Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings

Full Announcement

Notice of Funding Opportunity
Applications Due: April 15, 2026
Office of Air and Radiation
Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in
Community Buildings
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OAR-ORIA-25-03

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Contents
1. Basic Information .................................................................................................................................. 1
A. Executive Summary: ......................................................................................................................... 1
B. Key Information: ............................................................................................................................... 1
C. Key Dates: ......................................................................................................................................... 1
D. Funding Details: ................................................................................................................................ 2
E. Agency Contact Information: ............................................................................................................ 2
2. Eligibility ................................................................................................................................................ 2
A. Eligible Applicants ............................................................................................................................. 2
(1) Other Eligibility Requirements ......................................................................................................... 2
B. Cost Sharing ...................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Program Description ............................................................................................................................. 4
A. Purpose, Priorities, and Activities ..................................................................................................... 4
B. Program Goals and Objectives .......................................................................................................... 8
C. Statutory Authority ........................................................................................................................... 8
D. Funding Type..................................................................................................................................... 8
4. Application Contents and Format ......................................................................................................... 8
A. Application Forms ............................................................................................................................. 8
B. Project Narrative Description ........................................................................................................... 9
C. Applicants Using Contractors .......................................................................................................... 17
D. Coalition Coverage .......................................................................................................................... 17
E. Other Program-Specific Application Information ............................................................................ 17
5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines ........................................................................................... 19
A. Submission Dates and Times .......................................................................................................... 19
B. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) ............................. 19
C. Submission Instructions .................................................................................................................. 20
D. Technical Issues with Submission ................................................................................................... 20
E. Intergovernmental Review .............................................................................................................. 20
6. Application Review Information ......................................................................................................... 21
A. Responsiveness Review .................................................................................................................. 21
B. Review Criteria ................................................................................................................................ 21
Project Summary and Approach (55 points) .................................................................................. 22
Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes, and Performance Measures (15 points) ............... 22
Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance Criteria (15 points) ....... 23
Budget (15 points) .......................................................................................................................... 23
C. Review and Selection Process ......................................................................................................... 23
(1) Other Evaluation Factors ................................................................................................... 24
D. Risk Review ..................................................................................................................................... 24
7. Award Notices ..................................................................................................................................... 24
8. Post-Award Requirements and Administration .................................................................................. 24
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A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements ......................................................................... 24
B. Reporting ........................................................................................................................................ 25
C. Subaward and Executive Compensation Reporting ........................................................................ 25
9. Other Information ............................................................................................................................... 25
A. Additional Provisions for Applicants ............................................................................................... 25
B. Further Information Regarding Contracts, Subawards, and Participant Support Costs ................. 25
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1. Basic Information
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air and Radiation
Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings
https://www.epa.gov/emergencies-iaq/wildfire-smoke-preparedness-community-buildings-grant-
program
A.Executive Summary:
Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings is a federal
grant program to enhance community wildfire smoke preparedness. B.Key Information:
This program provides grants to states, federally recognized Tribes,
Opportunity Number:
public pre-schools, local educational agencies, and non-profit
organizations for the assessment, prevention, control, or abatement EPA-OAR-ORIA-25-03
of wildfire smoke hazards in community buildings and related
activities. These grants are intended to support activities that will Assistance Listing:
reduce indoor exposure to pollutants in wildfire smoke and, in turn, 66.044
reduce the public health burden of wildfire smoke exposure.
Announcement Type:
This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits
applications from eligible entities to improve public health protection Initial
against smoke from wildfires by enhancing preparedness in
Funding Available:
community buildings. The EPA is soliciting applications for projects
that support this effort through activities such as: $13,580,000
• Smoke readiness planning;
Number of Awards:
• Outreach and training for smoke readiness;
8 – 11
• Indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring;
• Deployment of portable air cleaners;
• Identification and preparation of cleaner air spaces or shelters;
• Significant improvements to buildings such as upgrading and repairing heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning (HVAC) units or systems and weatherization.
Activities may include research, demonstrations, technical assistance, training, education and/or
outreach components. Applications must target public buildings or buildings that serve the public.
C.Key Dates:
January 30, 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Opens
February 25, 2026 Information Session
April 8, 2026 Final Date to Submit Questions
April 15, 2026 11:59 pm ET Application Submission Deadline
July 2026 Anticipated Notification of Selection
September 2026 Anticipated Award Notification
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D.Funding Details:
Under this announcement the EPA is combining $6,790,000 of fiscal year 2024 and $6,790,000 of fiscal
year 2025 funds into one competition for a total of $13,580,00 of available funding. It is anticipated that
up to 11 award(s) will be made under this announcement. Awards are expected to be between $350,000
and $2,500,000, depending on Agency funding levels, the quality of applications received, agency
priorities, and other applicable considerations. Awards funded under this opportunity are expected to
have a 3-year project period.
A maximum of $3,395,000 (25%) of total funding available may go to award recipients in any one state.
Note that Tribes are sovereign nations; funding awarded to a Tribe would be considered separately from
funding granted to other recipients in a particular state.
E.Agency Contact Information:
Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPA contact(s) indicated below.
Wildfire Smoke Grants Team WildfireSmokeGrants@epa.gov
2. Eligibility
A.Eligible Applicants
Only these types of organizations may apply:
• States (including the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and possessions);
• Federally recognized Tribes;
• Public pre-schools (consistent with the definitions of ”public” and “preschool” in 34 CFR §77.1,
the term “public pre-school” means any agency, organization, or institution under the
administrative supervision or control of a government that provides education from a child’s
birth to the time at which the State provides elementary education);
• Local educational agencies (as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 7801(30));
• Public and private non-profit organizations.
(1)Other Eligibility Requirements
Applications must meet the following threshold criteria to be considered eligible:
1. Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and
requirements set forth in Section 5.
2. Applications must not request more than $2,500,000.
3. Applicants may only submit 1 application under this opportunity. Applicants that submit more than 1
application will be contacted to determine which application to evaluate. The remaining
application(s) will be deemed ineligible.
4. Applications must characterize the population served by the project as described in Section 3.A.
5. Applications must describe a detailed approach to measure project effectiveness consistent with
Section 3.A.
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6. Applications must describe how much or how often the buildings or communities served by the
project are impacted by wildfire smoke consistent with Section 3.A.
7. Applications must not be exclusively designed to conduct scientific research consistent with Section
3.A.
Any of the following ineligible costs or activities may lead to a portion or all the application not being
reviewed, depending on the extent to which they affect the application:
1. Activities must not make permanent improvements in private residences, such as the installation of
HVAC equipment (see Section 3.A).
2. Activities must not promote the use of air cleaning technologies of unknown or unclear performance
against air pollutants in wildfire smoke such as bipolar ionization, ozone generators, ionizing air
cleaners, and oxidizing air cleaners (see Section 3.A).
3. If an application requests a waiver of the required cost share but does not meet the eligibility criteria
as described in Section 2.B., the EPA may contact the applicant to either revise the application to
provide the required cost share or withdraw the application.
4. Applications cannot include any costs that are included as a cost of any other federally financed
grant, as required under 2 CFR § 200.403(f). If these costs are included in an application, the
activities associated with these costs will not be reviewed or selected for funding.
Please see Section 6 for additional threshold criteria.
B. Cost Sharing
Applicants must demonstrate in their proposal how they will meet the cost share requirement to be
considered eligible. Selected recipients must comply with 2 CFR § 200.306 when meeting a cost share
requirement. Applicants are not authorized to use other sources of federal funding to meet their cost
share requirements under this competition.
There is a 10% cost share requirement for awards under this announcement. The required 10% cost
share amount is calculated based on the total project cost, and applicants may choose to cover that
amount in any combination of budget categories, as appropriate for their situation. For example, if an
applicant is requesting $1,000,000 in EPA funding and is not requesting a cost share waiver, then the
applicant must propose a cost share of at least $111,111 to ensure that the cost share is at least 10% of
the total project cost ($1,111,111). The example budget table in Section 4.B, Workplan Section IV
illustrates how to demonstrate the cost share requirement is met in the project narrative.
