Funding Questions and Answers

General Questions

Q. After a more careful review of the solicitation eligibility, we noticed that "for-profit" companies like ours are ineligible...Is this true?

A. Per Section III of the Funding Guidance, State pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations are eligible; "for-profit" organizations are not.

We have been told that For-profit organizations have in some cases assisted eligible organizations with the preparation of their proposals. Once a grant is awarded, the grantee, complying with applicable procurement requirements (found in 40 CFR Parts 30 or 31 and OMB Circular A-102 or A-110, as applicable), can sometimes contract for work with the for-profit.

Q. This a proposal for a second year of funding and I want to use the same
title as last year. Is there a problem with this?

A. You can use the same title. Do also mention that this is a request for a second year of funding.

Q. I want to budget $5,000 to go to another federal agency to create island maps and
images for our publications and planning. How do I handle that re
indirect costs? Can I contract directly because these are products and
not personnel?

A. Use of USEPA money to pay the indirect costs of sister Federal agencies is discouraged. The other Federal agency may also not have the authority to take USEPA money through a grant, whether for personnel or for a contract. It may be that two separate agreements (a grant to you and an Interagency Agreement between USEPA and the other Federal Agency) would be necessary. Describe your plans and, if your project is selected, these are matters that could be worked through later.

Q. I am teaching at the time the phone conference on funding guidance is held but wonder if I can get transcripts or a short list of comments afterwards.

A. If the technology works, we will record the conference call and make it available from our website.

Q. How do you consider proposals from Michigan?

A. All proposals will be considered. According to the Funding Guidance:

In making award decisions, USEPA will consider the geographic distribution of projects and funds, selecting technically sound projects across the basin at both a geographic and institutional level to achieve a reasonable balance of funding by Lake, applicant type, and the State of project location.

Q. If a proposal does not get approval then do we have second chance to resubmit it?

A. You may re-submit your Initial Proposal next year.

Q. How long does it take to approve proposals?

A. See Section V of the Funding Guidance. Initial Proposals are due March 29. Applicants will be notified around June 4 and full application packages can be submitted immediately thereafter through July 15. Processing of the complete application package is expected to take up to 60 days.

Q. Can matching funds be in the form of overhead? (i.e., office space, lights, heat, computer access, etc.) If so, what criteria should be used to determine the amount of the match?

A. Yes. Applicants should use applicable cost provisions of OMB circulars (such as (A-21, A-87, or A-122) and EPA grant regulations (40CFR Part 30 or 31) in valuing their match. Per Section III of the Funding Guidance, matching funds (in cash or in-kind) are encouraged and the match percentage will be considered by reviewers during evaluations in the same way as other criteria are considered.

Q. Will the grant cover aspects of response activities following a terrorist attack against key assets such as bridges, bulk storage facilities and power plants?

A. To the extent it satisfies the Funding Guidance criteria.

Q. Our project will be related to these watersheds outside of North America. We want to collaborate with foreign scientists in this area, and find financial funding. I hope you might help us.

A. Section III of the Funding Guidance states that “Assistance is available pursuant to Clean Water Act §104(b)(3) for activities in the Great Lakes Basin and in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. ...Preference is given to US organizations over foreign organizations; however, coordinated, binational projects are encouraged.

Q. If one project qualifies for funding under several categories, is it better to choose one category or apply under all eligible categories?

A. Choose one category. Section V of the Funding Guidance notes that GLNPO will screen Initial Proposals upon receipt for eligibility, conformance to the solicitation, and placement in categories which will afford them the greatest opportunity for success.

Q. As a NOAA employee, am I eligible to receive EPA-GLNPO funding?

A. Section III of the Funding Guidance states that “State pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations are eligible; "for-profit" organizations are not.” Consequently, you as an individual are not eligible, but NOAA is eligible. Note, however, the Funding Guidance provision in Section V that “Projects for which funding could reasonably be expected from other sources will receive less consideration.”

Q. Would binational projects be considered?

A. Yes. Section III of the Funding Guidance states that “preference is given to US organizations over foreign organizations; however, coordinated, binational projects are encouraged.”

Q. Will you fund Lake Champlain projects?

A. Only if the project can be construed as supporting implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, such as a demonstration applicable to Great Lakes issues. Lake Champlain is not part of the Great Lakes basin under Clean Water Act Section 118.

Q. We got a notice from you about the Conference Call. Should one of us participate or listen in?

A. It's optional on your part, since you registered for the call. You could, of course, join us for the start and see if it is worth your time to stay for the duration, or whether you might want to call back in for a specific session.

