![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Grants Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Links
These FAQs apply only to competitions sponsored by EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE). This page will be updated as we receive questions regarding grants. We are not able to answer a question if the answer involves individual advice to a potential applicant.
This page was most recently updated on Wednesday, March 21, 2008.
Q1. Are indirect (overhead) costs allowable costs to include in the budget of the application?
- A1. Yes, indirect costs are allowable costs. For more detailed information on policies concerning the definition and treatment of indirect costs for assistance agreement awards, visit the Grants Management website of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_circulars.html.
Q2. Where do I add details explaining the basis for the budget calculations of indicated sums?
- A2. On the SF-424A form, applicants are directed to use box 23, "Remarks," to provide details on budget calculations (e.g., Travel: N trips, each at $X). The 'supplemental page(s)' referred to in Section IV(B)(3)of the solicitation will then be a part of your file for this form. Please be aware for applicants using the fill-and-save PDF version of SF-424A, box 23 will not automatically be resized to show all the details you are able to enter using the software. Should an applicant need to enter more than two lines of text in this box, the information will still be visible to reviewers reading the file, but materials contained after the first two lines will not appear when the document is printed. Therefore we ask applicants submitting text in excess of two lines in this box to please alert us by indicating this in the box (e.g., adding the phrase 'continued' in the first two lines of visible text). Applicants using the WordPerfect or Word versions of the forms will not experience this, as the boxes will automatically be resized to accommodate additional lines of text. The required justification of costs is to be included as part of the Project Description, Budget Justification and Evaluation Criteria Discussion" file described in Section IV(B)(2)of the announcement. The information contained in box 23 of SF-424A should only include material necessary to explain the basis for the budget calculations; NCEE will not consider any justification information located here in evaluating the adequacy of the proposer's budget.
Q3. If my proposal includes several different proposed workshops, and EPA decides it is not interested in some, but is interested in others, will my proposal be rejected outright or will a subset of my proposal be considered?
- A3. A subset can only be considered if you have included (as suggested in Section IV(B)) a narrative description of the budget implications should we determine that EPA will only fund a portion of your proposal. If we are only interested in some projects but not all of those listed in the proposal, you will be advised of this when we request a complete application package. While a single proposal covering multiple projects is permitted, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit separate proposals for each workshop, unless the proposal represents a cohesive package falling entirely within one of the workshop categories (Section I).
Q4. Is cost sharing crucial?
- A4. As the solicitation notes (Section III.B), there is no match or cost-sharing requirements. However, costs are a critical component of the evaluation criteria and thus cost-sharing, as it pertains to cost effectiveness, will be considered.
Q5. Can grant funds be used to pay travel expenses (including invited speakers and overseas travel)?
- A5. Travel expenses are a legitimate cost, and may be covered as noted in another question on costs (above). However, payments for federal government employees' travel is prohibited.
Q6. Once a final decision is made on the proposals that will receive funding from NCEE, what information on the non-funded proposals will NCEE share?
- A6. Both initial proposals and complete applications for funding are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), after award decisions have been made. This means that anyone can request, and may receive, copies of them. Therefore, applicants are discouraged from including any confidential information in their initial proposals. Although funded proposals will be announced on NCEE's website, details of non-funded proposals won't be made public without a FOIA request.
Q7. What happens if I submit an application after the 4:00pm EST on March 24, 2008 deadline?
- A7. It will not be reviewed.
Q8. What happens if my proposal is longer than the specified page limit?
- A8. We will only consider the pages up to and including the last allowable page.
Q9. How can I determine whether the subject matter addressed in my proposal is covered under the statutory authority the EPA is using to provide the means for funding of assistance agreements covered under this solicitation?
- A9. The EPA is given authority in its authorizing statutes to issue assistance agreements in support of economic studies addressing a variety of environmental issues and conditions. The specific citations introduced in the solicitation can be found in the United States Code. Links to the four sections included in the solicitation are provided below.
- Clean Air Act, as amended, Section 103 http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode42/usc_sec_42_00007403----000-.html
Clean Water Act, as amended, Section 104 http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode33/usc_sec_33_00001254----000-.html
Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended, Section 8001. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode42/usc_sec_42_00006981----000-.html
Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, Section 1442 http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode42/usc_sec_42_00000300---j001-.html
Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/2609.html
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, 7 U.S.C. 136r http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/7/136r.html
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, Section 311, 42 U.S.C. 9660 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/9660.html
EPA funds may only be used for the purposes set forth in the award and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award. The applicant is responsible for drawing a clear connection in the application between the subject matter of the research to be performed and the statutory authority given to EPA to address issues that concern this same subject matter. Once proposals are reviewed and final recommendations are prepared, EPA will confirm the statutory authority to be used to fund the projects and may require modifications to the project consistent with the applicable statute.
 |
Q10. Can you clarify what is entailed in “substantial EPA collaboration regarding the scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operation, and other management processes”?
