NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2021-2006735 NOFO Report.pdf

Fiscal Year 2021 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 11 C. Program Authority 16

II. Award Information 16 A. Funding Availability 16 B. Project/Award Period 16 C. Type of Funding Instrument 17

III. Eligibility Information 17 A. Eligible Applicants 17 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 18 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 18

IV. Application and Submission Information 18 A. Address to Request Application Package 18 B. Content and Form of Application 19 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 29 D. Submission Dates and Times 30 E. Intergovernmental Review 30 F. Funding Restrictions 30 G. Other Submission Requirements 31

V. Application Review Information 32 A. Evaluation Criteria 32 B. Review and Selection Process 39 C. Selection Factors 41 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 42

VI. Award Administration Information 42 A. Award Notices 42 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 43 C. Reporting 45

VII. Agency Contacts 46 VIII. Other Information 46

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 47

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Fiscal Year 2021 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2021-2006735

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.457, Chesapeake Bay Studies

Dates: The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on March 1, 2021 and applications must be submitted using www.grants.gov (Grants.gov). PLEASE NOTE: it may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline. Due to limited staffing of federal offices, hardcopy applications will not be accepted.

Informational webinars about the FY 2021 Chesapeake B-WET funding announcement will be held on January 7, 2021 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and January 19, 2021 at 11:00 AM. To register for these webinars, please visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/5640848003659402256.

Funding Opportunity Description: Chesapeake B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom as students engage in issue definition, outdoor field experiences, synthesis and conclusions, and stewardship and civic action. The goal is to increase understanding and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay and its local watersheds, including the rivers, upland streams, and natural habitats found throughout the region. Projects advance the environmental literacy goal of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and the NOAA Education Strategic Plan.

This year’s funding announcement is focused on Systemic MWEE Implementation and School District Capacity Building.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

a. OVERVIEW

NOAA recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one's community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship. Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, engendering discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. Environmentally literate individuals can become effective future workers, problem solvers, and thoughtful community leaders and participants.

The NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) environment. B-WET was established in 2002 in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and currently exists in seven regions: Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, New England, California, Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and Great Lakes.

Every year, the B-WET National Program supports environmental education programs for thousands of students and teachers. These programs engage youth in meaningful watershed educational experiences that provide memorable hands-on, experiential learning that are not typically available within traditional classrooms. It also plays a significant role in providing professional development to classroom teachers nationwide that increases their content knowledge, skills, and pedagogical expertise.

However, this year, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the ability of environmental education providers to engage with schools and therefore meaningfully reach students and teachers. The loss of programs will have lasting repercussions on the targeted audiences of these programs and to the institutions who provide these services. The NOAA B-WET Program recognizes that support is needed to bridge this gap that has been created by the loss of revenue, the cancellation of programs, and the inequities that are being exacerbated by the pandemic.

With challenges though, come opportunities. School districts and their partners have a unique moment to reflect on and reevaluate environmental literacy programs and to move

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 47 forward with increased direction, alignment, and commitment. New learning and practices from recent shifts from in-person to virtual can be applied to enhance programs’ sustainability and applicability.

As a major contributor to environmental education programs, the NOAA B-WET Program is committed to responding to the immediate needs of this pandemic and supporting these critical institutions that provide exceptional experiences for youth at all levels while building towards equitable and resilient environmental literacy programs.

The goal of this funding opportunity is to support K-12 environmental literacy programs that provide students with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) related to the Chesapeake Bay and related professional development for in-service teachers, administrators, or other educators serving K-12 students. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are an excellent resource for environmental education. Its tidal and non-tidal waters and the surrounding landscape provide hands-on, place-based laboratories where students can see, touch, and learn about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the greater environment.

Successful B-WET projects provide formal education that supports the environmental literacy goal of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/chesapeakebaywatershedagreement/page) and NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan (https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/noaa-education-council/strategic-planning-evaluation).

b. DEFINING THE MEANINGFUL WATERSHED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

(MWEE)

All seven regions throughout the country use the MWEE as an approach to delivering high quality environmental education (https://www.noaa.gov/education/explainers/noaa-meaningful-watershed-educational-experience). It is based on the MWEE definition developed by the Chesapeake Bay Program Education Workgroup, which follows.

