U.S. Environmental Protection Agency GULF OF MEXICO DIVISION: Healthy & Resilient Gulf of Mexico 2023 BIL
On this page:
- Overview
- Who can apply
- Contact information
- Request for Applications and Budget Development Template
- Helpful Documents and Training Links
The EPA Gulf of Mexico Division (GMD) is announcing a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible applicants for a partnership of five or more eligible entities (a partnership of the applicant with four or more other organizations) to submit a single application under this RFA to fund multiple projects/activities authorized by CWA 104(b)(3). Two of the partners must be small community-based organizations (for purposes of this RFA, this is defined as 10 or fewer full time equivalent employees). Projects must address one or more of the four Gulf of Mexico Division Priority Areas for this RFA listed. EPA expects that the recipient and subrecipients will implement activities to support the following Priority Areas:
1. Water Quality Improvement;
2. Protect, Enhance, or Restore Habitat;
3. Environmental Education; and/or
4. Strengthen Community Resilience.
Applications must identify which eligible organization will be the recipient of the grant (the “pass-through entity”) and which eligible organizations will be subrecipients.
EPA Healthy and Resilient Gulf of Mexico objectives for disadvantaged communities in this RFA are:
The projects funded will be authorized under CWA 104 (b)(3) and all objectives below should be related to CWA 104 (b)(3):
1. Demonstrate community-driven projects, which are projects that include activities where community residents and/or representatives are integrally involved in the planning and execution of those activities.
2. Show connections to the identified disadvantaged community(ies) (e.g., letters of support from community leaders, prior collaborations).
3. Use “meaningful involvement” to ensure success of project goals. Meaningful involvement entails:
a. Residents have an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their environment and/or health within their communities.
b. Community participants’ concerns will be considered in the decision-making process.
c. Partners will seek out and facilitate the involvement of impacted communities.
4. Build the capacity of communities with environmental concerns and help them create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to improve their community.
5. Promote learning and understanding within communities.
6. Establish collaborative and coordinated efforts, processes or procedures, and communication strategies between neighborhoods and communities with local governments regarding ongoing environmental projects and initiatives at local levels to maximize use of local resources and reduce duplication of efforts.
7. Document the beneficial impact the project has on the community.
To be eligible for this funding opportunity, all projects must take place in disadvantaged communities. For Priority Areas 1 and 2, projects must be located within the five Gulf states eligibility map (see Figure 2 and Appendix D of the RFA). Priority Area 3 may be a part of any project and location is dependent on project focus. Priority Area 4 must be within the eligible coastal counties of the five Gulf states (see map in Figure 1 and eligible counties in Appendix D).
Approximately $30 million in EPA funding is expected to be awarded under this RFA for five awards. The amount of federal funding per award is up to $6,000,000. Applications seeking EPA funding more than $6,000,000 will be rejected. The number of awards EPA will fund as a result of this RFA will be based on the quality of applications received, the availability of funding, and other applicable considerations. In addition, EPA reserves the right to increase or decrease (including decreasing to zero) the total number and amount of awards. EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards under any or all of the funding opportunities identified in this RFA or make fewer awards than anticipated.
Who can apply
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Eligible entities |
Not eligible |
See definition of these entities at 2 C.F.R. § 200 for these entities. |
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How to apply
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov: EPA-I-R4-GM-2023 Healthy & Resilient Gulf of Mexico 2023 BIL
Contact Information: For questions, contact Rachel Houge ([email protected]).
Request for Applications and Budget Development Template
- Utilizing the suggested budget table template is strongly encouraged or you risk the possibility of information being left out by you as the applicant, or overlooked, or not fully comprehended by the reviewers when the project is scored.
Helpful Documents and Training Links
- Please review the RFA, Q&A, Getting Started Presentation and Common Errors document prior to submitting a question. If the answer to your question is not found in those documents, please submit your question to [email protected]
Healthy & Resilient Gulf of Mexico BIL RFA Getting Started Presentation
- For assistance in avoiding errors when completing applications
Training