5.24.2022 updated Foa_Content_of_F22AS00308.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

FWS - Science Applications https://www.fws.gov/project/american-rescue-plan-act-zoonotic-disease-grant-program

Zoonotic Disease Initiative - Tribes Fiscal Year: 2022

F22AS00308

Due Date for Applications: 06/27/2022

Table of Contents A. Program Description

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

B2. Expected Award Amount

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates

B4. Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching

C3. Other

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

D4. Submission Dates and Times

D5. Intergovernmental Review

D6. Funding Restrictions

D7. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

E1. Criteria

E2. Review and Selection Process

E3. CFR – Regulatory Information

E4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

F1. Federal Award Notices

F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

F3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

G1. Program Technical Contact

G2. Program Administration

G3. Application System Technical Support

H. Other Information

A. Program Description Authority:

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (PL. No. 117-2) (ARP) section 6003(3)

Assistance Listing Number:

15.069 Background, Purpose and Program Requirements:

The American Rescue Plan provides financial assistance “for research and extension activities to strengthen early detection, rapid response, and science-based management to address wildlife disease outbreaks before they become pandemics and strengthen capacity for wildlife health monitoring to enhance early detection of diseases that have capacity to jump the species barrier and pose a risk in the United States.”

Funding will be used to establish and enhance Tribal, State, and Territorial fish and wildlife agencies’ capabilities to effectively address health issues involving free-ranging terrestrial, avian, and aquatic wildlife and minimize the negative impacts of health issues affecting free-ranging wildlife through surveillance, management, and research to protect the public against zoonotic disease outbreaks.

This new federal assistance program is designed to increase readiness for wildlife agencies to protect against future pandemics and encourage them to coordinate their efforts across jurisdictions in a seamless manner. Assistance will be available for a range of activities with the goal of the program being to strengthen the foundation of an interjurisdictional landscape-level wildlife health and disease network to protect wildlife, ecosystems, economies, and the American public. This goal will be supported through the following objectives:

1. Wildlife managers have a current, evidence-based wildlife disease plan which considers:

Disease surveillance and techniques for surveillance strategies

2. Diagnostic pathology, microbiology, virology, parasitology, toxicology,, and biosafety

3. Outbreak response

d. Wildlife population management

e. Regulatory and policy response

f. Data management

g. Risk assessment and decision support

h. Training

a. Communication plans so that key stakeholders receive and understand information about wildlife diseases in a timely manner.

2. State, territorial, and Tribal managers in the same regions are connected in an interjurisdictional network of practitioners, including public health and veterinary services.

3. Wildlife managers have access to diagnostic services for wildlife disease.

4. Wildlife managers have capacity to manage wildlife health data, data sharing, and communication.

Project length is one to three years.

Applicants must fill out a survey at the beginning and end of their project. This survey is designed to evaluate the American Rescue Plan Zoonotic Disease Initiative financial assistance program and will not be used to evaluate individual proposals. Link to survey:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=urWTBhhLe02TQfMvQApUlC0HVXM NMqBMuU8-Gdn0ea9UNlQ5SjVXTFVCWlBCRURWTUdBSFczUU5QQi4u

The following activities are eligible for funding:

Allowable Actions Examples A. Best management practices for fish and wildlife diseases

Develop all-inclusive Best Management Practices or issue-specific BMPs for fish and wildlife disease such as feeding wildlife, water quality and quantity management, integrated pest management plans

B. Biosecurity & biosafety

Develop biosecurity and biosafety protocols/educational resources for field staff, management practices, animal handling, captive facilities; develop and implement biosecurity protocols

C. Communications, internal and external

Develop rapid communication structures and relationships for both routine and emergency disease events (in-state, regional, national;

wildlife/agriculture/public health); develop a suite of external (public) communication templates for wildlife disease issues

D. Disease forecasting, risk assessments, horizon scanning

Identify current and future needs; assessments to identify gaps in capacity; current and future state associated with climate change;

environmental persistence and potential routes of exposure to pathogens; identification of spillover hotspots; identification of highly susceptible species locations; wildlife susceptibility research; research on human health implications and economic impact of wildlife diseases; risk assessment of “reverse zoonotic transmission” from humans or between domestic animals and wildlife