Q. Can proposed projects span multiple years, or must they be 1-year projects? If so, are the targeted funding amounts for the total life span of the project, or for each year?

A. Except for incrementally awarded Lake Ontario projects in Section I.F.2.a., applicants should plan for projects to be completed within 2 years of their start dates. The budget should represent the total which would be requested from USEPA for the project's duration. Funding will generally be awarded as a "lump sum" and is not assured for subsequent years. (See Section II Award Information and Section IV - Line-by-line instructions Budget).

Q. How do we go about applying for the non-competitive extension (up to $75,000) to an existing project?

A. Applicants requesting more money for existing projects are generally expected to submit their proposals for additional funding via submission of an Initial Proposal as a part of this Funding Guidance process. That request will be considered alongside all other requests for funding in the applicable category. In unusual circumstances, applicants should talk with their project officers on existing projects to determine if an amendment outside of the Funding Guidance process is possible.

Q. For current grantees applying for a second year of funds to enter a second phase of work, are there any additional things we should keep in mind?

A. The same general and specific criteria apply to existing projects as to new projects. Note that pursuant to Section V - General Criteria, past performance is a consideration.

Q. How do we go about applying for conferences and/or printing requests?

A. By submitting an Initial Proposal under the Habitat or Strategic or Emerging Issues Category, as applicable.

Q. Applications from Canadian organizations for binational RAP projects - what factors will be considered when reviewing the applications?

A. Canadian organizations are eligible. However, Section III of the Funding Guidance provides that “Preference is given to US organizations over foreign organizations; however, coordinated, binational projects are encouraged.” Otherwise, consider carefully the general criteria and the applicable specific criteria and projects of particular interest.

Q. Can I get the details on this program?

A. You may want to visit our home page ( http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/ ) for information about the office, or our Funding page ( http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/glf.html ) for information about previous funding opportunities. Application information is in the Funding Guidance at http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/fund/2004guid/index.html .

Q. If I wanted to simultaneously apply for an EPA STAR grant and a GLNPO grant to fund related work, could I do that? 2. Would I briefly summarize what the other grant would do, and then focus on the work to be funded by, and done under, this grant?

A. Yes. That would be a good approach. Either proposal should be able to stand alone, though, as selection under either process is not assured.

Q. What are the rules or guidelines for equipment purchases? Specifically, we have a proposal that has high start-up costs for equipment, and am looking to several funding sources to share/partner in the these costs (including our own agency). Is this situation something EPA has funded in the past, or would consider in this round of RFPs?

A. Equipment purchases supporting eligible projects under the Funding Guidance would be eligible and would be considered.

Q. Our second question deals with Tab 9: Collaboration/community based support. What is sufficient "evidence of support?" Will we need actual signed letters from other collaborators/ supporters stating their support of the project, or will listing the supporters and their means of support suffice? Should we include these letters as attachments to the proposal?

A. Please describe the support for your project from the public, private, and independent sectors in your “Collaboration” narrative under Tab 9, but do not attach or include letters of support at this time. For “status of collaboration” you can say whether you have actually gotten commitments for support, and from what sources, or what your plans are for getting support. The General Criteria specify that we favor projects which leverage additional resources from their own and other organizations. “Evidence of support will be requested later” after Initial Proposals have been selected, and may include signed letters.

Q. You don't want names of personnel who will be working on a project or their equals? I've looked at example projects, and indeed they don't give names of personnel other than the contact person.

Names of personnel and qualifications are not required. If you think that information would be helpful to our determination of Performance Capability (part of the General Criteria), please feel free to include the information as part of your narrative describing your Proposed Work.

Q. The project I'm proposing adds to/corrects existing work and I want to make
sure the reviewers know that I know about the existing work. Plus I give values that I want to provide backup for. Will I be dinged if I list citations in the "environmental outcome" section (I have room)?

A. Although the citations and the backup information for the values are not required, they may be helpful in determining both Scientific/Professional Merit and Performance Capability. You will not be dinged for including that information.

PSS2004 Software

Q.  Is PSS2004 available in a Mac version?

A. No, unfortunately, PSS2004 is only available in a Windows version. In the past, Mac users have had some success running versions of this software under a Windows emulator, but this hasn't always been successful.

Q.  When I run the SETUP.EXE program to install PSS2004, I get an error message and the program does not get installed.

A. The first thing to try is to download the SETUP.EXE file again to make sure that the file wasn't corrupted in downloading it. If you still get the error, and you are attempting to install the software on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP machine, the problem is most likely because you do not have sufficient rights to perform the installation. Either logon as and Administrator or see your Information Technology support person for assistance. If this doesn't solve the problem, contact Tony Kizlauskas at (312) 353-8773 for technical support.

