The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting proposals for its Southeast New England Program to Advance Resilience (SOAR) Fund in Disadvantaged Communities.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Town: Selected Town
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000-$300,000
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
The Mission of the SOAR Fund is to improve and support the resilience of disadvantaged communities throughout the SNEP region with meaningful community involvement as it relates to the design and implementation of projects to address the anticipated effects of climate change and the historic, longterm impacts of environmental and social injustices. Through this initiative, SNEP plans to fund a host of planning, implementation, outreach, training, capacity, and staff-building projects that correspond with the goals, objectives and priorities outlined in SNEP’s Five-Year Strategic Plan
SNEP’s Strategic Plan includes three overarching program goals and their outcomes
- Goal 1: Safe and Healthy Waters Desired Outcomes
- Coastal waters support healthy seagrass and benthic communities, fisheries, and shellfisheries.
- Coastal waters and ponds are free from algal blooms, hypoxia, and pathogen pollution above natural levels.
- Coastal waters and ponds support safe water-based recreation (swimming, boating, fishing/shellfishing, etc.).
- Goal 2: Thriving Watersheds and Natural Lands Desired Outcomes
- Watersheds and landscape components maintain diverse natural lands and habitats; support native species diversity and inhibit the introduction, spread, and impact of invasive and nuisance species; and provide critical services such as pollution attenuation, air purification, flood protection, carbon sequestration, and pollination.
- Habitat can adapt and/or migrate in response to the climate change impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, higher temperature, and altered precipitation patterns.
- Major rivers discharging to Narragansett Bay, and streams discharging to embayments sustain aquatic habitat with adequate stream flow, appropriate temperature, riparian buffer, and stream connectivity.
- Goal 3: Sustainable Communities Desired Outcomes
- Secure sustainable water-based resources to foster local economies in the key areas of tourism, property values, and locally significant industries.
- Communities support and implement resilient development that protects populated areas and vulnerable infrastructure through nature-based solutions and climate adaptation approaches.
- Communities ensure widespread access to local greenspace to support mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
- The region develops a locally sustainable food production framework that provides access to healthy foods in the region.
- The region establishes policies to foster social/climate equity and eliminate disproportionate harmful impacts to Environmental Justice (EJ) and underserved communities in the region.
In support of these goals, SNEP has outlined the following priority actions:
- Increase local capacity to complete projects and adopt new policies
- Increase available solutions
- Ensure diverse representation in program decision-making
- Demonstrate ways to address common challenges; and
- Increase community leaders’ understanding of the benefits of restoration projects
Project Categories
To support the above goals, applicants should propose projects that broadly address at least one of the following categories:
- Planning
- Planning projects are those that engage subject matter experts and/or local input on the development of technical solutions to address the effects of short-, mid-, to long-term environmental challenges.
- Implementation
- Implementation projects are “shovel-ready” projects that stem from previously completed planning and design efforts. These can include the development of a floodable park, the restoration of a marsh with improved access to recreational spaces, etc.
- Outreach
- Outreach projects can be completed jointly with planning and implementation work. Outreach projects work to gather community input and involvement in the design, support, or understanding of a specific environmental challenge or proposed solution.
- Training
- Projects that focus on the provision of new skillsets to local organizational members or paid volunteers to support environmental restoration practices to improve climate resiliency. Ideally, the training and skillsets provided will have a lasting benefit to recipients of the training and can be used to support environmental protection and career growth.
- Capacity building/staffing
- Grant funds for capacity building and staffing would be applied towards increasing the administrative capacity of an organization to support climate change related projects in underserved and disadvantaged areas. These funds could be used to hire a paid intern or full/partially fund the hiring of a full-time staff person. Ideally, anyone hired with these capacity-building grants will be retained following the end of the grant cycle. Alternatively, grants funded under this category could be used to improve or modernize an organization’s capacity to engage in climate change related work in disadvantaged communities (DACs).
Funding Information
- The total estimated funding available for cumulative awards under this competitive opportunity is $1,250,000.
- For 2023, EPA expects to award five (5) to ten (10) cooperative agreements for activities under this RFP in amounts most likely ranging from $50,000-$300,000.
Project Period
The expected project period for these assistance agreements is one to five years, with five years serving as an absolute maximum. The expected starting period for the awards resulting from this RFP is Winter 2023/2024.
Eligibility Criteria
- EPA has limited eligibility for this funding opportunity under Assistance Listing 66.129 to the following eligible entities as permitted by the applicant eligibility section of the listing which allows EPA to limit eligibility to a subset of eligible applicants: state, local and tribal governments, public and private universities and colleges, public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations (includes institutions of higher education such as community colleges, and philanthropic organizations), interstate agencies, and Intertribal Consortia (a coalition between two or more Indian tribal governments authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance and participate in self-governance). Hospitals operated by state, tribal, or local governments or that meet the definition of nonprofit are also eligible to apply as nonprofits or as instrumentalities of the unit of government depending on the applicable law.
- Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization, the term “nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Note, specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this RFA. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools and hospitals are ineligible. Eligible nonprofit organizations may, but are not required to be, exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code.
- 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. 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 are not eligible to apply.
Ineligible Entities
- for-profit hospitals;
- for-profit businesses;
- for-profit universities, colleges and trade schools
- quasi-governmental entities (e.g., water districts, utilities);
- international organizations;
- individuals;
- 501(c)(4) organizations; and federal agencies.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
