C699591120

Illinois EPA’s Section 604b Water Quality Management Planning grant program (a.k.a. Section 604b Grant Program) is designed to implement the Illinois Water Quality Management Plan and Illinois’ Nonpoint Source Management Program (Illinois EPA, 2013). Grant funds are used to determine the nature, extent, and causes of point and nonpoint source water pollution; develop water quality management plans; develop technical and administrative guidance tools for water pollution control; develop preliminary designs for best management practices (BMPs) to address water quality problems; implement administrative water pollution controls; and educate the public about the impact and importance of water pollution control.

Clean Water Act: Secs. 205(j)(1) & 205(j)(2) & Sec. 604(b)

Sections 4(m), 4(n) and 39 of the Environmental Protection Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 111 1/2, pars. 1004(m), 1004(n) and 1039)

The Illinois EPA receives federal funds under Section 604(b) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) to carry out water quality management planning activities under Sections 205(j) and 303 (e) of the CWA. The requirements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Guidance for Management of Section 205(j)(1) and Section 604(b) Funds apply to all recipients of grants made with funds appropriated by Congress under Section 604b of the CWA.

Illinois EPA’s Section 604b Water Quality Management Planning grant program (a.k.a. Section 604b Grant Program) is designed to implement the Illinois Water Quality Management Plan and Illinois’ Nonpoint Source Management Program (Illinois EPA, 2013). Grants are available to carry out water quality management planning activities that protect water quality in Illinois. Grant funds can be used to determine the nature, extent, and causes of point and nonpoint source water pollution; develop water quality management plans; develop technical and administrative guidance tools for water pollution control; develop preliminary designs for best management practices (BMPs) to address water quality problems; implement administrative water pollution controls; and educate the public about the impact and importance of water pollution control.

Yes

The Illinois EPA expects to send an award notice via Euna Grants (AmpliFund) to the applicant. This notice is not an authorization to begin performance or incur costs. The notice shall specify the funding terms and specific conditions. The notice must be accepted by an authorized representative of the grant applicant before a grant agreement can be sent to the applicant. No work should begin prior to the execution of a Grant Agreement between the IEPA and selected Grantee. The terms and conditions of the award shall be specified in the notice and the grant agreement. No grantee shall receive a grant or any other State or federal assistance that would provide more than 100 percent of the eligible project costs. Each grantee must agree to comply with all applicable federal and State requirements. This includes Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 C.F.R. § 200, Executive Order 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs”, and GATA. These can have a significant impact on the costs and complexity of a project. Section 604(b) Grant Program grantees will be expected to submit signed assurances that they will comply with all State and federal mandates, including: a) Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Person with Disabilities Act; 30 ILCS 575/: For grant awards of $250,000 or more, the grantee will be required to comply with the Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act, which establishes a goal for contracting with businesses that have been certified as owned and controlled by persons who are minority, female, or who have disabilities. The grantee must document a plan for compliance prior to the establishment of the grant agreement and ensure compliance through the life of the grant. Successful applicants will be required to execute a formal grant agreement and adhere to all requirements of the Section 604(b) Grant Program and other State and federal contractual requirements. In the grant agreement, the grantee shall be required to: • Certify that it does and shall comply with all provisions of the federal Internal Revenue Code (26 USC 1), the Illinois Income Tax Act; (35 ILCS 5/), and all rules promulgated thereunder, including withholding provisions and timely deposits of employee taxes and unemployment insurance taxes. • Certify that it does and shall comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006; PL 109–282, September 26, 2006, 120 Stat 1186 with respect to federal Awards greater than or equal to $25,000. • Certify that it shall adhere to the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, which are published in Title 2, Part 200 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and are incorporated herein by reference. See 44 Ill. Adm. Code 7000.30(b)(1)(A). • Certify that it and its sub-grantees shall: (i) be registered with the federal SAM and registered with the State equivalent of SAM; (ii) be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State; and (iii) have a valid UEI number. It is the Grantee’s responsibility to remain current with these registrations and requirements. If the Grantee’s status with regard to any of these requirements change, or the certifications made in and information provided in the Uniform Grant Application changes, the Grantee’s must notify the Grantor in accordance with ARTICLE XVIII. • Submit personnel activity reports accounting on an after-the-fact basis for 100% of the Grantee's employees' actual time, separately indicating the time spent on the Section 604(b) Grant, other grants or projects, vacation or sick leave, and administrative time, if applicable. All projects require quarterly reporting including a Periodic Financial Report, a Periodic Performance Report, and a project details report. All projects require a final Project report. The report shall document the project tasks and summarize the findings, costs, and benefits of the Project. The Grantee shall submit to the Illinois EPA, by the date specified in the grant agreement, a report explaining the execution of the Project and evaluating the Project’s success.

