Section 10055 - Eligibility, Process for Awarding Grants, and Criteria(a) The Secretary shall announce the availability of Environmental Justice grants on the Cal/EPA website and post a deadline of 90 days for the receipt of grant applications. Grant applications must be returned on or before the close of the 90-day application period specified in the notice. The Secretary shall review, evaluate, and select grant recipients. Applications shall be screened to ensure that the application and the projects described therein comply with all of the requirements set forth in Sections 10053-10055 in this Article, including, but not limited to, restrictions, procedures, work plan requirements and criteria, and comply with the requirements set forth in Section 71116 of the Public Resources Code. Applications shall be disqualified if any requirements are not met.(b) If the application package is complete it shall be reviewed and evaluated by the Secretary based on the criteria outlined below: (1) Threshold Criteria. Applications that propose projects that are inconsistent with Cal/EPA's statutory authority for this grant program or the goals for the program are ineligible for funding and shall not be evaluated. The Secretary shall notify in writing by mail those applicants whose projects are ineligible for funding.(2) Evaluation Criteria. Proposals shall be evaluated using the following criteria: (A) Responsiveness of the work plan to environmental justice issues.(B) Effectiveness of the project design.(C) Clarity of the measures of success.(D) Qualifications of project staff.(c) The Secretary may consider only one application per applicant for a given project. Applicants may submit more than one application if the applications are for separate and distinct projects. Applicants that previously received grant funds may submit an application for future grants.(d) The Secretary may give preference to organizations that have not received previous grants under the Cal/EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.(e) Every application shall be evaluated based on the merit of the proposed project in comparison to other applications. Past performance may be considered during the evaluation process for those applicants who have received previous grants under the Cal/EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.(f) The Secretary shall compare all applications eligible for funding and make final selections after the individual projects are reviewed and evaluated. Additional factors that the Secretary may take into account in the selection process include geographic and socioeconomic balance; cost, and projects whose benefits can be sustained after the grant is completed.(g) After all applications are received, the Secretary shall mail acknowledgments to all applicants. Once applications have been approved for funding, the Secretary shall notify the finalist(s) and request additional information in existing law necessary to complete the award process such as tax identification numbers. The Secretary shall notify in writing by mail those applicants whose projects are not selected for funding.(h) The decisions of the Secretary concerning grant funding are final and not subject to appeal.(i) State law requires all grantees to certify and assure that they shall comply with all applicable state laws, regulations, and requirements before receiving funds.Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 27, § 10055
1. New section filed 4-1-2004; operative 4-1-2004 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2004, No. 14). Note: Authority cited: Section 71116, Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 71116 and 71116(a)(1), Public Resources Code.
1. New section filed 4-1-2004; operative 4-1-2004 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2004, No. 14).