In partnership with NOAA, nfwf will administer the hurricane response marine debris removal fund to remove damaging marine debris from coastal areas of communities impacted by hurricanes to reduce…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $6,300,000 Cooperative Agreement to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) under the NOAA Marine Debris Program (CFDA 11.999) to administer the Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund. Through this agreement, NFWF will manage the solicitation and distribution of sub-awards to remove damaging marine debris from coastal areas impacted by hurricanes, to reduce impacts to communities, industry, habitats, and wildlife. The partnership may also leverage other NFWF funding opportunities where priorities overlap. NFWF will oversee all programmatic elements, including close coordination with NOAA, organizing the response team, developing solicitation documents, reviewing and selecting sub-awards, managing sub-contracting processes, and assessing program progress.

The agreement includes a $1.925 million sub-award to Zender Environmental Health & Research Group Co, a non-profit in Alaska, to assess and remove Typhoon Merbok marine debris from key habitat and subsistence harvesting areas in 18 Alaska Native communities. This sub-project will conduct community mapping, build capacity through drone technology, provide training and employment for local residents, and oversee regional disposal and recycling logistics.

In partnership with NOAA, nfwf will administer the hurricane response marine debris removal fund to remove damaging marine debris from coastal areas of communities impacted by hurricanes to reduce impacts to communities, industry and further harm to habitats and fish and wildlife populations. The partnership may also include administration of funds through other existing nfwf funding opportunities where priorities to this agreement overlap or through special announcements as appropriate. Regardless of the funding opportunity instrument, the process, tasks and administration policies will remain the same. The project will include solicitation and management of sub-awards through the hurricane response marine debris removal fund or other funds as appropriate and approved by NOAA. Nfwf will manage all programmatic elements of the funding opportunity, in collaboration with NOAA. Program management occurs across all aspects of grant making and requires a variety of nfwf staff who are experts on different elements of the process (see appendix b for key staff and bios). Crosscutting programmatic efforts include: maintaining close coordination with NOAA partners. Organizing the nfwf marine debris team, nfwf regional experts, and NOAA partners around specific work. Developing documents (i.e. rfps, rfqs, internal memos, etc.) as necessary. Reviewing and selecting sub-awards that fulfill overarching goals of the agreement. Developing communications strategies to achieve goals, as appropriate. Coordinating processes for sub-contracting as appropriate. Tracking and maintaining consistent forward movement to carry out the objectives of the agreement within the timeframe. Assessing program progress in pursuit of overarching goals.