Cost Share Waiver
Cost sharing may be waived for facilities located in economically distressed communities. To be
considered for a cost share waiver, the application must include a rationale demonstrating that the
project meets the requirements described in this section in either the project narrative or as an
attachment (see Section 4.A).
For purposes of this competition and the evaluation of applications, an “economically distressed
community” must meet one (or more) of the following economic distress criteria:
(i) an unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which data are available,
at least one percentage point greater than the national average unemployment rate;
(ii) per capita income that is, for the most recent period for which data are available, 80% or less of
the national average per capita income; or
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(iii) percentage of the population 25 years and over with a high school diploma (or equivalent) or
higher education that is, for the most recent period for which data are available, below the
national average.
Applicants must provide third-party data that clearly indicate how the subject community meets these
criteria, including the national averages used for comparison.
Applicants are encouraged to use federal data sources such as the most recent American Community
Survey published by the US Census Bureau (http://data.census.gov), unemployment data published by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the Department of Labor
(https://www.bls.gov/bls/unemployment.htm), or other federal sources. If no federal data are available,
state, local, or Tribal data can be an acceptable alternative.
Applicants must self-define the appropriate community geographically. An economically distressed
community may be a county, region, municipality, smaller area within a larger community, or other
geographic area. The geographic area comprising a community need not be contiguous or defined by
political boundaries.
To waive the cost-sharing requirement, applications that propose projects that target specific facility(s)
must provide data for the geographic area in which each facility is located. Applications may also include
data for nearby geographic areas which are served by the target facility(s) and explain how the
additional areas are served by the facility(s) (e.g., school boundary encompasses multiple census tracts).
At least one area served by the facility must meet the definition of an economically distressed
community above to waive the cost-sharing requirement.
To waive the cost-sharing requirement for proposed projects that do not target specific facilities, such as
outreach and training projects, applications must demonstrate that the proposed target population
belongs to or is expected to serve an economically distressed community. Applications must provide
data for the geographic area(s) expected to be targeted by the project and include an explanation of how
the project will benefit area(s) that meet the definition of an economically distressed community above
to waive the cost-sharing requirement.
3. Program Description
A. Purpose, Priorities, and Activities
The EPA is requesting applications to conduct research, demonstrations, technical assistance, training,
education and/or outreach projects that seek to improve public health protection against smoke from
wildfires by enhancing preparedness in community buildings. The EPA is requesting applications for the
assessment, prevention, control, or abatement of wildfire smoke hazards and related activities that
target public buildings and/or buildings that serve the public but are privately owned or operated.
Activities will improve the capability and capacity of communities and buildings to effectively reduce
indoor concentrations of air pollutants in wildfire smoke, especially particulate matter (PM). This may
include improvements to building structures and activities that increase the capacity of building owners,
operators, service providers, occupants, and others to effectively manage buildings during wildfire
smoke events. Applicants are encouraged to integrate project activities under a comprehensive smoke
management plan at the building or community level, where appropriate.
Specific activities may include, but are not limited to the following:
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• Smoke Readiness Planning to develop specific plans, procedures, and decision-making
frameworks at the building or community level to be implemented before and during wildfire
smoke events.
• Outreach activities such as adaptation of wildfire smoke preparedness materials, or targeted
outreach to members of the public through community organizations and institutions.
• Technical training on the effectiveness and implementation of ventilation and filtration
strategies for wildfire smoke mitigation in different types of buildings with various HVAC systems.
• Deployment of portable air cleaners or do-it-yourself (DIY) air cleaners for use in community
buildings, including the purchase, provision and/or loan of these devices.
• Indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of wildfire
smoke mitigation activities.
• Identification and preparation of community cleaner air spaces or cleaner air shelters.
• Significant improvements to buildings such as upgrades and repairs to HVAC units or systems
and weatherization. Such activities should include training and planning elements to ensure that
improvements are properly maintained and operated.
All applications should:
• Characterize the population served by the project, such as the estimated number of people
served, and the location and type of community (e.g., urban, rural). Maps, data, analyses, and
results characterizing the population served by the project may be included as an optional
attachment.
• Describe a detailed approach to measure project effectiveness (e.g., evaluation of knowledge or
skills gained from outreach and training activities, collection of air quality monitoring data to
demonstrate lower indoor PM concentrations as a result of changes to the operation or
maintenance of a building).
• Describe how much or how often the buildings or communities served by the project are
impacted by wildfire smoke (e.g., over a recent timeframe, such as each of the past 5 years, the
number of days the community was impacted by smoke; number of school closures due to
smoke; number of smoke-related air quality alerts issued). If the building or community has not
been significantly impacted by smoke in the past, state why you anticipate that wildfire smoke
preparedness may be important in the future.
Applicants may find the following resources helpful for describing wildfire smoke impacts, but are not
limited to these data sources:
• EPA Air Data: Air Quality Data Collected at Outdoor Monitors Across the US:
https://www.epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
• US Forest Service PM Monitoring – Historical Data: https://tools.airfire.org/historical/
2.5
• US Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities – Explore Risk: https://wildfirerisk.org/explore
• National Interagency Fire Center National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlooks:
https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks
• AirNow Fire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/
• AirNow Past Data: https://gispub.epa.gov/airnow/index.html?tab=3
• Census OnTheMap for Emergency Management Tool: https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/em/
• State Smoke Blogs:
California: http://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/
o
Idaho: http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/
o
Montana: https://deq.mt.gov/air/Programs/smokeforecasts
o
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Oregon: https://www.oregonsmoke.org/
o
Washington: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
o
Applicants are encouraged to describe how the project addresses multiple hazards that may be
concurrent with wildfire smoke (e.g., extreme heat, power outages, and airborne infectious disease
transmission) and how the project improves overall capacity to comprehensively address indoor air
quality issues, and/or the extent to which the applicant demonstrates their ability to effectively promote
and continue or replicate efforts after EPA funding for this project has ended.
Applicants should describe how the project addresses engagement with communities and/or
populations affected by wildfire smoke, especially local residents, to ensure their meaningful
participation with respect to the design, planning, and performance of the project. Meaningful
involvement means people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may
affect their environment and/or health; community concerns will be considered in the decision-making
process; and decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.
If the proposed project involves environmental information operations (EIOs), applicants are encouraged
to describe how they plan to collect and use that information. Examples of EIOs include, but are not
limited to, installing air sensors to collect air quality data, developing a data-driven decision support tool,
and compiling and using existing environmental information (e.g., literature review). See Section 4.E for
additional examples of EIO.
The EPA will not consider applications that do not demonstrate how much or how often the buildings or
communities served by the project are impacted by wildfire smoke.
The EPA will not consider activities that make permanent improvements in private residences, such as
the installation of HVAC equipment. Note that activities that utilize temporary improvements, such as
giving or loaning portable air cleaners to private residences, are eligible activities.
The EPA will not consider activities that promote the use of air cleaning technologies of unknown or
unclear performance against air pollutants in wildfire smoke such as bipolar ionization, ozone
generators, ionizing air cleaners, and oxidizing air cleaners. Note that activities related to DIY air cleaners
are eligible. More information about air cleaning technologies is available on the EPA website:
• Air Cleaners and Air Filters in the Home
• Wildfires and Indoor Air Quality: Consider purchasing a portable air cleaner or high-efficiency
HVAC filter
The EPA will not consider any applications that are exclusively designed to conduct scientific research.
Applications may include research components such as building blocks for demonstration, training,
education and/or outreach projects. In such cases, proposals should clearly articulate this link, explain
why the research is necessary for the project’s success, and ensure that such research does not already
exist.
Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes, and Performance Measures
Applicants are required to describe how funding will help the EPA achieve outputs and outcomes in their
responses to the criteria in Section 6. Outputs and outcomes specific to each project will be identified as
deliverables in the negotiated workplan if the application is selected for award. Recipients will be
expected to report progress toward the attainment of expected project outputs and outcomes during
the project performance period. Outputs and outcomes are defined as follows:
Outputs are an environmental activity, effort, and/or associated work product related to an
environmental goal or objective that will be produced or provided over time or by a specified date.
