SMM RFA Final 5.9.23.pdf

AGENCY: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

REGION III Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division (LCRD)

TITLE: EPA Region 3 Solid Waste Infrastructure Grant

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: EPA-R3-LCRD-23-09

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 66.808

IMPORTANT DATES:

May 10, 2023 Issuance of RFA

July 14, 2023 Application Submission Deadline

September 15, 2023 Approximate date for EPA to notify applicants of results November 1, 2023 Approximate date of award

APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATE: The date and time for the receipt of applications is July 14, 2023, by 11:59 pm, Eastern Time (ET) in order to be considered for funding. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. See Section IV

(Application and Submission Information) for more details about the deadline and submission instructions.

https://www.grants.gov/

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background

Approximately half of global greenhouse gas emissions are the result of natural resource extraction and processing.1 Advancing recycling reduces the climate change, environmental, and social impacts of materials use, and keeps valuable resources in use instead of in landfills or incinerators. Municipal solid waste management has long suffered from a lack of investment. In addition, some communities lack waste management infrastructure such as recycling and/or composting programs, which would divert materials from our landfills that could otherwise by recycled and reused, help increase the lifespan of landfills, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

More than one-third (nearly 100 million tons) of the U.S. municipal waste stream consists of food and other organics. This uneaten food results in a “waste” of resources—including agricultural land, water, pesticides, fertilizers, and energy—and the generation of environmental impacts—including greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, consumption and degradation of freshwater resources, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and degradation of soil quality and air quality. Each year in the U.S., the environmental impacts from wasted food

(excluding landfill emissions) contributes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to that of

42 coal-fired power plants and is the equivalent of enough water and energy to supply more than

50 million homes.2 When food and other organics decompose in a landfill, methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is emitted into the atmosphere. In 2020, 14.5% of human-related methane emissions came from landfills.3 Mismanaged waste also can compound health, economic, and undesirable social conditions in historically underserved and overburdened communities.

To reduce the overall impacts of mismanaged waste and strengthen the U.S. recycling system, the EPA has undertaken efforts to advance the national circular economy. In 2015, the EPA and

USDA announced the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, seeking to cut food loss and waste in half by the year 2030. In 2020, the EPA announced the National Recycling Goal to increase the U.S. recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030 and to galvanize efforts to strengthen the

U.S. recycling system. One year later, the EPA released the National Recycling Strategy: Part

One of a Series on Building a Circular Economy for All. The National Recycling Strategy proposes building a circular economy to reduce material use, redesigning materials to be less resource intensive, and recapturing “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products.

B. Scope of Work

This RFA solicits applications that will improve local post-consumer materials management

1 Data from the 2019 Global Resources Outlook Report published by UN

Environment. https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/global-resources-outlook 2 More information available in the EPA’s 2021 Report titled From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of Food Waste (Part 1), available at https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental- impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf 3 https://www.epa.gov/lmop/frequent-questions-about-landfill-gas#:~:text=MSW%20landfills%20are%20the%20third,use%20a%20significant%20energy%20resource.

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/us-national-recycling-goal https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/strategies-building-circular-economy-all https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/strategies-building-circular-economy-all https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/strategies-building-circular-economy-all https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/global-resources-outlook https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental-impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental-impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/from-farm-to-kitchen-the-environmental-impacts-of-u.s.-food-waste_508-tagged.pdf https://www.epa.gov/lmop/frequent-questions-about-landfill-gas#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DMSW%20landfills%20are%20the%20third%2Cuse%20a%20significant%20energy%20resource https://www.epa.gov/lmop/frequent-questions-about-landfill-gas#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DMSW%20landfills%20are%20the%20third%2Cuse%20a%20significant%20energy%20resource systems in the Mid-Atlantic Region. This opportunity focuses on development or enhancement of municipal recycling and composting/anaerobic digestion programs. Applications must seek to improve the ability of communities to make progress towards the National Recycling Goal or the

U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal and directly benefit at least one of the EPA

Region 3 states and/or D.C.

