Grant Funding Announcement Review

GRANT FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT REVIEW

Funding Opportunity Title & Identifiers (opportunity number, CDFA, etc.):
Grant Program To Assess, Evaluate, and Promote Development of Tribal Energy and Mineral Resources
Grant Opportunity: BIA-14-FA0001
CDFA: 15.038
Funding Opportunity Announcement Website Link(s)
http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/DEMD/TT/TF/index.htm (FR link outdated),
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=257568
Eligible Organization(s) and Location(s): (pg. 1)
Federally-recognized Indians Tribes and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations on Indian Lands (see pg. 3 for a definition of Indian Land)
·  Ineligible:
o  Tribes under BIA sanction at Level 2…
·  DEMD will consider existing EMDP grantees under special circumstances… (see pg. 3)
Eligible Activities: (pg. 2)
Projects that assess, evaluate, or otherwise promote the processing, use, or development of energy mineral resources on Indian Lands, including conventional energy resources (such as oil, gas, coal, uranium, and coal bed gas), renewable energy resources (such as wind, solar, biomass – woody and waste, hydro and geothermal), mineral resources (e.g. sand, gravel), precious minerals (e.g. gold, silver, platinum), base minerals (e.g. lead, copper, zinc), and ferrous metal minerals (e.g. iron, tungsten, chromium).
·  Exploration studies for energy and mineral resources
·  Inventory or assess known resources
·  Perform feasibility or market studies for use and development of resources
o  Engineering studies (from info brochure on website)
o  Economic evaluation (from info brochure on website)
o  Define potential targets for development (from info brochure on website)
·  Provide outreach and education to tribes concerning energy or mineral development issues (from website)
·  Promote completed projects at industry conferences and to prospective partners or investors (from website)
·  Projects can be performed by (see pg. 5):
o  Qualified tribal personnel,
o  A Federal government agency,
o  A State government agency,
o  Qualified consultants, or
o  A private company or firm
Cost-Sharing / Match Requirements:
None
Application Deadline: (pg. 1)
August 25, 2014 by C.O.B. 5:00pm CDST
Submission Options: (pg. 1)
·  Application must be submitted in a digital format (pg. 9)
·  Email proposal to (preferred)
·  Hard copy submissions sent to:
Department of the Interior
Division of Contract and Grant Management
Attention: Bernie Toyekoyah, Jr.
o  Via USPS
§  P.O. Box 368
§  Anadarko, OK 73005
o  Via FedEx
§  1 Mile North on Highway 281
§  Anadarko, OK 73005
Application Contact & Assistance: (pg. 1; also see website)
·  Questions about EMDP program or application process:
o  Bernie Toyekoyah, Jr. at (405) 247-1652 /
o  Dawn Primeaux at (720) 407-0652 /
·  Technical questions related to specific energy or mineral resources – see pg. 1
·  See FAQs document on website
Format Requirements: (pg. 6)
Proposal is limited to 20 letter-sized pages including attachments but excluding some supplemental materials…
Funding Period (Length, Start, End): (pg. 3)
Single year projects only
Available Funding (Total / Minimum / Maximum): see grants.gov link
$11,000,000 Total Funding Available (no min or max award specified)
Project/Proposal Requirements and Restrictions:
Funding Restrictions (see pg. 4): partial list
·  Indirect costs
·  Purchase of data available through DEMD
·  Studies related to meeting NEPA requirements
·  Reporting requirements (see pg. 13)
Required Proposal Components: (pg. 5)
See Sample EMDP Mineral Proposal on Website
·  Tribal Resolution (pg. 6)
o  Different requirements for energy v. minerals grants
·  Work Plan Proposal (pg. 6)
o  Overview and Technical Summary of Project
o  Project Objective and Technical Description, Scope of Work
o  Deliverable Products
o  Resumes of Key Personnel
o  Note: DEMD staff may be able to provide guidance in preparing the technical portion of the proposal
·  Detailed Budget Estimate (pg. 8)
o  Contracted Personnel
o  Travel
o  Data Collection and Analysis
o  Other Expenses
·  Designated Project Lead Contact Information
Project/Proposal Criteria: (see pg. 9)
·  Resource Potential – 10%
o  If DEMD determines that resources do not exist in meaningful quantities the proposal will be rejected
·  Marketability of the Resource – 15%
·  Economic Benefits – 25%
·  Applicant’s Willingness and Commitment to the Project – 20%
o  Likelihood that the project will be completed
·  Budget Completeness, Cost Reasonableness, Cost Realism and Detail – 15%
·  Appropriateness of the Technical Proposal and Statement of Work – 15%
List of Priority Tasks (with deadlines):
·  Tribal Resolution (ASAP)
·  Data and information gathering
·  Prepare and/or obtain resumes
·  Contact appropriate IEMD personnel about proposal guidance for technical sections
·  Contact IEMD with questions below
Additional Notes:
·  Separate applications for multiple projects can be submitted
·  DEMD offers in-house technical assistance to tribes at no cost which can be leveraged to maximize EDMP project value (pg. 4)
Questions:
·  What is and is not part of the page limit?
o  Budget, Tribal Resolution
·  Does it need to be a full tribal resolution (e.g. General Council) or can it be an Executive Committee resolutions (e.g. elected Business Committee)?
·  How can I get a copy of a sample resolution? It is not on the website as indicated in the RFP.
Specific Project Ideas:
·  Facility scale solar photovoltaic feasibility study (engineering study, economic analysis, market analysis, define potential targets – investors/partners)