Additional MWEE information and resources are available on the Bay Backpack website (http://baybackpack.com/mwee/what-is-a-mwee), including:

¿ An Educator’s Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (the MWEE Guide);

¿ The MWEE Toolbox;

¿ The MWEE 101 and MWEE 201 online trainings; and ¿ The Facilitator’s Guide to MWEE Training.

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MWEEs are learner-centered experiences that focus on investigations into local environmental issues that lead to informed stewardship actions. They are composed of multiple elements that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and are designed to increase the environmental literacy of all student participants. All students, regardless of where they live or their social or economic status, should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from MWEEs.

The MWEE model applies multidisciplinary practices in order for students to understand how the environmental systems they are investigating relate to their community’s social and economic systems. MWEEs help connect students with their local environment and enable them to take actions and make decisions that contribute to stronger, more sustainable, and equitable communities. These experiences, grounded in best practices for learning, academic standards, and the context of the local watershed and community, help increase student interest and engagement for learning, support student achievement, promote 21st Century skills, and achieve environmental stewardship.

The MWEE consists of four essential elements and four supporting practices that build upon each other to create this comprehensive learning experience for students. This process should be tailored to each audience and be age appropriate with practices growing in complexity and sophistication across the grades, starting with teacher-guided investigations and progressing to student-led inquiry. Teachers should support and assist students in their inquiry and investigations of local environmental issues that are of interest to them throughout the MWEE. To support teacher implementation of MWEEs, B-WET has also included five practices that are recommended to be in place for teacher professional development activities.

1. MWEE Essential Elements

1.1 Issue Definition

Teachers and students work together to define a locally relevant environmental issue or phenomenon affecting watershed, coastal, or ocean ecosystems. Throughout the MWEE, students focus on a driving question that guides their inquiry and investigations of the defined issue and leads to stewardship actions. During Issue Definition, students learn about the issue through classroom instruction and are actively involved in planning and conducting background research and investigations focused on understanding the driving question (e.g., making observations and/or measurements; carrying out investigations; talking to experts or relevant stakeholders; reviewing credible resources; reviewing current environmental policies or community practices; exploring models; using tools). Students also reflect on

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 47 personal and public values and perspectives related to the driving question. Teachers should ensure that the driving question is open-ended, relevant to the students’ lives, and meets their learning objectives.

1.2 Outdoor Field Experiences

Students participate in multiple outdoor field experiences sufficient to investigate the driving question. Within appropriate safety guidelines, students are actively involved in planning and conducting the field investigations, including developing supporting questions to explore the driving question in the field. During field experiences students use their senses to make first-hand observations, gain experience using equipment or technology to collect data or measurements, and conduct experiments necessary to answer their supporting questions and inform student stewardship actions.

Outdoor field experiences can take place on school grounds or at locations in close proximity to schools, such as streams or city parks. They can also take place at offsite locations such as state parks, wildlife refuges, or education centers that are staffed by experts and have access to field education materials and facilities. A range of individuals, including teachers, environmental educators, natural resource professionals, or trained volunteers, can help facilitate field experiences and ensure a safe outdoor learning environment. However, facilitators should co-develop and co-teach instruction with teachers so that field experiences are supportive of their learning objectives and/or academic standards.

Outdoor field experiences allow students to interact with their local environment and contribute to learning in ways that traditional classroom or laboratory settings may not.

Projects should employ methodologies used in fieldwork so students learn how to work in a natural uncontrolled environment. Students who have opportunities to learn in, thrive in, and appreciate the outdoors can become informed and engaged champions for our natural resources.

1.3 Synthesis and Conclusions

Students identify, synthesize, and apply evidence from their investigations to draw conclusions and make claims about the issue, problem, or phenomenon. They convey data and information about their investigations, conclusions, and claims to audiences ranging from classrooms to the larger public community. The focus in this stage is on explaining their investigation rather than inspiring action. Synthesis and conclusions is an iterative process and should happen regularly throughout the MWEE. Students use the conclusions drawn from each investigation to generate a claim about the issue to inform action. The claim evidence reasoning (CER) model can be a helpful mode of bridging these two

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1.4 Stewardship and Civic Action

Students identify and implement a stewardship action as a solution that directly addresses the defined issue or phenomenon within their school, town, neighborhood, or community.