E. Disease management planning

Disease contingency plans for regions or organizations for emergency and routine morbidity and mortality events; inclusion of guidance for wildlife disease as part of Wildlife Action Plans;

development of disease-specific field responses; carcass disposal protocols and agreements; plans for creating a sustainable, long-term disease management program; systems approaches to develop management actions

F. Disease surveillance design

Design enhanced surveillance systems for early detection and monitoring at biologically relevant spatial scales that will provide statistically significant results; environmental surveillance approaches (e.g. aquatic surveillance for waterborne pathogens)

G. Emergency response Emergency response plans; develop inter-jurisdictional response capabilities; clarify agency responsibilities and funding streams for covering the costs of emergency response; ensure agency contacts are up to date; set up mutual aid agreements; table top and field exercises; development of an All-Hazards Incident Management Team with fish and wildlife disease skillset; foreign animal disease outbreak plans; After Action analysis (hot wash) of disease response activities and management interventions; structured-decision making/adaptive management/modeling approach to determine how to move forward in a disease response with a large amount of uncertainty; Design long-term monitoring programs to follow-up on response activities and detect recurrence of the disease issue and/or lasting impacts to the population as a result of the disease or the management response to it

H. Hire staff dedicated to fish and wildlife health duties

Hire fish and wildlife biologists and technicians to increase field response capabilities for detection of disease events, sample collection, sample processing, data entry, and response);Hirefish and wildlife veterinarians, ecologists, social scientists, biologists to address fish and wildlife health and disease.

I. Human dimensions Examining tolerance of management interventions (e.g. timing, locations); risk perceptions and how those can be influenced or utilized to address disease issues; what messages and messaging formats are most effective; educational campaigns based on human dimensions research; risk communication; knowledge translation and mobilization; Conflict resolution - working with partners to resolve chronic sources of conflict when addressing fish and wildlife health, focus groups, stakeholder meetings, social science evaluations, training in conflict resolution

J. Increasing resilience and protecting environmental services to decrease the impact of disease

Prevent or decrease human & domestic animal interactions with wildlife; add a component to wildlife action plan for increasing resilience against disease; safe harbor agreements;

collaborations with EPA; addressing invasive and injurious species through prevention, response, control of invasive and injurious species that could serve as reservoirs of disease; water and environmental quality

K. Information management systems

State/Tribe level data management capability, production of reports, maps, data interpretation and visualization; Conversion of legacy data into electronic formats that can be entered into databases; create data management plan; Data sharing strategies between wildlife agencies, or between wildlife/agriculture/public health agencies

L. Jurisdictions & authorities

Inventory of existing statutory and regulatory framework; conduct a gap analysis of statutes and regulations from detection to recovery; Resolution of inter-jurisdictional issues; Development of laws, regulations, and ordinances; Ensuring an enabling environment exists for wildlife agencies to enact a wildlife health program (legislative authorities) and that agencies have organizational capacity (plans, people, infrastructure), and technical capacities to enact the program (training, etc.)

M. Laboratory network and services

Establish new or strengthen existing diagnostic networks;

Expansion of diagnostic services available; Join a regional diagnostic lab service as a member (e.g. Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study), or establish agreements with state-level and national labs; Logistics and equipment for sample collection, testing, archiving, and storage

N. Partnerships and networks

Strengthening existing networks and governance structures, creating new networks and partnerships; formalize partnerships through Memoranda of Understanding or other documents;

nurturing a wildlife health community of practice to be inclusive of Federal, State, Territorial, and Tribal agencies; activate citizen scientists for disease detection and response

O. Policy and regulation development

Develop policies and regulations to prevent disease introduction, decrease disease transmission, respond to disease events, increase resilience, measure success, adaptive management, create sustainable fish and wildlife health programs

P. Public and occupational health

Create guidelines, policy, and outreach regarding biosafety and public health for personnel, volunteers, and visitors; create linkages and collaborations with local, State, Territorial, and Tribal public health offices for routine and emergency events; hire public health expertise

Q. Research to develop disease detection and management tools

Projects focused on applied disease prevention, surveillance, management, detection techniques, ways to limit disease transmission, promoting resilience, to support an adaptive management approach

R. Tools and management strategies development for climate adaptation and mitigation for disease impacts

Systematic collection of health data and integration with climatic and environmental data to determine species and populations at risk from health effects of climate change; Utilization of health promotion and harm reduction approaches in development of adaptation strategies; analysis of wildlife or zoonotic diseases prone to expansion due to climatic changes.