- A10. EPA has authority to award assistance agreements as either grants or as cooperative agreements under this solicitation. The mechanism used will be determined by the extent and nature of programmatic involvement by EPA personnel in the activities to be supported under the agreement. For cooperative agreements, EPA would be expected to have substantial programmatic involvement with the recipient in the activities covered in the agreement. In these cases, EPA’s involvement in and contribution to the technical aspects of the effort would be seen as necessary for its accomplishment.
- As a guide to making this determination, anticipated involvement during performance would exist and, depending on the circumstances, could be substantial, where the relationship includes, for example:
- Intense monitoring by EPA of the project, including option to immediately halt an activity
- Joint operational involvement, participation, and or collaboration between EPA and the recipient (e.g., enhancing the policy relevance of the project, assisting in dissemination of the project results)
- EPA prior review or approval of project phases or the substantive provisions of proposed contracts found with the scope of the agreement
- EPA collaboration regarding scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operation and other management process
- Conversely, anticipated substantial involvement during performance does not include:
- EPA approval of recipient plans prior to award
- Normal overview of activities such as site visits, performance reporting, financial reporting and audits
- Unanticipated involvement by EPA to correct for deficiencies in the project or financial performance
- EPA reviews of performance after completion of the project
- Enforcement of public policy and socioeconomic statutory requirements such as civil rights, environmental protection, and provision for the handicapped.
- Enforcement of general fiscal and administrative requirements such as those included in OMB circulars or Federal Government regulations
Q11. Will the cooperative agreements that are funded under this announcement be CESU agreements (under the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit program)?
- A11. No. Although the EPA may be listed as a federal agency serving in some capacity as a member of the CESU Network, the solicitation was not written with any intended ties or linkages to the goals or operating policies and procedures established by this program.
Q12. Will the indirect cost rate that is applicable to projects funded under this announcement be our institution’s standard negotiated indirect cost rate for federal grants and contracts, or another rate such as a lower indirect cost rate negotiated under alternative programs supporting issuance of cooperative agreements? If another rate is applicable, what is that rate, or how will it be determined?
- A12. Current EPA policy is to forward indirect cost rate proposals to cost negotiators at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) who, through an interagency agreement, negotiate rates on behalf of EPA. The cost negotiators conduct the reviews, and negotiate rates with the recipients. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has an online database which posts rate agreements negotiated by various federal agencies. The weblink for this database is http://rates.psc.gov/fms/dca/new_search.html.
- Negotiated agreements for indirect cost rates are generally good for a 12-month period. However, if a recipient submits data covering more than one 12-month period in their indirect cost rate proposal, and is requesting rates for the additional year(s), then the cost negotiators may establish a rate(s) for the additional 12-month period(s). A rate agreement may also cover less than a 12-month period.
- No special documentation is required during the application phase; documentation is required only after the grant is awarded. At that point an EPA grant specialist is responsible for determining if the recipient has an approved indirect cost rate agreement. The EPA grant specialist can (1) ask the recipient to provide a copy of the current indirect cost rate agreement; or (2) check the above online database and other databases managed within the EPA to verify the existence of an agreement.
- EPA will reimburse indirect costs if the recipient has a current approved indirect cost rate. The EPA grant specialist must verify that a current rate is in place. However, indirect costs that are listed in the recipient’s budget for a period not covered by the current negotiated rate agreement are not eligible for a full reimbursement; unless the recipient submits an indirect cost rate proposal to its cognizant federal agency (EPA, if applicable) for the period in which those costs were incurred.
Q13. In Section IV.(B)(5) Documentation of Qualifications, the RFIP refers to both resumes and biographical sketches. Could you clarify whether you would prefer to receive detailed resumes (or curriculum vitae) or shorter biographical sketches?
- A13. There is no page limit or format prescribed for this information in this section of the application, so applicants are free to exercise their judgement on how much detailed information to provide in response to this request, including possible duplication of some material if provided in a summary or "sketch" format.