Students are actively engaged and, to the extent possible, drive the decision-making, planning, and implementation of the stewardship action while teachers play a facilitation role by forming groups, moderating, and answering questions. Students reflect on the action and determine the extent to which the action successfully addressed the issue or phenomenon.

This element allows students to understand that they personally have the power to bring about change to environmental issues, take action to address these issues at the personal or societal level, and understand the value of that action. This can instill confidence in students and can contribute to students becoming environmental stewards in their communities.

Stewardship actions can take many forms and may fall into the following categories:

¿ Watershed Restoration or Protection: actions that assist in the recovery or preservation of a watershed or related ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed (e.g., plant or restore protective vegetation/trees; restore a local habitat; remove invasive plants;

clean up litter at local beaches, parks, or school grounds; develop a school garden, natural history area, community garden, or other sustainable green space; install rain gardens to help manage stormwater).

¿ Everyday Choices: actions that reduce human impacts on watersheds and related ecosystems and offer ways to live more sustainably (e.g., reduce/reuse/recycle/upcycle;

monitor and save water in the face of potential drought or reduction in water availability;

compost food or yard waste; research and implement energy efficient strategies or energy alternatives at school and/or at home).

¿ Community Engagement: actions that inform others about how to address community-level environmental issues (e.g., give presentation to local organizations; organize community events; record or broadcast public service announcements; share information on social media; post flyers in community; share posters at community events/fairs/festivals;

mentoring).

¿ Civic Action: actions that identify and address issues of public concern. Students acting alone or together to protect public values or make a change or difference in a student’s school, town, neighborhood, or community (e.g., present to school board or school principal;

attend, speak, or present at town meetings; write or meet with decision makers/elected officials of a students’ school, town, neighborhood, or community).

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2. MWEE Supporting Practices

The MWEE also includes five supporting practices that describe “what teachers do.” B-WET recommends that these supporting practices be in place to ensure successful MWEE implementation with students.

2.1 Active Teacher Support

MWEEs depend on teachers facilitating and supporting student learning for the duration of the MWEE. Teachers help students make connections and draw on past lessons, serve as environmental role models, and ensure that the essential elements of the MWEE come together to support goals for learning. Even when environmental educators or other professionals are leading elements of the MWEE, the teacher should be actively engaged in answering questions and relating the experience back to the full arc of the MWEE.

To support this level of engagement, teachers should have access to professional development opportunities that support their content knowledge, understanding of the MWEE framework, and confidence and intention to implement MWEEs independently (see Teacher Professional Development for MWEEs for specifics).

2.2 Classroom Integration

To be effective, MWEEs need to be embedded into what is already occurring in the classroom. MWEEs should be anchored to state and national academic standards and support goals for learning and/or student achievement. They are not meant to be something extra, but rather an educational approach that helps teachers meet their learning objectives. They can provide authentic, engaging interdisciplinary learning that crosses traditional boundaries between disciplines.

2.3 Local Context

MWEEs use the local environment and community as a context for learning. Situating the MWEE within local contexts promotes learning that is rooted in the unique culture, history, environment, economy, literature, and art of a students’ school, neighborhood, town, or community. To enrich MWEEs, local resources (e.g., partners; expertise; field sites) should be incorporated. Partnerships, such as those with local community-based organizations, allow students to engage with members of their community of diverse cultures, values, and expertise for a more equitable and inclusive experience.

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Emphasizing local contexts enables students and teachers to develop stronger connections and appreciation for their local environments and communities. This also enables students and teachers to explore how their individual and collective decisions affect their immediate surroundings and how their immediate surroundings affect larger ecosystems and watersheds.

2.4 Sustained Activity

MWEEs have multiple experiences that engage students from beginning to end. While a lesson may focus more heavily on one essential element, it does not stand in isolation from the others. Each essential element builds upon and reinforces the others to provide rich learning opportunities spread over the course of a unit or multiple units. All students should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from each essential element.

