Trash Free Waters Art and Slogan Competition (Gulf of Mexico Watershed) - FY 2024
| Agency: | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 66.475 |
| Federal FON: | EPA-R4-GM-2024-TFWASC |
| Office: | Gulf of Mexico Division (GMD) |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 11/22/2024 (Application) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 08/06/2024 |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | $3,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Award Range: | $600,000 (Max) |
| Number of Awards: | 5 (Confirmed) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to advance protection and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico by investigating how environmental messages impact public behaviors or actions through demonstrated litter prevention and reduction assessments. Award recipients will create a competition designed as a novel approach to stimulating interest in sustained preservation of the Gulf of Mexico and in conveying how litter impacts water quality and habits.
The program is intended to generate applications for a recipient to create and manage a statewide high school art/slogan competition focused on a reduction of plastic/trash in freshwater and/or marine systems in one of the five Gulf states. The artwork and slogans will be used to educate the public on benefits of reducing trash in waterways.
The winning school will receive up to ten water refill stations. The winning high school poster from each state will be displayed in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Gulf of Mexico office.
The applicant will be responsible for developing the following activities:
- Creation of an art/slogan competition directed at high schools in the state
- Development of a diverse review panel to judge artwork/slogan submissions
- Plans for community cleanups to raise awareness using winning artwork
- Development of an outreach program to display winning artwork/slogan via multiple outlets, such as billboards, public service announcements (PSAs), social media, and displays of printed artwork/slogan
- Development of a plan to continue the artwork/slogan campaign for one year
Detailed information regarding the proposed project design is provided on page 4 of the NOFA file.
Project outputs as a result of training, education, monitoring, surveys, demonstrations, and other activities are required and may include the following:
- Estimated number of schools reached through the art/slogan competition
- Expected audience(s) and/or individuals reached through the trash free media campaign and through community cleanups
- Publications and information developed as a result of the project
Additional expected project outputs and outcomes are listed on pages 4-5 of the NOFA file.
Projects must also advance protection and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico watershed in support of the funding agency's strategic plan, attached as the StrategicPlan file.
Eligibility is limited to projects that take place within the Gulf of Mexico watershed, a map of which can be found on page 5 of the NOFA file, and in one of the five Gulf states, which include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Refer to pages 28-29 of the NOFA file for a list of eligible Florida counties.
Last Updated: November 06, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- State agencies
- Interstate agencies
- Indian tribes
- Local governments
- Institutions of higher learning
- Nonprofit organizations
School districts or high schools designated as one of the eligible entities above are also eligible.
An intertribal consortium must meet the definition of eligibility in the Environmental Program Grants for Tribes Final Rule at 40 CFR 35.504 and be a nonprofit organization as defined in 2 CFR 200.1.
Applicants must propose projects that take place within the Gulf of Mexico watershed, a map of which can be found on page 5 of the NOFA file, and in one of the five Gulf states, which include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Refer to pages 28-29 of the NOFA file for a list of eligible Florida counties. Applications with activities in more than one state will not be accepted. There are no location restrictions for the applicant organization; however, one award is expected to be provided in each of the five Gulf states.
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.
Applicants must describe in the application existing and/or anticipated partnerships with state and local governments that will aid in the successful execution of the trash free media campaign. In addition, minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and federally recognized tribes are strongly encouraged to apply and/or partner under this program.
The applicant's past performance and programmatic capability will be considered during the evaluation.
There is no limit to the number of applications an individual may be involved in, nor the number of applications an organization may submit.
Ineligible entities include:
- For-profit organizations
- Nonprofit 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
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentAcademic Institutions
Consortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Schools/School Districts
State Government
Application Notes:
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 8, 2024.
The due date for the application has been extended to 11:59 p.m. ET on November 5, 2024. Additional information is included in the revised NOFA file.
