NOAA-NOS-OCM-2021-2006621 Full Announcement.pdf

CZM Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 3 C. Program Authority 4

II. Award Information 4 A. Funding Availability 4 B. Project/Award Period 5 C. Type of Funding Instrument 5

III. Eligibility Information 6 A. Eligible Applicants 6 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 7 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 7

IV. Application and Submission Information 7 A. Address to Request Application Package 7 B. Content and Form of Application 8 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 20 D. Submission Dates and Times 21 E. Intergovernmental Review 22 F. Funding Restrictions 22 G. Other Submission Requirements 23

V. Application Review Information 24 A. Evaluation Criteria 24 B. Review and Selection Process 29 C. Selection Factors 30 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 31

VI. Award Administration Information 31 A. Award Notices 31 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 32 C. Reporting 35

VII. Agency Contacts 36 VIII. Other Information 36

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 37

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: CZM Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY 2021

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2021-2006621

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.419, Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards

Dates: Full proposals must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m.

U.S. Eastern Time on January 15, 2021. At least one informational teleconference with the NOAA program officers will occur on dates to be determined, in October or early November 2020. Teleconference information will be sent out via the CZM Program Managers’ list-serve, or you may contact Kris.Wall@noaa.gov to obtain call-in information.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise eligible applicants that NOAA is soliciting proposals for competitive funding under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)’s Enhancement Program Projects of Special Merit, authorized under Section 309 of the CZMA (16 U.S.C. §1456b). The objective of Section 309 assistance is to encourage each State or Territory with a federally-approved coastal management program (CMP) to continually improve its program in specified areas of national importance. The intent of Projects of Special Merit (PSM) funding is to offer CMPs the opportunity to develop innovative projects that further their approved enhancement area strategies and focus on the following national enhancement area priorities: Coastal Hazards, Ocean and Great Lakes Resources, and Public Access. In order to apply for this funding opportunity, CMPs must be approved by NOAA pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. §1455) and have an approved 2021-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy. Additionally, CMPs can only apply for priorities for which they have a corresponding approved strategy. Coastal Zone Management Program Regulations at 15 C.F.R.

Part 923 apply to this Announcement, and program policies and procedures are further implemented through the provisions in this announcement.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 37

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The objective of Section 309 is to encourage States or Territories with federally-approved coastal management programs (CMPs) to continually improve their programs. The intent of Projects of Special Merit (PSM) funding is to offer CMPs the opportunity to develop innovative projects that further their approved enhancement area strategies and focus on national priorities. The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to make grants to a CMP for the development and submission of Federally approved program changes that support attainment of one or more enhancement area objectives established at 15 C.F.R. § 923.122.

PSM funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to CMPs. Proposed projects shall further the objectives of an approved enhancement area strategy but shall not be essential to meeting specific benchmarks in the strategy. PSM projects shall not be dependent on long-term levels of funding to succeed. Coastal Zone Management Program Regulations at 15 C.F.R. Part 923 apply to this Announcement, and program policies and procedures are further implemented through the provisions in this announcement.

This announcement will not award funding for construction projects. A construction project is defined as an award in which the major purpose of the project or program is construction.

B. Program Priorities

Proposals must focus on one or more of the following priority enhancement area objectives:

- Coastal Hazards: Preventing or significantly reducing threats to life and property by eliminating development and redevelopment in high-hazard areas, managing development in other hazard areas, and anticipating and managing the effects of potential sea-level rise and Great Lakes level change. Projects may support state, local, or regional coastal hazards initiatives that are prioritized within a CMP’s 2021-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy.

- Ocean and Great Lakes Resources: Planning for the use of ocean and Great Lakes resources. Projects may support state, sub-regional, or regional planning initiatives that are prioritized within a CMP’s 2021-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 37

- Public Access: Planning to improve public access to the coasts. Projects may support state, local, or regional public access initiatives that are prioritized within a CMP’s 2021-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy.

In alignment with the 2018-2023 National CZM Strategic Plan, and consistent with Section V.C. of this announcement, priority may be given this year to at least one project that advances equity and inclusion in coastal management through one or more of the above enhancement objectives. This can include work such as: meaningfully engaging with and supporting underserved and historically marginalized communities; broadening access to information (e.g. through translation of communications and products); analyzing and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations related to hazards, ocean and Great Lakes resources, or public access; or advancing diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion policies and practices of coastal programs, in alignment with approved 309 strategies.

