Outreach and Education Grant Availability
Outreach and Education Grant Availability
Contaminants of Emerging Concern Initiative
To be posted on May 1, 2017
Minnesota Department of Health
Health Risk Assessment Unit
PO Box 64975
St. Paul, MN 55164-0975
651-201-4899
To obtain this information in a different format, call: 651-201-4898.
Table of Contents
Outreach and Education Grant Availability
Table of Contents
Request for Proposal Summary
Introduction
Notification of Grant Availability
Scope of Work
Eligibility
Grant Awards
Proposal Content
Application Review Process
Allocation of the Grant Award
Grantee Reporting Requirements
Appendix A: Application Checklist
Appendix B: Project Narrative and Workplan
Appendix C: Sample Budget
Appendix D: Budget Justification Form
Appendix E: Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form
Appendix F: Due Diligence Review Form
Appendix G: Links to Sample Minnesota Department of Health Grant Agreements
Request for Proposal Summary
Purpose / The purpose of the grant program is to enhance Minnesotans’ understanding and knowledge of contaminants of emerging concern in water that may be used for drinking and reduce environmental releases of emerging contaminants.Funded programs may focus on planning and/or implementing new outreach activities, or evaluating existing outreach activities related to contaminants of emerging concern.
Eligibility / ▪Local, regional, or tribal units of government
▪Non-profit organizations
▪Academic institutions, including school districts
▪Professional water resource organizations, including for-profit organizations
Past recipients of grants through the Contaminants of Emerging Concern initiative are eligible to receive grants in the current grant program.
Total Funds / The total amount of funding available is $200,000. The maximum amount for any grant is $45,000 and the minimum amount for any grant is $10,000.
Timeline / May 1, 2017: Request for Proposal published
June 15, 2017: Deadline for submitting application questions
June 21, 2017: Application questions and answers available
June 30, 2017: Applications due
August 15, 2017: Applicant notification of award selection or rejection
March 31, 2019: Final date to spend grant funds
No work shall begin until all required signatures have been obtained on the grant agreement, and a grantee receives a signed copy of the grant agreement.
Application Requirements / ▪Project Narrative and Work Plan (Appendix B)
▪Detailed budget sheet (example provided as Appendix C). If a Grantee’s proposed project spans more than one State fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), separate budget sheets must be provided for each State fiscal year.
▪Budget Justification Form (Appendix D)
▪Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form (Appendix E)
▪Due Diligence Review Form (for grant requests from non-governmental organizations) (Appendix F)
Questions / Questions must be received by 4:30PM, June 15, 2017. Answers to questions will be available to all potential applicants by 4:30PM, June 21, 2017 on the Contaminants of Emerging Concern website (
Application Deadline / 4:30 PM, June 30, 2017
MDH Contact / Katie Nyquist
Introduction
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Minnesota provides funding to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for the Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) initiative and allows for the use of contracts and grants to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
The mission of the CECinitiative is to investigate and communicate the health impacts and exposure potential of emerging contaminants in drinking water. The initiative supports the Clean Water Fund Mission to protect drinking water sources and the MDH mission to protect, maintain, and improve the health of all Minnesotans.
This grant program is administered through the Environmental Surveillance and Assessment Section of MDH. This notice applies to all local, regional, and tribal units of government, non-profit organizations, professional organizations, and academic institutions.These competitive grants will:
▪raiseawareness of emerging contaminants, how they enter the environment and their health impacts;
▪highlight the value of clean drinking water and how CEC initiative activities (health-based guidance development, rapid assessments, and other special projects) contribute to Minnesota’s clean water; or
▪promoteindividual, family, and community behaviors that reduce environmental releases of emerging contaminants.
Applicants are encouraged to propose highly innovative projects and to consider the importance of stories and narratives about water in Minnesota in their proposed projects.
Notification of Grant Availability
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announces funding available to support the outreach and education efforts of the Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Initiative. The funding for these grants is provided under Minnesota Session Law, Chapter 2, Article 2, Section 8(a). Outreach and education activities funded under this grant program must focus on drinking water or potential sources of drinking water, human health, and contaminants of emerging concern in Minnesota.
The purpose of the grant program is to enhance Minnesotans’ understanding and knowledge of contaminants of emerging concern in water that may be used for drinking. Through this grant program, the public may become more aware of:
▪The health effects of contaminants of emerging concern;
▪Where contaminants of emerging concern come from and how they enter the environment;
▪How personal actions contribute to environmental release of contaminants of emerging concern;
▪How personal actions can reduce exposure to contaminants of emerging concern; or
▪A combination of the above and/or other related concepts.
Funded programs may result in:
▪Community or personal actions;
▪Community events;
▪New media products or literature;
▪Workshops or conferences;
▪Other public and stakeholder engagement activities; or
▪Electronic materials/programs.
Funded programs may focus on planning and/or implementing new outreach activities, or evaluating existing outreach activities related to contaminants of emerging concern.
