PKG00262594-instructions.pdf

US Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Pesticide Programs

Funding Opportunity Announcement:

Projects to Advance the Safe Use of Pesticides

EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002

July 15th, 2020

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

Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002

Overview Information

The following list provides key information concerning this funding opportunity:

Federal Agency and Office Name: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of

Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Field and External Affairs Division (FEAD).

Funding Opportunity Title: Projects to Advance the Safe Use of Pesticides

Announcement Type: Request for Applications (RFA) - Initial Announcement.

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.716

IMPORTANT DATES

RFA OPENS – July 15th, 2020

RFA CLOSES - APPLICATIONS DUE – September 16th, 2020

ANTICIPATED NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION – March 16th, 2021

ANTICIPATED AWARD – August 16th, 2021

Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov

(www.grants.gov) no later than September 16th, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding. The project period for the award resulting from this solicitation is estimated to begin in August

2021. The proposed project period is up to five (5) years.

To allow for efficient management of the competitive process, EPA requests submittal of an informal notice of an Intent to Apply by August 14th, 2020 to OPPGA@epa.gov. Please include the number of this announcement (EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002) on the subject line of the email notice. Submission of Intent to apply is optional; it is a process management tool that will allow

EPA to better anticipate the total staff time required for efficient review, evaluation, and selection of submitted applications. Please note that in order to be considered for funding, complete application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov

(www.grants.gov) by the closing date and time specified on this RFA.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible organizations to manage projects in support of safe pesticide use and implementation of the agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and the Certification of Pesticide

Applicators (CPA) regulations. Projects can be materials development, outreach activities, technical assistance, training and education, or other program or activity. Subject matter experts and stakeholders will be involved from the project planning stage to evaluating the effectiveness http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OPPGA@epa.gov http://www.grants.gov/ of the materials and activities. The target audience of projects includes people who are occupational users of pesticides; people who work where pesticides are used; regulators and the regulated community; educators and trainers; and others affiliated with pesticide occupational use and pesticide safety activities. Also, the award recipient will administer subawards to nonprofit organizations for community-based projects (CBPs). The number and amount of subaward funding will vary depending on the amount of funds awarded for the cooperative agreement each programmatic year (See Funding/Awards).

FUNDING/AWARDS

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $6,000,000 over a five-year period (2021 through 2026). EPA expects to provide an estimated $1,200,000 annually, depending on the Agency’s budget. EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. Funds can be used to complement but not duplicate projects from other cooperative agreements.

The majority of funds will be used on projects to develop materials, conduct outreach activities and/or technical assistance, offer training and education programs, or other such activities. A portion of funds will be awarded to nonprofit organizations for CBPs. The award recipient of the cooperative agreement will submit in their application a plan for how they will identify, prioritize and select CBPs for funding. The award recipient of the cooperative agreement may not utilize any of the funds set aside for CBPs to cover costs incurred for competitions, administration and management of these subawards. CBPs will be carried out by nonprofit organizations with a focus, expertise and/or experience in improving the health and safety of farmworkers, agricultural pesticide handlers, their families and/or their communities. Such groups can be national in scope as long as the projects themselves are carried out at the local or regional level. Examples of CBPs are outreach and education to a specific or unique population

(e.g., WPS pesticide safety take home exposure prevention lessons to farmworker families;

WPS handler training to a group of agricultural pesticide handlers; WPS pesticide safety training to a group of farmworkers whose main language is Mixteco), testing the effectiveness of a method or material with the target audience (e.g., focus groups with farmworkers on the effectiveness and cultural acceptability of posters, flipcharts, or videos), or information gathering on issues or needs (e.g., a paper on challenges and training needs of agricultural pesticide handlers and proposed action). Projects must advance the safe use of pesticides and should be succinctly defined with outputs, outcomes and an end date no longer than 2 years unless there are extenuating circumstances. The exact same project should not be funded more than once but could be considered if it is the same project with a different target audience or subject matter focus.

