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Innovative Solutions for Improving Water Quality and Strengthening Local Economies in the Gulf of America Watershed (Gulf of America Watershed) - FY 2025

Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CFDA: 66.475
Federal FON: EPA-R4-GAD-2025-WQ
Office: Gulf of America Division (GAD)
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 09/19/2025 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 07/21/2025
   
Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $6,000,000 (Confirmed)
Award Range: $500,000 (Min) / $1,000,000 (Max)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to improve water quality and/or Gulf of America habitat through nutrient reduction and/or mitigation of harmful algal blooms (HABs), including Sargassum inundation events (SIEs), via demonstration projects enhanced by innovative technology. Applicants should identify how their nutrient reduction project and use of innovative technology could lead to cost savings and economic benefits in the future.

Applicants must propose a nutrient reduction and/or estuarine or marine HAB mitigation demonstration project in one or more of the following three focus areas within the Gulf of America watershed within the contiguous United States:

  • Habitat: enhance and/or restore habitat(s) to reduce nutrient pollution within the Gulf of America watershed
  • Water quality: capture, store, reuse, and/or infiltrate water to reduce nutrient loads and improve water quality; demonstrate sustainable solutions to align with broader watershed protection or restoration strategies
  • HABs: prevent and reduce the impact of marine and estuarine HABs, including SIEs, on Gulf of America coastal areas, such as bays, estuaries, beaches, islands/keys, oyster reefs, and nearshore waters

Applications should also propose the development or expansion of innovative technologies in at least one of the following areas:

  • Demonstrate how artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning (ML) can be utilized to enhance water quality, habitat, and/or HAB monitoring and management efforts throughout the Gulf of America watershed
  • Develop new or expand the capability of existing innovative technology to improve water quality, habitat, and/or HAB monitoring, or management

Applications that specifically identify the economic benefit to local communities will be scored more favorably during the application evaluation than those that make general statements on possible economies.

Applicants should describe how the effectiveness of project activities will be demonstrated through monitoring activities and compared with baseline data to show improvements. Baseline data may be existing or collected as a project activity.

Applicants should also describe how proposed activities and/or innovation/s will be evaluated alongside existing or commonly used practices to determine cost effectiveness. The evaluation should articulate how activities and/or innovations will lead to cost savings and economic benefits in the future.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)/drone footage to document project activities and successes within the targeted watershed.

Applicants are also required to describe how funding will help achieve the outputs and outcomes listed on pages 9-10 of the NOFA file.

Projects must align with the “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative, detailed online at www.epa.gov, and align with the funding agency's statutory authorities.

Eligibility is limited to projects that take place in the Gulf of America watershed within the contiguous United States, and activities proposed in the Gulf of America must be limited to the U.S. contiguous zone. Refer to the Eligibility section for details.

Last Updated: August 13, 2025

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • Indian tribes
  • State and local governments
  • Institutions of higher education (IHEs)
  • Nonprofit organizations

Qualified nonfederal entities eligible to apply include nonfederal governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions. This includes state agencies; any agency or instrumentality of local government; interstate agencies; federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations; colleges and universities; nonprofit organizations; and other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations.

Applicants must propose projects that take place in the Gulf of America watershed within the contiguous United States. Activities proposed in the Gulf of America must be limited to the U.S. contiguous zone. A map of the eligible area is provided on page 7 of the NOFA file.

Applicants may submit a single application.

Ineligible applicants include:

  • 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
  • For-profit organizations
  • Federal agencies
Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Academic Institutions
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
State Government
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on September 19, 2025.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

Applications must include:

  • SF-424
  • SF-424A
  • Key contacts form 5700-54
  • Preaward compliance review report form 4700-4
  • Project narrative:
    • Summary information page
    • Project workplan (11 pages max)
    • Detailed budget narrative
    • Maps
  • Budget narrative
  • Budget table (highly recommended; optional)
  • Resumes or curriculum vitae (optional)
  • Letters of support (optional)

Applications must be formatted on standard-sized, single-spaced pages with one-inch margins using an 11-point Calibri font. The project narrative is limited to 12 pages, including the summary information page. Budget tables, citations, maps, and quality assurance statements do not count toward the page limit. Applicants may not submit files in .zip format 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
  • 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.

The recording of a previously held webinar for this program is available online at www.youtube.com.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • Project design (35 points)
  • Innovative technology (20 points)
  • Economic benefits (20 points)
  • Environmental results (30 points)
  • Milestone schedule (10 points)
  • Past performance and programmatic capability (10 points)
  • Timely expenditure of award funds (5 points)
  • Budget (20 points)

Refer to the NOFA file for additional application information.

Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $6,000,000 (Confirmed)
Award Range: $500,000 (Min) / $1,000,000 (Max)
Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program.

Funding Notes:

A total of $6 million is available to support 6 to 12 awards expected to range between $500,000 and $1 million through this program. It is anticipated that two to four awards may be made per focus area detailed in the Summary section.

Award notifications are anticipated to be provided in December 2025.

Projects periods are expected to last between three and five years. 

Award recipients may incur otherwise eligible and allowable pre-award costs up to 90 days prior to award at their own risk without prior approval from the funding agency.

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 storm water infrastructure and other facilities
  • Projects that fall under the existing planning responsibilities of an individual state or local government
  • Solely gray infrastructure projects, such as installation of sewer lines
  • Projects with a sole purpose to improve federal lands
  • Construction activities that are not a part of a demonstration project
Contacts:

Program Staff
GAD-NOFO@epa.gov

Agency Address
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to the program staff. Questions submitted by September 5, 2025, will be answered and compiled weekly online at www.epa.gov.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US16779_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (756.9 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16779_Budget_FY2025.xlsx (126.4 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16779_Q&A_FY2025.pdf (326.2 Kb)
Federal Forms:
SPOC (67.7 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Budget file contains the budget form for submission. The Q&A file contains a list of questions and answers regarding this program. The SPOC file contains information on the state Single Point of Contact program.

August 13, 2025
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.

Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Community Development
Environment/Natural Resources
Rural Issues
Water Supply/Quality