Funds may be used for any of the following allowable uses which support the attainment of a program change:

- Project personnel costs;

- Supplies;

- Overhead or indirect costs;

- Travel;

- Equipment (pursuant to relevant OMB guidance);

- Projects, studies and reports; and

- Pass-through or contractual costs including contracts, sub-awards, personal service contracts with individuals, memoranda of agreement/understanding, and other forms of pass-through funding for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of Section 309.

Funds may not be used for land acquisition or construction projects.

C. Program Authority

Statutory authority for this program is provided under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1456b).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Total anticipated funding for PSM is approximately $1.5 million or 15% of Section 309 funds for FY 2021. Funding is subject to the availability of FY 2021 appropriations, and so

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 37 the allocation may vary depending on the total Section 309 funds available. It is estimated that approximately 5-10 proposals ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 will be selected. The maximum amount that may be requested for the federal share of a PSM is $250,000. Funds not allocated for PSM awards will be returned to the weighted formula allocation under Section 309.

The lead applicant on any proposal will be responsible for ensuring that allocated funds are used for the purposes of, and in a manner consistent with, this program, including any funds awarded to an eligible sub-awardee.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available for this federal funding opportunity or that any proposal will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, the applicant does so at their own risk of not being selected and these costs not being included in a subsequent award.

Direct costs of proposal preparation shall not be included within the project application budget. In addition, NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for project costs if this program fails to receive funding. Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to federal financial assistance awards.

Proposals not funded in the current fiscal period, or if no proposal is selected for funding under this announcement in the current fiscal period, may be considered for funding in another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement.

B. Project/Award Period

The standard financial assistance award period for FY 2021-funded projects is 18 months. NOAA may extend an award up to an additional 18 months, for a maximum performance period of three years if circumstances warrant. In order to qualify for an extension, award recipients must be in good standing (i.e., up-to-date on all progress and financial reports), demonstrate progress during the initial period of performance, and be able to demonstrate that additional time is likely to result in successful completion of the project.

It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have an award start date of October 1, 2021.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Projects will be funded as cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed activity is anticipated. The recipient can expect substantial collaboration, participation, Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 37 and/or intervention in the management of the project by NOAA. Some examples of substantial involvement by NOAA include the ability to halt an activity immediately if detailed performance specifications are not met; NOAA specifying direction or redirection of scope of work due to the interrelationships with other projects; NOAA collaborating with the recipient by working jointly with a recipient scientist or technician in carrying out the scope of work, by training recipient personnel, or detailing federal personnel to work on the project; and by NOAA limiting recipient discretion with respect to scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operations, and other management processes, coupled with close monitoring or operational involvement during performance.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Any coastal State or Territorial CMP that has been approved by NOAA pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1455) is eligible under this announcement if the requirements established at 15 C.F.R. § 923.121 are met. Specifically, applicants must have an approved Assessment and Strategy for the 2021-2025 assessment period that includes at least one strategy for one or more of the priority enhancement areas identified in Section I.B of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). In addition to strategies that were originally approved as part of a State or Territory's Assessment and Strategy, approved strategies also include strategies that were added or substantially modified and approved by NOAA's Office for Coastal Management prior to the closing date of the competition. See 15 C.F.R. §

923.121 for all requirements.

The designated lead agency for implementing each approved CMP is eligible to submit projects for funding under this competition. For the purposes of this competition, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is an eligible applicant. Eligible applicants may submit a proposal on behalf of State agency partners within the approved State CMP network, if applicable. Local governments and nonprofits may participate as partners on the proposed projects; however, projects should be focused upon enhancing the approved State CMP. Each applicant may submit no more than two applications for consideration under this competition.

NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications. For proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited statement verifying the nature and extent of the collaboration and confirming prior coordination activities. Letters of support from NOAA employees are not allowable and will not be included among the application materials considered by merit reviewers.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 37

Federal agencies and employees are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement, but may serve as collaborative project partners. In-kind services from federal agencies and employees cannot be considered as part of an applicant’s match on shared costs. If Federal agencies are collaborators, applicants are expected to provide detail on the planned level of federal engagement in the application. Examples may include, but are not limited to, partnership services, serving in a review capacity, or participating in priority task teams, working groups, or leadership teams.

DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. While this program limits applicants to state and territorial CMPs, DOC/NOAA encourages applicants to include partners and contributors from any of the above groups or institutions.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Pursuant to 15 C.F.R. § 923.124 (a) (1), there are no match requirements under this competition.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Each applicant may submit no more than two applications for consideration under this competition.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The standard SF-424 application package is available online at http://www.grants.gov. If the electronic application is not accessible, applicants may request a paper application package from the competition manager: Kris Wall, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, 4003 Cirrus Drive, Medford, OR 97504, kris.wall@noaa.gov.

During the competition period, eligible applicants (the designated lead agency for implementing each approved CMP) should submit any questions regarding the competition via email to the competition manager listed above. Questions received that are broadly applicable will be added to a FAQ documented located at https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/enhancement/ and will continue to be updated throughout the application period. Questions and answers will be compiled on a bi-weekly basis, at a minimum, and posted to the website listed above, in order for all potential applicants to have

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 37 access to the same level of information. All competition policy-related questions should be submitted to NOAA no later than two weeks prior to the application deadline in order to allow NOAA to respond in a timely manner for the information to be useful for all potential applicants developing proposals.

B. Content and Form of Application

Applicants should submit a complete standard NOAA financial assistance application package in accordance with the guidelines in this document. Applications that do not follow the proposal application requirements stated in this announcement will not be considered for review.

All application materials should use a legible 11- or 12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides. Electronic applications must be submitted as Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) whenever possible.

The complete application package should include the following forms and documents grouped in two separate files:

1. A project description (proposal), as described in the application components section below, should be limited to no more than 10 pages, single spaced. The project description should also include a title page and table of contents, but these pages (title and table of contents) will not count towards the page limit. Additionally, the budget narrative, budget justification, budget forms, and Appendices will not count towards the 10-page limit for the project description.

Project descriptions that exceed the 10-page limit will be shortened by removing pages at the end of the proposal narrative (see element 3 of the component section below) before it is forwarded to merit reviewers for evaluation. Pages removed from lengthy applications will not be reviewed or considered. Applications that are incomplete, unclear, or contain numerous typographical errors may not be understood effectively by reviewers, resulting in lower evaluation scores, so applicants are advised to review their application materials closely before they are submitted to the agency for consideration.

2. The following Federal forms from the SF-424 Form Family should be included in the application package, as applicable (no page limit with forms and related mandatory federal form information):

i. Standard Form 424 (SF-424): Application for Federal Assistance (7/2003 version or newer). Applicants requesting Federal funding under this program must submit a copy of SF-

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 37

424, 'Application for Federal Assistance'. If the applicant submits a hard copy of the final application, the SF-424 must be signed and dated by the organization's authorized representative and used as the cover page for the final application. An electronic signature and date stamp will automatically be included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov.

ii. Standard Form 424A (SF-424A): Budget Information for Non-construction Programs (includes a separate form for each year of funding and for each proposed sub-award.

Applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form to summarize the budget for the proposed scope of work. The first column of Sections A and B shows the federal funds requested, while the second column of Sections A and B shows the non-federal matching funds provided for the project. Total award funding is shown in the final column of Section B. Non-federal funding is broken out by source in Section C. Forecasted cash needs in Section D should be inclusive of all funding for multiyear projects. Federal and non-federal funds should be expended at a similar rate throughout the course of the project. Section E may be left blank. Section F summarizes the direct charges in line 21 and lists the indirect charges requested; please show the rate used in line 22. Multi-year awards will have out year funds shown in Section E. Please note that completion of the SF-424A form as described above represents NOAA's preference and may not be consistent with the instructions that accompany the SF-424A form. All budget figures should match the funding requested on the application cover sheet and correspond with the descriptions contained in the project and budget narratives. Each proposed sub-award of $25,000 or more should be accompanied by a separate SF-424A form to fully document the proposed subaward budget.

iii. Standard Form 424B (SF-424B): Assurances for Non-Construction Programs Applicants are required to submit a signed SF-424B, 'Assurances for Non-Construction Programs'.

iv. Form CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants are required to submit a Form CD-511, 'Certifications Regarding Lobbying.

v. Standard Form LLL (SF-LLL): Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable).

Federal forms and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) information, as well as information provided to complete the federal forms (e.g. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement), can be submitted separately or combined and submitted as one PDF document.

