EPA South Florida Program – United States

Deadline: 22-Jul-24

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) South Florida Program is providing competitive grants to address the immediate and emerging ecological pressures and threats to south Florida waters including fresh waters, estuaries, bays, and coral reef, central to south Florida’s economic and ecological wellbeing.

Aquatic ecosystems play a vital role supporting healthy and resilient estuaries, coastal, inland, and near-shore infrastructure by providing food, habitat, nutrient removal, water filtration, storm attenuation, carbon storage, shoreline stabilization, and other financial and tangible benefits.

This NOFO solicits applications for the South Florida Program region that includes the 16-county area covered by the South Florida Water Management District as well as the Florida Keys, Florida Reef Tract, Caloosahatchee Estuary, Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie Estuary, Florida Bay, and Biscayne Bay.

This NOFO supports the Special Studies/Research component for the South Florida Program. Special Studies are projects that provide information specific to management questions and concerns, inform policy, and provide understanding of south Florida aquatic ecosystems. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to:

• supporting monitoring, research, or innovative restoration efforts for key species (e.g. coral, seagrass, sponges, mangroves, etc.);
• research, investigation, and demonstration projects to mitigate harmful algal blooms;
• residential canal pollution reduction demonstration projects;
• innovative stormwater pollution reduction demonstration projects;
• water quality and benthic habitat monitoring;
• research and management strategies to address contaminants of emerging concern;
• identifying and understanding cause-effect relationships of pollutants in the environment;
• addressing specific management questions to protect sensitive ecosystems;
• applying innovative approaches, methods, or techniques to prevent, treat, and manage pollution from entering waterbodies; and
• investigating regional water quality impacts from pollution sources.

South Florida Program Priorities

• Aquatic Habitat Restoration in South Florida (up to $750,000 per project)
  • Demonstrate proof of concept habitat restoration to reestablish, rehabilitate, or enhance coral reef (including diadema and other benthic species), oyster reef, seagrass (submerged aquatic vegetation), sponge, mangrove, wetlands, or other aquatic ecosystems. Demonstration (“test or prove”) of techniques to improve water quality and habitat in south Florida such as designing restoration demonstration projects; reconnecting hydrology; pilot projects proving or testing feasibility and efficacy of innovative technologies; collecting benthic/bathymetric data for restoration; and monitoring to evaluate effectiveness of restoration techniques. Identify how project and water quality results will be disseminated to the public as part of an outreach and education component. Innovative technologies or management practices identified must comply with all applicable regulations and water quality standards.
  • Enhance seagrass monitoring networks to assess and quantify environmental impacts from land-based and upstream pollution; assess ecological condition and function; evaluate effectiveness of management activities; identify critical habitats threatened by water quality; evaluate potential sources of seagrass decline; and develop seagrass restoration methods and strategies.
  • Identify and map habitat areas of particular concern for seagrass protection, restoration, and management required to support fisheries/marine mammal populations. Support the development of seagrass conservation and restoration plans.
  • Develop innovative approaches to coral reef restoration activities (such as structure, coral species diversity, invertebrates, and other reef associated species) including consideration of culture, genetics, diversity, and scaling up such approaches.
• Addressing Climate Resiliency and Water Resource Management Issues (up to $750,000 per project)
  • Prepare and adjust to current and projected impacts of climate change. Activities may include, but not be limited to, developing climate adaptation plans; identifying potential impacts of climate change; assessing vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems; advancing nature-based solutions; identifying adaptive measures such as green infrastructure; and identifying means to restore projects to maintain ecosystem function while providing storm attenuation and flood deterrence benefits.
  • Assess vulnerability and propose projects to increase climate resiliency. Projects may include adaptability planning, mapping ecosystem(s) carbon sequestration potential; investigating environmental stressors impacts on carbon sequestration; educating decision makers and the public regarding the importance and economic value of these threatened ecosystems; evaluating flood potential of climate change with regards to impervious surfaces, reclamation of shorelines, and development of green infrastructure.
  • Investigate opportunities to improve wastewater systems beyond advanced treatment standards and repurpose purified wastewater for beneficial use in south Florida. This may include an updated review of innovative wastewater treatment technologies or processes such as reverse osmosis, omni-processing and/or nanofiltration, pilot projects to test or prove the effectiveness of innovative technologies for removing pharmaceuticals, polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) and other contaminants of emerging concern, or feasibility studies on potable water reclamation and reuse of wastewater in south Florida.
• Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling (up to $400,000 per project)
  • Develop new or apply currently accepted models to investigate the connectivity between inland waters and the loading of associated pollutants to Florida’s coasts (e.g., stormwater, sewage overflows, river inputs.)
  • Conduct alternative analyses or “mining” of the existing suite of water quality data and satellite imagery to determine if water quality improvements, hot-spots, or specific sources contributing to water quality degradation can be identified. Consider incorporating other monitoring tools, such as satellite imagery or forecast modeling, to provide additional information about regional trends.
  • Enhance water quality to quantify environmental impacts from land-based and upstream pollution; detect harmful algal blooms; assess changes of ecological conditions and functions; evaluate effectiveness of management actions/best management practices; and determine causes of water quality decline.
  • Develop a nutrient loading model to demonstrate nutrient and contaminant loadings from regional sources (e.g., Florida Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and southeastern Florida) into waters impacting Florida’s Coral Reef.
  • Conduct nutrient loading analyses to assess the relative contribution of local anthropogenic sources of nitrogen and phosphorus (wastewater, stormwater, liveaboards, etc.) vs. natural sources of nutrients (upwelling, rainwater) to nearshore waters including the Florida Keys; include analysis of changes in anthropogenic nutrient loading over time compared to former nutrient loading estimates conducted before wastewater upgrades and other corrective actions were implemented.
• Support Local Community-Based Projects to Protect Waterways and Aquatic Habitat (up to $500,000 per project)
  • Design and implement an education and outreach project that inspires individual action or coordination to protect and restore water quality and natural resources. Projects may include seasonal fertilizer reduction programs, boater education, education on washing vehicles/boats, boater pump-out education, marina best management practices, or any such focus area that will lead to environmental improvement.
  • Establish educational grant programs to improve environmental literacy education for K-12 students in underserved and overburdened communities with a priority focus on funding field trips to facilitate access to publicly protected lands and natural resources.
  • Develop environmental education programs to address land-based sources of pollution.
  • Provide the information and tools necessary to improve watershed conditions, develop meaningful partnerships and build stewardship among community members.
  • Educate and facilitate climate resilience in underserved communities who have been left behind as part of other efforts.
• Florida Reef Tract Coral Health (up to $500,000 per project)
  • Develop innovative techniques to treat or mitigate the effects of coral diseases and/or heat stress impacting the coral species on Florida’s Coral Reef. Projects may include identifying and propagating coral species that have demonstrated resistance to coral disease; developing intervention techniques; or developing and demonstrating on the ground coral restoration techniques.
  • Develop a water quality monitoring program at coral reef restoration sites. A program should be designed to effectively capture both episodic events and seasonal changes in water quality at these restoration sites.
  • Develop innovative approaches to evaluate and monitor coral reef health, such as remote sensing or large-scale data analysis of current coral monitoring programs.
  • Investigate the relationship between reduction in light (attenuation) and other factors related to coral stress seen with short-term increases in turbidity or sedimentation.
  • Explore other factors that may contribute to coral decline including nutrients, temperature, and anthropogenic impacts.
• Nutrient Management to Reduce Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) (up to $500,000 per project)
  • Support research and development of tools and nutrient control technologies that help promote progress towards preventing, mitigating, and reducing HABS such as red tide or microcystins/cyanobacteria using current and new scientific approaches or technologies.
  • Support research and development of innovative tools and nutrient control technologies that promote new scientific approaches towards preventing, mitigating, and reducing red tide, microcystins/cyanobacteria and sargassum blooms impacting south Florida beaches, canals, and nearshore waters.
  • Determine the effectiveness of existing nutrient treatment technologies, evaluate the scale-up of emerging nutrient treatment technologies; and develop new technologies, and management practices to control nutrients in their watersheds.
  • Develop nutrient management strategies for HAB control and provide evaluations of such tools to resource managers.
• Stormwater/Nutrient Pollutant Reduction Projects (Up to $600,000 per project)
  • Investigate stormwater and extreme weather impacts from roads, bridges, and impermeable surfaces that contribute to degraded water quality and ecological impacts.
  • Identify and develop innovative best management practices, develop, or demonstrate innovative green infrastructure.
  • Analyze and quantify the volume and composition (e.g., nutrients, silt, emerging contaminants, marine debris, metals and oils, and other pollutants) of stormwater runoff.
  • Investigate the cost and effectiveness of stormwater regulations, treatment, and disposal methodologies for reducing nutrient, marine debris, and stormwater pollutant loading.
  • Develop innovative programs for trash prevention and removal focusing on management activities to reduce trash from entering waterways; innovative trash removal programs; innovative debris removal from extreme storm events; (e.g., after storm events); and educational/outreach campaigns and partnerships that modify behavioral practices to reduce trash in Florida’s waterways.

