C-SWG FY20 NOFO_FINAL.pdf

Competitive State Wildlife Grant Program Fiscal Year 2020 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Notice Overview Federal Agency U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR)

Funding Opportunity Title Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 15.634

Authorizing Legislation Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law No. 116-94)

Announcement Type Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2020

Funding Opportunity Number

F20AS00044

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement References to “you” in this NOFO refer to the State, Commonwealth, or Territory agency or the regional association of fish and wildlife agencies completing the application and any sub-recipient, if applicable. References to “we,” “our,” or “us” in this NOFO refer to the Service. We are collecting this information in accordance with the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law No. 116-94). Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We will use the information you provide to evaluate your application for potential award of Federal funding through the C-SWG Program and, if a grant is awarded, to evaluate your performance.

We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. We estimate that it will take you about 40 hours to complete an initial application, three hours to revise the terms of an award, and eight hours to prepare and submit performance reports, including time to maintain records and gather information. You may send comments on the burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

OMB Control Number 1018-0100 (Expires: 7/31/2021)

Submission Deadline and Other Information Fish and wildlife or equivalent agencies of the States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands are eligible to apply for C-SWG Program funding as identified in this NOFO (see Section III, Basic Eligibility Requirements). You must ensure that we receive your application through Grants.gov no later than Friday, April 10, 2020 at 11:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). We recommend that you submit your application early enough to address any unforeseen technical complications and verify that all documents have been received by your WSFR Regional Office by the deadline. We will not consider applications received after the deadline. We recommend you also submit via email a single document in PDF format containing the entire proposal to your WSFR Regional Office (see Section VIII, Agency Contacts) prior to the deadline in case you experience difficulties in submitting your application through Grants.gov.

If you are requesting comments or assistance with your application, we encourage you to submit a draft of your application to your WSFR Regional Office at least four weeks prior to the due date. Although there is no guarantee that our staff will be able to provide comments, feedback may include recommendations to improve the application.

Contents Notice Overview

Federal Agency

Funding Opportunity Title

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

Authorizing Legislation

Announcement Type

Funding Opportunity Number

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

OMB Control Number

Submission Deadline and Other Information

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

Adaptive Management

II. Award Information

Competitive Grants

Maximum Awards and Partnership Requirements

Funding Restrictions

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants

DUNS Registration

Registration in SAM

Excluded Entities

Prohibition Regarding Internal Confidentiality Agreements

Cost Sharing or Matching

Letters Authorizing Associations to Apply

IV. Application Requirements

Application for Federal Assistance

Project Summary

Request to Acquire, Improve, or Furnish

Project Statement (15 page limit)

Need

Objectives

Approach

Expected results

Project location

Budget Form

Budget Narrative

Letters of Commitment

Required Indirect Cost Statement

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior

Single Audit Reporting Statement

Assurances

Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Required Overlap/Duplication Statement

Additional Requirements for Association Applicants

List of Items to Include in Your Grant Application

V. Submission Instructions

Submission Deadline

Intergovernmental Review

Electronic Submission Instructions

VI. Application Review

Scoring Criteria

Need (Criteria 1-2)

Objectives (Criterion 3)

Approach (Criteria 4-6)

Anticipated Outcomes and Benefits (Criteria 7-8)

Budget (Criterion 9)

Review and Selection Process

VII. Award Administration Information

Award Notices

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Transmittal of Sensitive Data

Award Terms and Conditions

Financial and Performance Reports

Final Reports

Interim Reports

Real Property Reports

Other Mandatory Disclosures

VIII. Agency Contacts

Paul Van Ryzin

Kathy Hollar

Chris Swenson

Will Amy

Jessica Piispanen

LeAnne Bonner

Dee Blanton

Amanda Horvath

Cary Myler

Rosemary Stefani

Attachment A: Fiscal Year 2020 Competitive State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program Questions and Answers

Will grant applications from a single State be considered for funding?

What are the minimum and maximum Federal awards through the C-SWG Program?

What are the Federal cost-sharing requirements for this competitive program?

Will the C-SWG Grant Program continue in future years?

How long are funds available for obligation?

How must a Project Statement document an emerging issue?

For projects involving multiple States, should one State be the project lead?

