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  2. Great Lakes Funding

Frequently Asked Questions

On this page:

  • Administrative
  • Eligibility
  • Project Scope: Communities and AOCs
  • Budget
  • Quality Assurance & QAPPs

Administrative

  • In an application, can you include unlimited footnotes with links and appendices?

  • Are there guidelines on the proportion of funds that EPA expects to allocate to the expense of setting up and administering the grants? What percentage of a proposal could be allocated to administering the program?

  • Do all the subrecipient projects need to be known first or does the entity ask for a set amount or then do the RA to the communities for other projects so we don't need to know what the projects are going to be when we submit our application?

  • Do underserved communities still need to register with SAM.gov and will they have the reporting responsibilities of federal subrecipient?

  • Is there an expectation on whether small subawards, for ~ $50K, or large subawards, for ~$750K are preferable? For example, a large subaward could be the only thing a regional PR could award if they ask for the minimum of $2,000,000.

  • Can the recipient make multi-year grants to sub recipients?

  • Does the EPA expect to be involved directly in selecting sub recipients such as successful grant applicants?

  • The objectives that were listened in this webinar are do not include remediation of toxic contaminated sediments, water, or air. Is meeting the objectives of the GLRI related to toxic, consider unresponsive to this RFA?

  • How do applicants reflect the 6th year of funding on the SF424A form, as there is only room for 5 years?

  • Does the Budget Narrative and the Summary Information section of the proposal count toward the 25-page limit?

  • Can there be advisors, not paid as Coalition members, who are eligible to be Project Subrecipients?

  • Can we refine MOPs during the award using adaptive management?

  • Should applications include Outputs and Outcomes related to Project Subrecipient evaluation criteria?

  • Can applications have additional Environmental Justice metrics?

  • Could an organization in the coalition be a Project Subrecipient if there is a conflict-of-interest policy in place?

  • What does “projected results” mean?

  • Do we have to pair hands-on, place-based Great Lakes enviro education with one of the other GLRI actions/related MOP?

  • Do applications need to evaluate Project Subrecipients based off of the required Environmental Justice metrics?

  • If we believe there is no possibility a GLRI MOP will be achieved, should we exclude those MOP in the application?

  • Can we refine Project Subrecipient evaluation criteria during the award?

  • If an organization is receiving federal funds for a different project, could they be a paid member of the coalition?

  • If we believe all GLRI MOPs will be achieved, should we include all of them in the application?

  • How much flexibility do applicants have in refining the Outcomes and Outcomes over time using an adaptive management approach?

  • Would it be possible at all to share the list of webinar attendees for coalition-building purposes?

  • To what extent would PRs be encouraged or required to assist PGs with applications while maintaining a competitive process?

  • What EPA-required application requirements would exist for the PGs, keeping in mind the desire to eliminate application barriers?

  • We understand that our nonprofit could not be both the regranter and the regrantee, but does the prohibition against receiving EJ grants extend to board members of our organization?

  • Is it better to not include letters of support from orgs given that they will ultimately be subject to have to apply in a competitive process?

  • What types of things have caused applications to be disqualified for administrative reasons?

  • Can letters of support be emailed directly to EPA?

  • Can applicants apply directly to EPA?

Eligibility

  • Do sub recipients need to be 501c3?

  • Is there any reason a specific municipality or county could not submit as a principal recipient?

  • So, the principal recipient can only manage the sub-recipient projects, they cannot do the project themselves?

  • What does the reporting look like? Will the PR have to report back on the impact of all grantees funded, and if so, how often will this be required?

  • How will underserved communities know what principal recipient (PR) organization serve their community? How will EPA cover all geographics if there are gaps in the coverage areas of the PRs?

  • Is there a set timeline for these grant programs? How long are the programs expected to last?

  • The principal recipient is the grant administrator and it's not executing the programs projects on the ground. However, can the principal recipient be a partner with the Sub-awardees’ organizations and execution of projects or programs?

  • Is it okay if a Project RFA accepts proposals only for green infrastructure and NPS (non-point source) pollution reduction projects? What NPS projects are eligible?

  • Do we need to submit an Adaptive Management Strategy and Performance Measurement Plan?

  • Can you provide the approximate boundaries of the Chicago River watershed?

  • It appears that your NOFO is ONLY for pass-through to sub-recipients. Can a City apply to provide service in an EJ community through its own programs and not subcontract?

  • Are projects located in Lake Champlain eligible for funding?

  • Applications focused solely on applications on improving access, recreational, and workforce development activities are prohibited, but may a PR propose a project that solely focuses on these activities?

  • Are projects located in the St. Louis River Estuary near Superior, WI and Duluth, MN eligible for funding?

  • Can a City apply to provide service in an EJ community through its own programs and not via pass-through subawards?

  • Would surveying or similar human subject research be allowable as a component of a PG’s application or is any such research expressly prohibited?

  • Are projects in Illinois communities within the Little Calumet watershed would be eligible to be regranted under this program?

  • Would participation in the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Programs weaken our application?

  • Are regional sewer districts eligible entities to apply?

  • Can you provide the approximate boundaries of the Chicago River watershed?

  • Is this grant eligible to all of Ohio or only portions of Ohio within the Great Lake's watershed.

  • We can see our proposal working well as a regional or basin wide proposal. Is there any issue with submitting for both?

  • Are organizations located outside of the Great Lakes region eligible to apply for this RFA?

  • Can foreign governments or private entities apply?

Project Scope: Communities and AOCs

  • If a state does not have any federal or state recognized tribal lands, can PR applicants include outreach projects in similar communities that are not formally recognized? Does the screening need to rely on tools of economic factors?

  • This opportunity does not include Focus Area 1, AOC/Toxics. Many AOC may have underserved community populations. Does EPA have guidelines for how to operate in AOCs without causing duplication interference in that program?

  • Is it required that the principal recipient conduct a competitive RFP process upon award of the GLRI grant?

Budget

  • Are there guidelines about the level of competition is expected in the RFA a principal recipient release? Since we will aim to support specific communities, I can imagine this could be a challenge.

  • The authorship of the proposal can be co-written and co-submitted by a coalition. However, how can organizations document the budget? Do coalitions complete several line items budget for each of the members of the coalition and a budget narrative tying th

  • Funding amounts are for the entire project period and not annually, correct?

  • Is there guidance on how much to ask for if PRs don't use the grant funds and is that an issue?

  • Will there be a non-federal cost share or match required of grants made by the principal recipient?

  • Is the grant reimbursement-based or can money be requested up front incrementally?

  • Can EPA give some clarity on the 6-year timeframe and additional potential years of funding as it relates to project timeline(s)? For example, is the timeframe intended to expect multiple years of RFAs released by the prime under the initial application t

  • Can the application also include program admin support for various coalition partners outside of the principal recipient?

  • Is it possible to distribute the majority of project funding in Year 2 and 3?

  • Are there requirements or factors that limit how frequently the re-grant program distributes money?

  • How would the principal recipient access federal funds? Via reimbursement?

  • Will applicants be evaluated on whether or not they leverage funds?

Quality Assurance & QAPPs

  • Is there guidance in the application pertaining to any QAPP (Quality Assurance Project Plan) requirements for the individual projects and associated subrecipients?

Great Lakes Funding

  • About Great Lakes Funding
  • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
  • Previous Grant Awards
  • Request for Applications
Contact Us About Great Lakes Funding
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on August 20, 2024
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