CompetitiveSWG-NOFO-2016-Final.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

Competitive State Wildlife Grants Program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.634

Notice of Funding Opportunity and Application Instructions

Federal Agency Name:

Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

Announcement Type:

Announcement of availability of competitive grants for fiscal year (FY) 2016 and application instructions.

Funding Opportunity Title: Competitive State Wildlife Grants Program

Funding Opportunity Number: F16AS00038

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.634

Dates: Applications for Competitive State Wildlife Grants must be submitted through Grants.gov (www.Grants.gov). Applications will be accepted through February 19, 2016, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We strongly recommend that you submit applications in advance of the deadline to allow for any unforeseen technical complications or system delays.

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

The State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program provides States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths, and territories (States) Federal grant funds for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished. Eligible activities include planning and conservation implementation.

Planning activities must contribute directly to the development or modification of a State’s Wildlife Action Plan (Plan) approved by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Implementation activities are activities that a State carries out to execute their Plan.

Priority for use of these funds must be placed on identified species of greatest conservation need and should take into consideration the relative level of funding available for the conservation of those species. Ineligible activities include wildlife education and law enforcement activities, unless the law enforcement or education component is a minor or incidental activity that is considered critical to the success of a project.

http://www.grants.gov/

After almost fifteen years of continuous funding and nearly $1 billion delivered through the SWG Program, States have made tremendous strides in identifying priority species in need of conservation across the United States, and in designing and implementing strategic conservation actions that can conserve and recover them. Although the development and implementation of the Plans represents a historic conservation achievement, Congress and the American people continue to demand conclusive evidence that the SWG Program has measurably impacted populations of targeted species.

To be able to show the impacts of the program on priority populations and species of greatest conservation need, the Competitive SWG (C-SWG) Program prioritizes and supports projects that are designed, implemented, and evaluated within an explicit adaptive management framework. Adaptive management in the context of natural resources conservation involves the integration of project design, management, and monitoring to systematically test clearly-defined 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 (or “theories of change”), taking action, measuring results, and evaluating, documenting, interpreting, and sharing outcomes of management actions. Both the Department of the Interior and the Service endorse an adaptive management-based approach to conservation.

A variety of academic institutions and non-governmental conservation organizations have developed and published guides and other technical resources on the practice of adaptive management. For more information on adaptive management, see:

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

Adaptive Management: The U.S. Department of the Interior Applications Guide (Williams and Brown, 2012)

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

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) recently published a groundbreaking report titled, Measuring the Effectiveness of State Wildlife Grants (AFWA, 2011). In this report, a working group consisting of State, Federal, and Non-Governmental partners recommended adoption of standardized measures for evaluating SWG-funded projects based on an adaptive management framework:

This process of measuring the effectiveness of conservation actions is the key to adaptive management, which requires building monitoring efforts into the overall project management cycle... Under an adaptive management approach, project teams state their theory of change behind each action and then collect the information required to evaluate its effectiveness. If the activity provides the expected results, effectiveness measures help communicate that success so others may follow suit. If, on the other hand, the action does not work as hypothesized, then the managers can identify problems and either modify the action, or try alternatives. The key to adaptive management is to learn http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://www.usgs.gov/sdc/doc/DOI-Adaptive-Management-Applications-Guide-27.pdf http://cmp-openstandards.org/download-os/ http://www.fishwildlife.org/files/Effectiveness-Measures-Report_2011.pdf from successes, informative failures, and useless failures and respond accordingly so programs can become more effective and efficient over time. (P.3)

The report also recommended that the Service integrate effectiveness measures for the SWG Program into the Wildlife TRACS (TRACS) performance reporting and project tracking tool. In 2015, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR) convened a working group to begin designing standardized results chains that link project outputs to long-term outcomes for the SWG Program and other WSFR programs.

While this working group continues to fulfill its mandate, WSFR has modified the C-SWG Program to support conservation projects that adhere to the principles of adaptive management, including the use of results chains and effectiveness measures to hypothesize and evaluate project results. TRACS continues to evolve to enable users to report project results within a framework that demonstrates how intermediate project results relate to, and can ultimately be expressed as, population-based outcomes for priority species and species of greatest conservation need.

