Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2026-31825 (1).pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

NOAA NOFO Page 1 of 28

Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Funding Opportunity Title Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program)

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2026-31825

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.064

Dates

Applications must be received by www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time 60 days from the posted date on grants.gov.

Submission Validation

When you submit an application to this competition you will receive notification of submission validation from Grants.gov and eRA Commons. Only validated applications are sent to NOAA to review. To ensure successful submission of an application, we strongly recommend that you submit a final and complete application at least two business days prior to the submission deadline.

In addition to the Grants.gov automated notification messages, once an electronic application is accepted in eRA Commons, you will receive an automated notification from eRA Commons that the completed application was received and that an application number will be assigned. If there are errors in the application, eRA Commons will send an automated email notification(s) of any errors or warnings identified by eRA Commons. You must resolve all eRA Commons errors prior to the application due date in order for the application to be processed.

NOAA NOFO Page 2 of 28

You should save and print the proof of submission messages from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons.

If you do not receive an acceptance message from both Grants.gov and eRA Commons, you should follow up with the eRA Helpdesk at 1-866-504-9552 and the agency contact listed in Section VII to confirm NOAA’s receipt of the complete submission. See Section IV(G) for detailed instructions on submission validation requirements.

Registration Requirements

NOTE: We strongly encourage all prospective applicants to begin required registrations as early as possible. Completing the required registrations can take six weeks or longer. Submission due dates will not be extended because of registration delays. Submissions received after the due date will be considered late and will not be accepted.

Applicant organizations and individuals must register for three different Federal systems prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov (SAM.gov, eRA Commons, and Grants.gov).

Applicant organizations and individuals must first register with SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). After you obtain your UEI, you can complete your Grants.gov and eRA Commons registrations concurrently.

See Section IV(G) for detailed instructions on registration requirements. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in this NOFO for submission instructions.

Funding Opportunity Description

States play an essential role in conserving and recovering species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1535. Listed species under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) jurisdiction may spend all or part of their life cycles in state waters, and success in conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with the States. NMFS is authorized to provide Federal assistance to eligible State agencies to support the development and implementation of conservation programs for listed marine and anadromous species that reside within that State. This assistance, provided in the form of grants or cooperative agreements through the Species Recovery Grants to States Program, can be used to support conservation activities for any endangered or threatened species, as well as monitoring candidate species, recently delisted species, and species proposed for listing under the ESA. Funded activities may include development and implementation of management efforts, scientific research, and public education and outreach. Proposals should seek to address priority actions in ESA Recovery Plans or Recovery Outlines to the extent possible. Any State agency that has entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA or enters into such an agreement within 30 days of the application deadline is eligible to apply under this solicitation.

Proposals focusing on Pacific salmonids will not be considered for funding under this grant program;

such projects may be considered through the NMFS Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Additionally, proposals focusing on marine mammals stranding response and/or rehabilitation will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be considered and funded by NOAA through the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. Proposals focused on stranding response, rehabilitation, or related activities for species supported through other dedicated NOAA funding programs may also not be considered under this grant program. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2026 and how NMFS will evaluate and select proposals for funding should funding be appropriated for this program. This document should be read in its entirety;

some information has changed from the previous year.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program

NOAA NOFO Page 3 of 28

The principal objective of the Species Recovery Grants to States Program is to support the development and implementation of States’ programs to conserve and recover threatened and endangered species under NMFS’ jurisdiction. Funding may also support monitoring of candidate species, species proposed for listing, and recently delisted species (see definitions below). Proposed activities may involve management, scientific research, monitoring, and outreach activities or any combination thereof.

Proposals should include clear and specific information about how the work being proposed would contribute to species recovery. Successful applications will be those that address a threat or management priority for the listed species or its habitat and are likely to achieve measurable conservation benefits.

Proposals may address new or ongoing work. If the proposal includes a continuation of previous or ongoing work, a brief discussion of accomplishments to date and a justification for the continuation of the work must be included in the project description in order to receive full consideration.

Threatened and endangered species under the jurisdiction of the NMFS are listed at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species-directory/threatened-endangered.

Candidate species. A candidate species is one that is actively being considered for listing as either threatened or endangered under the ESA and is the subject of a positive 90-day finding but not yet the subject of a proposed rule, or a species for which NMFS has initiated an ESA status review and has announced the review in the Federal Register. Candidate species are listed at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/candidate-species-under-endangered-species-act.

