Opportunity Information: Apply for EPA I R3 CBP 23 10
The Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications, titled "Multiple Tributary Models for the Assessment of 2035 Climate Change Risk and Other Water Quality Challenges," is a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is designed to support advanced, practical modeling work that helps the Chesapeake Bay partnership better understand how climate change and other water quality stressors could affect key tidal tributaries by the year 2035. The focus is on producing useful, decision-relevant science rather than purely academic model development, with an emphasis on strong technical expertise and cost-effective project design.
At the core of the opportunity is the application of a state-of-the-science unstructured grid model to simulate conditions in the tidal waters of two specific Chesapeake Bay tributaries: the Choptank River and the Patapsco River, including their embayments. EPA refers to this effort as the Multiple Tributary Model (MTM). Unstructured grid modeling is particularly valuable in complex coastal and estuarine environments because it can represent shorelines, channels, shallow flats, and embayments with variable-resolution meshes, which often improves how well a model captures circulation patterns, salinity structure, and water quality gradients in areas that are difficult to represent with simpler grid approaches.
EPA expects to make up to two awards through cooperative agreements, with the intent that there will be one award supporting modeling for the Choptank tributary system and one award supporting modeling for the Patapsco tributary system. A cooperative agreement indicates that EPA anticipates having substantial involvement in the funded work, which commonly means coordination on technical direction, alignment with program needs, data sharing, review of deliverables, and ensuring the results integrate with broader Chesapeake Bay Program efforts.
A key application rule is that each application must address only one tributary. Organizations that want to compete for funding to model both tributaries are allowed to do so, but they must submit separate applications, one focused on the Choptank and one focused on the Patapsco. This setup signals that EPA wants proposals to be tightly scoped, tributary-specific, and clearly accountable for meeting objectives in one system rather than splitting attention across both.
The opportunity has an award ceiling of $250,000 per award and anticipates two total awards. The funding instrument type is listed as a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is tied to environmental work under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), reflecting the broader federal push to invest in resilient infrastructure and climate-informed environmental management. The listing is associated with CFDA number 66.466, a common identifier used for EPA Chesapeake Bay Program assistance.
The RFA was created on May 18, 2023, with an original application closing date of July 3, 2023. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with the expectation that applicants consult the detailed eligibility language in the full announcement for clarification. In practice, this label often means eligibility may include a range of non-federal entities such as universities, nonprofit organizations, interstate agencies, or other qualified institutions, but the exact boundaries would be defined in the full RFA text.
Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at generating high-quality, tributary-scale modeling capacity for Chesapeake Bay management, specifically to assess climate change risk looking toward 2035 and to better understand other water quality challenges in these tidal systems. The intended outcome is a pair of rigorous, applied modeling efforts (one per tributary) that can inform planning, risk assessment, and management decisions by providing clearer projections and scenario-based insight into how changing conditions may affect water quality and related ecological responses.Apply for EPA I R3 CBP 23 10
- The Environmental Protection Agency in the environment, infrastructure investment and jobs act (iija) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications for: Multiple Tributary Models for the Assessment of 2035 Climate Change Risk and Other Water Quality Challenges" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.466.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 03, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program Office Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications (RFA) titled "Multiple Tributary Models for the Assessment of 2035 Climate Change Risk and Other Water Quality Challenges." It is a discretionary federal funding opportunity intended to support applied modeling work for Chesapeake Bay management needs.
What is the main purpose of the project(s) EPA wants to fund?
The goal is to fund advanced, practical modeling that helps the Chesapeake Bay partnership understand how climate change risk (looking toward the year 2035) and other water quality stressors could affect certain tidal tributaries. The emphasis is on decision-relevant, usable science rather than purely academic model development.
Which tributaries are included in this RFA?
The RFA focuses on two specific Chesapeake Bay tributaries: the Choptank River and the Patapsco River, including their embayments.
How many awards does EPA expect to make?
EPA expects to make up to two awards in total.
Is EPA planning one award per tributary?
Yes. The intent is that one award will support modeling for the Choptank tributary system and one award will support modeling for the Patapsco tributary system.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is $250,000 per award.
What type of funding instrument is this?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement indicates EPA anticipates substantial involvement in the funded work. Based on the description provided, this can include coordination on technical direction, alignment with Chesapeake Bay Program needs, data sharing, review of deliverables, and ensuring results integrate with broader program efforts.
What modeling approach is EPA asking applicants to use?
At the core of the effort is the application of a state-of-the-science unstructured grid model to simulate conditions in tidal waters of the target tributary (either the Choptank or the Patapsco, including embayments). EPA refers to this overall effort as the Multiple Tributary Model (MTM).
Why is unstructured grid modeling important for this work?
Unstructured grid modeling is valuable in complex coastal and estuarine settings because it can represent shorelines, channels, shallow flats, and embayments with variable-resolution meshes. This often improves a model's ability to capture circulation patterns, salinity structure, and water quality gradients in areas that are difficult to represent with simpler grid approaches.
Can one application cover both the Choptank and the Patapsco?
No. Each application must address only one tributary.
If an organization wants to compete for both tributaries, what should it do?
It may submit separate applications: one focused on the Choptank River system and a separate one focused on the Patapsco River system.
What is the timeframe the modeling should help assess?
The modeling is intended to support assessment of climate change risk and other water quality challenges by the year 2035.
Is this opportunity aimed at academic research or applied management needs?
It is aimed at applied, practical modeling that produces decision-relevant science. The description specifically emphasizes usefulness for planning, risk assessment, and management rather than purely academic model development.
What kinds of outcomes are expected from the funded work?
The intended outcome is a pair of rigorous, tributary-scale modeling efforts (one per tributary) that can inform planning and management decisions by providing clearer projections and scenario-based insight into how changing conditions may affect water quality and related ecological responses.
How is this opportunity categorized or associated with broader federal initiatives?
The activity category is tied to environmental work under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), reflecting a broader focus on resilient infrastructure and climate-informed environmental management.
What is the CFDA number associated with this funding?
The listing is associated with CFDA number 66.466, which is used for EPA Chesapeake Bay Program assistance.
When was the RFA created and what was the original closing date?
The RFA was created on May 18, 2023, and the original application closing date was July 3, 2023.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as "Others." The description notes that applicants are expected to consult the detailed eligibility language in the full announcement for clarification. The label "Others" often indicates a broad range of non-federal entities may be eligible, but the exact boundaries would be defined in the full RFA.
Does EPA emphasize anything about project design or team capability?
Yes. The RFA emphasizes strong technical expertise and cost-effective project design, with a focus on advanced, practical modeling work that supports Chesapeake Bay Program decision-making.
What geographic waters should the model cover within each tributary?
The model should simulate conditions in the tidal waters of the chosen tributary (either the Choptank or the Patapsco) and include their embayments.
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