Learn the Issues
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Does it affect credibility/scoring of our application if this is the first time we are applying for the grant?
No, the credibility of first-time applicants is not affected by this; we have many new grantees each fiscal year. Please be sure to state you have never received a prior EN grant in the Past Performance section of your Project Narrative (Section 8). Please note, however, that there is an…
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Are scoring benefits given to a partnership (coalition) application over an individual application?
There are no scoring benefits or priorities given to an individual EN assistance agreement verses an eligible EN partnership assistance agreement; there are simply different funding thresholds available and some additional information required in the application attachments (see Solicitation Notice Appendix E for more details on this). Each application is…
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What are ‘business and/or administrative Needs’?
In the context of the EN Grant Program, this phrase indicates statements that define organizational requirement(s) that must be met in order to get an organization from where they currently are to where that organization would like to be. This could be improvements to or the implementation of programmatic workflows…
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Can you provide more information on ‘enhancing data sharing and availability for other organizations on the Exchange Network’?
Specific examples cannot be given for this, as it relates directly to our scored evaluation criteria. However, we do ask applicants to provide details on how the proposed work could enhance data sharing/availability for (1) immediate stakeholders (your organization and any formal EN partners, if applicable) and (2) organizations outside…
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Is the cost per project output breakout mandatory? Can we choose to leave this out or only provide costs per goal?
Costs per project output are scored under our evaluation criteria and therefore should be included. We also recognize that not everything is known at the time of proposal development; please just do the best you can in estimating costs and scheduled completion dates over the three-year period of performance (as…
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Do I need to list out prior EN assistance agreements in project narrative section 8?
In the Past Performance section of the project narrative, please clearly indicate the number of prior Exchange Network assistance agreement(s) or put zero (0) if the organization has never received an EN assistance agreement since 2002. Applicants that have received prior Exchange Network assistance agreements must provide an additional attachment…
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For Additional Attachment E: List of Prior Exchange Network Assistance Agreements, is this for EN grants or all EPA assistance agreements?
The EN Grant Program is only asking applicants to list past Exchange Network grants in the attachment ‘List of Prior EN Assistance Agreements’. Applicants should include a bulleted list of prior EN awards, with the grant number, fiscal year in which they were awarded, and, if available, the original project…
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When listing prior EN grants under Additional Attachment E, do we list these agreements at the agency level or at the program office?
We ask that you list EN agreements received by your agency at large, not your specific division or program office. This is because applicants are identified by the UEI number assigned to their organization on SAM.gov. If you are not fully aware of the number of EN grants received by…
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The optional templates have tables that request similar information; is it okay to reference another table rather than repeat whole paragraphs or to not use these tables?
Though you are free to edit the optional tables as you see fit, please note that they relate directly to elements that are scored under our evaluation criteria. While the use of these tables does not guarantee a high score, they can help applicants to provide all the information that…
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Both project narrative sections 1 and 2 request information related to ‘business and/or administrative needs’; how does the requested information in these sections differ?
The first section of the project narrative asks for a list of some general business needs and administrative needs of the applicant organization that will be met through the proposed project. Then, in section two, it asks that those general needs be linked to the proposed goals. So, for each…
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For the Project Manager requirement -- we usually have someone in the Environmental Dept as the project manager and someone else in the Finance Dept deal with the financial end. Can we put two people down for this "Project Manager" requirement?
One person should be listed as the project manager within the project narrative and should match the contact as listed in the mandatory ‘key contact form’ attachment. When asked about project manager experience in section 3 of the project narrative, the applicant should include any relevant experience to budget and…
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Does the EN Grant Program have a cost match requirement?
There is no match requirement for Exchange Network grants; nonfederal funds should not be included on application attachment forms (such as the SF 424 and SF 424a forms).
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Does this grant cover personnel costs, including the hiring of a staff member?
EN grant funds may be used for personnel costs, including the hiring of staff to support the grant project, the hiring of an individual consultant, or the use of a contractor. Applicants should review Appendix E for more information on what to include in the application when a portion of…
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What are fringe costs?
These costs are allowances and services that you provide to your employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Examples of fringe costs include employee leave, employee insurance, pensions and unemployment, and holiday benefits. Information on calculating fringe benefit costs is available in Appendix D of the FY24…
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Is the purchase of equipment allowed for this grant program?
Yes, the purchase of equipment is allowed. Equipment is tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a cost that equals or exceeds $10,000 per unit. Necessary items that are less than $10,000 per unit should be categorized in the project…
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In how much detail should travel plans be budgeted for and can these costs be updated if plans change after the grant is awarded?
Applicants should provide details on proposed travel in your application to the best of their abilities, based on anticipated travel plans (location, duration, etc.) Changes that alter the cost of travel more than 10% of the original budgeted costs, will require a workplan update. To make this change, grantees can…
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Can an applicant use grant funds to purchase software?
Yes, a grantee may use grant funds to purchase software if appropriate for the proposed project.
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Can you tell us how we might budget for IT costs provided by another office within our own agency that is a separate branch of the same government, as is required by our state/Tribal law?
The costs should be categorized under the cost category of ‘other’, but not as a subaward. This would truly be an ‘other’ cost, with a unique category: ‘central IT service’ or something similar to that. Then, if it is a lump sum cost, it should be included as one line…
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Is an Indirect Cost Rate required to apply?
An Indirect Cost Rate is not required to apply for a grant unless your budget includes indirect costs.
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What documents are required to charge an indirect cost?
If you wish to include indirect costs in your proposed budget when applying for a grant or cooperative agreement, you must (1) Provide a copy of your current approved indirect cost rate agreement valid until at least September 30th of the current year, or (2) Provide a copy of documentation…