Great Lakes Funding

Great Lakes Program Funding

Previous Requests for Proposals

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Table of Contents

Introduction and Purpose
General Great Lakes Priorities
GLNPO Activities and Funding (including description of process and schedule)

Appendix 1 - Application Instructions, Eligibility, etc.

Appendix 2 - Request for Preproposals/Criteria

Appendix 3 - USEPA Contact for Great Lakes Priorities

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FY2000 - 2001 Great Lakes Priorities and Funding Guidance

GLNPO ACTIVITIES AND FUNDING

General Information
Each Fall, mid-level environmental managers from Great Lakes State, Tribal, and Federal programs meet in a Great Lakes Planning Meeting to discuss Great Lakes priorities and the criteria for projects to be funded by GLNPO in the upcoming year. That information is used in developing a Great Lakes Funding Guidance which is then used in a broad solicitation of Preproposals through direct mailings, notification in the Federal Register, and Internet posting and announcements. Preproposals are then evaluated and successful applicants are asked to submit full proposals for their projects. Final decisions are based on the full proposals.

General funding priorities and targets for this Great Lakes Funding Guidance were derived from USEPA's Congressionally approved budget. Development of that budget began in 1998. Consequently, in order to have a timely influence on the Federal budget process, participants in this year's Great Lakes Planning Meeting discussed Great Lakes priorities for FY 2002.

GLNPO has provided funding for some 475 projects totaling $49 million between 1993 and 1999. All of these projects, including those selected in FY 1999, are summarized at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/glf.html

FY 1999 Recap
In FY 1999, GLNPO notified potential applicants that it was seeking Preproposals for a total of $3.8 million in the priority areas of: Contaminated Sediments; Habitat Protection and Restoration; Pollution Prevention; Assessment/Indicators; Invasive Species; and Emerging Issues. In response, 128 applicants submitted 230 Preproposals, requesting $30.2 million in assistance.

Of the Preproposals submitted, 23% were "successful." Some good projects which GLNPO could process were forwarded to other organizations for their consideration. Successful applicants were asked to submit full proposals for 56 projects totaling $3.6 million. GLNPO offered assistance for each of these projects for which the applicant requested funding.

FY 2000-2001 Assistance Process
With this Great Lakes Funding Guidance, GLNPO is again making funding available for innovative projects furthering protection and clean up of the Great Lakes ecosystem. We are looking for projects in the areas of Contaminated Sediments, Pollution Prevention and Reduction (pursuant to the Binational Toxics Strategy), Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration, Invasive Species, and Emerging Issues. Project selection criteria for all areas include consideration of: (i) Rationale/Relevance/Bias for Action, (ii) Scientific/Professional Merit, (iii) Innovativeness, (iv) Performance Capability, (v) Stakeholders, (vi) Geographic Scope, (vii) Dissemination of Results, (viii) Appropriate Budget, (ix) Leveraging, and (x) Availability of Other Funding Sources.

We especially welcome projects which address environmental justice and those which have community-based support. Appendices 1 and 2 contain detailed application instructions and specific criteria for each funding area. Work under these awards would generally be done during FY 2001.

This Great Lakes Funding Guidance asks interested applicants to submit short Preproposals for Great Lakes projects. We request that Preproposals be developed and submitted via the Internet. Interested applicants should begin the application process from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2000guid/index.html.

GLNPO will screen Preproposals upon receipt to ensure they qualify under the Appendix 2 criteria. Reviewers internal and external to USEPA will also use those criteria to evaluate the remaining Preproposals. Evaluations will take into account recommendations on specific needs and priorities of geographic areas within the Great Lakes, particularly those of Lakewide Management Plans for Lakes Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior and their included geographic initiatives such as the Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern (see the identified priorities in Attachment 2 criteria). To obtain additional information about those needs and priorities, applicants are encouraged to consult with applicable USEPA staff in GLNPO and in Regions 2, 3, and 5. (See Appendix 3 for contact information.)

Applicants will be notified as to whether they should subsequently submit full Assistance Application Packages (full Proposals). Final funding decisions will be based upon the full Proposals.

Schedule.
The schedule for the remainder of this FY 2000 funding cycle is:

Deadline for Submission of Preproposals	is February 18
Preproposal Reviews (internal and external)	through May 10
Applicants Notified	by May 12
Full Proposals due	through July 15
Final Decisions/Awards	May-September 30

Toxics Reduction, Biodiversity, and Emerging Issues. The October, 1999 Great Lakes Planning Meeting verified the importance of strategically focusing on toxics reduction and biodiversity. For FY 2000-2001, GLNPO is targeting $3.04 million in assistance to States, Tribes, and our other partners for projects implementing these priorities. Targets are:

Toxics Reduction $2.12 Million

Contaminated Sediments ($1.45 million)
Pollution Prevention and Reduction - BNS ($670 thousand)

Biodiversity $700 Thousand

Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration ($400 thousand)
Invasive Species ($300 thousand)

Emerging Issues $220 Thousand

Participants in the October, 1999 Great Lakes Planning Meeting confirmed the importance of GLNPO addressing Invasive Species and Emerging Issues. Congressionally directed funding in the USEPA budget makes that possible. See Appendices 1 and 2 for specific instructions and criteria regarding GLNPO's request for Preproposals. Please note our request that Applicants submit Preproposals electronically on the Internet beginning from http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/2000guid/index.html.

Other GLNPO Programs. GLNPO is actively involved in other program areas in addition to the solicitations previously described. In the areas referenced below, we will coordinate at the Federal, State, Tribal, and local levels to ensure that these projects and resources are appropriately targeted to achieve mutual objectives. Staff are also available for consultation in these areas.

Lake ecosystem indicators. Through atmospheric deposition monitoring and open lake monitoring in each Great Lake for toxicant and nutrient loadings and concentrations (using EPA's research vessels), GLNPO will provide trend and baseline data to support and target remedial efforts and measure environmental progress. GLNPO and EPA’s Office of Research and Development will interpret and report information about Lake Michigan air, water, sediments, and biota through the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study (LMMB), thus enabling the Agency and its partners to target further pollutant reductions. The joint GLNPO/Canadian atmospheric deposition network (including air monitoring stations on each Great Lake) will provide trend and baseline data to support and target remedial efforts and measure environmental progress under Lakewide Management Plans. In October 2000, GLNPO, with its Canadian counterparts, will report on environmental indicators in the biennial State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC). SOLEC brings together representatives of the public and private sectors to facilitate risk- and science-based decision-making. Additional information is available from Paul Horvatin (312) 353-3612, Chief of GLNPO's Monitoring, Indicators, and Reporting Branch.

Shared Ship Time. The USEPA, GLNPO ship, the R/V Lake Guardian will be conducting spring and summer surveys of all the lakes this year. If your research requires Great Lakes sampling that is compatible with our survey schedule and requires only small additions of time to the surveys, please contact David Rockwell, (312) 252-1371 to discuss how we may be able to accommodate your needs. The tentative schedule for the R/V Lake Guardian can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/guard/schedule_2000.html

Manage and provide public access to Great Lakes data. EPA's integrated Great Lakes information system, developed by GLNPO and its State and Federal partners, will deliver LMMB, and other, scientifically sound, easily accessible environmental information to decision makers and the public by traditional means and via the Internet. GLNPO will pilot techniques to provide public access to LMMB data via the Internet. Additional information is available from Pranas Pranckevicius (312) 353-3437, leader of GLNPO's Information Management Team.

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium. GLNPO is issuing a separate Request for Proposals (RFP) from institutions/organizations representing a binational, multi-disciplinary, broad-based consortium of Great Lakes wetland scientists to enter into a Cooperative Agreement with GLNPO. The expected funding level will be $400,000, with additional funding anticipated in subsequent years. The ultimate goal of the work to be accomplished under the RFP will be an implementable, long-term program, based on SOLEC Coastal Wetlands and related indicators, that monitors Great Lakes coastal wetlands consistently and allows a scientifically-sound assessment of their ecological integrity. The RFP will be available in January from the GLNPO's funding page.

Partner Capacity-Building. GLNPO is exploring possibilities for grants through USEPA’s Office of Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds which would support capacity-building of existing or new watershed partnerships. Contact Janet Pawlukiewicz at (202) 260-9194 for additional information.