For projects involving multiple States, does each State need to contribute the minimum required match?

What activities are eligible for funding under this program?

What are the compliance requirements for activities funded under this program?

Are there additional formatting criteria?

Where should an applicant submit C-SWG Program applications?

Who announces the awards, and what additional documentation is required of selected applicants?

What must be done during the grant period if a change in objectives or approach is needed?

Who has the authority to terminate a grant?

What is included within the 15 page limit for the Project Statement, and what is not?

What resources are available to help with project design and proposal development?

Are land values eligible as match?

Ranking criteria provide extra points for certain classes such as amphibians. Are projects targeting birds, mammals, and fish still eligible?

Is student tuition an eligible cost under the C-SWG Program?

Are pre-award costs eligible under the C-SWG Program?

Attachment B: Department of the Interior Award Provisions

I. Description of Funding Opportunity The State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program provides Federal grant funds to help you and your partners implement programs for the benefit of fish and wildlife and their habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished. Eligible activities include conservation planning and implementation. Planning activities must contribute directly to the development or modification of your Wildlife Action Plan (Plan) approved by the Director of the Service or other Service designee. Implementation activities are those that you carry out to execute your Plan.

Priority for use of these funds must be placed on identified species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) and should take into consideration the relative level of funding available for the conservation of these species. Ineligible activities include wildlife education and law enforcement activities, unless they are a minor or incidental component considered critical to the success of your project. Additional information about the SWG Program is available here.

WSFR’s mission is to work through partnerships to conserve and manage fish and wildlife and their habitats for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations. WSFR’s vision is of healthy, diverse, and accessible fish and wildlife populations that offer recreation, economic http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SWG/SWG.htm activity, and other societal benefits, in addition to sustainable ecological functions. WSFR’s guiding principle is that society benefits from conservation-based management of fish and wildlife and their habitats and opportunities to use and enjoy them. The SWG Program and subprograms including the C-SWG Program align with WSFR’s mission, vision, and guiding principle, and support three of the Department of the Interior’s priorities including:

1) Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt;

2) Utilizing our natural resources; and

3) Restoring trust with local communities.

The C-SWG Program is successful when it leverages Program funding through cost-sharing provisions with you and your partners to design and implement proactive conservation actions in a strategic fashion, as articulated in your Plan. In doing so, it helps protect your authority to identify, study, and conserve those species you deem most in need of conservation while helping reduce the need for more prescriptive Federal regulatory requirements associated with listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A core principle of the C-SWG Program is the utilization of effective partnerships that demonstrate the spirit of cooperation and sharing of resources to achieve our common conservation goals.

Adaptive Management We encourage you to design and manage your project within an adaptive management framework. Adaptive management in the context of natural resources conservation involves the integration of design, management, and monitoring to systematically test your assumptions in order to adapt and learn. Adaptive management is a form of structured decision-making that requires careful goal setting, identifying management objectives and causal hypotheses, taking action, measuring results, and evaluating, documenting, interpreting, and sharing outcomes of management actions. We utilize the Strategic Habitat Conservation framework to improve our ability to define desired biological outcomes and articulate the consequences of site-scale actions on landscape-scale functions. Other, similar adaptive management frameworks may be used. For more information, see:

• Strategic Habitat Conservation: Final Report of the National Ecological Assessment Team (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, 2006)

• The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (The Conservation Measures Partnership, 2013)

• Measuring the Effectiveness of State Wildlife Grants (Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2011)

II. Award Information Competitive Grants The C-SWG Program is a competitive grant program funded through annual appropriations of Congress. Total available funds may vary from year to year, and there is no assurance it will be funded in future years. Congress has appropriated $7.362 million for the FY 2020 C-SWG Program. We annually award approximately 12 to 18 grants, and the amount of each individual https://www.doi.gov/ourpriorities https://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHC-slide.pdf http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://cmp-openstandards.org/download-os/ https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/3815/2278/1426/FINAL_Effectiveness_Measures_report.pdf award varies. In FY 2019, we awarded 14 grants ranging between $206,000 and $989,000. The maximum award you may receive is based on the number of your active participant partners as defined in this section, but may not exceed $1 million.