Proposed species. Proposed species are those that are currently the subject of a proposed rule to list as threatened or endangered under the ESA. A list of proposed species is available at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/proposed-species-under-endangered-species-act.

Recently delisted species. Recently delisted, for purposes of this solicitation, are those species delisted within the past five years. A list of all delisted species and the year they were delisted is available at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/delisting-species-under-endangered-species-act. Under this solicitation, only species delisted due to recovery may receive funding.

B. Program Priorities

General. Priority will be given to proposals addressing listed species under the ESA over proposals that address proposed, candidate, or recently delisted species. Additionally, in order to balance the distribution of funds, priority will be given to proposals that address listed species that rarely receive funding from other NMFS sources. This includes those highly endangered species that are part of NOAA’s Species in the Spotlight initiative. More information and action plans are available online at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation#species-in-the-spotlight.

Priority will also be given to proposals that directly align with objectives or actions identified in a Recovery Outline or final or draft ESA Recovery Plan. Proposals should indicate how the project will address one or more of the recovery objectives or actions and the priority level assigned to the action. Greater priority may be given to proposals addressing higher-priority recovery actions or objectives as indicated by the particular Recovery Plan. Recovery Plans and Outlines are available at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resources/documents?title=&field_category_document_value%5Brecove ry_plan%5D=recovery_plan&sort_by=created https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species-directory/threatened-endangered https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/candidate-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/candidate-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/proposed-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/endangered-species-conservation/proposed-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/delisting-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/delisting-species-under-endangered-species-act https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation#species-in-the-spotlight https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resources/documents?title=&field_category_document_value%5Brecovery_plan%5D=recovery_plan&sort_by=created https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resources/documents?title=&field_category_document_value%5Brecovery_plan%5D=recovery_plan&sort_by=created

NOAA NOFO Page 4 of 28

Proposals that address NMFS-identified regional priorities will also receive greater consideration.

Information on regional priorities or needs can be found at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/species-recovery-grant-regional-priorities.

Proposals that present a series of unrelated or seemingly unrelated projects are unlikely to compete well.

Applicants that propose multiple projects within a proposal must clearly articulate within their proposal how the distinct projects relate to one another and how the results will be synthesized. Additionally, proposed budgets should reflect the costs associated with each distinct project; however, the total project costs and justification will be used to evaluate the proposal. Alternatively, States are encouraged to submit separate proposals for each distinct project because there is no limit on the number of proposals that can be submitted by an individual State.

Management. Highest priority will be given to those projects that are designed to have a direct impact on recovery of listed species through development and implementation of management actions that reduce or eliminate threats. Proposals involving management activities should demonstrate a high probability of contributing to the recovery of the species, especially through mitigation of existing threats or factors inhibiting recovery of the species. Management proposals may, for example, involve the development and implementation of fishery bycatch reduction measures, habitat restoration or habitat conservation, design and implementation of poaching-reduction campaigns, development of an ESA section 10 incidental take permit application and associated conservation plan, or development of a management plan pursuant to an ESA section 4(d) rule.

Aspects of developing an ESA section 10 incidental take permit application and associated conservation plan that can be supported through this program include collecting and analyzing bycatch data, designing measures to minimize and mitigate the incidental take of listed species, and drafting a conservation plan and/or the associated incidental take permit application.

Habitat or land acquisition proposals must clearly identify the expected benefits for the target species or habitats on which they depend. Proposals should also discuss how the property is threatened by conversion from its natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses; how existing and future uses will be managed consistently with long-term conservation of the target species; the likelihood that the project will be completed in a timely manner; and, if applicable, whether the project addresses an action identified in an ESA Recovery Plan or Recovery Outline. Other funding sources for a given acquisition should also be identified in the proposal.

Proposals including enforcement-related activities must be coordinated with a Joint Enforcement Agreement (JEA), where applicable. Enforcement activities for listed species that are specifically identified in a State’s JEA and are being funded through that JEA should not be included in a proposal for this program.

Research and Monitoring. Research proposals that are designed to fill critical data gaps and directly contribute to the management and recovery of eligible species are competitive under this solicitation.

However, proposals that involve only research will be considered a lower priority for funding relative to “management proposals” described above.

