Foa_Content_of_F23AS00310.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

FWS - Ecological Services

FWS Recovery Challenge Grants website at https://www.fws.gov/service/recovery-challenge-grants

F23AS00310 FY22/23 Recovery Challenge Fund

Fiscal Year: 2023

F23AS00310

Due Date for Applications: 11/15/2022

Table of Contents A. Program Description

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

B2. Expected Award Amount

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates

B4. Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching

C3. Other

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission

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

D4. Submission Dates and Times

D5. Intergovernmental Review

D6. Funding Restrictions

D7. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

E1. Criteria

E2. Review and Selection Process

E3. CFR – Regulatory Information

E4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

F1. Federal Award Notices

F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

F3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

G1. Program Technical Contact

G2. Program Administration

G3. Application System Technical Support

H. Other Information

A. Program Description Authority:

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022—Administrative Provisions (Pub. L. 117-103 [H.R.

2471—305]) For awards outside the US: Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §1531 et. seq.

Assistance Listing Number:

15.657 Background, Purpose and Program Requirements:

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to conserve endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend, and to take appropriate steps to achieve the purposes of treaties and conventions set forth in the ESA. Section 2(a)(5) of the ESA authorizes the use of Federal financial assistance to encourage the States and other interested parties to develop and maintain conservation programs to safeguard the Nation’s heritage in fish, wildlife and plants for the benefit of all citizens. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Ecological Services Program provides Federal financial assistance on a competitive basis to states, other Federal agencies, landowners, educators, non-profit organizations, researchers, and other potential partners to secure information about endangered or threatened species, to aid in the recovery of these species under the ESA, and to help conserve the ecosystems upon which these species depend. The Recovery Challenge funding opportunity specifically provides a unique financial assistance opportunity for eligible, non-Federal longstanding and new partners working on high priority recovery actions as identified by the Service for ESA endangered and threatened species.

Recovery Challenge Congressional Appropriations Language Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022—Administrative Provisions (Pub. L. 117-103 [H.R.

2471—305]) authorizes funding for the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity. The overall goal of Recovery Challenge is to enhance and increase partnerships with agencies and organizations implementing high priority recovery actions, in particular for genetically-sound breeding, rearing, and reintroduction programs, as well as to develop or update recovery plans.

This opportunity also addresses the Presidential priority articulated in Executive Order 14008:

Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad by supporting biodiversity efforts.

Funding limitations are subject to change based on the final FY2023 budget appropriations.

Recovery Challenge matching grants must implement high priority recovery actions as prescribed in recovery plans.

See Section C. Eligibility Information

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding Estimated Total Funding $9,500,000

B2. Expected Award Amount Maximum Award $1,700,000 Minimum Award $1,000

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates Expected Award Funding $4,800,000 Expected Award Date January 01, 2023

B4. Number of Awards Expected Number of Awards Approximately $4.8 million of the FY2022 & 2023 Recovery Challenge funds will be allocated to FY2020 and FY2021 projects that received incremental funding (grant funds obligated in annual increments over the indicated project period). Approximately $1 million will be awarded to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, consistent with expected appropriations language.

The remaining funds ($1.7M from 2022 and $3.1M for 2023 ) will be awarded to new FY2022/2023 award cycle projects to ensure the Service’s ability to fund new Recovery Challenge projects yearly while maintaining prior funding commitments for previously awarded incremental funding projects. The remaining FY2022 and FY2023 distribution for new projects is anticipated as follows:

o A maximum of $400,000 total to fund all projects proposing to update recovery plans, and a maximum of $4.4 million total to implement high priority recovery actions as prescribed in recovery plans.

The amount of funding per Federal award in FY2021 ranged from $25,000 to $629,276 and the average award amount was approximately $185,000.

Available funding in FY 2023 is subject to change; funding is dependent on Congressional appropriations.

B5. Type of Award Funding Instrument Type G - Grant CA - Cooperative Agreement If funds are awarded through a cooperative agreement with the Service, the Service will be substantially involved in the project. Under cooperative agreements, substantial involvement by the Service should be expected and may include participating and collaborating jointly with the recipient or other personnel in carrying out the scope of work including training recipient personnel or detailing Federal personnel to work on the project effort; reviews and approves one stage of work before the next stage can begin; reviews and approves, prior to recipient action, proposed modifications or sub-awards; helps select project staff or trainees; directs or redirects the work because of interrelationships with other projects; has power to immediately halt an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met; and 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 under the award. To submit a proposal for consideration as a cooperative agreement, provide a justification statement in the project proposal as to the type and duration of assistance requested by the Service and a rationale for why involvement of Service is needed to fulfill the project objectives.