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Outputs may be quantitative or qualitative but must be measurable during the project period. The
expected outputs for the grants awarded under these guidelines may include but are not limited to:
• Number of communities with an established Smoke Readiness Plan.
• Number of wildfire smoke preparedness materials adapted.
• Number of building owners, managers, or technicians trained.
• Number of technical training events conducted.
• Number of buildings that received portable air cleaners and the number they received.
• Number of buildings served by an indoor and outdoor air monitoring network.
• Number of community cleaner air spaces available for wildfire smoke events.
• Number of buildings upgraded or repaired to improve wildfire smoke mitigation.
Outcomes are the result, effect, or consequence that will occur from carrying out the activities under the
grant. Outcomes may be environmental, behavioral, health-related, or programmatic; must be
qualitative or quantitative; and may not necessarily be achievable during the project period. The EPA
anticipates the outcomes from the projects awarded under this announcement may be an increase in
the capacity to:
• Implement a coordinated response to wildfire smoke events at the level of individual buildings
and across communities.
• Reduce building occupants’ exposure to wildfire smoke within highly impacted communities.
• Inform wildfire smoke management activities in buildings with air monitoring data.
Performance Measures. The applicant should also develop performance measures they expect to
achieve through the proposed activities and describe them in their application. These performance
measures will be the mechanism to track progress concerning successful processes and output and
outcome strategies and will provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future recipients.
Additional details on reporting requirements are included in Section 8.B. It is expected that the
description of performance measures will directly relate to the project outcomes and outputs, including
but not limited to:
• Overseeing subrecipients, and/or contractors and vendors.
• Tracking and reporting project progress on expenditures and purchases.
• Tracking, measuring, and reporting accomplishments and proposed timelines/milestones.
The following are questions to consider when developing output and outcome measures of quantitative
and qualitative results:
• What are the measurable short term and longer term results the project will achieve?
• How does the plan measure progress in achieving the expected results (including outputs and
outcomes) and how will the approach use resources effectively and efficiently?
Program Background
To inform the development of this funding opportunity, the EPA sought input on the design of the
program to inform the types of projects and grant recipients that may be eligible for the program in fall
2022. In 2024, the EPA awarded $10,670,000 in grant funding to nine recipients to support community
wildfire smoke preparedness with individual awards ranging from approximately $350,000 to
$2,000,000. More information about the program and the current grant recipients is available on the EPA
website: https://www.epa.gov/emergencies-iaq/wildfire-smoke-preparedness-community-buildings-
grant-program.
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B. Program Goals and Objectives
The activities to be funded under this funding announcement support “Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and
Water for Every American” of Administrator Zeldin's Five Pillars.
The Assistance Listing for this opportunity is No. 66.044.
C. Statutory Authority
The statutory authority for this action is the Clean Air Act, §103(b)(3), which authorizes the award of
grants for research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies related to the
causes, effects (including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention, and control of air pollution, as
supplemented by authority provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118-42) and
the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Pub. L. 119-4) to fund abatement
activities. The Assistance Listing for this opportunity is No. 66.044.
D. Funding Type
It is anticipated that grants will be funded under this funding opportunity.
4. Application Contents and Format
A. Application Forms
The following forms and documents are required under this announcement (note that instructions to all
EPA grantee forms can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/grants/epa-grantee-forms):
Mandatory Documents:
1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)
2. Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) (Note that projects that
involve construction may still use this form. Report applicable construction costs in Section
B, Line 6.g. “Construction”. For more information, see the instructions for SF-424A on
Grants.gov: https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/instructions/SF424A-V1.0-
Instructions.pdf)
3. EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54
4. EPA Form 4700-4 Preaward Compliance Review Report
5. Project Narrative Attachment Form: use this to submit your Project Narrative
Optional Documents:
6. Other Attachments Form: Use this to submit other attachments, if applicable
7. Cost share waiver rationale (if applicable and not included in the Project Narrative
attachment)
8. Project Team Biographies
9. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (note that this will be required if application is
selected for funding)
10. Partnership Letter(s)
11. Maps, data, analyses, and results characterizing the population served by the proposed
project
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12. Maps, data, analyses, and results describing wildfire smoke impacts in the proposed project
area
Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in
application format, including selecting a legible font type and size, spacing and margins for use in the
application.
B. Project Narrative Description
The project narrative attachment should clearly address the evaluation criteria in Section 6.B. The
project narrative, including the project synopsis workplan, budget table, and budget detail, must not
exceed a maximum of 10 single-spaced typewritten pages in clearly readable 11-point font. Pages in
excess of the 10-page limit will not be reviewed.
Applicants should ensure that their project narratives are written clearly using understandable terms.
Doing so will help ensure that the evaluation team members understand the purpose, outputs, and
outcomes of the proposed project.
Optional documents, such as cost share waiver rationale (if an attachment), project team biographies,
negotiated indirect cost rate agreements, partnership letters, and maps, data, analyses, and results
characterizing the population served by the project or describing wildfire smoke impacts in the project
area can be submitted as attachments and are not included in the 10-page limit. Supporting materials
should be submitted using the Other Attachments form.
Applicants may use the following template for their project narrative. The EPA will not penalize or
withhold a benefit from an applicant who provides information in another format.
I. Project Synopsis:
• Project Title – one descriptive sentence
• Project Location: Primary location(s) where the benefits of the project will be realized.
• Applicant Information
Applicant organization
o
Address, clearly indicating the state in which the organization is based
o
Primary contact name, phone number, and e-mail address
o
UEI number
o
• Budget Summary: Include and complete the following table:
Required Cost Share, if
EPA Funding Requested Total Project Cost
applicable
[fill in total EPA funding from [fill in required cost share or [fill in total project cost from
budget detail in workplan] indicate request for waiver] budget detail in workplan]
Indicate requests for a cost share waiver in this table. Note below the table where to find the
rationale for the cost share waiver as detailed in Section 2.B (e.g., section or page number in the
workplan, name of the attachment).
• Project Period: Beginning and ending dates.
• Short Project Description: Project description in one to three sentences including expected
outputs and outcomes.
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II. Workplan:
The following outline includes further guidance on how to respond to the evaluative criteria. Section and
subsection numbers, headings and point totals below correspond with the evaluation criteria in Section
6.B.
Section I - Project Summary and Approach (55 total points)
This section describes the project and the following information:
a. Overall Project (25 points)
Describe the proposed project plan and activities to be undertaken, not found in any other section of the
workplan, consistent with Section 3.A. (Purpose, Priorities, and Activities).
b. Wildfire Smoke Impacts (5 points)
Describe how much or how often the buildings or communities served by the proposed project are
impacted by wildfire smoke.
c. Population Served and Community Engagement (10 points)
Describe the population served by the proposed project and how the project addresses engagement
with communities and/or populations affected by wildfire smoke, especially local residents, to ensure
their meaningful participation with respect to the design, planning, and performance of the project.
d. Approach to Measure Project Effectiveness (5 points)
Describe a detailed approach to measure project effectiveness.
e. Multi-hazard Approach and Sustainability (10 points)
Describe how the proposed project addresses multiple hazards that may be concurrent with wildfire
smoke and/or how the project improves overall capacity to comprehensively address indoor air quality
issues, and/or the extent to which the applicant demonstrates their ability to effectively promote and
continue or replicate efforts after EPA funding for this project has ended.
Section II - Environmental Results (15 total points)
a. Expected Outputs and Outcomes (5 points)
Describe the expected outcomes and outputs of the project as defined in Section 3.A. This may include
narrative discussion, bulleted lists, tables, or figures as appropriate to convey relationships between the
expected outputs, outcomes, and project activities.
b. Performance Measures (5 points)
Describe the performance plan and proposed performance measures and how project results will be
evaluated, as described in Section 3.A.
c. Timeline (5 points)
Include a detailed project timeline including milestones for specific tasks, such as bidding, procurement,
installation, and reports, along with estimated completion dates.
