Deadline: 08-Oct-2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a call for proposals aimed at advancing the protection and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico by examining how environmental messages influence public behaviors or actions through proven litter prevention and reduction assessments.
Scope of Work
- The competition is a novel approach to stimulating interest in sustained preservation of the Gulf of Mexico and in conveying how litter impacts water quality and habits.
- This funding opportunity is intended to generate applications for a recipient to create and manage a state-wide high school art/slogan competition focused on a reduction of plastic/trash in freshwater and/or marine systems in one of the five Gulf states. The artwork and slogans will be used to educate the public on benefits of reducing trash in waterways. The winning school will receive no more than 10 water refill stations. One recipient from each of the five Gulf states will be selected for a cooperative agreement.
- The applicant will be responsible for developing the following activities:
- Creation of an art/slogan competition directed at high schools in the state.
- Development of a diverse review panel to judge artwork/slogan submissions.
- Plans for community cleanups to raise awareness using winning artwork.
- Development of an outreach program to display winning artwork/slogan via multiple outlets to include billboards, PSAs, social media, displays of printed artwork/slogan.
- Development of a plan to continue the artwork/slogan campaign for one year.
Funding Information
- EPA expects to provide approximately $3 million for five projects, one in each Gulf state. Proposed project periods may be up to three years. The maximum amount of federal funds that will be awarded for any project in this funding opportunity is $600,000.
- Please note, however, that the specified maximum amount of $600,000 that will be awarded for an individual project establishes a per-project limit for the EPA funding; applications seeking EPA funding in excess of that amount will be rejected. In addition, an application for a multi-phase project will be treated as a request for the full amount for all phases. If that combined amount exceeds the specified maximum, the application will be rejected.
Environmental Results
- In addition to the information requested for environmental results in the project narrative guidance, also include:
- Outputs as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations and other activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3) are required and must include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Estimated number of schools reached through the art/slogan competition.
- Expected audience(s) and/or individuals reached through the trash free media campaign and through community cleanups.
- Publications, information, etc., developed as a result of this project.
- The following outcome as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations and other activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3) is required:
- Mass or volume of trash removed and/or prevented from entering the environment (describe quantification method).
- One or more of the following outcomes as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations and other activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3) are required:
- Water quality and/or understanding of water quality conditions are improved (report number of water segments or water bodies).
- Habitat is enhanced or restored (report in acres or stream miles).
- Number of communities that are more resilient over the life of the project. The applicant should describe how the change will be measured and how resiliency was improved.
- Number of individuals with improved understanding of environmental issues in their community. The applicant should describe how the change will be measured.
- Outputs as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations and other activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3) are required and must include, but are not limited to, the following:
Eligibility Criteria
- In accordance with Assistance Listing 66.475, governmental entities, including state agencies, interstate agencies, Indian tribes, local governments, institutions of higher learning, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding under this NOFO. School districts or high schools designated as one of the eligible entities above are eligible.
- An intertribal consortium must meet the definition of eligibility in the Environmental Program Grants for Tribes Final Rule, at 40 CFR 35.504 and be a nonprofit organization as defined in 2 CFR 200.1.
- 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.
- For-profit organizations are not eligible entities for this funding opportunity. Additionally, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.