Further modification to the C-SWG Program in FY 2016 includes integration of the former State Wildlife Action Plan Enhancement subprogram into an outcomes-based adaptive management framework. In October 2015, most States submitted updated Plans for review and approval by the State/Federal Regional Review Teams, and ultimately by the Service Director. Therefore, the former SWAP Enhancement subprogram has been discontinued at this time. With the submission of revised Plans in October 2015, the Service is now committed to helping States implement their Plans in 2016 and beyond.

Projects that address the priority themes described on Pages 4-5 of this announcement will receive additional points during proposal review and scoring, as articulated in the criteria given on Pages 16-20. These criteria will be used for ranking all proposed C-SWG projects. Although planning projects may still receive C-SWG Program funding, the Service supports projects that at least partially include direct management of natural resources. Through the C-SWG Program, the Service explicitly favors creating or improving habitat, captive rearing and release, translocation, and similar proactive conservation strategies that can demonstrate measurable impacts on populations of imperiled species. Such active conservation projects will be favored over projects that only support planning or analysis without a measurable impact on species or their habitats.

Additional information about the State Wildlife Grants Program is available at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SWG/SWG.htm. If you do not have access to the Internet and would like to receive information by mail, contact the Service point of contact identified in the Agency Contacts section below (Pages 15-16).

II. Award Information

A. Competitive Grants: The C-SWG Program is funded through annual appropriations of Congress. There is no assurance that it will be funded this year or in subsequent years.

Congress may appropriate an estimated $5.5 million for the FY 2016 C-SWG Program.

https://tracs.fws.gov/public/ http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SWG/SWG.htm

In anticipation of potential funding, the Service requests applications for competitive grants.

The amount of individual grant awards for C-SWG projects varies. For most applicants proposing a multi-State project, the maximum award is $500,000 and the minimum award is $50,000. Only Alaska, Hawaii, and the other insular jurisdictions of the United States may propose projects benefiting a single State; the maximum award for these States is $250,000 and the minimum award is $25,000. For a complete summary of minimum and maximum award limits, please see the Attachment (Q2).

WSFR annually awards approximately 12 to 18 grants through the C-SWG Program.

WSFR will not award grants under the former State Wildlife Action Plan Enhancement subprogram for planning and Plan revision this year. Rather, proposals that address the following Service priority themes will receive additional points in project scoring (see Section VI (A), Pages 16-19 for information on specific bonus point descriptions and opportunities). The priority themes this year are:

Landscape-Scale Conservation: The Service supports projects that address SGCN conservation at a large landscape scale. To receive extra points for this theme your proposed project must:

• Demonstrate a collaborative priority setting or decision making approach to SGCN conservation through a formal decision-making body that involves a broad spectrum of stakeholders across the project area. For example, the project planning team consulted with a Regional Association, a Landscape Conservation Cooperative or other multi-State planning entity in designing the proposed project.

• Explicitly describe habitat-population modeling analyses or other tools that led to identification of population-based biological objectives for SGCN across multiple land management jurisdictions, such as States, tribal or private lands, Federal lands, etc. Distinct population objectives for each participating State or jurisdiction should be identified.

Climate Change: The Service supports projects that incorporate climate change considerations in project design. We encourage applications that align proposed conservation actions with recommendations from the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy (www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov), or with other regional climate change planning efforts. Proposals should demonstrate collaborative partnership with, or use of tools produced by, entities specializing in climate science for conservation purposes. Examples include projects that involve staff or products from the Climate Science Centers, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, universities, and non-governmental organizations that specialize in climate science.

Pollinator Conservation: The Service supports State efforts to conserve pollinators.

Pollinators may be addressed at any of the major taxonomic ranks; however, the express purpose of this theme is for a State to actively address the pollinator’s needs through http://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/ https://www.doi.gov/csc http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/lcc.html direct management of habitat and/or species augmentation. For guidance, see Pollinators and the State Wildlife Action Plans (The Heinz Center, 2013).

Candidate/Petitioned Species: The Service prioritizes projects targeting SGCN that have been the subject of a petition for listing under the Endangered Species Act, or are classified as Candidate species by the Service. Proposals must demonstrate how proposed data collection and analysis activities are essential to supporting the Service’s response to the petition, or show how direct management activities will help preclude the need for listing.