Section III - Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance (15 total points)
a. Past Performance (3 points)
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List up to three assistance agreements that the applicant (as an organization) is directly performing or
has performed within the last three years. This may include federal and non-federal grants and
cooperative agreements but not contracts. EPA assistance agreements are preferred. For each
agreement, include:
• Project title
• Assistance agreement number
• Funding agency and, for federal agreements, assistance listing number (formerly known as the
CFDA number)
• Brief description of the agreement – no more than two sentences
• Describe the successful management and completion of each agreement (as applicable).
b. Reporting Requirements (3 points)
For each assistance agreement listed, describe how reporting requirements were met consistent with
Section 6.B.
Note: If you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information,
please indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these subfactors (items a.
and b. above), which is half of the total points available for these sub-criteria in Section 6.B. If you do not
provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.
c. Organizational Experience (4 points)
Describe the applicant’s organizational experience and plan for timely and successfully achieving the
objectives of the proposed project.
d. Staff Expertise (5 points)
Describe the staff’s knowledge, expertise, qualifications, and resources and/or the ability to obtain them,
to successfully achieve the proposed project’s goals. Biographical sketches, including resumes or
curriculum vitae for key staff, managers and any other key personnel can be included as an optional
project team biography attachment and does not count towards the 10-page limit of the project
narrative.
Section IV - Budget (15 total points)
Provide a detailed narrative description of the budget found in the SF-424A including a discussion of the
applicant’s approach to ensuring proper management of grant/cooperative agreement funds, and an
itemized budget table (example below). The budget is part of the maximum 10-page limit for the Project
Narrative. Cover the entirety of the expected 3-year period of performance. Account for both federal
funds and any non-federal cost share, if applicable. Round up to the nearest dollar. Selected applicant(s)
will need to submit a copy of their current indirect cost rate that has been negotiated with a federal
cognizant agency prior to award.
Additional guidance for developing the applicant’s budget is available in “Interim General Budget
Development Guidance for Applicants and Recipients of EPA Financial Assistance.”
a. Budget Detail (5 points)
A detailed breakout by funding type included in the proper budget category for each activity requesting
funds. Use the instructions, budget object class descriptions, and example table below. Include
applicable rows of costs for each budget category in the budget table. Itemize costs related to personnel,
fringe benefits, travel, equipment, installation or labor supplies, contractual costs, other direct costs (i.e.,
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subawards, participant support costs), indirect costs, and total costs. If providing a cost share, specify the
amount of federal funding and the cost share amount for each category.
• Personnel - List all staff positions by title. Give annual salary, percentage of time assigned to the
project, and total cost for the budget period. This category includes only direct costs for the salaries
of those individuals who will perform work directly for the project (paid employees of the applicant
organization as reflected in payroll tax records). If the applicant organization is including staff time
(in-kind services) as a cost-share, this should be included as Personnel costs. Personnel costs do not
include: (1) costs for services of contractors (including individual consultants), which are included in
the “Contractual” category; (2) costs for employees of subrecipients under subawards or non-
employee program participants (e.g., interns or volunteers), which are included in the “Other”
category; or (3) effort that is not directly in support of the proposed project, which may be covered
by the organization’s negotiated indirect cost rate. The budget detail should identify the personnel
category type by Full Time Equivalent (FTE), including percentage of FTE for part-time employees,
number of personnel proposed for each category, and the estimated funding amounts.
• Fringe Benefits - Identify the percentage used, the basis for its computation, and the types of
benefits included. Fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their
employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits may include,
but are not limited to the cost of leave, employee insurance, pensions and unemployment benefit
plans. If the applicant’s fringe rate does not include the cost of leave, and the applicant intends to
charge leave to the agreement, it should provide supplemental information describing its proposed
method(s) for determining and equitably distributing these costs.
• Travel - Specify the mileage, per diem, estimated number of trips in-state and out-of-state, number
of travelers, and other costs for each type of travel. Travel may be integral to the purpose of the
proposed project (e.g., inspections); related to proposed project activities (e.g., attendance at
meetings); or to a technical training or workshop that supports effective implementation of the
project activities. Only include travel costs for employees in the travel category. Travel costs do not
include: (1) costs for travel of contractors (including consultants), which are included in the
“Contractual” category; (2) travel costs for employees of subrecipients under subawards and non-
employee program participants (e.g., trainees), which are included in the “Other” category. Further,
travel does not include bus rentals for group trips, which would be covered under the contractual
category. Finally, if the applicant intends to use any funds for travel outside the United States, it
should be specifically identified. All proposed foreign travel must be approved by the EPA’s Office of
International and Tribal Affairs prior to being taken.
• Equipment - Identify each item to be purchased which has an estimated acquisition cost of
$10,000 or more per unit and a useful life of more than one year. Equipment also includes
accessories necessary to make the equipment operational. Equipment does not include: (1)
equipment planned to be leased/rented, including lease/purchase agreement; or (2) equipment
service or maintenance contracts that are not included in the purchase price for the equipment.
These types of proposed costs should be included in the “Other” category. Items with a unit cost of
less than $10,000 should be categorized as supplies, pursuant to 2 CFR § 200.1, “Equipment.” The
budget detail should include an itemized listing of all equipment proposed under the project. If
installation costs are included in the equipment costs, labor expenses shall be itemized with the
detailed number of hours charged and the hourly wage. If the applicant has written procurement
procedures that define a threshold for equipment costs that is lower than $10,000, then that
threshold takes precedence.
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• Supplies - “Supplies” means all tangible personal property other than “equipment.” The budget
detail should identify categories of supplies to be procured (e.g., laboratory supplies or office
supplies). Non-tangible goods and services associated with supplies, such as printing service,
photocopy services, and rental costs should be included in the “Other” category.
• Contractual - Identify each proposed contract and specify its purpose and estimated cost.
Contractual services (including consultant services) are those services to be carried out by an
individual or organization, other than the applicant, in the form of a procurement relationship. The
EPA’s Subaward Policy and supplemental Frequent Questions has detailed guidance available for
differentiating between contractors and subrecipients. Leased or rented goods (equipment or
supplies) should be included in the “Other” category. Do not name a procurement contractor
(including a consultant) as a “partner” or otherwise in your application unless the contractor has
been selected in compliance with competitive procurement requirements (see Section 4.C for more
information for applicants using contractors). The applicant should list the proposed contract
activities along with a brief description of the anticipated scope of work or services to be provided,
proposed duration, and proposed procurement method (competitive or non-competitive), if known.
Any proposed non-competed/sole-source contracts in excess of $3,500 should include a justification.
Note that it is unlikely that the EPA will accept proposed sole source contracts for goods and services
(e.g., consulting) that are widely available in the commercial market. Refer to the EPA’s Best Practice
Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements for the
EPA’s policies on competitive procurements and encouraging the use of small and disadvantaged
business enterprises.
• Other - List each item in sufficient detail for the EPA to determine the reasonableness and
allowability of its cost. This category should include only those types of direct costs that do not fit in
any of the other budget categories. Examples of costs that may be in this category are insurance;
rental/lease of equipment or supplies; equipment service or maintenance contracts; printing or
photocopying; participant support costs such as non-employee training stipends and travel,
subsidies or rebates for purchases of exposure mitigation equipment (such as a specified amount of
funding for portable air cleaners or low-cost air sensors); and subaward costs. Applicants should
describe the items included in the “Other” category and include the estimated amount of participant
support costs in a separate line item. Additional information about participant support costs is
contained in Section 9.B and “EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs.”
Subawards (e.g., subgrants) and participant support costs are a distinct type of cost under this
category. The term “subaward” means an award of financial assistance (money or property) by any
legal agreement made by the recipient to an eligible subrecipient even if the agreement is referred
to as a contract. Rebates, subsidies, and similar one-time, lump-sum payments to program
beneficiaries for purchase of eligible emission control technologies are considered participant
support costs. Please refer to Section 9.B for detailed guidance on funding projects and partnerships
and how to correctly categorize these costs in the workplan budget. “Other” does not include
procurement purchases, technical assistance in the form of services instead of money, or other
assistance in the form of revenue sharing, loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, insurance, or
direct appropriations. Subcontracts are not subawards and belong in the contractual category.