Maximum Awards and Partnership Requirements You are encouraged to engage with partners as appropriate in planning, executing, and evaluating your conservation project(s). Partnership requirements differ between agencies of the contiguous States (including the District of Columbia) and those of the island jurisdictions (Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealths of the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Alaska. These differing requirements address resource limitations and/or geographic isolation of the latter State agencies.

Partnership requirements that establish your eligibility for the following funding tiers may only be met with documentation that a partner is an “active participant.” An active participant is defined as another project partner that is requesting and/or matching a significant amount of resources that are dedicated to completion of project objectives. Such resources may be in the form of cash, real or personal property, or staff time, including third-party cash or in-kind contributions. These requested or matching resources must consist of at least 10 percent of the total project costs and be clearly described in your project statement and budget. Matching resources provided by any partner must be described in detail, appropriately valued, and documented in a letter signed by an individual with budgetary authority to commit the identified resources.

Tier 1 – Maximum award up to $250,000 – Agencies of the contiguous States must apply with at least one active participant partner, which may be any State or non-State entity.

Alaska and the island jurisdictions do not need an active participant partner to apply at this Tier.

Tier 2 – Maximum award up to $500,000 – Agencies of the contiguous States must apply with at least one State fish and wildlife agency active participant partner. Alaska and the island jurisdictions may apply with any active participant partner, including non-State partners.

Tier 3 – Maximum award up to $750,000 – Agencies of all States including the island jurisdictions and Alaska must apply with at least two State fish and wildlife agency active participant partners.

Tier 4 – Maximum award up to $1,000,000 – Agencies of all States including the island jurisdictions and Alaska must apply with at least three State fish and wildlife agency active participant partners.

Partners may include but are not limited to: other State fish and wildlife agencies or other State entities (in or out of State), tribes, local governments or other jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations (including for-profit and nonprofit organizations), academic institutions, private landowners, industry groups, and international partners. However, a State fish and wildlife agency active participant partner must be another State fish and wildlife agency normally eligible to apply for and receive C-SWG Program funds, in addition to providing or receiving at least 10 percent of total project costs. As applicable, please identify the State fish and wildlife agency or agencies and/or other active participant(s) that you would like us to consider when determining the maximum award you are eligible to receive under these four funding tiers.

If you are the original applicant in a multi-State participant project and are selected for an award, you are considered the Lead State. As the Lead State, you may subaward funds to your partners including other State fish and wildlife agencies. Alternatively, one or more of your State fish and wildlife agency partners may receive C-SWG Program funds directly from us, through one or more separate grants. Whichever option you choose, the State fish and wildlife agency active participant(s) that you identify in order to qualify for funding Tiers 2 through 4 may not act solely as pass-through entities (see 2 CFR 200.92 and 2 CFR 200.330).

If you have questions about these funding Tiers or partnership requirements, contact your WSFR Regional Office (see Section VIII, Agency Contacts).

Funding Restrictions We award funds through the C-SWG Program for projects proposing to implement eligible actions or strategies identified in Service-approved Plans, for surveys and monitoring to determine whether to designate SGCN, or to address emerging issues. Although intended as Service Policy and not regulation, you may wish to review the Service Manual Part 517 FW 10 for more information (specifically sections 10.13-15). In administration of the C-SWG Program, we adopt policies described in this chapter which are applicable to the non-competitive (Formula) SWG Program, except where such policies may conflict with information contained in this NOFO.

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements Eligible Applicants Participation is limited to agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S.

Virgin Islands (hereafter, “States”), and to the four regional associations of fish and wildlife agencies applying on behalf of eligible State agencies. You must also have a Plan that has been approved by the Service Director or other Service designee, or a revised Plan that has been submitted to a Regional Review Team.

Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a valid Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). See Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 25 for more information.

