Application Notes:

Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. MT on one of the following dates:

• May 20, 2025
• September 30, 2025

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov, or mailed or delivered via overnight services, express delivery services, or courier services to the appropriate address provided in the Contact section; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the application online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov. Emailed or faxed submissions will not be accepted.

In addition, applicants submitting an application in hard copy must notify Christina Munoz using the information provided in the Contact section by 2:00 p.m. MT on May 20, 2025, for the first submittal period, and by 2:00 p.m. MT on September 30, 2025, for the second submittal period.

Applications must include:

• SF 424
• SF 424A
• SF 424B
• SF LLL (if applicable)
• Technical proposal (25 pages max), including:
  • Title page
  • Table of contents
  • Executive summary
  • Project location
  • Applicant category
  • Eligibility of applicant
  • Project description
  • Evaluation criteria
• Project budget and budget narrative
• Environmental and cultural resources compliance
• Required permits or approvals
• Overlap or duplication of effort statement
• Conflict of interest disclosure statement
• Uniform audit reporting statement (if applicable)
• Letters of support

Technical proposals must be formatted on standard-sized, consecutively numbered pages using an easily readable 12-point font. All margins must be one-inch. Oversized pages will not be accepted. For hard-copy submission, applications must be bound with a binder clip. Applications that are stapled or otherwise bound will not be accepted. Application documents arriving separately, with the exception of letters of support, funding commitment letters, and official resolutions, 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.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Watershed group diversity and geographic scope (30 points)
• Developing strategies to address critical watershed needs (35 points)
• Readiness to proceed (20 points)
• Presidential and funding agency priorities (15 points)

Applicants applying as a new watershed group and applicants applying as an existing watershed group will be ranked separately.

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program; however, applicants may provide any additional voluntary nonfederal cash or in-kind contributions. Applicants will not receive additional priority during the application evaluation process for providing voluntary matching contributions.

Funding Notes:

An unspecified amount of funding is available to support grants or cooperative agreements through this program. Up to $300,000 may be awarded to a recipient in total, with up to $100,000 made available to the recipient per year. Approximately 25 to 30 awards are expected to be issued per application round.

In addition to monetary awards, this program may provide technical assistance at the request of the award recipient. Award recipients that receive technical assistance must account for technical assistance costs in the budget.

For the first round of applications, award notifications are expected to be issued in fall 2025, or later if necessary. For the second round of applications, award notifications are expected to be issued in spring 2026, or later if necessary.

For the first round of applications, awards are anticipated to be provided on March 31, 2026, and the anticipated project completion date is March 31, 2029. For the second round of applications, awards are anticipated to be provided on July 31, 2026, and the anticipated project completion date is July 31, 2029.

Monitoring, measurement, and fieldwork costs to collect baseline information regarding the current conditions and needs of the watershed are limited to 50 percent of the award amount.

Administrative costs are limited to 20 percent of the award amount.

Pre-award costs will be incurred at the applicant's own risk, as detailed on page 26 of the NOFA file.

Ground-disturbing activities may not occur until environmental compliance is complete and a notice to proceed is issued by the funding agency.

Funds may not be used for:

• General education activities
• General staff training
• Lobbying costs
• Scientific research
• Projects for the development of planning efforts other than watershed restoration plans
• Implementation of on-the-ground watershed management projects
• Projects primarily for the purchase of water or land, or to secure an easement
• Application preparation costs, including developing data necessary to support the application
• Costs of the purchase of water or land, or to secure an easement other than a construction easement
• Building construction

Refer to pages 12-13 of the NOFA file for additional ineligible costs.

For FY 2022, a total of $3.8 million was distributed via 21 awards ranging from $69,148 to $200,000 through this program. Refer to the Award file for additional information.