No, there is no requirement to submit letters of support. However, there is a Statutory Partnership requirement as explained in Section III.A of the NOFO and Appendix B.
Generally, yes, if the requirements for each program are met. Costs must be attributed to each individual federal grant/loan and properly accounted for pursuant to 2 CFR 200.403(f) and other applicable provisions of 2 CFR Part 200. In addition, Section V.E.7 of the NOFO (also see Sections V.E.5 and 6) states that in making final funding decisions EPA may consider:
The extent to which the EPA funding may complement or be coordinated with other EPA funding or other Federal and/or non-Federal sources of funds/resources to leverage additional resources to contribute to the performance and success of the grant. This includes but is not limited to funds and other resources leveraged from businesses, labor organizations, non-profit organizations, education, and training providers, and/or Federal, state, Tribal, and local governments, as appropriate.
There is a maximum amount of funding that applicants may request under Track I and II, but there is not a minimum. Section II.A of the NOFO states that:
“EPA anticipates awarding approximately $2 billion in funding through this NOFO depending on funding availability, quality of applications received, EPA priorities, and other applicable considerations. Awards under Track I are expected to be between $10-20million each and cannot exceed $20million. Awards underTrack II are expected to be between $1-3million each and cannot exceed $3million.”
Further information is also in Section III.D.10 of the NOFO. Based on this, while there is a maximum ceiling for Track I and II applications, there is no required minimum amount of funding that may be requested for Track I and II applications because we wanted to provide applicants with some flexibility. However, while applications for Track I and II that are submitted below the stated range may be eligible, they will be evaluated based on the criteria and requirements in the NOFO and Track I applications for significantly less than $10 million may not be as competitive as those between $10-20 million.
As required by law (Section 138(a)(1) and (b)(1) of the Clean Air Act), all the grants under the NOFO must be awarded and funds obligated by September 30, 2026, and the performance period for the grants must not extend beyond three years. If a grant is awarded on September 1, 2024, then it must be completed by September 1, 2027, and there can be no extensions.
The grant period of performance is three years from award date, which is the same as the “agreement date.” Recipients may incur pre-award costs to the extent authorized by 2 CFR 1500.9, but EPA will adjust the period of performance and budget period to cover the pre-award costs as provided in 2 CFR 200.403(h). All costs must be incurred, and grant activities must be completed, during this 3-year period of performance. As provided in 2 CFR 200.344(b), recipients will have 120 days following the end of the period of performance to liquidate financial obligations incurred during the period of performance.
As of this time, the CCGP that is covered by the NOFO is a one-time funding opportunity using Inflation Reduction Act funds. Future funding cycles depend on Congressional appropriations.
EPA will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and anticipates doing approximately monthly reviews and will announce selections as soon as practicable after the review process is complete. The timing of the review and selection process are dependent on the volume of applications received and other considerations. The dates in the NOFO are estimates only.
Not necessarily. EPA cannot provide advice on competition strategy or when to apply. Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria in Section V of the NOFO. As noted in Section II.C of the NOFO, EPA cannot predict how long funding will be available under the NOFO since this depends on the quality and volume of applications received, but EPA encourages applicants to take the time necessary to prepare a thorough application that is responsive to the NOFO requirements.
Grant applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as stated in the NOFO. EPA expects the first application reviews to begin sometime in February 2024. Applicants selected for award will be notified as soon as possible after the evaluation and selection process is complete. As noted in Section VI of the NOFO, selection does not mean award. Following selection, the official award process must be completed.
If you are resubmitting your application consistent with Section II.C of the NOFO, then you are not disputing the initial non-selection decision. Applicants that wish to dispute an eligibility or selection decision, either after the initial submission or the resubmission, may do so using the dispute process referred to in Section VI.A. of the NOFO.