Deadline: 21-Jul-21
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is inviting applications for the South Florida Program, a program that provides competitive grants to address the immediate and emerging ecological pressures and threats to nearshore waters, bays, estuaries, beaches, and coral reefs central to South Florida’s economic well-being.
This RFA is an open competition for applicants to apply for funding for projects meeting the resource management goals and objectives identified in resource management programs and initiatives within these geographic locations.
The South Florida RFA is consistent with EPA’s Strategic Plan to improve aquatic ecosystems and water quality. Applicants must ensure the goals and objectives of the project are consistent with EPA goals and measures.
Applicants must explain in their application how their project will advance current EPA priorities.
Priority Action Items
There are a total of 13 Priority Action Items:
- Priorities 1-5: identified below are for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- Stormwater Pollutant Reduction Projects
- South Florida Water Quality Connectivity
- Non-municipal Wastewater Sources
- Public Education and Outreach
- Water Quality in Key West Harbor and the Adjacent Marine Ecosystem
- Priorities 6-13: are South Florida Program priorities for the geographic areas that include the Caloosahatchee Estuary, St. Lucie Estuary, Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, and Florida Keys.
- Florida Reef Tract Coral Health
- Harmful Algal Blooms in South Florida
- Water Quality and/or Seagrass Monitoring
- Aquatic Habitat Restoration in South Florida
- Reducing Trash in South Florida
- Analyses of Water Quality Data
- Sponge Restoration Techniques
- Impacts of Contaminants of Emerging Concerns on South Florida Aquatic Ecosystems
Goals
- Goal 1: A Cleaner, Healthier Environment:
- Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land, and water, and ensure chemical safety;
- Provide for Clean and Safe Water; and
- Goal 2: More Effective Partnerships:
- Provide certainty to states, localities, tribal nations, and the regulated community in carrying out shared responsibilities and communicating results to all Americans.;
- Enhanced Shared Accountability.
Award Information
- The total estimated funding under this competitive announcement is $4,000,000. The range of funding is $150,000 with a maximum of $350,000 per grant award.
- The EPA anticipates awarding approximately 15-20 assistance agreements under this announcement ranging in value from approximately $150,000 to a maximum of $350,000 per grant award, subject to the availability of funds, quality of evaluated applications, and other applicable considerations.
- The EPA anticipates that for awards made under this RFA projects will start in January 2022. Proposed project/budget periods can range from one to three years for this funding announcement.
Outcomes
Outcomes may be qualitative and environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature, but may be quantitative. Outcomes may not necessarily be achievable within an assistance agreement funding period.
Projects to be funded with this announcement are expected to produce outcomes related to the outputs identified in the application and scope.
Examples of expected outcomes that may occur because of the technical/scientific information generated by the special studies projects associated with this announcement include:
- Increase knowledge of managers and elected officials concerning negative impacts of pollutants on water quality and living biological resources, which should lead to the development and implementation of action plans that will reduce pollutant loading and result in the conservation of natural resources;
- Improve water quality;
- Restore seagrass, sponge, oyster, or mangroves habitats;
- Restore and recover Florida Reef Tract; and/or,
- Reduce pollutant loading to coastal waters.
Geographic Focus
- Projects submitted for RFA funding consideration must be located within the South Florida geographic region that includes the coastal areas south of the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie Canal.
- Priority regions include the Florida Keys; Florida Reef Tract; Biscayne Bay; Florida Bay; and Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie River watersheds.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Entities
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- Applications will be accepted from States, local governments, territories, Indian Tribes, and possessions of the U.S. (including the District of Columbia); public and private universities and colleges; hospitals; laboratories; public or private nonprofit institutions; and intertribal consortia.
- Non-profit organizations selected for potential funding greater than $200,000 in federal funding will be required to demonstrate Administrative and Program capabilities in managing federal funds.
- For-profit organizations are not an eligible entity for this funding opportunity. Additionally, non-profit 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 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334132