Federal SF-424 forms should be available to complete directly within the application package. All other forms, NEPA information, and the Appendices can be uploaded within the application package under “Other Narrative” or “Other Forms”.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 37

Please keep in mind that Grants Online has a 5-minute time limit for downloading and uploading files, and so we recommend applicants do not exceed five megabytes for the total electronic file size of the proposal narrative and appendices combined. Files that cannot be opened or downloaded will not be reviewed.

Application Components: All applications should contain the following required elements:

1. TITLE PAGE (PROPOSAL COVER SHEET)

a. Project title

b. Proposed project period (start and end dates)

c. Recipient name (must match registered name in DUNS)

d. Principal and other investigators (names, organization, and contact information)

e. Financial representatives (names, organization and contact information)

f. Total requested funding

2. PROJECT OF SPECIAL MERIT ENHANCEMENT AREAS

Identify the enhancement area under which you would like this proposal to be considered (list all that apply: Coastal Hazards, Ocean and Great Lakes Resources, and/or Public Access). Please note that in order to apply for an enhancement area, you must have an approved strategy for that area.

3. ASSOCIATED PROGRAM CHANGE

a. Identify the approved strategy that the proposed PSM will support (please use the exact title as approved in the Assessment and Strategy):

b. List the type(s) of program change that the supported strategy was approved in order to result in, or implement (list all that apply):

- A change to coastal zone boundaries; new or revised authorities, including statutes, regulations, enforceable policies, administrative decisions, executive orders, and memoranda of agreement/understanding;

- New or revised local coastal programs and implementing ordinances;

- New or revised coastal land acquisition, management, and restoration programs;

- New or revised Special Area Management Plans (SAMP) or plans for Areas of Particular Concern (APC), including enforceable policies and other necessary implementation mechanisms or criteria and procedures for designating and managing APCs; and, Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 37

- New or revised guidelines, procedures and policy documents that are formally adopted by a state or territory and provide specific interpretations of enforceable CMP program policies to applicants, local government and other agencies and will result in meaningful improvements in coastal resource management.

4. PROJECT SUMMARY

Provide a one to two paragraph summary of the project. In this section, please briefly summarize the project’s goals and objectives and describe how the project will lead to improved management of coastal resources.

5. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

a) Provide a clear and concise description of the project that explains the relationship of the proposed project to the CMP's approved Assessment and Strategy and how the proposed project will further all or part of a program change that the CMP has identified in its Strategy

b) Applications should provide sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate the relevance and applicability of the proposed work to program priorities described in Section I.B of this announcement; to determine the technical/scientific merit of the proposed work;

to adequately review the qualifications of the applicants; and to assess whether the proposed scope of work raises any concerns with regard to federal policy considerations, such as those related to the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Historic Preservation Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

c) Goal and Objective(s). Describe in the narrative the specific project goals and objectives to be achieved. Describe how the project will further the goals and objectives of the approved 309 strategy. Explain how the project will benefit the coastal resource management community, the public, and/or specific coastal resources. The narrative should describe how the project is innovative, at either a state, regional, or national scale, particularly whether the project develops or implements new management tools or techniques that have the potential to advance the field of coastal management.

d) Background (Technical Need and Past Performance). Provide sufficient background information for NOAA and non-NOAA reviewers to independently assess the significance of the proposed project. Summarize the problem, gap, and technical needs to be addressed (as identified in the approved 309 Assessment), and the status of ongoing efforts and coordination to address the identified need or gap. Clearly describe how the proposed project will help address the identified technical need(s) and gap(s). Provide a brief description of the CMP's past performance and success in achieving the expected results of Section 309

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 37 strategies that are similar in size, scope, and relevance to the proposed project.

e) Public engagement and outcomes. Identify and describe how the project provides an effective education and outreach strategy and outcome(s) targeted for the public, other state coastal management programs, and relevant stakeholders in support of NOAA's mission to understand and protect the Nation's natural resources.

f) Partnerships and networks. Identify and describe any professional or technical network(s) that will be leveraged or created. Describe how the partners will interact with the project, and how they will use the outcome or results of the project. Identify and describe what partners and/or key personnel from other agencies and institutions will be partnering on the project and how they will be connected, integrated and/or leveraged. Describe the relevant experience and expertise of the partners and/or networks that will be involved in the project. Letters of collaboration from partners and any letters of support should be included in the appendices as appropriate.