2.5 Includes NOAA assets, including personnel and resources

NOAA has a wealth of applicable products and services as well as a cadre of scientific and professional experts that can heighten the impact of environmental instruction both in the classroom and in the field. Additionally, environmental professionals can serve as important role models for career choices and stewardship. For more on NOAA assets for education please see: https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/grants/noaa-assets.

3. Teacher Professional Development for MWEEs

Professional development should empower teachers to confidently and competently use the MWEE approach to support standards-based learning that supports local education agency initiatives. In order to gain and maintain environmental education competencies, teachers need access to sustained, high quality professional development that includes ongoing support and feedback. Teachers should gain confidence in the value of MWEEs and strategies for conducting them so that they will conduct MWEEs after the B-WET supported program has ended. Teacher professional development should be offered for all teachers whose students will be engaged in MWEEs. Based on educational research findings and preliminary evidence from the B-WET national evaluation system, the B-WET program recommends that professional development include at least 30 hours of training, including at least 10 hours spent outdoors. These targets are expected to support teacher change and increase the likelihood that teachers will implement MWEEs. Specifically, the following elements are recommended for professional development to support teachers implementing MWEEs:

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3.1 Increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues

Teachers must have an adequate level of content knowledge for their MWEE topic area specific to their grade level and discipline, including an understanding of watersheds and human impacts on Earth systems. Recognizing that environmental issues often include different perspectives and opinions, teachers must also have a deep understanding of the facts related to environmental issues along with an understanding of the various stakeholder values. In addition, teachers who demonstrate environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviors may be role models for their students and increase their ability to guide students in actions to address complex environmental issues.

3.2 Models MWEE framework

Facilitators should utilize the same techniques and experiences in professional development that teachers are expected to use with their students, such as hands-on, place-based, outdoor field experiences, and environmental issue investigation and action. Professional development should deliver training on both content and instruction, include year-long support for teachers, and include time for teachers to plan for how the student MWEEs will be implemented. Where appropriate, professional development should include tools for teachers to implement MWEEs on their school grounds. Resources exist to support the effective hands-on implementation of MWEEs and the development and continued use of integrated, sustainable indoor and outdoor environmental learning projects that provide substantial benefit to both students and the school environment. Please see the School Grounds for Learning resources available at:

http://baybackpack.com/schoolyard_projects/about. This kind of in-depth professional development reinforces a teacher's ability to teach, inspire, and lead young people toward thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources. For more information on effective ways to model professional development see the Facilitator’s Guide to MWEE Training linked on Bay Backpack (http://baybackpack.com/mwee/what-is-a-mwee).

3.3 Allows for adequate instructional time

Professional development should be multi-day, occurring consecutively or over the course of several weeks or months. Professional development should include ample opportunity for teachers to reflect on their own teaching practices and plan for how to use knowledge and skills gained from professional development in the classroom. Opportunities to share ideas and challenges with colleagues in a cohort creates space for dialogue that can provide teachers with additional support and inspiration.

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3.4 Provides ongoing teacher support and appropriate incentives

Even in cases where teachers participate in robust multi-day trainings, such as summer or weekend courses, it is still essential that professional development providers have a structure in place for on-going teacher support and enrichment. This can take the form of follow up meetings, creating web-based forums for communication and feedback, establishing mentor teachers who can serve as points of contact, or including teams of teachers from one particular school. Continuing education credits and stipends can be used to encourage participation in on-going professional development opportunities. Outreach and training opportunities for school administrators may help increase high level support for both environmental education and continuing teacher professional development for teachers.

3.5 Meets jurisdictional guidelines for effective teacher professional development

Each jurisdiction has established guidance and recommendations germane to all forms of teacher professional development. When possible, professional development opportunities in environmental education should adhere to these general guidelines set forth by local education agencies.

If funding requested under this priority area is dedicated solely to providing teacher professional development (i.e. grant dollars are not directly supporting any student MWEE activities), applicants must demonstrate how trained teachers will implement student MWEEs, and what resources (funds, staff, facilities, partner organizations, etc.) exist to support student components of the MWEE. Successful applicants under this priority will be asked to document the number of students receiving MWEEs and number of teachers being trained on MWEEs as a direct result of the project.