Government Organizations; Education Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Organizations; Small Businesses; Individuals; Other;

Notice of Funding Opportunity will detail eligibility requirements.

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Project Grants

Government Services

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All applicants must be prequalified in the GATA portal and also have an account in EUNA Grants/Amplifund. A fully executed grant agreement is authorization for the grant recipient to begin work on the project.

Selected Grantees shall upload the required information into the Uniform Grant Application for this NOFO, within Euna (AmpliFund), which includes completion of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Form and the IL-444-5205 Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form. The Grantees will complete the budget template with the proposed distribution of funding across the provided funding categories along with sufficient narrative description to justify the awarded funds. Applications must be submitted electronically. Applications will be received by the Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water, Watershed Management Section, Nonpoint Source Unit.

Selection criteria will be detailed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Illinois EPA will send a grant agreement to the grant recipient for signature and processing. The grant recipient must return the grant agreement, with the recipient’s signature, to the Illinois EPA. A copy of the grant agreement will be returned to the recipient once the grant agreement is fully executed by Illinois EPA and filed with the State of Illinois Comptroller. A fully executed grant agreement is authorization for the grant recipient to begin work on the project.

Notice of Funding Opportunity will detail deadlines.

Notice of Funding Opportunity will detail deadlines.

An appeal process is available to applicants and other interested parties; however, appeals are limited to the Illinois EPA evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. An appeal must be submitted in writing to the following address: Illinois EPA, Attn: Section 604(b) Grant Program, Bureau of Water, Mail Code #15, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 and must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the Notice of State Award has been published by the Illinois EPA on Grants.Illinois.gov. The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: the name and address of the appealing party, identification of the grant, and a statement of reasons for the appeal. Illinois EPA shall acknowledge receipt of an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the appeal was received. When an appeal is received, the execution of all remaining grant agreements that Illinois EPA intends to make under this NOFO shall be stayed until the appeal is resolved, unless the Illinois EPA determines the needs of the State require moving forward with execution of the remaining grant agreements. The State need determination and rational shall be documented in writing. Illinois EPA shall respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by Illinois EPA within the time period set in the request. The Director of the Illinois EPA may appoint one or more Appeal Review Officers (ARO) to consider the grant-related appeal and make a recommendation to the Director of the Illinois EPA or designee for resolution. The ARO shall make a recommendation to the Director of the Illinois EPA or designee as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. In determining the appropriate recommendation, the ARO shall consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation on the Illinois EPA. The Illinois EPA shall resolve the appeal by means of written determination, which shall include, but not be limited to: review of the appeal, appeal determination, and rationale for the determination.

Extensions may be requested if they are within the agreement term. This does not guarantee an extension will be granted. This grant award is not subject to renewal as continuation will occur under a new award.

There is no matching requirement for this grant program. However, local match is allowed. Local match may include money spent or in-kind services utilized to complete the approved project tasks but cannot be federal funds or funds used to match another federal program. Local match can be provided by the recipient, sub-contractor, or project partners (including state programs, private foundations, land owners, etc.).

