R7 UW MBR ambassador RFA final 72517.pdf

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA),

REGION 7

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: URBAN WATERS MIDDLE BLUE RIVER

AMBASSADOR

ANNOUCEMENT TYPE: REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

RFA NUMBER: EPA-R7WWPD-17-002

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NO: 66.440

DATES:

Proposal submission

All proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov as explained further in

Section IV. Proposals must be submitted by Aug 15, 2017 at 10:59 P.M. CDT (equivalent to

11:59 P.M. EDT). Late proposals will not be considered for funding.

Questions submission

Questions about this RFA must be submitted in writing via e-mail and must be received by the Agency Contact identified in Section VII, AGENCY CONTACTS, before Aug 7, 2017

Evaluation of Proposals: Following the EPA’s evaluation of proposals, all applicants will be notified regarding their status.

Note to Applicants: If you name subawardees/subgrantees and/or contractor(s) in your proposal to assist you with the proposed project, pay careful attention to the information in the

CONTRACTS AND SUBAWARDS provisions found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm.

SUMMARY: EPA’s Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program seeks to accelerate and coordinate projects that are critical to improving water quality and public health, restoring forest resources and fostering community stewardship in urban watersheds. A critical component of the

UWFP is the Urban Waters Ambassador. The Urban Waters Ambassador locally coordinates with EPA Region 7 and a local steering committee to work with state, local and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations and other local partners/residents to help urban and metropolitan areas connect with their waterways and work to improve them.

FUNDING/AWARDS: The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $160,000. EPA anticipates awarding one assistance agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of proposals received and other applicable considerations.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Proposal and Submission Information

V. Proposal Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. BACKGROUND

EPA seeks to fund an award to provide for the coordination and facilitation of projects in the middle reach of the Blue River (Middle Blue River) in the Kansas City, Missouri area, that are critical to improving water quality and public health in this urban watershed. In order for this critical work to occur, an Urban Waters Ambassador is needed locally to support this effort.

The Middle Blue River encompasses the Blue River watershed from the state line road northeast to its confluence with the Missouri River. The role of the Urban Waters Ambassador for the

Middle Blue River area is to coordinate activities in the focus areas identified below that:

Facilitate coordination of the Middle Blue River local steering committee made up of the following organizations: EPA, US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Geological

Survey, MO Dept. of Conservation, KCMO Planning, KCMO Brownfields, KCMO

Water Services, The Mid America Regional Council planning organization, MDNR, KCMO Parks and Recreation and the Heartland Conservation Alliance. The committee meets approximately every 6-8 weeks.

Connect federal tools and resources with the needs of the Middle Blue River area, and with the need for overall watershed health.

Serve as a catalyst to successfully develop new and complete existing on-the-ground, short-term and medium-term projects in the Middle Blue River area.

Build partnerships with Federal, State, and local government and other partners that will lay a foundation for the Middle Blue River Urban Waters program.

Facilitate communication with other Ambassadors nationwide to share common experiences necessary to help restore the Middle Blue River.

The Middle Blue River UW program works in three focus areas:

Conservation and restoration of forests, wetlands, and upland habitats

Revitalization of communities and brownfields through connections to the river

Connecting people and communities to the river

B. SCOPE OF WORK

Proposals must address all three focus areas listed in Section I.A. In addition, proposals should address the following as they relate to all three Middle Blue River UW Program focus areas in

Section I.A:

1. How the applicant plans to support the existing Middle Blue River steering committee, and expand their reach through connection to other stakeholders in the Blue River

Watershed (Kansas City metropolitan area),

2. The applicant’s experience with water issues in the Blue River watershed and in the

Middle Blue River reach

Proposals should also discuss the following:

1. How the applicant plans to coordinate, facilitate and document Middle Blue River

Steering Committee and project related meetings

2. How the applicant plans to document and share project successes and challenges locally and nationally.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria in Section V. The project period is two years.