The EPA is soliciting applications that will facilitate the creation of new capacity for, optimize existing capacity of, or identify strategies that: (1) Result in an increase in sustainable management of post-consumer materials; and (2) Reduce the amount of recyclable materials disposed of in landfills or incinerators. Applications seeking to prevent generated waste and reduce/reuse materials are eligible under this solicitation. Region 3 currently does not have sufficient organics recycling infrastructure to support our food waste diversion goals. Facilitating the creation of additional organics recycling capacity is critical. As a result, Region 3 has incorporated a preference for anaerobic digestion and composting projects in the rating factors.

Project Objectives and Examples

Applications must achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• Establish, increase, expand, or optimize collection and improve materials management infrastructure4, including development of implementation plans to accomplish these activities;

• Plan for or fund the construction of tangible infrastructure, technology, or other improvements to reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream (including the organics waste stream);

• Establish, increase, expand, or optimize capacity for materials management, including development of plans or strategies to accomplish these activities;

• Establish, improve, expand, or optimize end-markets for the use of recycled commodities;

• Demonstrate, or develop a plan or strategy to demonstrate, a significant and measurable increase in the diversion rate5 or recycling rate6;

• Demonstrate, or develop a plan or strategy to demonstrate, a significant and measurable improvement in the quality of materials collected for recycling (including organics recycling); or

• Advance Sustainable Materials Managment (SMM) priorities including: supporting the development of a circular economy, preventing food loss and waste through source reduction and/or food rescue, or decreasing plastics and packaging usage.

Applications may include (but are not limited to) projects that plan for or fund:

• Development of and/or upgrades to drop-off and transfer stations (including but not limited to a hub-and-spoke model in rural communities), etc.

• The purchase of recycling equipment on a scale commensurate with the funding

4 Examples of materials management infrastructure includes but are not limited to: recycling/composting facilities, secondary processing facilities, and other facilities that manage MSW.

5 Measured in tons of material diverted from landfill disposal or incineration.

6 As defined by the Modeling Recycling Program Toolkit, available on the EPA’s website.

https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/us-national-recycling-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/model-recycling-program-toolkit amounts offered by this RFA7;

• Development of and/or upgrades to composting sites or anaerobic digesters to increase capacity for organics recycling;

• Development of and/or upgrades to curbside collection programs or drop-off stations for organics;

• Development of and/or upgrades to reuse infrastructure such as online reuse platforms, community repair spaces, technology and equipment to improve materials management reuse options, food donation, and upcycling, staging areas for material reuse/donation, reuse warehouses, and reuse centers, and electronic waste and computer recycling and refurbishing; or

• Other activities demonstrated by the applicant to further the objectives of this RFA.

Limitations on funding opportunity for FY23: Projects must support improvements to post-consumer materials management systems.

Other EPA Interests

Environmental justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies. Meaningful involvement means people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; the public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision;

community concerns will be considered in the decision-making process; and decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.

For purposes of this competition and the evaluation of applications, “underserved communities” means people/communities of color, low income, tribal and indigenous populations, and other vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and those who have pre-existing medical conditions.

EPA is interested in applications that: 1) mitigate for past environmental justice impacts and improve community health, resilience and/or sustainability; and 2) foster resilience and adaptation to changing climate and environmental conditions.

Activities may include:

• Addressing or facilitating the identification and reduction of threats to communities that have environmental justice challenges;

• Improving community health, resilience and/or sustainability;

• Addressing the disproportionate and adverse human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts;

• Addressing impacts resulting from industrial, governmental, commercial and/or other actions that have affected and/or currently affect underserved communities; or

• Fostering coastal resilience or adaptation to changing climate and environmental conditions.

7 EPA recognizes that funding offered is not sufficient to purchase some large-scale recycling equipment and/or recycling trucks.

C. EPA Strategic Plan Linkage

The activities to be funded under this announcement support EPA’s FY 2022-26 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this solicitation will support Goal 6 – Safeguard and Revitalize Communities, Objective

6.2 – Reduce Waste and Prevent Environmental Contamination of the Strategic Plan. Specifically, the activities to be funded under this announcement will be linked to EPA’s Strategic Plan consistent with

EPA’s current priorities for preventing environmental pollution by preventing releases, reducing waste, increasing materials recovery and recycling, and ensuring sustainable materials management practices.

