The Grants Office and Compliance Division of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is responsible for the business management aspect of grants and interagency agreements (IAAs). These activities include, but are not limited to: evaluating applications for administrative content and compliance with statutes, regulations, and guidelines; negotiating grants and agreements; providing consultation and technical assistance to recipients; and administering grants and agreements after award. Communication is a key component in successfully managing a grant or interagency agreement. For that reason, recipients are strongly encouraged to contact the Grants Office with questions or when unanticipated events occur that might affect the timely completion of required tasks.
Council Grants Resources and Training: Resources for preparing and managing grants. Training sessions offered by Grants Office and materials from past training sessions.
Council Grants and Interagency Agreements
The Council Grants Office administers grants and interagency agreements under both the Council-Selected Restoration Component and the Spill Impact Component. The Council-Selected Restoration Component, commonly referred to as “Bucket 2”, is developed by the Council with input from the public, to restore the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf Coast Region. The Council approves Bucket 2 projects and programs for funding in what is called a Funded Priorities List (FPL). The RESTORE Council has awarded grants and interagency agreements in each of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as Gulfwide projects and programs, which are those projects and programs in two or more of these states.
The Spill Impact Component provides funding to the five Gulf Coast states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) for ecosystem restoration, economic recovery, and tourism promotion in the Gulf Coast region. The RESTORE Council oversees the Spill Impact Component, commonly referred to as “Bucket 3”. These grants are awarded as State Expenditure Plans.
RESTORE Act Administrative Cost Pools
Under the RESTORE Act and the Final Rule, issued by the Department of the Treasury, concerning the investment and use of funds deposited in the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, not more than three percent of the amounts received by an award recipient from the RESTORE Council under the Council-Selected Restoration Component or Spill Impact Component may be used for administrative costs. The three percent limitation is applied to the total amount of funds approved under a FPL or State Expenditure Plan. The administrative cost pools available to each of the recipients of Council awards, and amounts awarded and remaining are provided in the 3% Administrative Cost Pool Tables.
Unified Grants Management Solution
The RESTORE Council has implemented a Unified Solution to grants system for the management of grants and IAAs. The two components of this electronic system are GrantSolutions (GS) and the Program Information Platform for Ecosystem Restoration (PIPER). Applicants and recipients are required to utilize these components for grant and interagency agreement applications, and to perform grant or agreement administrative tasks unless an exception has been granted by the Grants Office. Only users explicitly authorized by a Council member or Council member designee will be able to submit proposals and applications in GS and PIPER.
Access to the Council's grants management systems is available through the RESTORE Council Grants Management System Portal
GrantSolutions allows users to:
- Submit required federal and Council application information
- Accept a Grant or IAA
- Request revisions and amendments
- Submit required financial and progress reports, including final reports
- Submit required and supporting documentation
PIPER allows users to:
- Submit proposals for Council-Selected Restoration Component Projects for consideration by the Council
- Submit programmatic information related to applications and awards
- Submit performance reports, including the programmatic sections of final reports.
Contacts
Chief Financial Officer
Vanessa Taylor: vanessa.taylor@restorethegulf.gov
Senior Grants Management Specialist/Team Lead:
Theresa Pettijohn: theresa.pettijohn@restorethegulf.gov
Grants Management Specialists:
Joshua Easton: joshua.easton@restorethegulf.gov
Bjorn Johnson: bjorn.johnson@restorethegulf.gov
Barbara Shumar: barbara.shumar@restorethegulf.gov
Bridget Zachary: bridget.zachary@restorethegulf.gov
Contractors and General Help Desk Support (including GrantSolutions and PIPER) :
E-mail: helpdesk@restorethegulf.gov | Phone: 504-444-2540
Zachary Konkol
Cynthia Keith
Valerie McWilliams