RFA EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001.pdf

US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs

Funding Opportunity Announcement:

National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)

EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001

May 24, 2018

Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001

Overview Information The following list provides key information concerning this funding opportunity:

Federal Agency and Office Name: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Field and External Affairs Division (FEAD).

Funding Opportunity Title: National Pesticide Information Center

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

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.716

Dates: Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov on or before 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on July 30, 2018. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding. The project period for the award resulting from this solicitation is estimated to begin in February 2019. The proposed project period is up to five (5) years.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible organizations to support a National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), a program that provides the public with objective, science-based information on pesticide-related subjects through a web site, toll-free telephone service, and outreach. Trained experts respond to questions on the risks associated with pesticide use, restrictions on pesticide use, who to contact for regulatory enforcement, how to report information on a potential incident, and more.

Secondarily, NPIC staff will collect information on suspected incidents that callers give voluntarily.

EPA expects to provide an estimated $1,000,000 annually, depending on the Agency’s budget, for a total of up to $5,000,000 for five years (2019 through 2024).

FUNDING/AWARDS

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $5,000,000 over a five-year period. EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

CONTENTS BY SECTION

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information http://www.grants.gov/

V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts Attachment A

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Background

Pesticides released into the environment as a result of their manufacture, processing, use, or disposal can threaten human health and the environment.

EPA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan Goal 1 – Core Mission, Objective 1.4 is: Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace: Effectively implement the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), to ensure new and existing chemicals and pesticides are reviewed for their potential risks to human health and the environment and actions are taken when necessary.

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

FIFRA (7 U.S.C. 136r) authorizes EPA to monitor incidental exposure to humans, animals and the environment, and to identify pesticide pollution, trends and sources of contamination and their relationship to human and environmental effects. EPA gathers and assesses information about the risks associated with chemicals and pesticides and implements risk management strategies when needed.

The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) works to address the safe use of pesticides and assess the risks to human health and the environment. OPP complements the risk assessment and management processes inherent in pesticide registrations with field programs, including the National Pesticide Information Center at Oregon State University (NPIC@OSU). The program provides objective, science-based information on pesticide-related subjects while collecting information on potential pesticide incidents to more fully support national pesticide surveillance systems.

The new NPIC agreement will primarily support FIFRA through public education and monitoring of pesticide incident data. Regulations governing this agreement are found at 2 CFR Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; and 2 CFR Part 1500 - Environmental Protection Agency’s Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

The idea of a toll-free telephone service was initiated in 1978 for exclusive use by health professionals in the recognition and management of pesticide poisonings. The telephone service was later expanded to include the general public and to provide information on a https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-02/documents/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan.pdf variety of other pesticide topics. In 2017, NPIC responded to 10,626 inquiries, including 3,817 (36%) health concern questions, 1,523 (14%) pests related questions, 1,485 (14%) questions about pesticide’s application and safety, and 957 (9%) about regulations.

Additionally, inquiries have been received from all states and internationally, through multilingual personnel, telephone language line services or similar mechanisms. Inquiries are received from the general public as well as federal and state agencies, public health departments, health care providers, academia, veterinarians, pesticide retailer employees, and others. In 2017, the NPIC website received 6.4million page views representing over 20% increase over the same period last year, while e-mails to NPIC increased by 6% over the previous year. NPIC is an invaluable resource of unbiased, accurate scientific information for the public as well as for many organizations with complex medical questions regarding pesticides. NPIC is also recognized by many state agencies and health care providers as a national, reliable source for consultation and information on pesticide exposure. NPIC provides free reports of pesticide data to state and federal agencies, including State Lead Agencies, State Health Departments, and EPA offices. NPIC data can be used to identify pesticide use trends, exposures to people or animals, spills, and more, over a limited or extended timeframe.

In order to validate NPIC data as impartial, accurate, science-based, and current, the awardee of this cooperative agreement needs to remain up to date on information from various sources.

Specifically, they will need pesticide-related information from peer-reviewed literature, university extension, federal, state and local government resources and international scientific and governmental sources, on current and previously registered active ingredients and consumer pesticide products. To accomplish this, NPIC staff will continually update pesticide active ingredient information at hand, conduct literature searches, and utilize all relevant databases and informational resources.

NPIC staff will need to monitor professional listservs, federal register notices and updates received from relevant journals. NPIC will also need to provide links to relevant EPA/OPP websites as well as other parts of EPA, federal and state government and non-governmental links, such as public health resources. The program aims to serve unique and unmet needs of the public, rather than duplicating services provided elsewhere.

