r4_smm_rfa_2019_03_19.pdf

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MANAGEMENT

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS FY-2019

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

TITLE: Advancing Sustainable Materials Management

ACTION: Open Grant Competition Request for Applications (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA-R4-RCRD-19-01

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO: 66.808 Solid Waste Management

Assistance

DATES: The closing date and time for receipt of application submissions is May 10, 2019 by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time (ET) in order to be considered for funding. Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov) no later than May 10, 2019 by

11:59 p.m., ET in order to be considered for funding.

SUMMARY: This notice solicits applications that accelerate substantial solutions or propose innovative ways of capturing, using, and reusing materials such as: (1) advancing the sustainable management of food (organics) through prevention, donation or recycling; (2) expanding, capturing and/or reusing glass cullet or the glass recycling infrastructure; (3) advancing recycling market development using clear marketing strategies for material reuse opportunities within the Southeast; and (4) advancing Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) in the built environment (including buildings, infrastructure, and resiliency). Priorities for this solicitation are economically-driven strategies to drive SMM of food, glass, recycling markets, and the built environment.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total funding available for this competitive opportunity is approximately $125,000.

EPA Region 4 anticipates awarding three (3) cooperative agreements from this announcement subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. EPA Region 4 reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Application and Submission Information

V. Application Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information (Appendices) https://www.grants.gov/

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is an approach to serving human needs by using/reusing resources productively and sustainably throughout their life cycles, generally minimizing the amount of materials involved and all associated environmental impacts. According to the UN Environment Programme

(UNEP), “Humans are consuming resources and producing waste at a greater scale than ever before and per capita consumption levels are projected to increase with continued development.” For every 1% increase in

GDP, resource use has risen 0.4%. Further, “one half to three quarters of annual resource inputs to industrial economies is returned to the environment as wastes within just one year.” The following list provides information about EPA Region 4’s (EPA) priorities for this RFA:

1. Sustainable Management of Food: Sustainable Management of Food is a systematic approach that seeks to reduce wasted food and its associated impacts over the entire life cycle, starting with the use of natural resources, manufacturing, sales, and consumption and ending with decisions on recovery or final disposal. EPA works to promote innovation and highlight the value and efficient management of food as a resource. Through the sustainable management of food, we can help businesses and consumers save money, provide a bridge in our communities for those who do not have enough to eat, and conserve resources for future generations.

2. Glass Recycling: EPA measures the generation, recycling, combustion with energy recovery, and landfilling of glass materials. EPA used statistics from the Glass Packaging Institute’s numbers on glass container shipment to estimate glass container generation. In 2014, glass generation was 11.4 million tons in the United States, which was 4.4 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. EPA combined data from the Glass Packaging Institute with information from state environmental agencies to measure the recycling rate of glass containers in the U.S. The amount of recycled glass containers was 3 million tons in 2014, for a recycling rate of 26 percent. The total amount of combusted glass in 2014 was 1.4 million tons. This was 4.4 percent of all MSW combustion with energy recovery that year. In

2014, landfills received seven million tons of MSW glass. This was 5.2 percent of all MSW landfilled that year. Through SMM, EPA seeks solutions to divert glass from landfilling and increase safe recovery, reuse and recycling.

3. Recycling Market Development: Market development means fostering businesses that manufacture and market recycled-content products and strengthening consumer demand for those products. Market development can include, for example, expanding the processing and remanufacturing capacity of recycling businesses to handle the increasing volume of collected recyclables. A robust recycling market can be established to better manage solid waste by recycling.

4. Built Environment: Opportunities exist for increasing safe reuse, recycling, and disposal of industrial byproducts, building materials, and debris. The built environment touches all aspects of our lives, encompassing the buildings we live in, the distribution systems that provide us with water and electricity, and the roads, bridges, and transportation systems we use to get from place to place. It can generally be described as the man-made or modified structures that provide people with living, working, and recreational spaces. Creating all these spaces and systems requires enormous quantities of materials.