Scope of Work
Grant funding is to be used solely to provide education and outreach to the public or to entities that conduct activities related to drinking water, contaminants of emerging concern, and/or public health. Contaminants of emerging concern can be defined broadly to include:
▪pharmaceuticals;
▪personal care product ingredients;
▪agricultural chemicals;
▪microplastics, including microfibers and microbeads;
▪industrial, manufacturing, or other chemicals; and
▪chemicals with new uses or new possibilities for human exposure.
The scope of work is not limited to chemicals that have been nominated for health-based guidance development or chemicals that have been included in the pesticide rapid assessment or pharmaceutical water screening value projects. Grant funding can be used to develop, implement, and/or evaluate an outreach and education project.
All activities and outputs completed under the grant shall be made available to MDH upon request. Grantees will be required to partake in regular check-in meetings and/or calls with MDH (at least monthly, to be determined at the time of award). Grantees will be required to report on their progress at each check-in and provide a written summary and evaluation at the conclusion of the grant activities. Grantees may also request technical assistance from MDH staff throughout the grant period.
Eligibility
This grant is intended to support implementation of outreach and education activities that address drinking water or potential sources of drinking water, human health, and contaminants of emerging concern in Minnesota. Grantees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to qualify for a grant:
▪Be a local, regional, or tribal unit of government.
▪Be a non-profit organization.
▪Be an academic institution, including school districts.
▪Be a professional water resource organization, including for-profit organizations.
Past recipients of grants through the Contaminants of Emerging Concern initiative are eligible to receive grants in the current grant program. Applications that propose multi-organization collaborations to fulfill the grant deliverables are welcome.
Grant Awards
The total amount of funding that is available under this notice is $200,000. The maximum amount for any grant is $45,000 and the minimum amount for any grant is $10,000.
This is a reimbursement grant. Grantees will need to perform the work and then submit an invoice to MDH. It make take several days to review the invoice and for payment to be issued by MDH. Grantees should plan accordingly for this delay in payment. Payments may be delivered more quickly if a grantee is set up for Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) instead of receiving a paper check. You can get more information on EFT from Minnesota Management and Budget’s EFT Payments General Information & FAQ (
Grantees will be required to acknowledge and attribute project funds the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Standard language and a logo will be provided to the Grantee
Matching Funds and Funding Period
No cost share is required for receiving a grant and all of the awarded funds must be spent by March 31, 2019. Final submissions for reimbursement should be submitted to MDH by May 15, 2019.
Termination for Insufficient Funding
The State may immediately terminate this grant if it does not obtain funding from the Minnesota Legislature, or other funding source. Termination must be by written or electronic mail notice to the grantee. The State must provide the grantee notice of the lack of funding within a reasonable time of the State’s receiving notice. The State will not be assessed any penalty if the grant is terminated because of the decision of the Minnesota Legislature, or other funding source, not to appropriate funds.
Proposal Content
A grant application must identify:
▪a description of the work that is to be performed;
▪the entity responsible for completing the work;
▪the outcome or deliverable that will be achieved by conducting the work;
▪a detailed budget with total cost of work to be performed; and
▪theestimated start and end date for the work to be performed.
A complete application will include:
- Project Narrative and Work Plan (Appendix B)
- Detailed budget sheet (example provided as Appendix C). If a Grantee’s proposed project spans more than one State fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), separate budget sheets must be provided for each State fiscal year.
- Budget Justification Form (Appendix D)
- Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form (Appendix E)
- Due Diligence Review Form (for grant requests from non-governmental organizations) (Appendix F)
Application Review Process
Applicants may submit a grant application electronically or by mail. Applications must be received by 4:30 PM, June 30, 2017.
Applications submitted electronically must be emailed to:
Katie Nyquist
Applications submitted by mail must be sent to:
Katie Nyquist
Health Communications Planner
Minnesota Department of Health
P.O. Box 64975
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55164-0975
MDH is not responsible for grant applications that are lost in the mail or delayed in electronic transmission.
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered and will not be eligible for funding through the grant program at this time. Late submissions that wish to be eligible for future funding opportunitiesmust be re-submitted after the applicable request for proposal is published.
All information collected, created, received, maintained, or disseminated by any government entity, including MDH, is considered government data and will be regulated in accordance with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minn. Stat. 13. More information on the Data Practices Act can be found at The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (
Application Questions
All questions regarding the Request for Proposal or application review process should be submitted in email to:
Katie Nyquist
Questions must be received by 4:30PM, June 15, 2017. Answers to questions will be available to all potential applicants by 4:30PM, June 21, 2017 on the Contaminants of Emerging Concern website (
Scoring Grant Applications
Grant applications are scored using a standard set of questions and associated point values by a review team consisting of five to seven subject matter expertsand communications staff at MDH. A grant application will be placed on a list of eligible applications if the total score meets or exceed the minimum value. Once on the list, grants will be funded based upon the 1) score, and 2) availability of grant funds.
