San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, FY2022

Background
Since 2008, EPA has administered the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund (SFBWQIF) competitive grant program to fund projects that protect and restore San Francisco Bay. Such projects must demonstrate environmental results for water quality and aquatic habitat (e.g., wetlands). To date, EPA has awarded over $71 million and leveraged an additional $191 million to restore wetlands, improve water quality, and implement green development practices (e.g., employ natural hydrologic processes to treat polluted runoff).

Grant Details
EPA is soliciting applications to improve water quality and restore wetlands in San Francisco Bay and its watersheds. The SFBWQIF aims to support a broad array of project types that will protect and restore wetlands and waters. This year's funding priorities include addressing climate change impacts, environmental justice concerns, landscape-scale watershed restoration, multi-benefit shoreline projects, urban infrastructure improvements in frontline communities, beneficial reuse of dredged material, solutions to reduce water quality impacts associated with homelessness, reduction in levels of trash and microplastics in Bay waters, restoration of subtidal habitat through sediment remediation and/or debris removal, projects to reduce nutrient inputs into San Francisco Bay, and installation of green stormwater infrastructure features.

Eligibility Requirements
Entities eligible to submit applications include state and local government agencies, regional water pollution control agencies, public and private universities and colleges, public or private non-governmental non-profit institutions. Non-profit organizations must have documentation of non-profit status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or their state of incorporation. Non-profit organizations exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995 or superseding legislation are ineligible.

Period of Performance
Awards will range from approximately $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 to be budgeted over a typical project period of four years. EPA anticipates making awards resulting from this solicitation in December 2022.

Grant Value
The total amount anticipated to be awarded under this announcement is approximately $24 million of fiscal year 2022 funds under the authority of Section 320 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1330.

Place of Performance
Projects must occur entirely within one or more of the nine Bay Area counties (Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco) that drain to San Francisco Bay.