Environmental Protection Agency is seeking applications from organizations with a demonstrable history of providing effective, results-oriented technical assistance to public water systems.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/02/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The EPA provides technical assistance (TA) to help communities identify water infrastructure needs, plan for capital improvements, maintain regulatory compliance, improve resiliency, build capacity, and apply for the range of eligible projects under various grant programs. TA is provided through direct interactions with water utilities and communities. Through this grant program, the EPA seeks to support communities at the drinking water system level, including operational, environmental, and financial resource challenges they face. The funds included in this opportunity will ensure that vital services are provided and reach the drinking water systems in communities that need them most. Funding will be provided to assist small drinking water systems, small publicly-owned wastewater systems, and onsite/decentralized wastewater systems and private well owners.
The agency’s priorities include maximizing funds to provide significant benefit to drinking water systems in communities of need; tackling the climate crisis; and advancing environmental justice and equity. The EPA believes this funding plays a significant role to ensure continued access to resources to support infrastructure improvements that protect public health, safeguard the environment, and mitigate environmental justice concerns at the public water system
It is an EPA priority to ensure there are more communities with applications for federal funding to assist in providing quality water infrastructure and reliable water services. Technical assistance can help communities and is key to supporting this priority.
Program Objectives
All communities deserve access to safe, clean, and reliable water. The EPA’s priority is to support training and technical assistance to communities of need and improve public health through enhancement of technical, managerial, and financial capacity, compliance and drinking water infrastructure. The training and technical assistance will help ensure that communities that have historically struggled to access public funding receive the support they need. The EPA aims to maximize the potential for these funds to significantly benefit rural, small, or Tribal communities with training and technical assistance in their respective public waters systems. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize training and technical assistance that support environmental justice. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys:
- The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and
- Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
National Priority Areas
- National Priority Area 1: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Public Water Systems to Achieve and Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, including Improving Financial and Managerial Capacity
- National Priority Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance for Small Publicly-Owned Wastewater Systems and Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems to Help Improve Water Quality and Sustainable Operations
- National Priority Area 3: Training and Technical Assistance for Private Drinking Water Well Owners to Help Improve Water Quality
Types of Funding
The EPA intends to award cooperative agreements under this solicitation. Cooperative agreements provide for substantial involvement between the EPA Project Officer and the selected applicant(s) in the performance of the work supported. Although the EPA will negotiate precise terms and conditions relating to substantial involvement as part of the award process, the anticipated substantial federal involvement for these projects may include:
- close monitoring of the successful applicant’s performance to verify the results proposed by the applicant;
- collaboration during performance of the scope of work;
- in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317 and 2 CFR 200.318, as appropriate, review of proposed procurement;
- approving qualifications of key personnel (the EPA will not select employees or contractors employed by the award recipient); and
- review and comment on reports prepared under the cooperative agreement (the final decision on the content of reports rests with the recipient).
Funding Information
The total amount of federal funding potentially available under this announcement is approximately $30,700,000 depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency priorities, and other applicable considerations. The EPA is prioritizing new applicants and may make at least two of these awards to high-ranking applicants that have not received a Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water award from the EPA in the past two years.
The following are the anticipated amounts of total awards in each of the three National Priority Areas.
- Two to four awards are anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Small Public Water Systems to Achieve and Maintain Compliance with the SDWA, including Improving Financial and Managerial Capacity National Priority Area. The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $26,000,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates awarding approximately two to four cooperative agreements under this National Priority Area, ranging from approximately $6,500,000 to no more than $13,000,000, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project(s).
- One award is anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Small Publicly-Owned Wastewater Systems and Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Systems to Help Improve Water Quality and Sustainable Operations, National Priority Area. The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $1,250,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.
- One to two awards are anticipated under the Training and Technical Assistance for Private Well Owners to Help Improve Water Quality National Priority Area. The total anticipated amount of federal funding to potentially be made available under this National Priority Area is approximately $3,450,000, depending on agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates awarding approximately one to two cooperative agreements under this National Priority Area, ranging from approximately $1,725,000 to no more than $3,450,000, depending on the amount requested and the overall size and scope of the project(s).
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants under this competition are nonprofit organizations, nonprofit private universities and colleges, and public institutions of higher education. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. States, municipalities, Tribal governments, and individuals are not eligible to apply. 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. The EPA may ask applicants to demonstrate that they are eligible for funding under this announcement.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
