In support of the FY 2023 Exchange Network (EN) Grant cycle, the EPA will host a webinar to help potential applicants better understand the EN grant program and the requirements to apply for an EN assistance agreement. The webinar will be held on Thursday, May 18^th from 2:00-3:30PM ET. Agenda topics will include notable changes from prior EN grant cycles, an overview of available guidance, and common mistakes to avoid. This will be followed by a question-and-answer session with participants; the session will end when all questions have been addressed.
 
Notes on Joining the Webinars:

• The webinars will be given through Microsoft Teams, which can be joined by clicking the link below.
• To enter a meeting, click the link below; you will be prompted to ‘choose your video and audio options’. Select your audio preference (e.g., ‘computer audio’), ensure your camera is turned off, mute yourself, and then click ‘join meeting’.
  • During the call, you can unmute yourself to ask a question by clicking on the microphone icon (top of the screen).
  • Questions can also be typed into the TEAMS ‘Meeting Chat’.

 General Webinar Details and Connection Information:

• Date: Thursday May 18th, 2 – 3:30pm ET
• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format) –https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YjA1YzkxNTUtMTdiNC00N2JiLWFjNzItYjU2MmY0OWE5YWQ3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2288b378b3-6748-4867-acf9-76aacbeca6a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%229661eb6a-1eb9-492e-9e70-773c4734909f%22%7d
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) – Number: 1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 118 046 918#

Please direct any questions to Erin McGown, Exchange Network Grants Acting Program Manager, at [email protected]. The PowerPoint slides from this presentation will posted shortly to the EN website at: https://www.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/exchange-network-grant-program#Resources.

Although not mandatory, EPA would appreciate pre-registration for webinar sessions by sending an email to Aimee Awad ([email protected]) with the participant name(s), organization, and state, tribe, or territory. Please note that EPA will maintain these records internally and they will not be shared with any third parties.

Applicants to the U.S. EPA’s Exchange Network Grant Program can now find optional templates for the cover letter, project narrative, and budget narrative attachment form at www.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/exchange-network-grant-program#Resources and the FY23 EN grant program’s grants.gov listing. Also available to applicants is an optional self-calculating budget tool, new for FY23. This pre-formatted Excel workbook helps correctly categorize project costs, calculate total cost per budget category, and includes an example of a project budget.

General FAQs and Tribal FAQs that answer frequent and previously asked questions from past EN grant webinars are also available on the EN Grants website. Dates for FY23 Exchange Network webinars will be released shortly; please continue to check the Exchange Network Grants website for more details. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the new FY23 Solicitation Notice, as significant updates have been made since the FY22 version. For a list of some of these changes, please be sure to see the section titled ‘What’s New in the FY23 Solicitation Notice’ as found in the General FAQs.

Please contact [email protected] with questions on accessing or utilizing these optional forms and tools.

As a reminder, EPA only accepts project proposals for Exchange Network 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 August 2023, and tentatively plans to issue awards by October 2023. Applications are due to EPA by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Friday, June 2^nd, 2023.
 
For more information, please contact:
Erin McGown
EN Grants Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Email: [email protected]