The number and funding of CBPs/subawards will depend on the annual funding amount to the award recipient. If over $1,000,000 of funding is received for one programmatic year, then at least $200,000 of the annual budget will be used to fund a minimum of two CBPs (e.g., $100,000 each for two projects or $50,000 each for four projects). If the award recipient receives partial funding (under $1,000,000 - $700,000), then at least 10% of the annual budget will be used to fund a minimum of two CBPs. If partial funding under $700,000 is received, then 10% to 5% of the annual budget will be used to fund a minimum of one CBP. The award recipient is encouraged to provide an amount to the maximum extent practicable for new projects or to those subawardees who need funds to sustain an existing project. The award recipient should explain in their application an approach for deciding the amount(s) and project(s) they will fund if less than $700,000 is received for the programmatic year. Subaward amounts do not need to be equally distributed among CBPs. Rather, the distribution of subaward funds should be determined by the complexity and nature of the project. For quick reference please refer to Table 1. Subawards for Community-Based Projects to determine the amount of the annual budget that will be allocated to fund CBPs.

Table 1. Subawards for Community-Based Projects

Annual Funding Amount

Received

Subaward Amount

Annual Minimums

Subaward Project(s)

Annual Minimums

$1,200,000 (full amount) to

1,000,000

$200,000 Distributed Among Two or

More

Under $1,000,000 to

$700,000

10% of the Funding Amount

Received

Distributed Among Two or

More

Under $700,000 10% - 5% of the Funding

Amount Received*

Distributed Among One or

More*

*The cooperative agreement award recipient is encouraged to contribute an amount to the maximum extent practicable for new projects or to those subawardees who need funds to sustain an existing project.

CONTENTS BY SECTION Page

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

II. AWARD INFORMATION

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

VII. AGENCY CONTACT

APPENDIX A – Submission Instructions

Budget Detail Sample

Application Checklist

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

Pesticides released into the environment as a result of their manufacture, processing, use, or disposal can threaten human health and the environment. EPA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan

Goal 1 – A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, Objective 1.4 is: Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace: Effectively implement the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Federal

Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to ensure new and existing chemicals and pesticides are reviewed for their potential risks to human health and the environment and actions are taken when necessary.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is the primary federal law governing oversight of pesticide manufacture, distribution, and use in the United States.

FIFRA (7 U.S.C. 136r) authorizes EPA to issue assistance agreements for research, public education, training, monitoring, demonstration, and studies. This new cooperative agreement will primarily support FIFRA through the development and availability of materials and projects on the safe use of pesticides. Regulations governing this agreement are found at 2

CFR Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit

Requirements for Federal Awards; and 2 CFR Part 1500 - Environmental Protection Agency’s

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal

Awards.

The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) assesses risks to human health and the environment while addressing the safe use of pesticides. It is EPA’s goal to ensure the safety of chemicals in the marketplace by promoting safe pesticide use.

B. Scope of Work

1. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of the program is to ensure the safety of chemicals in the marketplace through projects that advance the safe use of pesticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible organizations to manage projects in support of safe pesticide use and implementation of the agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and the Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) regulations. The awardee will manage projects including but not limited to developing or updating materials, conducting outreach programs, providing technical assistance, and/or carrying out education and training activities.

Projects will be developed with the involvement of subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholder organizations. Target audiences for the projects can be: pesticide applicators

(certified and noncertified); certified applicators who supervise noncertified applicators;

pesticide application businesses; commercial pesticide handlers; pesticide handlers;

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan.pdf agricultural workers; agricultural worker families; designated representatives of agricultural workers or pesticide handlers; health care providers or workers; employers and managers of agricultural establishments (as defined in the WPS); groups who must comply with the WPS;

agricultural labor contractors; crop advisors and their assistants; compliance and enforcement staff; and/or trainers and educators of all aforementioned groups. Materials can be in any format and language. The award recipient will develop or update in a systematic manner, with the use of SMEs, a blueprint, study materials and a database of exam questions for at least two pesticide applicator certification categories or subcategories of a regional or national scope.

