Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant Program and Related Assistance

 

The National Environmental Information Exchange Network (EN) is an inter-governmental partnership to foster better environmental management and decision-making through increased access to timely and high quality environmental information. The EN, launched in 2002, uses a standards-based approach to facilitate environmental data sharing among EPA, states, tribes and territories. This framework allows organizations to exchange and share data over the Internet regardless of the specific information technology used. Its goals include expanding access to environmental data, personalizing the access experience through customized portals and re-engineering and streamlining regulatory information collection and reporting processes to achieve burden reduction and cost avoidance. The Exchange Network Grant Program provides funding for projects that develop the Network and enable timely, on-demand access to environmental data through innovative technologies, improved support systems, and expanded collaboration using shared tools and services. There are three funding areas for the FY 2023 EPA Exchange Network Grant Program: Funding Area 1: Increased Data Access and Innovative Business Processes. The opportunities under this funding area are designed to help agencies adopt innovative business processes and modernize the critical data services that power their systems and workflows. Funding Area 2: Eliminate paper submittals and expand e-reporting. The opportunities under this funding area are designed by EPA National Program Offices to help their stakeholders submit and share programmatic data for fourteen EPA programs. Funding Area 3: Augment the Information Management Capacity of EN Partners. The opportunities under this funding area are designed to enable applicants to build the IT and data management capacity necessary to effectively manage their environmental programs and to identify the most valuable ways for their programs to participate in the EN.