It is EPA’s intent to ensure the safety of chemicals in the marketplace by continuing the NPIC program to advance the provision of objective, science-based information on a wide variety of pesticide-related subjects while collecting data on potential pesticide incidents to more fully support national pesticide surveillance systems.

B. Scope of Work

1. Purpose and Scope The purpose of the program is to help protect human health and the environment by assisting the public with informed decision-making regarding pesticides.

The 5-year cooperative agreement awarded under this program will provide the public unbiased, accurate, science-based information on a broad range of pesticide-related issues, in a manner accessible to people who speak different languages and are at various literacy levels. NPIC staff respond swiftly to questions and connect inquirers with local, state and federal resources on pesticides and pesticide-related issues. NPIC keeps records on inquiries and potential incidents, and provides stakeholders with reports that support national pesticide activities, including surveillance efforts and enforcement priority setting. NPIC data can be used to identify pesticide use trends, exposures to people or animals, spills, and more, over a limited or extended timeframe. The program provides free reports of our pesticide data to state and federal agencies, including State Lead Agencies and State Health Departments, among others. The NPIC program is not intended to be used for targeted enforcement but may inform priority setting within enforcement programs.

2. Objectives The program:

a) Serves as a source of factual, unbiased information for diverse audiences including, but not limited to, the agricultural and pest control community, healthcare providers, educators, consumers, and the general public.

b) Provides information on a wide variety of pesticide-related subjects including, but not limited to, pesticide products, toxicology, environmental chemistry, safety practices, pesticide regulation, enforcement, risk assessment, risk management, environmental effects, clean-up and disposal, understanding the label, recognition and management of pesticide poisonings, and integrated pesticide management (IPM). This program also addresses current and emerging pesticide-related issues and provides federal, state and local resources on the topics above.

c) Provides accurate, unbiased, scientific information in a manner understandable to a lay audience to promote informed decision-making on the part of the caller.

d) Collects and disseminates quality pesticide incident data via a rigorous and well-defined data collection system.

e) Provides exceptional customer service by integrating professionalism, teamwork, integrity, accountability, and a strong commitment to the public, as well as to the professional and medical communities.

3. Activities to be Funded

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

a) Providing factual, unbiased pesticide-related information, as described above in Section I.B.2, through a variety of delivery methods including a toll-free telephone system, a detailed, interactive website, and other methods as needed.

• Toll-free phone service should be available to callers in the United States and its Territories. The project should operate at least five days a week, 4 hours a day, with voicemail available on weekends.

• The service should provide assistance in real time during business hours and within 24 hours following receipt of voicemail or email. Users may include representatives of the public, state and local government agencies, private interest groups, medical community, chemical manufacturers, educators, consumers and other members of the public.

• Provide/update web-based mechanism(s) for the public to report potential pesticide- related incidents such as the Ecological Pesticide Incident Reporting portal to report pesticide-related illness in wildlife or an environmental problem associated with a pesticide.

• Provide/update web-based mechanism(s) for medical and veterinary professionals to report potential pesticide- related incidents such as the Veterinary Incident Reporting portal.

b) Providing response in English and Spanish by staff, and translation for languages not spoken fluently or with high proficiency by call center staff. Minimally, at least one staff member should be fluent in Spanish.

c) Develop effective communication and outreach programs targeting multi-lingual communities.

d) Conduct outreach in the agricultural worker community to educate workers about importance of pesticide safety, increase awareness of the NPIC program, and encourage workers to utilize its available resources.

e) Providing instantaneous access for staff to resources with information on current and previously registered active ingredients, consumer pesticide products, clinical and basic toxicology, environmental chemistry, pesticide regulation and related subjects, in order to respond accurately, comprehensively and swiftly to inquiries.

Examples of resources might include subscriptions to electronic databases and peer-reviewed journals.

f) Providing the medical and veterinary community with materials and expert consultation on recognition and management of pesticide poisonings, for human and animal exposure scenarios.

g) Developing and/or making available existing innovative and effective written and verbal (audio) materials and programs, in English and Spanish, to be available minimally in electronic format, for members of the public to utilize and share information on pesticide- related issues with emphasis on preventing pesticide exposure and incidents at work and home.

h) Developing/updating and enhancing existing software applications, tools, mobile apps, etc. and other professional resources and decision-making aids such as the Herbicide Properties Tool (HPT) and the NPIC Product Research Online

(NPRO).

