The Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Exchange Network (EN) Grant Program Solicitation Notice (SN) has been published to Grants.gov and is available here: https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/353216. Applications are due to EPA by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, May 22^nd, 2024. Additional guidance tools, including optional fillable templates for the cover letter, project narrative (work plan), and budget narrative attachment form, plus a budget calculation tool, is available through the grants.gov listing and on the EN website at: Exchange Network Grant Program | US EPA.  Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the new FY24 SN, as updates have been made since the FY23 version. Information on applicant webinars will be provided shortly.

The purpose of the Exchange Network (EN) grant program is to foster better environmental management and decision-making through increased access to timely, high quality, environmental information. An applicant’s proposed project goals and outputs should align with one or more EN Funding Areas as described in Section I-B of the SN and EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Applicants are encouraged to read the full text of the Strategic Plan at:

https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.

EPA expects to award 25-35 grants of up to $500,000 each, totaling approximately $10,500,000 in FY24. The exact number of grants awarded will depend on the number of applications submitted to EPA by the application deadline, the amounts of proposed project budgets, and the quality of proposals. Individual applicants may request up to $300,000 and eligible EN partnerships can request up to $500,000. EPA remains committed to awarding tribal assistance agreements equal to at least 20 percent of the appropriated funds.

EPA only accepts project proposals for EN grants submitted electronically through Grants.gov unless applicants have a waiver. Please allow for enough time to successfully submit your application and allow for unexpected errors requiring you to resubmit. EPA anticipates that it will announce selection decisions around July 2024, and tentatively plans to issue awards by September 30^th, 2024.

For more information, please contact:

Erin McGown
EN Grants Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Email: [email protected]
Secondary Email: [email protected]

This is a reminder to share your ideas for presentations and other content at the Environmental Information & Innovations Meeting (E2i)! The E2i call for content is open through April 5 and the meeting theme is Reinvigorate, Collaborate, Innovate. We need your help to craft a program that is engaging, informative, and relevant to your work.

We are seeking your proposals for content that aligns with that theme and the following key topics:

• Innovations related to the Exchange Network and its data flows;
• Telling environmental protection stories through data visualization;
• Improving data management processes and procedures;
• Leveraging geospatial data for environmental management;
• Improving user experience in web applications;
• Using Open Data, APIs and analytics to improve decision-making;
• Applying Artificial Intelligence in environmental protection;
• Adopting cloud technologies and shared platforms to drive efficiencies;
• Improving mobile data entry and fieldwork through technology;
• Building partnerships within and among environmental agencies;
• Examples of cross-agency and cross-partner collaboration; and,
• Finding intersections between data, science, and policy.

Submission Guidelines

You may submit a brief abstract for any of the following formats:

• Lightning Talks
• Podium Presentations
• Panel Discussions
• Innovation Videos
• Workshops

If you do not wish to lead a session or presentation, you may also submit an idea for a topic that you would like to see explored at this year’s meeting.

More Information on E2i

E2i will be held on September 17-19, 2024 in Kansas City, MO! E2i is a national meeting for the environmental protection community that creates opportunities to connect with other community members, share your successes and challenges, and learn about best practices in environmental protection.  
 
E2i builds on a long-standing series of Exchange Network and E-Enterprise national meetings that have convened since the early 2000s. After a long hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, we are excited to reinvigorate this meeting with a new name and new opportunities for learning and interaction.   

Many more details on the meeting will be coming soon! 

Should you have questions regarding the call for content or need assistance with your submission, please contact Kurt Rakouskas at [email protected].

This is a reminder to join the March 14 installment of the monthly series of Exchange Network Forums. The March call will be held from 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern. Use this link to register for the entire 2024 series. If you have already registered for the 2024 series you do not need to register again. 

The recording and slides from the February EN Forum are available online.

Discussion Topics

The March Forum agenda will cover the following topics:

• Environmental Information & Innovations (E2i) Meeting – Hear the latest updates about plans for this national meeting for environmental protection professionals. Learn more about how to submit your ideas for meeting content! 
   
• Combined Air Emissions Reporting System (CAERS) API – We’ll be joined by the EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for a discussion about the Application Programming Interface (API) for CAERS that enables agencies to access emissions information. CAERS is an application that allows industry from subscribed State, Local, or Tribal authorities (SLTs) to report their air emissions. The CAERS API may offer some important lessons learned as the Exchange Network reinvigorates its technology and partnership.

Contact

For more information about the Exchange Network Forum, please contact Alex O’Neill with EPA’s Office of Information Management.

Please save the dates of September 17-19, 2024 for the 2024 Environmental Information & Innovation Meeting (E2i) in Kansas City, MO! E2i is a national meeting for the environmental protection community that creates opportunities to connect with other community members, share your successes and challenges, and learn about best practices in environmental protection.  
 
E2i builds on a long-standing series of Exchange Network and E-Enterprise national meetings that have convened since the early 2000s. After a long hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, we are excited to reinvigorate this meeting with a new name and new opportunities for learning and interaction.   

Many more details on the meeting will be coming soon! In the meantime, we need your help to craft a program that is engaging, informative, and relevant to your work. Please consider submitting an idea for a presentation or other content at the meeting. 
 
The theme of E2i is Reinvigorate, Collaborate, Innovate. We are seeking your proposals for content that aligns with that theme and the following key topics:

• Innovations related to the Exchange Network and its data flows;
• Telling environmental protection stories through data visualization;
• Improving data management processes and procedures;
• Leveraging geospatial data for environmental management;
• Improving user experience in web applications;
• Using Open Data, APIs and analytics to improve decision-making;
• Applying Artificial Intelligence in environmental protection;
• Adopting cloud technologies and shared platforms to drive efficiencies;
• Improving mobile data entry and fieldwork through technology;
• Building partnerships within and among environmental agencies;
• Examples of cross-agency and cross-partner collaboration; and,
• Finding intersections between data, science, and policy.

Submission Guidelines

You are invited to submit a brief abstract on a relevant topic that you would like to present at the 2024 E2i. You can submit your abstract for any of the following formats:

• Lightning Talks
• Podium Presentations
• Panel Discussions
• Innovation Videos
• Workshops

If you do not wish to lead a session or presentation, you may also submit an idea for a topic that you would like to see explored at this year’s meeting.

To submit your abstract or idea for E2i, please click here.
 
The call for content will remain open through April 5, 2024.
 
Should you have questions regarding the call for content or need assistance with your submission, please contact Kurt Rakouskas at [email protected].
 
More information on E2i
 
E2i continues the longstanding series of national meetings held by the National Environmental Information Exchange Network and E-Enterprise for the Environment. E2i brings together a broad community of attendees from state, tribal, and local environmental agencies, U.S. EPA, vendors, and other stakeholders with an interest in improving the productivity and responsiveness of the environmental protection enterprise. The meeting will create opportunities for environmental professionals to connect with other community members, share their successes and challenges, and learn about best practices in environmental protection.
 
Stay tuned for information on meeting registration, lodging, and travel reimbursement opportunities. You can stay in the loop and get the latest updates by subscribing to EN Email Alerts. The program for E2i will be cooperatively developed by a Program Committee made up of representatives from state, tribal, and territorial environmental agencies and U.S. EPA. The Program Committee is chaired by:

• Jennifer Reyher
  Muscogee (Creek) Nation
   
• Eric Cleckler
  Alabama Department of Environmental Management
   
• Dwane Young
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency