U.S. EPA Regions 1, 2, 3 Wetland Program Development Grants Training

In preparation for the upcoming Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDG) FY2021/2022 Request for Applications, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would like to invite you to attend a virtual training workshop for potential eligible applicants, hosted by EPA Regions 1, 2, and 3 on Thursday, February 25, 2021 from 10:00AM to 12:00PM. The Regional WPDG competition is a two-year grant cycle open to states, territories of the U.S., tribal nations, local governments, interstate agencies, intertribal consortium, and universities. Universities must include documentation that they are chartered as part of a state government in their application. Non-profit and non-governmental organizations are not eligible to apply for the Regional WPDG competition.

The Regional WPDG program is a unique opportunity to advance wetland program development in our communities while supporting the EPA’s FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. Awards made under this announcement will support Goal 1- Core Mission: Deliver real results to provide Americans with clean air, land, and water, and ensure chemical safety, Objective 1.2 - Provide for Clean and Safe Water: Ensure waters are clean through improved water infrastructure and, in partnership with states and tribes, sustainably manage programs to support drinking water, aquatic ecosystems, and recreational, economic, and subsistence activities of the EPA Strategic Plan (available at https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html).

All proposed projects must demonstrate the linkage to the Strategic Plan and include specific statements describing the environmental results of the proposed project in terms of well-defined outputs, and to the maximum extent practicable, well-defined outcomes that demonstrate how the project will contribute to the overall goal of restoring and protecting aquatic ecosystems. Examples of projects that have received funding in the past include wetland mapping initiatives, conditional and functional assessments of aquatic resources, methodology development, and demonstration projects evaluating multiple restoration techniques. Awards have varied from $70,000 to $500,000 depending on available funds and the number of eligible applications received.

This training workshop will cover the specifics of the Regional WPDG competition, including eligible projects, ranking criteria, and the linkage to EPA's Core Elements Framework. The workshop will also cover how to apply for the competition on www.grants.gov, requirements and tips for submitting strong applications, what to include in a budget, match requirements, and EPA's review process for selecting grant awards. There will be 30 minutes for a Q & A session following the presentations.

The workshop is also being recorded and a link will be made available as soon as possible.

We encourage you to attend one of these training workshops to learn more about the Regional WPDG program and how EPA can assist with your wetland program development needs. Thank you for your interest!