eligibility. Land acquisition and development grants may be in support of a wide range of outdoor recreation uses, such as city parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, campgrounds, bike trails, swimming pools, and sports fields; as well as for infrastructure that supports these activities such as restrooms. Outdoor recreation areas and facilities must be open to the general public and not limited to special groups. As a condition of accepting a grant, project sponsors must agree to keep the assisted park or outdoor recreation area available and accessible for public outdoor recreation use forever.

· Eligibility: States (to include American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands); state political subdivisions such as cities, counties, and special purpose districts such as park districts; and Indian tribes that are organized to govern themselves and perform the functions of a general purpose unit of government are eligible. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, and private organizations are not eligible. Each State and Territory has a designated lead agency for the purposes of implementation of LWCF in that State. Only the lead State or Territory agency may be the primary applicant for an LWCF grant; they apply on behalf of themselves or for other state agencies, political subdivisions, and Indian tribes.

· Match: A minimum of 1:1 match is required from state, local, or private sources.

· Dates: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the fiscal year, but ultimately must be received by Grants.gov no later than 10:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Note that it can take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline; do not wait until the last day to submit an application.

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

The announcement is to advise States, local units of government, and Indian Tribes of the potential availability of funds in their State for grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to acquire and/or develop public lands for outdoor recreation purposes. The LWCF State and Local Assistance Program was established to assist in preserving, developing and assuring accessibility to present and future generations of U.S. citizens and visitors “such quality and quantity of outdoor recreation resources as may be available and are necessary and desirable for individual active participation in such recreation and to strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the U.S.”…. This is accomplished in part by authorizing and providing grants to States, and through States to local units of government and Indian tribes, for projects that acquire lands and waters for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes, as well as develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities.

The LWCF State and Local Assistance program is operated by the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with designated lead agencies in each of the 50 States as well as American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Each fiscal year Congress appropriates money from the LWCF for this program, which is in turn allocated to the States based on a legislative formula. To be eligible for the funding, States must have a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) in place that assesses demand and need for outdoor recreation resources and sets priorities for the use of LWCF funds. The NPS must review and approve each State’s SCORP, which is updated at least every 5 years. States may also apply for LWCF grants to support the development or update of their SCORPs.

The process for applying for a grant begins at the State or Territory level; entities interested in applying for an LWCF grant must contact their State’s lead agency to find out details about the availability of funds, timing of grant process, State program priorities, funding criteria, etc. A list of agency contacts can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/contact_list.html. The lead agency is responsible for soliciting project proposals from other State agencies, local units of government, and Indian Tribes and conducting competitions to identify the projects that can best satisfy the State’s needs and goals. Selected projects must advance goals or meet needs identified in the applicable State’s SCORP. The top ranked projects, within the funds available, are nominated to the NPS for consideration and final decision, as well as the actual award of a grant. Each State will have its own timing and requirements for the development and submission of project proposals. However, all prospective applicants should be able to specifically describe how their project would address priority outdoor recreation needs and goals as identified in the State’s SCORP.

All prospective applicants should also be aware that Section 6(f)(3) of the LWCF Act (P.L. 55-578, 16 USC 460l-4 et seq.) requires that any park or other outdoor recreation facility that benefits from assistance from the LWCF, whether for acquisition or development activities, must be maintained for outdoor recreation purposes forever. This requirement is generally applied to the recreation area as a whole, unless the NPS agrees to a more limited area (each grant will have an approved boundary map that will document the extent of the area subject to the 6(f)(3) requirement). An assisted park may be released from this requirement only with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, which is contingent upon the project sponsor replacing the area to be converted with a new recreation area involving land of at least equal value and reasonably equivalent recreational utility. Project sponsors must agree to this requirement as a condition of receiving a grant. Prospective applicants should carefully consider their ability and willingness to comply with this provision of the Act before applying for a grant.

The authority for the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program is 16 U.S.C. § 460l-4 et seq. Excerpts of relevant sections of the LWCF Act can be found at http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/lwcf_act.pdf.

