Deadline: 31-Mar-23
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting proposals for Puget Sound Action Agenda — Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead Program.
Program Goals and Objectives
- The overall goal of the Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead RFA is to establish an innovative and collaborative riparian conservation program that provides financial incentives for landowners to set aside and restore riparian areas important for salmon recovery, while successfully implementing approaches to climate resiliency and riparian conservation that become a robust and sustainable program. The successful applicant will administer a subaward program to directly implement riparian conservation for climate resilience under the Puget Sound Action Agenda.
- This RFA seeks to spur innovation in working voluntarily with landowners and build upon existing riparian and salmon conservation programs and processes, in partnership with state and federal agencies and funding programs, such as those of USDA/NRCS. This EPA funding opportunity aims to leverage other state and non-EPA federal funding sources and programs, in order to work most effectively with landowners to achieve maximum Puget Sound riparian conservation to promote climate resiliency. Note that other federal funds cannot be used as match for this award.
- The applicant should demonstrate how it will leverage state and federal programs to help improve Puget Sound riparian conservation and climate resilience, describing in as much detail as possible how its work as the Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead would support future, larger capital projects from other funding sources, such as levee setbacks or floodplain restoration.
- The funding from this RFA is intended to fund subawards that conduct direct implementation of riparian conservation and associated climate resiliency goals, as described in the 2022 Puget Sound Action Agenda. The applicant should explain how it will achieve the relevant outcomes from the Puget Sound Action Agenda.
- Relevant riparian conservation opportunities from the Puget Sound Action Agenda include:
- Improving residents’ knowledge of and access to riparian areas to foster a sense of place and increase political will for protecting and restoring these areas.
- Connecting riparian area protection and restoration to benefits for both landowners and communities.
- Offering incentives in expedited procedural frameworks to make restorative practices easier and faster for landowners.
- Increasing resources and capacities of local agencies to protect and restore riparian areas.
- The funding from this RFA will also help to implement Puget Sound Action Agenda and Strategy 20 – Climate Adaptation and Resilience. Relevant opportunities include:
- Implementing multi-benefit projects and programs that synergistically advance Puget Sound recovery goals and increase carbon sequestration in Puget Sound ecosystems, increase climate adaptation, and promote climate resilience. Develop strategies to protect and restore aquatic habitats that provide refuge for sensitive species and support resilience from climate-related impacts.
- Restoring and acquire areas that provide flood conveyance, slow water, and deposit sediment during flood events by reconnecting the floodplain.
- Expanding local capacity to educate, assist, and incentivize public and private landowners to work proactively to address future effects of climate change on water quantity and quality.
- Creating more equitable and resilient communities, economies, and businesses that sequester carbon, and adapt to changing conditions.
- This RFA aims to support innovative new models, partnerships, and pilots to accelerate riparian conservation and climate resiliency across the Puget Sound basin by working collaboratively with the agricultural community and other rural land managers, as well as tribes, as appropriate. Topics and issues addressed in applications should include all of the following: meaningful incentives programs, the need for adequate and sustainable funding, and effective geographic prioritization approaches. This RFA will support innovative models that enable landowners to see economic value for salmon habitat and climate resiliency in their business models. EPA seeks to fund innovative pilots and possibly new public-private partnerships that can become sustainably funded ongoing programs.
- The Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead will incentivize and work voluntarily with landowners and relevant partners (such as tribes, conservation districts, local governments, land trusts, etc.) to protect and restore riparian habitat. The applicant should describe its partnerships with organizations with productive and established relationships with local landowner communities in priority watersheds.
- To achieve the goal of permanent riparian habitat corridor protections, this funding will support innovative models and partnerships, which could include work such as: watershed and growth management planning; watershed stakeholder convening; support and funding for appraisals, feasibility/conceptual designs, and staff time; social marketing or social science to achieve desired outcomes; better coordination and communication between riparian or rural landowner incentive programs; and/or capacity funding for small organizations to participate in community conversations, recruit landowners, develop relationships, and initiate discussions about riparian conservation and future habitat protection or incentive work. The successful applicant’s innovative approach should include multi-benefit funding streams, such as those which can align farmland protection with riparian conservation tools. The applicant should build on the work, successes, and lessons learned from previous efforts.
- The Puget Sound Climate Resilient Riparian Systems Lead will coordinate with and build upon the work of the state/federal/tribal Riparian Habitat Shared Strategy working group, as well as tribal sovereign fisheries co-managers to align capacities and advance science-based riparian protection, restoration, and management.
Funding Information
- Funding for the award is expected to be provided incrementally over a four-year period, with an initial amount of approximately $8,000,000 to $10,000,000 for the first year and subsequent incremental funding through year four. Incremental funding after the initial award is subject to future appropriations, satisfactory performance of work, and other applicable considerations. The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is up to approximately $30,000,000 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding for the 4-year funding period, for a maximum 6-year project period.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible entities are:
- Federal and Washington State government agencies;
- Public and private institutions of higher education located in the United States;
- Units of local government organized under Washington State law and located within the Greater Puget Sound basin;
- Special purpose districts
- Intrastate organizations such as associations of cities, counties or conservation districts in the greater Puget Sound basin;
- Nonprofit non-governmental entities, means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that: (1) is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations (the term includes tax-exempt. nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations.
- Federally recognized tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin and any consortium of these eligible tribes.
- An Intertribal consortium must have adequate documentation of the existence of the partnership and the authorization of the member tribes to apply for and receive assistance. Documentation that demonstrates the existence of the partnership of Indian Tribal governments may consist of Tribal Council resolutions, Intertribal consortia resolutions in conjunction with a Tribal Council resolution from each member tribe, or other written certification from a duly authorized representative of each tribal government that clearly demonstrates that a partnership of tribal governments exists.
- Coalitions may not include for-profit organizations that will provide services or products to the successful applicant. For-profit organizations are not eligible for sub-awards. For-profit organizations are eligible to receive contracts. Any contracts for services or products funded with EPA financial assistance must be awarded under the competitive procurement procedures.
- EPA recognizes that scientific, technical, engineering and mathematical (STEM) competence is essential to the Nation’s future well-being in terms of national security and competitive economic advantage. For instance, the health and vitality of the economy is predicated, in part, on the availability of an adequate supply of scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians, to develop innovative technologies and solutions. In other words, this country must engage all available minds to address the challenges it faces.
- Minorities, women, and persons with disabilities historically have been under-represented in the STEM fields. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligible applicants including, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply.
- For-profit business entities, private individuals, and families are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.