S. Training Didactic and hands-on courses for biologists, veterinarians, law enforcement officers, volunteers, rehabilitators, and partners on:

Fish and wildlife disease, incident management, biosafety/biosecurity/personal protective equipment use; inter-jurisdictional collaborative training; creating consistency in training across States, Territories, and Tribes; establishment of training programs for wildlife health professionals

T. Wildlife rehabilitation Instituting and improving biosecurity & biosafety practices of rehabilitators to prevent or minimize disease transmission;

developing release protocols to reduce impacts on ecosystems;

increasing disease diagnostics for animals submitted to rehabilitators

Award funds cannot be used for real property acquisition or construction.

Data Management States and Territories accepting funds through ARP ZDI are required to store wildlife disease data in the United States Geological Survey (USGS) WHISPers data base. WHISPers allows agencies the ability to define their data use and availability to others, as well as circles of connection with other entities. Your agency will be required to develop a data management plan to be delivered with the first annual report for your ARP ZDI project.

Data to be entered into WHISPers includes surveillance and investigations involving wildlife and fish morbidity and mortality events, including any historical events that may have been captured. Data needed for entry into WHISPers would generally include:

Event location(s) o state o county/parish o land ownership (fed, state, private, etc.)

o latitude-longitude (optional) o GNIS location (optional)

Dates of onset and cessation Species and descriptors o number of sick and dead o estimated population size at risk o sex characterization of those impacted o age characterization of those impacted

Diagnosis o Disease or disease agent causing illness and or death o Number of animals assessed o Number of animals with diagnosis o Laboratory making the diagnosis

Field observations relevant to the morbidity/mortality event

Reporting Requirements ARP ZDI awards require annual financial and performance reporting, consisting of the SF-425 financial report form and a 1-2 page narrative of how the project is going, what has been accomplished from the proposal and what still has to be completed. At the end of the project the same 2 reporting elements are required, but with the entire award term as the base of reporting.

Interim reports are due 90 calendar days after the reporting period ends, and final reports are due no later than 120 calendar days after the period of performance end date.

B. Federal Award Information B1. Total Funding Estimated Total Funding $4,500,000

B2. Expected Award Amount Maximum Award $775,000 Minimum Award $75,000

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates Expected Award Funding Expected Award Date July 11, 2022

B4. Number of Awards Expected Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award Funding Instrument Type G - Grant

C. Eligibility Information C1. Eligible Applicants Eligible Applicants

07 – Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) 11 – Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Additional Information on Eligibility C2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement No Percentage of Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement

C3. Other Foreign Entities or Projects:

State Sponsors of Terrorism: This program will not fund projects in countries determined by the U.S. Department of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism and therefore are subject to sanctions restricting receipt of U.S. foreign assistance and other financial transactions.

Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions: This program will not fund projects in countries subject to comprehensive sanction programs administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control without proper licenses.

In-Country Licenses, Permits, or Approvals: Entities conducting activities outside the U.S.

are responsible for coordinating with appropriate U.S. and foreign government authorities as necessary to obtain all required licenses, permits, or approvals before undertaking project activities. The Service does not assume responsibility for recipient compliance with the laws, regulations, policies, or procedures of the foreign country in which they are conducting work.

Excluded Parties:

The DOI conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. The DOI cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

D. Application and Submission Information D1. Address to Request Application Package Program Website Link https://www.fws.gov/project/american-rescue-plan-act-zoonotic-disease-grant-program

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

All applicants must submit the Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance. This form is available with the announcement on Grants.gov and in GrantSolutions. The form must be complete and signed by an Authorized Representative. For all applicants except individuals and https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx commercial entities, the Authorized Representative’s signature on a standard application form submitted to the Service represents their certification that the entity’s financial management system meets 2 CFR §200.302 financial management requirements. The non-Federal entity’s financial management system must be sufficient to:

1. Permit the preparation of required reports;

2. Trace funds to a level of expenditures adequate to establish that the entity has used such funds per Federal statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of the Federal award;

3. Provide for the requirements in 2 CFR §200.302(b); and

4. Comply with §200.334 Retention requirements for records, §200.335 Requests for transfer of records, §200.336 Methods for collection, transmission, and storage of information, and §200.337 Access to records.

If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Representative’s signature on or submission of the SF-424 form in GrantSolutions also represents their certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying.

