Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA G2014 ORD L1
Apply for EPA G2014 ORD L1
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Priorities Systems Based Strategies to Improve The Nations Ability to Plan And Respond to Water Scarcity and Drought Due to Climate Change" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.511 Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 23, 2014 and posted on Jun 23, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 5, 2014 Please see the announcement including Section IV for additional submission information.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Please see Section III of the announcement for eligibility information.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Research and Development, offered this competitive discretionary funding opportunity to support research that helps the United States better plan for and respond to water scarcity and drought under a changing climate. The central idea is a "systems-based" approach, meaning applicants were expected to look at drought not as an isolated event, but as part of a larger set of interacting processes that link climate conditions, watershed and landscape changes, hydrology, and resulting impacts to both water availability and water quality. EPA was specifically interested in practical, decision-relevant science that can improve prediction, characterization, and management of drought-related water challenges faced by communities and water resource professionals.
The program focus is on understanding how drought (both seasonal and prolonged) worsens or changes conditions in surface water and groundwater, including both how much water is available and how its quality changes. EPA highlighted the need to characterize and predict water quality during drought and in the chain of events that often follows drought, such as shifts in surface runoff patterns and the increased likelihood or severity of wildfires. In other words, the agency was looking for research that connects the dots between climate-driven drought conditions and downstream consequences like altered sediment transport, changes in nutrient concentrations, higher salinity or contaminant concentrations due to reduced dilution, temperature changes that affect dissolved oxygen, and other stressors that can impair drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems.
Beyond drought alone, the opportunity emphasized broader hydrologic variability and extremes tied to climate change. EPA called out scenarios such as flooding that occurs after drought and wildfire, which can produce abrupt water quality degradation by mobilizing ash, sediment, nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants into streams and reservoirs. The agency also pointed to changes in the timing and intensity of spring runoff, reflecting concerns that altered snowpack and melt patterns can reshape seasonal water supply and create mismatches between water availability and demand, while also changing pollutant flushing patterns and reservoir dynamics. Overall, the solicitation encouraged work that accounts for complex interactions across the hydrologic cycle, including compound and cascading events, rather than treating drought, wildfire, and flood as separate research lanes.
A major component of the requested work involved identifying and evaluating management options that communities can actually use. EPA expressed interest in research that investigates adaptation and planning strategies for municipalities, utilities, water managers, and natural resource managers facing these evolving risks. This could include approaches to protect source waters, adjust treatment and monitoring strategies, manage reservoirs and aquifers under stress, improve early warning and forecasting capabilities, and design sustainable watershed or infrastructure interventions that reduce vulnerability to both water shortages and sudden water quality shocks. The overarching outcome EPA sought was actionable knowledge and innovative, durable management strategies that help protect the nation’s surface and ground waters from declines in availability and quality.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was issued as Funding Opportunity Number EPA-G2014-ORD-L1 under CFDA 66.511 (Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships). Awards were to be made as grants and/or cooperative agreements, with cooperative agreements indicating that EPA anticipated substantial involvement during the project period compared to a standard grant. The solicitation anticipated approximately four awards with an estimated total funding amount of $4,000,000, and a maximum award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award (no stated minimum award floor). Cost sharing or matching was required, signaling that applicants needed to contribute non-federal resources or document an eligible match consistent with the announcement requirements.
Key dates show it was posted on June 23, 2014, with an application deadline of August 5, 2014, and an archive date of September 4, 2014. Eligibility was listed broadly as "Others," with specifics deferred to the formal announcement (Section III), which is typical for EPA research RFAs where eligibility may include universities, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, tribes, and other qualified entities depending on the program rules. The listing also provided contacts for technical questions, eligibility questions, and electronic submission issues, indicating a structured support path for applicants navigating the full application package and submission process.
In practical terms, this grant competition was designed to strengthen the science-to-decision pipeline for drought and climate resilience: improve understanding and prediction of drought-driven water quality and quantity impacts, account for interacting extremes like wildfire and post-drought flooding, and translate those insights into management strategies that communities can implement to safeguard drinking water supplies, aquatic ecosystems, and long-term water security.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this EPA funding opportunity about?
This competitive discretionary funding opportunity from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), supported research to help the United States better plan for and respond to water scarcity and drought under a changing climate. The emphasis was on research that is practical and decision-relevant for communities and water resource professionals.
What is meant by a "systems-based" approach in this solicitation?
A systems-based approach means treating drought as part of a larger, interacting set of processes rather than an isolated event. Applicants were expected to connect climate conditions with watershed and landscape changes, hydrology, and downstream impacts on both water availability and water quality.
What types of drought did EPA highlight?