In addition, the award recipient is expected to administer subawards to nonprofit organizations for CBPs that ultimately contribute to safe pesticide use or working safely in areas where pesticides are used. CBPs will be carried out by nonprofit organizations with a focus, expertise and/or experience in improving the health and safety of farmworkers, agricultural pesticide handlers, their families and/or their communities. Such groups can be national in scope as long as the projects themselves are carried out at the local or regional level.

Examples of CBPs are providing community outreach to a specific population, testing the effectiveness of a method or material, or information gathering on issues or needs. The number and funding amount for CBPs/subawards will depend on the annual funding amount for the cooperative agreement (See Table 1. in the Funding/Awards section). The award recipient of the cooperative agreement will submit in their application a plan for how they will identify, prioritize and select CBPs for funding. The cooperative agreement award recipient will define the parameters of CBPs after gathering input from at least five national, state or regional nonprofit organizations and convening a group of stakeholders representing at a minimum regulators, educators, and nonprofit organizations.

Funds can be used to complement but not duplicate projects from other cooperative agreements. EPA expects to provide an estimated $1,200,000 annually, depending on the

Agency’s budget, for approximately $6,000,000 for five years (2021 through 2026).

The 5-year cooperative agreement awarded under this program will protect the public and the environment by minimizing the misuse of pesticides.

Objectives

The program objectives are to increase the number, availability, and quality of opportunities to advance the safe use of pesticides such as developing or updating materials, conducting outreach programs, providing technical assistance, and/or carrying out education and training activities to assist in the implementation of the WPS and CPA regulations so that pesticides are used safely and correctly, and the risk of exposure is minimized.

2. Activities to be Funded

Activities to be funded under this cooperative agreement support the purpose and objectives listed above and include, but are not limited to, the following:

a) Developing a plan before beginning any project. The project plan will include:

goals; objectives and outputs; SMEs and others involved; target audience(s);

milestones; timeline; budget; and getting input and feedback from stakeholders and/or the regulated community as appropriate on the project plan itself, at the drafting stage of materials or other tools before use, and on the utility and effectiveness of the project after it has been in use. The project will include at least one evaluation of its utility and effectiveness with feedback from the target audience after it has been in use. Such feedback will be used to improve on future projects. Each project will conclude with a project report including all the above;

b) Soliciting project ideas and proposals from pesticide program co-regulators, Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) coordinators, stakeholders, and other interested parties;

c) Identifying and working with SMEs and technical experts on projects and material development such as: copy-editors, artists, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, video editors, programmers, and/or translators;

d) Sharing, publishing, reproducing, distributing, and/or posting electronic materials;

e) Permitting the use of materials by state, tribal and local governments that carry out delegated federal environmental programs as co-regulators or act as official partners with EPA to carry out a national environmental program within their jurisdiction

(See Section VI.F. on copyrights);

f) Encouraging collaborators, and stakeholders to also announce the availability of materials and resources (as appropriate);

g) Managing budgets, accounting, payments, and reimbursements;

h) Developing standard operating policies on activities such as: identifying resource needs, developing materials, utilizing SMEs and technical experts;

i) Following requirements for granting and managing subawards, including choosing subawardees, reporting, payments and reimbursements.

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

Measures

Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7A1, “Environmental Results under EPA

Assistance Agreements”, EPA must link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s

Strategic Plan. EPA also requires that applications and recipients of grants and cooperative agreements adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see Linking Assistance Agreements to Environmental Results https://www.epa.gov/grants/linking-assistance-agreements-environmental-results).

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2018-2022

Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1 – A Cleaner, Healthier Environment, and Objective 1.4: Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the

Marketplace” which states: “Effectively implement the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/grants/linking-assistance-agreements-environmental-results and Rodenticide Act to ensure new and existing chemicals and pesticides are reviewed for their potential risks to human health and the environment and actions are taken when necessary”. All applications must be for projects that support the goals and objectives identified above.

