Tips for Attending Grants Webinars
Thank you for your interest in EPA’s grants webinars. Please review the information below to ensure you get the most out of your participation in EPA's Office of Grants and Debarment (EPA OGD) webinars.
- Registering to Attend
- Connecting to a Webinar
- Using Closed Captions and Accessibility Features
- Asking Questions During a Webinar
- Accessing Presentations and Recordings
Registering to Attend
How do I sign up to attend a grants webinar?
Click on the link under the “Register to Attend” title located on the EPA webpage for the grants webinar that you want to attend (see Figure 1a). Each grants webinar has its own page on the EPA website. Once you complete and submit the registration form, you will receive a confirmation email that includes a direct link to join the grants webinar on the day of the webinar.
After the webinar is over, this unique webpage will have additional information, such as the presentation and recording, a list of helpful links referenced during the grants webinar, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (see Figure 1b).
How can I find out about new grants webinars?
EPA OGD maintains a grants webinar calendar with a list of upcoming and past webinars. EPA OGD also distributes announcements about grants webinars through the EPA Grants Update Listserv. Sign up today to make sure you get the latest webinar news.
Connecting to a Grants Webinar
EPA OGD conducts grants webinars using the Microsoft Teams live event platform. For purposes of this document, the term “webinar” or “grants webinar” is interchangeable with references to “Microsoft Teams live event.”
What is a Microsoft Teams live event?
A Microsoft Teams live event works like a television broadcast – that is, attendees can hear and see the presenters, but the presenters cannot hear or see attendees. During a live event, EPA OGD can reach hundreds and even thousands of attendees during a single webinar.
How do I log in on the day of the grants webinar?
Once you register for the grants webinar, you will receive a confirmation email. Click the meeting link in the confirmation email (see Figure 2) to join the grants webinar on Microsoft Teams.
You can choose to join from your computer browser or through the Microsoft Teams mobile app on your phone. Click the link below to learn more about how to participate in a live event, including tips for preferred internet browsers.
Is there a dial-in number?
A dial-in option is not available for Microsoft Teams live events. However, you can join the grants webinar on your phone using the Microsoft Teams mobile app. You can download this app ahead of time for free. The app is available from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Using Closed Captions and Accessibility Features
How do I access captions or subtitles?
Live captions and subtitles—which refer to the display of text based on what is being said by the presenter–-are available during the grants webinar (see Figure 3).
Please note that captions are generated automatically during the grants webinar using artificial intelligence (by a computer, not a human translator) and may not be 100% accurate. At the beginning of each grants webinar, the EPA presenter will explain how to turn on captions and subtitles. Captions are also available in a variety of languages other than English. See the link below for more information.
What steps does EPA take to increase the accessibility of the grants webinars?
EPA begins each grants webinar with a review of the Microsoft Teams live event controls, including how to use live captions and subtitles. EPA’s grants webinar organizers and presenters also arrange for webinar materials and recordings to be available on the grants webinar’s webpage after the webinar has concluded. Presentations are posted in portable document format (PDF) to the grants webinar’s webpage and recordings are embedded on the webpage with links to specific topics covered in the webinar. Live captions are reviewed and edited prior to embedding the recording to verify accuracy.
- Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Teams – Keyboard shortcuts may be helpful for users with mobility or vision challenges. Keyboard shortcuts are an alternative to using a touchscreen or computer mouse.
- Instructions for using a screen reader to join a Microsoft Teams meeting
Asking Questions During a Grants Webinar
How do I ask questions during the grants webinar?
You can easily submit written questions using the Question & Answer (Q&A) feature during the grants webinar. EPA will explain how to use the Q&A feature at the beginning of each grants webinar.
What kind of questions should I ask?
Please review the grants webinar’s webpage for a list of topics that will be covered during a specific grants webinar. Any questions about the topics are fair and reasonable to ask. If you have questions specific to your organization or questions that are not related to the grants webinar topics, please use the Contact Us button at the top of the page.
Accessing Presentations and Recordings
Do I need to cancel my registration if I can’t join the grants webinar?
No, there is no need to email us to cancel your registration if you are no longer able to join the grants webinar. After the grants webinar is over, the recording will be posted on the EPA grants webinar’s webpage so you can view it later (see Figure 4).
Where can I access grants webinar presentations?
EPA maintains a webpage for each grants webinar where presentations and other resources related to the grants webinar will be posted. In most cases, the presentation is posted in advance of the grants webinar. The recording, list of helpful links, and FAQs are generally posted within a few weeks after each grants webinar. Notification of the availability of grants webinar resources will be distributed via the EPA Grants Update Listserv. To subscribe to this listserv, click on the link below.
How can I access a grants webinar recording?
Recordings of each grants webinar are embedded on the EPA OGD webinar’s webpage (see Figure 4). You can play the recording directly from the webpage, or you can launch the recording in YouTube. EPA also provides links to topic-specific sections of each recording if you want to replay a portion of the grants webinar.
