Application Process for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (EJ TCGM)

The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program is a competition to select multiple grantmakers around the nation to reduce barriers to the federal grants application process communities face and increase the efficiency of the awards process for environmental justice grants. Below are the suggested steps you should follow to apply.

Steps to apply

To track these 6 suggested steps, you can use this EJ TCGM Checklist (draft provided by the Climate Justice Alliance with modifications by EPN) with links to Mandatory Documents and additional resources (provided by Climate Justice Alliance and Anese and Associates). Using the EJ TCGM Checklist can help you divvy up sections among partners, track your work, and mark sections as complete. All of the sections on this checklist need to be included in your final application.

	Register – by Friday, May 12 You must be registered with SAM.gov (and have your Unique Entity Identification (UEID)) and Grants.gov. Registering can take weeks (if not months). If you can’t register by May 12 or soon thereafter, we recommend you use this time to register for the next opportunity. To register on SAM.gov,* go here. For help, access the registration checklist and EPN’s SAM.gov registration webinar. Also, please review the Intro to Grants.gov-Understanding User Roles and Learning Workspace – User Roles and Workspace Actions to assist with application submission. To register at Grants.gov,* go here. For help, use the registration checklist and watch this Youtube video. If you need additional help, send us an email. *To check your registration status, go here for SAM.gov, and here for Grants.gov.
	Review EPA Resources – by Friday, May 19 A: Carefully read the EJ TCGM summary and the entire Request for Applications to ensure that your project is a good fit. B: Double check the EJ TCGM eligibility. C: Watch the EJ TCGM webinar: EJ TCGM (Passcode: 38640870) D: Review the EJ TCGM slides. E: Read the EJ TCGM FAQs. F: Watch the EJ TCGM informational video.
	Find Partners & Envision – by Friday, May 26 Find and solidify your partners and collectively envision your proposal. A: Fill out the EJ TCGM Partner Survey. B: Reach out to these potential partners and/or others. C: Schedule a time to speak with your partners and brainstorm about proposal ideas.
	Read, Write, and Review – by Friday, June 16 A: Read through the EJ TCGM Workplan Template (provided by the Climate Justice Alliance and modified by EPN) and create a copy, as needed, in Google Docs that all partners can access. This will make up the narrative portion of your draft application. For submission, your Workplan, including the 4 elements listed below, will be uploaded via the Project Narrative Attachment Form on Grants.gov. B: Begin writing your Workplan, including: Project Summary (see Workplan Template) Partnerships, Collaborations, and Participatory Governance (see Workplan Template) Schedule of Activities (see Workplan Template) Past Performance (see Workplan Template) C: Review your Workplan (ideally more than once) using the EJ TCGM Evaluation Criteria to ensure that all requirements have been met in each section and that all possible points should be awarded.
	Complete Mandatory Documents – by Thursday, June 22 A: Create the following Mandatory Documents (Set 1), all of which must be included on the Other Narrative Attachments Form as part of your application: Itemized Budget Sheet (provided by Anese and Associates) Letters of Commitment Template (provided by Climate Justice Alliance) Resumes of Project Manager and Other Key Personnel (Resumes are examples only.) Sample Draft Subgrant Project Proposal Guidance (provided by Anese and Associates) B: Complete these additional Mandatory Documents (Set 2), each of which have their own individual submission forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54 EPA Form 4700-4 Preaward Compliance Review Report C: Review your application using the EJ TCGM Evaluation Criteria to again ensure that all requirements have been met in each section and that all possible points should be awarded.
	Review and Submit – by Friday, June 23 Although the deadline is Friday, June 30, plan to submit to Grants.gov, ideally by Friday, June 23, to give yourself time to troubleshoot if you have any difficulty submitting. These step-by-step instructions and video can help. Please plan to set aside at least three hours to submit your application to Grants.gov. A: To begin the submission process, go to Grants.gov and click the red “Apply” button at the top of the “view grant opportunity” page associated with this opportunity. B: Upload your application, including: All Workplan elements from Step 4 via the Project Narrative Attachment Form. Set 1 Mandatory Documents listed in Step 5 via the Other Narrative Attachments Form. Set 2 Mandatory Documents listed in Step 5 via their individual submission forms. C: Submit and confirm that all verifications & confirmations from Grants.gov are received & saved. D: Take …a nap!

*Special thanks to Holly Baker and Climate Justice Alliance for creating the EJ TCGM Workplan Template (modified by EPN) and Checklist, and to Jaimie Lewis of Anese and Associates for additional resources, including the Partnership Agreement template.