When completing the SF-424 Application form, enter only the amount requested from this Federal program in Box 18a, Estimated Federal Funding. Include any other Federal sources of funding in Box 18e. Estimated Other Funding and identify any such sources and amounts in the required Budget Narrative (see below). For individuals applying as a private citizen (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own or operate in your name), do NOT include your Social Security Number on this or any other document to be submitted with your application! When completing the SF-424 Application form, individuals must enter in Box 8b. Employee/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN) the substitute number “444-44- 4444.” Individuals may register in SAM.gov but are not required to have a SAM.gov registration. For individuals without a SAM.gov registration enter in Box 8c. the substitute Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) “KA5HQCLKUVW1 “

SF 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs Individuals applying for and receiving funds separate from a business or non-profit organization he/she may own or operate, and entities waived from the SAM.gov registration requirements by the funding bureau or office must submit the signed and dated SF-424B, Assurances for Non- Construction Programs form. All required application forms are available with this announcement on Grants.gov and in GrantSolutions. All other financial assistance applicants must complete the “Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations” as part of their SAM.gov entity record.

Project Abstract Summary (OMB Number 4040-0019) Applicants must complete and submit the Project Abstract Summary form. The Project Abstract Summary form must provide a brief award description. The description must be in plain language that the public can understand without viewing the full application proposal. It should include a brief, simple description of the project purpose, activities to be performed, deliverables and expected outcomes, intended beneficiaries, and subrecipient activities, if known at the time of submission.

Do not include personally identifiable, sensitive, or proprietary information in the award description as this is available to the public. Use only English characters, numbers, punctuation, and standard symbols. Use of non-English, non-standard characters (also referred to as special or https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.302 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.302 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.334 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.335 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.336 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.337 extended ASCII characters) will result in the award description failing to be reported correctly to USASpending.gov. Award descriptions are limited to 4,000 characters or less. Applicants should check the length of the award description and proofread for proper grammar and spelling.

For applicants applying through Grants.gov: Applicants must download and complete the Grants.gov “Project Abstract Summary” form from the full text announcement. To submit the Grants.gov “Project Abstract Summary” form with the application, applicants must add the form as an attachment to the Grants.gov “Attachments” form that is included in the application package.

For applicants applying through GrantSolutions-Grants Management Module (GS- GMM): Applicants must enter the information in the Project Abstract Summary screen. Do not upload a document in place of entering the information directly into GS-GMM Project Abstract Screen.

Project Narrative Project title Description of entity(ies) undertaking the project Statement of need that addresses: the specific concern, problem, or issue to be addressed or opportunity to be leveraged; the consequences of not addressing the need; and how the proposed project aligns with the Service program’s goals

Project objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound, and any milestones that must be reached to achieve objectives

Activities, including detailing for each who is carrying out the activity, what is involved, how will it be carried out (method), and when and where the activity will be carried out

Timeline of when significant project events or milestones are anticipated Sufficient information to support environmental compliance review requirements. Note:

while the environmental compliance laws are primarily applicable to projects carried out in the U.S., projects carried out on the high seas are subject to compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and projects outside the U.S. on any property on the UNESCO World Heritage List or the in-country equivalent of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places are subject to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

Information on key project personnel, including details on their expertise, skill, or significance to the project

Project location details and supporting documentation such as maps, GIS data, or geopolitical data, as applicable.

Description of stakeholder coordination or involvement Expected deliverables

SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs Applicants must complete and submit the SF-424A Budget Information form for Non- Construction Programs or Projects. All required application forms are available with this announcement on Grants.gov or in GrantSolutions. Federal award recipients and subrecipients are subject to Federal award cost principles in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 200. Applicants must show funds requested from this Federal program separately from any other Federal sources of funding. In “Section A – Budget Summary” on the SF-424A form enter the funding requested from this Federal program in the first row. Identify any other Federal funding sources and amounts in the required Budget Narrative (see below).

