F19AS00069_NOFO.pdf

2020 FISHERIES RESOURCE MONITORING PROGRAM

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: F19AS00069

Federal Program: Department of the Interior, United States (U.S.) Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.636 Alaska Subsistence Management

Authorizing Legislation: The Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program funding awards are made through Federal financial assistance under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 USC 661 to 667 (d), and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), 16 USC 3101-3233.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 15, 2019, 5:00 PM, Alaska Standard Time

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: We are collecting this information in accordance with the authorizing legislation identified above. Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We will use the information you provide to conduct a competitive review and select projects for funding and, if awarded, to evaluate performance. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. We estimate that it will take you on average about 40 hours to complete an initial application, about 3 hours to revise the terms of an award, and about 8 hours per report to prepare and submit financial and performance reports, including time to maintain records and gather information. Actual time for these activities will vary depending on program-specific requirements. You may send comments on the burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

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

I. Program Description Program History Section 812 of ANILCA directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, cooperating with other Federal agencies, the State of Alaska, and Alaska Native and rural organizations, to research and monitor fish and wildlife subsistence uses on Federal public lands and to seek data from, consult with, and make use of the knowledge of local residents engaged in subsistence. When the Federal government assumed responsibility for management of subsistence fisheries on Federal public lands in Alaska in 1999, the Secretary of the Interior made a commitment to increase the quantity and quality of information available to manage subsistence fisheries, to increase quality and quantity of meaningful involvement by Alaska Native and rural organizations, and to increase collaboration among Federal, State, Alaska Native, and rural organizations. The mission of the Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (Monitoring Program) is to identify and provide information needed to sustain subsistence fisheries on Federal public lands for rural Alaskans through a multidisciplinary, collaborative program.

Funding Priorities The main focus of the Monitoring Program will continue to be projects whose purpose is the collection, dissemination, and application of information used in the management of Federal subsistence fisheries in Alaska. However, it is also the intent of the Monitoring Program to support partnerships and provide opportunities for capacity building of rural organizations, communities, and individuals. Applicants are encouraged to develop the highest level of community and regional collaboration that is practical. Investigators must demonstrate that capacity building has already reached the communication or partnership development stage during proposal development, and ideally, include a strategy to develop capacity building to higher levels, recognizing, however, that in some situations higher level involvement may not be desired or feasible by local organizations (see Section VI. Application Review Information for further details). Letters of support from local communities or organizations that will partner on the proposed project must be included with the proposal package.

Priority Information Needs The Office of Subsistence Management is targeting this Funding Opportunity towards projects that address specific priority information needs identified by Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils. The 2020 Priority Information Needs can be accessed at the Monitoring Program’s webpage. Investigators wishing to address information needs other than those identified in the list must include a compelling rationale regarding strategic importance and application to Federal subsistence management (see Section VI. Application Review Information for further details).

Proposal Evaluation Criteria Project proposals are evaluated using five, equally weighted criteria: (1) strategic priority, (2) technical and scientific merit, (3) investigator ability and resources, (4) partnership-capacity building, and (5) cost/benefit (see Section VI. Application Review Information for further details).

Indicators of Successful Projects Indicators of successful projects are technical soundness, administrative competence, and cost effectiveness. Successful projects promote partnerships and capacity building and address critical Federal subsistence fisheries research and monitoring needs.

Successful projects have rigorous sampling and/or research designs with appropriate, clearly stated, and achievable objectives and incorporate traditional knowledge and methods. Rural community members have meaningful roles such as in project management or fieldwork, and requested funds are reasonable and justified.

Examples of Previously Funded Projects Examples of projects previously funded by the Monitoring Program can be accessed at the Monitoring Program’s webpage.

DOI Priorities for Financial Funding This funding opportunity addresses two Department of the Interior financial assistance priorities accessible at the DOI website. This funding opportunity addresses Priority 1: Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt. This opportunity funds collection, compilation, analysis, and reporting of new information needed by Federal agencies to manage subsistence fisheries on Federal public waters in Alaska. This funding opportunity also addresses Priority 3: Restoring trust with local communities. This funding opportunity targets collaborations and partnerships between Federal, State of Alaska, Alaska Native, rural organizations, and communities to research and monitor fish subsistence uses on Federal public lands and to seek data from, consult with, and make use of the knowledge of local residents engaged in subsistence on Federal public waters.