Information on the Chesapeake B-WET program, including examples of education partnerships that have been funded to date, can be found at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/chesapeake-bay/past-and-current-chesapeake-b-wet-projects.

Potential applicants may contact the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (contact information in Section VII) before submitting an application with questions about applicability of project activities to B-WET goals and objectives.

B. Program Priorities

B-WET projects funded under this announcement will support the integration of MWEEs into curricular programs and direct implementation during the grant period.

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Chesapeake B-WET is intended to serve audiences within the boundaries of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, therefore, only school districts with more than 25% of their land mass falling within the Chesapeake Bay watershed are eligible for funding. A map of school districts meeting this criteria can be found online at the Resources for Prospective Chesapeake Bay B-WET Grantees webpage:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/resources-prospective-chesapeake-bay-b-wet-grantees. In addition, while any school district in the watershed can be served through this funding announcement, NOAA is interested in expanding the support offered by B-WET into school districts that demonstrate both higher needs for environmental literacy programming and impact low-income and high percent-minority communities. A composite layer on the CBW Public School Stream BMP Evaluation Tool (https://swrc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=42d5bd660f5c4cff83327c b795b149e4) labeled “EQUITY - Environmental Literacy Equity metric” (the Environmental Literacy Equity Map) demonstrates this.

Additionally, a list of school districts that have previously received or been served by systemic B-WET grants can be found on the Chesapeake B-WET webpage:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/chesapeake-bay/school-districts-reached-chesapeake-b-wet.

In states where individual school districts are very small, Intermediate Units or clusters of school districts may be a more appropriate scale for projects.

1. Proposals to this announcement must address one of the following Priority Areas:

Systemic MWEE Implementation

Chesapeake B-WET focuses on the development and integration of MWEEs into curricular programs and implementation of systemic MWEEs in school districts throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Systemic MWEEs reach the entire student population in one or more grades within a school district or Intermediate Unit with teacher-supported MWEEs and ensure that the teachers of these students receive high quality professional development to give them the content knowledge and pedagogical skills for implementing all aspects of the MWEE. Systemic MWEEs support student learning outcomes and are ideally embedded into the district curriculum either prior to or during the implementation of the project.

Projects that are systemic encourage ownership from a broad range of constituents and promote long-term sustainability of the MWEE project in a school district. These programs require leadership and support from the school district, however, because of the broad reach of systemic projects, partnerships with multiple partners are often required to ensure all

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 47 students receive all components of a MWEE and meaningful professional development for teachers is provided. We encourage applicants to review the Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training and the MWEE 201 online course, both of which are available on Bay Backpack (http://baybackpack.com/mwee/what-is-a-mwee), and to explain in the proposal how you will incorporate or reference aspects of these resources.

Proposals and supporting materials should include details about where the project fits within the scope and sequence of school district curriculum, and applicants should clearly understand and convey the primary learning objectives. Multi-disciplinary objectives are encouraged. Letters of support from curriculum supervisors and science, social studies, and other relevant subject coordinators at the district level can be effective in communicating such details.

Whenever possible, MWEEs should be embedded across an entire grade level or levels, or be part of a broader systemic program in a school district to reach every student. For example, projects may reach only half of a grade level’s teachers and students if the application includes documentation from the school district and other partners that the proposed project is a component of a larger systemic effort that reaches the entire grade level. If this is not feasible, applicants should explain why it is not feasible and how they will build toward systemic implementation over the course of the grant and into the future.

Applications for projects can come from any applicant type, however, substantial coordination and support from the school district is required. To document the appropriate level of support and engagement from school districts, official letters from superintendents, school boards, and/or school district curriculum supervisors are requested with proposals.

While Chesapeake B-WET strongly believes in systemic MWEE implementation, the program recognizes there are organizations and school districts across the watershed that strive to implement high quality MWEE programming, but face challenges in developing and implementing systemic projects that are hard to overcome in a single grant cycle. While every organization faces some barriers to project implementation, these districts have greater challenges due to lack of local resources or partners, policies that conflict with outdoor education, or limited internal capacity. Not being able to become fully systemic over the course of the 3-year grant cycle should not discourage school districts and their partners to apply under this funding announcement as long as they can create meaningful programs with the elements described above.