C. Eligibility Information C1. Eligible Applicants Eligible Applicants 99 – Unrestricted (i.e. open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in the text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" Additional Information on Eligibility Please see Section C3. Other for more information on eligibility criteria.

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement Yes Percentage of Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement Percentage of Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement:

Refer to section C3-2 Eligible Partnerships for match requirements for Longstanding and new partnership

The amount of cost share required is based on the total project cost, not based on the grant amount requested. For example, if the project total is $1,000, the cost share must be at least 50% of that project total (i.e., $500.) To illustrate this example further, with a project total of $1,000, the grant amount (Federal) would be $500 and the cost share would be $500. (non-Federal), for a total project amount of $1,000.

Further cost share requirements for long-standing and new partnerships are outlined in section C3 (2) Eligible Partnerships of this NOFO.

The applicant may satisfy the cost share requirement with either:

CASH – for example, funds contributed from private sources or state and local governments such as a portion of someone’s salary, or

IN-KIND services – for example, services or goods donated by the applicant organization or other entities such as a volunteer, or donated food.

Note: Funds from other Federal sources may not be used to meet the cost share requirement.

Funds or in-kind resources used as cost share must be directly related to the project goals and objectives. Any cost share sources from other non-Federal partners should be clearly indicated within any applicable documentation including the completed SF424 and Budget Narrative.

Further, recipients or subrecipients must maintain records which clearly show the source, the amount, and the timing of all cost share contributions.

Lastly, sources of cost share are restricted to the same requirements as funds allocated under the Federal program and must be documented in the same manner as Federal program funds, including financial and programmatic reports.

C3. Other Applicants are expected to have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the biology of the involved listed species and its ecosystem, including preferably having worked with the species in the past. In addition, they must demonstrate that:

1. The proposal does not include funding for the salary of a Service employee.

2. The proposal does not seek funding for land acquisition or conservation easements, even if such activities are identified as a high priority recovery action for the species.

3. The proposal does not seek funding for projects that serve to satisfy regulatory requirements of the ESA, including complying with a biological opinion under Section 7 of the Act or fulfilling commitments of a Habitat Conservation Plan under section 10 of the Act, or for projects that serve to satisfy other Federal regulatory requirements (e.g., mitigation for Federal permits).

4. The applicant will provide a letter indicating they have consulted with the affected State, unless the affected State is a partner on the project.

Additional Information on Eligibility To qualify for Recovery Challenge funds applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria in regards to (1) project types and (2) partnerships.

(1) Eligible project types are those that either:

1. Directly address high priority recovery actions for ESA listed species (under the trusteeship of the Service), specified by the Service as either:

High priority action(s) of an approved draft or final recovery plan, or activities in a Recovery Implementation Strategy (RIS) for the species tiered from an identified high priority recovery action.

o If the project addresses Priority 2 or 3 actions, you will need to explain why these actions are being addressed instead of any existing Priority 1 actions.

2. Update an existing draft or final recovery plan where the species’ lead Service Field Office has prioritized the need for updating the current plan.

3. Develop a recovery plan for a species that does not have a draft or final recovery plan, where the species is currently on the national recovery plan workplan. Link to the workplan: https://fws.gov/project/national-recovery-workplans

For projects that propose to update or develop a draft/final recovery plan, there are additional eligibility requirements:

4. The proposal cannot request incremental funding (see Section D2 for the definition of incremental funding).

5. The period of performance must not exceed 2.5 years for developing or updating a recovery plan (where the draft recovery plan must be produced within 1 year of the start of the period of performance and the final recovery plan must be produced by the end of the period of performance). The proposal will be reviewed by the species lead verifying that the proposal meets the basic eligibility in relation to the FWS goals for that species.

Please note that land acquisition and conservation easement activities are not eligible for funding through Recovery Challenge, even if such activities are identified as a high priority recovery action for the species.