Proposals involving scientific research must articulate how the research will provide information that can be directly used to recover, manage, or improve current management strategies for a given species.

Important research topics include, for example, defining, characterizing, and evaluating the effects of threats to the species; evaluating methods to reduce or mitigate threats to the species; improving bycatch estimates (e.g., through observer programs); estimating effective population sizes; synthesizing or analyzing stranding or observer data; or evaluating the effectiveness of a habitat restoration project.

Research proposals must include a clear question or set of questions to be answered, methods by which experiments or work will be conducted, methods by which data will be analyzed, and Data Management Plans for storing and sharing or disseminating the results. Generalized statements about research objectives and expected results are insufficient.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/species-recovery-grant-regional-priorities https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/species-recovery-grant-regional-priorities

NOAA NOFO Page 5 of 28

Proposals involving scientific research on ESA-listed marine mammal species for which NMFS has published a Take Reduction Plan under the Marine Mammal Protection Act should indicate how the project would address one or more of the research recommendations. Greater priority may be given to proposals addressing higher-priority research and data collection needs as indicated by the particular plan. Marine mammal take reduction plans are available at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-take-reduction-plans-and-teams.

Proposals involving scientific research on a listed DPS or a specific, recognized management unit of a taxonomic species or subspecies should demonstrate a high probability of providing information specific to the recovery and/or management of the particular DPS or management unit. To do so, such proposals may be required to include genetic analyses or other acceptable techniques to properly identify specimens to their DPS or management unit, when appropriate. Proposed budgets must reflect costs associated with any such analyses.

Outreach. Proposals should include public education and outreach efforts that improve or increase public understanding of and participation in conservation activities. In order to be considered a priority for funding, proposals that primarily address outreach activities should demonstrate how the proposed work will directly mitigate or reduce a significant threat(s) to the target species and describe efforts that will be taken to broaden participation and engagement in the development and execution of these outreach activities.

Outreach projects could, for example, involve developing outreach tools (e.g., websites, brochures), convening regional coordination workshops or meetings, or working with local fishermen or boaters to address a particular issue (e.g., hook and line entanglement, boat strikes). Note that all proposals should address the dissemination of results and/or information resulting from completion of the proposed activities (including peer-reviewed publications) as explained in detail under the evaluation criteria listed in Section V. (Application Review Information) of this document.

Applicants interested in further discussion of funding priorities should contact the Federal Program Officer listed in Section VII, Agency Contacts.

C. Program Authority

16 U.S.C. 1535

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability

Awards are dependent upon the availability of federal funding as provided by Congress. New awards should range up to about $250,000 in federal funding per year; however, there is no required minimum or maximum. Additionally, publication of this notice does not obligate NOAA to award any specific grant proposal or to obligate any available funds.

If federal funding is provided by Congress, the exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Applicants are not guaranteed any level of funding. If an application is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, pre-award costs in this program are not allowed under the award unless approved by the Grants Officer in accordance with 2 C.F.R. §200.458.

B. Project/Award Period https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-take-reduction-plans-and-teams https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-take-reduction-plans-and-teams

NOAA NOFO Page 6 of 28

In general, a project period will extend up to a maximum of three years. For multi-year proposals, applicants must include project plans and separate budgets for each year of the project. Multi-year projects may be funded in one-year increments depending on available funds and terms of the award.

Multi-year awards do not compete for funding in subsequent budget periods within the approved award period. Rather, any funding required for subsequent years is added to the multi-year award incrementally, provided a demonstration of satisfactory performance by the recipient and provided funds are available to support the continuation of the project. If a grant recipient wishes to continue work on a funded project beyond the project period and obligated award funds have not been expended by the end of this period, the recipient can notify the assigned Federal Program Officer no later than 30 days prior to the end of the award period to determine eligibility for a no-cost extension. If, however, the money is expended and funds are needed to continue the project, the applicant should submit another proposal during the next competitive award cycle or seek an alternate source of funding.

Project start dates should be no earlier than July 1, 2026, unless an earlier start date request is approved by the Program Office. The end date should always end on the last day of any given month when making a projection for the award start and end dates.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Under this solicitation, NOAA will fund projects as grants or cooperative agreements, as appropriate for the nature of the project. The funding instrument (grant or cooperative agreement) will be determined by the NOAA Grants Management Division. A cooperative agreement will be used if the proposed project involves substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement. Substantial involvement means that, after the award, NOAA scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. The dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the award recipient for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the recipient and NOAA.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are state agencies that have entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA. The terms “State” and “State agency” are used as defined in section 3 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1532).