Budget Narrative Applicants must include a budget narrative that describes and justifies requested budget items and costs. In your budget narrative, describe how the SF-424 Budget Information, “Object Class Category” totals were determined. For personnel salary costs, generally describe how estimates were determined by identifying what type of staff will support the project and how much time they will contribute to the project (in hours or workdays). Describe any proposed items of cost that require prior approval under the Federal award cost principles, including any anticipated subawarding, transferring, or contracting out of any work under the award. If equipment previously purchased with Federal funds is available for the project, provide a list of that equipment and identify the Federal funding source. Identify any third-party cash or in-kind contributions that a partner or other entity will contribute to the project and describe how the contributions directly and substantively benefit completion of the project. For in-kind contributions, identify the source, the amount, and the valuation methodology used to determine the total value. See 2 CFR §200.306 for more information.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation (FAIR), 2 CFR §1402.112, applicants must state in their application if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission.

a. Applicability.

1. This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

2. In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by sub recipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR§200.318 apply.

b. Notification.

1. Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass- through entity in accordance with 2 CFR §200.112.

2. Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by sub recipients.

c. Restrictions on lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under a grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR §18 and 31

USC §1352.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.407 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.407 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.306 https://ecfr.federalregister.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402/subpart-B https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402/subpart-B/section-1402.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d/section-200.318 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d/section-200.318 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2019-title31/pdf/USCODE-2019-title31-subtitleII-chap13-subchapIII-sec1352.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2019-title31/pdf/USCODE-2019-title31-subtitleII-chap13-subchapIII-sec1352.pdf

d. Review procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement, and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR §200.339, Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR §180).

Uniform Audit Reporting Statement All U.S. states, local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and non- profit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System, in accordance with 2 CFR 200 subpart F. U.S. state, local government, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and non- profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funding must certify to the statements in 43CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Official’s signature on the appropriate SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form also represents the entity’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Applicants and recipients must not use any federally appropriated funds (annually appropriated or continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a Federal award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any U.S. agency, a Member of the U.S. Congress, an officer or employee of the U.S. Congress, or an employee of a Member of the U.S. Congress connection with the award. Applicants and recipients must complete and submit the SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” form if the Federal share of the proposal or award is more than $100,000 and the applicant or recipient has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with the application or award. The SF-LLL form is available with this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel”. If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR86b76dde0e1e9dc/section-200.339 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-180 https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regard to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision. When overlap exists, your statement must end with “We understand that if at any time we receive funding from another source that is duplicative of the funding we are requesting from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this application, we will immediately notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service point of contact identified in this Funding Opportunity in writing.”

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration:

This requirement does not apply to individuals applying for funds as an individual (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own, operate, or work within), or any entity with an exception to bypass SAM.gov registration with prior approval from the funding bureau or office in accordance with bureau or office policy. All other applicants are required to register as a financial assistance recipient in SAM.gov prior to submitting a Federal award application and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) which replaced the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet in April 2022. A Federal award may not be made to an applicant that has not completed the SAM.gov registration. If an applicant selected for funding has not completed their SAM.gov registration by the time the program is ready to make an award, the program may determine the applicant is not qualified to receive an award. Federal award recipients must also continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information through the life of their Federal award(s). Entities already registered in SAM.gov should review their registration to confirm that they are registered as a financial assistance recipient, which requires completion of the SAM.gov “Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations”. See the “Submission Requirements” section of this document below for more information on SAM.gov registration.

Applicants can register on the SAM.gov website. The “Help” tab on the website contains User Guides and other information to assist you with registration. The Grants.gov “Register with SAM” page also provides detailed instructions. Applicants can contact the supporting Federal Service Desk for help registering in SAM. Once registered in SAM, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least once every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly encouraged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure their information is up to date and reflects changes that may have been made to the entity’s IRS information. If applicable, foreign entities who want to receive payment directly to a U.S. bank account must enter and maintain valid, current banking information in SAM.

D4. Submission Dates and Times Due Date for Applications 06/27/2022 Application Due Date Explanation https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update http://www.sam.gov https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Register/RegisterWithSAM.htm https://www.grants.gov/help/html/help/Register/RegisterWithSAM.htm

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D5. Intergovernmental Review An intergovernmental review may be required for applications submissions from a U.S. state or local government prior to submission. Applicants must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to comply with the state’s process under Executive Order 12372. The State Single Point of Contact list is available on the OMB Office of Federal Financial Management website.

D6. Funding Restrictions Indirect Costs: Individuals Individuals applying for and receiving funds separate from a business or non-profit organization they may operate are not eligible to charge indirect costs to their award. If you are an individual applying for funding, you must not include any indirect costs in your proposed budget.