g) Approach. Provide a work plan that: identifies specific tasks to be accomplished;

explains the technical approach (including quality assurance) needed to accomplish the tasks; identifies the roles of partners and cooperators; and identifies potential obstacles to successful completion of the goals and objectives. Describe how the technical or professional network is involved in the project planning and design process. The work plan must clearly address data management requirements and the steps to be taken to achieve efficient and effective data access and data archive that are compliant with federal regulations (see Data Management requirements under Section IV.B.8). If no environmental data will be produced through the proposal, or if data is not publicly accessible due to law, regulation, policy (such as those applicable to personally identifiable information or protected critical infrastructure information or proprietary trade information) or by security requirements, then the application must include a clear explanation as to why no data management plan is being submitted.

h) Task Outcomes or Products. Identify and describe the anticipated project products or outcomes. Explain how they will benefit the coastal resource management community and describe performance measures that will be used to evaluate project success. The narrative should include information on dissemination of the findings/results to resource managers, local communities, and/or other stakeholders as appropriate. The project narrative also needs to include information on how the project will be evaluated for success. If the goal of the project is to build capacity, describe proposed plans to ensure the activities continue into the future.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 37

i) Transferability. Describe how results may be transferred to other state CMPs, with the goal of minimizing the amount of resources or level of effort that would be required to address a similar problem in another coastal state or territory.

6. PROJECT WORK PLAN

Provide a work plan that includes the major tasks or actions necessary for achieving the goals and outcomes of the proposed project. Briefly describe the capacity of the program to carry out the project, including through collaboration with partners. The work plan should also identify milestones, outcomes, and a schedule for their completion.

Example Work Plan Format (please duplicate outline as needed for multiple tasks):

Title:

Timeframe:

Description of Activities and Program Capacity:

Milestone(s) and Date of Completion:

Outcome(s) and Date of Completion:

List of Final Products:

7. BUDGET NARRATIVE AND JUSTIFICATION

In order to allow reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of all costs, applications should include a detailed budget narrative and justification of costs broken out by individual task.

The budget narrative submitted with the final application should match the dollar amounts included on all required forms and clearly link to the project narrative. Please explain each calculation and provide a narrative justification to explain expenditures for each budget category. The budget narrative should describe, by category of expenditure, the total funding needed to accomplish the objectives described in the project narrative for the entire award period. Please explain how categorical costs are derived in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to determine if costs are 'allowable and reasonable' according to the cost principles referenced in 2 CFR 200, Subpart E. Budget narrative categories should correspond to the standard object class categories listed in Section B of the SF-424A. For additional details, please review the budget guidance provided at:

https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for- NOAA-grants.pdf

Applicants should include detailed budget information regarding all known contracts and subawards, and indicate the basis for the cost and price estimates in the narrative. Applicants should describe activities to occur or products or services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project. Each subaward should include form SF- 424A.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 37

Detailed budget information includes:

i. Name of identified qualified sub recipient or contractor, affiliation, contact information, and method of selection. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection. Information must include the name and location (city, state, and Congressional district) of the entity receiving the funds and the location of the primary place of performance under the contract or subaward.).

ii. Period of Performance. Include the dates for the performance period. If it involves a number of tasks, include the performance period for each task.

iii. Scope of Work. List and describe the specific activities or tasks to be performed.

iv. Criteria for Measuring Accountability: Include an itemized line item breakdown as well as total contract/award amount. If applicable, include any indirect costs paid under the contract/award and the indirect cost rate used.

v. Itemized Budget. Include categories used in program budget for subrecipients or cost-based contractors. If applicable, include any direct cost paid under the subaward or contract and the indirect cost rate used.

vi. Fiscal Need. Describe the extent to which the state must rely solely on Federal funds to complete the proposed project under section 309 because State funds are not otherwise available.

Please note the following:

Funds for salaries and fringe benefits may be requested only for those personnel who are directly involved in implementing the proposed project and whose salaries and fringe benefits are directly related to specific products or outcomes of the proposed project. NOAA strongly encourages applicants to request reasonable amounts of funding for salaries and fringe benefits to ensure that the proposal is competitive.

PSM funds may not be used to contract with NOAA for products or services. NOAA also cannot 'retain' PSM funds; all PSM funds must be awarded to the state.