B. Scope of Work

EPA is soliciting applications that focus on economically-driven strategies to drive SMM of food, glass, recycling markets, and the built environment. Proposed projects may include but are not limited to the following: best practice education; outreach activities, improving access to and use of compost materials that utilize wasted food residuals; expand, capture, or reuse glass cullet or the glass recycling infrastructure;

advance recycling market development using clear marketing strategies for material reuse opportunities within the Southeast; and advance SMM in the built environment (including buildings, infrastructure, and resiliency).

Applicants must choose one or more of the topic areas described below as the focus of their grant applications: Examples of potential projects or activities are included below each topic area but not required.

1. Advancing the Sustainable Management of Food

a. Supporting state and local government programs to strengthen access to compost/anaerobic digestion and infrastructure in support of wasted food residuals;

b. Establishing and expanding partnerships with businesses, industries, and universities,

c. Demonstrating and/or implementing systems-based approaches;

d. Proposed projects must include at least one of the following regional environmental priority areas: a) sustainable food management and/or wasted food reduction (e.g., composting and/or anaerobic digestion); b) support development of and/or enhancement of composting and/or anaerobic digestion collection and processing infrastructure; or c) improve compostable packaging performance in composting and/or anaerobic digestion systems; and/or

e. Assisting government, businesses and universities in reducing wasted food residuals according to

EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy and increasing organics recycling (e.g., composting and/or anaerobic digestion) through articulating and communicating the benefits of sustainable materials management, and advocating and piloting innovative and economically sustainable tools and approaches.

2. Glass Recycling

a. Supporting state and local government programs to increase glass recycling and improve the quality and quantity of glass that is recovered;

b. Establishing and expanding partnerships with businesses, industries, and universities;

c. Establishing new and robust end-markets;

d. Assisting government, businesses and universities in increasing glass recycling through articulating and communicating the benefits of sustainable materials management and advocating and piloting innovative and economically sustainable tools and approaches.

3. Recycling Market Development

a. Supporting state and local government programs to strengthen access to and/or infrastructure;

b. Establishing and expanding partnerships with businesses, industries, and universities;

c. Supporting economic growth of recycling industry through building recycling markets;

increasing material recovery and promoting the recycling value chain;

d. Assisting government, businesses and universities in recycling market development through articulating and communicating the benefits of sustainable materials management and advocating and piloting innovative and economically sustainable tools and approaches.

4. Built Environment

a. Supporting state and local government programs to strengthen infrastructure;

b. Establishing and expanding partnerships with businesses, industries, and universities;

c. Assisting government, businesses and universities through built environment through articulating and communicating the benefits of sustainable materials management and advocating and piloting innovative and economically sustainable tools and approaches.

Proposed projects must provide measurable results in protecting human health or the environment in at least one of the states in Region 4, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North

Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, or on Tribal lands.

Proposed projects must use one or both of the following approaches, and the application must clearly explain how the approach is relevant to, or integrated into, the project:

a. Collaborative Problem Solving and/or Leveraging Approach: Participation of stakeholders and partners is encouraged at all stages of project development and implementation. Applications should discuss the likelihood of the proposed project (program) being adopted or continued after

EPA funds are no longer available. Leveraging of additional resources (non-federal funding or in-kind services) is strongly encouraged. Applicants may use their own funds or in-kind resources for match, if the standards of 2 CFR 200.306, as applicable, are met. Only eligible and allowable costs may be used for match. Other Federal grants may not be used as match or cost share without specific statutory authority.

b. Stewardship Approach: Project emphasis may encourage and develop partnerships, market incentives, recognition and leadership awards, pollution prevention, environmental education, technical assistance, information, and collaborative problem solving resulting in environmental stewardship—where multiple sectors and groups in a community actively take responsibility to improve environmental quality and achieve sustainable results. EPA’s definition of stewardship is: “Environmental stewardship is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment.”

EPA will provide financial assistance for projects selected under this announcement through cooperative agreements.

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, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf).

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan: All applications must support progress towards EPA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan Goal 1 “Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide

Americans with clean air, land, and water”; Objective 1.3: “Revitalize Land and Prevent

Contamination”.

EPA continues to invest in the Strategic Plan by improving measurement systems that can be used to track and evaluate trends associated with prevention, reuse, recycling, disposal, processing, capacity, feedstocks for markets, and public access to recycling and reuse options.

Please read EPA’s FY 2018-2022 EPA Strategic Plan for more information.