i) Acquiring and electronically coding accurate information on all inquiries, including both general information requests and potential pesticide incidents (Materials and information generated for the benefit of the public under previous agreements will be provided to the successful awardee.). Fields to collect include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Narrative summary

• Demographic Information (with PII removed prior to transmittal to recipients, according to state and federal privacy and data collection regulation) http://npic.orst.edu/eco http://npic.orst.edu/eco http://npic.orst.edu/vet/ http://npic.orst.edu/HPT/ http://npic.orst.edu/NPRO/

• Product names, active ingredients and registration numbers

• Entities impacted

• Type of potential exposure

• Signs/symptoms

• Action performed by call center

• Type of product usage discussed

• Resources and information sought by inquirer

• Severity and certainty (based on existing indices in Attachment A and informed by other existing indices for similar surveillance programs)

j) Analyzing information to reveal possible trends in pesticide incidents, misuse of products, label issues, and unexpected dangers to the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

k) Utilizing thorough quality control and standardized operating procedures, based on vetted best practices, to ensure reliability and accuracy of data collection and inquiry response. For example, in emergencies where a human or animal has potentially been exposed or experienced an adverse reaction requiring immediate medical evaluation, staff consistently refer or directly transfer the caller to a human or animal poison control center in a timely manner.

l) Preparing case reports upon request (at least on a quarterly basis) and alerts as needed for sentinel events and emerging trends.

m) Preparing pesticide data reports for state and federal agencies, including but not limited to State Lead Agencies and State Health Departments, upon request.

n) Employing a rigorous training program for staff to address risk communication skills; cultural competency; literacy level variability in callers; technical information; and maintenance of a high level of professionalism and objectivity in providing information and effectively translating scientific information to a lay audience.

o) Collaborating with federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as private public health, veterinary, environmental and agricultural organizations, and other pesticide surveillance programs to improve awareness of pesticide safety, encourage correct usage of pesticides according to the labels, and promote increased collaboration to improve pesticide incident surveillance systems.

p) Implementing a strong, continuous evaluation process to ensure success in meeting each objective and activity supported under the project, including formative, process, and outcome/impact evaluations. A full QA/QC plan will be negotiated with the successful applicant.

q) Developing a marketing plan to ensure the materials, best practices and methods are available to all parties to utilize so the public fully benefits from efforts funded under this agreement.

r) Establishing measures to ensure the sustainability of the program so information and outcomes will be of use to other organizations and stakeholders, and so the project may continue after EPA funding ends.

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs & Performance Measures Pursuant to Section 6a of EPA Order 5700.7A1, “Environmental Results under EPA Assistance Agreements,” EPA must link proposed assistance agreements to the Agency’s Strategic Plan. EPA also requires that applications and recipients of grants and cooperative agreements adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see Linking Assistance Agreements to Environmental Results https://www.epa.gov/grants/linking-assistance-agreements-environmental-results)

1. Linkage to EPA Strategic Plan.

All applicants must support progress towards meeting EPA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan Goal 1 – Core Mission, and Objective 1.4: Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace” which states: “Effectively implement the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to ensure new and existing chemicals and pesticides are reviewed for their potential risks to human health and the environment and actions are taken when necessary”. To see EPA’s Strategic Plan, visit https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan

EPA also requires that grant applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements (see EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements, https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements ).

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

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs works to address the safe use of pesticides and assess the associated risks to human health and the environment. Specifically, EPA’s NPIC program provides objective, science-based information on a wide variety of pesticide-related subjects while collecting data on potential pesticide incidents to more fully support national pesticide surveillance systems. In addition, the NPIC program provides data and analysis of informational inquiries and potential incidents, for stakeholders, supporting national pesticide activities, including surveillance efforts and enforcement priority setting.

2. Outputs.

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

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-03/documents/epa_order_5700_7a1.pdf https://www.epa.gov/grants/linking-assistance-agreements-environmental-results https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-02/documents/fy-2018-2022-epa-strategic-plan.pdf https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements

The anticipated outputs of this cooperative agreement are to successfully accomplish the activities listed in Section I.B.3 as well as any additional activities proposed by the applicants.