B. Funding Restrictions: The Service will only award funds under the C-SWG Program for projects proposing to: (a) implement eligible actions or strategies identified in Service-approved Plans; or, (b) address emerging issues (e.g., climate change effects on wildlife) documented in the grant application that will improve the status of SGCN or their habitats. See Sections 10.13 and 10.14 of the Service’s SWG policy chapter for more information on eligible activities including requirements for documenting emerging issues (http://www.fws.gov/policy/517fw10.pdf). A WSFR Regional program manager may contact you following submission to address eligibility issues resulting from minor errors or omissions in your proposal.

In administration of the C-SWG Program, the Service adopts policies described in the Service’s policy manual for the non-competitive apportioned State Wildlife Grants (for more information see http://www.fws.gov/policy/517fw10.pdf), except where such policies may conflict with information contained in this announcement.

III. Eligibility Requirements

A. Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and to the four Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies applying on behalf of eligible State agencies.

Eligible State agencies must have a Plan that has been approved by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or submit a revised Plan to the assigned Regional Review Team by the closing date of this competition (February 19, 2016).

B. Partnership Requirement: For each of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, at least two States (or an Association applying on behalf of at least two States) must propose actions that are identified in their approved Plans, and the partnering State(s) must be active participants in proposed conservation actions. Active participation is defined as a significant contribution of resources that are dedicated to completion of project objectives, such as cash, equipment, or staff time. Alaska, Hawaii, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and America Samoa are eligible to apply as single States. Applicants are also encouraged to engage with other partners beyond the minimum partnership requirement described here. Other partners may include Tribes, http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Pollinator%20Report%20FINAL%204-2013.pdf http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Pollinator%20Report%20FINAL%204-2013.pdf https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/table/petitions-received.html http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/candidate-conservation-process.html http://www.fws.gov/policy/517fw10.pdf http://www.fws.gov/policy/517fw10.pdf

Federal agencies, other State agencies (in or out of State), local governments/jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions (e.g., universities), private landowners, industry groups, and international partners.

C. Adaptive Management: States and Associations applying for C-SWG Program funds must meet specific criteria demonstrating the proposed project is designed and will be managed in a manner consistent with an adaptive management framework. Adaptive management is a flexible, iterative process that integrates project design, management, and monitoring to systematically evaluate conservation actions in order to improve their effectiveness over time. The Service utilizes the Strategic Habitat Conservation framework to improve the agency’s ability to define desired biological outcomes and articulate the consequences of site-scale actions on landscape scale functions; however, other similar frameworks may be used. All SGCN identified in the Plans may not be appropriate for use in an adaptive management framework due to various factors including limited available data. Key elements of an adaptive management framework in the context of the C-SWG Program include:

1. A focus on one or more Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) that enables or facilitates evaluation of outcomes of proposed conservation actions.

2. Documentation of species population baseline (at the project site scale or larger) against which to measure impacts of conservation interventions.

3. Explicit adoption of a logical theory of change based on habitat-population modeling or other science-based methods to estimate population response to conservation actions prior to implementation.

4. Articulation of population-based biological objectives for SGCN at the largest possible spatial scale.

5. Dedication of sufficient resources for monitoring of SGCN, so that theorized population impacts can be evaluated.

6. Use of a standard, replicable monitoring protocol by all project partners across the targeted landscape.

7. Development of a data management plan that includes sharing of monitoring results and analysis so that effectiveness of future conservation actions can be improved.

D. DUNS Registration: 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).

Request a DUNS number online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. U.S.-based entities may also request a DUNS number by telephone by calling the Dun & Bradstreet Government Customer Response Center, Monday – Friday, 7 AM to 8 PM CST at the following numbers:

U.S. and U.S Virgin Islands: 1-866-705-5711 Alaska and Puerto Rico: 1-800-234-3867 (Select Option 2, then Option 1) For Hearing Impaired Customers Only call: 1-877-807-1679 (TTY Line)

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

http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/SHCReport.pdf http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform

E. Entity Registration in SAM: Register in SAM online at http://www.sam.gov/. Once registered in SAM, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly urged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure that their information is up to date and in synch with changes that may have been made to DUNS and IRS information.