Active 66.608 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 FY 2016 is the fifteenth year EPA will award Exchange Network grants. From FY 2002 through FY 2015, EPA has provided approximately $200 million for state, tribal and territorial awards and associated program support through the grant program. As of May 2014, all 50 states, 87 tribes and 5 territories have received Exchange Network grants. All states, nearly 150 tribes and several territories are using the EN to report data to EPA. FY 2016 is the fifteenth-year EPA will award Exchange Network grants. From FY 2002 through FY 2015, EPA has provided approximately $200 million for state, tribal and territorial awards and associated program support through the grant program. As of May 2014, all 50 states, 75 tribes and 5 territories have received Exchange Network grants. All states, nearly 150 tribes and several territories are using the EN to report data to EPA.
Fiscal Year 2017 FY 2017 is the sixteenth-year EPA will award Exchange Network grants. From FY 2002 through FY 2016, EPA has provided approximately $210 million for state, tribal and territorial awards and associated program support through the grant program. As of May 2016, all 50 states, 75 tribes and 5 territories have received Exchange Network grants. All states, nearly 150 tribes and several territories are using the EN to report data to EPA.
Fiscal Year 2018 FY 2018 is the seventeenth-year EPA will award Exchange Network grants. From FY 2002 through FY 2018, EPA has provided approximately $228 million for state, tribal and territorial awards and associated program support through the grant program. As of May 2018, all 50 states, 85 tribes and 6 territories have received Exchange Network grants.
Fiscal Year 2022 In FY22, the EN Grants Program received a total of 38 applications.
Fiscal Year 2023 In FY23, the EN Grants Program received a total of 51 applications (an increase of 13 applications from the prior year). The minimal commitment to tribal applicants (10% of total awarded funds in FY19 to FY22 and 20% of total awarded funds in FY23) has been exceeded for at least the last 5 years. EPA's Annual Appropriations Acts Consistent with the Assistance Listing for 66.608, eligible applicants for the Exchange Network Grant program include states, U.S. Territories (i.e., American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the District of Columbia, Guam, Palau, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands), federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages and inter-tribal consortia of federally recognized tribes (e.g., the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission). Other entities, such as regional air pollution control districts and some public universities may apply for assistance if they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state or tribe under applicable laws. Entities asserting they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state must provide a letter from the appropriate state Attorney General certifying the applicant is an agency or instrumentality of the state. Entities asserting they are instrumentalities of a tribe must provide a certification and supporting documentation from the tribal council or other appropriate tribal government official certifying they are an instrumentality of the tribe. EPA will not accept or review an application which does not include the required documentation. The EPA recognizes that environmental programs and associated reporting obligations are sometimes delegated to local governments. Local governments are eligible to apply for EN assistance agreements if they can demonstrate that they are an instrumentality of the state by providing the documentation described in the preceding paragraph. However, most local governments implementing EPA programs are not agencies or instrumentalities of the state and therefore not eligible to apply. EPA encourages such entities to partner with an eligible lead applicant (e.g., a state applicant) to allow for their data to be reported and shared through the EN. Interstate commissions and other interstate entities, likewise, are not eligible to apply and are encouraged to partner with a state applicant. Eligible applicants for the EN Grant Program include states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), federally recognized Indian tribes, and intertribal consortia of federally recognized tribes. Other entities, such as regional air pollution control districts and some public universities may apply for assistance if they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state or tribe under applicable laws. The following standard attachments are mandatory documentation for all applications: Cover Letter; Project Narrative; Budget Narrative Attachment Form; SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance; SF 424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs; EPA Form 5700-54 Key Contacts Form; and EPA Form 4700-4 Pre-Award Compliance Review Report. Additional Mandatory Documentation may be required for applications, if applicable. This includes: - Any applicants charging indirect costs must include a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, - Inter-tribal consortia applicants must include attachment(s) showing that a formal partnership exists among the Tribal governments' members of the inter-tribal consortium, that the majority of the members are federally recognized Indian tribes, and that the consortium's federally recognized tribal members have authorized the consortium to apply for and receive assistance from the EN Grant Program. - Any applicants applying with a formal partner must include partner organization support letter(s), an overview of partner roles and responsibilities, and the distribution of funds. - Any applicants applying with a formal mentor must include mentor organization support letter(s), an overview of mentor roles and responsibilities, and the distribution of funds. - Applicants must provide a list of Prior Exchange Network Assistance Agreements. - Entities such as regional air pollution control districts and some public universities may apply for assistance if they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state or tribe under applicable laws. Applicants applying as such must provide documentation certifying this status. Entities asserting they are agencies or instrumentalities of a state must provide a letter from the appropriate state Attorney General certifying the applicant is an agency or instrumentality of the state. Entities asserting they are instrumentalities of a tribe must provide a certification and supporting documentation from the tribal council or other appropriate tribal government official certifying they are an instrumentality of the tribe. Preapplication coordination is required. Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed as "Information Contacts" in the competitive announcement. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. EPA may require applicants to submit additional or updated documents if the project is selected for funding to complete the funding package. EPA will provide further instructions for submittal of additional or updated documents at that time of award. For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. For non-competitive awards made under this assistance listing, EPA will conduct an administrative evaluation to determine the adequacy of the application in relation to grant regulations and to technical and program evaluation to determine the merit and relevance of the project. The Agency will then advise the applicant if funding is being considered. A final work plan will then be negotiated with the applicant. This assistance listing includes deadline information within the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which contains both the deadline for submitting applications to EPA and the tentative expected award date for the current year's exchange network grants. From 70 to 180 days. Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. Applicants can apply for a one-year no-cost extension to complete their project within the 12-month period before the grant expires. If necessary, an applicant may apply for up to four one-year no cost extensions over the life of the grant. The lifetime of an EN grant cannot exceed seven years total, including extensions. The complete evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. Applicants may propose EN project funding for costs associated with personnel salaries and fringe benefits, Intergovernmental Personnel Act Agreements (IPAs) travel, travel related to Exchange Network activities, equipment, supplies, contractual costs, in-kind services provided by EPA, and indirect costs. Applicants may propose EN project funding for development, modernization, and enhancement activities. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial). Performance Reports: Performance monitoring is required. Frequency will be determined at time of award. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. EPA plans to issue awards for applications that are recommended for funding approximately four months after the application deadline. The standard period of performance for projects funded by the EN Grant Program is three years. EPA may consider requests from award recipients for project/budget period extensions; and if deemed appropriate by EPA, the Grants and Interagency Agreements Management Division may issue amendments extending the project/budget periods for one year, up to four times. Assistance will be provided through lump sum allocations which grantees can draw down upon through programmatic invoices. EPA may provide support in the form of direct funding and/or in-kind assistance, in lieu of direct funding. EPA will also consider requests to award Performance Partnership Grants (PPGs) and Consolidated Grants (CGs). None/Not specified. Erin McGown - Program Manager, Information Exchange Partnership Branch, Office of Information Management
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460 US
ENGrantProgram@epa.gov
Phone: ENGrantProgram@epa.gov https://www.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/exchange-network-grant-program 68-0103-0-1-304 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$2,263,000.00; FY 23 est $10,336,000.00; FY 24 est $15,000,000.00; FY 21$9,336,000.00; FY 20$6,422,000.00; FY 19$9,646,000.00; FY 18$9,550,000.00; FY 17$8,609,000.00; FY 16$10,020,000.00; - Applicants applying under an individual opportunity may request up to $300,000 in funding. Applicants applying under a partnership opportunity may request funds up to $500,000, if all EN partnership eligibility criteria are met. An eligible applicant specifically applying under the Individual Capacity Building with Mentorship opportunity may request up to $315,000 if all requirements are met. This allows up to $15,000 to cover costs for a mentor for first time tribal and territorial applicants For FY22, awards ranged from $56,403 to $400,000, with an average award of $216,667. For FY23, awards are expected to range from $99,682 to to $500,000 with an average award of $311,289. The Exchange Network Grant Program assistance agreements issued to state, territorial, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations (i.e., co-regulator/co-implementer organizations) for associated program support for the EN Grant Program or other EN activities governed by OMB's regulations at 2 CFR 200 and 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards); 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs). Not applicable.