Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA OP OSC 11 01
Apply for EPA OP OSC 11 01
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Technical Assistance to Build More Sustainable Communities" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.611 Environmental Policy and Innovation Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 10, 2011 and posted on Feb 10, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 2011 Please see the announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on due dates and submission methods.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 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 the Office of Sustainable Communities (OSC) in its Office of Policy, offered a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Technical Assistance to Build More Sustainable Communities" (Funding Opportunity Number EPA-OP-OSC-11-01). The grant is designed to help local governments and tribal governments tackle recurring land use and development problems by expanding their practical capacity to plan and implement smart growth and sustainable community strategies. Rather than funding one-off plans that sit on a shelf, the emphasis is on hands-on, implementation-oriented technical assistance that results in real changes to local policies, codes, and development regulations, with the broader aim of protecting the environment, improving public health, supporting job creation and economic opportunity, and strengthening overall quality of life.
The mechanism for this opportunity is a cooperative agreement, which typically means the EPA expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant, often through collaboration, guidance, or coordination during the project period. OSC sought proposals from organizations capable of building and delivering technical assistance programs that can be replicated across multiple jurisdictions. A key feature is the use of standardized, "ready-to-go" tools and approaches, suggesting the EPA wanted deliverables that are transferable and scalable, not custom work that cannot be repeated efficiently. The agency anticipated making up to three awards, meaning a small set of grantees would each support multiple assisted communities rather than funding many separate community applicants directly.
The total estimated funding available was $2,500,000, with an award ceiling listed as $2,500,000 and an award floor of $0. The funding falls under CFDA 66.611, Environmental Policy and Innovation Grants, and the activity category is Environment. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement indicated, which lowers the barrier for participation and can be especially important for smaller organizations or those supporting resource-constrained communities.
Eligibility is summarized broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," with detailed eligibility requirements referred to Section III of the full announcement. In practical terms, opportunities framed this way often attract nonprofits, universities, and other qualified technical assistance providers that can demonstrate national or regional reach, strong subject-matter expertise in land use and smart growth, and the ability to work directly with public-sector partners. The intended structure described in the announcement is that the selected grantee or grantees would then identify, select, and work with a set of communities as the direct recipients of assistance, helping those communities apply proven tools to produce concrete policy and regulatory outcomes.
Key dates associated with the posting show it was posted and created on February 10, 2011, with an original and current closing date of March 31, 2011, and an archive date of April 30, 2011. The notice instructs applicants to consult Section IV of the announcement for specifics on due dates and submission methods, which typically include formatting requirements, required federal forms, and the submission platform or process. For applicants who had trouble accessing the full announcement, the listed point of contact was Kevin Nelson at (202) 566-2835.
In short, this EPA OSC opportunity funded a small number of capable technical assistance providers to deliver repeatable, tool-based support to multiple local and tribal governments, with the explicit goal of turning smart growth and sustainability principles into implemented policy and regulatory reforms that generate environmental, health, and economic benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the name of this EPA funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Technical Assistance to Build More Sustainable Communities" and is associated with Funding Opportunity Number EPA-OP-OSC-11-01.
2. Which EPA office offered this grant?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered the opportunity through the Office of Sustainable Communities (OSC) within the Office of Policy.
3. What is the main purpose of this grant?
The grant is designed to help local governments and tribal governments address recurring land use and development challenges by expanding practical capacity to plan and implement smart growth and sustainable community strategies.
4. What kind of work is the EPA trying to support (plans vs. implementation)?
The emphasis is on hands-on, implementation-oriented technical assistance, not on producing one-off plans that are not put into practice. The goal is to achieve real changes to local policies, codes, and development regulations.
5. What outcomes is EPA aiming for?
The broader aim is to support outcomes such as protecting the environment, improving public health, supporting job creation and economic opportunity, and strengthening overall quality of life, primarily through implemented policy and regulatory reforms related to smart growth and sustainability.
6. What is the funding mechanism (grant type)?
The mechanism is a cooperative agreement.
7. What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement typically indicates EPA expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant, often through collaboration, guidance, or coordination during the project period.
8. Who was EPA looking to apply: communities or technical assistance providers?
EPA sought proposals from organizations capable of building and delivering technical assistance programs that could be replicated across multiple jurisdictions. The structure described suggests that selected grantees would identify, select, and work with communities as the direct recipients of assistance, rather than funding many communities as direct applicants.
9. Who are the intended beneficiaries of the technical assistance?
The intended beneficiaries are local governments and tribal governments receiving assistance to apply smart growth and sustainable community strategies through concrete changes in policy, codes, and regulations.
10. How many awards did EPA anticipate making?
EPA anticipated making up to three awards.
11. Why does the opportunity mention replicable programs and standardized tools?
A key feature of the opportunity is the use of standardized, "ready-to-go" tools and approaches. This signals EPA wanted deliverables that are transferable and scalable, rather than purely custom, one-time work that cannot be efficiently repeated across jurisdictions.
12. What is the total estimated funding available?
The total estimated funding available was $2,500,000.
13. What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling is listed as $2,500,000.
14. What is the award floor?
The award floor is listed as $0.
15. What CFDA number is associated with this funding?
The funding falls under CFDA 66.611, Environmental Policy and Innovation Grants.
16. What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is Environment.
17. Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated for this opportunity.
18. What does the eligibility section say?
Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)", with detailed eligibility requirements referred to Section III of the full announcement.
19. What kinds of organizations might be a fit based on the description provided?
Based on the way the opportunity is framed, it would often attract organizations such as nonprofits, universities, and other qualified technical assistance providers that can demonstrate reach (national or regional), strong expertise in land use and smart growth, and the ability to work directly with public-sector partners. (Specific eligibility details are referenced as being in Section III of the announcement.)
20. When was the opportunity posted?
The posting/created date is listed as February 10, 2011.
21. What was the application closing date?
The original and current closing date is listed as March 31, 2011.
22. When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date is listed as April 30, 2011.
23. Where were applicants instructed to look for due dates and submission instructions?
The notice instructs applicants to consult Section IV of the announcement for specifics on due dates and submission methods, including items like formatting requirements, required federal forms, and the submission platform or process.
24. Who was the point of contact for access issues or questions about the announcement?
The listed point of contact was Kevin Nelson at (202) 566-2835.
25. In practical terms, what would grantees be expected to do under this program model?
The selected grantee(s) would be expected to build and deliver a technical assistance program using proven, ready-to-go tools; then identify and work with multiple assisted communities to help them implement smart growth and sustainability approaches that lead to concrete policy, code, and development regulation outcomes.
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