Application Notes:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with the following cut-off dates:

• 4:00 p.m. MT on December 7, 2023
• 4:00 p.m. MT on September 30, 2024

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or one copy of the application must be mailed or delivered to the appropriate address provided in the Contact section. Emailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. Online submissions are strongly preferred. Applicants submitting mailed or delivered applications must notify Chandrika Nasstrom via email at the address provided in the Contact section by 2:00 p.m. MT on the respective closing date.

Applications must include:

• SF 424
• SF 424A
• SF 424B
• SF LLL (if applicable)
• Technical proposal and evaluation criteria (40 pages max)
• Budget narrative
• Explanation of why application is being submitted by mail (if applicable)

Refer to page 5 of the NOFA file for a list of recommended application components.

Applications must be formatted on standard-sized pages with one-inch margins, using at least a 12-point font that is easily readable. Applications, including attachments, may not exceed 125 pages. Hard-copy applications may be bound only with a binder clip. Oversized pages will not be accepted.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration
• SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.

An optional webinar for this program is scheduled as follows:

October 25, 2023
11:00 a.m. MT
URL: teams.microsoft.com

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Water supply (35 points)
• Environment and water quality (15 points)
• Economic benefits (25 points)
• Presidential and Department of the Interior priorities (15 points)
• Watershed perspective (10 points)

Refer to the NOFA, BudgetNarrativeGuide, and BudgetDetail&Narrative files for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Applicants must provide at least 75 percent of the total project costs via cash and/or in-kind contributions.

Third-party in-kind contributions may be in the form of equipment, supplies, and other expendable property, as well as the value of services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the proposed project.

Any contributions from outside the applicant organization must be secured and available prior to the award.

Other sources of federal funding may not be used as matching contributions, unless specifically authorized by federal statute.

Applicants may not include as part of their cost-share the cost or value of third-party in-kind contributions that have been or will be relied on to satisfy a cost-sharing or matching requirement for another federal financial assistance agreement, a federal procurement contract, or any other award of federal funds.

Funding Notes:

An unspecified amount of funding is available to support up to ten grants or cooperative agreements of up to an anticipated $20 million through this program.

Anticipated award dates are expected to vary according to application submittal period, as follows:

• First application submittal period (closing date: December 7, 2023): anticipated award notification in May 2024 or later if necessary; anticipated award in September 2024 and project completion in December 2026
• Second application submittal period (closing date: September 30, 2024): anticipated award notification in April 2025; anticipated award in September 2025 and project completion in November 2027

Additional potential award recipients will be announced after more applications are evaluated under the subsequent application submittal periods.

Environmental and cultural resources compliance costs are considered project costs and should be included in the project budget.

Applicants that wish to receive technical assistance from the funding agency must account for such costs in their budgets.

Pre-award costs may be considered by the funding agency, as long as they were incurred after the date of the project's congressional authorization.

Funding may not be used for:

• Costs for work conducted before the date of the project's congressional authorization
• Projects that do not have a project-specific congressional authorization
• Projects eligible under section 4009(c) or 4009(a) of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act
• Congressionally authorized projects that have already reached the specific federal funding ceiling for such authorization
• Operations, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R) activities, as detailed on page 19 of the NOFA file
• Lobbying
• Costs for preparing and submitting an application, including developing data necessary to support the proposal

In January 2021, a total of $9.5 million was distributed via two awards of $556,700 and $8,928,442, respectively, through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

February 12, 2024
An announcement regarding updated required forms for the application has been released and attached as the ApplicationUpdate file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

October 13, 2023
Information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.