Applicants must provide the aggregate amount they propose to issue as subaward work as a
separate line item in the “Other” category, and a description of the types of activities to be
supported. Refer to EPA’s Subaward Policy and supplemental Frequent Questions for additional
guidance.
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• Indirect Costs- If indirect costs are budgeted, indicate the approved rate and base. Indirect costs
are those incurred by the grantee for a common or joint purpose that benefit more than one cost
objective or project and are not readily assignable to specific cost objectives or projects as a direct
cost. Examples of Indirect Cost Rate calculations which may appear in Indirect Cost Rate Agreements
are shown below:
Personnel (Indirect Rate x Personnel = Indirect Costs)
o
Personnel and Fringe (Indirect Rate x Personnel & Fringe = Indirect Costs)
o
Total Direct Costs (Indirect Rate x Total direct costs = Indirect Costs)
o
Direct Costs, less distorting or other factors such as contracts and equipment
o
(Indirect Rate x (total direct cost – distorting factors) = Indirect Costs)
o
Additional indirect cost guidance is available in RAIN-2018-G02, “Indirect Cost Guidance for Recipients of
EPA Assistance Agreements.”
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Example Budget Table (part of the 10-page limit)
Required
EPA
Line Item & Itemized Cost Cost
Funding1
Share
PERSONNEL:
Project Supervisor ($150,000 annual salary @ 25% FTE, 3 years) $112,500
Facilities Manager ($90,000 annual salary @ 30% FTE, 3 years) $51,000 $30,000
Project Manager ($70,000 annual salary @ 100% FTE, 3 years) $210,000
2 Outreach coordinators ($60,000 annual salary @ 50% FTE, 3 years) $180,000
2 Facilities staff ($30/hr, 25 hours/week, 3 years) $234,000
Administrative Support ($20/hr, 20 hours/week, 3 years) $62,400
TOTAL PERSONNEL $737,400 $142,500
FRINGE BENEFITS:
30% of Personnel. Includes leave, insurance, taxes, retirement $221,220 $42,750
TOTAL FRINGE BENEFITS $221,220 $42,750
TRAVEL:
Mileage for 30 site assessments/year (3500 miles @ $0.655, 3 yrs) $6,878
2 travelers attending 2 non-local meetings/year ($750/person/mtg, 3 yrs) $9,000
2 travelers attending 1 conference/year ($2000/person/conference, 3 yrs) $12,000
TOTAL TRAVEL $27,878 $0
EQUIPMENT:
1 HVAC replacement @ $250,000 $250,000
2 exterior doors @ $12,500/ea $25,000
TOTAL EQUIPMENT $275,000 $0
SUPPLIES:
25 Air Cleaners and replacement filters @$300.00 each $7,500
25 Air Quality Sensors @ $350.00 each $8,750
Sensor replacement and calibration supplies $6,000
Computer software @ $2000.00/yr, 3 years $6,000
Office supplies $3,000
TOTAL SUPPLIES $31,250 $0
CONTRACTUAL:
Energy audits + weatherization, 3 bldgs @ $40,000 each, Yr 1, competitive $120,000
Technical training for building staff, 3 @ $5000/session, Yr 3, competitive $15,000
TOTAL CONTRACTUAL $135,000 $0
OTHER:
Subaward to Regional Clean Air Association for outreach campaign $85,000
Subaward to City of Anytown, USA to establish 3 cleaner air centers $200,000
Participant support for training participation $10,000
Professional printing, 3500 color brochures/year, $0.50/copy, 3 years $5,250
1 EPA Funding amount must be included on the SF-424 in Section 18.a and SF-424A in: cell 5(e) under Section A –
Budget Summary; and Column (1) under Section B – Budget Categories.
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Publications (training manuals and journal publications), $2000/year, 3 yrs $6,000
TOTAL OTHER $306,250 $0
INDIRECT COSTS:
Federal Indirect Cost Rate (20%) x Personnel = Indirect Costs $147,480 $28,500
TOTAL INDIRECT COSTS $147,480 $28,500
TOTAL EPA FUNDING $1,881,478
TOTAL REQUIRED COST SHARE (at least 10% unless waived) $213,750
TOTAL PROJECT COST2 $2,095,228
Note on Management Fees: When formulating budgets for applications, applicants must not include
management fees or similar charges in excess of the direct costs and indirect costs at the rate approved
by the applicant’s cognizant federal audit agency, or at the rate provided for by the terms of the
agreement negotiated with the EPA. The term "management fees or similar charges" refers to expenses
added to the direct costs in order to accumulate and reserve funds for ongoing business expenses,
unforeseen liabilities, or for other similar costs that are not allowable under EPA assistance agreements.
Management fees or similar charges cannot be used to improve or expand the project funded under this
agreement, except to the extent authorized as a direct cost of carrying out the work plan.
b. Reasonableness of Costs (5 points)
Describe all itemized costs, including how they relate to the project narrative and specific activities.
c. Timely Expenditure of Grant Funds (5 points)
Describe the applicant’s approach, procedures, and controls for ensuring that awarded grant funds will
be expended in a timely and efficient manner.
Section V - Attachments (As listed in Section 4.A; this information does not count towards the project
narrative 10-page limit):
Cost Share Waiver Rationale: Only needed if requesting cost share waiver and not included in the
Project Narrative Attachment. Explain how the project meets the cost share waiver requirements as
described in Section 2.B. Include maps, data, analyses and results supporting the rationale, or identify
(e.g., by file name) and explain how any additional attachments support the rationale.
Project Team Biographies: Optional. Provide resumes or curriculum vitae for key staff, managers, and
any other key personnel.
Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: Optional. The applicant will be required to submit this
agreement if their application is selected for funding.
Partnership Letters: If applicable, letters of support that demonstrate strong, long-term involvement
throughout the project from a variety of project partners are encouraged. Letters should specifically
indicate how project partners and supporting organizations will participate in or directly assist in the
design and performance of the project, or how obtaining support from project partners will allow the
applicant to more effectively perform the project. Letters should be addressed to the applicant
organization and included as attachments to the application. Please do not ask partners to submit letters
directly to the EPA.
2 Total Project Cost must be included on the SF-424 in Section 18.g and SF-424A in: cell 5(g) under Section A –
Budget Summary; and column (5), Row k under Section B – Budget Categories.
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Maps, data, analyses, and results characterizing the population served by the project and/or
describing wildfire smoke impacts in the project area: Optional. Attachments should supplement
information in the project narrative responding to the requirements described in Section 3.A. and be
clearly referenced in the corresponding discussion in the project narrative attachment.
C. Applicants Using Contractors
Applicants must compete contracts for services and products, including consultant contracts, and
conduct cost and price analyses, to the extent required by the procurement standards of the regulations
at 2 CFR Part 200.
Do not name a procurement contractor (including a consultant) as a “partner” or otherwise in your
application unless the contractor has been selected in compliance with competitive procurement
requirements. If an applicant selected for award has named a specific subrecipient, contractor, or
consultant in the application, it does not relieve the applicant of its obligations to comply with subaward
and/or competitive procurement requirements.
The EPA will not consider the qualifications, experience, and expertise of named subrecipients and/or
named contractor(s) during the application evaluation process unless the applicant provides
documentation that it has complied with these requirements.
For additional guidance, applicants should review the EPA’s Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services,
Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements, the EPA’s Subaward Policy, and the EPA’s
Subaward Policy Frequent Questions. The EPA expects recipients of funding to comply with competitive
procurement contracting requirements in 2 CFR Parts 200 and 1500 as well as the requirements in 2 CFR
Part 200.321 and 40 CFR Part 33 Subpart C.
D. Coalition Coverage
A coalition is formed when two or more eligible applicants coordinate to submit a single application.
Coalitions must identify which single eligible organization will be the recipient of the grant and which
eligible organization(s) will receive subawards from the recipient (the “pass-through entity”). The pass-
through entity that administers the grant and subawards will be accountable to the EPA for proper
expenditure of the funds and reporting and will be the point of contact for the coalition. Subawards
must be consistent with the definition of that term in 2 CFR 200.1 and comply with the EPA’s Subaward
Policy.