II. Federal Award Information The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) administers the Monitoring Program. Every two years, OSM announces a funding opportunity for project proposals addressing subsistence fisheries on Federal public lands in Alaska.

We anticipate availability of $1.5 million in funds for new projects with an annual funding cap of $215,000 per year starting in early 2020. Proposals requesting Monitoring Program funding that exceed $215,000.00 in any one year will not be considered. In 2018, 23 new projects were funded. Most funding is awarded through Cooperative Agreements between the Service and the State of Alaska and Alaska https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/frmp/funding https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/frmp/reports https://www.doi.gov/ourpriorities https://www.doi.gov/ourpriorities

Native or rural organizations. Projects of up to four-years duration are eligible for funding. Continuation of funding for years two, three, or four of multiple-year projects is contingent upon attainment of the study objectives and availability of future government funding.

Monitoring Program funding is intended to provide new and improved information for management of subsistence fisheries on Federal public lands and not duplicate or replace existing programs of government agencies and organizations already engaged in assessment of subsistence fisheries and subsistence fishery resources. We highly discourage agencies shifting existing projects to the Monitoring Program. For continuing projects previously funded under the Monitoring Program for which additional years of funding are proposed, applicants should justify continuation, placing the proposed work in context with ongoing work and accomplishments (see Section IV. Application Requirements, Part 4.

Project Narrative for further details).

Cooperative Agreements The Office of Subsistence Management anticipates being involved and responsible for the following, however specific aspects of participation will be determined collaboratively by OSM and awardees and outlined in the Notice of Award Letter: (i) participates and collaborates jointly with the recipient partner, volunteer, scientist, technician or other personnel, in carrying out the scope of work, trains recipient personnel, or details Federal personnel to work on the project effort; (ii) reviews and approves one stage of work before the next stage can begin; (iii) reviews and approves proposed modifications or sub-grants, prior to the award; (iv) helps select project staff or trainees; (v) directs or redirects the work because of interrelationships with other projects; (vi) has power to halt immediately an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met; and (vii) limits recipient discretion with respect to scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operations and other management processes, coupled with close monitoring or operational involvement during performance.

Geographic Regions Proposals should address one of six geographic regions. If the issue of concern covers more than one region, the proposal should be classified as multi-regional (see Guidelines at the

Figure 1. Geographic Regions https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/frmp/funding

Monitoring Program’s webpage for further details).

Data Types Three broad categories of information will be considered: (1) harvest monitoring, (2) traditional ecological knowledge, and (3) stock status and trends.

Harvest monitoring studies provide information on numbers and species of fish harvested, locations of harvests, and gear types used. Methods used to gather information on subsistence harvest patterns may include harvest calendars, mail-in questionnaires, household interviews, subsistence permit reports, and telephone interviews.

Traditional ecological knowledge studies are investigations of local knowledge directed at collecting and analyzing information on a variety of topics, including: the sociocultural aspects of subsistence, fish ecology, species identification, local names, life history, taxonomy, seasonal movements, harvests, spawning and rearing areas, population trends, environmental observations, and traditional management systems. Some methods used to document traditional ecological knowledge include ethnographic fieldwork, key respondent interviews with local experts, place name mapping, and open-ended surveys.

Stock status and trends studies provide information on abundance and run timing; age, size, and sex composition; migration and geographic distribution; survival of juveniles or adults; stock production;

genetic stock identification, and mixed stock analyses. Methods used to gather information on stock status and trends include aerial and ground surveys, test fishing, towers, weirs, sonar, video, genetics, mark-recapture, and telemetry.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

Individuals and organizations submitting proposals should have the necessary technical and administrative abilities and resources to ensure successful completion of studies. Entities submitting proposals may be of Commercial, Foreign, Individuals, Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Non-Profit Organizations, State Government, Local Government, Federally-Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network and/or Federal Entities.