Examples of anticipated outputs from the cooperative agreement to be awarded under this announcement include, but are not limited to:

a) Toll free telephone multilingual hotline open five days a week 4 hours a day, responding promptly to diverse audiences in multiple languages with accurate, unbiased, up-to-date pesticide-related information and resources.

b) Public access, Monday through Friday, to highly knowledgeable, risk communication experts capable of interacting with a diverse audience regarding pesticide-related information.

c) Consultation to the medical and veterinary community on recognition and management of pesticide-related issues.

d) Distribution of innovative, effective outreach materials on pesticide-related information in English and Spanish.

e) An extensive, searchable database of information regarding all general inquiries and potential pesticide incidents.

f) A detailed quality control and operating procedure plan.

g) Regular communications with EPA regarding data collected, public concerns and sentinel events.

h) Collaboration with state and federal agencies, public health organizations, medical and veterinary communities.

i) Continuous evaluation plan addressing process, formative, and outcome evaluation, with clearly defined and charted measurements.

3. Outcomes The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to an environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related or programmatic in nature, but must be quantitative, link to an output, and correlate with the objectives of the workplan. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

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

a) An expanded reach, impact and effectiveness of the NPIC program.

b) Continued distribution of factual, unbiased information, as well as national and local resources to diverse audiences- in a manner understandable and accessible to those audiences- on a wide variety of pesticide-related subjects.

c) Increased access to pesticide-related information by a broad audience including low literacy, low technology users.

d) Increased ability of the public to make informed decisions regarding use of pesticides and treatment regarding potential pesticide exposures.

e) An increased public awareness of the importance and need to report pesticide illness and injuries and utilize existing surveillance systems.

f) Increased recognition and treatment by healthcare providers of pesticide-related illness and injury.

g) Increased availability of quality data on potential pesticide incidents and general pesticide information questions.

4. Performance Measures The applicant should develop and describe performance measures they expect to achieve through the proposed activities. Performance measures help gather insights and track progress on the project and will serve as the basis for lessons to inform future projects.

The description of performance measures should include:

a) Overall five-year and annual goals, objectives, outputs (including projects, programs and resources) and outcomes.

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

c) A final report that demonstrates the success of the program provides lessons learned, suggests how to carry the program forward and build on its success, and feedback from stakeholders on needed tools and resources.

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

This cooperative agreement will support FIFRA by providing unbiased, accurate information and response to pesticide related inquiries through multiple avenues including a toll-free bi-lingual telephone information service, an extensive website, outreach and training. In addition, this program provides data and analysis of informational inquiries and potential incidents, for stakeholders, supporting national pesticide activities, including surveillance efforts and enforcement priority setting.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated amount available for award under this announcement is up to $5,000,000, depending on availability of funds. EPA anticipates awarding an estimated $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2019. At the conclusion of the first-year period of performance, incremental funding of an estimated $1,000,000 may be made available for each additional year allowing the project to continue for a total of five (5) years depending on Agency priorities, available funding levels, satisfactory performance of the recipient and other applicable considerations. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards.

B. How many agreements will EPA award in this competition?

EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement subject to the availability of funds and quality of evaluated applications, and other applicable considerations. In addition, EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selection decision.

C. Partial Funding

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

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

The estimated project period for the award resulting from this solicitation will begin in February 2019. The proposed project period is up to five (5) years.

E. What type of award(s) will EPA make resulting from this solicitation?

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

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

2. Collaboration during performance of the scope of work;

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

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

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

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

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Entities In accordance with CFDA 66.716 – Research, Development, Monitoring, Public Education, Training, demonstrations and Studies, and the EPA’s Assistance Agreement Competition Policy

(EPA Order 5700.5A1), applications will be accepted from states; U.S. territories or possessions;

federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American organizations; public and private universities and colleges; hospitals, laboratories, other public or private nonprofit institutions; local governments; and international entities. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply.

Non-profit organization, as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and

(3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations. Note that 2 CFR Part 200 specifically excludes the following types of organizations from the definition of “non-profit organization” because they are separately defined in the regulation: (i) institutions of higher education; and (ii) state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. While not considered to be a “non-profit organization(s)” as defined by 2 CFR Part 200, Institutions of Higher Education and state, local and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2 CFR 200.70 are also eligible to apply.

For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible. For-profit organizations are not an eligible entity for this funding opportunity. Additionally, non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

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

C. Threshold Eligibility Requirements

Applications will be eliminated from the competition if the threshold eligibility criteria listed below are not met. Only applications from eligible entities (see above) that meet all 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.

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

b. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section IV of this announcement (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the proposal submission deadline published in Section IV of this announcement.

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

c. Applications submitted after the submission deadline will be considered late and deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that is was late due to EPA mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in www.SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a late submission. Applicants should confirm receipt of their application with Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov or 703-308-6841 as soon as possible after the submission deadline – failure to do so will result in your application not being reviewed.