Currently, eligible State agencies are listed here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-section-6-program-cooperation. Any State agency that enters into a section 6(c) agreement with NMFS within 30 days of the grant application deadline is also eligible to apply.

Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. In addition, no Federal employee (or agency) shall provide assistance by writing or editing any part of an application, write letters of support advocating for any application, or otherwise confer any unfair advantage on a particular application. However, proposed activities can involve collaboration with current NMFS programs or NMFS employees, and NMFS employees can submit letters verifying that they would collaborate on a particular project if funded. Applicants must contact the Species Recovery Grants Federal Program Officer listed in Section VII, Agency Contacts, prior to submission for guidance if collaborating with a NMFS program or NMFS employee. The level of collaboration may dictate whether the funding is awarded through a grant or cooperative agreement.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-section-6-program-cooperation https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-section-6-program-cooperation

NOAA NOFO Page 7 of 28

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement

In accordance with section 6(d) of the ESA, proposals must include a minimum non-Federal cost share of 25 percent of the total project budget if the proposal involves a single State. If a proposal involves collaboration of two or more States, the minimum non-Federal cost share decreases to 10 percent of the total project budget. The project proposal and budget must reflect the work and responsibilities to be carried out by each of the cooperating States. Cooperating States do not necessarily have to cooperate on all aspects of, or equally in, the proposed work. However, there must be meaningful cooperation among the State partners on some or all portions of the proposed work. Please note that proposing to share data between cooperating States will not, in and of itself, be considered “meaningful cooperation” as data sharing (and making data publicly available) is a required component of each proposal.

Cooperating States must have specific, identified activities that they will be responsible for (and that are clearly described in the method section of the proposal) to achieve the goal of the joint proposal. See Section IV, Application and Submission Information, for details on what to include for a Multi-State Proposal.

The non-Federal cost share must be identified in the project budget and on the Standard Form (SF)-424A and may include in-kind contributions according to the regulations at 2 C.F.R. § 200.306. The source or sources of the non-Federal cost share is up to the particular applicants involved and may come from more than one entity.

The non-federal cost-share requirements of section 6(d) of the ESA do not apply to insular areas covered by the Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1977 (48 U.S.C. 1469a), including Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

State agencies may apply for funding to conduct work on federally listed species that are already included in their ESA section 6 agreement or added to their agreement within 60 days following the grant application deadline. This criterion also applies to Multi-State Proposals seeking an increased rate of Federal participation in the cost share. In this case, all cooperating States must have the federally listed species included on their respective ESA section 6 agreements, or added to them within 60 days following the grant application deadline.

State agencies may also apply for funding to conduct work on any species that has become a candidate or a proposed species by the grant application deadline. State agencies may also apply to conduct post-delisting monitoring only for recovered species that have been delisted within the past 5 years.

Projects focusing on Pacific salmonids and marine mammal stranding response and/or rehabilitation efforts will not be considered under this grant program. State conservation efforts for these species may be supported through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund or the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. Species under the sole jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also not be considered.

Proposals cannot seek funding for projects that serve to satisfy regulatory requirements of the ESA, including complying with a biological opinion under section 7 of the ESA or fulfilling Federal mitigation requirements of an incidental take permit issued under section 10 of the ESA, or that serve to satisfy other Federal regulatory requirements (e.g., mitigation for Clean Water Act permits). An exception is granted for section 10 conservation plans that include conservation obligations pursuant to State law or local ordinances that are above and beyond the Federal mitigation requirements for that conservation plan and associated permit.

NOAA NOFO Page 8 of 28

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package

The federal funding announcement and application instructions for this grant program are available via the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov. Applicants without internet access can obtain application instructions from Heather Austin, NOAA/NMFS/Office of Protected Resources, (phone) 301- 427-8422, (email) Heather.Austin@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application http://www.grants.gov mailto:Heather.Austin@noaa.gov

NOAA NOFO Page 9 of 28

All prospective applicants should read this section in its entirety. All instructions regarding formatting and preparation of proposals must be followed. Proposals should be submitted via the Grants.gov website.

There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the same Principal Investigator, agency, or State. Multiple applications submitted by the same applicant must, however, be clearly distinct projects.