EPA highlighted both seasonal drought and prolonged drought, and how each can worsen or alter conditions in surface water and groundwater.
What were the main research priorities?
The solicitation prioritized research that improves prediction, characterization, and management of drought-related water challenges, including how drought affects water quantity (availability) and water quality. EPA was specifically interested in work that produces actionable, decision-relevant science.
What water resources were in scope?
Both surface water and groundwater were in scope, with attention to how drought-driven changes affect drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems.
What kinds of water quality changes during drought were EPA concerned about?
EPA called for research that connects climate-driven drought conditions to downstream consequences such as altered sediment transport, changes in nutrient concentrations, higher salinity or contaminant concentrations due to reduced dilution, temperature changes that affect dissolved oxygen, and other stressors that can impair waters used for drinking water supply and ecosystem health.
Did the opportunity cover events that happen after drought?
Yes. EPA emphasized the chain of events that can follow drought, including shifts in surface runoff patterns and increased likelihood or severity of wildfires, and how these can affect water quality and water management challenges.
How did wildfire factor into the research needs?
Wildfire was highlighted as a related stressor that can interact with drought conditions and contribute to water quality risks, especially when subsequent storms or floods mobilize materials into waterways.
Was flooding considered within the scope of this drought-focused program?
Yes. The opportunity emphasized broader hydrologic variability and extremes tied to climate change, including flooding that can occur after drought and wildfire. EPA pointed to these compound and cascading events because they can cause abrupt water quality degradation.
What kinds of post-drought flood impacts on water quality were described?
EPA noted that flooding after drought and wildfire can rapidly degrade water quality by mobilizing ash, sediment, nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants into streams and reservoirs.
Did EPA mention concerns related to snowpack or spring runoff timing?
Yes. The solicitation called out changes in the timing and intensity of spring runoff, reflecting concerns that altered snowpack and melt patterns can reshape seasonal water supply, create mismatches between water availability and demand, and change pollutant flushing patterns and reservoir dynamics.
What does EPA mean by "compound and cascading events"?
In this context, compound and cascading events refer to interconnected extremes across the hydrologic cycle (for example, drought increasing wildfire risk, followed by intense rainfall and flooding) that together produce combined impacts on water quantity and water quality. The solicitation encouraged research that accounts for these interactions rather than studying drought, wildfire, and flood in isolation.
Was the program interested in management and adaptation options, or only basic research?
Management and adaptation were a major component. EPA expressed interest in research that identifies and evaluates management options communities can actually use, with the goal of producing actionable knowledge and durable strategies to protect surface and ground waters.
Who were the intended end users of the research?
The opportunity emphasized decision-relevant science for municipalities, utilities, water managers, natural resource managers, communities, and water resource professionals.
What kinds of management strategies were within the scope described?
The solicitation described potential strategies such as protecting source waters, adjusting treatment and monitoring strategies, managing reservoirs and aquifers under stress, improving early warning and forecasting capabilities, and designing sustainable watershed or infrastructure interventions to reduce vulnerability to shortages and water quality shocks.
What was the overall outcome EPA wanted from funded projects?
EPA sought actionable knowledge and innovative, durable management strategies that help protect the nation’s surface and ground waters from declines in availability and quality under climate-driven drought and related extremes.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number was EPA-G2014-ORD-L1. The CFDA number listed was 66.511 (Office of Research and Development Consolidated Research/Training/Fellowships).
What award types were anticipated?
Awards were to be made as grants and/or cooperative agreements. The solicitation noted that cooperative agreements indicate EPA anticipated substantial involvement during the project period compared to a standard grant.
How much funding was anticipated and how many awards were expected?
The solicitation anticipated approximately four awards with an estimated total funding amount of $4,000,000.
What was the maximum amount per award?
The maximum award ceiling was $1,000,000 per award. No minimum award floor was stated.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching was required, meaning applicants needed to contribute non-federal resources or document an eligible match consistent with the announcement requirements.
When was the opportunity posted and what were the key dates?
It was posted on June 23, 2014. The application deadline was August 5, 2014. The archive date was September 4, 2014.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed broadly as "Others," with specifics deferred to the formal announcement (Section III). The listing noted this is typical for EPA research RFAs where eligibility may include universities, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, tribes, and other qualified entities depending on program rules.
Where would applicants find the detailed eligibility requirements?
The detailed eligibility requirements were referenced as being in the formal announcement, specifically Section III.
Were contacts provided for questions and submission support?
Yes. The listing provided contacts for technical questions, eligibility questions, and electronic submission issues, indicating separate support paths for applicants navigating the full application package and submission process.
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