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

3. Applicants must be eligible to receive funding under this announcement. (See Section III.A. Eligible Entities above)

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

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

6. Applications must support EPA Strategic Plan Goal 1, Objective 1.4; Ensure Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace”. (See Section I)

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

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

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

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

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Requirement to Submit through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures Applicants, except as noted below, must apply electronically through Grants.gov for this funding opportunity based on the Grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If an applicant does not have the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of limited or no http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov 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., hard copy, email) at least 15 calendar days prior to the submission deadline under this announcement to request approval to submit their application materials through an alternate method.

Mailing Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand USEPA Headquarters William Jefferson Clinton Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N. W.

Mail Code: 3903R Washington, DC 20460

Courier Address:

OGD Waivers c/o Jessica Durand Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Rm # 51278 Washington, DC 20004

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

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON) EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001

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

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

• An explanation of how they lack the technical capability to apply electronically through Grants.gov because of 1) limited internet access or 2) no internet access which prevents them from being able to upload the required application materials through Grants.gov.

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

mailto:OGDWaivers@epa.gov

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, 2017, it is valid for any competitive or non-competitive application submission to EPA through December 31, 2017). 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, 2017 with a submission deadline of January 15, 2018, the applicant would need a new exception to submit through alternative methods beginning January 1, 2018.

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

B. Grants.gov 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 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html

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-HQ-OPP-2018-001, or the CFDA number that applies to the announcement (CFDA 66.716), in the appropriate field and click the Search button.

Please Note: All applications must now be submitted through Grants.gov using the “Workspace” feature. Information on the Workspace feature can be found at the Grants.gov Workspace Overview Page.

Application Submission Deadline: Your organization’s AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than July 30th, 2018 11:59 (PM 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 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. Grants.gov Lobbying Form

5. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

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

7. Narrative Proposal (Project Narrative)-prepared as described in Section IV of this announcement.

Optional Documents:

1. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL), if applicable

2. 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 Ana Rivera-Lupiáñez, at (703) 308-6841.

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 https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html http://www.grants.gov/ 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 does 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 Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov with the FON in the subject line. If you are unable to email, contact Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at (703) 308-6841. 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.

1. 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 Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at

(703) 308-6841.

2. 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, send an email message to Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov prior to the application deadline. The email message must document the problem and include the http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov mailto:rivera-lupianez.ana@epa.gov http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

Grants.gov case number as well as the entire application in PDF format as an attachment.

3. 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 Ana Rivera-Lupiañez at rivera-lupianez.ana@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 Package Submission

Regardless of the mode of submission, all applications must contain all of the following forms and documents, completed and signed, in the sequential order shown. Additional guidance on completing the documents is available through EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment (http://www.epa.gov/ogd/).

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

Complete the form available at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm. There are no attachments. Please note that the organizational Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number must be on the SF-424. Organizations may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS number request line at 1- 866-705-5711. Alternatively, applicants may also request a DUNS number online by going to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform and following the instructions for a cooperative agreement.

2. SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs Complete the form available at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm. There are no attachments.

3. SF 424B, Non-Construction Programs

4. SF 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 (as described below)

Narrative Proposal The Narrative Proposal must contain all parts (1 through 3) described below, in sequential order as shown. Each page must be numbered, formatted for 8.5 x 11inch paper, single-spaced and text in 11-point font. Electronic files must be legible and in Adobe Acrobat PDF or MS Word for Windows. The project narrative cannot exceed the page limits identified below. Each page past the limit will not be considered. Federal forms, resumes and letters will not count toward any page limit.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.epa.gov/ogd/ http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.epa.gov/ogd/forms/forms.htm

1. Cover Page (Page 1- one-page limit). The cover page must list the following information with the letterhead for your organization:

· EPA funding opportunity number: [EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-001]

· Project Title:

· Project Coordinator:

· Organization Name and Address:

· Telephone No.: Fax No.: Email Address:

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

· First Year Funding Request:

· Total Funding Request (for the entire project):

· DUNS number:

2. Table of Contents (Page 2 – two-page limit): A table listing the different parts of the application and the page number on which each part begins.

3. Executive Summary (page 3 – three - page limit). A stand-alone, concise description of the project with objectives, outputs, and outcomes; and an assurance that your organization meets the eligibility factors, as listed in Section III (Eligibility Information).

4. Narrative Proposal Workplan (20 pages or less).

The narrative proposal…