Multi-State Proposals

State agencies that are interested in partnering on a particular proposal in order to seek an increased rate of Federal participation in the cost share may submit applications in one of two ways:

1. Cooperating States may submit a single application through a lead State agency. The lead State agency would provide funding, if requested, to the cooperating State(s) through a sub-award that they administer. The proposal must clearly explain the nature of the collaboration within the body of the project description, with the methods section (and associated budget narrative) detailing the activities that will be conducted by each cooperating State agency. As the cooperating States will be responsible for achieving the goal of the joint proposal, it is important to outline and describe the responsibilities and work to be carried out by each of the partnering States in the methods section of the proposal.

Furthermore, the required progress reports will need to describe the tasks scheduled and accomplished by each cooperating State during the reporting period. Cooperating States should also be listed as co-applicants, Co-PIs, or cooperators. If the cooperating States are not listed as co-applicants, there should be a letter of agreement from the partnering States agreeing to the cooperative efforts of the joint project.

2. Cooperating States may submit separate applications that include identical proposal components (i.e., title page, summaries, project descriptions, budget justification, budget tables) and federal forms specific to the particular State agency submitting the application. Joint proposals structured in this manner must indicate they are a Multi-State Proposal and must list the other applicant State agencies on the title page.

Additionally, the proposal must clearly explain the nature of the collaboration within the body of the project description, with the methods section (and associated budget narrative) detailing the activities that will be conducted by each cooperating State agency. Each State would receive a separate award should the proposal be selected.

Proposal Instructions and Requirements

Proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements by the proposal submission deadline. Failure to follow these instructions will be reflected in lower scoring by reviewers (see Section V., Application Review Information). Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals early in the event that we are able to pre-screen applications for any deficiencies, contact applicants, and obtain revised applications by the solicitation deadline. This pre-screen is a courtesy, not an obligation on the part of the Program Office, and it is not a guarantee for this competition. The pre-screen is limited to addressing technical matters, confirming receipt of application components, and providing publicly available information about the applications. No substantive comments or pre-review of application content will take place.

The following forms are required as part of each application: Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424);

Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A); Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF- 424B); and Certifications Regarding Lobbying (CD-511). These forms are available on Grants.gov with the application package.

Proposals and all attachments must be formatted to fit on letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”). Text must be no smaller than 10-point font, with one-inch margins, and all pages must be numbered. Please submit

NOAA NOFO Page 10 of 28 proposal documents as pdf files to ensure conversion errors do not occur. Please do not submit the same file or sections of the application more than once when submitting your application to Grants.gov.

The Project Description is limited to 15 pages. Appended material must not exceed a total of 15 pages, as described further below in Section IV.B.3(j). Pages exceeding these limits will not be reviewed. However, the budget table, budget narrative, Data Management Plan, indirect cost rate agreement, and list of references cited will not be counted against page limits.

Letters of support or endorsement from any NMFS, NOAA, or Department of Commerce personnel or office will NOT be accepted.

Proposals must include the following elements:

1. Title Page (does not count toward any page limits)

Provide the project title, project period (dates), applicant name(s), name(s) of the Principal Investigator (or Project Manager) and any Co-Investigators (or Co-Managers), complete contact information (mailing address, email address, and phone number) for the applicant(s) and all Co-investigators (or Co- Managers), and a statement regarding the Federal, non-Federal, and total costs of the project. If the proposal is a multi-state proposal being submitted through multiple agencies, include a list of the other applicant state agencies. Start dates must be no earlier than July 1, 2026, unless applicants request and get approval for an earlier start date from the Program Officer (Heather Austin; See Section VII, Agency Contacts).

2. Project Summary (300-word limit)

Provide a brief summary discussing the proposal’s purpose; the proposed activities; the general geographic area where the activities would occur; the recovery objectives or actions as specified in an ESA Recovery Plan, State section 6 management plan, or State Wildlife Action Plan (as applicable), or as identified by NMFS as a regional priority; and the expected outcomes and benefits of the proposed activities. If the proposal focuses on implementing recovery actions identified in a Recovery Plan, indicate the priority number or level assigned to the particular actions. Please make this summary as succinct and cogent as possible; it will be made publicly available if the project is funded.

