Geographic Programs – Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program

To develop and support the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) for coastal watershed restoration.

SNEP is a geographically-based program intended to serve as a collaborative framework for advancing ecosystem resiliency, protecting and restoring water quality, habitat and ecosystem function, promoting the development of sustainable communities, and developing and applying innovative policy, science, and technology to environmental management in southeast coastal New England (eligibility map is available at: https://www.epa.gov/snep/background-information-southeast-new-england-program). A critical aspect of this framework is the integration of physical processes, water quality, and critical habitat at a regional, watershed, and/or landscape scale. SNEP's Strategic Plan under this framework includes goals for achieving, 1. a resilient ecosystem of safe and healthy waters, 2. thriving watersheds and natural lands, and 3. sustainable communities. Additional background information on SNEP can be found at the following website: www.epa.gov/snep.

EPA intends to fund projects, either directly or via a pass-through organization, that address SNEP priorities, EPA's "Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative" Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership, and spur investments in regionally significant and landscape scale restoration projects through projects, networks, and/or partnerships among governmental and community resource managers, technology, scientific, and policy organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Tribes, and other groups. A major focus is to build regional capacity for environmental management, including developing and establishing robust institutional, monitoring, information, and technology frameworks that can offer more effective, transferable, and sustainable paths to restoring and protecting the southeast New England coastal watersheds. Through competitive funding announcements, EPA will outline specific program priorities and eligible activities in areas such as environmental, ecological, and/or habitat restoration planning and construction; ordinance adoption and implementation; technology and policy development, testing, and adoption; financing; monitoring, including methods, equipment, data analysis and interpretation; public understanding and engagement; technical training in new approaches; information sharing; implementation of nature-based solutions; and targeted/applied research. SNEP funding is provided to support technical assistance, and implementation grants through direct EPA awards, and subawards. Additional SNEP funding under the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will support existing SNEP priorities and will begin to focus on achieving program goals.

Assistance under SNEP is available to state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments; institutions of higher education; nonprofit institutions and organizations; intertribal consortia; and interstate agencies. Private businesses and individuals are not eligible to be grant recipients, however, they are encouraged to work in partnership with eligible applicants on projects. Federal agencies may be eligible for funding through interagency agreements. Applicants are not limited to the geographic area of southeastern coastal New England, however, those applying from outside the specified region must carry out their projects and have at least one local partner from within the geographic area specified in the competitive funding announcement. Organizations must be capable of undertaking and managing activities that advance SNEP priorities, including managing potentially complex fiscal and administrative requirements. Non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply; the term interstate agency is defined in Clean Water Act Section 502 as an agency of two or more States established by or pursuant to an agreement or compact approved by the Congress, or any other agency of two or more States, having substantial powers or duties pertaining to the control of pollution as determined and approved by the Administrator. Intertribal consortia must meet the requirements of 40 CFR Section 35.504.

For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency’s
Assistance Agreement Competition Policy.

For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the
terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the NOFO. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements.

Notification of action on applications varies depending on the timing of funds released to the EPA Regional Offices from Headquarters. Interval from submission to notification may vary from 2 months to 8 months.