C. EPA STRATEGIC PLAN LINKAGE AND ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES/OUTPUTS

Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan All proposals must support Goal 2 of EPA’s FY 2014 – 2018 Strategic Plan: Protecting

America’s Waters - Protect and Restore Watershed and Aquatic Ecosystems. Information on the

FY 2014 – 2018 EPA Strategic Plan is available at http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2014-

2018-strategic-plan.

All proposed projects should demonstrate the linkage to the EPA Strategic Plan and 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 overall goal listed above.

Outputs

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

Examples of expected outputs from the project funded under this solicitation may include, but are not limited to the following: number of stake holder meetings conducted and number outreach to an array of stake holders on the benefits of the above projects.

Progress reports and a final report will also be a required output, as specified in

Section VI(C) of this announcement, “Reporting Requirement.” Also applicants will need to describe an approach for tracking and reporting your progress toward achieving the expected project output(s).

http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2014-2018-strategic-plan http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy-2014-2018-strategic-plan

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. Outcomes may be short term (changes in learning, knowledge, attitude, or skills), intermediate (changes in behavior, practice, or decisions), or long-term

(changes in condition of the natural resource). They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period. Applicants will need to describe an approach for tracking and reporting progress toward achieving the expected project outcome(s).

Examples of expected outcomes from the project to be funded under this announcement may include, but are not limited to the following: Knowledge of the urban component of the Middle

Blue River watershed (Kansas City, Missouri), including but not limited to water quality, protection and restoration issues.

D. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The statutory authority for the cooperative agreement to be funded under this announcement is

Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act (CWA), Public Law 95-217, 33 U.S.C 1251. The funds will support conducting and promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. Implementation projects are not eligible for funding.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING AVAILABLE?

The total funding expected for award under this competitive funding opportunity is approximately $160,000.

B. PARTIAL FUNDING

In appropriate circumstances, EPA reserves the right to partially fund proposals by funding discrete portions or phases of proposed projects. If EPA decides to partially fund a proposal, it will do so in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the proposal, 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 award of one assistance agreement under this announcement, subject to the availability of funds and quality of evaluated proposals. The EPA reserves the right to make no awards under this announcement.

D. WHAT IS THE PROJECT PERIOD FOR AWARDS RESULTING FROM THIS

SOLICITATION?

The estimated project period for awards resulting from this solicitation will begin January 1, 2018. Proposed project period is two years.

E. TYPE OF FUNDING

It is anticipated that one cooperative agreement will be funded under this announcement. When a cooperative agreement is awarded, EPA will have substantial involvement with the project workplans and budget. Although EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for a project selected may include:

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

2. Collaboration during the performance of the scope of work;

3. In accordance with the applicable regulations (2 CFR 200.317 – 2 CFR 200.326), review of proposed procurements;

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

5. Review and comment on tasks/deliverables and reports prepared under the cooperative agreement(s) (the final decision on the content of these reports rests with the recipient).

F. MAKE NO AWARDS

EPA reserves the right to make no awards under this solicitation.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES

States, local governments, territories, Indian Tribes, and possessions of the U.S. (including the

District of Columbia), public and private universities and colleges, public or private nonprofit institutions/organizations, intertribal consortia, and interstate agencies are eligible to apply.

Individuals, for-profit commercial entities and all federal agencies are not eligible to apply.

Nonprofit 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 1995 are not eligible to apply.

The term “interstate agency” is defined in CWA Section 502 as “an agency of two or more States established by or pursuant to an agreement or compact approved by the Congress, or any other agency of two or more States, having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of pollution as determined and approved by the Administrator.”

An intertribal consortium is a partnership between two or more tribes that is authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance (see 40 CFR 35.502.). The intertribal consortium is eligible only if the consortium demonstrates that all of its members meet the eligibility requirements and authorize the consortium to apply for and receive assistance in accordance with 40 CFR 35.504 at the time of proposal submission. An intertribal consortium must submit with its proposal to EPA adequate documentation of the existence of the partnership and the authorization of the consortium by its members to apply for and receive the grant (see 40

CFR 35.504.).