The LWCF Grant Assistance Manual, v. 68 (October 1, 2008) establishes the eligibility, procedural, and programmatic requirements for LWCF grants. A copy of the Manual can be found at http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/manual/lwcf.pdf. The Manual outlines the criteria and process for eligible states and territories to develop a SCORP, nominate projects to the NPS, and implement grants for selected projects.

II. Award Information

LWCF projects are funded as grants. On an annual basis, Congress appropriates an overall amount for LWCF State Assistance grants. This amount is then apportioned to each State or Territory according to a formula set out in the legislation. The Act also provides States with up to three years to obligate their apportionments so funds available for award this year could have been or will be appropriated in FY 2013, 2014, or 2015 (the program does not apportion funds to the States until a full-year appropriation has been provided). Funding from different fiscal years can be combined. Consequently, the amounts available in each state, and even whether your State will conduct a competition for funds this fiscal year, will vary. You should consult with your State’s lead agency to determine the specific availability of funds.

The NPS estimates that in FY 2015 approximately $45 million will be awarded for 300 projects around the U.S. Maximum and minimum grant funding levels are established by each State, and are typically commensurate with the State’s apportionment amounts, which range from $50,000 to $3.4 million (the FY 2014 and prior year apportionments can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/funding.html). Nationally, grant amounts range from $5,000 to $2.2 million, but overall average about $100,000 (note that some states have lower funding ceilings for grants).

This announcement will be open to accept applications until August 11, 2015. Projects funded under this announcement will have variable grant start dates throughout FY 2015 but may start no later than October 1, 2015. The typical LWCF grant award performance period is three (3) years. Project proposals should include a timeline with discrete benchmarks for completing the project within this award period. The NPS has the authority to extend awards (generally for a maximum of five years), if circumstances warrant, such as unforeseen problems that prevent the project from being completed within the original award period. In order to qualify for an extension, grant recipients must be in good standing (i.e., up-to-date on all progress and financial reports), demonstrate progress during the initial award period, and be able to demonstrate that additional time is likely to result in successful completion of the project.

LWCF grants must be matched with non-Federal funds at a ratio of 1:1, with the following exception. In accordance with 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d), the 1:1 matching requirement is waived for any project under $200,000 for Insular Areas, defined as the jurisdictions of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The 1:1 match requirement applies to any portion equal to or above $200,000.

Matching funds may be derived from state, local, non-governmental or private sources in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Eligible sources of match and other cost-sharing requirements are specified in Chapter 5 of the LWCF Manual.

The following costs may not be counted toward the non-Federal matching share (not inclusive):

· Project costs that were incurred before the grant state date, without the prior approval of the State lead agency and the NPS (waiver of retroactivity).

· Any funds or in-kind contributions such as land or services that have been previously used to satisfy the matching requirements of this program or that that have been or will be used to satisfy another Federal grant.

· Any funds or in-kind contributions such as lands or services that were or will be acquired with Federal funds. Unless otherwise provided by Federal law, funding that originated from Federal sources or the value of land or services acquired with Federal funds may not be used as non-Federal match.

In addition, projects that are seeking LWCF funds may not include funds from other Federal sources, even if all programs’ match requirements are met.

III. Eligibility Information

Only the State lead agency is eligible to submit applications in response to this announcement, whether on behalf of itself or another entity. In this context “States” include the 50 U.S. States, as well as American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The grants may be sub-awarded to other state agencies, local units of government, and Indian tribes. A state must have a current SCORP approved by the NPS to be eligible to receive LWCF grants. Local units of government include: county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district (such as a park district), intrastate district, council of governments (whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), any other regional or interstate government entity, or any agency or instrumentality of a local government. Individuals, nonprofit organizations, and private organizations are not eligible for LWCF grants.