In addition, this year applicants may be struggling to deal with uncertainty related to COVID-19 on programming. Systemic proposals may detail a range of approaches to adapt

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 47 to COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainty impacting schools throughout the watershed.

Funding should support MWEE professional development for teachers and MWEE programming for students including any mix of virtual, blended, at-home, or in-person learning but should be accessible to all participants, following guidance from the school district. Given uncertainties, applicants may describe more than one scenario in their proposal, however the objectives of the scenarios should aim for a common outcome. One such approach may include providing more extensive professional development in the first year of the award with full student implementation occurring in years two and three, though applicants should apply a model that is most responsive to the needs of their school district.

Specifically applicants should:

- Know audience limitations: Because pandemic restrictions and limitations vary by jurisdiction, school, and household, applicants should demonstrate awareness of their target audiences’ capabilities (such as access to the technology needed to participate in virtual programming). Applicants should describe on-going communication with school partner administrative staff about how best to engage their audiences.

- Describe alternate methods: Applicants should provide options and examples of how the MWEE framework will be addressed through alternative approaches and methods, such as virtual programming and at-home activities.

- Describe project flexibilities: Because pandemic responses are fluid over time, applicants should describe what flexibilities their project plan possesses and their ability to adjust methods mid-stream, if needed, and still carry on their project plan. They should also describe how approaches may shift as restrictions are lifted and what elements will be able to translate between formats.

School District Capacity Building

Proposals submitted under the School District Capacity Building priority seek to enhance support systems within one or more school districts (or one or more Intermediate Units in Pennsylvania) and their community partners with the ultimate goal of embedding systemic MWEEs into curriculum to establish a sustainable environmental literacy program. NOAA recognizes the importance of building strong partnerships, institutionalizing teacher professional development, promoting the value of environmental literacy programs at all levels, developing environmental literacy plans, and supporting coordinators of environmental literacy as key ingredients to ensuring long-term sustainability of systemic programming. Examples of activities that may be funded under this priority include but are not limited to: developing a network of school district and local partners focused on advancing environmental literacy through collective impact; creating a district-wide environmental literacy plan that includes policies, practices, and metrics for ensuring

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 47 equitable access to environmental literacy programming for all students and training for all involved teachers; establishing and implementing a comprehensive plan for professional development that institutionalizes high quality continued learning for teachers, educators, and staff; building resilience into environmental literacy planning by establishing clear pathways between schoolground-based MWEEs and Sustainable Schools efforts; and creating an environmental literacy coordinator position at the district that supports development and implementation of MWEEs and other environmental literacy elements.

Proposals should describe how capacity building efforts will be sustained for the long-term and describe how the project will ultimately contribute to systemic MWEEs implementation.

If the proposal includes teacher professional development, it should occur after the development of the environmental literacy plan or strategy and serve the function of carrying out the plan for systemic implementation. Additionally, we encourage applicants to review the Facilitator's Guide to MWEE Training and the MWEE 201 online course on Chesapeake Exploration and to explain in the proposal how you will incorporate or reference aspects of these resources. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is actively engaged in district level capacity building using the collective impact framework across the watershed. NCBO will support grantees in connecting and sharing practice between other districts engaged in such efforts.

NOAA SPECIAL INTEREST AREAS

Any proposal to this announcement must meet the Priority Area described in the previous section. NOAA also has an additional Special Interest Area that applicants may wish to address if they choose, which is: Community Partnerships. More information on the special interest area is provided below. While applicants are not required to address a NOAA Special Interest Area, projects that do so are encouraged because they capitalize on a specific NOAA resource or issue area that is a priority to the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.

(1) Community Partnerships. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is interested in projects that partner specifically with community organizations and institutions that are run by and/or serve marginalized groups, particularly minority communities. Projects are strongly encouraged to develop meaningful and mutually-beneficial partnerships that honor the strengths of these community organizations. It is recommended that these organizations be programmatically and financially recognized for their contributions to programming.