Nonprofit organizations may be asked to provide documentation that they meet the definition of a nonprofit organization in OMB Circular A-122, now at 2 CFR Part 230. The OMB Circular A-

122 is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a122_2004/. Interstate agencies may be asked to provide a citation to the statutory authority, which establishes their status.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

There are no cost share/match requirements.

C. THRESHOLD ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

These are requirements that if not met by the time of proposal submission will result in elimination of the proposal from consideration for funding. Only proposals from eligible entities 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. Proposals must substantially comply with the proposal submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or else they will be rejected.

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

2. Proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov as specified in Section IV, PROPOSAL

AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION, 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 proposal is timely submitted. Proposals submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to the EPA mishandling or because of technical problems attributable to Grants.gov or relevant Sam.gov system issues and not the applicant. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their proposal through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in

SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their proposal with Jennifer Ousley as soon http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a122_2004/ http://grants.gov/ as possible after the submission deadline. Failure to do so may result in your proposal not being reviewed.

3. Proposals must support Goal 2, “Protecting America's Waters” of EPA's Strategic Plan by funding activities to support the Urban Waters Ambassador to improve water quality.

4. Proposals seeking EPA funding in excess of $160,000 will not be reviewed.

5. All proposals submitted under this solicitation must conduct or promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution as described in Section I.D.

6. Proposals must address all three focus areas listed in Section I.A.

IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. APPLICATION PACKAGES

Applicants can access individual grant application forms, including Standard Forms (SF) 424 and SF 424A, from the application package included in the funding opportunity posted on

Grants.gov.

B. FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. 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 Barbara Perkins

USEPA Headquarters

William Jefferson Clinton Building

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R

Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Barbara Perkins

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 DUNS

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

• Explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through

Grants.gov because of 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.

EPA will only consider alternate submission exception requests based on the two reasons stated above and will timely respond to the request -- all other requests will be denied. If an alternate submission method is approved, the applicant will receive documentation of this approval and further instructions on how to apply under this announcement. Applicants will be required to submit the documentation of approval with any initial application submitted under the alternative method. In addition, any submittal through an alternative method must comply with all applicable requirements and deadlines in the announcement including the submission deadline and requirements regarding proposal content and page limits (although the documentation of approval of an alternate submission method will not count against any page limits).

If an exception is granted, it is valid for submissions to EPA for the remainder of the entire calendar year in which the exception was approved and can be used to justify alternative submission methods for application submissions made through December 31 of the calendar year in which the exception was approved (e.g., if the exception was approved on March 1, 2016, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December

31, 2016). 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, 2016 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2017, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2017.

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

2. Submission Instructions The electronic submission of your application must be made by an official representative of your institution who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance. For more information on the registration requirements that must be completed in order to submit an application through grants.gov, go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” on the top of the page and then go to the “Get Registered” link on the page. If your organization is not currently registered with Grants.gov, please encourage your office to designate an

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and ask that individual to begin the registration process as soon as possible. Please note that the registration process also requires that your organization have a DUNS number and a current registration with the System for Award

Management (SAM) and the process of obtaining both could take a month or more. Applicants must ensure that all registration requirements are met in order to apply for this opportunity through grants.gov and should ensure that all such requirements have been met well in advance of the submission deadline. Registration on Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and DUNS number assignment is FREE.

Applicants need to ensure that the AOR who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose DUNS number is listed on the application is an AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the DUNS number listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization’s SAM account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click on

“Applicants” on the top of the page and then “Apply for Grants” from the dropdown menu and then follow the instructions accordingly. Please note: To apply through grants.gov, you must use

Adobe Reader software and download the compatible Adobe Reader version. For more information about Adobe Reader, to verify compatibility, or to download the free software, please visit Adobe Reader Compatibility Information on Grants.gov.