Applicants must explain in their applications how their project will further this goal and objective.

D. Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

EPA 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) 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 objectives and strategic plan goals identified 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 the grant funding period.

Projects to be funded under this announcement are expected to produce outputs similar in nature to the ones listed below. Project outputs should be specifically identified and described in the

Project Narrative (See Section IV.B.5). The extent to which project outputs are identified/described will be evaluated under Criteria 4, Environmental Results—Outcomes and

Outputs (See Section V.A. Evaluation Criteria).

• Pounds of material (municipal solid waste) being diverted, reused, recycled or composted/digested;

• Pounds of food recovered through projects with schools, businesses and institutions aimed at reducing food waste, diverting food from disposal and encouraging food donations.

• Progress made toward development of new or enhanced composting/AD/recycling facilities;

• Metric tons of greenhouse gas eliminated (calculated via the Waste Reduction Model);

• Number of temporary or permanent jobs created.

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

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 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 https://www.epa.gov/warm programmatic in nature but must be quantitative. They may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.

Projects to be funded under this announcement are expected to produce outcomes similar in nature to the ones listed below. Project outcomes should be specifically identified and described in the Project Narrative (See Section IV.B.5). The extent to which project outcomes are identified/described will be evaluated under Criteria 4, Environmental Results—Outcomes and

Outputs (See Section V.A. Evaluation Criteria).

• Improved capacity to process recyclable materials;

• Improved ability for individuals, businesses, institutions, municipalities, or other entities to prevent food loss and waste through source reduction and/or food rescue;

• Improved ability for individuals, businesses, institutions, municipalities, or other entities to recycle or compost/digest materials; or

• Improvements to infrastructure resulting in an increased ability to recycle or compost/digest materials as opposed to landfilling/incinerating such materials.

E. Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this action is the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA), Section

8001(a)(5), 42 U.S.C. Section 6981(a)(5), which authorizes grants to public authorities, agencies, and institutions, private agencies and institutions, and individuals for purposes which include conducting and promoting the coordination and acceleration of, research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, public education programs, and studies relating to the reduction of the amount of solid waste and unsalvageable waste materials.

F. Minority Serving Institutions:

EPA recognizes that it is important to engage all available minds to address the environmental challenges the nation faces. At the same time, EPA seeks to expand the environmental conversation by including members of communities which may have not previously participated in such dialogues to participate in EPA programs. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants identified in Section III, including minority serving institutions (MSIs), to apply under this opportunity.

For purposes of this solicitation, the following are considered MSIs:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as defined by the Higher Education Act (20

U.S.C. § 1061(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Historically Black Colleges and

Universities at: Historically Black Colleges and Universities;

2. Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §

1059c(b)(3) and (d)(1)). A list of these schools can be found at American Indian Tribally

Controlled Colleges and Universities;

3. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. §

1101a(a)(5)). A list of these schools can be found at Hispanic-Serving Institutions;

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title42/html/USCODE-2018-title42-chap82-subchapVIII-sec6981.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title42/html/USCODE-2018-title42-chap82-subchapVIII-sec6981.htm https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whiaiane/tribes-tcus/tribal-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/hispanic-serving-institutions-hsis/

4. Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions; (AANAPISIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. § 1059g(b)(2)). A list of these schools can be found at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions;

5. Predominately Black Institutions (PBIs), as defined by the Higher Education Act of 2008, 20

U.S.C. 1059e(b)(6). A list of these schools can be found at Predominately Black Institutions.

G. Additional Provisions for Applicants Incorporated into the Solicitation

Additional provisions that apply to sections III, IV, V, and VI of this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation, can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses. These provisions are important for applying to this solicitation and applicants must review them when preparing applications for this solicitation. If you are unable to access these provisions electronically at the website above, please contact the EPA point of contact listed in this solicitation (usually in Section VII) to obtain the provisions

II. Award Information

A. What is the amount of funding available?

The total estimated funding expected to be available for assistance agreements under this competitive opportunity is $150,000. The minimum individual award is $50,000 and the maximum individual award is $150,000 for a one- to two-year grant period, subject to availability of funds, quality of eligible applications received, and other applicable considerations.