Applicants are encouraged to apply NAAEE’s Community Engagement Guidelines for Excellence (https://cdn.naaee.org/sites/default/files/community_engagement_- _guidelines_for_excellence.pdf) in developing their project plans for engagement of target audiences.

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Community partnerships are likely to look different across proposals but may include the following: for the Systemic MWEE Implementation priority, community partnerships could help to shape the issue, problem, or phenomenon explored by bringing in local expertise on existing environmental issues. They may enhance the local context and cultural relevance of professional development for all teachers. In the School District Capacity Building priority, community partnerships may be a significant driver in ensuring equity and inclusion in environmental literacy planning activities or may bridge pathways between in-school MWEE implementation and complementary out-of-school activities.

C. Program Authority

Under 33 U.S.C. § 893a(a), the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Under this announcement, NOAA anticipates that approximately $1,600,000 may be available in FY 2021 to fund new applications, subject to the availability of appropriations.

NOAA anticipates making 10-15 new awards. Projects should not exceed $150,000 annually in Federal funds. Performance periods may be up to three years, but funding beyond the first increment, usually one year, is subject to the incremental funding policy described in Section II.B of this Announcement.

B. Project/Award Period

The project start date should not begin before July 1, 2021. Applications should cover a project period of between one and three years. Projects that request multi-year funding must include in their submission a full description of the activities and estimated budget by line item (e.g. personnel, equipment, supplies) for all proposed work for each year.

When a multi-year project is awarded, the scope of work and budget for all years is approved at the time of the award, but funding is usually provided only for the first year of the project with the remainder of the award subject to incremental funding, usually annually. NOAA anticipates continuing these multi-year awards for the entirety of their project periods;

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 47 however, the agency has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with the award beyond the initial funding increment. Continuation of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance beyond the initial funding increment is at the sole discretion of NOAA and will be contingent upon satisfactory performance, continued relevance to the NOAA mission and priorities, and the availability of funds.

Recipients of incrementally-funded projects will not need to compete for funding in subsequent years, and current recipients seeking continued funding of these multi-year awards issued under the incremental funding policy do not need to apply to this funding announcement.

Single-year awards and awards for which NOAA shortens the period of performance are required to re-compete for continued funding after the initial period of performance. Any renewal of the project will depend on the submission of a new proposal subject to review, adequate progress on previous award(s), and available funding.

Future opportunities for submitting proposals to the B-WET competitive process are anticipated, but will depend on funding levels and resources available to support new projects.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Applications selected for funding will be funded through a cooperative agreement under the terms of this notice. Applications funded through cooperative agreements will include substantial involvement of the Federal government, which may include, but is not limited to, collaboration on the scope of work, such as liaison activities between the grantee and NOAA personnel who are contributing data or expertise to the project. Additional forms of substantial involvement that may arise are described in Chapter 5.C of the Department of Commerce (DoC) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, which is currently available at: https://go.usa.gov/xpR9e.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are K-through-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. For profit organizations, foreign organizations, and foreign public entities are not eligible to apply; however, for-profit and foreign organizations and foreign public entities may

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 47 participate with an eligible applicant as a project partner. Likewise, Federal agencies are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this announcement, but may be project partners.

Only school districts with more than 25% of their land mass falling in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are eligible, as described in Section I.B., Program Priorities.

The Department of Commerce/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Cost-sharing is not required for this program.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Projects whose sole audience is outside the Chesapeake watershed are not eligible.

Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Applications that are lacking any of the required elements of the application or do not follow the form prescribed in IV.B of this Announcement may not receive merit review as described in Section V.B.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Electronic application packages are required and are available at: http://www.grants.gov/ (Grants.gov).

If the applicant has difficulty accessing Grants.gov or downloading the required forms from the NOAA website, they should contact Elise Trelegan at the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office by email at elise.trelegan@noaa.gov. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office does not have a direct telephonic device for the deaf, however, TDD capabilities can be accessed through the State of Maryland-supplied TDD contact number, 800-735-2258, between the hours of 8

AM-4:30 PM.