United States non-profit, non-governmental organizations must provide a copy of their Section 501(c)(3) or (4) status determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service. Eligible recipients must appear in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing (CFDA) profile.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing or matching is not required. The Office of Subsistence Management encourages matches for all proposals, especially for new projects with broad overlap of Federal and State management authority (see Section IV. Application Requirements, Part A. Application Form and Content Requirements for further details).

C. Other Eligibility Criteria To be considered for funding under the Monitoring Program, a proposed project must have a linkage to Federal subsistence fishery management. This means that a proposed project must have a direct association to a Federal subsistence fishery, and that either the subsistence fishery or fish stocks in question must occur in or pass through waters within or adjacent to Federal public lands in Alaska (National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, National Parks and Preserves, National

Conservation Areas, National Wild and Scenic River Systems, National Petroleum Reserves, and National Recreation Areas). Projects up to four years in duration are eligible for funding.

Proposals requesting Monitoring Program funding that exceeds $215,000.00 in any one year are not eligible for funding.

Activities not eligible for funding under the Monitoring Program include: (1) habitat protection, mitigation, restoration, and enhancement; (2) hatchery propagation, restoration, enhancement, and supplementation; and (3) contaminant assessment, evaluation, and monitoring. The rationale behind this approach is to ensure that existing responsibilities and effort by government agencies are not duplicated under the Monitoring Program. Land management or regulatory agencies already have direct responsibility, as well as specific programs, to address these activities.

Projects where the primary or only objective is outreach and education (for example, science camps, technician training, and intern programs), rather than information collection, are not eligible for funding under the Monitoring Program.

Applicants will be notified in writing if their proposals are not eligible for consideration through the Monitoring Program.

Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration: This requirement does not apply to individuals applying for funds as a private citizen (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own or operate in your name) or any entity with an exception approved by the Service under 2 CFR 25.110(d). All other applicants are required to obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet and then register in SAM.gov prior to submitting a Federal award application. Federal award recipients must continue to maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information through the life of their Federal award(s). See the “Submission Requirements” section of this document below for more information on SAM.gov registration. The Service may not make a Federal award to an applicant that has not completed the SAM.gov registration. If an applicant selected for funding has not completed their SAM.gov registration by the time the Service is ready to make an award, the program may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award. The program can use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Prohibition on Issuing Awards to Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements: Domestic (U.S.) non-Federal entities requiring their employees or contractors to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements that prohibit, or otherwise restrict, such employees or contractors from lawfully reporting waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information are not eligible to compete for or receive a Federal award. See Pub. L. 113- 235, Title VII, Division E, Section 743 for more information.

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

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IV. Application Requirements A. Application Form and Content Requirements

Applicants must submit the following:

1. SF-424A, Application for Federal Assistance Applicants must submit the appropriate Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance. Individuals applying as a private citizen (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own or operate in your name), must complete the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance-Individual form. All other applicants must complete the standard SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance . All of the required application forms are available on the “Packages” tab of this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. The SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance must be complete, and signed and dated. Please note: Enter only the amount requested from this Federal program in the “Federal” funding box on the SF-424 Application form. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the “Other” box, and provide details on those Federal source(s) and funding amount(s) in the required Budget Narrative (see the “Budget Narrative” section below).

2. SF-424B, Assurances Applicants must submit the appropriate signed and dated Assurances form. Complete the SF- 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs. All of the required application forms are available on the “Packages” tab of this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. The SF-424 Assurances forms include a statement that some of the assurances may not be applicable to your organization and/or your project or program. Signing the required SF-424 Assurances form does not make you or your organization subject to laws that are otherwise not applicable to you or your organization. Changing, crossing out, or making notations on the form before signing has no impact on the applicability of law.

3. Project Executive Summary Briefly summarize the project in one to two pages. Include the title of the project, geographic location, and a brief overview of the need for the project. Goal(s), objectives, specific project activities, anticipated outputs and outcomes may also be included in this section. The project executive summary may be edited for brevity if it is longer than two pages. Executive summaries will be included in public documents (see Guidelines at the Monitoring Program’s webpage for further details).

4. Project Narrative/Investigation Plan The Project Narrative or Investigation Plan should be clear and concise and be no more than 15 pages in length (not including references and appendices). Prepare it in Microsoft Word and use Times New Roman 11 pt font (see Guidelines at the Monitoring Program’s webpage for further details). Each proposal package is evaluated and ranked according to strategic priorities, technical-scientific merit, investigator ability and resources, partnership-capacity building, and cost/benefit.

o Issue Addressed All proposals must clearly articulate their relevance to Federal subsistence management. Proposals that do not demonstrate a clear link will not be considered. This means that a proposed project must have a direct association to a Federal subsistence fishery, and that either the subsistence fishery or fish stocks in question must occur in or pass https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-individual-family.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-individual-family.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html through waters within or adjacent to Federal public lands. The Office of Subsistence Management is targeting this Funding Opportunity towards projects that address specific priority information needs identified by Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils. The 2020 Priority Information Needs can be accessed at the Monitoring Program’s webpage.

Investigators wishing to address information needs other than those identified in the list must include a compelling rationale regarding strategic importance and application to Federal subsistence management.

Describe why this project is necessary (significance/value) and include supporting information. Summarize previous or ongoing efforts (by you/your organization, and other organizations or individuals) that are relevant to the proposed work. Explain the successes or failures of past efforts and how your proposed project builds on them. If you have received funding previously (from the Service or any other donor) for this specific project work or site, provide a summary of the funding, associated activities, and products/outcomes. Identify how, where, and when the subsistence fishery takes place within a Federal Conservation System Unit. Also, the applicant must ensure that the species addressed in the proposal is a resource that is managed through the Federal Subsistence Management Program (see Fish Regulations accessible at the Federal Subsistence Management Program’s website.

o Background Describe the ecological, cultural, social, and fishery context for the project. This information should provide the basis for defining key questions or hypotheses that would be addressed by the project. The applicant should provide a concise review of pertinent information and past literature on the subject. This review could include information from published literature, agency and organization reports, as well as unpublished information, personal contacts, et cetera. All sources of published information should be cited in the text (author and year) and listed in the References section. All sources of unpublished information are cited in the text only (name, affiliation, and personal communication). Provide a description of the extent and depth of subsistence use of the resource(s) proposed for the project. This use may be expressed as the actual number or pounds harvested, and/or the number of households or villages using the resource, as well as the extent of use over time.

Possible sources for these types of information are accessible at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website and include the Community Subsistence Information System and Technical Paper Series and Annual Management Reports.

o Objectives State the long-term, overarching goal(s) of the project. State the objectives of the project. Objectives are the specific outcomes to be accomplished in order to reach the stated goal(s). The project objectives should be specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable (attainable within the project’s proposed project period). To assist in evaluation of submittals for continuing projects previously funded under the Monitoring Program, summarize project findings and justify continuation of the project, placing the proposed work in context with the ongoing work being accomplished.

o Project Activities and Methods List the proposed project activities and describe how they relate to the stated objectives. Activities are the specific actions to be undertaken to fulfill the project objectives and reach the project goal(s). Provide a detailed description of the method(s) to be used to carry out each activity. Include any resulting tables, spreadsheets or flow charts within the body of the Project Narrative/Investigation Plan (do not include as https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/frmp/funding https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=subsistence.main http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/publications/ separate attachments). The timetable should not propose specific dates but instead group activities by month for each month over the entire proposed project period. Where applicable, describe sample size and define how this was determined. For continuing projects, please state complete study design. To maintain the highest ethical standards and scientific integrity, research on fishes should conform to the American Fisheries Society’s “Guidelines for Use of Fish in Field Research” and research should conform to the National Academy of Science's “Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic” accessible at the Monitoring Program’s website. Any exception must be described. To improve clarity, the Methods section should be divided into subsections that represent different components of the project, such as:

i. Project Area Describe the proposed site(s) at which work would be conducted, including any maps and figures needed to illustrate key points. The description could include geographic, geologic, ecologic, and anthropologic characteristics of the site(s), as well as, pertinent measurements or statistics.

ii. Project Design For each objective, describe experimental and sampling designs and provide rationale for selecting them. Describe how sample sizes, sample dates, sampling effort, and methods of sampling. Cite references containing more detail.

iii. Data Collection and Reduction Describe the data collected from each sample and the protocols for collecting them. Describe intended data management plan. Include descriptions of data editing, the media used to record data, and the software used to store data.

iv. Data Analysis Describe the analytical procedures to be used. Cite references as appropriate. There should be a description of the analysis and software that would provide estimates of each parameter identified in the objectives.

o Project Monitoring and Evaluation Detail the monitoring and evaluation plan for the project.

Building on the stated project objectives, which should be specific and measurable, identify what you will measure (i.e., quantitative/quantifiable indicators) and how you will measure (i.e., methods, sample size, survey tools). Reference the stated project timetable (i.e., process indicators) and budget information (i.e., input indicators). Identify the products/services to be delivered and how/to whom they will be delivered (i.e., output indictors). Detail the expected direct effect(s) of the project on beneficiaries (i.e., outcome indicators). Include any available questionnaires, surveys, curricula, exams/tests, or other assessment tools to be used for project evaluation. Describe the resources and organizational structure available for gathering, analyzing and reporting monitoring and evaluation data. If applicable, describe how project participants and beneficiaries will participate in monitoring and evaluation activities. Describe how findings will be fed back into decision making and project activities throughout the project period.

o Investigators Ability and Resources Provide a brief description of the applicant organization and all participating entities and/or individuals. Identify which of the proposed activities each agency, organization, group, or individual is responsible for conducting or managing the project. For each investigator, clearly identify his/her roles and responsibilities. Provide complete contact information for the individual within the organization that will oversee/manage the project activities on a day-to-day basis. Provide resumes or abbreviated curriculum vitae of no more than two pages for each Principal Investigator and Co- Investigator that include descriptive overviews of their education, experience, and other skills that make them qualified to carry out the proposed project. To prevent unnecessary transmission of Personally Identifiable Information, do not include Social Security numbers, the names of family members, or any other personal or sensitive information including marital status, religion, or physical characteristics on the description of key personnel qualifications. Additional evidence of ability and resources, such as reprints and letters of support, may be included as an appendix.

o Consultations Provide a summary of ongoing consultations with rural communities, Alaska Native organizations, agencies and other organizations. Letters of support for a project can strengthen proposal and may be included as an appendix. The purpose of consultation is to ensure that local communities and organizations are aware of, and support, the proposed project. To the greatest practical extent, consultations are also intended to identify opportunities for local communities and organizations to participate in projects. All projects must observe appropriate research ethics (see National Academy of Science's Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic accessible at the Monitoring Program’s website). For projects involving interviews with local residents, this includes: informed consent; respect for local tradition and language; protection of privacy, dignity, and confidentiality;

acknowledgement of local contributions; and return of results to participating communities.

o Partnership and Capacity Building Describe the ways in which this project would develop partnerships and build the capability and expertise of rural and Alaska Native organizations to more meaningfully participate in management of Federal subsistence fisheries. If applicable, describe specific plans to hire and train local residents and the type of skills that would be taught. Summarize how the project would promote interaction among rural residents, agencies and other organizations in information gathering, data analysis, reporting, and information sharing. Letters of support from local communities or organizations that will partner on the proposed project must be included with the proposal package.

o Deliverables/Products Describe the products, including the required reports, to be developed during the course of the project. The project ends with submission of the reviewed and approved Final Technical Report (see Section VII. Federal Award Administration, Subpart D. Reporting Requirements for further details).

o Schedule Estimate the beginning and completion dates for critical segments of the project, including all deliverables, and provide in tabular form (see Guidelines at the Monitoring Program’s website for further detail).

o Map of Project Area Map should clearly delineate the project area and be large enough to be legible. Label any sites referenced in the project narrative/investigation plan.

o Literature Cited

5. Budget Complete the Budget Table Template (accessible at the Monitoring Programs webpage). Include both direct and indirect costs. Federal agency’s must not assess indirect costs. Provide a copy of each agency/organization’s Indirect Cost Negotiation Agreement (see Part 10. Indirect Costs:

Organizations for further details) for the current approved indirect rate. Matching funds are non-Federal funds the agency or organization would expend to conduct the project, in-kind contributions (estimated cash value of donated labor, materials, equipment, services, space and other non-cash contributions), and any funds provided through alternative funding sources.

