Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program-Frequent Questions

Questions and answers are organized below in the following categories:

Applicant Eligibility
Threshold Eligibility
Project Objectives
Miscellaneous

A. Applicant Eligibility

A1. Which entities are eligible to apply for the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)?

A2. How does EPA define nonprofit organization?

Section 2.A, Eligible Applicants states “Consistent with the definition of Nonprofit organization at 2 CFR § 200.1, the term nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. The term includes tax-exempt nonprofit neighborhood and labor organizations. Note that 2 CFR 200.1 specifically excludes Institutions of Higher Education from the definition of non-profit organization because they are separately defined in the regulation. While not considered to be a nonprofit organization(s) as defined by 2 CFR 200.1, public or nonprofit Institutions of Higher Education are, nevertheless, eligible to submit applications under this NOFO. For-profit colleges, universities, trade schools, and hospitals are ineligible.”

A3. If a potential applicant has questions regarding this announcement, will EPA respond to them?

It depends. EPA will respond to questions from individual applicants regarding threshold eligibility criteria, administrative issues related to the submission of the application, and requests for clarification about the announcement. Questions must be submitted via e-mail to the WaterWorkforceNOFO mailbox (WaterWorkforceNOFO@epa.gov) by September 14, 2026. Written responses will be posted on EPA’s Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program website and will be publicly available.

However, EPA staff are NOT able to discuss draft applications, provide informal comments on draft applications, or provide advice to applicants on how to respond to ranking criteria. Applicants are responsible for the contents of their applications.

A4. Would EPA clarify that applicant really refers to institution and not to the principal investigator?

Individuals are not eligible to apply. Section 2.A, Eligible Applicants for Project Area 1-4 states “Eligible applicants under this competition are nonprofit professional or service organizations, nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community colleges, institutions of higher education, other nonprofit training and educational institutions or public works departments and agencies.”

Note that only one application can be submitted per applicant (see Section 2.A.1, Threshold Eligibility Criteria in the NOFO for additional information).

A5. Are public water agencies eligible to apply for the Innovation Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grants?

Section 2.A, Eligible Applicants states “Consistent with Assistance Listing 66.445 eligible applicants for Project Area 1-4 under this competition are nonprofit professional or service organizations, nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community colleges, institutions of higher education, other nonprofit training and educational institutions, or public works departments and agencies.” "The term "public works department or agency," as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 300j-19e(a), means a political subdivision of a local, county, or regional government that designs, builds, operates, and maintains water infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems, and other public water systems and facilities."

A6. Can an eligible organization submit one application and be identified as a subrecipient in one or more applications submitted by other eligible applicants?

Yes. Section 2.A.1, Threshold Eligibility Criteria, states “Under this competition, only one application can be submitted per applicant."

If you name subawardees/subgrantees and/or contractor(s), including individual consultants, in your application as partners to assist you with the proposed project, pay careful attention to the information in the CONTRACTS AND SUBAWARDS provision found at EPA Solicitation Clauses (https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses).

A7. If an organization receives funding as a subgrantee under this competitive opportunity, will it be eligible to apply as the primary applicant for potential future competitive opportunities for this program?

Applicant eligibility for any future competitive opportunities will be defined in the competitive announcement.

A8. Are subawardees or partners required to be a nonprofit?

No, See the CONTRACTS AND SUBAWARDS provision found at EPA Solicitation Clauses (https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-solicitation-clauses) which discusses parameters if an application names subawardees/subgrantees and/or contractor(s), including individual consultants, in your application as partners to assist you with the proposed project.

A9. Will EPA issue future competitive opportunities for this program?

EPA posts all competitive opportunities on Grants.gov. Interested applicants are encouraged to search Grants.gov for future competitive opportunities.

B. Threshold Eligibility

B1. Can an organization submit more than one application?

No. Under this competition, only one application may be submitted per applicant. Section 2.A.1, Threshold Eligibility Criteria states “3. Under this competition, only one application can be submitted per applicant. If an applicant submits more than one application, EPA will contact them before the review process begins to determine which application(s) will be withdrawn. If the applicant is not able to communicate a decision within 48 hours of being contacted by EPA, EPA will accept the application received in Grants.gov most recently.”

B2. Are all applicants required to use Grants.gov to submit an application?

Unless EPA provides an exception, discussed below, applicants are expected to submit applications through Grants.gov.

Section 5.B, Requirement to Submit Through Grants.gov and Limited Exception Procedures states “Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov under this funding opportunity based on the grants.gov instructions in this announcement. If your organization has no access to the internet or access is very limited, you may request an exception for the remainder of this calendar year by following the procedures outlined here. Please note that your request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods. Please see Section 5.D. for Technical Issues with Submission.