Please read EPA’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan

(www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan) for more information.

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf).

Applicants must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs and, to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that will demonstrate how the project will contribute to the goals and objectives described above.

The purpose of the program is to ensure the safety of chemicals in the marketplace through projects that advance the safe use of pesticides.

2. Outputs

The term “output” means an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to an environmental goal and objective, 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.

The anticipated outputs of this cooperative agreement are to successfully accomplish the activities listed in Section I.B.2, as well as, any additional activities proposed by the applicants. Examples of anticipated outputs from the cooperative agreement to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

a) Pamphlets, presentations, fact sheets, or courses;

b) photographs, videos, webinars, web pages, on-line or computer-based training, or web page content;

c) exam blueprints, exam items and exam item banks, guides, syllabi, databases, or spreadsheets;

d) pesticide safety applications (apps) for smartphones, tablets, or other electronic devices;

e) manuals, handbooks, study guides or similar materials; and/or

f) programs, scripts, or activity guides.

Examples of materials developed under a previous cooperative agreement can be found https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf at www.pesticideresources.org.

Project reports and quarterly and final reports will require outputs, as specified in

Section VI.D. “Reporting Requirement,” of this RFA.

3. 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 environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative, link to an output, and correlate with the objectives of the workplan. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

Examples of anticipated environmental outcomes include, but are not limited to:

a. Enhancing the capabilities of partners and stakeholders to develop and implement programs and activities that prevent and reduce pesticide risks to humans, communities, and ecosystems;

b. Educating agricultural workers, certified and noncertified pesticide applicators, pesticide handlers and others on the safe use of pesticides;

c. Protecting humans, communities, and ecosystems from illness and injury caused by exposure to pesticides.

4. Performance Measures

The applicant should develop and describe performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities. 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 projects. 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:

a) What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve?

b) 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?

The description of performance measures should include:

a) Overall five-year and annual goals, objectives, and examples of outputs and outcomes.

b) Regular reports that document all activities and efforts on project implementation and track and measure progress achieved toward the outputs, outcomes, and milestones met in the overall five-year plan and each annual plan.

c) A final report that demonstrates the success of the program provides lessons http://www.pesticideresources.org/ learned and suggests how to carry the program forward and build on its success.

D. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this action is Section 20 of Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. 136r which authorizes the Agency to issue assistance agreements for research, public education, training, monitoring, demonstration, and studies.

This cooperative agreement will support FIFRA by carrying out projects that advance the safe use of pesticides.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated amount available for award under this announcement is up to $6,000,000, depending on availability of funds. EPA anticipates awarding an estimated $1,200,000 in fiscal year 2021. At the conclusion of the first-year period of performance, incremental funding of an estimated $1,200,000 may be made available for each additional year allowing the project to continue for a total of five (5) years depending on Agency priorities, available funding levels, satisfactory performance of the recipient, and other applicable considerations.

EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards.

B. Partial Funding

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. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement subject to the availability of funds and quality of evaluated applications, and other applicable considerations.

EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, 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 six months after the original selection decisions.

In addition, EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this announcement or to make fewer awards than anticipated.

D. What is the project period for awards resulting from this solicitation?

The estimated project period for the award resulting from this solicitation will begin in August

2021. The proposed project period is up to five (5) years.

E. Funding Type

The funding for selected project(s) 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:

1. Close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;

2. Collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

3. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, review of proposed procurement(s);

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

5. Review and approval of the substantive terms of subaward agreements; and

6. 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

In accordance with CFDA 66.716 – Research, Development, Monitoring, Public Education, Training, Demonstrations and Studies, and the EPA’s Assistance Agreement Competition

Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), applications will be accepted from states; U.S. territories or possessions; federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American organizations; public and private universities and colleges; hospitals, laboratories, other public or private nonprofit institutions; local governments; and international entities. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply.