2. 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 https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan by a specified date. Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during an assistance agreement funding period.

Examples of outputs include:

• Educational and outreach materials produced and distributed promoting one of the above-mentioned priorities.

Expected outputs from the project(s) to be funded under this announcement may include the following:

• Pounds of waste recycled or beneficially used, diverted from landfills, and/or an increase in the rate of participation;

• Tons of greenhouse gases reduced;

• Dollars saved through recycling or reuse efforts, creation of jobs or other economic development;

• Quantitative and qualitative environmental and human health benefits, including the impact on public perception and behavior

Progress reports and a final report will also be a required output, as specified in Section VI(D) of this announcement, “Reporting Requirement.”

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 qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but must also be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

Projects to be funded under this announcement are expected to produce at least one, and preferably all, of the following environmental outcomes: reduction in solid waste going to the landfill, conservation of natural resources, conservation of energy, reduced costs, improved air and/or water quality, preserved land quality.

4. Performance Measures: The applicant should also develop performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in their application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful process and output and outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients.

The following are questions to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative and qualitative results:

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

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

D. Supplementary Information

The statutory authority for this action is Section 8001(a) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of

1976 (RCRA). Applicable CFDA codes are: CFDA 66.808 for solid waste management to promote use of integrated solid waste management systems to solve solid waste generation and management problems at local, regional, and national levels.

Demonstrations must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches, where the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not considered a demonstration project. Implementation activities are not eligible for funding under this announcement.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated funding expected to be available for awards under this competitive opportunity is approximately $125,000.

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 a application, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application 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 a total of approximately $125,000 divided among three (3) cooperative agreements under this announcement subject to the availability of funds, quality of evaluated applications, and other applicable considerations.

In addition, EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with

Agency policy, if additional 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.

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

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

The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation will begin tentatively in the fourth quarter of FY2019. Proposed project periods may be up to one (1) year with the possibility of no more than one (1) no-cost extension for up to one (1) year.

E. 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 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, review of proposed procurement;

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

• 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 66.808, Sustainable Waste Management Assistance and EPA’s Assistance

Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), applications will be accepted from states, local governments, territories, Indian tribes, and possessions of the U.S., including, international organizations, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories, and other public or private non-profit institutions.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR 200.70, 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

200.270, Institutions of Higher Education 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.

Under this announcement, EPA will fund eligible projects that are selected based on the evaluation criteria and selection process described in Section V.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57005a1-epas-policy-competition-assistance-agreements

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

No matching funds are required under this competition. Although cost sharing/matching is not required as a condition of eligibility under this competition, under Section V of this announcement EPA will evaluate applications based on a leveraging criterion.

Leveraging is generally when an applicant proposes to provide its own additional funds/resources or those from third party sources to support or complement the project they are awarded under the competition which are above and beyond the EPA grant funds awarded. Any leveraged funds/resources, and their source, must be identified in the application (See Section IV of the announcement). Leveraged funds and resources may take various forms as noted below.

--Voluntary cost share is a form of leveraging. Voluntary cost sharing is when an applicant voluntarily proposes to legally commit to provide costs or contributions to support the project when a cost share is not required. Applicants who propose to use a voluntary cost share must include the costs or contributions for the voluntary cost share in the project budget on the SF-424. If an applicant proposes a voluntary cost share, the following apply:

• A voluntary cost share is subject to the match provisions in the grant regulations (2 CFR 200.306).

• A voluntary cost share may only be met with eligible and allowable costs.

• The recipient may not use other sources of federal funds to meet a voluntary cost share unless the statute authorizing the other federal funding provides that the federal funds may be used to meet a cost share requirement on a federal grant.

• The recipient is legally obligated to meet any proposed voluntary cost share that is included in the approved project budget. If the proposed voluntary cost share does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR 200.