DUNS Registration Request a DUNS number at Dun & Bradstreet Registration. For technical difficulties, contact Dun & Bradstreet by email at: govt@dnb.com, or by calling the Government Customer Resource Center at voice phone: 866-705-5711 or TTY line: 877-807-1679 (hearing impaired customers only). Obtaining a DUNS number is free for all entities doing business with the https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fbb70fe83009e152ac327498f6ec18c4&node=se2.1.200_192&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se2.1.200_1330&rgn=div8 http://www.fws.gov/policy/517fw10.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d2317ee4d58ae429c2cfd8968d7c3854&mc=true&node=pt2.1.25&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d2317ee4d58ae429c2cfd8968d7c3854&mc=true&node=pt2.1.25&rgn=div5 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform mailto:govt@dnb.com

Federal government. Once assigned a DUNS number, you are responsible for maintaining up-to-date information with Dun & Bradstreet.

Be aware that starting in December 2020, your DUNS number will no longer be the official identifier for doing business with the Federal government. The General Services Administration (GSA) will start a new, non-proprietary Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to be requested in and assigned by the System for Award Management (https://sam.gov/SAM/). Visit the GSA Unique Entity Identifier Update web page for the latest information on this transition. This transition will not change the applicability of existing requirements for either obtaining an entity identifier or completing the full SAM registration. If you are currently exempt from obtaining an entity identifier and/or completing full SAM registration, you will continue to be exempt from those requirements.

Registration in SAM Register in SAM online at the SAM website. Once registered in SAM, you must renew and revalidate your SAM registration at least every 12 months, and you must continue to maintain an active registration through the life of your award(s). We urge you to revalidate your registration as often as needed to ensure that your information is up-to-date and consistent with changes that may have been made to DUNS and Internal Revenue Service information. We cannot award C-SWG Program funds to you if you have not completed your SAM registration. If you are selected for funding but have not completed your SAM registration by the time we are ready to make an award, we may determine that you are not qualified to receive an award.

Note that the official U.S. Government website address for SAM is https://sam.gov/SAM/.

There is no cost to register in or access SAM. Some third-party vendors charge a fee in exchange for registering entities in SAM; please be aware that you can register to do business with the U.S. Government for free directly at https://sam.gov/SAM/.

Excluded Entities We conduct a review of the SAM Exclusions database for you and any key project personnel prior to award. If you or your key project personnel are identified in the SAM exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, or certain Federal assistance and benefits, you will not be considered for Federal funding through the C-SWG Program.

Prohibition Regarding Internal Confidentiality Agreements If you require your employees or your contractors to sign an internal confidentiality agreement or statement that prohibits or otherwise restricts your employees or contractors from lawfully reporting waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement official of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information, you are not eligible to compete for or receive a C-SWG Program award. See Pub. L. 113- 235, Title VII, Division E, Section 743 (p. 263/702) for more information.

https://sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update https://sam.gov/SAM/ https://sam.gov/SAM/ https://sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.congress.gov/113/plaws/publ235/PLAW-113publ235.pdf https://www.congress.gov/113/plaws/publ235/PLAW-113publ235.pdf

Cost Sharing or Matching For the continental States, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Federal share of C-SWG Program grants may not exceed 75 percent of the total project cost. The total project cost includes the requested C-SWG Program funds plus eligible matching funds or other resources, but excludes other Federal funds that are ineligible or not attributed as match. In accordance with 48 United States Code (U.S.C.) 1469(a), Amendment of Subsection (d), the Regional Director shall waive up to $200,000 of the required match for each grant awarded to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As described in Section II. Award Information, you may be required to demonstrate that another State fish and wildlife agency or other active participant(s) in your project provides matching resources (or is receiving grant funds) equivalent to at least 10 percent of total project costs in order to be eligible for the funding tiers which allow different maximum awards.

You may meet your minimum required match through contributions from a third party. A third party is any individual or organization other than the primary State applicant, such as a partner or subrecipient. Matching and cost-sharing requirements are provided in 2 CFR 200.29 and 2

CFR 200.306.

If you receive grant funds directly from us, you are accountable for the full amount of non- Federal matching resources as detailed in your Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance, including any such resources that you attribute to your subrecipients or partners.

Letters Authorizing Associations to Apply If you are an association of fish and wildlife agencies applying on behalf of one or more eligible State agencies, you must provide a signed statement from an authorized representative of each such agency authorizing you to apply on its behalf. This statement may be provided in a letter signed by the director of the eligible State agency or included within a letter of commitment as described in Section IV, Application Requirements. An agency may authorize you to apply on its behalf in the current fiscal year, in all future fiscal years, or both. If an eligible State agency authorizes you to apply on its behalf in all future fiscal years, a copy of the signed statement must be attached to future applications affecting the State agency on behalf of which you will apply.