B. Partial Funding Provision

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

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

EPA anticipates awarding one to three assistance agreements under this announcement, obligating the entire $150,000, subject to availability of funds, the quality of eligible applications received, and other applicable considerations. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under this announcement. In addition, EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months from the date of the original selections.

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

The estimated project period for the award(s) resulting from this solicitation will begin on

December 1, 2023. Project periods are anticipated to be at least one year but no more than two years.

E. Funding Type https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1XVkOWKMDORm53pvU0L8EPsrJC94&msa=0&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=3&source=embed&ll=40.58644586187277%2C-148.28228249999984 https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wlIi3j7gtlNq_w-0NKAb2bF2VmY&ie=UTF&msa=0&ll=37.35160769312532%2C-96.17229800000001&z=4 https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses

It is anticipated that grants will be funded under this solicitation. A grant is an assistance agreement in which the EPA is not substantially involved in carrying out the project.

III. Eligibility Information

Note: Additional provisions that apply to this section can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.

A. Eligible Entities

Consistent with the Applicant Eligibility Section of Assistance Listing No. 66.808 and the EPA’s

Assistance Agreement Competition Policy (EPA Order 5700.5A1), the following entities are eligible to compete under this competition: states (including the District of Columbia), tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations (that are not 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby).

Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

This competition does not require matching funds or cost sharing.

C. Threshold Eligibility Criteria

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

1. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and application content requirements set forth in Section IV and follow format requirements outlined in Appendix A of this RFA or they will be rejected. However, please note that pages in excess of the page limit expressed in Appendix A will not be reviewed. While these guidelines establish the minimum type size requirements, applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in selection of an appropriate font for use in the application.

2. In addition, initial applications must be submitted through Grants.gov as stated in Section

IV of this solicitation (except in the limited circumstances where another mode of submission is specifically allowed for as explained in Section IV) on or before the application submission deadline published in Section IV of this solicitation. Applicants are responsible for following the submission instructions in Section IV of this solicitation to ensure that their application is timely submitted. Please note that applicants experiencing technical issues with submitting through Grants.gov should follow the instructions provided in Section IV, which include both the requirement to contact Grants.gov and email a full application to EPA prior to the deadline.

3. Applications submitted outside of Grants.gov will be deemed ineligible without further consideration unless the applicant can clearly demonstrate that it was late due to EPA https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-11/documents/5700_5_a_1_final_order_2_11_14.pdf https://www.grants.gov/ mishandling or because of technical problems associated with Grants.gov or SAM.gov system issues. An applicant’s failure to timely submit their application through Grants.gov because they did not timely or properly register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov will not be considered an acceptable reason to consider a submission outside of Grants.gov.

4. The applicant must be an eligible entity as described in Section III.A of this solicitation.

5. Applications must support EPA’s FY 2022-26 Strategic Plan as described in Section I.C of this solicitation.

6. Applications must meet at least one of the objectives identified in Section I.B of this solicitation.

7. Applications must seek to improve the ability of Region 3 communities to make progress toward the National Recycling Goal or the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal.

8. Applications must be for projects that directly benefit at least one of the EPA Region 3 states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of

Columbia (DC).

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

D. Nonprofit Definition

Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes

Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of nonprofit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher

Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit at 2

CFR 200.1 are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.

Nonprofit organizations that are not exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal

Revenue Code must submit other forms of documentation of nonprofit status; such as certificates of incorporation as nonprofit under state or tribal law. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/us-national-recycling-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal

IV. Application and Submission Information

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

Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Issues with submissions with respect to this opportunity only are addressed in

Section C., Technical Issues with Submission below.

B. Submission Instructions

1. SAM.gov (System for Award Management) Registration Instructions

Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active SAM.gov registration. If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using login.gov8 to complete your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registrations includes obtaining Unique Entity ID

(UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization.