C. Project Objectives

C1. Can funds from this grant be used for both development and implementation of a workforce development project?

Section 3.A., Program Description, 3.A.(1), Project Areas states “EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants for projects in four Project Areas, as described below.” In addition, “All eligible applications will be evaluated based on the criteria in Section 6.B. including how well and thoroughly the Project Area is addressed (see Section 6.B).”

For example, under Project Area 1, EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and address the workforce needs of drinking water and wastewater utilities. This may be achieved by developing and implementing, for example, but not limited to, targeted internship, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and post-secondary bridge programs for priority water utility trades through:

On-the-job training, including registered apprenticeships;
Skills development;
Test preparation, including developing test materials for skilled trade apprenticeships;
Advance training in the water utility sector relating to construction, utility operations treatment and distribution, green infrastructure, customer service, maintenance, and engineering; or
Other supportive services to facilitate post-secondary success and participant support costs (e.g., apprenticeship stipend and training materials, reasonable costs for transportation, childcare subsidies) to facilitate post-secondary success.

C2. Is there a limit on indirect costs or administrative costs?

This competitive opportunity does not establish a maximum indirect cost rate or administrative cost cap. Indirect cost rates must be negotiated with the cognizant federal funding agency in accordance with the procedures in 2 CFR 200 Subpart E “Cost Principles”. As specified in the NOFO, Section B.8.: See Indirect Cost Guidance for Recipients of EPA Assistance Agreements for additional information about indirect cost rates.”

C3. What are examples of “work-based learning opportunities” for Project Area 2?

Section 3.A.(2), Project Area 2, states “Under Project Area 2, EPA is soliciting applications to expand student awareness about the job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and to address the workforce needs of drinking water and wastewater utilities by developing education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students and provide training opportunities for secondary and higher education students that:

Inform students about the role of drinking water and wastewater utilities in their communities;
Increase student awareness of career opportunities, and increase student exposure to water utility careers through various work-based learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom;
Connect students to career pathways related to water utilities;
Provide hands-on contextualized learning opportunities;
Offer dual enrollment credit for post-secondary education and training programs;
Create a direct connection to water utility and industry employers; and/or
Build integrated learning laboratories in secondary educational institutions.

Section 3. (4)., EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Environmental Results includes the following: “Examples of anticipated outputs from the cooperative agreements expected to be awarded under this announcement for Project Area 2, Education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students, may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Establishment of new partnerships with community and technical colleges to provide classroom, online, and/or on the job training experiences for elementary, secondary, or higher education students.
Development, distribution, and use of age-appropriate educational materials to raise elementary, secondary, or higher education student awareness about opportunities in the drinking water or wastewater utilities sector.
Development of an innovative program or strategy in a secondary educational institution to recruit diverse populations to the water utility sector workforce.
Development of new learning laboratories in secondary educational institutions for student awareness about drinking water and wastewater job skills.

C4. For Project Area 2 does the proposed project need to include all levels from elementary, secondary, and higher education? Or can the project focus on one of two of those?

Section 3. A. Project Area 2, states “EPA is soliciting applications to expand student awareness about the job opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility sector and to address the workforce needs of drinking water and wastewater utilities by developing education programs designed for elementary, secondary, and higher education students and provide training opportunities for secondary and higher education students that:

Inform students about the role of drinking water and wastewater utilities in their communities;
Increase student awareness of career opportunities, and increase student exposure to water utility careers through various work-based learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom;
Connect students to career pathways related to water utilities.

For the purposes of this announcement, “secondary education” means education beyond the elementary grades and “higher education” means education beyond the secondary level (e.g. community colleges, vocational schools and/or university level).”

C5. What are examples of participant support costs?

Examples of participant supports costs are identified in Section 3.A and include: “Other supportive services and participant support costs (e.g., apprenticeship stipend and training materials, reasonable costs for transportation, childcare subsidies) to facilitate post-secondary success. RAIN-2018-G05-R1 EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs has additional information.

In their training program descriptions, applicants should describe the process they will follow for determining the amounts of allowable stipends, procedures for accounting for participant support cost payments (including receipts) and documenting that the costs are allowable and do not duplicate other support for the trainee. Additional information on participant support costs is available in EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs.

D. Miscellaneous

D1. Can EPA provide clarification about the “environmental outcomes” required? Does there also need to be a larger public health or environment-related outcome proposed within the proposal?