Indirect Costs: Organizations The Federal awarding agency that provides the largest amount of direct funding to your organization is your cognizant agency for indirect costs, unless otherwise assigned by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If the Department of the Interior (DOI) is your organization’s cognizant agency, the Interior Business Center (IBC) will negotiate your indirect cost rate. Contact the IBC by phone 916-930-3803 or using the IBC Email Submission Form. See the IBC Website for more information.

Organizations must have an active Federal award before they can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to their cognizant agency. Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs unallowable under the award. Recipients may not shift unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized to do so by legislation.

Required Indirect Cost Statement to be submitted by Organization:

U.S. state or local government entities receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding must include the following statement in their application and attach a copy of their most recently negotiated rate agreement:

We are a U.S. state or local government entity receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding. We submit our indirect cost rate proposals to our cognizant agency. Our current indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. Attached is a copy of our most recently negotiated rate agreement/certification.

U.S. state or local government entities receiving $35 million or less in direct Federal funding must include the applicable statement from this list:

We are a U.S. state or local government entity receiving $35 million or less in direct Federal funding. We prepare and retain for audit an indirect cost rate proposal and documentation per 2 CFR 200, Appendix VII. Our current indirect cost rate is [insert https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/office-federal-financial-management/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/office-federal-financial-management/ https://ibc.doi.gov/ICS/contact-us https://ibc.doi.gov/ICS/contact-us https://ibc.doi.gov/ICS/icrna rate], which is charged against [insert a complete description of the direct cost base used to distribute indirect costs to the award].

We are a U.S. state or local government entity receiving $35 million or less in direct Federal funding. We have not prepared an indirect cost rate proposal and documentation per 2 CFR §200, Appendix VII and elect to charge the de minimis rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs as defined in 2 CFR §200.1. We understand we must use this methodology consistently for all Federal awards until we choose to establish a rate per 2 CFR §200. We understand we must notify the Service in writing if we establish a rate that changes the methodology used to charge indirect costs during the award period. We understand that additional Federal funds may not be available to support an unexpected increase in indirect costs during the project period and that such changes are subject to review, negotiation, and prior approval by the Service.

All other organizations must include the applicable statement from this list and any related documentation in their application. Please note, an organization with a current negotiated (including provisional) rate may not elect to charge the 10% de minimis rate of Modified Total Direct Costs during the period covered by their current negotiated rate.

We are an organization with a current negotiated indirect cost rate. In the event we receive an award, we will charge indirect costs per our current negotiated rate agreement.

Attached is a copy of our current rate agreement.

We are an organization with a negotiated indirect cost rate that has expired. Attached is copy of our most recently negotiated rate agreement. If we receive an award, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award date. We understand we must provide the Service a copy of our approved rate agreement before charging indirect costs to the Federal award.

We are an organization that has never negotiated an indirect cost rate with our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate], which is charged against [insert a complete description of the direct cost base used to distribute indirect costs to the award]. If we receive an award, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award date. We understand we must provide the Service a copy of our approved rate agreement before charging indirect costs to the Federal award.

We are an organization that does not have a current negotiated (including provisional) rate. In the event an award is made, we elect to charge the de minimis rate of 10% of Modified Total Direct Costs as defined in 2 CFR §200.1. We understand we must use this methodology consistently for all Federal awards until such time as we negotiate a different rate with our cognizant agency. We understand that we must notify the Service in writing if during the award period we establish a rate that changes the methodology used to charge indirect costs to the award. We understand that additional Federal funds may not be available to support an unexpected increase in indirect costs and that such changes are subject to review, negotiation, and prior approval by the Service.

We are an organization submitting a [insert either “Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program” or “Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Network”] project proposal, which has an indirect cost rate cap of [insert rate; CRU is currently 15%; CESU is currently 17.5%]. In the event we receive an award, we understand that if we have a current negotiated (including provisional) rate we must charge the program’s capped indirect cost rate to the same base identified in our approved indirect cost rate agreement, per 2 CFR §1402.414. If we do not have current negotiated (including provisional) rate, we understand we must charge the capped indirect cost rate against Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) as defined in 2 CFR §200.1.

We are an organization that will charge all costs directly.