--Other leveraged funding/resources that are not identified as a voluntary cost share. This form of leveraging may be met by funding from another federal grant, from an applicant's own resources, or resources from other third party sources. This form of leveraging should not be included in the budget and the costs need not be eligible and allowable project costs under the EPA assistance agreement. While this form of leveraging should not be included in the budget, the grant workplan should include a statement indicating that the applicant is expected to produce the proposed leveraging consistent with the terms of the announcement and the applicant's application. If applicants propose to provide this form of leveraging, EPA expects them to make the effort to secure the leveraged resources described in their applications. If the proposed leveraging does not materialize during grant performance, then EPA may reconsider the legitimacy of the award and/or take other appropriate action as authorized by 2 CFR Parts 200 or 1500.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

These are requirements that if not met by the time of application submission will result in elimination of the application from consideration for funding. Only applications from eligible entities (see above) that meet all of these criteria will be evaluated against the ranking factors in Section V of this announcement. Applicants deemed ineligible for funding consideration as a result of the threshold eligibility review will be notified within 15 calendar days of the ineligibility determination.

1. 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. However, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to the narrative proposal, pages in excess of the page limitation will not be reviewed.

In addition, initial 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 application 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.

Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Kim Charick, at 404-562-8477, as soon as possible after the submission deadline—failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

2. Applications must support EPA Strategic Plan Goal 1, ‘Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land and water;’ Objective 1.3: “Revitalize Land and Prevent

Contamination.” (See Section I)

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

4. Applications must address at least one topic area as described in Section I.B. of this solicitation.

5. Proposed projects must use one or both of the approaches described in Section I.B. of this solicitation, and the application must clearly explain how the approach is relevant to, or integrated into, the project.

6. Proposed projects must take place within Region 4.

https://grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/SAM/ https://grants.gov/

7. Proposed projects must provide measurable results in protecting human health or the environment in at least one of the states in Region 4, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, or on Tribal lands

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 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 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 # 51267

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.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.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 application 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, 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.

B. 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 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 ensure that all registration requirements are 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 who’s Unique

Entity Identifier (e.g., DUNS number) is listed on the application and 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-R4-RCRD-19-01 or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.808), in the appropriate field and click the Search button.

Please Note: All applicants 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 May 10, 2019, 11:59 PM ET. Please allow enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

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

Application Materials

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

2. Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A)

3. Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

4. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

5. EPA Form 4700-4 – Preaward Compliance Review Report

6. Project Narrative Attachment Form - prepared as described in Section IV.D. of the announcement

Optional Documents:

7. Other Attachments Form – use to submit the following, if applicable:

a) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

b) Biographical Sketch - Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for all Principal Investigators and any other key personnel.

c) Quality Assurance Narrative Statement.

d) Support Letters - These should indicate how the supporting organization will assist in the project.

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

If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact Kim Charick, at (404) 562-8477. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

C. Technical Issues With Submission

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

"Submit" button is not active, please call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a

Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-5035. Applicants should save the completed application package with two different file names before providing it to the AOR to avoid having to re-create the package should submission problems be experienced or a revised application needs to be submitted.

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

The AOR should close all other software before attempting to submit the application package. Click the

"submit" button of the application package. Your Internet browser will launch and a sign-in page will appear. Note: Minor problems are not uncommon with transfers to Grants.gov. 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 charick.kim@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact Kim Charick at (404) 562-8477. Be aware that EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to transmit due to Grants.gov or relevant https://www.sam.gov/SAM/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 https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:charick.kim@epa.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ 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 Kim Charick at (404)

562-8477.

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 charick.kim@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 charick.kim@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.

D. Content of Application Submission

Applicants must submit all forms as required in Section IV.B. of this solicitation. The project narrative must be prepared as described below.

Project Narrative. The project narrative must explicitly describe how the proposed project meets the guidelines established in Sections I-III of this announcement (including the threshold eligibility criteria in

Section III.C) and must address each of the evaluation criteria set forth in Section V. The Project Narrative

(a through f below NOTE: adjust numbering if leveraging not included) cannot exceed a maximum of 12 single-spaced typewritten pages, including the Summary Page — excess pages will not be reviewed.