Foreign entities who wish to be paid directly to a United States bank account must enter and maintain valid and current banking information in SAM.

F. Excluded Entities: Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program.

G. Cost Sharing or Matching:

For the States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Federal share of C-SWG Program grants shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost, i.e.

total C-SWG Program funds plus non-Federal match, excluding other Federal funds.

According to 48 U.S.C. 1469(a), the Regional Director must waive the first $200,000 of match requirement for each project from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The overall non-Federal cost share is a factor used in scoring applications. Applicants are encouraged to provide more than the minimum (25%) required non-Federal cost share.

NOTE: The State or Association applicant identified as the designated lead for a multi- State project is accountable for the full amount of non-Federal cost share as detailed in the Form SF-424 for all States and other partners involved in the proposed project.

H. Letters Authorizing Associations to Apply:

Associations applying on behalf of one or more State agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources must provide a statement from each such agency authorizing the Association to apply on its behalf. This statement must appear in either: 1) a separate letter signed by the director of the eligible State fish and wildlife agency; or 2) within the letter of commitment as described in part G. above. A State may authorize an Association to apply on its behalf in the current Fiscal Year, in all future Fiscal Years, or both. If a State authorizes an Association to apply on its behalf in all future Fiscal Years, a copy of the letter must be attached to future applications affecting the State(s) on behalf of which it will apply.

I. Period of Availability:

C-SWG Program funds, if any, are available for obligation until September 30, 2017, or two years from the beginning of the fiscal year in which the funds are appropriated by Congress. Unobligated funds, if any, will be made available through competitive grants to States, together with newly appropriated funds, in 2018.

http://www.sam.gov/

IV. Application Requirements To be considered for funding under this funding opportunity, an application must contain all the following items, as applicable. Application forms are available through the Grants.gov website and the WSFR toolkit (http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Toolkit+Homepage).

A. Standard Form (SF) 424. A single Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form

424) reflecting the funding request in its entirety must be submitted. Do not include other Federal sources of funding, requested or approved, in the total entered in the “Federal” funding box on the Application for Federal Assistance form. Enter only the amount being requested under this program in the “Federal” funding box. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the total funding entered in the “Other” box. Please submit a scanned version of the SF-424 that has been manually signed and dated by the individual designated in your State with signatory authority for submission of applications to WSFR. Each Service Regional WSFR Office maintains a list of State-authorized signatories. If you are unsure who is authorized to sign the SF-424 for your agency, please contact your Service Regional WSFR Office (see table on Pages 15-16).

Proposals must be signed by the authorized signatory on file in the Service Regional WSFR Office. Applications for Federal Assistance submitted by Associations must be signed by the individual with signatory authority for the organization.

B. Project Statement: Submit a project statement of no more than 20 pages. Your project statement must include all of the following elements. Include a “roadmap” in table format specifying where each of the scoring criteria is addressed in the narrative. Your project statement should describe the:

NEED - The need for the proposed project within the purpose of the Program;

1. Identify the SGCN that will be used to evaluate proposed conservation actions, and describe the need for conservation action(s) to address the species;

2. Provide data and information to document the current status of the selected SGCN as a population baseline, at a spatial scale consistent with the targeted landscape or larger.

3. Include specific reference to each State’s Plan that identifies priority actions for targeted SGCN.

OBJECTIVES - Discrete, quantifiable, and verifiable objectives to be accomplished during a specific time period. Objectives should be expressed in terms of an anticipated increase in the targeted SGCN population at the scale of the project site(s) at a minimum, but you may also include additional habitat-based or other objectives at larger scales. If your project does not involve direct management of habitats or species, demonstrate how your objectives will directly lead to or enable future actions that will benefit populations of targeted SGCN.

APPROACH - The approach or activities to be used in meeting the objectives, including specific procedures, methods, schedules, key personnel, and cooperators. For projects conducted in the United States, a description of the activity in sufficient detail so WSFR staff are able to evaluate compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 7 of the Endangered http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Toolkit+Homepage

Species Act (ESA), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Your narrative should address the following elements:

1. Include a description of consistent conservation protocols and procedures and the entity or entities responsible for them.