Equipment included under matching funds should be itemized in year 1 of the project. Describe the source and purpose of all proposed matching funds. The budget should be developed under an annual funding cycle, 12 months from Period of Performance start, as identified in Guidelines accessible at the Monitoring Program’s webpage.

6. SF-424A, Budget Information Applicants must submit the appropriate SF-424 Budget Information form. Complete the SF- 424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs. All of the required application forms are available on the “Packages” tab of this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. Federal award recipients and subrecipients are subject to Federal award cost principles as detailed in the Service’s “Financial Assistance Award Terms and Conditions”. Please note: Show funds requested from this Federal program separately from any other Federal sources of funding. In the “Budget Summary” section, use the first row for funding requested from this Federal program. Use subsequent row(s) for other Federal funding. Enter each Federal program’s CFDA number(s) in the corresponding fields on the form. The CFDA number for this Federal program appears on the first page of this Funding Opportunity.

7. Budget Narrative Describe and justify requested budget items and costs. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category totals were determined. For personnel salary costs, include the baseline salary figures and the estimates of time. Describe any item of cost that requires prior approval under the Federal cost principles. See 2 CFR 200.407 “Prior written approval (prior approval)” for more information. If equipment purchased previously with Federal funds is available for the project, provide a list of that equipment and identify the Federal funding source. For both matching and non-matching funds, describe any in-kind contributions (estimated cash value of donated labor, materials, equipment, services, space and other non-cash contributions), and any funds provided through alternative funding sources. Equipment should be itemized in year 1 of the project.

8. Indirect Costs: Individuals Individuals applying for and receiving funds separate from a business or non-profit organization he/she may operate are not eligible to charge indirect costs to their award. If you are an individual applying for funding, do not include any indirect costs in your proposed budget and skip the next section.

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

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Organizations must have an active Federal award before they can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to their cognizant agency. Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs unallowable under the award.

Recipients must have prior written approval from the Service to use amounts budgeted for direct costs to satisfy cost-share or match requirements or to cover unallowable indirect costs.

Recipients shall not shift unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized to do so by legislation.

Required Indirect Cost Statement All organizations must include the applicable statement from the following list in their application to the Service, and attach to their application any documentation identified in the applicable statement:

We are:

□ A U.S. state or local government entity receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding each year with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We submit our indirect cost rate proposals to our cognizant agency. Attached is a copy of our most recently approved rate agreement/certification.

□ A U.S. state or local government entity receiving less than $35 million in direct Federal funding with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We have prepared and will retain for audit an indirect cost rate proposal and related documentation.

□ A [insert your organization type; U.S. states and local governments, please use one of the statements above or below] that has previously negotiated or currently has an approved indirect cost rate with our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. [Insert either: “Attached is a copy of our most recently approved but expired rate agreement. 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 “Attached is a copy of our current negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.”]

□ A [insert your organization type] that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. If we receive an award, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award date.

□ A [insert your organization type] that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency and has an indirect cost rate that is lower than 10%. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate; must be lower than 10%]. However, if we receive an award we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat indirect cost rate of [insert rate; must be lower than 10%] against [insert a clear description of the direct cost base against which your rate is charged (e.g., salaries; salaries and fringe benefits; or modified total direct costs). However, please note that your organization cannot charge indirect costs in excess of the indirect costs that would be recovered if applied against modified total direct costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68]. We https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=0bb1f5386f36f965f85dc05b2ad8a804&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_168 understand that we must notify the Service in writing if we establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period.

□ A [insert your organization type] that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency and has an indirect cost rate that is 10% or higher. Our indirect cost rate is [insert your organization’s indirect rate; must be 10% or higher]. However, if we receive an award we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat de minimis indirect cost rate of 10% to be charged against modified total direct project costs as defined in 2 CFR 200.68. We understand that we must notify the Service in writing if we establish a negotiated rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period. We understand that additional Federal funds may not be available to support an unexpected increase in indirect costs during the project period and that such changes are subject to review, negotiation, and prior approval by the Service.