The lead agency is responsible for: ensuring that projects are consistent with outdoor recreation priorities outlined in the state or territory’s SCORP; reviewing proposals for completeness and eligibility requirements; prioritizing proposals according to their Open Project Selection Process, and submitting final applications to the NPS for review and award of funds. For selected projects, the NPS makes financial assistance awards to the lead agency, which will be responsible for ensuring that allocated funds are used for the purposes of and in a manner consistent with this program, including any funds awarded to an eligible sub-applicant. The NPS cannot make grants to entities other than the state lead agency; applications submitted by entities other than the lead agency will be rejected.

LWCF grants may be used for the acquisition or development (or a combination) of lands and facilities that will provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public. Acquisition of land may be in fee or a lesser interest as long as some form of public access is provided. On the development side, LWCF assistance is available for most types of facilities needed for the use and enjoyment of outdoor recreation areas but includes things like sport and other playing fields, parks and picnic areas, water-based recreation facilities such as pools and spray parks, trails, campgrounds, boating facilities, etc. Certain kinds of support facilities may also be eligible. For either project type, the project sponsor must possess sufficient legal title and control of the property to be assisted to ensure that it can be managed and maintained for outdoor recreation in perpetuity and otherwise remain compliant with Section 6(f)(3) of the LWCF Act. Chapter 3 of the LWCF Manual describes project eligibility and implementation requirements in detail.

LWCF funds may not be used for (not inclusive):

· Grant administrative expenses,

· Incidental costs related to land acquisition such as appraisals or title work,

· Operation and maintenance activities,

· Facilities that support semi-professional or professional athletics such as baseball stadiums or soccer arenas,

· Indoor facilities such as recreation centers or facilities that support primarily non-outdoor purposes like dining facilities or overnight accommodation (such as a lodge or hotel), or

· Acquisition of lands, or interests in lands, that completely restrict access to specific persons (e.g., non-residents of a community).

As a condition of the grant, the NPS requires that a permanent record be kept in the project sponsor’s public property records that the property described in the scope of the project agreement, and the signed and dated project boundary map made part of that agreement, has been acquired or developed with LWCF assistance and cannot be converted to other than public outdoor recreation use without the written approval of the Secretary of the Interior.

IV. Application Requirements

States should submit applications through Grants.gov only when directed to do so by their NPS program officer. Only final versions of applications that already have been reviewed and deemed actionable by the NPS may be submitted. Applications that were not reviewed by the NPS prior to submittal will be rejected. A complete LWCF application to the NPS contains:

· Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

· Budget forms and assurances appropriate for the type of project (SF-424A/B and/or C/D

· Proposal Description and Environmental Screening Form

· Description and Notification Form

· Signed Project Agreement

· Section 6(f) Boundary Map

· Location Map

· Pre-award Onsite Inspection Report

· Approved indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)

· Copy of the approved waiver of retroactivity (if applicable)

Note that fillable versions of the Standard Forms are incorporated into the Grants.gov application module. These should be filled out in lieu of submitting scanned versions of printed versions.

Applications may be submitted throughout the fiscal year but ultimately must be received no later than 10:00pm EST on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Applications sent by facsimile, email, or mail delivery will not be accepted. Applications submitted to Grants.gov after the deadline will not be accepted.

We strongly recommend that you not wait until the last minute to submit. The uploading and transfer process can take a while, especially when Grants.gov is getting heavy use. In addition, after the application is submitted it gets validated before it is forwarded to the NPS. Normally this takes no more than a few minutes or hours but it can take Grants.gov up to a day or two to validate or reject an application. You can monitor your application’s status by email. You will receive three (3) emails from Grants.gov in the submittal process: the first confirms successful receipt and contains a Grants.gov tracking number; the second confirms that the application has been validated; and the third confirms the application was forwarded to the NPS. If you do not get even the first email, you should assume the application did not even successfully submit to Grants.gov. If you do not receive all three emails, you should assume the NPS did not get the application. Most problems occur at the validation step so you should always check the second email; if there was a problem it should be described in this email. Technical difficulties with application submittal should be directed to the Grants.gov help desk. NPS staff can confirm receipt of submission, but cannot resolve issues with Grants.gov or extend the application deadline due to difficulties with submission via Grants.gov.

