Geographic Programs - Gulf of America Program

The objectives of the Gulf of America Program, housed within the Gulf of America Division (GAD), are (1) To assist States, Indian Tribes, interstate agencies, and other public or nonprofit organizations in developing and demonstrating innovative appr

The Gulf of America Program (GAP), housed within the Gulf of America Division (GAD), is a non-regulatory program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency founded to facilitate collaborative actions to protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of America in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the Region. To carry out its mission, the GAP continues to maintain and expand partnerships with State and Federal agencies, federally recognized tribes, local governments and authorities, academia, regional business and industry, agricultural and environmental organizations, and individual citizens and communities.

State and local governments, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities,and other public or nonprofit organizations.

Assistance will be targeted to States, Tribes, interstate agencies, and other public or nonprofit organizations that commit to specific activities. The Gulf of America Program seeks to fund projects that address water quality improvement; coastal habitat and ecosystems enhancement, restoration and/or protection; environmental awareness and outreach; and community resilience in the Gulf of America region and its watersheds. Eligible activities should be of a relatively short time frame (6 months to 3 years) and all projects should achieve and demonstrate results. Assistance agreements are available to support recipients' allowable direct costs incident to approved surveys, studies, investigations, research, and demonstrations plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: https://www.epa.gov/geospatial

The following projects are generally not permitted: 1) Actions required to settle a formal enforcement action or included in a court order; or specified as a required mitigation measure under a state, local, or federal permit for a specific project; however, grant funding may be used to enhance or expand such projects beyond minimum requirements for compliance. 2) Work involving only routine maintenance of storm water infrastructure and other facilities. 3) Projects which fall under the existing planning responsibilities of an individual state or local government (e.g., development of TMDLs or MS4 permits). 4) Routine "gray infrastructure" projects (e.g., installation of sewer lines). 5) Construction projects.

The terms of the assistance shall be determined at the time of award. Assistance agreements are typically three years.

An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," applies to this assistance listing when proposed Federal financial assistance involves land use planning or construction associated with demonstration projects. EPA financial assistance programs and activities subject to intergovernmental review that are subject to review under State single point of contact procedures are identified at https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-financial-assistance-programs-subject-executive-order-12372-and-section-204. Applicants for programs or activities subject to Intergovernmental Review that are not subject to State single point of contact review must provide directly affected State, areawide, regional, and local entities at least 60 days to review their application following notification by EPA that the application has been selected for funding as provided by 40 CFR 29.8(a) and (c). Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the NOFO. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed in the NOFO.

The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the NOFO.

For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the NOFO. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. For non-competitive awards made under this FAL, EPA will conduct an administrative evaluation to determine the adequacy of the application in relation to grant regulations and to technical and program evaluation to determine the merit and relevance of the project. The Agency will then advise the applicant if funding is being considered. A final work plan will then be negotiated with the applicant.

For competitive awards, deadlines will be specified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Approximately 90-180 days following the application deadline as addressed in the NOFO.

A standard grant application should be prepared and submitted electronically as a new grant using Grants.gov, which will be reviewed in the same manner as the original application and will compete for available funds. Extensions are subject to EPA approval. For incrementally funded grants and cooperative agreements, approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities, and availability of funds.

Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable.