Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
Fiscal Year 2024 Building Partner Capacity and Promoting Resiliency and Equity under Clean Water Act
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. BACKGROUND
The EPA is soliciting applications from eligible applicants to provide support for training and related activities to build the capacity of agricultural partners, state, territorial and Tribal officials and nongovernmental stakeholders in activities to be carried out to support the goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) Program, the CWA 305(b) Program, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program, the Nonpoint Source (CWA Section 319) Program, the Fish Monitoring/Advisory Programs, the Recreational Waters/Beach Monitoring Programs and the Water Quality Monitoring Program.
B. STATUTORY AUTHORITY
The statutory authority for the assistance agreements to be funded under this announcement is Section 104(b)(3) of the CWA which authorizes assistance agreements for the following activities: conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments,
training, demonstrations, surveys and studies relating to the causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution.
Implementation projects are not eligible for funding under this announcement. If the application is a demonstration project, then the applicant must describe how it meets the following requirement. Demonstration projects must involve new or experimental technologies, methods, or approaches. The EPA expects that the results of the project will be disseminated so that others can benefit from the knowledge gained in the demonstration project. A project that is accomplished through the performance of routine, traditional, or established practices, or a project that is simply intended to carry out a task rather than transfer information or advance the state of knowledge, however worthwhile the project might be, is not a demonstration project. For applications that include demonstration projects, the applicant must describe how the project meets the above requirements.
C. NATIONAL PRIORITY AREAS
Each application submitted under this announcement must address one, and only one, of the five National Priority Areas described below. Applicants may submit more than one complete application package under this announcement as long as each application is separately submitted and addresses only one National Priority Area. The cover page of each application package must clearly indicate the National Priority Area addressed in the application. If an applicant submits an application that addresses more than one National Priority Area, it will be deemed ineligible and will not be reviewed.
National Priority Area I: State and Tribal Aquatic Resource Monitoring Technical Training and Capacity Building Workshops
National Priority Area II: State, Tribal and Territorial Data Management and Data Sharing Training Workshops in Support of CWA Section 303(d), CWA Section 305(b), TMDLs and Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment
National Priority Area III: Training Workshops on Recreational Waters and Beach Monitoring Programs
National Priority Area IV: Nonpoint Source Technical Support for Tribes
National Priority Area V: Training Workshop on Fish Monitoring and Advisory Programs
A full application package can be found at EPA-OW-OWOW-24-03.
Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by July 17, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. EDT. Late submission will not be considered for funding. Questions about this RFA must be submitted in writing via e-mail and must be received by the Agency Contact identified in Section VII, AGENCY CONTACTS, by July 01, 2024. Written responses to frequently asked or general questions will be posted here.