E. Other Program-Specific Application Information
Partial Funding
In appropriate circumstances, the EPA reserves the right to partially fund applications by funding discrete
portions or phases of proposed projects. If the EPA decides to partially fund an application, it will do so
in a manner that does not prejudice any applicants or affect the basis upon which the application, or
portion thereof, was evaluated and selected for award, thereby maintaining the integrity of the
competition and selection process.
Additional Awards
The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this solicitation, consistent with Agency
policy and guidance, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any
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additional selections for awards will be made no later than 6 months after the original selection
decisions.
Award Funding and Incremental/Full Funding
Awards may be fully or incrementally funded, as appropriate, based on funding availability, satisfactory
performance, and other applicable considerations.
Prevailing Wage Requirements
As required by Section 314 of the Clean Air Act, grants for construction activities will be subject to
prevailing wage requirements as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Davis Bacon
Related Acts authority. The EPA will provide terms and conditions on Davis-Bacon compliance
requirements in agreements that fund Construction as that term is defined at 40 CFR § 33.103.
Build America, Buy America Requirement
Certain projects under this competition are subject to the domestic preference sourcing requirements
under the Build America, Buy America (BABA) provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(IIJA) (P.L. 117-58, §§70911-70917) when using funds for the purchase of goods, products, and materials
on any form of construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of infrastructure in the United States. The
Buy America preference requirement applies to all of the iron and steel, manufactured products, and
construction materials used for the infrastructure project under an award for identified EPA financial
assistance funding programs.
These sourcing requirements require that all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction
materials used in Federally funded infrastructure projects must be produced in the United States. The
recipient must implement these requirements in its procurements, and this article must flow down to all
subawards and contracts at any tier. For legal definitions and sourcing requirements, the recipient must
consult the EPA’s Build America, Buy America website.
Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings grants are subject to the requirements of BABA,
which requires applicants to comply with Buy America preference requirements or apply for a waiver for
each infrastructure project. The following potentially eligible projects under this competition meet the
definition of “infrastructure” and are subject to Buy America preference requirements under BABA:
• Initial preparation of community cleaner air spaces or cleaner air shelters.
• Significant improvements to buildings such as upgrades and repairs to HVAC units or systems and
weatherization.
• Any other permanent public structure that meets the infrastructure definition in M-22-11.
Projects that include Smoke Readiness Planning, outreach and training activities, and deployment of
portable air cleaners, DIY air cleaners, and indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring devices are not
considered “infrastructure” projects.
When supported by rationale provided in IIJA §70914, the recipient may submit a waiver to the EPA. The
recipient should request guidance on the submission instructions of an EPA waiver request from the EPA
Project Officer. A list of approved EPA waivers is available on the Build America, Buy America website.
See “Build America, Buy America” clause in EPA NOFO Clauses and EPA’s General Terms and Conditions.
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance (QA) documentation is required for awards that involve environmental information
operations (EIO). EIO is a collective term that encompasses the collection, production, evaluation, or use
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of environmental information and the design, construction, and operation of environmental technology.
Environmental Information includes, but is not limited to data and information that describe
environmental processes or conditions; direct measurements of environmental parameters or processes;
analytical laboratory testing results of environmental conditions (e.g., geophysical or hydrological
conditions); information on physical parameters or processes collected using environmental
technologies; calculations or analyses of environmental information; information provided by models;
and information data compiled or obtained from databases, software applications, decision support
tools, websites, existing literature.
If selected, applications that propose activities involving EIO, such as the collection of air quality data,
will be required to develop QA documentation and submit for EPA approval. The EPA will work with
recipients to determine if a Quality Management Plan (QMP) and/or QA Project Plan (QAPP) is required.
The recipient typically must develop any required QA document(s) and submit for EPA approval within
30-90 days of award. Recipients cannot begin EIO until the EPA approves the QMP and/or QAPP.
For more information about how these requirements apply to assistance agreements, see:
• The EPA Quality Program’s Specifications for EPA and Non-EPA Organizations
• Implementation of Quality Assurance Requirements for Organizations Receiving EPA Financial
Assistance
• The EPA’s Environmental Information Policy, Procedures and Standards
5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines
A. Submission Dates and Times
April 15, 2026 11:59 pm ET Application Submission Deadline
Grants.gov creates a date and time record when it receives the application. If you submit the same
application more than once, we will accept the last on-time submission.
B. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management
(SAM.gov)
SAM.gov
You must have an active account with SAM.gov. SAM.gov will provide a UEI for your organization, which
is required to apply for grants using Grants.gov. To register, go to SAM.gov Entity Registration and click
“Get Started”. From the same page, you can also click on the Entity Registration Checklist for the
information you will need to register. Make sure you are current with SAM.gov and UEI requirements
before applying for the award.
SAM.gov registration can take several weeks. Applicants are encouraged to initiate the registration
process as early as possible.
Grants.gov
You must also have an active account with Grants.gov. You can see step-by-step instructions at the
Grants.gov “Quick Start Guide for Applicants.”
Please visit How to Register to Apply for Grants for additional information.
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C. Submission Instructions
You must submit your application through Grants.gov. See Section 5.B above for information on getting
registered.
Important tips:
• To begin the application process under this grant announcement, go to Grants.gov and click the
red “Apply” button at the top of the view grant opportunity page associated with this
opportunity.
• See the Quick Start Guide for Applicants for instructions on how to submit.
• Make sure your application passes the Grants.gov validation checks.
• Do not encrypt, zip, or password protect any files.
• Your application must be submitted by an official representative of your organization who is
registered with Grants.gov and is authorized to sign applications for Federal financial assistance.
• If you receive an error or the button is grayed out, it may be because you do not have the
appropriate role to submit in your organization. Contact your organization’s EBiz point of contact
or contact Grants.gov for assistance at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.
• See Grants.gov Errors for information on other Grants.gov errors.
• The UEI listed on the application must be registered to the applicant organization's SAM.gov
account. If not, the application may be deemed ineligible.
D. Technical Issues with Submission
If applicants experience technical issues during the submission of an application that they are unable to
resolve, follow these procedures before the application deadline date:
• Contact Grants.gov Support Center before the application deadline date.
• Document the Grants.gov ticket/case number.
• Send an email with EPA-OAR-ORIA-25-03 in the subject line to WildfireSmokeGrants@epa.gov
before the application deadline time and date. You must include the following:
Grants.gov ticket/case number(s)
o
Description of the issue
o
The entire application package in PDF format.
o
Without this information, the EPA may not be able to consider applications submitted outside of
Grants.gov. Any application submitted after the application time and date deadline will be deemed
ineligible and will not be considered.
Please note that successful submission through Grants.gov or email does not necessarily mean your
application is eligible for award.
Applicants with limited or no access to the internet may request an exception by following the
procedures outlined here. The request must be received at least 15 calendar days before the application
due date to allow enough time to negotiate alternative submission methods.
E. Intergovernmental Review
The application is not subject to Intergovernmental Review.
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6. Application Review Information
A. Responsiveness Review
Applications must meet the eligibility requirements described in Section 2 to be evaluated. Applicants
not meeting these requirements will be deemed ineligible and will be notified within 15 calendar days of
the determination.
• Applications must adhere to the page limit requirements. Any pages over the limit(s) expressed
in Section 4 will not be reviewed.
• Initial applications must be submitted on or before the application deadline through Grants.gov
or through limited circumstances as expressed in Section 5. The EPA will not evaluate
applications that are not submitted on time.
• Technical difficulties applying: Applicants having technical difficulties applying must contact the
Grants.gov hotline at 1-800-518-4726 and then must email a PDF of the full application to the
EPA contact listed in Section 1. The submission must be received prior to the application
deadline for consideration.
B. Review Criteria
Criteria Name and Description Points
Project Summary and Approach 55
Overall Project 25
Wildfire Smoke Impacts 5
Population Served and Community Engagement 10
Approach to Measure Project Effectiveness 5
Multi-hazard Approach and Sustainability 10
Environmental Results 15
Expected Outputs and Outcomes 5
Performance Measures 5
Timeline 5
Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance 15
Past Performance 3
Reporting Requirements 3
Organizational Experience 4
Staff Expertise 5
Budget 15
Budget Detail 5
Reasonableness of Costs 5
Timely Expenditure of Grant Funds 5
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Total Possible Points 100
Applicants will be evaluated based on the extent and quality to which they demonstrate that they have
the capability to successfully perform the project as described in Section 3 of this funding opportunity.