Funding Information

• The total estimated funding expected under this competitive announcement is approximately $8,000,000 including both regular appropriations and IIJA funds.
• The funding will range from $250,000 to a maximum of $750,000 per grant award.
• Project Period 
  • The EPA recommends project start date in the timeframe of January 1, 2025, to June 1, 2025. Proposed project and budget periods can range from two to five years for this funding announcement.

EPA Strategic Plan & Anticipated Outcomes, Outputs and Performance Measures

• Linkage to the EPA Strategic Plan
  • All applications submitted for funding under this announcement must identify how they support the goals and objectives of the EPA 2022–2026 Strategic Plan Goals. Awards made under this announcement will support:
    • Goal 5 Ensure Clean and Safe Water for All Communities. Provide clean and safe water for all communities and protect the nation’s waterbodies from degradation.
      • Objective 5.2: Protect and Restore Waterbodies and Watersheds
    • Goal 2 Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights. Achieve tangible progress for historically overburdened and underserved communities and ensure the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income in developing and implementing environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
      • Objective 2.1: Promote Environmental Justice and Civil Rights at the Federal, Tribal, State, and Local levels.
• Outputs
  • Examples of outputs for projects include:
    • Evaluation of the effectiveness of efforts to reduce or eliminate sources of pollution and to evaluate progress toward achieving and maintaining water quality and protecting and restoring coral reef habitat and other living resources.
    • Characterization of sources and causes of water quality impairment within a watershed that will allow the development of management/action/restoration plan(s).
    • Developing quantifiable metrics to evaluate progress towards restoring waters and aquatic habitat.
    • Preparation and timely delivery of semi-annual (for IIJA funded projects), annual, and draft/final project reports that document results of the special study project.
    • Preparation and timely delivery and sharing of research findings through presentations and publications to benefit the scientific community and public.
• Outcomes
  • 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’s Coral Reef.
    • Reduce pollutant loading to waters in the project area.
• Performance Measures
  • The applicant should also develop performance measures expected to be achieved through the proposed activities and they should be described in the application. These performance measures will help gather insights and will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful process and output and outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients.

Eligibility Criteria

• In accordance with Assistance Listing Number 66.484, 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 consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation.
• 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. Nonprofit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that lobby are not eligible for EPA funding as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611.
• 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 Grants.gov.