Information on the Chesapeake B-WET program, including examples of currently supported projects, can be found on NOAA’s website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/noaa-chesapeake-bay-watershed-education-and-training-program. Potential applicants may

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 47 contact NCBO before submitting an application to discuss the applicability of project ideas to B-WET goals and objectives.

B. Content and Form of Application

Required Elements for Applications:

(a) At the time of application submission, all applicants shall submit the following forms with signatures of the authorized representative of the submitting institution. (Note:

submission through Grants.gov results in automatic electronic signatures on these forms.):

¿ Application for Federal Assistance: Form SF-424

¿ Budget Information, Non-construction Programs: Form SF-424A

¿ Assurances, Non-Construction Programs: Form SF-424B

¿ Certifications Regarding Lobbying: Form CD-511

¿ Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: Form SF-LLL (if applicable, see instructions on form)

(i) Project Summary (1 page):

¿ Project Title

¿ Priority Area: Systemic MWEE Implementation or School District Capacity Building

¿ Special Interest Area: Community Partnerships (optional)

¿ Project duration: 12 to 36 month project period starting on the first of the month and ending on the last day of the month.

¿ Organization and Partnerships: Briefly describe your organization and list your key partners for this grant, if applicable. Partnerships are encouraged.

¿ Summary: Provide a brief statement that explains the need for your project and its goals and objectives. In addition, identify what NOAA priority you will address. Your summary should use layman's terms to provide reviewers with an understanding of the purpose and expected outcomes of your educational project, including total number of students engaged

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 47 in a MWEE for each year of the project, total number of teachers engaged in professional development for each year of the project, and the total number of professional development hours provided to each teacher. Please address whether the proposal will reach every student within the grade band in the district (i.e. whether or not it is systemic or not). A person unfamiliar with your project should be able to read this paragraph and grasp your plan. More information about NOAA assets and educational resources can be found at:

http://www.education.noaa.gov/.

¿ Delivery Method: Explain how you will reach your audience, such as workshops, field experiences, interactive programs, summer institutes, classroom outreach, etc.

¿ Audience: Describe the demographics of your target audience including the school district(s) and the number and types of participants you expect to reach, such as the number of teachers and students reached annually, and the grade level of those participants. Identify whether the entire grade band(s) will be reached through systemic implementation, and if not, what percentage of the grade band will be reached.

¿ Budget Information: Total federal funding requested this fiscal year; total non federal match for this fiscal year. Total multi-year request and match (if applicable). Please list requested amounts in whole dollars. Note that match is not required for this funding opportunity and will not affect scoring.

(ii) Project Description (up to 12 pages): Describe in detail what your project will achieve with the following headings: What, Who, and How. Explain each aspect of your proposal clearly and address each topic below. Please address all of the following to ensure that grant reviewers can fully comprehend and score your project correctly. Specific Evaluation Criteria are defined in Section V.A. for the Systemic MWEE Implementation Priority and Section V.B. for the School District Capacity Building Priority.

¿ What: Explain the goals and objectives for your project. Include information about how the project contributes to greater understanding and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, identify the NOAA B-WET program priority and NOAA special interest area (if applicable), and how your project incorporates NOAA resources and assets. Describe how the project supports the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Environmental Literacy Goal, including providing a curricularly-integrated MWEE at least once in elementary, middle, and high school. If your project may trigger consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as described in the NOAA NEPA policy in Section VI.B.4. of this Announcement, applicants should provide relevant information in the project description.

Any applicable supporting documents may be included as attachments that do not count

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 47 toward the page limit. This section will be scored using evaluation criterion V.A.1 for the Systemic MWEE Implementation Priority and Section V.B.1 for the School District Capacity Building Priority. (Importance/relevance and applicability of proposal to the program goals).

¿ Who: Identify the target audience, and give a precise location of the project and area(s) to be served. For Systemic MWEE proposals, please include specifics of how many students are receiving MWEEs annually in your project, and how many teachers are receiving professional development annually. For School District Capacity Building proposals, describe the nature of the capacity building effort including the key partners. This section will be scored using evaluation criterion V.A.2 for the Systemic MWEE Implementation Priority and Section V.B.2 for the School District Capacity Building Priority. (Technical merit)

¿ How: This is the logistical work plan for your project and should be the most in-depth…