2015 RFA for Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program

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Awards

Applications Received

Application Title Grants.gov ID Funding Request
Coastal Wetland Monitoring: Continued Implementation by the GLCWC GRANT11970225 $10,000,000.00

The Request for Applications (RFA)

Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-R5-GL2015-2

This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications from eligible entities for a cooperative agreement to support a project to continue monitoring and assessment of Great Lakes coastal wetlands pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan II  (30 pp, 5.1 MB, About PDF) September 2014.

Since 2011 the status and trends of Great Lakes coastal wetlands have been assessed for all Great Lakes, U.S. and Canadian sides, including connecting channels using a standardized protocol Exit. These protocols quantify bird, amphibian, plant, fish, and invertebrate presence and abundance at wetlands whose water levels are impacted by changing Great Lakes water levels, either through surface or subsurface interactions. These measurements are used to track the quality and long-term trends of coastal wetlands and may further quantify the impacts of various ongoing restoration projects.

Modification 1: July 17, 2015

A modification of the Request for Applications was posted on July 17, 2015. Revisions were made to pages 1, 8, and 9.
The modification clarifies that:
  1. applications cannot exceed $10 million or they will be rejected and
  2. funding is expected to be done in annual increments of approximately $2 million.

RFA Highlights

Funding / Awards

Approximately $10 million may be awarded in one cooperative agreement over a five year period, consisting of incremental funding of about $2 million per year.

Who may apply

  • Nonfederal governmental entities, including:
    • state agencies,
    • interstate agencies,
    • Indian tribes,
    • local governments as defined in 40 CFR Section 31.3,
    • institutions of higher learning (i.e., colleges and universities), and
    • non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding under this RFA.
  • The following are not eligible:
    • Individuals,
    • foreign organizations and governments,
    • nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying, and
    • “for-profit” organizations

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Questions and Answers

Q. The RFA noted the need to be a part of a larger cooperative group focused on the entire Great Lakes in order to be considered for funding. Are there any recommended groups to be a part of or any means of collaborating with such groups?

A. EPA cannot provide such a recommendation. The first url on page 7 of the RFA does include a url (http://glc.org/projects/habitat/coastal-wetlands/) for the final report of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium. The final report identifies organizations that have contributed to the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Plan.

Q. Can you please confirm whether we are required to show exactly $2,000,000 per year in project costs or whether our annual total can vary, as long as the five year project total does not exceed $10,000,000?

A. Annual totals can vary, as long as the five year project total does not exceed $10 million. The Threshold Eligibility Criteria on page 13 states that “Applications seeking EPA funding in excess of $10 million will be rejected.” References in the RFA to funding of “about” or “approximately” $2 million per year are to indicate that annual increments can be expected to be approximately $2 million – increments need not be for the same exact amount.

Q. The grant narrative reads as if you are seeking an entity to coordinate work on all the wetlands in the Great Lakes basin. Is it possible to apply to perform/manage the work within just our localized geographic region?

A. Please refer to the RFA Section III, Applicant Eligibility and Threshold Eligibility Criteria. Specifically, under Threshold Eligibility Criteria, the RFA states:

Applications that do not determine Great Lakes coastal wetland status and trends across all five Great Lakes, U.S. and Canadian sides, including connecting channels will be rejected.

However, an entity that meets the eligibility criterion may be part of a larger consortium of entities that together proposes to determine Great Lakes coastal wetland status and trends across all five Great Lakes, U.S. and Canadian sides, including connecting channels.

Q. Is a U.S. applicant prohibited from partnering with a non U.S. entity in the submitted application?

A. A U.S. applicant is not precluded from issuing a subaward to a non U.S. entity.

Q. On p.15 of the guidelines, under Submission Instructions, it’s specified that the official representative of [the] institution, who is registered with Grants.Gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal assistance, must complete the Grants.Gov submission. Is it necessary that the AOR personally, electronically submit the proposal in Grants.Gov?

A. The AOR (Authorized Organization Representative) is authorized by the E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) for the organization. Applicants must register in Grants.gov and be authorized by their E-Biz POC before they can submit applications. Only an AOR can submit applications in Grants.gov.

Q. Is the budget narrative included in the 20 page-limit for the narrative proposal?

A. The budget narrative is included in the 20 page-limit for the narrative proposal.

Q. Is it important or advantageous to include the draft QAPP in the application submission within the “Other Attachments” section, or should this document be reserved for sharing at a later time?

A. An applicant is not precluded from submitting quality system documentation as part of their submission within the “Other Attachments” section. Quality system documentation (i.e., quality assurance project plans or quality management plans) is required for grants involving the use or collection of environmental data. EPA must have this documentation within 90 days of award and it must be approved before grantees commence activities associated with the use or collection of environmental data.

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