□ A [insert your organization type] that is submitting this proposal for consideration under the [insert either “Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program” or “Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Network”], which has a Department of the Interior-approved indirect cost rate cap of [insert program rate]. If we have an approved indirect cost rate with our cognizant agency, we understand that we must apply this reduced rate against the same direct cost base as identified in our approved indirect cost rate agreement. If we do not have an approved indirect cost rate with our cognizant agency, we understand that we must charge indirect costs against the modified total direct cost base defined in 2 CFR 200.68 “Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC)”. We understand that we must request prior approval from the Service to use the 2 CFR 200 MTDC base instead of the base identified in our approved indirect cost rate agreement. We understand that Service approval of such a request will be based on: 1) a determination that our approved base is only a subset of the MTDC (such as salaries and wages); and 2) that use of the MTDC base will still result in a reduction of the total indirect costs to be charged to the award. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.405, we understand that indirect costs not recovered due to a voluntary reduction to our federally negotiated rate are not allowable for recovery via any other means.

□ A [insert your organization type] that will charge all costs directly.

10. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Applicants must state in their application if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission. Conflicts of interest include any relationship or matter that might place the recipient, including their employees and subrecipients, in a position of conflict, real or apparent, between their responsibilities under the award and any other outside interests.

Conflicts of interest include direct or indirect financial interests; close personal relationships;

positions of trust in outside organizations; consideration of future employment arrangements with a different organization; and decision-making authority related to the proposed project.

Conflicts of interest are those circumstances real or perceived that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the applicant, or the applicant’s employees or subrecipients, in matters pertaining to the proposed project.

Applicants must notify the Service in writing in their application if any employees, including https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=0bb1f5386f36f965f85dc05b2ad8a804&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_168 subrecipient and contractor personnel, are related to, married to, or have a close personal relationship with any Federal employee in the Federal program receiving this application or who otherwise may be involved in the review and selection of their proposal. The term employee means any individual to be engaged in the performance of work pursuant to the Federal award application. Failure to disclose and resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Service may result in the rejection or disqualification of the application.

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

12. Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants requesting more than $100,000.00 in Federal funding must certify to the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Official’s signature on the appropriate SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form also represents the entity’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A.

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

14. Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regards to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regards to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel.”

If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regards to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html#sortby=1 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision. When overlap exists, your statement must end with “We understand that if at any time we receive funding from another source that is duplicative of the funding we are requesting from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this application, we will immediately notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service point of contact identified in this Funding Opportunity in writing.”

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

All applicants except Federal Entities; Federal Entities see checklist below

□ SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance or Application for Federal Assistance-Individual

□ SF-424B Assurances form: Signed and dated SF-424B Assurances form

□ Project Executive Summary

□ Project Narrative/Investigation Plan (including Letters of Support from participating communities or entities)

□ Map of Project Area

□ Resumes or abbreviated curriculum vitae - no more than five pages for each Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator(s) including evidence of ability and resources, such as reprints and letters of support

□ Budget spreadsheet: Excel Budget Table Template (accessible at the Monitoring Programs webpage)

□ SF-424 Budget form: A complete SF-424A Budget Information form

□ Budget Narrative

□ Federally-funded equipment list: If Federally-funded equipment will be used for the project, a list of that equipment

□ Indirect Cost statement and related documentation (when applicable)

□ Conflict of Interest Disclosure: When applicable, written notification of any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of this award.

□ Single Audit Reporting statement If a U.S. state, local government, federally-recognized Indian tribal government, or non-profit organization, statements regarding applicability of and compliance with 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, Audit Requirement.

□ Evidence of non-profit status: If a non-profit organization, a copy of their Section 501(c)(3) or

(4) status determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service.

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

□ Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement

Federal Applicant Checklist (for Federal Applicants only)

□ Project Executive Summary

□ Project Narrative/Investigation Plan (including Letters of Support from participating communities or entities)

□ Map of Project Area

□ Resumes or abbreviated curriculum vitae of no more than five pages for each Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator(s)

□ Budget spreadsheet: Excel Budget Table Template (accessible at the Monitoring Programs webpage)

□ Budget Narrative

□ Federally-funded equipment list: If Federally-funded equipment will be used for the project, a list of that equipment

□ Conflict of Interest Disclosures: When applicable, written notification of any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of this award.

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

V. Submission Requirements A.