IV. Application Requirements You can download the C-SWG Program application package from Grants.gov here by entering Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00044. Alternatively, you can also download application forms from the WSFR toolkit. If you have trouble accessing the online forms, contact your WSFR Regional Office (see Section VIII, Agency Contacts). The page limit for the entire application package is 50 pages. If you do not limit the application to 50 pages, your application may be delayed, postponed, or rejected.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2009-title48/pdf/USCODE-2009-title48-chap10-sec1469a.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2009-title48/pdf/USCODE-2009-title48-chap10-sec1469a.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=cd9fd2cc3cd740ba5b19c97d194473b6&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_129&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c16296aecfef71d582e0634cf6658cf1&node=2:1.1.2.2.1.4.29.7&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c16296aecfef71d582e0634cf6658cf1&node=2:1.1.2.2.1.4.29.7&rgn=div8 https://www.grants.gov/applicants/search-opportunity-package.html http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms

To be considered for funding under this opportunity, your application must contain the following items, as applicable:

Application for Federal Assistance Submit a completed, signed, and dated SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. Do not include other Federal sources of funding, requested or approved, in the total entered in the “Federal” funding box on the SF-424. Enter only the amount being requested under the C-SWG Program in the “Federal” funding box. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the “Other” box, and provide details on those Federal source(s) and funding amount(s) in your Budget Narrative (see “Budget Narrative” below).

Partnerships of multiple States may designate a Lead State that administers funds to partnering States, non-State entities such as universities, and other non-Federal entities through subawards. In this case, the Lead State submits an application containing a single SF-424 and, if selected for funding, a single award is made to the Lead State. Using this approach, the Lead State and any partners may pool matching resources from various sources; each partner is not required to provide a specific amount of match as long as the Lead State indicates in the SF-424 that overall match requirements are met for the single award.

Alternatively, the Lead State and any partnering State fish and wildlife agency or agencies in a multi-State project may choose to directly receive separate awards. In this case, the Lead State submits the initial application and, if selected for funding, the Lead State and the eligible partnering State agencies submit separate applications containing separate SF-424s. The Lead State and any such partnering State agencies must indicate in their separate SF-424s that sufficient matching resources are provided. See Section III. Basic Eligibility Requirements for more information on these requirements.

Project Summary Briefly summarize the project in one page or less. Include the title of the project, geographic location, and a brief overview of the need for the project. Goals, objectives, specific project activities, anticipated outputs and outcomes can also be included in this section.

Request to Acquire, Improve, or Furnish When you request our approval to acquire real property with Federal funds under your award, with matching funds under your award, or as an in-kind match contribution, you must complete the SF-429B, “Request to Acquire, Improve, or Furnish.” As an alternative, you may use another standardized data collection format if we approve or direct its use. You and/or your subrecipient(s) must submit the SF-429-B regardless of whether the request occurs at the time of application, during the period of performance, or as a pre-award cost.

Project Statement (15 page limit) Submit a Project Statement of no more than 15 pages. All information essential for proposal review and scoring, including responses to the scoring criteria but excluding the budget, budget narrative and other administrative or budget-related responses, must be provided within the maximum 15 pages. Attachment A provides additional detail on required information that is https://www.grants.gov/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html included in the page limit. Within your Project Statement, identify the locations of your responses to criteria given in Section VI, Application Review. For example, if you are responding to Criterion 3, identify the response by inserting “(Criterion 3)” or “(C3)” at the end of the sentence or paragraph containing the response. Be as specific as possible when identifying responses to the criteria so reviewers can easily locate them.

Your Project Statement must be formatted to fit on 8.5” x 11” paper, with 1” margins at the top, bottom, and sides and page numbers at the bottom of the page (starting with the Project Statement). Font size should be no less than 12 point.