You may also be able to access the application package for this announcement by searching for the opportunity on Grants.gov. Go to Grants.gov and then click on “Search Grants” at the top of the page and enter the Funding Opportunity Number, EPA-R7WWPD-17-002, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.440), in the appropriate field and click the

Search button.

Please note that Grants.gov is strongly encouraging users to sign up for and use their

“Workspace” feature when applying for opportunities. Grants.gov will be phasing out the

“legacy” application process, so EPA recommends that all applicants begin using Workspace as soon as possible so they are prepared when the “legacy” application process is no longer available.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than Aug 15, 2017 11:59

ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application process 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 that you downloaded using the instructions above. For additional instructions on completing and submitting the electronic application package, click on the “Show Instructions” tab that is accessible within the application package itself.

Application Materials

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

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

Standard Form 424B, Non-Construction Programs

Standard Form 6600-06, Certification Regarding Lobbying

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

Federal Financial Assistance

EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form

Narrative Proposal (Project Narrative Attachment Form)-prepared as described in Section

IV.C.3 of the announcement

Optional Documents:

Other Attachments, if applicable

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 Jennifer Ousley at 913-551-7498. 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 agency contact with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact agency contact. Be aware that EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to transmit due to Grants.gov or relevant www.Sam.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access. Failure of an applicant to submit timely because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of a late submittal.

a. If you are experiencing problems resulting in an inability to upload the application to

Grants.gov, it is essential to call Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 before the application deadline. Applicants who are outside the U.S. at the time of submittal and are not able to access the toll-free number may reach a Grants.gov representative by calling 606-545-

5035. Be sure to obtain a case number from Grants.gov. If the problems stem from unforeseen exigent circumstances unrelated to Grants.gov, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access, contact agency contact.

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 agency contact 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 agency contact, with the FON in the subject line within one business day of the closing date of this solicitation. The email should include any materials provided by Grants.gov and attach the entire application in PDF format.

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

C. CONTENT OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The following forms and documents are required to be submitted under this announcement:.

Please be sure to include the organization fax number and email address in Block 5 of the

Standard Form SF 424. The forms are available at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/application.htm .

Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance

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

Standard Form 424B, Non-Construction Programs

Standard Form 6600-06, Certification Regarding Lobbying

EPA Form 4700-4, Pre-Award Compliance Review Report for All Applicants

Requesting Federal Financial Assistance

EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form

Narrative Proposal (as described below)

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

Complete the form. There are no attachments. Please be sure to include organization fax number and email address in Block 5 of the Standard Form (SF) 424.

Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System

(DUNS) number must be included 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 or by visiting the website at www.dnb.com.

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

Complete the form. There are no attachments.

*If indirect costs are budgeted, the selected applicant will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal cognizant agency during application phase if they are selected.

3. Standard Form 424B, Non-Construction Programs

4. Standard Form 6600-06, Certification Regarding Lobbying

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

Federal Financial Assistance

6. EPA Form 5700-54, Key Contacts Form

7. Narrative proposal

The Narrative Proposal (including sections a-g below) cannot exceed a maximum of 10 double spaced typewritten 8.5x11-inch pages (a page is one side of paper). Pages in excess of 10 double spaced pages will not be considered.

Pages should be consecutively numbered for ease of reading. It is recommended that applicants use a standard 12-point type with 1-inch margins and that applicants format their proposal narrative as described below for ease of reading. Supporting materials (resumes and letters of support) can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 10-page limit.

a. Summary Page

1. Project Title

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

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

4. Total Project Cost. Specify total cost of the project.

5. Project period. Provide beginning and ending dates.

http://www.dnb.com/

b. Project Approach and Description

This should describe how the proposed project meets the guidelines established in

Sections I-III (including I.B) of this announcement, and address each of the evaluation criteria set forth in Section V. It should contain the following components.