2. Describe the locations of proposed project activities, and identify public and private lands where applicable.

3. Describe how you will use a standard, replicable monitoring regime across the targeted landscape.

4. Describe your data management plan including how and when you will analyze and share monitoring results.

5. Provide an overall project timeline with significant milestones.

EXPECTED RESULTS - Expected results or benefits from accomplishing the objectives. Your narrative must include the following elements:

1. Describe the theory or theories of change linking proposed conservation actions to outcomes for targeted SGCN populations, and support the theory with reference to scientific evidence.

2. Describe any tools such as habitat-population models or other science-based methods that you used to estimate SGCN population response to proposed conservation actions.

LOCATION - Describe the location(s) of project activities and the expected area(s) of impact resulting from these activities. Provide maps or other geographic aids. Please include GPS Coordinates in degrees, minutes, seconds, if available.

If specific locations of project activities are unknown at time of application, please provide targeted county or counties where conservation actions are expected to take place.

C. Budget Table: Provide the estimated costs to achieve the project objectives. The various conservation actions should be clearly identified and broken down by cost, partner(s), and annual funding period in table format. The budget table must also show donated matching funds, services, equipment, or materials broken down by cost, partner, and funding period. Applicants proposing multi-State projects must detail the Federal and non-Federal share for which each State will be responsible. If the project budget includes multiple Federal funding sources, you must show the funds being requested from this Federal program separately from any other requested/secured Federal sources of funding on the budget form. Be sure to identify each Federal program’s CFDA number in the budget table, if applicable. Submission of the SF-424 A (Budget Information for Non- Construction Programs) is not required.

D. Budget Narrative: In a separate narrative, explain and justify all requested budget items/costs. Detail how the totals in your budget table were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between costs and the proposed project activities. For personnel salary costs, include the baseline salary figures and the estimates of time (as percentages) to be directly charged to the project. Describe any item that under the applicable Federal Cost Principles requires the Service’s approval and estimate its cost. Include a list of any Federally-funded equipment and indicate why it is necessary for achieving the goals and objectives of the project. Distinct activities or components of each project should be broken down by cost and by cooperator. In discussing match (including cash or in-kind), include the source, the amount, and the valuation methodology used to arrive at the total.

If there will be any program income, include the source, amount, and the requested method of crediting the program income (i.e. matching, deductive or additive).

E. Letters of commitment: Match sources and attributed values must be documented in a letter of commitment, signed by the director of the eligible State agency or individual with the authority to commit agency funds. Letters must detail the amount of cost sharing funds and/or the value of staff time, donated services, equipment, or materials.

Letters of commitment from a non-State partner (for example, a non-governmental organization or university) must be signed by the chief financial officer or other individual with authority to commit funds on behalf of the entity. For multi-State C- SWG projects, the letter of commitment from the partnering State(s) or other partner(s) should also demonstrate that the activities to which they will contribute are included in their Plan. Since eligibility requires a partnership of two or more States (except for Alaska, Hawaii and the other U.S. insular jurisdictions), those States subject to this requirement must demonstrate that at least one other State is an active participant in proposed project actions. Active participation is defined as a significant contribution of resources that are dedicated to completion of project objectives, such as cash, equipment, staff time, etc. These contributions must be described in detail and explicitly valued.

Valuations of matching contributions given in letters of commitment should match those given in the SF 424, budget and budget narrative. Matching funds or other resources referenced in a letter of commitment that are not explicitly valued may negatively impact scoring of the proposal. You may obtain a copy of an example commitment letter meeting this requirement by contacting your Service Regional WSFR Office (see Pages 15-16 for contact information).

F. Required Indirect Cost Statement: Applicants must include one of the following statements and attach to their application any required documentation identified in the applicable statement:

1. We are a State government entity receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding 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 attached. Or,

2. We are a State government entity 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. Or,

3. We are an Association that has previously negotiated or currently has an approved indirect cost rate with our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. A copy of our most recently approved rate agreement is attached. Or,

4. We are an Association that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect 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.