llinois EPA’s Section 604b Water Quality Management Planning grant program (a.k.a. Section 604b Grant Program) is designed to implement the Illinois Water Quality Management Plan and Illinois’ Nonpoint Source Management Program (Illinois EPA, 2013). Grant funds are used to determine the nature, extent, and causes of point and nonpoint source water pollution; develop water quality management plans; develop technical and administrative guidance tools for water pollution control; develop preliminary designs for best management practices (BMPs) to address water quality problems; implement administrative water pollution controls; and educate the public about the impact and importance of water pollution control. The requirements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Guidance for Management of Section 205(j)(1) and Section 604(b) Funds apply to all recipients of grants made with funds appropriated by Congress under Section 604b of the CWA. This is a reimbursement program. Grant recipients must perform the work, pay project costs, and submit an invoice with supporting documentation before Illinois EPA will reimburse grant recipients for any approved costs. Illinois EPA will only make reimbursements to the grant recipient and will reimburse the grant recipient no more frequently than once per month. The following are not eligible for Section 604b Grant Program funds: Activities that do not address water quality or water pollution control; Implementation activities such as the construction of best management practices for water pollution control; Ineligible activities based on current U.S. EPA guidelines for Section 604b grants. Section 604(b) funds are awarded under Section 205(j)(2) by U.S. EPA to Illinois EPA to carry out water quality management planning. Pursuant to Section 205(j)(3) of the CWA, as amended, States are required to allocate at least 40 percent of funds awarded under 205(j)(2) to eligible Regional Public Comprehensive Planning Organizations (RPCPOs) and Interstate Organizations (IOs). U.S. EPA may approve a State's request to pass through less than 40 percent if, after consultation with its RPCPOs and IOs, the Governor determines that pass through of at least 40 percent will not: (1) result in significant participation by RPCPOs and IOs in WQM planning; and (2) significantly assist in development and implementation of the state's water quality management plan. In Illinois, RPCPOs include the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP - formerly Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission), the Southwestern Illinois Metropolitan and Regional Planning Commission (SIMRPC), and Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission (GERPDC). Costs incurred prior to the effective date of the grant agreement or after the grant agreement term ends are ineligible for reimbursement.

All projects require quarterly reporting of progress and a final project evaluation and report. All projects that include an environmental or social indicator monitoring component will be required to have a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) approved by Illinois EPA. U.S. EPA guidance for QAPPs can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/quality/qapps.html. Reports must be submitted to the Illinois EPA in electronic formats. The Illinois EPA has the right to use (including, but not limited to, citing to, circulating, displaying, and reproducing) all products that result from the grant recipient receiving financial assistance under the grant agreement whether the product is developed by the recipient or a sub-recipient.

Illinois Administrative Code 7000.90

Each grantee must agree to comply with all applicable federal and State requirements. This includes Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 C.F.R. § 200, Executive Order 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs”, and GATA.

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Notice of Funding Opportunity will detail funding amount availability.

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In the grant agreement, the grant recipient will be required to certify that it does and will comply with all provisions of the Federal Internal Revenue Code (26 USC 1), the Illinois Revenue Act (35 ILCS 5), and all rules promulgated thereunder, including withholding provisions and timely deposits of employee taxes and unemployment insurance taxes. In the grant agreement, the grant recipient will be required to certify that it does and will comply with the reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-282) (FFATA) with respect to Federal Awards greater than or equal to $25,000. A FFATA sub-award report must be filed by the end of the month following the month in which the award was made. In the grant agreement, the grant recipient will be required to certify that it shall adhere to the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, which are published in Title 2, Part 200 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and are incorporated herein by reference. See 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.30(b)(1)(A). In the grant agreement, the grant recipient will be required to certify that it and its sub-grantees shall: (i) be registered with the Federal SAM if seeking an Award that is partially or fully paid by Federal funds, and registered with the State equivalent of SAM; (ii) be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State; and (iii) have a valid DUNS number. It is Grantee’s responsibility to remain current with these registrations and requirements. If Grantee’s status with regard to any of these requirements change, or the certifications made in and information provided in the Uniform Grant Application changes, Grantee must notify the Grantor in accordance with ARTICLE XVIII.

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Additional information about Illinois' Water Quality Management Planning Program can be found on Illinois EPA’s website, including the Section 604b Biannual Report, which describes the projects that have been funded under the Section 604b Grant Program.

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10/8/2021

Merit Based Review; Notice of Funding Opportunity; Other;

FY 2015 : $637,000
FY 2016 : $610,000
FY 2017 : $606,000
FY 2018 : $797,944
FY 2019 : $726,000
FY 2020 : $375,000
FY 2021 : $375,000
FY 2023 : $1,392,000
FY 2024 : $1,509,000