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

2. Description of the roles of the applicant and any partners.

3. Description of how the applicant will promote the Middle Blue River Urban Waters program, as described in Section 1(B) Scope of Work. The project description should include the following components and address the activities identified in Section I.B:

c. Environmental Results—Measuring Progress

1. Stated Objective/Link to EPA Strategic Plan - List the objective of the project and the linkage to the EPA Strategic Plan Goal 2: Protecting America’s Waters - Protect and

Restore Watershed and Aquatic Ecosystems (see Section I.C of this announcement).

2. Results of Activities (Outputs) - Describe the anticipated products/results which are expected to be achieved from accomplishment of the project, and describe an approach for tracking and reporting your progress toward achieving the expected project output(s) (examples of outputs can be found in Section I.C of this announcement).

3. Projected Environmental Improvement (Outcomes) - List the anticipated environmental improvements that will be accomplished as a result of the project.

These improvements are changes or benefits to the environment or public health which are a result of the accomplishment of the work plan commitments and outputs.

Describe an approach for tracking and reporting progress toward achieving the expected project outcome(s) (examples of outcomes can be found in Section I.C of this announcement).

d. Milestones

Provide a projected milestone schedule for the proposed project period. The milestone schedule should provide a breakout of the project activities into phases with associated tasks, a timeframe for completion of each phase and task. It should also include an approach for ensuring that awarded funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner. The project start date will follow award acceptance by the successful applicant.

e. Programmatic Capability

1. Organizational Experience – Provide a brief description of your organization and experience related to the proposed project and your organization’s infrastructure as it relates to its ability to successfully implement the proposed project.

2. Staff Expertise/Qualifications – Provide a list of key staff and briefly describe their experience/expertise/qualifications and knowledge, and your organization’s resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the project. Include an estimate of the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers (based on 2080 hours per year/FTE). If you choose to identify any partner organizations who will receive subawards or procurement contracts (including consultants) please refer to

Section IVE before doing so as the EPA will not consider their qualifications unless you select them in compliance with applicable regulations and provisions. Resumes of applicant’s key staff (no more than two pages each) are also encouraged and are not counted against the 10 page limit on the Narrative Proposal.

f. Past Performance

Briefly describe federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements but not contracts) similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project that your organization performed within the last three years (no more than five agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and:

1. Describe whether, and how, you were able to successfully complete and manage those agreements.

2. Describe your history of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including submitting acceptable final technical reports.

3. Describe how you documented and/or reported on whether you were making progress towards achieving the expected results (i.e., outputs and outcomes) under those agreements. If you were not making progress, please indicate whether, and how, you documented why not.

Note: In evaluating an applicant’s past performance, the Agency will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources, including information from EPA files and/or from current and prior federal agency 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 information, please indicate this in the proposal and you will receive a neutral score for these factors under Section V. Failure to provide any past performance information, or to include a statement that you do not have any relevant or available past performance information, may result in a zero score for these factors (see also Section V).

g. Detailed Budget Narrative

Provide a detailed itemized budget proposal using the example below, justifying the expenses for each of the following categories being performed within the grant/project period. Indicate what portion of the cost will be paid by EPA, and what portion will be paid by the applicant or other partners (if applicable).

Break out budget by year.

1. Personnel: Indicate salaries and wages, by job title of all individuals who will be supplemented with these funds.

2. Fringe Benefits: Indicate all mandated and voluntary benefits to be supplemented with these funds

3. Travel: Indicate number of individuals traveling, destination, number of trips, and reason for travel. Travel costs associated to having one representative from the recipient organization attend the Urban Waters Small Grants National Training

Workshop must be included if the recipient plans to use cooperative agreement funds for travel expenses to the National Training Workshop (See Section VI.G ).

4. Equipment: Identify items to be purchased.

5. Supplies: Indicate any items to be purchased that will be used in support of the project workplan objectives. (Note that the purchase of computers is not an eligible activity (See Section III).

6. Contractual: Indicate any proposed contractual items and details that are reasonable and necessary to carry out the workplan objectives. Please note that contracts must be competed in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317- 2 CFR 200.326as applicable. An example of contractual items includes training from equipment manufacturer.