As Grants.gov relies upon electronic signature for applications, it requires agencies to be registered to use Grants.gov and will accept applications only from currently authorized organization representatives (AORs) affiliated with a particular agency. You will need to determine if your agency already uses Grants.gov and if so, identify your agency’s e-business point of contact. Agency processes vary: some have only a limited number of AORs who can submit applications while others will designate AORs for each program that needs one. If your agency has not previously used Grants.gov, you will need to start with the agency registration process (information is on the Grants.gov website). Obtaining a Grants.gov account requires applicants to first be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). More information about SAM.gov registration can be found here: www.sam.gov. Applicants that do not currently have a Grants.gov account are encouraged to begin the process of registering as soon as possible. Prior to attempting to submit an application, you may wish to check to ensure that your agency’s Grants.gov and SAM accounts are active, along with the individual Grants.gov account of the AOR who will be submitting the application. SAM accounts in particular must be renewed and validated on an annual basis. Last, please make sure that the DUNS number on the Grants.gov account that will be used to submit the application matches the one that has been registered with the NPS for use with the payment system (ASAP).

V. Application Review Applications submitted through Grants.gov are final versions that have already been reviewed by the NPS and found to be ready to be processed for an award.

Merit review of proposals is conducting largely at the State or Territory level in the initial competition. Each State or Territory has its own process and criteria for reviewing and selecting applications to be nominated to the NPS (which this is known as the “open project selection process” and it is approved for each State by the NPS in conjunction with the SCORP review and approval process). You should contact your State’s lead agency for specific details.

Nominated applications are reviewed by the NPS program officer for the applicable State to establish concurrence that the project satisfies the State’s SCORP and to ensure the project is consistent with the intent of the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program and compliant with the LWCF Manual.

VI. Award Administration Information

The LWCF Grant Assistance Manual, v. 68 (October 1, 2008) establishes the eligibility, procedural, and programmatic requirements for LWCF grants. A copy of the Manual can be found at http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/manual/lwcf.pdf. The Manual outlines the criteria and process for eligible states and territories to develop a SCORP, develop projects for nomination to the NPS, submit applications, and implement grants for selected projects. All applications submitted pursuant to this announcement must be consistent with the Manual and are subject to the requirements described therein.

The executed project agreement will include the “General Provisions,” which are specific terms and conditions that recipients must agree to in accepting the grant, such as the requirement to include language in the property deed acknowledging the LWCF assistance. Other special award conditions may be included if not already met by the time a final grant application is submitted.

Recipients and sub-recipients of LWCF grants are also subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. Many of these are described in the Manual and in the General Provisions.

As the primary grantee, the State and Territory lead agencies are responsible for managing the day-to-day implementation of the grant and the sub-award supported activities to assure the project’s compliance with the LWCF Act and Manual, other applicable Federal requirements, and that performance goals are being achieved.

NPS monitoring requirements include States providing interim annual performance and financial status (SF-425) reports for each acquisition, development, or combination grant, generally in the third quarter of the fiscal year. The NPS will specifically solicit the reports, which are due within 30 days from the request. These reports are submitted to the applicable NPS program officer for the specific state. State planning grants are implemented on a similar cycle, but also require a performance report with a payment request, which NPS must approve prior to drawing funds. Within 90 days of the conclusion of the project or the award performance period, whichever comes first, States must submit the final report documentation and request for reimbursement. If the NPS and the State have agreed to a revised project boundary map during the course of the grant, a final version is submitted at this time.

Payments on grants are obtained through the U.S. Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payment System (ASAP). States need to be registered specifically as a grantee with the NPS in order to access funds for LWCF grants.

VII. Agency Contact For further information contact:

Elisabeth Fondriest

Phone: (202) 354-6916

E-mail: elisabeth_fondriest@nps.gov