Or,

5. We are an Association that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate].

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 minimus indirect cost rate of 10% of modified total direct costs as defined in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, section 200.68. We understand that the 10% de minimus rate will apply for the life of the award, including any future extensions for time, and that the rate cannot be changed even if we do establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period. Or,

6. We are a [State government of Association] that will charge all costs directly.

Please note:

Recipients without an approved indirect cost rate (includes accepting the 10% de minimus rate, when eligible) are prohibited from charging indirect costs to a Federal award.

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

Only the indirect costs calculated against the Federal portion of the total direct costs may be charged to the Federal award. Recipients may not charge to their USFWS award any indirect costs calculated against the portion of total direct costs charged to themselves or charged to any other project partner, Federal and non-Federal alike.

Recipients must have prior written approval from the USFWS to transfer unallowable indirect costs to amounts budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements under the award.

Recipients 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 the Service’s Indirect Costs and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements guidance document on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/grants/.

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior: The Federal awarding agency that provides the largest amount of direct funding to your organization is your cognizant agency, unless otherwise assigned by the White House Office of http://www.ecfr.gov/ http://www.ecfr.gov/

Management and Budget (OMB). If the Department of the Interior is your cognizant agency, your indirect cost rate will be negotiated by the Interior Business Center (IBC).

For more information, contact the IBC at:

Indirect Cost Services Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center U.S. Department of the Interior 2180 Harvard Street, Suite 430 Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone: 916-566-7111 Email: ics@nbc.gov Internet address: http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/Services/ICS.aspx

G. Statements Regarding Single Audit Reporting: Following 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, all

U.S. States expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in a fiscal year must submit a single audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System, although the report does not need to be attached to your proposal. In your proposal, provide a statement regarding whether your organization was/was not required to submit a single audit report for the organization’s most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website (http://harvester.census.gov/sac/). Include these statements in a section titled “Single Audit Reporting Statements.”

H. Assurances: Include the appropriate signed and dated Assurances form available online at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15. Use the Assurances for Non- Construction Programs (SF-424B) if the project does not involve construction or land acquisition. Use the Assurances for Construction Programs (SF-424D) if the project involves construction or land acquisition. Signing this form does not mean that all items on the form are applicable. The form contains language that states that some of the assurances may not be applicable to your organization and/or your project or program.

I. Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: Under Title 31 of the United States Code, Section 1352, an applicant or recipient must not use any federally appropriated funds (both annually appropriated and continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a grant or cooperative agreement award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is defined as influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress connection with the award. Submission of an application also represents the applicant’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If you/your organization have/has made or agrees to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with this project AND the project budget exceeds $100,000, complete and submit the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required. Submission of an application also represents the applicant’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying.

http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/Services/ICS.aspx http://harvester.census.gov/sac/

J. Additional Requirements for Association Applicants: Associations applying for C-

SWG Program funds must submit evidence of their Section 501(c)(3) or (4) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. Associations must also provide a statement from each participating eligible State agency that authorizes the Association to apply for C-SWG Program funds on its behalf. This statement must appear in either an authorizing letter signed by the agency director or within a letter of commitment as described in this Section.

Application Checklist

□ SF 424: A complete, signed and dated SF 424.

□ Project Statement: A complete project narrative must address all items identified above.

□ Budget Table: Provide budget table in the format described above. Do not use the SF-

424A.

□ Budget Narrative: Address all items noted above, as applicable.

□ Letters of Commitment: Letters must identify specific financial or other commitments, note the inclusion of proposed activities in the Plans, and be signed by an authorized entity with budgetary authority.

□ Indirect Cost Statement: Statement of negotiated indirect cost rate agreement status and, if applicable, a copy of the organization’s current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

□ Single Audit Reporting statement: Include a statement regarding applicability of and compliance with Single Audit Reporting requirements (2 CFR 200.501).

□ SF 424 Assurances form: Signed and dated SF 424B or SF 424D Assurances form.

□ SF LLL form: If applicable, completed SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form.

□ Associations: Submit evidence of your non-profit. States are not required to submit this documentation. Submit a signed approval statement from all States on behalf of which you will apply. This statement may be included within a Letter of Commitment.

