Learn the Issues
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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 or…
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A requirement of the ‘Individual Capacity Building with Mentorship’ opportunity is that the applicant cannot be a former EN grantee - what if your Tribe has received previous EN grants, but not you or your current group of employees?
If your Tribe has received a previous EN grant award, your organization is not eligible to apply under the Individual Capacity Building with Mentorship opportunity. However, prior grantees should visit the Tribal Exchange Network Group (TXG) website supported by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) to request free technical…
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If I am a Federally recognized Tribe, can I charge indirect costs?
To charge indirect costs, an indirect cost rate agreements must be included in accordance with 2 CFR 200.414 and must be valid until at least 9/30/2025. If you do not have a previously established indirect cost rate (IDC) agreement, you must prepare an indirect cost rate proposal in accordance with…
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Are Tribes limited to a percentage of EN grants funding annually?
No. However, for Fiscal Year 2025, EPA remains committed to awarding at least 20% of the appropriated funds being used to award EN grants to Tribes. The amount awarded to Tribes may be greater than this, depending on the final appropriated amount for grant programs, the number of applicants, proposed…
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How does the VES approach assist with development and maintenance of data exchanges?
The VES approach simplifies development and maintenance of data exchanges using inheritance features and plug-in support. It eliminates software licensing costs, server costs and much of the administration costs for partners, while providing a simplified development model and greater economies of scale. State, Tribal or territorial administrators retain complete control…
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Does the removal of VES as a stand-alone EN Project Opportunity in the Solicitation Notice’s Appendix A mean that EPA will no longer fund projects which involve VES?
Beginning in FY24, Virtual Exchange Services (VES) is no longer an EN project opportunity within Appendix A. VES provides foundational EN capabilities for exchanging data, comparable to physical nodes. VES continues to be a supported capability that can be leveraged to deliver on many of the data exchange opportunities outlined…
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What are Virtual Exchange Services (VES)?
Virtual Exchange Services are EPA cloud-based services that support all the functions of a Network Node. VES can host any number of state, Tribal, and territory partner data exchange activities and provide all the same services as a traditional Exchange Network node for the data flows listed in Table 1…
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What is the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy (EEDS), its three principles, and how is it scored?
The E-Enterprise Digital Strategy (EEDS) is a shared vision to unlock the power of digital information, better coordinate IT systems and services, and deliver more responsive environmental protection. The three principles of this strategy are, the 'Information Centric Approach', the 'Shared Platform Approach', and the 'Customer Centric Approach'. An applicant’s…
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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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In a EN partnership agreement, can a partner procure their own contractor? If so, how should these cost be captured in the Budget Narrative and any other applicable attachments?
A partnering organization can procure their own contractor as long as the applicable procurement standards are followed. See Section 4B for more information on procuring contractors. Note that contractual costs solicited by a project partner should be included as part of the total ‘subaward’ cost under the budget category ‘Other’…
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If a sub-awardee (EN partner) has indirect costs as well, do they also need a Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement in place?
Both organizations (lead applicant and the partner(s)) can charge indirect costs, but each organization must adhere to its own rate agreement (and allowable costs under the base). Additionally, these costs would be captured in separate cost categories: In the proposed project’s budget, the lead organization’s indirect costs would be captured…
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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…