- A14. National laboratories funded by Federal Agencies (Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers, “FFRDCs”) may not apply. FFRDC employees may cooperate or collaborate with eligible applicants within the limits imposed by applicable legislation and regulations. They may participate in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research directed by the applicant, but may not direct projects on behalf of the applicant organization. The institution, organization, or governance receiving the award may provide funds through its assistance agreement from the EPA to an FFRDC for research personnel, supplies, equipment, and other expenses directly related to the research. However, salaries for permanent FFRDC employees may not be provided through this mechanism.
Federal Agencies may not apply. Federal employees are not eligible to serve in a principal leadership role on a assistance agreement, and may not receive salaries or augment their Agency’s appropriations in other ways through awards made under this program.
The applicant institution may enter into an agreement with a Federal Agency to purchase or utilize unique supplies or services unavailable in the private sector. Examples are purchase of satellite data, census data tapes, chemical reference standards, analyses, or use of instrumentation or other facilities not available elsewhere. A written justification for federal involvement must be included in the application. In addition, an appropriate form of assurance that documents the commitment, such as a letter of intent from the Federal Agency involved, should be included.
- A15. No. At this time, we do not have our own sample forms that have been prepared for applicants to use to assist in the filing of applications to the solicitation.
For applicants looking for sample budget justifications, we are aware that samples have been provided by some other federal agencies supporting assistance agreements. Some examples include:
- http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/downloads/sample_budget_no_match.doc
http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/budget_justification_template.doc
We require that applicants follow the directions in our solicitation concerning the filing of required forms and optional documents, and recommend that applicants use their discretion as to whether any of the above samples, or other presentations applicants may find in their own searches, can serve as useful ways to assemble and present information in their application.
We will consider the potential utility of supplying our own examples for future solicitations sponsored by our office.
- A16. The solicitation asks that the "Narrative Section" include citations or references to other literature. Therefore, the 15-page limitations included in the directions include pages used for citations and literature references.
- A17. No. Both of these fields can be left blank by applicants, whether filling out the form using grants.gov or using one of the other methods to file an application.
A18. The following corrections were made to the TOC in the original solicitation, in response to comments provided from a prospective applicant on February 21, 2008.
*Table of Contents (TOC), adjusted to reflect the following:
Section IV.B.6, Application and Submission Information
Section IV.B.7, Guidelines, Limitations and Additional Requirements
Section IV.E, Grants.gov Instruction
Section IV.G, Public Access and Information Release
Section VI.E, Nonprofit Administrative Capability Clause - section missing from original version has since been added.
E. Nonprofit Administrative Capability Clause
- Nonprofit applicants that are recommended for funding under this announcement are subject to pre-award administrative capability reviews consistent with Sections 8.b, 8.c, and 9.d of EPA Order 5700.8, ‘EPA Policy on Assessing Capabilities of Non-Profit Applicants for Managing Assistance Awards’ which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/award/5700_8.pdf. In addition, non-profit applicants that qualify for funding may, depending on the size of the award, be required to fill out and submit to the Grants Management Office the Administrative Capability Form, with supporting documents, contained in Appendix A of EPA Order 5700.8.
Q19. In response to the discussion in Section IV.B.6 on Environmental Results Past Performance, should this list be compiled from all of the federally funded projects that an organization has been awarded, or should it be compiled from the federally funded projects of the Department within an organization who will be leading and performing the work?
A19. Applicants are welcome to include references to federally funded projects their organization has been awarded that they believe will be relevant to help in gauging their organization's capability to meet this criterion. If a specific department within the organization will be directing and performing the work proposed in the application, then it will be helpful to note their specific role within the federally funded projects that are referenced in the application.
Q20. In response to the discussion in Section IV.B.6 on Programmatic Capability, should this list be compiled from all of the federally funded projects that an organization has been awarded, or should it be compiled from the federally funded projects of the Department within an organization who will be leading and performing the work?
A20. Applicants are welcome to include references to federally funded projects their organization has been awarded that they believe will be relevant to help in gauging their organization's capability to meet this criterion. If a specific department within the organization will be directing and performing the work proposed in the application, then it will be helpful to note their specific role within the federally funded projects that are referenced in the application.
Q21. Are international organizations eligible to apply to the solicitation?