(2) Eligible partnerships include one of the following:

A longstanding partnership is defined as:

o The partner has a history of working with the Service on recovery efforts for the species addressed in the proposal for at least the past 5 years;

o The partner must provide the same percentage of cost share (direct and/or in-kind contributions) provided over the past 5 years or 50% of the total project cost (as stated in section C2 of this NOFO), whichever is greater .

o The partner provides the following supporting documentation:

Funding and in-kind contribution amounts and a brief description of the sources of these contributions for each of the previous 5 years, The yearly and total percentage partner contribution over the past 5 years, and The ability and commitment to continue to fund the cost share percent each year over the duration of the project.

https://fws.gov/project/national-recovery-workplans https://fws.gov/project/national-recovery-workplans https://fws.gov/project/national-recovery-workplans o If the partner submits multi-year project proposals, they can only have a project duration of up to five years (if applicable).

A new partnership, is defined as:

o The partner has not yet worked with the Service on recovery efforts for the species addressed in the proposal; or the partner has worked with the Service on the species addressed in the proposal for less than 5 years;

o The partner must provide 50 percent of the total project cost (non-Federal direct or in-kind contributions);

o The partner provides the following documentation:

Funding and in-kind contribution amounts and a brief description of the sources of these contributions, and The ability and commitment to provide 50 percent cost share for the total project cost each year over the duration of the project.

o If the partner submits multi-year project proposals, they can only have a project duration of up to three years (if applicable).

Note: Requirements for Previous Award Cycle Incremental Funding Recipients Note: Requirements for Previous Award Cycle Incremental Funding Recipients Incremental funding recipients from prior award years (e.g., FY2021, FY2020) do not need to apply to this year’s Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs). However, prior year awarded recipients must submit their request for incremental funding through their Notice of Award via a GrantSolutions Amendment by June 1st of each Fiscal Year .

Eligible proposals must be submitted as described in Section D Application and Submission Information.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm that their project meets the eligibility criteria, described above, prior to submitting a proposal. The Service will not consider proposals that do not clearly meet eligibility requirements.

Identifying High Priority Recovery Actions

Eligible actions will vary by species, and may include, but are not limited to, genetically-sound breeding, rearing, and reintroduction actions, securing scientific information about endangered or threatened species and their habitat, implementing restoration actions that will lead to delisting or downlisting of a species, help prevent extinction of a species, or aid in the recovery of a species.

Approved species recovery planning documents are available on the Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) website at https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/. To locate a species, enter a species name into the “Search for a Listed species by name:” box.

Alternatively, view the Species with Recovery Plans report at https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/species-with-recovery-plans and search for a species name in the Search box. Select the species’ name to view the profile page or select the recovery plan from this list.

https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/ https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/report/species-with-recovery-plans

On the species profile page, scroll down to the Recovery section of the profile to determine if the species has an approved draft or final recovery plan or recovery outline. There are separate web links for the recovery plan, the plan’s implementation schedule, and its recovery outline, if available. Applicants should refer to the most recently approved document.

Foreign Entities or Projects:

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

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

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

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

Excluded Parties:

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

D. Application and Submission Information D1. Address to Request Application Package Contact the Service to request a paper application package if you do not have access to the internet to download the application package forms (Please see Regional Contacts in G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)).

Please see regional contact list in Section G3

Program Website Link FWS Recovery Challenge Grants website at https://www.fws.gov/service/recovery-challenge-grants https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx

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

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

1. Permit the preparation of required reports;

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

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

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

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

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

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

All Recovery Challenge proposals must include the following sections (or documents) to be considered a full proposal. Proposals will be evaluated and scored based on the merit review https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.302 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.302 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.334 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.335 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.336 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.337 criteria provided in Section E. Application Review Information, E1. Criteria.

Project Synopsis (250 word max) A brief project summary (similar to a scientific abstract) including applicant/partners, species, general location, project goals and objectives, and how they relate to Service identified high priority recovery actions for the species.

Project Summary (2 page max) Project proposals must include a project summary succinctly outlining:

Project title Applicant name Benefited Specie(s) (common and scientific name(s)) Partnership Type (longstanding or new)

Longstanding partners must provide a table outlining the total project cost and cost share (direct and/or in-kind partner contributions) for the past 5 years (see example 1 below). Cost share is calculated by dividing the total cost share into the total project cost (i.e., $ partner match/total project cost)

Example 1: Longstanding Partner Past Cost Share

Fiscal Year

Total Project Cost

Amount Provided by Recovery Challenge

Amount Provided by Partner as Cost Share

Partner Pct Cost Share

FY

2021 $900,000 $300,000 $600,000 67%

FY2020 $950,000 $450,000 $500,000 53%

FY2019 $595,000 $120,000 $475,000 80%

FY2018 $125,000 $50,000 $75,000 60%

FY2017 $565,000 $265,000 $300,000 53%

Totals $3,135,000 $1,185,000 $1,950,000 63%

Based on this example, the partner must contribute at least 63% of the total project cost for each year of their proposed project.

Project Duration (clearly indicate how many years it will take for the project to be completed)

Type of Funding Request (incremental or upfront (full) project funding) o Incremental funding – Project funded in yearly monetary increments obligated over the indicated project period.

Please be aware that subsequent year funding for incremental funding projects (2-5 for longstanding partnerships, or 2-3 for new partnerships) is dependent on the availability of funding designated through future, yearly Congressional appropriations. However, if successfully funded, incremental funding recipients would not need to apply to subsequent year NOFOs to receive future years’ funding.

o Upfront (full) funding – Total project amount funded within the fiscal year applied.

Recovery Actions Addressed

Include a concise list of the high priority recovery action(s) to be addressed by the project per species, referencing the Service or other public document they were taken from and their priority number, if applicable (e.g., priority 1, priority 2, or priority 3, see hypothetical example below).

Example 2: The following Priority 1 and Priority 2 recovery actions listed in the third revision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan (1996) for the California condor are addressed in this project:

112 Operate existing breeding facilities according to management protocols (Priority 1) 12 Manage the captive flock (Priority 1) 221 Develop criteria for selecting release sites (Priority 2) 222 Select release sites (Priority 1) 23 Conduct releases in California of California condors into selected habitats (Priority 1)

Budget Overview Table (see example below)

Longstanding partners must demonstrate how each fiscal year they will be meeting their cost share requirement of equal to or greater than their contribution percentages averaged over the past 5 years.

New partners must demonstrate how each fiscal year they will be meeting their 50% cost share requirement.

Example 3: Partner Cost Share Commitment for This Award

Fiscal Year

Total Project Cost

Amount Requested from Recovery Challenge

Amount Provided by Partner as Cost Share

Partner Pct Cost Share

FY

$875,000 $300,000 $575,000 66%

FY

$800,000 $290,000 $510,000 64%

FY

$815,000 $295,000 $525,000 64%

FY

$187,000 $62,000 $125,000 67%

FY

$700,000 $250,000 $450,000 64% Totals $3,382,000 $1,197,000 $2,185,000 65%

In this example, this table is for the same longstanding partner as above (example 1), which shows that they have committed to a past partner match of at least 63% per year. This example (example 3) illustrates that the Partner share (65%) under this proposal is based on the Total Project Cost and would be higher than the past cost share (63%).

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

Do not include personally identifiable, sensitive, or proprietary information in the award description as this is available to the public. Use only English characters, numbers, punctuation, and standard symbols. Use of non-English, non-standard characters (also referred to as special or extended ASCII characters) will result in the award description failing to be reported correctly to USASpending.gov. Award descriptions are limited to 4,000 characters or less. Applicants should check the length of the award description and proofread for proper grammar and spelling.

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

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

Project Narrative

Project Narrative (20 page max)

Project proposals must also include a project narrative providing additional detail on the following:

Project Title Description of organizations/entities undertaking the project, providing a brief description of the applicant organization and all other participating entities and/or individuals. Identify which of the proposed activities each agency, organization, group, or individual is responsible for conducting or managing.

Information on key project personnel per organization/entity, including the principal investigator or recipient project lead. Provide complete contact information for the individual within the organization that will oversee/manage the project activities on a day-to-day basis.

Project Duration, explicitly indicating on how many years it will take to complete the project.

Project Location, including a description of where the project work will be conducted and a map of the project area. The map should clearly delineate the project area, be large enough to be legible, include approximate GPS coordinates of where work will be conducted, and label any sites referenced in the project narrative (if applicable).

o Submitting a GIS shapefile of the project area is encouraged but not required.