Your Project Statement must include all of the following elements:

Need Identify the need for the proposed project within the purpose of the C-SWG Program. Your statement of need should address the following sub-elements:

1) Identify at least one targeted SGCN that will benefit from your proposed conservation actions, and describe the need for conservation actions to address it/them. Although it is not a requirement, we request that you identify any species named in the National Listing Workplan that you expect will benefit from your proposed conservation activities;

2) Provide baseline data and information, if available, on the current status of targeted SGCN; and

3) Include specific references to your Plan that identify priority conservation actions for targeted SGCN. Also include references to the Plans of any States participating in your project.

Objectives Objectives reference specific outcomes to be accomplished in order to reach your project goal(s). Your project objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) within the period of performance. If your project does not involve direct management of habitats or species, demonstrate how completion of your objectives will directly lead to or enable future actions that will benefit populations of targeted SGCN.

Please note that you must use Standard Objectives when designing your project or program.

Standard Objectives are compatible with performance reporting in TRACS. We expect to require performance reporting in TRACS beginning in FY 2021. See the WSFR Standard Project Statement Wiki for general examples and guidance. We encourage you to work with your WSFR Regional Office if you have questions about formatting your objectives for entry in TRACS.

Approach The approach identifies activities to be used in meeting the objectives, including specific procedures, methods, schedules or timelines, key personnel, and cooperators. Provide a description of the proposed actions in sufficient detail so we are able to evaluate compliance needs for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the ESA, and Section 106 of the https://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/listing-workplan.html https://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/listing-workplan.html https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WSFR/Standard+Project+Statements

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Your approach should address the following sub-elements:

1) Record the name, work address, and work telephone number of the principal investigator(s). Please do not attach résumés or curriculum vitae. To prevent unnecessary transmission of Personally Identifiable Information, do not include Social Security numbers, the names of family members, or any other personal or sensitive information including marital status, religion, or physical characteristics in the description of key personnel qualifications;

2) Include a description of conservation protocols and procedures with reference to applicable peer-reviewed literature, as available;

3) Provide a brief description of your agency and all participating agencies or other partners, and identify which of the proposed activities each agency or other partner is responsible for conducting or managing. If you are proposing a multi-State project, identify whether you will be responsible for administering subawards to partnering State agencies or if each partnering State agency will submit a separate SF-424 and manage its own award;

4) If your project involves direct species or habitat management, describe how you will use a standard, replicable monitoring regime throughout the project area to evaluate results of your activities. If your project does not involve direct management, identify and describe key indicators you will use to measure and report your accomplishments;

5) Describe your data management plan including how and when you will manage, analyze and share results internally and externally, especially with other conservation decision-makers;

6) Describe significant milestones in completing your project and any accomplishments to date; and

7) Describe any relationship between this project and other work funded by Federal grants that is planned, anticipated, or underway.

Expected results Expected results are the anticipated benefits from accomplishing your objectives. Your expected results must include the following sub-elements:

1) Describe the assumptions or hypotheses linking proposed conservation actions to your expected results, and support the hypotheses with reference to available peer-reviewed scientific literature as available; and

2) Describe any tools such as habitat-population models or other science-based methods you plan to use to estimate the response(s) to proposed conservation actions.

Project location Describe the location(s) of project activities and the expected area(s) of impact resulting from these activities. Identify local, State, and Federal public lands where activities will be conducted, and any private or tribal lands where applicable. Provide maps or other geographic aids. Please include GPS Coordinates in degrees, minutes, and seconds, if available. If specific locations of project activities are unknown at the time of application, please provide the county or counties where conservation actions are expected to take place.

Budget Form Complete the Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs form (SF-424A), Budget Information for Construction Programs form (SF-424C), or submit the equivalent or greater level of information in another budget format. You may use the SF-424A if your project does not include construction or real property acquisition and the SF-424C if your project includes construction or real property acquisition. The SF-424A and SF-424C budget forms are published along with this NOFO at Grants.gov. You can also download these forms from the WSFR toolkit.

If your project budget includes multiple Federal funding sources, you must show the funds being requested from the C-SWG Program separately from any other requested or secured Federal sources of funding on the budget form. For example, enter the funds being requested from the C-SWG Program in the first row of the Budget Summary section of the form and then enter funding received from other Federal programs in the subsequent row(s). Be sure to enter each Federal program’s CFDA number in the corresponding fields on the form. The CFDA number for the C-SWG Program is 15.634. When developing your budget, note that financial assistance awards and subawards are subject to the Federal cost principles in 2 CFR 200, Subpart E, as applicable to your organization type.