7. Other: Indicate general (miscellaneous) expenses necessary to carry out the objectives stated in the workplan. (Note that office space is not an eligible activity. See Section

III.)

8. Total Direct Charges: Summary of all costs associated with each object-class category.

9. Total Indirect Costs: Organization must provide documentation of a federally approved indirect cost rate (percentage) reflective of proposed project/grant period. If the organization has no approved rate, the applicant should indicate if organization is in negotiations with their cognizant federal agency to obtain a new rate.

10. Total Cost: Indicate overall figure of all direct and indirect costs.

h. Supporting Materials.

The supporting materials listed below are not included in the 10-page limit for the narrative proposal. Supporting materials beyond those listed below will not be reviewed.

1. Resumes. Provide resumes for all principal investigators and any other key personnel.

2. Support Letters. Applicant may provide letters of support.

D. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

Proposals submitted electronically via Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) must be received on or before Aug 15, 2017 10:59P.M. CDT/11:59 P.M. EDT. Late proposals will not be considered for funding.

E. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS THAT APPLY TO THIS SOLICITATION

Additional provisions that apply to the proposals and awards made under this solicitation can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/solicitation_provisions.htm. These provisions include but are not limited to: management fees, contracts and subawards under grants, and programmatic capability and past performance. The provisions found at the website link are important and applicants must review them when preparing proposals for this solicitation. If http://www.grants.gov/ 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.

F. PROPOSAL COMMUNICATIONS

In accordance with the EPA's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order

5700.5A1), EPA staff will not meet with individual applicants to discuss draft proposals, provide informal comments on draft proposals, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their applications/proposals. However, consistent with the provisions in the announcement, the EPA will respond to questions from individual applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for clarification about the announcement. In addition, if necessary, the EPA may clarify threshold eligibility issues with applicants prior to making a final eligibility determination. Questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail to the Agency Contact identified in Section VII.

V. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

Only eligible entities whose proposals meet the threshold criteria in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the evaluation criteria set forth below. Applicants should directly and explicitly address these criteria as part of their proposal package submittal.

Each proposal will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

A. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criteria Maximum

Points

Criterion 1: Project Approach and Description

Under this criterion, proposals will be evaluated on the extent and quality to which the following areas are addressed in the narrative proposal:

a) How the applicant plans to support the existing Middle Blue River steering committee, and expand their reach through connection to other stakeholders in the Blue River Watershed (Kansas City metropolitan area) for all three Middle Blue River UW Program focus areas identified in Section 1.A (15 points)

b) The applicant’s experience with water issues in the Blue River watershed and the Middle Blue River watershed related to all three Middle Blue

River UW Program focus areas identified in Section I.A, (10 points)

c) How the applicant plans to coordinate, facilitate and document Middle

Blue River Steering Committee and project related (15 points)

d) How the applicant plans to document and share project successes and challenges locally and nationally. (10 points)

Points

Criterion 2: Environmental Results and Measuring Progress

Under this criterion, proposals will be evaluated based on each of these sub-criteria:

a) The extent and quality to which the proposal demonstrates the potential to achieve environmental results (anticipated outputs and outcomes) and how the outcomes are linked to the EPA’s Strategic Plan. (10 points),

b) The extent and quality to which the proposal demonstrates a sound plan for measuring and tracking progress toward achieving the anticipated outputs and outcomes (examples of outputs and outcomes can be found in Section I.C of this announcement). (10 points)

Criterion 3: Milestone Schedule/Detailed Budget

Under this criterion, proposals will be evaluated based on the extent and quality to which the applicant addresses each of the following sub-criteria:

a) Applicants will be evaluated based on the adequacy and completeness of the milestone schedule, including timeframes and milestones to complete project phases and tasks and an approach to ensure that awarded funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner. (5 points)

b) Applicants will be evaluated based on the adequacy of the information provided in the detailed and itemized budget and whether the proposed costs are reasonable and allowable. (5 points)