Statement of Need, clearly identifying the conservation issue that will be addressed, providing evidence to demonstrate that the need for the project is real and not perceived, and including the negative consequences if this project is not selected for funding. It should be clear why this project is necessary (significance/value) for species recovery, how it fulfills the purposes of the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity and provides supporting information. The statement of need should also articulate how the project will contribute to achieve any of the species’ recovery criteria and/or contribute to down or delisting of the species.

o If the applicant has received previous funding (from the Service or any other entity) for this specific project work or site, provide a summary of the funding, associated activities and products/outcomes.

o If the proposal includes a continuation of previous or ongoing work funded through this program, a justification describing the importance of the continuation of the work must be included in the project description in order to receive full consideration. The justification must describe if the proposal will address new aspects of the task, how it will be additive to or different from previous work and indicate if the task will be completed with this funding. While proposals for ongoing work may be selected for funding, it will be awarded as a new grant with discrete deliverables.

Goal(s) and objectives, stating the long-term, overarching goal(s) of the project (what it hopes to achieve) and the objective(s) (specific, measurable, and realistic steps or strategies) to be implemented to attain the goal(s) within the proposed project period.

Proposals should include clearly identify (directly reference) the specific high priority recovery actions that the project will achieve and reference the Service document they are captured in.

o If the project is focused on a priority 2 or 3 actions, applicant should provide a brief explanation of why priority 1 tasks are not being addressed.

o The proposal should be able to articulate how the project will contribute to species recovery without Service reviewers needing to directly reference the species’ draft or final Recovery Plan or RIS.

o If the proposed project can achieve any species’ recovery criteria for down or delisting, the proposal should specifically state which criteria will be met following successful project implementation and how the project will achieve that criteria.

Activities and Methods/Approach, list the proposed project activities and describe how they relate to the stated project objectives. Activities are the specific actions to be undertaken to fulfill the project objectives and reach the project goal(s). In addition, applicants should provide a detailed description of the method(s) to be used to carry out each activity.

Timetable and milestones, provide a timetable indicating roughly when activities or project milestones are to be accomplished. Include any resulting tables, spreadsheets or flow charts (such as a Gantt chart) within the body of the project narrative (do not include as separate attachments). The timetable should not propose specific dates but instead group activities by month over the entire proposed project period. See example timetable in Attachment A.

Required project monitoring and evaluation plan, including an adaptive management plan if applicable, and description of assessment tools to be used. Detail the monitoring and evaluation plan for the project. Building on the stated project objectives, which must be specific and measurable, identify what you will measure (i.e., quantitative/quantifiable indicators) and how you will measure (e.g., 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 indicators). 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.

Description of stakeholder coordination or involvement, describing, as applicable, how you/your organization has coordinated with and involved other relevant organizations or individuals in planning the project, and details of if and how they will be involved in implementing project activities, disseminating project results and/or incorporating your results/products into their activities.

Description of coordination with Service staff on the proposal, including contact information and dates contacted.

o Applicants are highly encouraged to coordinate with Service Field Offices and Regional Offices prior to submitting a proposal for consideration to ensure their project proposals adequately support high priority recovery actions for listed species or that the Service has prioritized the target species (see Section G for Regional Recovery Challenge Coordinator contacts).

Documentation of consultation with the affected State, or confirmation that the affected State is a partner on the project.

Information to support environmental compliance review requirements – the Service has the responsibility for making the final determination regarding compliance with Federal laws.

o National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with NEPA.

o Endangered Species Act (ESA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with the ESA.

o National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with NHPA, such as locations of historic or cultural properties.

o Other Permits – list and provide the current status of any other required Federal permits o Information on any ground disturbing activities that are part of this project.

Sustainability: As applicable, describe which project activities will continue beyond the proposed project period, who will continue the work or act on the results achieved, and how and at what level you expect these future activities will be funded.

Literature Cited

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

Budget narratives should be 1-4 pages and clearly articulate how the project is cost effective.

This includes demonstrating a clear connection between the project activities (identified in the Project Narrative) and their proposed implementation costs. The applicant must include a clear description of the amount of Recovery Challenge funding they are requesting per year (if a multi-year project) and demonstrate they are meeting the appropriate yearly partner cost share requirement dependent on their partnership type (see Eligibility Requirements). Applicants must also clearly indicate sources of their cost share funds and ensure they meet eligibility requirements. Lastly, Budget Narratives must directly match the totals submitted on the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category form, as SF-424 form numbers will be used for allocation.