Please review the Entity Registration Checklist for details on this process.

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. SAM.gov requires you renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active.

Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only. Obtaining an

UEI only validates your organization's legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Question on the difference for additional details.

Organizations should ensure that their SAM.gov registration includes a current e-Business

(EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for

Grants.gov Registration and system functionality.

Contact the Federal Service Desk for help with your SAM.gov account, to resolve technical issues or chat with a help desk agent: (866) 606-8220. The Federal Service desk hours of operation are Monday - Friday 8am - 8pm ET.

8 Login.gov a secure sign in service used by the public to sign into Federal Agency systems including SAM.gov and

Grants.gov. For help with login.gov accounts you should visit http://login.gov/help.

https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/grants/exceptions-grantsgov-submission-requirement https://login.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=51a2fa061b0bcd500ca4a97ae54bcb18 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0051214&sys_kb_id=dd40f4ef1b9641d0937fa64ce54bcb7a&spa=1 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp http://login.gov/help

2. Grants.gov Registration Instructions

Once your SAM.gov account is active, you must register in Grants.gov. Grants.gov will electronically receive your organization information, such as e-Business (EBiz) point of contact email address and UEI. Organizations applying to this funding opportunity must have an active Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is FREE. If you have never applied for a federal grant before, please review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration instructions.

As part of the Grants.gov registration process, the EBiz point of contact is the only person that can affiliate and assign applicant roles to members of an organization. In addition, at least one person must be assigned as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only person(s) with the AOR role can submit applications in Grants.gov. Please review the Intro to

Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace - User Roles and Workspace

Actions for details on this important process.

Please note that this process can take a month or more for new registrants. 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 application submission deadline.

Contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov to resolve technical issues with Grants.gov. 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. The Grants.gov Support Center is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays.

3. Application Submission Process

To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click the red "Apply" button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this opportunity.

The electronic submission of your application to this funding opportunity must be made by an official representative of your organization who is registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance. If the submit button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the appropriate role to submit in your organization.

Contact your organization's EBiz point of contact or contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-

800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov

Applicants need to ensure that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) who submits the application through Grants.gov and whose UEI is listed on the application is an

AOR for the applicant listed on the application. Additionally, the UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's SAM.gov account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.

4. Application Submission Deadline

Your organization's AOR must submit your complete application package electronically to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxg5Tu3qHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLxg5Tu3qHA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPRj4ILn7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPRj4ILn7Y https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://gditshared.servicenowservices.com/hhs_grants mailto:support@grants.gov

EPA through Grants.gov no later than July 14, 2023 11:59 PM ET. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors that may require you to resubmit.

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

Please note that successful submission of your application through Grants.gov does not necessarily mean your application is eligible for award. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

5. Application Materials

The following forms and documents are required under this announcement:

Mandatory Documents:

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

2. SF-424A, Budget Information

3. EPA Form 4700-4, Preaward Compliance Review Report for All Applicants and Recipients

Requesting EPA Financial Assistance

4. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54

5. Project Narrative - prepared as described in Appendix A of this announcement

Optional Documents:

6. Other Attachments, if applicable, prepared as described in Appendix A of this announcement.

o Cost Share Commitment Letters o Partnership Letters o Resumes o Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

Intergovernmental Review

Please review the Intergovernmental Review clause included as part of the EPA Solicitation

Clauses. This program MAY be subject to Executive Order 12372--Intergovernmental Review of

Federal Programs. See this link for information and instructions: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single.

Further information regarding this requirement will be provided if your application is selected for funding.

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 Melissa Pennington at pennington.melissa@epa.gov.

Failure to do so may result in your application not being reviewed.

C. Technical Issues with Submission

If applicants experience technical issues during the submission of an application that they are unable to resolve, follow these procedures before the application deadline date:

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-region-3-grants-and-audit-management-branch-intergovernmental-review-process-and-single mailto:pennington.melissa@epa.gov

1. Contact Grants.gov Support Center before the application deadline date.

2. Document the Grants.gov ticket/case number.

3. Send an email with EPA-R3-LCRD-23-09 in the subject line to pennington.melissa@epa.gov before the application deadline time and date and must include the following:

a. Grants.gov ticket/case number(s)

b. Description of the issue

c. The entire application package in PDF format.