Only eligible entities whose applications meet the threshold criteria in Section 2 of this announcement
will be evaluated. Applicants should explicitly address these criteria as part of their application
package submittal in the project narrative. Each application will be rated using a point system.
Applications will be evaluated based on a total of 100 possible points.
Project Summary and Approach (55 points)
Under this criterion, the EPA will evaluate the extent and quality of:
A. Overall Project (25 points): The overall proposed project plan and approach, consistent with the
program purpose, priorities and activities in Section 3.A.
B. Wildfire Smoke Impacts (5 points): The applicant’s description of how much or how often the
buildings or communities served by the project are impacted by wildfire smoke.
C. Population Served and Community Engagement (10 points): The applicant’s characterization of
the population served by the project and the extent to which the project addresses engagement
with affected communities, especially local residents who will be impacted by the project, to
ensure their meaningful participation with respect to the design, project planning, and
performance of the project.
D. Approach to Measure Project Effectiveness (5 points): The applicant’s approach to measure
project effectiveness.
E. Multi-hazard Approach and Sustainability (10 points): How the proposed project addresses
multiple hazards that may be concurrent with wildfire smoke (e.g., extreme heat, power
outages, and airborne infectious disease outbreaks), and/or improves overall capacity to
comprehensively address indoor air quality issues, and/or the extent to which the applicant
demonstrates their ability to effectively promote and continue or replicate efforts after EPA
funding for this project has ended.
Environmental Results – Outputs, Outcomes, and Performance Measures (15 points)
Under this criterion, the EPA will evaluate applications based on:
A. Expected Outputs and Outcomes (5 points): The extent and quality to which the applicant
identifies and proposes quantitative and qualitative outputs and outcomes, as described in
Section 3.A. These may be shorter- and longer-term.
B. Performance Measures (5 points): The quality of the proposed performance measures and
effectiveness of the applicant’s plan for tracking and measuring its progress toward achieving
the expected project outputs and outcomes, including those identified in Section 3.A. of this
announcement. This also includes how project results will be evaluated as described in Section
3.A.
C. Timeline (5 points): The reasonableness of the proposed timeline including key milestones and
estimated dates for specific tasks, such as bidding, procurement, installation, and preparation of
reports, and the likelihood of completion of the project’s goals and objectives by project end.
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Programmatic Capability and Environmental Results Past Performance Criteria (15
points)
Under this criterion, applicants will be evaluated based on their ability to successfully complete and
manage the proposed project considering their:
(i) Past Performance (3 points): past performance in successfully completing and managing
assistance agreements (including grants and cooperative agreements, but not contracts,
with preference to EPA agreements) directly awarded to the applicant as an
organization,
(ii) Reporting Requirements (3 points): history of meeting the reporting requirements
under the assistance agreements identified above including whether the applicant
submitted acceptable final technical reports under those agreements and the extent to
which the applicant adequately and timely reported on their progress towards achieving
the expected outputs and outcomes under those agreements and if such progress was
not being made whether the applicant adequately reported why not,
(iii) Organizational Experience (4 points): organizational experience and plan for timely and
successfully achieving the objectives of the proposed project, and
(iv) Staff Expertise (5 points): staff expertise/qualifications, staff knowledge, and resources
or the ability to obtain them, to successfully achieve the goals of the proposed project.
Note: The EPA will consider the information provided by the applicant under items (i) and (ii) of this
criterion and may also consider relevant information from other sources including agency files and
prior/current grantors (e.g., to verify and/or supplement the information supplied by the applicant). If
you do not have any relevant or available past performance or past reporting information, please
indicate this in the application and you will receive a neutral score for these subfactors (items i and ii
above - a neutral score is half of the total points available in a subset of possible points). If you do not
provide any response for these items, you may receive a score of 0 for these factors.
Budget (15 points)
Under this criterion, the EPA will evaluate applicants based on the extent and quality to which:
A. Budget Detail (5 points): The proposed budget provides a detailed breakout by funding type in
the proper budget category for each activity the applicant is requesting funding.
B. Reasonableness of Costs (5 points): The EPA will evaluate the reasonableness of the applicant’s
budget based on the applicant’s narrative description of the budget and detailed breakout of
requested funding for each work component or task. The proposed costs are reasonable to
accomplish the proposed goals, objectives, and measurable environmental outcomes; and
C. Timely Expenditure of Grant Funds (5 points): The applicant’s approach, procedures, and
controls will ensure that awarded grant funds will be expended in a timely and efficient manner.
An applicant’s SF-424, SF-424A and budget detail must account for both federal funds and any non-
federal funds (see Section 2.B).
C. Review and Selection Process
Applications will first be evaluated against the eligibility criteria listed in Section 2.A. of this NOFO. Only
those applications which meet all the eligibility criteria will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria
listed above by an EPA evaluation team. Each application will be given a numerical score and will be rank
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ordered by the review panel. Preliminary funding recommendations will be provided to the EPA selection
official based on these reviews and rankings. Final funding decisions will be made by the EPA
headquarters selection official based on the rankings and preliminary recommendations of the EPA
evaluation team and the other factors listed in Section 6.C.(1).
(1) Other Evaluation Factors
Final funding decisions will be made by the Selection Official. In making the final funding decisions, the
Selection Official may also consider the following factors: programmatic priorities and geographic
diversity of funds.
According to the Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act report language (extended by the
FY2025 Further Continuing Appropriations Act), no more than 25% ($3,395,000) of the grant funding will
go to recipients in any one state.
Under this competition, the EPA also reserves the right to fund the top ranked proposal for each region,
contingent on the quality of the proposals and funding availability.
D. Risk Review
The EPA will consider any comments by the applicant, along with information available in the
responsibility/qualification records in SAM.gov., when doing the risk review as required by 2 CFR §
200.206.
7. Award Notices
The EPA anticipates notification to successful applicants will be made by the EPA’s Office of Air and
Radiation. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the application or the project contact
listed in the application. This notification is not an authorization to begin work. The official notification of
an award will be made by the Grants Management Division. Selection does not guarantee an award will
be made. Statutory authorization, funding, or other issues during the award process may affect the
ability of the EPA to make an award. The award notice, signed by an EPA grants officer, is the authorizing
document and will be provided through electronic or postal mail. The successful applicant may need to
prepare and submit additional documents and forms, which must be approved by the EPA, before the
grant can officially be awarded. The time between notification of selection and award of a grant can take
up to 90 days or longer.
8. Post-Award Requirements and Administration
A. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
The recipient and any sub-recipient must comply with the applicable General Terms and Conditions.
These terms and conditions are in addition to the assurances and certifications made as part of the
award, terms and conditions, and restrictions reflected on the official assistance award document.
Awards issued as a result of this funding opportunity are subject to the requirements of the Uniform
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; Title 2 CFR
Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 1500.
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B. Reporting
The EPA’s General Terms and Conditions in the Notice of Award will have information on performance
and financial reports, including:
• How often you will report. (Quarterly progress reports and a final report are anticipated for
projects awarded under this funding opportunity.)
• Any required form(s) or formatting.
• How to submit required documents.
C. Subaward and Executive Compensation Reporting
The Federal Financial Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) requires:
• Data entry at SAM.gov for all subawards and subcontracts issued for $30,000 or more.
• Reporting executive compensation for both recipient and subaward organizations.
9. Other Information
A. Additional Provisions for Applicants
Additional provisions that apply to this funding opportunity and/or awards made under this funding
opportunity, can be found at EPA NOFO Clauses. If you are unable to access these provisions
electronically at the website above, please contact the EPA point of contact listed in Section 1.E to obtain
the provisions.