Budget Narrative In a separate section titled “Budget Narrative,” identify and justify the funding tier under which you are applying (see Section II, Award Information) and explain and justify all requested budget items. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Object Class Category totals were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between costs and the proposed project activities. The justification for each budget category should include a brief general description of the costs that make up that category, but should provide enough detail to demonstrate that you have a financial plan for implementation of the proposed objectives, including completion of any required compliance activities. For example, under personnel costs include the total number of staff and the various job titles anticipated to be charged to the project. Describe any item under the applicable Federal cost principles in 2 CFR 200.407 that requires our approval and estimate its cost (e.g., pre-award costs). Also include:

1) In-Kind Match – Include the source, the amount, and the valuation methodology used to arrive at the total;

2) Program Income, if applicable – Estimate the amount of program income that the project is likely to generate and indicate the method of applying and disposing of it;

3) If a copy of your current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) is not on file in your WSFR Regional Office, attach a copy to your application;

4) Describe the method for allocating costs in multipurpose projects and facilities. You must allocate costs in multipurpose projects based on the uses or benefits for each purpose that will result from the completed project or facility, and you must also describe the method used to allocate costs;

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5) Equipment, including any tangible personal property (includes 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 you or your subrecipient(s) for financial statement purposes, or $5,000 (see 2 CFR 200.33). You and your subrecipients must follow the requirements at 2 CFR 200 when acquiring equipment under an award, with emphasis on 200.313, 200.317 through 200.326, and 200.439; and,

6) Propose a useful life for each capital improvement that costs at least $25,000 to build, acquire, or install, and reference the method used to determine the useful life of a capital improvement with a value greater than $100,000 (see 2 CFR 200.13).

Letters of Commitment If you are providing State matching funds or other resources as the applicant, you are not required to submit a letter of commitment. However, any matching resources (cash and or in-kind) being provided by one or more partners must be documented in a letter of commitment that is signed by the State agency or an authorized designee. Letters must detail the amount of cost sharing funds and if applicable the value of staff time, donated services, equipment, or materials, and the valuation method used to arrive at the total. Letters of commitment from a non-State partner (for example, a non-governmental organization or university) must be signed by an individual with authority to commit funds on behalf of the entity. Matching funds identified in letters of commitment should align with figures given in the SF-424, budget, and budget narrative. Letters that do not explicitly value match contributions may impact proposal scoring. If you are unsure whether you are required to submit a letter of commitment, or need more information on documenting matching resources, contact your WSFR Regional Office (see Section VIII, Agency Contacts).

Required Indirect Cost Statement If you do not have an approved indirect cost rate, you cannot charge indirect costs to your Federal award. You must include in your budget narrative one of the following statements and attach to your application any required documentation identified in the applicable statement.

Prior to attaching a copy of your NICRA to your application, please verify whether it is on file with the WSFR Regional Office; if it is, please do not attach it to your application. “We are:

1) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding each year with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We submit our indirect cost rate proposals to our cognizant agency.

A copy of our most recently approved rate agreement / certification is on file with the WSFR Regional Office (or is attached if it is not on file);

2) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies receiving less than $35 million in direct Federal funding with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We are required to prepare and retain for audit an indirect cost rate proposal and related documentation to support those costs;

3) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=421d3e3a239e70bdcef843df7113da50&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_133&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fad20236ec5ab44b8fe155679a71935d&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se2.1.200_1313&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fad20236ec5ab44b8fe155679a71935d&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1317 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fad20236ec5ab44b8fe155679a71935d&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1326 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fad20236ec5ab44b8fe155679a71935d&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1439 https://ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=e07a2e67a9d5a1bfa449d8a8c5c9259e&mc=true&r=SECTION&n=se2.1.200_113 cost rate is [insert rate]. In the event an award is made, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award is made;

4) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency and has an indirect cost rate that is lower than 10 percent. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate;

must be lower than 10 percent]. However, in the event an award is made, we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat indirect cost rate of [insert rate; must be lower than 10 percent] of [insert a clear description of the direct cost base against which your rate is charged (e.g., salaries;

salaries and fringe benefits; or modified total direct costs). However, please note that your organization cannot charge indirect costs in excess of the indirect costs that would be recovered if applied against modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68].