Criterion 4: Programmatic Capability Under this criterion, proposals will be evaluated based on the applicant’s ability to successfully complete and manage the proposed project considering their:

a) Organizational experience related to the proposed project, and their infrastructure as it relates to the ability to successfully implement the proposed project. (5 points)

b) Staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the project. (5 points)

Criterion 5: Past Performance

Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to successfully complete and manage the proposed project taking into account their:

a) Past performance in successfully completing and managing federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements but not contracts) similar in size and scope to the proposed project performed within the last three years (no more than five agreements, and preferably EPA agreements). (4 points)

b) History of meeting reporting requirements under federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements (assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements but not contracts) similar in size and scope to the proposed project performed within the last three years (no more than five

Points agreements, and preferably EPA agreements) and submitting acceptable final technical reports under those agreements. (4 points)

c) Extent and quality to which they adequately documented and/or reported on their progress towards achieving the expected results (e.g., outcomes and outputs) under federally and/or non-federally funded assistance agreements

(assistance agreements include grants and cooperative agreements but not contracts) performed within the last three years (no more than five agreements, and preferably EPA agreements), and if such progress was not being made, whether the applicant adequately documented and/or reported why not. (2 points)

Note: In evaluating applicants under (i), (ii) and (iii) above, the EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources including Agency files and/or prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the applicant). Applicants with no relevant or available past performance information or reporting history must indicate that in the proposal and they will receive a neutral score for the factor (i.e., 2 points for items (i) and (ii), and 1 point for item (iii)). Failure to provide any past performance information, or to include a statement that you do not have any relevant or available past performance information, may result in a zero score for these factors (see also Section V).

Total 100

B. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

All proposals received by EPA by the submission deadline will first be screened by EPA staff against the threshold eligibility criteria in Section III of the announcement. Proposals that do not pass the threshold eligibility review under Section III will not be evaluated further or considered for funding.

EPA staff will review the eligible proposals based on the evaluation criteria listed in Section

V.A. Each proposal will be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered according to the numerical score. The ranking list will be provided to the Selection Official who makes the final funding decisions.

C. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Additional Provisions For Applicants Incorporated Into The Solicitation:

Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation including the clause on Reporting and Use of Information Concerning Recipient

Integrity and Performance can be found on the EPA Solicitation Clauses page. These, and the https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses other provisions that can be found at the website link, are important, and applicants must review them when preparing proposals for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please communicate with the EPA contact listed in this solicitation to obtain the provisions.

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. AWARD NOTICES

Following EPA’s evaluation of the applications, all applicants, including those who are not selected for funding, will be notified by e-mail regarding their status. A final application will be requested from eligible applicants whose proposal has been preliminarily selected for award. The applicant will be provided with instructions and a due date for submittal of the final application package. This letter is not an authorization to begin performance. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the proposal or the project contact listed in the proposal. This notification, which informs the applicant that its proposal has been selected and is being recommended for award, is not an authorization to begin work. The official notification of an award will be made by the Regional Grant Management Office.

Applicants are cautioned that only an Award Official is authorized to bind the Government to the expenditure of funds; selection does not guarantee an award will be made. For example, statutory authorization, funding or other issues discovered during the award process may affect the ability of the EPA to make an award to an applicant. The award notice, signed by an EPA Award

Official, is the authorizing document and will be provided through electronic or postal mail. The successful applicant may need to prepare and submit additional documents and forms, which must be approved by the EPA, before the grant can officially be awarded. After EPA receives your full application, they will review and may have questions that require additional details to be added, including clarifications to your workplan. The time between notification of selection and award of a grant can take up to 90 days or longer.

The EPA reserves the right to negotiate and/or adjust the final grant amount and workplan prior to award, as appropriate and consistent with Agency policy, including the EPA’s Competition

Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1).

B. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENT

The general award and administration process for assistance agreements are governed by the regulations at 2 CFR 200 and 1500, as applicable.