Failure to provide complete information may cause delays, postponement, or rejection of the application.

V. Submission Instructions

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Grant application packages must be submitted at Grants.gov no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on February 19, 2016.

Intergovernmental Review: Before submitting an application, U.S. State and local government applicants should visit the following website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/) to determine whether their application is subject to the State intergovernmental review process under Executive Order (EO) 12372 “Intergovernmental review of Federal Programs.” EO 12372 was issued to foster intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=788241a31dbe4156aa17ec9893ffc55e&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5%20-%20sp2.1.200.f http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/ direct Federal development. The EO allows each State to designate an entity to perform this function. The official list of designated entities is posted on the website. Contact your State’s designated entity for more information on the process the State requires to be followed when applying for assistance. States that do not have a designated entity listed on the website have chosen not to participate in the review process.

Download the Application Package linked to this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov to begin the application process. Downloading and saving the Application Package to your computer makes the required government-wide standard forms fillable and printable. Completed applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. We recommend you also submit a single document (PDF) containing the entire proposal to your Service Regional WSFR Office (see table on pages 15-16).

Electronic Submission Instructions:

Go to www.grants.gov

a. Click the “Apply for Grants” tab and use Funding Opportunity Number

F16AS00038 to search for the funding opportunity.

b. The following are items that need to be done before a grant application package can be submitted electronically through Grants.gov:

i. Applicants must register as an Authorized Organization Representative

(AOR) and have a user ID and password. The applicant can register on the web at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp;

ii. Applicants must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view files on the web.

You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader at http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

c. Standard forms such as SF 424, SF 424A, SF 424B, SF 424 C, and SF 424D are fillable forms on Grants.gov. You may omit the standard budget forms (SF 424 A and C), but you must include a budget table as described in this announcement.

The project narrative and budget narrative must be attachments in one of the following formats: MS Word, Adobe PDF, or MS Excel. The required SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance and Assurances forms and any other required standard forms MUST be signed by your organization’s authorized official.

d. All forms and attachments mentioned above must be submitted with the grant application package.

e. Important note on Grants.gov application attachment file names: Please do not assign application attachments file names longer than 20 characters, including spaces. Assigning file names longer than 20 characters will create issues in the automatic interface between Grants.gov and the Service’s financial assistance management system.

f. Applications must be submitted online at Grants.gov. The application package can be found by using Funding Opportunity Number F16AS00038 on the “Search Grants” tab. The applicant is responsible to ensure that the application has been properly and completely submitted by the deadline. You may also send a complete copy of your application(s) to the “Electronic Documents” email address below, as a backup in case you experience technical issues with http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp

Grants.gov. However, this submission method is not a substitute for submission via Grants.gov.

States, Commonwealths, the District of Columbia, and Territories by

U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Region

Regional Contact Information

Region 1: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Electronic Documents to:

r1fa_grants@fws.gov Contact Person: Karla Drewsen 503-231-2389 karla_drewsen@fws.gov

Region 2: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Electronic Documents to:

fw2fa@fws.gov Contact Person: Vanessa Martinez 505-248-7452 vanessa_martinez@fws.gov

Region 3: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin

Electronic Documents to:

R3fedaid@fws.gov Contact Person: Jessica Piispanen 612-713-5142 jessica_piispanen@fws.gov

Region 4: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Electronic Documents to:

r4federalassistance@fws.gov Contact Person: Diana Swan 404-679-7058 diana_swan@fws.gov

Region 5: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia

Electronic Documents to:

fw5fareports@fws.gov Contact Person: Dee Blanton 413-253-8513 dee_blanton@fws.gov

Region 6: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

Electronic Documents to:

FW6_FAGrants@fws.gov Contact Person: Amanda Horvath 303-236-4414 amanda_horvath@fws.gov mailto:karla_drewsen@fws.gov mailto:vanessa_martinez@fws.gov mailto:jessica_piispanen@fws.gov mailto:diana_swan@fws.gov mailto:dee_blanton@fws.gov mailto:amanda_horvath@fws.gov

Region 7: Alaska Electronic Documents to:

ak_fa@fws.gov Contact Person: Trent Liebich 907-786-3696 trent_liebich@fws.gov

Region 8: California and Nevada Electronic Documents to:

R8FA_Grants@FWS.gov Contact Person: Bart Prose 916-414-6558 bart_prose@fws.gov

VI. Application Review

A. Scoring Criteria:

The following criteria prioritize projects that exemplify an adaptive management approach including an explicit articulation of a “theory of change” and a focus on evaluating project effectiveness. The criteria favor projects that are able to identify target and secondary species, explain how the project will benefit those species, measure the actual project outcomes, explain why the project did (or didn’t) work, and finally, share that knowledge with other conservation professionals to advance the mission of the C- SWG Program.