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. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.70 are also eligible to apply.

For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. For-profit organizations are not an eligible entity 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.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing or matching is not required, and voluntary cost sharing or leveraging, if proposed, will not be considered during the evaluation of proposals (See Section V.A.).

C. Threshold Eligibility Requirements

These are requirements that if not met by the time of application submission will result in elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Applications will be eliminated from the competition if the threshold eligibility criteria listed below are not met. Only applications from eligible entities (See Above) that meet all these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of this announcement. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within

15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. Application Content and Submission

a. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.

b. Where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the application, or parts thereof, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

c. Applications 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 published in Section IV of this announcement.

Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this announcement to ensure that their application is timely submitted.

d. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that is 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 application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in www.SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Stephanie Burkhardt at burkhardt.stephanie@epa.gov as soon as possible after the submission deadline – http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:burkhardt.stephanie@epa.gov failure to do so will result in your application not being reviewed.

2. EPA will consider only one application from each eligible applicant including units of government and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). If EPA receives more than one application from an eligible applicant (e.g. different agencies of a governmental unit or different departments of the same IHE) EPA will refer the applications back to the applicant for a decision regarding which application the applicant wants EPA to consider.

3. Applicants must be eligible to receive funding under this announcement (See

Section III.A.).

4. The proposed project period of performance must not exceed five years.

5. The maximum funding level requested for the first year of the project must not exceed $1,200,000. Applications requesting more than the maximum funding will be rejected.

6. Applications must support EPA Strategic Plan Goal 1, Objective 1.4; “Ensure

Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace” (See Section I).

7. Submissions must contain specific outputs and outcomes and state how those will be measured and documented.

8. The proposal must address all the requirements listed in Section I.B. “Scope of

Work”.

9. All in-person meetings (including conferences and workshops) must take place in the U.S., including territories.

10. Ineligible activities: If a proposal is submitted that includes any ineligible tasks or activities (e.g. trainee stipends), that portion of the proposal will be ineligible for funding and may, depending on the extent to which it affects the proposal, render the entire proposal ineligible for funding.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

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

Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov for 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 OMS-ARM-

OGDWaivers@epa.gov or the address listed below in writing (e.g., 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.

mailto:OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov mailto:OMS-ARM-OGDWaivers@epa.gov

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) EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002;

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

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

• An 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 1, 2020, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through

December 31, 2020). 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, 2019 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2020, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2020.

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.

B. Grants.gov Application Submission Instructions (see Appendix A)

Your organization’s Authorized Official Representative (AOR) must submit your complete application electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than September 16th, 2020, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your complete application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

C. Content of Application Package Submission

Regardless of the mode of submission, all applications must contain all of the following forms and documents, completed and signed, in the sequential order shown. Additional guidance on completing the documents is available through EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment

(http://www.epa.gov/ogd/).

1. Grant Application Forms. Please complete the forms as appropriate:

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

Complete the form available in the Grants.gov Workspace. There are no attachments. Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data

Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be on the SF-424.

Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free

DUNS number request line at 1- 866-705-5711. Alternatively, applicants may also request a DUNS number online by going to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform and following the instructions for a cooperative agreement.

b. SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

Complete the form available in the Grants.gov Workspace. There are no attachments.

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

d. EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.epa.gov/ogd/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

2. Narrative Proposal (as described below) submitted using the Project Narrative

Attachment Form

Narrative Proposal

The Narrative Proposal must contain all parts (a) through (h) described below, in sequential order as shown. Each page must be numbered, formatted for 8.5 x 11inch paper, single-spaced and text in 11-point font. Electronic files must be named legible and in Adobe Acrobat PDF or

MS Word for Windows. Submit electronic files for the narrative proposal with the name

“NarrProp” followed by the number of the narrative proposal file in sequential order if there is more than one file. (Example: NarrProp1, NarrProp2…) The project narrative cannot exceed

40 pages (this does not include the Budget Narrative or Attachments). Each page past the limit will not be considered. Federal forms, resumes, and letters will not count toward the page limit.

a) Cover Page: The cover page must list the following information with the letterhead for your organization:

· EPA Funding Opportunity Number: [EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-002]

· Project Title:

· Project Coordinator:

· Organization Name and Address:

· Telephone No.: Email Address:

· Project Duration (anticipated start date and end no later than date):

· First Year Funding Request:

· Total Funding Request (for the entire five-year project):

· DUNS number:

b) Table of Contents: A table listing the different parts of the application and the page number on which each part begins.

c) Executive Summary: A stand-alone, concise description of the project with objectives, outputs, and outcomes; and one sentence assuring that your organization meets the eligibility factors, as listed in Section III (Eligibility Information).

d) Narrative Proposal Workplan: The narrative proposal workplan must directly and explicitly describe how the proposed project meets the guidelines in Sections I – III of this announcement (including the requirements in Section I and the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III) and all evaluation criteria set forth in Section V.

The narrative proposal workplan must contain all parts in sequential order as shown below:

Project title

Part I. Project Scope and Approach (See section I-B)

a. Project Scope, Goal, and Objectives

Explain how the overall approach and plan will meet program objectives.

Describe a plan that includes the following:

• Purpose Statement - A one sentence description of what will be accomplished as a result of the project that benefits the public and potential audience(s) served.

• Stated goal and a numbered list of concisely written objectives linked to the purpose of the program that are specific, realistic, and measurable.

o How the goal and objectives are linked to EPA Strategic Plan

Goal 1, Objective 1.4 Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the

Marketplace.

b. Project Design/Detailed Workplan

Describe in detail the approach for establishing a program to manage projects that expand and enhance pesticide safety, and include:

• The use of project plans.

• A well-conceived approach to identify priority needs.

o Explain the process and some of the considerations used to identify priorities for projects including who would be involved and how the decision would be made and communicated to EPA’s partners and stakeholders.

• Giving and administering subawards to nonprofit organizations for

CBPs.

o Explain the process for identifying, prioritizing, and selecting

CBPs for funding.

o Clearly describe the process for defining parameters of CBPs and identifying potential stakeholders whose input will be considered.

o Explain the approach that will be used for deciding the amount(s) and project(s) funded if less funding is received for the programmatic year.

o Describe the expected CBPs outputs and outcomes and how progress towards achieving them will be tracked and measured, and how the project(s) will be evaluated.

o Define the method for tracking and reporting progress of CBPs with regards to achieving the expected outputs and outcomes to the award recipient and EPA.

• A list of outputs linked to expected outcomes, and the changes or benefits to human health and the environment that are anticipated.

• How lessons learned from previous or existing efforts will be used or considered for this project.

o How the workplan builds upon or considers lessons learned from previous or existing efforts and how they will be used or considered to benefit this project.

• A clear and practical approach to evaluate performance.

o Clearly describe the expected project outputs and outcomes and how progress towards achieving them will be tracked and measured, and how the project will be evaluated.

• A well-conceived approach for tracking and reporting progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes to EPA.

o The reports and content of reports to EPA.

-One final report for each project that includes the project plan and results.

-Regular reports that document all activities and efforts on project implementation, and track and measure progress achieved toward the outputs, outcomes, and milestones met in the overall five-year plan and each annual plan including stakeholder’s involvement and customer satisfaction measures.

c. Project Milestone Schedule

Provide a milestone schedule that:

• Covers each of the five years of the cooperative agreement, with a breakout of the project activities into phases with associated tasks and a timeframe for completion of tasks, and;

• Includes an approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds, including subawards, will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.

