U.S. EPA Region 2 Wetland Program Development Grants

Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) assist state, territorial, tribal, local government agencies and interstate/intertribal entities in developing or refining state/ territorial/tribal/local programs which protect, manage, and restore wetlands. The primary focus of these grants is to develop/refine state, territorial, and tribal wetland programs. A secondary focus is to develop/refine local (e.g. county or municipal) programs.

All applications submitted under this RFA must be for projects that develop or refine state/territorial/tribal/local government wetland programs. Implementation of wetland protection programs is not an eligible project under this announcement. An implementation project is one 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. All monitoring and mapping projects should transfer information or advance the state of knowledge and therefore are eligible under this grant.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting applications from eligible applicants to develop or refine state/territorial/tribal/local government wetland programs as described in Section I, FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION, of this announcement. States, territories, tribes, local government agencies, interstate agencies, and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply under this announcement, as further described in Section III.A, ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. Colleges and universities that are agencies of a state government are eligible but must include documentation demonstrating that they are chartered as part of a state government in the application submission. Non-profit organizations are not eligible to compete under this RFA.

Under this announcement, as is more fully explained in Section I, there will be two separate applicant tracks for eligible applicants. Eligible states, territories and tribes can submit applications under either Track One or Track Two, while eligible local governments, interstate agencies, intertribal consortia, and eligible colleges and universities that are agencies of a state government can only submit applications under Track Two. Applicants under each track will only compete for awards against other applicants in their track. See Section V for further information.

The EPA has discretion to contact the applicant if necessary, to discuss the most appropriate track for their application.

Applicants may submit more than one application under this RFA under the applicable tracks. Each application must be separately submitted and be for a different project. In addition, state, territorial, and tribal government applicants may submit applications under each track but each application must be submitted under either Track One or Track Two. State, territorial, and tribal government applicants cannot submit one application covering both tracks. If the applicant indicates that an application covers both tracks EPA will contact the applicant to determine the most appropriate track in which to evaluate the application.

This document describes the grant selection and award process for eligible applicants interested in applying for WPDGs under this announcement. A list of previously funded projects is posted at the EPA’s Wetland Grants Database for reference.

The total amount of federal funding available under this announcement is approximately $1,349,000 depending on Agency funding levels, which may vary from year to year, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates awarding approximately $674,000 in federal funds under Track One and approximately $674,000 in federal funds under Track Two under this announcement. It is anticipated that approximately 3 to 5 awards will be made under Track One and approximately 3 to 5 awards will be made under Track Two with the expectation of funding more projects from Track 1 than Track 2. Awards will likely range from $75,000 to $325,000 in federal funds.

The EPA reserves the right to increase or decrease (including to zero) the total number of awards and dollar amounts for each Track or change the ratio of Track One to Track Two assistance agreements it awards. Such change may be necessary as a response to the quality of applications received by the EPA, the amount of funds awarded to the selected applicants, or budget availability.

All applicants must describe in their application how they will contribute the required minimum cost share/matching funds (see Section III.B for information on the cost share/match requirement).