MDH will assign points based on the following grant review measures:
- SECTION I: Organizational Capacity (Points: 0 to 15)
Does the application provide sufficient detail regarding organizational structure, staff, work experience, and past and/or current outreach and education programs and/or services?
- SECTION II: Project Narrative and Workplan (Points: 0 to 45)
Does the application provide a sufficient project narrative and workplan that aligns with the objectives and goals of the grant program? Is the work that is to be performed described in enough detail, including associated costs? Is there sufficient documentation to indicate that the responder will be able to measure and demonstrate program effectiveness? - SECTION III: Budget and Budget Justification (Points: 0 to 15)
Does the application provide sufficient detail of costs for each work task identified in the work plan? Is there sufficient documentation to indicate that the work can be completed within the proposed time period and budget? Is the budget consistent with the proposed objectives?
MDH reserves the right to consider the application incomplete and to assign zero points if the applicant has not provided sufficient documentation. Points are assigned on a scale basis and depend on how much detail is provided on the application form.
The maximum score that can be achieved is: 75 points.
Notification Process
MDH will provide written notification of selection or rejection to all grant applicants by August 18, 2017. Applicants may be required to provide additional information for the work to be performed, including a detailed estimate invoice showing specific materials, labor, time, etc. Rejected applicants are encouraged to reapply to future grant notices.
If awarded a grant, no work shall begin until all required signatures have been obtained on the grant agreement, and a grantee receives a signed copy of the grant agreement.
Allocation of the Grant Award
The grantee will be reimbursed once the project duties and the grant reporting requirements have been successfully met and MDH is satisfied that the project has been completed according to the terms of the grant agreement. The grantee has the obligation to pay any third party (contractor) hired for the purpose of completing the work before or immediately after receiving payment from MDH.
Grantee Reporting Requirements
An organization receiving a grant must report, in full, the results of each work item that is funded by providing all of the following information:
▪The results of performing the work that is described in the grant application. Reporting should include pictures, stories, and samples of developed material if applicable. Attendees of stakeholder, partnership, or public meetings should be documented and reported.
▪The total amount of grant funds that were expended to perform each work item.
▪A summary of the costs that are attributed to performing each work item.
MDH would like to strongly encourage organizations receiving a grant to present their project to MDH staff and other stakeholders at the completion of the grant program.
Additional requirements will be listed in the grant agreement, based on the nature of the project.
Appendices:
Appendix A: Application Checklist
Appendix B: Project Narrative and Workplan
Appendix C: Sample Budget
Appendix D: Budget Justification Form
Appendix E: Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form
Appendix F: Due Diligence Review Form
Appendix G: Links to SampleState of Minnesota Grant Agreements
Appendix A: Application Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure that all the required items are included in the grant application. A complete application will include the following:
Project Narrative and Work Plan (Appendix B)
Detailed budget sheet (example provided as Appendix C). If a Grantee’s proposed project spans more than one State fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), separate budget sheets must be provided for each State fiscal year.
Budget Justification Form (Appendix D)
Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form (Appendix E)
Due Diligence Review Form (for grant requests from non-governmental organizations) (Appendix F)
Any application that does not include all required items will be considered incomplete, will not be scored, and will not be eligible for funding.
Appendix B: Project Narrative and Workplan
The project narrative and workplan describes your organization and details what you intend to accomplish through the grant program. Successful grant applications will include the following information.
Organization Contact Information
Organization’s Legal Name:
Contact Name and Title:
Mailing Address:
Street Address (if different from mailing address):
Phone:
Email:
Website:
SECTION I: Organizational Capacity
▪Summary of organization’s history, mission, and values.
▪Description of the administrative structure of the organization, including a list of staff who will conduct the project and their training and expertise.
▪Description of past and/or current education programs and services provided by the organization.
SECTION II: Project Narrative and Workplan
▪Summary of the project and how the project enhances Minnesotans’ understanding of contaminants of emerging concern.
▪Statement of the proposed goals and outcomes of the project.
▪Summary of how the project will be evaluated; how success will be measured, recorded, and reported.
▪Clearly defined tasks, deliverables, and products that are clearly linked to the proposed goals and outcomes.
▪Plans for documenting project outcomes (for example: collecting pictures at an event, issuing a press release, collecting participant stories, copies of developed materials).
▪Description of target audience, including geographical area impacted or targeted.
▪Description of the methods and/or strategies to be used and justification as to what extent those methods and/or strategies are proven or likely to be effective with the target population.
▪Timeline showing the major tasks, deliverables, products, and deadlines of the project.
SECTION III: Budget and Budget Justification
▪Budget includes an accurate, itemized projection of costs for each task, deliverable, and product.
▪Description of any other funding that is directed to accomplishing the same or similar goals as the goals of this grant program.
▪Complete the following budget forms:
▪Due Diligence Review Form
▪Budget Justification Form
▪Indirect Cost Questionnaire Form
Appendix C: Sample Budget
Note: This illustrates the preferred minimum level of detail only. Applicants are not restricted to these tasks, costs, etc.