3. Project Description (15-page limit)

The Project Description should be a clear statement of all work to be undertaken and must include the information listed below in (a)-(h). The Project Description should thoroughly address the evaluation criteria (see Section V., Application Review Information), including providing a description of the importance, relevance, and achievability of the proposal and a focused and effective education and outreach strategy.

Multi-year proposals must include a project description that covers each year of the proposed award period. If multiple projects are included in the proposal, the information listed below must be included for each project. The 15-page limit does not change if a proposal includes multiple projects.

(a) Goals/objectives: Identify the specific problem(s) or opportunities the project intends to address and describe its significance to the conservation of the species. Identify the project objectives, which should be simple and understandable, as specific and quantitative as possible, and attainable with the time, money, and human resources available. Scientific research proposals must state the question or questions to be answered.

NOAA NOFO Page 11 of 28

(b) Methods: Describe the methodologies or technical plan for activities that are to be conducted during each budget period of the project. Include detailed descriptions of the specific plan and/or methods that will be employed. Project milestones and the timelines (e.g., the number of months) necessary to meet them should also be discussed for each budget period. Information about relevant permits necessary to conduct the work must be included. See Section IV.G. (Other Submission Requirements (Permits and Approvals)) below for further information about permits and approvals.

(c) Benefits or results expected (300-word limit): Identify the outcomes or results and the benefits to the species that should result from the successfully completed project. Describe how the results contribute to the management and recovery of the species. Discuss how the project’s success in meeting the stated goals and objectives will be measured or assessed.

(d) Outreach and Education: Describe specific goals and activities in an education and outreach strategy (if not already included in the Methods section). Include information on how expected outcome, results, or products will be disseminated to stakeholders, appropriate user groups, and/or the public (e.g., researchers, fishing communities, students, local communities).

(e) Need for government financial assistance: Demonstrate the need for government financial assistance. List all other sources of funding that are or have been sought for the project.

(f) Federal, State, and local government activities: List any plans or activities (Federal, State, or local) this project would affect and, if applicable, identify the relationship between the proposed work and other ongoing work, or work planned, anticipated, or underway through Federal Assistance or other means. If the proposal is a continuation of previous or ongoing work, a brief discussion of results or accomplishments to date should be included.

(g) Environmental impacts: Discuss whether any negative environmental, biological, social, political, or economic impacts are expected as a result of the proposed activities. Also, discuss any potential negative impacts on listed species or their critical habitat as a result of the proposed activities. If any negative impacts are anticipated, describe what steps will be taken to minimize or mitigate these impacts. Incidental take of protected species and impacts on Essential Fish Habitat should be noted.

This information is the basis for a determination of the level of analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), so please be thorough. See Section VI.B. (Administrative and National Policy Requirements) below for further information about NEPA requirements.

(h) Project management and qualifications: Describe how the project will be organized and managed and who will be responsible for carrying out project activities. The lead organization/individual and person listed as the technical contact should be identified as the Project Manager (PM) or Principal Investigator (PI). Use of subawardees, subcontractors, or volunteer staff time to complete project activities and oversight of those individuals should be discussed. The PM/PI is responsible for all technical oversight and implementation of the approved work plan as delineated in the proposal.

One PM or PI must be designated for each project, but the PM/PI may or may not be the applicant.

However, if the applicant is not the PM/PI, there must be an explanation of the relationship between the applicant and PM/PI (e.g., applicant will be responsible for managing the grant funds, and the PM will be responsible for completing the project milestones on time and within budget, etc.). Project participants or organizations that will have a significant role in conducting the project should be listed as Co-investigators or Co-Managers. Organizations or individuals that support the project, for example, researchers contributing data or materials or NMFS collaborators, should be referred to as Cooperators. Copies of the PM’s or PI’s and all Co-investigator’s/Co-Manager’s abbreviated resumes or curricula vitae must be appended.

NOAA NOFO Page 12 of 28

4. Data Management Plan (2-page limit)

Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public, in a timely fashion, free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. “Timely” means no later than publication of a peer-reviewed article based on the data, or two years after the data are collected and verified, or two years after the original end date of the grant (not including any extensions or follow-on funding), whichever is sooner. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely-used or open-standard format, and should also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely-used or international standards.

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied. The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance for this program, which is available at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance.

Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data storing and sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets.

NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data.

Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository at https://repository.library.noaa.gov/ after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

For further information on NOAA’s Data Sharing Policy, please refer to information posted here:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing.