Without this information, EPA may not be able to consider applications submitted outside of

Grants.gov. Any application submitted after the application deadline time and date deadline will be deemed ineligible and not be considered.

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

EPA will make decisions concerning acceptance of each application submitted outside of

Grants.gov on a case-by-case basis. EPA will only consider accepting applications that were unable to submit through Grants.gov due to Grants.gov or relevant SAM.gov system issues or for unforeseen exigent circumstances, such as extreme weather interfering with internet access. Failure of an applicant to submit prior to the application submission deadline date because they did not properly or timely register in SAM.gov or Grants.gov is not an acceptable reason to justify acceptance of an application outside of Grants.gov.

V. Application Review Information

Only eligible entities whose application(s) meet the threshold criteria in Section III.C. of this solicitation will be evaluated according to the evaluation criterion set forth below. Applicants must explicitly address these criteria as part of their application package submittal, following the content requirements set forth in Appendix A. Each application will be rated under a points system, with a total of 100 points possible.

A. Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Points

1. Summary and Approach (See Appendix A, workplan Section 1): Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the Project Narrative based on the extent to which the:

a. Project Narrative includes a clearly written description of the overall project including identification of individual tasks/activities (5 pts);

b. Project Narrative clearly identifies the goals/objectives of the project (5 pts);

c. Project Narrative includes an effective, easily understood plan with well-reasoned steps to meet the stated objectives (5 pts);

d. Project Narrative sets forth a reasonable schedule for the execution of the tasks mailto:pennington.melissa@epa.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ associated with the project and for achieving the project goals and objectives by the project end date (5 pts);

e. Project meets the requirements in Section I.B (Scope of Work) including:

- How (and to what extent) project seeks to improve the ability of Region 3 communities to make progress toward the National Recycling Goal or the U.S.

2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal (5 pts); and

- How (and to what extent) project meets one or more of the stated objectives in

Section I.B. (5 pts).

f. Project supports establishment of or improvements to organics recycling infrastructure resulting in an increase in the amount of organic materials diverted from landfills/incinerators (10 pts).

2. Environmental Justice and Underserved Communities: Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated in accordance with the definitions and parameters for environmental justice and underserved communities described in “Other EPA

Interests” in Section I.B.

Applications will be evaluated based on the extent to which they demonstrate how the project will address the disproportionate and adverse (see below) human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts, as well as the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts, resulting from industrial, governmental, commercial and/or other actions that have affected and/or currently affect the underserved communities described in Section I.B. of this solicitation.

Points will be awarded based on the extent and quality to which the application addresses:

a. How underserved communities are benefited, including those that have experienced a lack of resources or other impediments to addressing the impacts identified above that affect their community (5 pts); and

b. The extent to which the activities outlined in the project address engagement with these communities, especially local residents in these communities who will be affected by the project, to ensure their meaningful participation with respect to the design, planning, and performance of the project (5 pts).

Disproportionate and adverse environmental, human health, climate-related and other cumulative impacts, as well the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts, may result when greater pollution burdens and/or consequences, and the impact of them, are more likely to affect or have affected the underserved communities described in this solicitation. The impacts may result from various factors including but not limited to being a function of historical trends and policy decisions.

Factors that may indicate disproportionate and adverse impacts as referenced above include: differential proximity and exposure to adverse environmental hazards;

greater susceptibility to adverse effects from environmental hazards (due to causes such as age, chronic medical conditions, lack of health care access, or limited access to quality nutrition); unique environmental exposures because of practices linked to cultural background or socioeconomic status (for example, subsistence fishing or farming); cumulative effects from multiple stressors; reduced ability to effectively https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/us-national-recycling-goal https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal participate in decision-making processes (due to causes such as lack of or ineffective language access programs, lack of programs to make processes accessible to persons with disabilities, inability to access traditional communication channels, or limited capacity to access technical and legal resources); and degraded physical infrastructure, such as poor housing, poorly maintained public buildings (e.g., schools), or lack of access to transportation.