Targeted species are those explicitly addressed within an adaptive management framework; project design should reflect items listed in Section III.C., Page 6. Secondary species are those that are expected to also benefit from proposed actions, although adaptive management of these species is not required.

Additional bonus points may be awarded for projects also addressing Service priorities (Criteria 1,2, and 3; see descriptions on P. 4-5) and for projects targeting SGCN for which other sources of funding are limited or unavailable (Criterion 3).

Point scales are guidelines; values may be assigned within the ranges identified. The maximum score is 50 points.

1. Does the project contribute to a regional, collaborative landscape conservation strategy or plan (other than a Wildlife Action Plan)?

Applicant identifies one or more landscape conservation plans or strategies at a scale greater than an individual Wildlife Action Plan, shows how proposed actions align with the plan(s), and cites specific page references. Scale: 0-5 points 5 points: Landscape conservation plan(s) and pages cited for both target and secondary species;

3 points: Landscape conservation plan(s) and pages cited only for target species;

mailto:trent_liebich@fws.gov mailto:bart_prose@fws.gov

1 point: Landscape conservation plan(s) are identified, but not specific page references;

0 points: No specific references provided to landscape plans or strategies.

BONUS: Up to 3 bonus points available for applicants that 1) Consult with or are advised by a regional multi-agency/stakeholder entity and 2) Cite biological objectives for multiple land management jurisdictions (States, tribal or private lands, Federal lands, etc.).

2. Is/are the Target species or project site(s) documented as a high priority for participating State(s)?

Applicant identifies a target SGCN and area, and cites the basis for its priority in one or more States. Provide evidence to verify priority species/lands including reference to Plans with page numbers. Scale: 0-5 points 5 points: Targeted SGCN is/are listed as a State threatened or endangered species in at least one participating State; or, targeted SGCN are identified as Tier 1 or other priority designation, or conservation actions are located within an identified Conservation Opportunity Area or other priority lands, as described in a Wildlife Action Plan in at least one participating State;

3 point: Targeted SGCN and lands are identified, but they are not documented as a State’s highest priority;

0 points: Targeted SGCN and/or specific targeted lands are not identified BONUS: Up to 3 bonus points available for projects that target Service Candidate or Petitioned Species. Proposals must demonstrate how data collection and analysis activities can support the Service’s response to the petition, or show how direct management activities can help preclude the need for listing.

3. How will the project benefit the targeted species?

Applicant predicts the expected SGCN response to proposed activities by clearly presenting a “theory of change” linking the actions to the targeted species response. Scale: 0-5 points

5 points: Project includes or refers to a scientifically valid explanation, conceptual model, or other “theory of change” that predicts how the project will benefit the targeted species and presents a numeric, population-based expected outcome.

3 points: Project includes a theory of change and numeric expected outcome but narrative is vague or unclear, or insufficient evidence is given to judge whether proposed conservation actions will achieve the expected outcome.

1 point: Project includes either a numeric expected outcome or a theory of change.

0 points: Project includes neither a numeric expected outcome nor a theory of change.

BONUS: Up to 3 bonus points available for projects that target and benefit pollinator species in the project area through direct management of habitat and/or species augmentation. (For guidance, see Pollinators and the State Wildlife Action Plans (The Heinz Center, 2013)).

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/candidate-conservation-process.html https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/table/petitions-received.html http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Pollinator%20Report%20FINAL%204-2013.pdf http://teaming.com/sites/default/files/SWAP%20Pollinator%20Report%20FINAL%204-2013.pdf

BONUS: Up to 3 bonus points available for projects that…