More information can also be found on NOAA’s Data Management Procedures at:

https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive_v3.0_remediated.pdf and at NAO 212-15 Management of Environmental Data and Information:

https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-212-15-management-of-environmental-data-and-information

5. Total project costs and budget justification (not counted towards page limits)

Each application must include clear and concise budget information, both on the required Federal forms and as described in this section. All budget costs should be ROUNDED to the nearest dollar;

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing https://repository.library.noaa.gov/ https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequently-asked-questions-species-recovery-grants-states#data-management-and-data-sharing https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive_v3.0_remediated.pdf https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive_v3.0_remediated.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-212-15-management-of-environmental-data-and-information https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-212-15-management-of-environmental-data-and-information https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-212-15-management-of-environmental-data-and-information

NOAA NOFO Page 13 of 28 any budgets containing cents will be returned for revision.

Applications must include OMB standard form (SF) 424A, “Budget Information – Non- construction Programs.” All instructions should be read before completing the form, and the amounts per category and total amounts indicated on the form must correspond with amounts indicated on other proposal documents. For an example of how to complete the form, please refer to the sample SF424A here https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2021-07/SF424A_example.pdf.

Additionally, provide a budget spreadsheet or table showing costs by category (e.g., salary, benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, subawards, indirect) and by Federal and non-Federal share. A detailed subaward or contract budget spreadsheet or table should also be provided. For multi-year applications, costs must also be shown by year for each year of the proposal. Costs should be itemized to the maximum extent possible. For proposals with multiple, distinct projects, costs should be broken out to reflect the costs associated with each distinct project. In order to display correctly, budget tables need to be formatted to fit letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”) and preferably saved as pdf files. Do NOT format tables as multiple sheets or tabs within an Excel spreadsheet as sheets can be lost when applications are prepared for review in NOAA’s electronic grants management system, Grants Online. For an example of how to display costs and format budget tables, please refer to the sample table here: https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/sample_budget_table.pdf.

A budget justification for each year of the requested budget must also be provided to explain and justify all project costs, including contractual and/or subaward costs. This narrative must be organized to clearly correspond to the information provided in the budget table. For instructions on how to prepare a budget justification, please refer to the guidance posted here:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2025-01/2023.09-budget-narrative-guidance-for-NOAA-grants.pdf.

Details provided in the budget table and the budget justification must be sufficient so that reviewers can interpret how costs were estimated or calculated, especially for expenses over $10,000 (including any contractual and/or subaward costs). For the non-Federal share, applicants should identify the itemized costs and describe valuations consistent with 2 C.F.R. 200.306(d)-(k). If third-party in-kind contributions are included as part of the non-federal cost share, the basis for estimating the value of these contributions must also be provided. Additionally, the budget should display the expenditure of the non-Federal share, whether in cash or third-party in-kind contributions, at the same general rate as the Federal share. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted by the Grants Officer based on sufficient documentation demonstrating previously determined plans for, or later commitment of, cash or third-party in-kind contributions.

6. Appendices (15-page limit)

Abbreviated curricula vitae or resumes of the PM/PI, any Co-Managers/ Co-Investigators, and any other relevant individuals necessary for the success of the project and named in the proposal must be included as an appendix with the application. Applicants requiring ESA scientific research permits must also include evidence of such a permit (e.g., by providing the permit number) or evidence that they have submitted an ESA permit application. If indirect costs are being requested as part of the proposed budget, documentation of the applicant’s indirect cost rate agreement must be provided (see Section IV.F.1. below). Indirect cost rate agreements do not count against any page limits.

NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts of projects or proposals seeking funding from NOAA. In this appendix section, applicants are required to provide any information not already described in the project proposal on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2021-07/SF424A_example.pdf.

https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/sample_budget_table.pdf

NOAA NOFO Page 14 of 28 species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, and impacts to coral reef systems). See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional NEPA information.

Additional appended materials that are necessary or useful may also be provided, including letters of endorsement; letters of cooperation; and maps, photos, tables, or other visual materials. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit a map or maps of the geographic location of the proposed work (as applicable); such visual information helps inform reviewers. Do not submit any letters of support or endorsement from any NMFS, NOAA, or Department of Commerce personnel.

Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan (up to 2 pages). See Section VI.B., Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;

(ii) Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application; and (iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active…