Q.  Can I include figures and tables in my initial proposal?

A. No, the software only accepts plain text, not figures and tables. To the maximum extent possible, you should describe your project in words and include references to publications or Web addresses to supporting information. We only want you to send us the data file, PSS2004.TPS.

Q.  Do the character limits in PSS2004 include blanks?

A. Yes, in fact, it includes everything typed on the keyboard, including carriage returns. It will also include any special formatting codes that may be pasted in if you cut and paste directly from your word processor, even though these may not be visible in PSS2004. Furthermore, some of these embedded codes may cause PSS2004 to crash when you try to print out your proposal. These are the reasons for cutting and pasting plain text from a plain text editor like Windows Notepad.  See the PSS2004 Help File for additional information on this issue.

Q. Are studies that identify ecological benefits of restoring/protecting wetland ecosystems and identify specific impacts for managers to focus restoration efforts a good fit in the `General Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration' funding opportunity?

A. Yes

Q. Do you really plan to spend $120,000 for 4 to 8 projects in the Emerging or Strategic Issues category? This would amount to $15,000 to $30,000 per project, which seems sort of low.

A. It is unlikely that there will be a large increase in the total dollars available in any category; however, these are estimates, which could change substantially, either up or down, for many reasons. See Section II - Award Information, where we include this statement:

Amounts, Targets, and Number of Projects. Estimates of dollar amounts and numbers of projects are included as planning targets. The actual amounts and numbers may differ substantially for many reasons, including: EPA’s operating plan has not been developed and portions of the resources being allocated for the Funding Guidance have not been specified by Congress; the number and quality of meritorious, technically qualified Initial Proposals is unknown; and EPA seeks a geographic balance among selected projects. EPA reserves the right to select all or none of the Initial Proposals tendered.

Q. For a project to be competitive under this program, will the requested funding have to remain below a certain dollar amount (e.g., $15,000 to $30,000)? Or, is it possible the a solid project could be funded, even if the dollar amount exceeded $30,000/year?

A. These are targets (see above) which can change up or down. A solid project could be funded even if the dollar amount exceeded $30,000.

Q. Clarify concept of Strategic or Emerging Issues.

A. See Funding Guidance Section I.E. These are innovative Great Lakes projects which deal with strategic or emerging issues of basin-wide importance that do not fit elsewhere in the Funding Guidance or cut across several areas. Projects of particular interest are identified.

Q. There is no protection for drinking water in metro. Detroit. There is no monitoring below chemical valley, sarnia. 4.5 million American and Canadian drinking water is at risk.

A. Such a project could be eligible under Strategic or Emerging Issues, or under the LaMP/RAP category. Note, however, that general criteria stating that “projects for which funding could reasonable by expected from other sources will receive less consideration.”

Q. GLNPO and other recent RFPs in which we could apply STAR GLEI biological condition indicators to demonstrate their usefulness to agencies and other stakeholders, maybe how to interface with RAPS or other pertinent programs.

A. Depending on the subject area, such a project could be eligible under the Funding Guidance.

Q. I am mainly interested in determining GLNPO's priorities for which projects it will fund. I have two ideas for emerging issues and would like to know which of these projects would be fundable.

- measuring EDCs/pharmaceuticals in surface and drinking water

- testing the estrogenicity of the water in the Lake St Clair watershed

A. Both projects would be eligible for this category. We especially encourage projects which identify and propose solutions/mitigation. Areas of particular interest are identified in the Funding Guidance.

Q. We are very involved in binational RAP LaMP activities. Are Canadian organizations eligible for funding under this program?

A. Canadian organizations are eligible. However, Section III of the Funding Guidance provides that “Preference is given to US organizations over foreign organizations; however, coordinated, binational projects are encouraged.”

 

Pollution Prevention

Q. Our question here is we are proposing an educational/outreach project under the Pollution Prevention and Toxic Chemicals category and do not know how scientific we should or can get when describing the “Environmental Outcome” under Tab 4. How numerical do these estimates have to be for a communication/education proposal? Is it fine if we list the type of chemicals that will be prevented from this proposal, and maybe how many people we plan on reaching/educating? Or is it better to estimate the specific amount of each chemical that might be reduced?

A. Any of all of these will support the criteria calling for “an evaluation of the potential reductions of pollutants in the environment.” We encourage numerical quantification of that information where possible.

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