We understand that we must notify the Service in writing immediately if we establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period;

5) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency and has an indirect cost rate that is 10 percent or higher. Our indirect cost rate is [insert your organization’s indirect rate; must be 10 percent or higher]. However, in the event an award is made, we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat de minimis indirect cost rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68. We understand that we must notify the Service in writing immediately if we do establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point 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 such changes are subject to review, negotiation, and prior approval by the Service; or,

6) A State fish and wildlife agency or association of State fish and wildlife agencies that will charge all costs directly.”

Please note:

● If you do not have an approved indirect cost rate you are prohibited from charging indirect costs to your Federal award. Accepting a flat 10 percent de minimis rate as a condition of the award is an approved rate.

● Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allowable as indirect costs unallowable under the award.

● You may only charge the indirect costs calculated against the allowable direct costs charged to the Federal award.

● You must have prior written approval from us to transfer unallowable indirect costs to amounts budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements under your award.

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● You are prohibited from shifting unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized to do so by legislation.

For more information on indirect cost rates, see our Indirect Costs and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements guidance document. See also 2 CFR 1402.414 for the policies, procedures, and decision-making criteria for using an indirect cost rate that differs from your or your subrecipient’s negotiated rate, or its approved rate for our awards.

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior If you do not have a NICRA you must first have an open, active Federal award before you can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to your cognizant agency. The Federal awarding agency providing you the largest amount of direct funding is your cognizant agency, unless otherwise assigned by OMB. If the Department of the Interior is your cognizant agency, your indirect cost rate is negotiated by the Interior Business Center. For more information:

Indirect Cost Services Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center U.S. Department of the Interior 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 7-400 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-930-3803 Email: Through Interior Business Center’s web form Website: Interior Business Center - Indirect Cost Negotiation Services

Single Audit Reporting Statement As required in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, if you expend $750,000 or more in Federal award funds in your organization’s fiscal year, you must submit a Single Audit Report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Data Entry System. You must provide in your application a statement regarding whether your agency was or was not required to submit a Single Audit Report for your most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website and provide the Employee Identification Number (EIN) under which it was submitted. Include these statements in a paragraph titled “Single Audit Reporting Statements.”

Assurances If a copy is not already on file with your WSFR Regional Office, include the appropriate signed and dated Assurances form, which is available here. Use the Assurances for Construction Programs form (SF-424D) for construction and real property acquisition projects and the Assurances for Non-Construction Programs form (SF-424B) for all other projects. The form includes a statement that some of the assurances may not be applicable to you and/or your project or program. Signing this form does not make you subject to laws that are otherwise not applicable to you. Changing, crossing out, or making notations on the form before signing has no impact on the applicability of law.

Assurances include a certification that you will give us, the Comptroller General of the United States and other appropriate parties, through any authorized representative, access to and the https://www.fws.gov/grants/pdfs/USFWSIndirectCostsGuidance01-06-17.pdf https://www.fws.gov/grants/pdfs/USFWSIndirectCostsGuidance01-06-17.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=3c0a3568dd4b12f5c90e52f45f93528b&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt2.1.1402 https://www.doi.gov/ibc/contactus/ibcfeedback https://www.doi.gov/ibc/services/finance/indirect-cost-services http://updates/As https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6719d085f9fa95f3f83c12c8a9804d7e&mc=true&node=sp2.1.200.f&rgn=div6 https://harvester.census.gov/facweb/ https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms right to examine all records, books, papers, or documents related to the award, and that you will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards or agency directives.

Effective February 2, 2019, you may submit and certify your SF-424B Assurances for Non- Construction Programs form when creating, updating, or renewing your SAM registration. If you have submitted the SF-424B as part of your SAM registration or renewal, or it is already on file with your WSFR Regional Office, please do not include an additional copy in this application.

The SF-424D cannot be updated via SAM; therefore, you may include a copy in your application, but you should omit it if it is…