B. Further Information Regarding Contracts, Subawards, and Participant
Support Costs
I. Background
The Standard Form 424A (SF-424A) includes a separate row for “contractual” costs and “other” costs. As
noted in Section 4.B, Workplan Section IV, the “other” cost category on the SF-424A should be used to
cover both subawards and participant support costs. Depending on the project, these costs may be
applicable to a Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings application. This appendix helps
clarify these differences. Additional information about participant support costs is contained in RAIN-
2018-G05, “EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs.”
If a recipient intends to fund the proposed project’s technologies (i.e., equipment and/or appliances)
that they do not directly own, such as portable air cleaners and/or air monitoring equipment, the
recipient may have the option to: (1) issue a contract; (2) make a subaward to an eligible entity; or (3)
provide participant support costs to a program beneficiary. For options (2) and (3), the recipient may be
able to fund technology and installation costs, but only subawards can be used to fund direct and
indirect costs. If the grant recipient only intends to fund equipment and installation costs, the recipient
may choose to provide participant support costs to a program beneficiary rather than a subaward.
II. Contracts
As described in 2 CFR § 200.331, a contract is for the purpose of obtaining goods and services for the
recipient’s own use and creates a procurement relationship with the contractor. Characteristics indicative
of a procurement relationship between the recipient and a contractor are when the contractor:
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• Provides the goods and services within normal business operations.
• Provides similar goods or services to many different purchasers.
• Normally operates in a competitive environment.
• Provides goods or services that are ancillary to the operation of the federal program.
• Is not subject to compliance requirements of the federal program as a result of the agreement,
though similar requirements may apply for other reasons.
Grant recipients that enter into procurement contracts, must comply with the applicable procurement
provisions in 2 CFR § 200.317 through 200.327.
III. Subawards
Under 2 CFR § 200.1, subrecipient means a non-federal entity that receives a subaward from a grantee
to carry out part of a federal program but does not include program beneficiaries receiving participant
support costs (see Section IV. of this appendix below). Grant recipients may make subawards to
subrecipients to carry out a portion of the grant project; in such case, the grant recipient is also known
as a “pass-through entity.” Subawards establish a financial assistance relationship under which the
subrecipient’s employees and contractors implement programs and projects to accomplish the goals and
objectives of the grant. It is important to bear in mind that subrecipients are subject to the same federal
requirements as the pass-through entity.
Under this competition, a non-federal entity is eligible to receive a subaward even if it is not eligible to
receive a grant from the EPA directly. While there may be some situations in which a subaward to an
individual may be appropriate, those situations are rare.
Subrecipients only receive reimbursement for their actual direct or approved indirect costs and do not
“profit” from the transaction. For-profit entities participating in grant activities are typically contractors
rather than subrecipients.
The EPA’s Award Official must approve subawards to for-profit entities and individuals on the basis of
either a precise description of the subaward in the EPA approved budget and project narrative, or on a
transaction-by-transaction basis.
The applicant’s project narrative and budget narrative should include detailed descriptions of any
proposed subawards and include cost estimates for subawards as line items under the “Other” budget
category in the SF-424A; see Section 4.B, Workplan Section IV. Should a recipient decide to make a
subaward that was not described in the approved project narrative and budget, the recipient must
obtain prior written approval from the EPA’s Award Official for the subaward.
If a recipient chooses to pass funds from its grant to other entities through subawards, the recipient
must comply with applicable subaward provisions of 2 CFR Part 200, the EPA Subaward Policy, and the
EPA’s National Term and Condition for Subawards. Note that under 2 CFR § 200.331 through 200.333,
there are extensive requirements for subrecipient monitoring and management that apply to pass-
through entities.
Many of the federal administrative grant regulations in 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 1500, as well as
the grant terms and conditions in the assistance agreement, “flow down” to subrecipients receiving a
subaward. Such requirements need to be identified in the written subaward agreement between the
recipient and the subrecipient. Additionally, if a subrecipient intends to procure goods or services using
these grant funds, the subrecipient must comply with the applicable federal procurement standards in 2
CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, and 40 CFR Part 33 as these requirements also “flow down” to
subrecipients.
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There is no requirement for recipients to compete subawards under this NOFO; however, pass-through
entities may choose to select subrecipients competitively provided this practice is consistent with
applicable statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of their grant.
Recipients may use the subaward template contained in Appendix D of the EPA’s Subaward Policy to
assist them in complying with the “subaward content” requirements; however, the EPA does not
mandate the use of this template.
IV. Participant Support Costs
Recipients may provide participant support costs (PSCs) to program beneficiaries to enable beneficiaries
to participate in the recipient’s program or project. PSCs include rebates, subsidies, stipends, or other
payments to program beneficiaries by a grantee, subrecipient, or contractor. For example, PSCs might be
used for the purchase of eligible technologies. Program beneficiaries, rather than the grant recipient,
would own the new technology.
PSCs differ from subawards in that the beneficiary is participating in the grant recipient’s project or
program instead of implementing their own project or program. Program beneficiaries may include, but
are not limited to individual owner/operators, private or public fleet owners, or residents in the
applicable area; however, program beneficiaries are not employees, contractors or subrecipients of the
grant recipient. The following are examples of PSCs:
• Purchase of portable air cleaners.
• Purchase of supplies for assembling DIY air cleaners.
• Purchase of low-cost air monitoring equipment.
Recipients may also use PSCs to make purchases on behalf of program beneficiaries. In some situations,
this approach allows grant recipients to achieve economies of scale and/or take advantage of existing
purchase contracts. Competitive procurement requirements apply to the grant recipient when the
recipient takes this approach.
The federal administrative grant regulations in 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 1500, as well as the grant
terms and conditions in the recipient’s grant agreement, generally do not “flow down” to program
beneficiaries receiving PSCs except that costs must be reasonable and incurred within the grant project
period. Requirements for compliance with civil rights laws and ensuring that program beneficiaries are
eligible to receive federal financial assistance are applicable as explained in EPA Guidance on Participant
Support Costs. In addition, program beneficiaries must abide by requirements to ensure that the funds
are used only for authorized purposes.
If a grantee, subrecipient, or contractor is issuing PSCs, it must have a written agreement in place. The
written agreement should not be structured as a subaward agreement and should not refer to program
beneficiaries as subrecipients consistent with 2 CFR § 200.1, “Subrecipient.” In addition, the written
agreement should not include language requiring the program beneficiary to comply with the federal
grant regulations at 2 CFR Part 200, 2 CFR Part 1500, or the terms and conditions found in the award
between the EPA and the recipient, other than requiring that the costs must be reasonable, necessary,
and allocable. The written agreement should also include the following:
• A description of the activities and amounts that will be supported by the PSCs.
• The program and/or statutory requirements that the program beneficiary must abide by in order
to ensure that the funds are used only for authorized purposes.
• Specify which party will have title to the technologies (e.g., vehicles, engines, equipment and/or
appliances), if any, purchased with PSCs.
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• Source documentation requirements to ensure proper accounting of the PSCs.
• Any reporting that must be submitted by the program beneficiary.
The EPA’s Award Official must approve PSCs on the basis of either a precise description of the PSCs in the
EPA approved budget and work plan, or on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The applicant’s project
narrative and budget narrative should include detailed descriptions of any proposed PSCs and include
cost estimates for PSCs as line items under the “Other” budget category. Should a recipient decide to
issue PSCs that were not described in the approved work plan and budget, the recipient must obtain
prior written approval from the EPA’s Award Official. Moreover, after a grant is awarded, should a
recipient decide to modify the amount approved (upwards or downwards) for PSCs, prior written
approval from the EPA’s Award Official is also required.
When creating budgets, applicants/recipients must exclude PSCs from Modified Total Direct Costs for
calculation of indirect costs as required by 2 CFR § 200.1, “Modified Total Direct Costs.”
Resources:
EPA Guidance on Participant Support Costs
Best Practice Guide for Procuring Services, Supplies, and Equipment Under EPA Assistance Agreements
EPA Subaward Policy for EPA Assistance Agreement Recipients, with attachments, includes:
• EPA Subaward Policy
• Appendix A: Distinctions Between Subrecipients and Contractors
• Appendix B: National Term and Condition for Subawards
• Appendix C: Model Programmatic Subaward Reporting Requirement
• Appendix D: Subaward Agreement Template
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