D7. Other Submission Requirements The Service uses the GrantSolutions system to manage financial assistance applications and awards. Applicants must register in and conduct any subsequent award business with the Service in GrantSolutions. To apply, your organization and organization officials must be established in GrantSolutions. To register your organization in GrantSolutions, send an email to help@grantsolutions.gov with the following information:

Subject: New Organization Request

Organization/Individual Name Point of Contact first and last name, email, and phone number Organization Type SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (not required for individuals or Service-waived entities) Organization Employer Identification Number (Applicants that are INDIVIDUALS DO

NOT include your social security number) Address

Organizational details should match those in the organization’s SAM.gov registration. To establish organization official accounts and user role(s), complete a Recipient User Account Request Form for each official and email it to help@grantsolutions.gov. The GrantSolutions entity user roles are: Authorizing Official (ADO); Principal Investigator/Program Director (PI/PD); Support Specialist (GSS); Financial Officer (FO); and Financial Support Staff (FSS).

All roles can do the following: enter applications, amendments, and reports, view awards, and view and create notes. The ADO and the PI/PD roles can also submit applications, amendments, and reports. The FO role can also submit reports. At a minimum, registered organizations must assign someone to the ADO and PI/PD roles. For more information, see the GrantSolutions Recipient Training and FAQs web page. For GrantSolutions registration, submission, and other assistance contact their Customer Support by telephone at 1-866-577-0771 or by email at help@grantsolutions.gov.

E. Application Review Information E1. Criteria Selection of projects will be based on the merits of the proposal. Proposals must explain how the applicant will build an interjurisdictional landscape-level wildlife health and disease network to protect wildlife, ecosystems, economies, and the American public. Selection factors will be rated numerically and are as follows:

1. Create or improve a wildlife health management plan – 25 points mailto:help@grantsolutions.gov mailto:help@grantsolutions.gov.

mailto:help@grantsolutions.gov.

2. Creates internal and external communications/hires communication specialist – 20 points

3. Proposal is innovative or unique; has ideas and actions that can be replicated elsewhere –

10 points

4. Creates networking through a multi-partner proposal – 10 points

5. Establishes diagnostic access for applicant organization – 10 points

6. Establishes data management plan/hires data manager – 10 points

7. Creates networking through formal arrangements – 5 points

8. Describe how this proposal supports equity, diversity, environmental justice, and/or accessibility of services – 5 points

9. Describe how this proposal is sustainable through climate change or addresses climate adaptation – 5 points

Proposal narratives must be 10 pages or less. Proposals will be rated by numeric score by qualified reviewers. Reviewers will be Federal veterinarians, biologists, ecologists, or social scientists or data management specialists. Qualifications will be verified by General Schedule professional qualifications. Selections will be documented by aggregated scoring sheets and memorandum to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director, filed in Science Applications Headquarters office.

Proposals will be scored individually by 3 reviewers per proposal, if possible. All reviewers will be required to verify they have no conflict of interest with any proposal or applicant organization. Scores will be aggregated by the selection facilitator/grant specialist and then a meeting held to discuss scoring and to rank proposals. If reviewers have feedback or questions for applicants, grant specialist will communicate with applicants to suggest improvements or budget changes for approved projects. Unfunded projects will be notified through Grant Solutions. All project selections will be approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director or designate. Selected proposals will be published on our website no more than 120 days from proposal due date.

E2. Review and Selection Process Prior to award, the program will review any applicant statement regarding potential overlap or duplication between the project to be funded and any other funded or proposed project in terms of activities, funding, or time commitment of key personnel. Depending on the circumstances, the program may request modification to the application, other pending applications, or an active award, as needed to eliminate any duplication of effort, or the FWS may choose not to fund the selected project.

The program may not make a Federal award to an applicant that has not completed the SAM.gov registration. If an applicant selected for funding has not completed their SAM.gov registration by the time the Bureau is ready to make an award, the program may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award. The program can use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Prior to award, the program will evaluate the risk posed by applicants as required in 2 CFR §200.206. Prior to approving awards for Federal funding in excess of the simplified acquisition https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.206 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-C/section-200.206 threshold (currently $250,000), the Bureau is required to review and consider any information about or from the applicant found in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System. The Bureau will consider this information when completing the risk review. The Bureau uses the results of the risk evaluation to establish monitoring plans, recipient reporting frequency requirements, and to determine if one or more of the specific award conditions in 2 CFR §200.208 should be applied to the award.

E3. CFR – Regulatory Information See the Service’s General Award Terms and Conditions for the general administrative and national policy requirements applicable to Service awards.