All subawards and contracts must be made consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR 200.330-200.332 for subawards, and 200.317-200.326 for procurements.

For any equipment, a description of the item and associated costs or price is required, Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 37 including a description of how it will be used in the project. Note that equipment is defined as tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-federal entity for financial statement purposes, or $5,000. See 2 CFR 200.33 Equipment, 2 CFR 200.313, and 2 CFR 200.317-326.

Non-federal applicants should identify if this information is known when submitting the grant application, who they plan to request that NOAA transfer equipment or property ownership titles to after the project ends. The decision on grant ownership requests will be made by the Grants Officer during the grant closeout process.

The cost or price, purpose, and method of selection for identified and planned acquisition contracts should be thoroughly justified in the Budget Narrative. Describe products or services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project.

Procurements are subject to policies described in 2 CFR 200.317 - .326. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection.

The budget narrative should also provide, to the extent possible, detailed information on travel, including costs, a description of anticipated travel, destinations, the number of travelers, and a justification of how the requested travel is directly relevant to the successful completion of the project. If actual trip details are unknown, applicants should state the basis for the proposed travel charges. Applicants should allocate travel funds for any coordination meetings at regional or national levels. If a foreign air carrier is anticipated to be used for any portion of travel, prior approval is required under the DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, Section G.05.d., http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/documents/Department%20of%20 Commerce%20Standard%20Terms%20Conditions%2030%20April%202019.pdf, and therefore, such travel should be included in the proposal to avoid having to request prior approval after the project starts. Applicants may factor in travel costs for participation in an annual NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) workshop for recipients.

8. APPENDICES

Appendices should be limited to materials that directly support the main body of the proposal (e.g. resumes, references, lists of relevant work products or reports, detailed methodologies, data sources, detailed budget narrative, letters of collaboration, letters of support, lists of data sources, and maps) and should not exceed a maximum of 40 pages.

Applicants should number the pages in their proposal and any appendices.

As a standard practice, NOAA requires that resumes for Principal Investigators (PIs) of

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 37 competitive awards be on file and maintained in the grants processing system used by the Department of Commerce, Grants Online. Recipients of any award (competitive or non-competitive) are required to designate PIs in Grants Online within 30 days of receiving award offers.

The following appendix documents should be included in the application package:

1. Letters of Collaboration. All supporting letters from partner organizations that are instrumental to the project should be included in the application package. Letters must clearly indicate the level of commitment and/or collaboration. Letters of collaboration do not need original signatures.

2. Resumes. Provide resumes of the Principal Investigator for the project and other key personnel critical to the success of the project. Ensure that resumes address qualifications relevant to conducting the proposed work. Please limit resumes to a maximum of two pages for each key investigator.

3. Data Management Plan.

The Data Management Plan should address the requirements in the following section of the Announcement. If no environmental data will be produced through the proposal, or if data is not publicly accessible due to law, regulation, policy (such as those applicable to personally identifiable information or protected critical infrastructure information or proprietary trade information) or by security requirements, then the application must include a clear explanation as to why no data management plan is being submitted.

1) Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely used or open-standard format, and should be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely used or international standards.

2) Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied.

The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance provided by NOAA in the Announcement. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 37 data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected;

and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements;

however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets.

3) NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data.

4) Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

5) NOAA's Administrative Order on the Management of Environmental Data Management and Information is available under:

http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/ames/administrative_orders/chapter_212/212- 15.html

6) Principal Investigators should indicate how and when they have made their data accessible and usable by the community in the past.

7) More information about the NOAA Data Management Policy is available on NOAA’s Environmental Data Management Committee website at:

www.nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.DSP.php

8) Responsible NOAA Official for questions regarding this guidance and for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients:

Randy Warren Data Manager NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management randy.warren@noaa.gov

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 37

Phone: 843-202-2627

Data Accessibility: The NOAA Program recommends that public access to grant/contract-produced data be enabled as follows:

- An existing publicly accessible online data server at the funded institution is to be used to host these data (describe in proposal).

- Data are to be submitted to a public data repository appropriate to this scientific domain (describe in proposal)

Technical recommendations: The NOAA Program is not offering specific technical guidance. Proposals are to describe their proposed approach. Use of open-standard formats and methods is encouraged.

Resources: Proposals are permitted to include the costs of data sharing or archiving in their budgets.

4. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Environmental Compliance -- Under (NEPA), NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts of projects or proposals seeking funding from NOAA. See Section VI.B.4 of this announcement.

After the application is submitted, NOAA may require additional information to fulfill NEPA and other compliance requirements. If NOAA determines that an environmental assessment is required, applicants may also be requested to assist in drafting the assessment.

Applicants may also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for the denial of an application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment.

The applicants selected for funding must complete questions 1 - 19 of the Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Financial Assistance Applicants accessible at https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA- Grants-Questionnaire-final.pdf to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g. the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). Questions 20 -

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 37

53 are not required with the initial application because NOAA anticipates that most projects funded through this competition would not have impacts related to damage assessment and restoration or fisheries sampling and analysis.

Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA websites: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/ including NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, https://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/ames/administrative_orders/chapter_216/NAO_216 -6A.pdf and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations under https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=30655823cf5f0dcb1c5ee59d01883b89&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40chapt erV.tpl

5. Permits and Approvals It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain all necessary federal, state, and local government permits and approvals for the proposed work. Applicants must provide a list of all known permits that will be required to perform the proposed work and an indication of the status of any permits needed (e.g., not yet applied, permit application submitted/pending, permit granted, etc.) or a statement indicating that no permits are necessary. Applicants should include this required element even if permits are not required.

Failure to apply for and/or obtain federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analyses where necessary (i.e., NEPA and environmental assessment) will delay or prevent the award of funds for projects that have been preliminarily selected for funding.

For work proposed within National Marine Sanctuaries, National Parks, National Seashores, and other federally designated managed areas, it is the responsibility of the applicant to request and obtain any necessary permits or letters of agreement from the appropriate government agencies prior to commencement of an award. For applicants who propose to conduct research or monitoring activities that may affect any coral species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, you will likely need an Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit.

6. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) The proposed budget may include an amount for indirect or “Facilities and Administrative” costs if the applicant has an established indirect cost rate with the federal government.

Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, and insurance) that are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically within a particular project. See 2 CFR 200.56 -57 and 200.412-415.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 37

A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost agreement with the federal Government should be included with the application package. If an award recipient has never established an indirect cost rate with any federal agency, the recipient may request to use the de minimis rate (10% of modified total direct costs) described at 2 CFR 200.414.

Alternatively, the negotiation and approval of a new rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the DOC. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions require that recipients within 90 days of the award start date, submit to the address listed below documentation (indirect cost proposal, cost allocation plan, etc.) necessary to perform the review.

Lamar Revis, Grants Officer NOAA Grants Management Division 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Lamar.Revis@noaa.gov

The de minimis indirect cost rate should be used for all federal awards. Non-federal entities may use this rate indefinitely, but may choose to negotiate an indirect (F&A) cost rate at any time. This de minimis rate option is not available to state and local governments, and Indian tribes.

In addition to the elements described above, applicants may upload additional supporting documentation, such as the resumes and qualifications of applicants, and letters of support or statements of collaboration, by using the 'Optional Form' box under 'Other Attachments' in Grants.gov during the application submission process.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

To enable the use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, to the extent applicable, any proposal awarded in response to this announcement will be required to use the System for Award Management (SAM), which may be accessed online at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/

Applicants are also required to use the Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (www.dnb.com) as identified in OMB guidance published at 2 CFR 25, found at http://go.usa.gov/xZZn4. A recipient's DUNS number must correspond with the recipient's information in SAM.Gov

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 37

Applicants should allow a minimum of thirty days to receive a DUNS number and to be registered in SAM.Gov, or to assure that required annual updates are complete. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through www.grants.gov

Each applicant, unless excepted under 2 C.F.R. 25.110, is required to be registered in SAM before submitting its application, provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application, and continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or application under consideration by a Federal agency. A Federal agency may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements, and if the applicant has not fully complied by the time the agency is ready to make an award, the agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and my use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through www.grants.gov

D. Submission Dates and Times

Full proposals must be received by and validated by Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Time, on January 15, 2021.

Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to two business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration.

Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service, or received by and validated by Grants.gov by 11:59 PM Eastern time on January 15, 2021 (one or the other -hard copy or electronic, but not both).

If for any reason applicants are unable to submit their application through Grants.gov or are concerned about possible problems associated with the Grants.gov system, they may provide a paper copy of their full application by mail.