Supporting materials, such as resumes and letters of support, can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 12-page limit.

a) Summary Information Page (recommended not to exceed one page)

i. Project Title

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

iii. Funding Requested. Specify the amount you are requesting from EPA.

iv. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project. Identify funding from other sources, including cost share or in-kind resources.

v. Project period. Provide beginning and ending dates. (Projects are anticipated to begin date and end no later than date.)

vi. DUNS number mailto:charick.kim@epa.gov mailto:charick.kim@epa.gov

b) Project Summary/Approach. The summary shall contain the following components:

i. Detailed project summary, description of specific actions and methods to be undertaken and the responsible institutions, including estimated time line for each task.

ii. Description of the associated work products to be developed.

iii. Explanation of project benefits to the public, and specifically the potential audience(s) served.

iv. Explanation of work addressed in the project narrative.

v. Description of the roles of the applicant and partners, if any.

vi. Description of the applicant’s organization and experience related to the proposed project.

vii. Description of staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.

viii. (Optional, if applicable) Discussion of how the project promotes Environmental

Justice concerns (see Section I)

c) Environmental Results—Outcomes, Outputs and Performance Measures. Identify the expected quantitative and qualitative outcomes and outputs of the project (See Section I), including what performance measurements, timeline of milestones, or other means will be used to track and measure your progress towards achieving the expected outcomes and outputs and how the results of the project will be evaluated.

d) Programmatic Capability and Past Performance. Submit 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 5 agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and describe (i) whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements and (ii) your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including whether you adequately and timely reported 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. In evaluating applicants under these factors in Section

V, 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 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.

e) Voluntary cost share/match and leveraged funds (See Section III.B also).

Demonstrate how you will leverage additional funds/resources beyond the grant funds awarded to support the proposed project activities and how these funds/resources will be used to contribute to the performance and success of the proposed project. This includes but is not limited to funds and other resources leveraged from businesses, labor organizations, non-profit organizations, education and training providers, and/or Federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as appropriate. Describe the amount and type of leveraged resources to be provided, how you will obtain the leveraged resources, the likelihood the leveraging will materialize during grant performance, the strength of the leveraging commitment, and the role the leveraged resources will play to support the proposed project activities. Selected applicants are expected to abide by their proposed leveraging commitments during grant performance and the failure to do so may affect the legitimacy of the award.

f) Detailed Budget Narrative (See Appendix A, Budget Sample). This section provides an opportunity for a narrative description of the budget found in the SF424A. Clearly explain how EPA funds will be used. Selected applicant(s) who budget for indirect costs will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency prior to award.

i. Description of the budget and estimated funding amounts for each work component/task.

ii. Description of the applicant’s approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.

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

iv. For applicants that provide a voluntary cost share/match, the budget narrative must clearly specify the amount of federal funding and the cost-share amount for each category of total project costs for each category. Include an explanation of how the voluntary match will be met. All matching funds are subject to the regulations governing matching fund requirements at 2 CFR Part 200.

3. (Optional) Attachments. These are optional and are not included in the 12-page limit.

a) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

b) Biographical Sketch. Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for all Principal Investigators and any other key personnel.

c) Quality Assurance Narrative Statement.

d) Support Letters – These should indicate how the supporting organization will assist in the project.

Applications submitted through grants.gov will be time and date stamped electronically. If you have not received a confirmation of receipt from EPA (not from grants.gov) within 30 days of the application deadline, please contact Kim Charick, at (404) 562-8477. Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

E. Submission Dates and Times

The closing date and time for submission of applications is May 10, 2019 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time (ET).

Applications submitted after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding.

F. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, including but not limited to those related to confidential business information, contracts and subawards under grants, and application assistance and communications, can be found at www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses.

These, and the other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Only eligible entities whose applications meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation criterion set forth below. Applicants should explicitly address these criteria as part of their application package submittal. Each application will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

A. Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Points

1. Project Summary/Approach: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the extent and quality to which the narrative proposal:(i) (15 pts) includes a well-conceived strategy for addressing the requirements in Section I, Parts B (Scope of Work) and C (EPA

Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Outcomes/Outputs) Projects detailing how quantifiable metrics will be measured and collected (e.g., tons diverted, greenhouse gas reductions achieved, and economic data) will receive higher scores than those only mentioning metrics. (ii) (15 pts) sets forth a reasonable time schedule for the execution of the tasks associated with the project and for achieving the project goals and objectives by project end.

2. Environmental Results—Outcomes, Outputs and Performance Measures: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the effectiveness of the applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress…