Learn the Issues
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Is there a list or resources available for Tribes to find suitable mentors?
For assistance in finding an appropriate mentor, applicants should consider contacting the: Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Lydia Scheer, Manager, at lydia.scheer@nau.edu . The Tribal Exchange Network Group (TXG), txg@tribalexchangenetwork.org or at PO Box 15004, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5004 Environmental Council of the States (ECOS). For suggestions on potential state…
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What types of entities qualify as Mentors? What types of support can a mentor provide?
Mentors should be a Tribe, state, or territory that has successfully completed an EN grant and that currently reports or publishes data for one or more environmental programs using an EN node, Virtual Exchange Services (VES), or APIs. Mentoring activities may take place by phone, over web conferencing, or in…
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Is there a way to have a mentor without a subaward?
The subaward is the mechanism to provide the available $15k to the mentoring organization, under the EN Project Opportunity ‘Individual Capacity Building with Mentorship’. Under this Opportunity, the applicant can budget up to $400K in project costs and up to $15K in mentorship support costs. If the subaward is unnecessary…
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Can you provide additional guidance on how to include the necessary information, including budgeting, for the inclusion of mentors in a submitted application?
Within the budget narrative attachment form, funds to the mentor should be included as a single line item, under the category of ‘subaward’. See example below: Category Name/Description Quantity Price Per Unit Est. Cost Light Food and Beverage Coffee (Gallon) 6 $16 $96 Participant Support Cost Community Member Training Fees…
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Could EPA direct the subaward directly to a Tribal nation to manage, so that our Tribe is not involved in tracking requirements that seem to be part of the post-award requirements with subawards?
The only option to pass funds to a mentoring organization is through a subaward, which does require the lead recipient (grantee) to both follow EPA’s subaward requirements and policies as outlined in the SN (see SN Sections 3D and 4C), and to provide the vehicle/mechanism for distributing the subaward to…
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If an employee under a Tribal Partnership Grant works full-time for one Tribe under the partnership grant and part-time for another Tribe under the same partnership grant, would it be acceptable to cover that employee's salary for each Tribe? Or should the employee's hours be covered under the costs for the lead Tribal nation?
You have the option to split your costs across the two organizations, if you choose, but like the response above on indirect costs – you need to ensure that you have costs in the right cost category. Therefore, in the proposed project’s budget, your costs as associated with the lead…
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As the EN Grants Program does not fund Operations & Maintenance related costs, is there any information to assist Tribes with planning for software investments and long-term costs to sustain the work developed under EN grant projects?
Yes. The resources listed below were developed to help Tribal professionals navigate and plan for recurring software costs. Addresses common issues or questions that Tribes experience when they are purchasing software. Provides definitions on common terminologies, suggestions on how to fund short- and long-term software needs through the grant process…
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How does the cybersecurity term and condition affect Tribal EN grant recipients?
This Term and Condition requires Tribes to follow applicable cybersecurity requirements. It does not, however, require Tribes to establish cybersecurity requirements, only to adhere to requirements that already exist. EPA, however, encourages Tribes that do not currently have such requirements to develop them. The second requirement, which concerns connections with…
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What is the Cybersecurity term and condition for EPA assistance agreements?
Cybersecurity includes policies, procedures and technologies that ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. As part of EPA's cybersecurity efforts, the Agency wants to ensure that its partners are protecting their data and ensuring that network connections between partners and EPA are also secure. Consequently, EPA has added a Cybersecurity Term…
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If I am told my grant requires QA documentation, is there a site where we can access all Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs) approved by EPA to use as an example or template?
EPA does not currently publish approved QAPPs online. QAPPs are approved at the EPA regional level and there are not currently any repositories for these documents. To find out what resources are available in your region, we recommend reaching out to your Regional Exchange Network Coordinator (RENC) to be connected…
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How do I apply for an EN grant?
Those interested in applying for an EN grant should download the Solicitation Notice (SN) from the grants.gov listing (see the SN section of the EN website for link). The SN identifies EPA's grant funding areas and the types of assistance agreements that are available, provides application instructions, optional templates, and…
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When and how is this grant advertised to interested parties?
The Solicitation Notice is posted annual to grants.gov and grant cycle updates are regularly posted to the Exchange Network website , so that is an excellent resource for updates on the EN grant program. Exchange Network Alerts are also sent out to registered participants about important EN news throughout the…
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Can I set up a call with EN grant program staff to address questions while writing my EN grant application?
Applicants with questions about general information and/or eligibility can contact EN Grant Program Manager Erin McGown ( ENGrantProgram@epa.gov ). As this is a competitive grant program, EPA staff are unable to meet with potential applicants during the open application period (the time between the publication of the SN and the…
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What's New in the FY25 Solicitation Notice?
Potential applicants are encouraged to review the new FY25 Solicitation Notice (SN) in full, as significant updates have been made throughout the document. Please see the EN website’s SN Section for an overview of changes in the FY25 SN.
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What if my agency does not have an approved indirect cost rate agreement or our rate is expired?
If you have not submitted a proposal for an indirect cost rate (IDC) agreement you may choose one of the following options for including indirect costs in your proposed budget: (1) Select the EPA 15% Default Indirect Cost Rate for the life of the agreement, or (2) choose not to…
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How should we amend our budget if we anticipate the project will take less than the standard period of performance of 3 years?
Our program recommends, in cases where you predict the work will be completed faster than 3 years, estimating your total personnel cost over the project and then distributing that amount over 3 years (and then applying the fringe rate/costs). See the ‘ We are not sure if our project will…
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If our Indirect Cost Rate is applied by state fiscal year which runs from July to June, must submit the following year's rate?
Yes, we require that the indirect cost rate submitted with your application be valid until September 30th of the calendar year of the application cycle. So, if you rate expires in June, you will need to provide next year's rate. If you are a Tribal applicant, please see FAQ titled…
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Is a separate SF 424 form for the partnering organization needed in addition to the SF 424 for the lead applicant? Are any other forms needed?
Applicants applying as an EN partnership must include details in the project narrative; please review the guidance in Appendix E ‘Project Narrative Overview’ to see exactly where details on your partnering organization/partner contacts are required. Though additional forms are needed for partnership applications (see ‘ What sections of the SN…
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As relates to the requirement to register the development and reuse of IT components, will my application lose past performance points because our grant is still open, and we haven’t yet registered components?
No; the registration requirement is only scored as part of the Past Performance Evaluation for grants awarded since 2011 that are fully closed-out . Please note that grantees can submit the IT Component and Project Registration Form at any time, using the form template available: . Please complete and return…
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How can a Tribe get involved in the EN?
There are many ways for Tribes to get involved in the Exchange Network. Tribes in any stage of information management program maturity may apply for Exchange Network grants to build the Tribe's capacity to share environmental information with EPA, other EN partners, and the public. Tribes can apply for individual…