Deadline: 08-Oct-2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking proposals for innovative projects focused on preventing micro/nanoplastics from reaching waterways and removing microplastics from waterways as well as to make information on microplastics more accessible.
Scope of Work
- Projects must include at least one of the following focus areas:
- Support the development and demonstration of management practices and technologies to remove microplastics (including microfibers) from waterways
- Demonstrate innovative approaches to prevent microplastics from reaching waterways through source reduction. For the purposes of this FON, source reduction is any practice that reduces or eliminates sources of microplastics (wastewater treatment, reuse and refill systems, sustainable materials, and waste management technology)
- Improve accessibility and availability of microplastics research including the sources, transport, fate, concentrations, impacts, and remediation of microplastic pollution. Identify data gaps and work to improve coordination among researchers.
- All projects must develop and disseminate educational resources concerning micro/nanoplastics to aid in informed decision making for consumers, communities, businesses, cooperatives, and/or state and local governments.
- Please note: Projects focusing only on area 3 (accessibility, availability and coordination of research), must have a substantial education component.
Funding Information
- EPA expects to provide approximately $5 million for eight to twelve projects in this funding opportunity. EPA expect awards for this funding opportunity to range from $500,000 to $750,000. 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 $750,000.
- Please note, however, that the specified maximum amount of $750,000 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). These include:
- Estimation of microplastics captured or removed through innovative technologies, methods and/or practices (describe how the estimation will be derived)
- Number of sources of microplastics eliminated or reduced
- Number of resources and/or programs developed or provided to educate consumers or organizations about how to prevent microplastics pollution
- Number of organizations (e.g., businesses, schools, nonprofits) that had meaningful interaction with educational resources
- Publications, information, etc. developed as a result of this project
- 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)
- The following are additional potential project outcomes:
- Consumer knowledge or understanding is improved as demonstrated by pre- and post- evaluations (report number of individuals with improved knowledge or understanding)
- Communities are made more resilient due to a change in practices or approaches resulting in the prevention of microplastics from reaching waterways (report number of communities)
- Organizations that have changed business practices (report number)
- Organizations that utilize or develop more sustainable products available to consumers (report number)
- Data are available to be utilized for future projects or programs
- Additional outputs and outcomes accomplished as a result of project activities should also be included.
- Outputs as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations and other activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3). These include:
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.