The EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) has announced a funding opportunity under the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Program (GLCWMP). This program addresses statutory requirements under Section 118 of the Clean Water Act to establish a surveillance network for monitoring Great Lakes water quality, focusing on coastal wetlands. Since its inception in 2011, the program has monitored over 1,000 wetland sites, representing more than 400,000 acres of habitat, using a standardized protocol. The EPA seeks applications to continue these efforts, emphasizing monitoring wetland health and generating insights to guide restoration and protection initiatives.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, tribal organizations, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations, excluding federal entities and individuals. Applicants must address all required program activities, including the collection and analysis of data from designated monitoring stations for the 2026-2030 field years. They must demonstrate their ability to maintain data continuity with historical records and deliver outputs such as spatial and temporal assessments of wetland quality, contributions to EPA reports, and dissemination of findings through academic publications.

The total funding available for this opportunity is $12 million, allocated as a single cooperative agreement with a six-year project period ending no later than September 30, 2031. Applications must include a detailed annualized budget, work plan, and project narrative. No cost sharing is required, but federal funding is capped at the specified amount. The anticipated start date for the project is September 30, 2025.

Applications will be reviewed based on technical merit, including the quality of the proposed study design, data management plans, statistical analysis, and reporting strategies. Collaboration with partners and stakeholders, programmatic capability, and adherence to EPA’s reporting and quality assurance requirements are also critical evaluation criteria. Applications that fail to meet the eligibility and responsiveness requirements will not be considered.

Submissions are due by March 14, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET through Grants.gov. Applicants must have active registrations with SAM.gov and Grants.gov and adhere to all specified formatting and submission requirements. The EPA anticipates notifying selected applicants by June 2025, with awards finalized thereafter.

For further details on application requirements, eligibility, and program objectives, applicants are encouraged to review the full announcement or contact the EPA representatives listed in the notice.