The due date for the application has been extended to 11:59 p.m. ET on November 22, 2024. Additional information is included in the revised NOFA file.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
Applications must include:
- SF 424
- SF 424A
- EPA form 5700-54
- EPA form 4700-4
- Project narrative:
- Summary information page
- Workplan
- Detailed budget narrative
- Maps
- Budget table
- Resumes or curriculum vitae of principal investigators and critical staff
- Negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (if applicable)
- Support letters (if applicable)
The project narrative is limited to 12 standard-sized, single-spaced pages, including the summary information page, workplan, and detailed budget narrative. The project narrative must use an 11-point Calibri font with one-inch margins. Resumes must be consolidated into one file and include the word "resume" in the file name. Support letters must also be consolidated into one file and include the words "letters of support" or "LOS" in the file name. Applicants may not include more than one application in any file, and may not zip the file or use a zip extension.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
A recording of a webinar held for this program can be found online at www.youtube.com.
Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Project design (35 points)
- Environmental results: outputs and outcomes (30 points)
- Milestone schedule (10 points)
- Outreach and communication (15 points)
- Partnerships (15 points)
- Past performance and programmatic capability (10 points)
- Timely expenditure of award (5 points)
- Budget (20 points)
Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | $3,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Award Range: | $600,000 (Max) |
|---|---|
| Number of Awards: | 5 (Confirmed) |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program.
Funding Notes:
Approximately $3 million is expected to be available through this program to support five grants or cooperative agreements of up to $600,000. One award is expected to be provided in each of the five Gulf states, which include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Award notifications are anticipated to be issued in February 2025, and awards are anticipated to be issued in July 2025.
The project period may last up to three years, and is expected to begin in calendar year 2025.
Pre-award costs may be supported in the circumstances detailed on page 9 of the NOFA file.
Funds may not be used for:
- Projects that do not comply with Clean Water Act Section 104(b)(3)
- Actions required to settle a formal enforcement action or included in a court order, or specified as a required mitigation measure under a state, local, or federal permit for a specific project
- Work involving only routine maintenance of stormwater infrastructure and other facilities
- Projects which fall under the existing planning responsibilities of an individual state or local government
- Solely gray infrastructure projects
- Projects whose sole purpose is to improve federal lands
- Construction activities that are not a part of a demonstration project
Contacts:
Program Staff
gmp-rfp@epa.gov
Agency Address
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gulf of Mexico Division
2510 14th Street, Suite 1212
Gulfport, MS 39501
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff. Questions and answers will be posted online at www.epa.gov/gulfofmexico and will be updated weekly as new questions are received. The funding agency will respond to questions through November 12, 2024, but cannot guarantee a response to questions received thereafter.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
Other Pre-Award File: US17996_CommonErrors_FY2024.pdf (876.2 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17996_BudgetTemplate_FY2024.xlsx (126.1 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17996_StrategicPlan_FY2024.pdf (7.1 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17996_DueDateExt_FY2024.pdf (79.3 Kb)
NOFA File: US17996_NOFA_FY2024.pdf (1.0 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17996_Q&A_FY2024.pdf (411.7 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the revised full solicitation for this program. The CommonErrors file contains information regarding common errors to avoid when completing the required forms for submission. The BudgetTemplate file contains a template that applicants are strongly encouraged to use to complete the required budget table. The StrategicPlan file contains the funding agency's FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. The DueDateExt file contains the updated due date for the application. The Q&A file contains an updated list of questions and answers regarding this program.
November 6, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
October 30, 2024
A revised solicitation containing an updated due date for the application, as well as updated funding and question submission deadline information, has been released and attached as the NOFA file. All relevant sections have been updated accordingly.
October 4, 2024
A revised solicitation containing an updated due date for the application, as well as updated funding and question submission deadline information, has been released and attached as the NOFA file. All relevant sections have been updated accordingly.
September 26, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
September 6, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
August 30, 2024
An announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the application has been released and attached as the DueDateExt file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
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Community DevelopmentEducation
Environment/Natural Resources
Parks & Recreation
Recycling & Reuse
Solid Waste
Water Supply/Quality