Section 3.(4)., EPA’s Strategic Plan Linkage and Anticipated Environmental Results, states “EPA also requires that applicants adequately describe environmental outputs and outcomes to be achieved under assistance agreements. See EPA Order 5700.7A1, Environmental Results under Assistance Agreements (https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-order-57007a1-epas-policy-environmental-results-under-epa-assistance-agreements). Applications must include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs. To the maximum extent practicable, the application should include well-defined outcomes that demonstrate how the project will contribute to the overall protection of human health and the environment by ensuring safe drinking water and preventing water pollution.”

Section 3.(4). also states “Outcomes: Environmental outcomes are the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out an environmental program or activity that is related to the environmental or programmatic goal or objective. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic in nature. Outcomes should be quantitative and may not necessarily be achieved within the assistance agreement funding period.” Examples of anticipated outcomes from the cooperative agreements expected to be awarded under this announcement are provided in Section 3.(4). of the NOFO for each of the 4 Project Areas.

D2. Are letters of support or memorandums of understanding (MOUs) required to demonstrate partnerships?

No. The mandatory documents are listed under the NOFO Section IV. B. Submission Instructions and further described in Section IV.D. Application Materials.

D3. Will written responses to questions be posted as they are received?

Section 1.E., Agency Contact, states “Written responses will be posted on EPA’s website at: Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/innovative-water-infrastructure-workforce-development-program).

D4. Does the requirement for geographic diversity imply a project that reaches across state boundaries, or are multi-county or multi- municipal jurisdictions within a state sufficient?

Section 3.A.1., Project Areas includes descriptions for four of the Project Areas that address geographic diversity. Each of the four Project Areas includes the statement “For the purposes of this announcement, “geographically diverse,” means in different areas of the country.”

D5. Can a review of current workforce development programs and retirement expectations in a region be included as a task in the proposal?

Under Section 3., Funding Opportunity Description, Subsection (1). Project Area 3 states, “Regional industry, and workforce development collaborations to address water utility employment needs and coordinate candidate development, particularly in areas of high unemployment or for water utilities with a high proportion of retirement eligible employees.” In addition, “under Project Area 3 it states, “EPA is soliciting applications to expand public awareness about job opportunities in the water sector and address the workforce needs of utilities by establishing regional industry and workforce development collaborations that will address drinking water and wastewater utility recruitment and retention issues. Applications should describe water utility employment needs and provide information on if and how candidate development will occur in areas with high unemployment or for water utilities with high proportion of retirement eligible employees in the water utility community.”

D6. Is there a particular template for letters of support or letters of commitment that EPA requires?

No. The mandatory and optional documents are listed under Section 4.A. Application Materials.

D7. Must subrecipients also fill out EPA form 4700-4 Preaward Compliance Review Report under this solicitation, EPA-OW-OWM-26-03? Or is this form only to be submitted by the prime applicant?

All applications must include the mandatory documents described in Section 4.A. Application Materials.

D8. For successful applicants, will grant funds be distributed on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis?

Please see Recipient/Applicant Information Notice (RAIN) RAIN-2018-G06-R

EPA Requirements for Enrolling in the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) System and Disbursing EPA Funds Within 5 business Days of Drawdown.

D9. Can applications include contractual costs?

Section 5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines information states, “Additional provisions that apply to this solicitation and/or awards made under this solicitation can be found at EPA Solicitation Clauses.”

Under EPA Solicitation Clauses it states, “Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts, and conduct cost and price analyses, to the extent required by the procurement provisions of the regulations at 2 CFR Part 200. Applicants are not required to identify subrecipients and/or contractors (including consultants) in their application. However, if they do, the fact that an applicant selected for award has named a specific subrecipient, contractor, or consultant in the application EPA selects for funding does not relieve the applicant of its obligations to comply with subaward and/or competitive procurement requirements as appropriate. Please note that applicants may not award sole source contracts to consulting, engineering or other firms assisting applicants with the application solely based on the firm's role in preparing the application. For additional guidance applicants should review EPA’s Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements."

Section 4.8.B. Detailed Budget Narrative states “Provide a detailed budget and estimated funding amounts for each project component/task. This section provides an opportunity for a narrative description of the budget or aspects of the budget found in the SF-424A such as “other” and “contractual.”
1. “Applicants must itemize costs related to personnel, fringe benefits, contractual costs, travel, equipment, supplies, other direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs. All subgrant funding should be in the “other” cost category. Describe itemized costs in sufficient detail for EPA to determine the allowability of costs for each project component/task, as well as the cost-effectiveness and reasonableness of all costs.”

Please see interim general budget development guidance for applicants and recipients (RAIN) 2019-G02 (https://www.epa.gov/grants/rain-2019-g02-r2).