A21. Yes, the solicitation will be amended to clarify that under the CFDA and provisions guiding the eligibility of applicants, that international organizations are eligible for consideration in the solicitation. The requirements to award assistance agreements to international organizations are different from those required of domestic organizations, so there may be some added effort required of both EPA and the applicants to complete a final funding assistance package if their proposal is selected to receive funding on the basis of the findings of the technical panel review and decisions of the recommending official. As a result, relative to domestic application packages, it will probably take more time (e.g., allow 1-2 additional months) for awards to be issued to international organizations recommended and approved for funding at the completion of all EPA programmatic and administrative reviews. Applicants from international organizations should be aware of this when developing proposed timeframes for dates of workshops included in the proposal.
Q22. When using grants.gov to submit materials requested in the solicitation, the Grant Application Package screen and instructions do not appear to provide a way to add "Optional Documents" to the application. There is only reference to four "Mandatory Documents" included on the screen ("Application for Federal Assistance (SF424)", "EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54", "Project Narrative Attachment Form", and "Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424a)"). There is no form listed in either the "Optional" or "Mandatory Documents" titled "Other Attachments Form," even though the solicitation names this form as one of the documents that can be added to the application using the grants.gov process. How can I add "Optional Documents", such as materials called for under Section IV.B.5 Documentation of Qualifications (i.e., resumes) or Section IV.B.6.Application and Submission Information that concerns Environmental Past Performance and Programmatic Capability?
- A22. For applicants using grants.gov to submit application materials, there is a way to add more electronic documents to the application package. As a result of other comments received from applicants, it was discovered that the format used to submit "Optional Documents" hadn't been made functional when the solicitation was initially posted. This error was corrected on March 18, and applicants can now use this feature to add information of the type requested in these Sections of the solicitation.
What applicants are advised to do is to use the "Optional Documents" mechanism to attach more documents. After highlighting the "Other Attachments Form" and clicking on the "Open Form" button, a new screen appears and invites the applicant to add files using the "Add Mandatory Other Attachment" button. Applicants can use this mechanism to add electronic copies of other optional documents to their application. The database allows for multiple electronic forms to be added to the application, and for each to be viewed to verify that the correct material has been attached. Applicants may want to consider naming the electronic files so that it is clearer what information is contained in the attached files. Also, it may be helpful to also expand the file name to include information from the "Application Filing Name" field applicants must complete on the Grant Application Package form (e.g., Resumes from Organization "x", Environmental Results Past Performance from Organization "x", Programmatic Capability from Organization "x").
- A23 With regard to submitting this information with the application, we refer readers back to Question #22 that concerns the addition of "Optional Documents" as part of the application. As a result of other comments received from applicants, it was discovered that the format used to submit "Optional Documents" hadn't been made functional when the solicitation was initially posted. This error was corrected on March 18, and applicants can now use this feature to add information of the type requested in these Sections of the solicitation.
There are no page limits for applicants to adhere to in providing information requested under these two sections of the solicitation (Section IV.B.5 and Section IV.B.6). There is a page limit for other sections of the solicitation - specifically the Narrative Proposal described in Section IV.B.3 (page 12) of the solicitation. To the extent that there may appear to be some overlap between the type of information covered in the Narrative Proposal and type of information contained in materials submitted under Sections IV.B.5 and IV.B.6, we recommend that applicants use the Narrative Proposal section to summarize this information so as to remain within the 15 page limit, and to make reference to any additional information that applicants choose to include in the attachments contained in the "Optional Documents" that are submitted as part of the application.
- A24 For applicants unable to submit an electronic application, please use the following address for express delivery packages:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics
EPA West Building, 4th floor, Room 4424
1301 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
phone: (202-566-2244)
attn: Clay Ogg
Applicants are asked to send one original signed copy of all forms and supporting materials included in their application.
- A.25. As a result of other comments received from applicants, it was discovered that the format used to submit a "Budget Narrative Attachment Form" wasn't made functional when the solicitation was initially posted. If an applicant wishes to include more detailed information on their budget beyond the information included in the "Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF424-A)" form or as part of the "Project Narrative Attachment Form" it is recommended that the applicant use the "Optional Documents" form included in the application package, and follow the procedures to add an "Other Additional Form". Some description of this procedure if provided above in Question#22. There is no separate "Budget Narrative Attachment Form" included in the application package, which was an oversight in developing the solicitation and programming the application package.
- A26. If an applicant has letters of support, these materials can be referenced in the "Narrative Proposal" section of the application (which is limited to 15 pages), and it is recommended that the complete "letters of support" be included in the application using the "Optional Documents" submission form included in the application package. The procedures to add this information as an "Other Additional Form" is provided above in Question#22. The materials should be capable of being read and printed using software provided by either Microsoft (e.g., Office MS-Word files) or Adobe (e.g., Acrobat pdf files).