Part II. Outreach, Transferability, and Sustainability

a. Describe the applicant’s history of working with a broad range of local, state, and national stakeholders.

b. Explain how the project design promotes meaningful involvement of stakeholders. Provide evidence of stakeholder participation and partnership in the project. Describe the potential collaborators, partnerships, coalitions and/or existing networks you offer to increase possibility of overall project success, including CBPs. State the roles these people or organizations will play in the project.

c. Outline how the project will be disseminated and promoted to ensure project information and outcomes are clearly presented and reach the intended audience and potential audiences.

d. Describe how the project will ensure that information and outcomes will be of use to other organizations and stakeholders so that the project may continue after EPA funding ends. Describe plans for providing long-term preservation of, and public access to, the materials/resources/tools developed under the award

(including data generated under CBPs/subawards and contracts) funded in whole or in part by EPA.

Part III. Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance

(See Section I)

Clearly and specifically describe applicant resources available to support the project, including personnel and unbiased, accurate, and up to date pesticide information. Your response should include:

a. 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 managed within the last three years (no more than 5 agreements and preferably EPA agreements) and how these experiences will assist with timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project. Include the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the Project Officers from both the funding entity and your organization.

b. Describe whether and how your organization was able to successfully complete and manage those past agreements.

c. Your organization’s history of meeting the reporting requirements under the past agreements including whether you submitted adequately and timely reports on your progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes of those agreements (and if not, explain why not) and whether you submitted acceptable final technical reports under the agreements.

d. Your organization’s staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain the to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

In evaluating applicants under these factors, EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and from current/prior grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information provided by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these factors (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.

Part IV. Budget Narrative (See APPENDIX A - Budget Detail Sample) (not included in 40 page limit)

In addition to the SF-424A form, prepare an overall budget for allocation of $6,000,000, over five years listing estimated amounts for each budget category (See Example Budget

Table 2). Prepare a detailed budget and narrative for the first incremental funding (Year

1 of the cooperative agreement) for an estimated $1,200,000 (See Example Budget

Table 1). Explain the need for funding under each of the appropriate budget categories as listed below and ensure that the appropriate amount for subawards (See Table 1. in the Funding/Awards section) is included. Include both federal and voluntary (non-federal) cost share/match if applicable. For each category, indicate which portions of the costs will be paid with EPA or voluntary cost share/match funds (if applicable). Link each task or activity from the project workplan to the associated resources needed to accomplish the activity.

Include sufficient detail for EPA to determine if the costs are eligible, allocable, reasonable, and allowable. For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-grants-overview-applicants-and-recipients and the Interim General Budget Development

Guidance for Applicants and Recipients of EPA Financial Assistance at:

https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2019-g02

If recommended for funding, you will be required to submit a copy of your organization’s Indirect Cost Rate Agreement if your proposed budget includes indirect costs.

a. Personnel - Include only direct costs for salaries of those individuals who will perform work directly for the project. Identify the personnel type by full or part-time employee. Consultants, contractors, or employees of other partner organizations are not “personnel”.

b. Travel - Include the travel location(s), estimated number of trips, estimated total mileage, applicable reimbursement rate, and number of nights lodging required throughout the entire project period for your personnel only. Travel for consultants, contractors, subawardees, or partner organizations goes in “Other

Direct Costs”.

c. Equipment - Include only equipment proposed purchased as a direct cost. This does not include equipment to be leased/rented and service/maintenance contracts. Include costs for each item.

d. Supplies - Include tangible personal property other than equipment. Include a brief description of the supplies required to perform the work and categorized by major supply category. Examples: office supplies, computer supplies, etc.

e. Contractual (including consultant) Services - List services and associated costs that are to be carried out by an individual or organization other than the applicant in the form of a procurement relationship. Consultants are contractors.

Include a brief description of the scope of work or services to be provided.

NOTE:

Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts, and conduct cost and price analyses, to the extent required by the procurement provisions of the regulations at 2 CFR Part 200. Applicants are not required to identify subrecipients and/or contractors (including consultants) in their proposal/application.