Puget Sound Outreach, Education, and Stewardship Program
Application Information
Please submit an informal Notice of Intent to Apply by January 29, 2010.
Applications are due March 2, 2010.
Note: The Request for Applications has been updated with corrected email links as of 1/14/2010.
On this page:
Summary:
Purpose: Implement an increased outreach, education, and stewardship program in the Puget Sound area.
Eligible Applicants: Washington State agencies, public and private institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, local governments and federally recognized Indian Tribes within Puget Sound and associations, consortia, or organizations representing eligible Tribes.
Estimated Funds: Up to $6,000,000
Number of Grants: 1 grant cooperative agreement
Grant Amount: $2,000,000 in 2009 federal funds. Potential for additional $1,000,000 annual incremental funding for next 4 years
Match Required: 33% of federal funds for the first year; 100% for additional years
Project Length: 5 years
EPA Contact: Dan Steinborn (steinborn.daniel@epa.gov)
Announcement: Request for Applications (PDF) (37 pp. 262K)
Request for Applications
Region 10 has issued a competitive grant announcement, soliciting proposals under the Puget Sound Outreach, Education, and Stewardship Program. We are seeking one single entity or consortium to develop, implement, lead, and administer an innovative outreach, education, and stewardship program. This program will help implement the 2020 Action Agenda for Puget Sound and support efforts through outreach, education, and stewardship to protect and restore Puget Sound.
At the conclusion of the first year of the two million dollar grant, incremental funding of approximately one million dollars will be made available for each of the following four years, allowing the project to continue for up to a total of five years and up to $6,000,000, depending on the EPA’s future funding.
Eligible Applicants
The following entities are eligible to apply:
- Washington State agencies.
- Public and private institutions of higher education.
- Units of local government within the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Non-profit organizations as described in Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- All federally-recognized Indian Tribes within the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Intertribal consortia representing eligible Tribes.
The greater Puget Sound basin is defined as all watersheds draining into the U.S. waters of Puget Sound, the southern Georgia Basin, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Implementing the 2020 Action Agenda for Puget Sound
The solicitation encourages applicants to submit applications to show how they would develop, implement, lead, and administer an outreach, education, and stewardship initiative in the Puget Sound Basin which contributes to the implementation of the 2020 Action Agenda for Puget Sound, including:
- E.4.2. Significantly advance public awareness and understanding of the issues facing Puget Sound, individual and cumulative impacts on the Sound’s resources, and the public’s ability to contribute to a sustained recover effort.
- E.4.2.1. Implement a long-term, highly-visible, coordinated regional communications effort to increase public understanding of Puget Sound’s health, status and threats, with individual and collective actions to advance recovery and protection efforts.
- E.4.2.2. Foster the incorporation of Sound-related stewardship messages and actions into existing social frameworks (e.g., educational institutions, outreach organizations, neighborhood and community groups, professional associations, watershed councils, and households).
- E.4.2.3. Sustain and expand local volunteer, stewardship, and education programs that target Action Agenda priorities. Enhance participation, engagement, and outcomes from these efforts.
- E.4.2.4. Strengthen K-12 environmental programs to improve long-term understanding of Puget Sound issues and solutions, including curriculum development, teacher training and place-based, inquiry-driven learning opportunities for students.
- E.4.3. Cultivate broad-scale practices and behaviors among Puget Sound residents that benefit Puget Sound.
- E.4.3.3. Focus resources to enable and encourage landowners to take informed stewardship actions beneficial to Puget Sound, related to such issues as infiltration, pollution reduction, habitat improvement, forest cover, soil development, critical areas, bank armoring, and other impacts.
- E.4.3.4. Stimulate broad-scale individual stewardship behaviors by integrating messages and technical assistance into existing youth education, adult education, volunteer opportunities, and related programs.
Activities to Include in the Grant Application
A successful proposal should include at least the following activities or elements:
- Bring together key stakeholders involved in outreach, education, and stewardship activities in the entire Puget Sound basin.
- Form partnerships to work and implement the outreach, education and stewardship activities of the Action Agenda.
- Use of a network approach to disburse the funds by competition or non-competitive subawards or both.
- Plans for publicizing the program and results throughout all of Puget Sound.
- Propose a comprehensive evaluation of the program at the end of the cooperative agreement including reviewing the project’s outcomes in order to improve the programs effectiveness, guide judgments about its impact, and/or inform decisions about future programming or funding.
- Propose a summary of the funded projects outlining accomplishments, strengths, and challenges.
For more information on eligible entities, developing and submitting proposals, eligible activities, and selection criteria, please see the Request for Applications (PDF) (37 pp. 262K).