3. Environmental Results—Outcomes and Outputs: Under this criterion, the

Agency will evaluate the outputs/outcomes described in the Project Narrative based on the following:

a. The clear identification of project outcome(s) and output(s) that will be achieved as a result of this application (5 pts);

b. The strength of the application with regard to achieving the stated outcomes and outputs, including the clarity of the description demonstrating this strength (8 pts);

and

c. The effectiveness of the applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress toward achieving the expected project outputs and outcomes (2 pts).

4. Programmatic Capability and Past Performance: Under this criterion, the

Agency will evaluate the Project Narrative based on the extent to which the applicants demonstrate:

a. Successful completion and management of past agreements identified in the Project

Narrative (5 pts),

b. History of meeting the reporting requirements under those agreements including adequate and timely reporting on progress towards achieving the expected outputs and outcomes (and if not, explain why not) and submission of acceptable final technical reports under the agreements; and (3 pts),

c. Organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project, including staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project. (2 pts).

Note: In evaluating applicants under items a., b., and c. of this criterion, the Agency will consider the information provided by the applicant and may also consider relevant information from other sources including agency files and prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the applicant). If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these subfactors (items a. and b. above-a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.

5. Budget: Under this criterion, the Agency will evaluate the Budget Narrative and Detail (See Appendix A, workplan Section 5)) to determine the extent to which:

a. The approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner (2 pts);

b. Costs are reasonable to accomplish the proposed goals, objectives, and measurable environmental outcomes (5 pts),

c. The proposed budget provides a clear, detailed breakout of the approximate funding needed for each major activity (8 pts).

6. Project Sustainability: Applications will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to which the applicant’s project, if successfully implemented, will enact changes to an organization, community, or the society at large in a lasting and sustainable manner.

Please note, the “sustainability” here refers to sustaining the project over time as opposed to overall environmental sustainability.

A. Review and Selection Process

Applications will first be evaluated against the threshold factors listed in Section III.C. Only those applications that meet all the threshold factors will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria listed immediately above by an EPA evaluation team. Each application will be given a numerical score and will be rank-ordered according to the numerical score. Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the EPA Selection Official based on this ranking.

B. Other Factors

Final funding decisions will be made by the Selection Official based on the rankings and preliminary recommendations of the EPA evaluation team. In making the final funding decisions, the Selection Official may also consider programmatic priorities and geographic diversity of funds.

V. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

Following evaluation of applications, all applicants will be notified regarding their status.

Application Notifications

1. EPA anticipates notification to successful applicants will be made via e-mail within 30 days after the application submission deadline date. The notification will be sent to the original signatory of the application or the project contact listed in the application. This notification, which informs the applicant that its application 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 Region 3 Award Official.

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 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 mail. The successful applicant may need to prepare and submit additional documents and forms, which must be approved by EPA, before the grant can officially be awarded. The time between notification of selection and award of a grant can take up to 90 days or longer.

2. EPA anticipates notification to unsuccessful applicant(s) will be made via email within

30 days of the application submission deadline date. The notification will be sent to the original signatory of the application or the project contact listed in the application.

B. Reporting Requirements

Quarterly progress reports and a detailed final technical report will be required. Quarterly reports summarizing technical progress, planned activities for next quarter, and summary of expenditures are required. The final technical report shall be completed within 120 calendar days of the completion of the period of performance. The final technical report should include: a summary of the project or activities for the entire project period including outputs/outcomes achieved and costs of the project or activities. In addition, the final technical report shall discuss the problems, successes, and lessons learned from the project or activity that could help overcome structural, organizational, or technical obstacles to implementing a similar project elsewhere. The schedule for submission of quarterly reports will be established by EPA at the time of award as part of the grant-specific terms and conditions of the assistance agreement.

In addition to the reports discussed above, a federal financial report shall be completed within

120 calendar days of the completion of the period of performance. The grant specific terms and conditions of the assistance…