Are organizations located outside of the Great Lakes region eligible to apply for this RFA?

Your organization could be eligible.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in Section III.A., B., & C. of the RFA in order to apply. Only applications from eligible entities that meet the threshold eligibility requirements will be considered. Applicants should carefully review all threshold eligibility requirements.  

Applicant eligibility information from page 21 of the RFA are as follows:

Qualified non-federal entities eligible to apply for grants include non-federal governmental entities: State agencies; any agency or instrumentality of local government; interstate agencies; and federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations. Institutions of Higher Education and non-profit organizations are also eligible to apply. Non-profit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible applicants as provided in the Lobbying Disclosure Act, 2 U.S.C. 1611. ‘For profit’ organizations, federal agencies, foreign entities, and individuals are not eligible applicants.

Geographic-related threshold eligibility criteria, from page 23 of the RFA, are as follows: 

1. Applicants must provide a written commitment that all Project Subrecipient activities are carried out within underserved communities in the Great Lakes geographic region.
2. Applications must be implemented within the historic Great Lakes Basin, including projects impacting connecting waterways such as the U.S. portions of the St. Mary’s River, Lake St. Clair and the St. Lawrence River (at or upstream from the point at which the St. Lawrence River becomes the international boundary between Canada and the United States) the Chicago River Watershed. 
3. Applications must describe how their program will either: (i) protect, enhance, and/or restore the Great Lakes or (ii) protect Great Lakes ecosystem health, including human health. 
4. Applications must describe how applicant activities and project subawards funded under this RFA will address and link to the relevant objectives and Measures of Progress identified within the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III (pdf) (12.51 MB, October 2019) , including plans to adjust the linkages in the event of a new GLRI Action Plan being administered during the term of the award.