It is highly encouraged to provide Budget Narrative information in tables (when appropriate) for clear dissemination to reviewers. See attachment A for sample budget tables.

Additional eligibility criteria required for Recovery Challenge proposals:

Multi-year Project Criteria Applicants must be explicit in their project summary and narrative whether their project is to be considered multi-year (period of performance > 1 year) or single year (period of performance = 1 year). Budget submissions (SF-424 and Budget Narratives) for multi-year projects must clearly indicate total project costs in addition to a yearly break down of the Recovery Challenge funds requested per calendar year and yearly cost share amounts (and corresponding percentages) over the indicated project duration.

Incremental vs. Upfront (Full) Funding Criteria for Multi-year Projects Applicants submitting multi-year projects can either request:

Incremental funding - Project funded in yearly monetary increments obligated over the indicated project period, or

Upfront (full) funding - Total project amount funded within the fiscal year applied.

If incremental funding is selected by the applicant, please be aware that Recovery Challenge funding will only provide year one funds during the current (FY2023) award cycle, with subsequent year funding (2-5 for longstanding partnerships, or 2-3 for new partnerships) being awarded in subsequent award cycles and dependent on the availability of funding designated through future, yearly Congressional appropriations. Projects requesting incremental funding also cannot request funding amounts in subsequent years (e.g., years 2-5) that are higher than the funding amount requested in year 1 (FY2023).

Cost Share and Partnership Documentation Applicants must describe matching funding amounts, specifying dollar amounts and value of any in-kind services, their source(s), and a brief statement indicating the status of any commitments towards the match from other partners (e.g., letter of commitment received).

Longstanding partner cost share documentation: Describe previous work with the Service on recovery activities for the listed species addressed in the proposal; this work must have occurred for at least the past 5 years AND proposed contributions must at least be equal to or greater than the average of past contributions and greater than a 50:50 match to qualify. Note: work on a different species’ recovery activities, or for less than 5 years on recovery activities for the species addressed by the proposal does not count towards meeting the criteria for the Longstanding Partnership. Include the following in your documentation:

List the annual funding and in-kind partner contributions (and other non-Federal partners, as applicable) for each of those years; and

Calculate the 5-year percentage from past partner contributions.

Justification of partnership type must also be provided demonstrating how partnership eligibility qualifications are met (see Eligibility Requirements section above)

New partner cost share documentation: Demonstrate that the proposed funding and in-kind partner contributions would be at least a 50:50 match (i.e., the partner will contribute as much or more funding/in-kind contributions to the project than they are requesting in Recovery Challenge funds).

Incremental funding project cost share documentation: For project proposals requesting incremental funding, each yearly non-Federal cost-share must at least be equal to or greater than the average of past contributions and greater than a 50:50 cost share (for longstanding partners) or at the 50:50 cost share (for new partners). For example, if the average non-Federal cost share has been 60%, each year of a 3-year proposal must include a commitment to at least 60% non- Federal cost share per year. The proposal would be ineligible if they propose less than 60% in any project year.

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

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

a. Applicability.

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

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

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.407 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.407 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/section-200.306 https://ecfr.federalregister.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402/subpart-B https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402/subpart-B/section-1402.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d/section-200.318 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR45ddd4419ad436d/section-200.318

b. Notification.

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

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

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

USC §1352.

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

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

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

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

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Applicants and recipients must not use any federally appropriated funds (annually appropriated or continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a Federal award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any U.S. agency, a Member of the U.S. Congress, an officer or employee https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2019-title31/pdf/USCODE-2019-title31-subtitleII-chap13-subchapIII-sec1352.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2019-title31/pdf/USCODE-2019-title31-subtitleII-chap13-subchapIII-sec1352.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR86b76dde0e1e9dc/section-200.339 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-180 https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 of the U.S. Congress, or an employee of a Member of the U.S. Congress connection with the award. Applicants and recipients must complete and submit the SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” form if the Federal share of the proposal or award is more than $100,000 and the applicant or recipient has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with the application or award. The SF-LLL form is available with this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel”. If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regard to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision.