Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2026-31863.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

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Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description Priority #1. Stranding Response Priority #2. Entanglement Response Priority #3. Diagnostic Labs & Other National or Multi-Regional Services Priority #4. Research & Development

II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information

The following proposal documents are also required as part of each application. There are page limits for each document. Please adhere to the page limits, as proposal sections that exceed the page limit may not be fully transmitted to technical reviewers (i.e. if there is a 10 page limit and you submit 11 pages, the 11th page may be cut from technical review) Registration requirements Submission Validation

V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts

The Acting Prescott Grant Program Manager is:

The NOAA contact for indirect or facilities and administrative costs is:

VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name Fisheries Protected Resources Program Office (PRPO)

Funding Opportunity Title John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2026-31863

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.061

Dates

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**Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service, or received in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. U.S. Postal mail and commercial delivery must be documented with a receipt.**

**For technical assistance contact Grants.gov support (support@grants.gov) 24 hours a day 7 days a week excluding federal holidays. 1-800-518-4726 (U.S); 1-606-545-5035 (International).**

**All applicants must submit a Prescott Letter of Eligibility from their Regional Stranding Coordinator, or the Acting Prescott Grant Program Manager (mackenzie.griffin@noaa.gov). See “Eligibility” section for more details.**

**Please read this announcement in its entirety, since the application requirements have changed from the previous year. Support materials are available on the Prescott Grant Program website in the “For Applicants” section**

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.

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 unless given an approved hardship exemption.

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 mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/contact-directory/marine-mammal-stranding-network-coordinators

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NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) is authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to facilitate collecting and disseminating reference data on stranded marine mammals (cetaceans and pinnipeds, excluding walrus) and the health trends of marine mammal populations in the wild. The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program is administered by NMFS to provide federal assistance to eligible members of the U.S. National Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the U.S.

National Entanglement Response Network, and their collaborators to provide for: (A) the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled marine mammals; (B) responses to marine mammal stranding events that require emergency assistance; (C) the collection of data and samples from living or dead stranded marine mammals for scientific research or assessments regarding marine mammal health; (D) facility operating costs that are directly related to activities described in (A), (B), or (C); and (E) development of stranding network capacity, including training for emergency response, where facilities do not exist or are sparse. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding under this competition and how NMFS will review and determine which proposals are selected for funding.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, hereafter referred to as the Prescott Grant Program, was established under the Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1), an amendment to the MMPA. The Prescott Grant Program was amended by the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, P. L. 117-263, Div. J, Title CIV. This law includes additional requirements for data collection from stranded animals, as well as the creation by NMFS of a new centralized database - the Marine Mammal Health Monitoring and Analysis Platform (HealthMAP) - to store the additional health data and provide visualizations for the public. This database is currently in development with the help of the U.S. National Marine Mammal Stranding Network and U.S.

National Entanglement Response Network participants and collaborators.

The Prescott Grant Program is administered by the NOAA NMFS’ MMHSRP, and provides federal assistance to eligible U.S. National Marine Mammal Stranding Network participants and collaborators, primarily for projects involving marine mammal strandings. The Prescott Grant Program also provides federal assistance to eligible U.S. National Marine Mammal Entanglement Response Network participants to respond to entangled marine mammals.

In general and per statute, the Prescott Grant Program supports: (A) the recovery, care, or treatment of sick, injured, or entangled marine mammals; (B) responses to marine mammal stranding or entanglement events that require emergency assistance; (C) the collection of data and samples from living or dead stranded or entangled marine mammals for scientific research or assessments regarding marine mammal health; (D) facility operating costs that are directly related to activities described in (A), (B), or (C); and (E) development of stranding and entanglement network capacity, including training for emergency response, where facilities do not exist or are sparse.

A stranded marine mammal is defined as a marine mammal in the wild that is:

• Dead and on a beach, shore, or in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States.

• Alive and on a beach or shore of the United States and unable to return to the water, or able to return to the water, but in apparent need of medical attention.

• Alive in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States but is unable to return to its natural habitat under its own power or without assistance.

Entanglements can be external or internal, or both depending on the entanglement configuration.

• An external entanglement is where foreign material (e.g., hooks, line, net, debris, etc.) becomes wrapped around, hooked into, or involves the outside of the body of the animal.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-stranding-response-network#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Marine%20Mammal%20Stranding,investigates%20dead%20stranded%20marine%20mammals.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-stranding-response-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-stranding-response-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-stranding-response-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-stranding-response-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/national-marine-mammal-entanglement-response-networks

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• An internal entanglement is where an animal ingests fishing gear including hooks, line, or other marine debris, which could become embedded in the mouth or throat.

Under the MMHSRP, NMFS coordinates responses to sick, injured, distressed, imperiled, or dead marine mammals under NMFS jurisdiction (all cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and most pinnipeds (seals and sea lions)), investigates health and health trends of wild marine mammal populations, and implements policies and procedures to carry out statutory obligations under Title IV of the MMPA in an effective and efficient manner. As outlined in Title IV of the MMPA, the goals of the MMHSRP are to: (1) facilitate the collection and dissemination of reference data on the health of marine mammals and health trends of marine mammal populations in the wild; (2) correlate the health of marine mammals and marine mammal populations in the wild, with available data on physical, chemical, and biological environmental parameters; and (3) coordinate effective responses to unusual mortality events.

B. Program Priorities These program priorities pertain only to cetaceans and pinnipeds (excluding walrus), the marine mammal species under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce (DOC). When suitable, collaborative multi-organization, multi-regional or cross-regional proposals that amplify the benefits to the networks are encouraged. All proposals must meet or exceed NMFS MMHSRP Best Practices on proposed subject matters. International travel to conferences, workshops, and meetings is not eligible to be funded under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

There are four Program priorities for this grant competition:

• Priority #1. Stranding Response

• Priority #2. Entanglement Response

• Priority #3. Diagnostic Labs & Other National or Multi-Regional Services

• Priority #4. Research & Development

There are both National and Regional goals listed under each Program priority. There are five NMFS Regions:

• Alaska Region

• Greater Atlantic Region

• Pacific Islands Region

• Southeast Region

• West Coast Region

A national map showing each region's area, and a list of authorized Stranding Network Members is provided on the Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal website.

Priority #1. Stranding Response Support basic and enhancement needs of organizations for the response, treatment, rehabilitation, data collection, and data analysis/synthesis from living and dead stranded or entangled marine mammals.

Proposals should enhance the quality, consistency, quantity, reporting, and sharing of data collected from stranded and entangled marine mammals. Development of stranding network capacity, including training, in areas where it is sparse is included under this priority. See Level A Data Collection for Marine Mammal Stranding Events and Examiners Guide for more information about data. This is a high priority for NOAA Fisheries' Endangered Species in the Spotlight, including:

• Cook Inlet beluga whales, Alaska Region

• Southern Resident killer whales, West Coast Region

• North Atlantic right whales, Greater Atlantic and Southeast Regions

• Rice’s whales, Southeast Region

• Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific Islands Region

As well as other endangered marine mammal species, and those species involved in ongoing Unusual Mortality Event (UME) and post-UME monitoring and analyses.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-protection-act-policies-guidance-and-regulations https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-life-distress/alaska-marine-mammal-stranding-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-life-distress/greater-atlantic-marine-mammal-stranding-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/marine-life-distress/pacific-islands-marine-mammal-response https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/consultations/marine-mammal-and-sea-turtle-stranding-response-coordination https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/marine-mammal-protection/west-coast-marine-mammal-stranding-network https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/report https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/level-data-collection-marine-mammal-stranding-events https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/level-data-collection-marine-mammal-stranding-events https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/examiners_guide_2023.pdf https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation/species-in-the-spotlight https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation/species-in-the-spotlight

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Projects involving non-Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed or non-MMPA depleted species should provide data/information for conservation management needs such as establishing or maintaining baseline information; or identifying human interactions, fisheries interactions, habitat threats, or other threats to co-occurring species.

Below are tables with Priority #1 National Goals from “A” to “H” (in no particular order). There may be additional specific goals within some regions (AKR = Alaska Region; PIR = Pacific Islands Region; WCR = West Coast Region; GAR = Greater Atlantic Region; SER = Southeast Region), which are under the broad National Priority and Goal. You may apply for either the National Goal and/or your region’s goal(s).

Priority #1A: Capacity & Response Infrastructure

NATIONAL To more effectively respond to stranding events, improve stranding response preparedness, capacity, and infrastructure. Examples may include:

• developing regional equipment caches;

• developing improved response methodology, e.g., returning apparently healthy large whales back to the ocean, supporting large whale euthanasia, enhanced capabilities to triage live stranded marine mammals, telemetry techniques, etc.

• increasing or enhancing response gear and/or medical supplies including field diagnostic equipment and instruments (e.g., mobile x-ray);

• planning to improve veterinary participation (e.g., health assessment, supportive care, and euthanasia); and

• planning to improve coordination with neighboring organizations (e.g., with local, Tribal, and state government organizations).

AKR Covered under National Goal.

GAR Increase coverage for live and dead cetacean response and data collection from Salem to North Weymouth, Massachusetts. This includes developing cooperative plans with federal agencies, local/state agencies, Tribal governments to identify carcass landing/necropsy sites.

PIR Develop and enhance live and dead stranded cetacean response in Guam, American Samoa, and/or the Commonwealth of the Marianas Islands, while maintaining continuity in response efforts in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Increase participation of key network members and partners in cetacean and Hawaiian monk seal response in the Pacific Islands region.

SER Increase coverage for live and dead strandings and Level A data collection, especially in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, South Carolina, southwest Texas, areas where there are episodic stranding, entanglement or mortality events, and areas where stranding/human interaction data are utilized by a Take Reduction Team.

WCR Increase coverage for dead pinniped response and Level A data collection in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Prepare for live and dead Southern Resident Killer Whale stranding response. This could include pools for temporary holding, response trailers, and transport equipment. Resources will ideally be staged in Washington state.

Priority #1B: Large-scale/Non-Routine Event Preparedness

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NATIONAL Improve ability to respond to large-scale or non-routine events such as: mass strandings, oil spills, natural disasters, harmful algal bloom related strandings, out-of-habitat situations.

Examples may include but are not limited to:

• equipment caches

• basic or advanced training

• efforts to develop contingency plans at the local or regional level

AKR

GAR

PIR

WCR

Covered under National Goal.

SER Enhance capabilities to monitor cetaceans reported in freshwater and rapidly perform thorough necropsies on dead-stranded animals with reported freshwater exposure.

Priority #1C: Necropsies & Diagnostics

NATIONAL Increase capacity and training for carcass disposal, to conduct necropsies, especially for large whales, and improve detection of human interaction, illness or injury through improved sample collection and diagnostic testing. Collaborative, multi-organizational proposals are highly encouraged.

AKR

GAR

PIR

SER

WCR

Covered under National Goal.

Priority #1D: Disease Surveillance

NATIONAL Conduct surveillance of emerging diseases (e.g., avian influenza, morbillivirus, brucella, protozoa, erysipelas, tularemia, etc.) and harmful algae bloom toxins.

AKR

GAR

PIR

SER

Priority #1E: Rehabilitation Facilities and post-release monitoring

NATIONAL Develop, upgrade or modify temporary and permanent rehabilitation facilities to meet or exceed the NMFS Standards for Rehabilitation Facilities. Additionally, provide rehabilitation care for live-stranded animals, and conduct monitoring post-release (e.g., satellite tagging, tag resight surveys, etc.).

AKR

PIR

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48555

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SER

GAR Provide pinniped rehabilitation for human interaction cases.

Evaluate success of short term holding and treatments of pinnipeds (including ice seals) or small cetaceans, including supplies for post release monitoring, and analysis of treatments provided, to optimize success where long term rehabilitation is limited.

Priority 1F: Data Entry & Analysis NATIONAL Entering stranding data into regional and national databases (e.g., National Stranding

Database, CETO, or HealthMAP (once operational)) and/or conducting data analysis.

AKR

PIR

Covered under National Goal.

WCR Contribute to the new database that stores standardized data for tagging and marking resight data of rehabilitated pinnipeds throughout the West Coast Region (overseen by the California Wildlife Center).

GAR Review long term data trends of pinniped rehabilitation cases and synthesize data through analysis such as identifying best practices or admission criteria, to optimize success given limited resources.

SER Enhance capabilities to synthesize and publish existing stranding data, especially health, cause of illness, and cause of death data.

Priority 1G: Foster Inter- and Intra-Regional Collaboration NATIONAL Organize, host, and/or attend regional Stranding and Entanglement Response Network

Conferences or additional appropriate domestic meetings or conferences to foster collaboration and training.

AKR

PIR

SER

WCR

Covered under National Goal.

AKR In coordination with NOAA Fisheries Regional Stranding Coordinator, organize and host large whale necropsy training. This may include documenting human interactions (e.g., vessel strike) particularly when time and resources are limited (e.g., window protocol), virtual or hybrid options for remote participants, and hands-on necropsy training by experts.

GAR Educate state and local government organizations (e.g., law enforcement, fire departments, lifeguards, environmental management agencies) on how to respond to stranding events more effectively.

Priority #1H: Outreach & Education

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NATIONAL Provide outreach to educate the community about marine mammals, safe viewing, human interaction, and managing public expectations for stranding response (e.g., develop education messaging or materials geared towards reducing human interaction and harassment in live pinnipeds and small cetaceans on shore, boating or fishing near free swimming large whales).

Paid internship programs that offer hands-on educational experiences to the next generation of marine scientists.

AKR

GAR

PIR

SER

Priority #2. Entanglement Response

Enhance entanglement response, training, tagging, and post-release monitoring. Proposals may also work to better understand, document, and address underlying causes of entanglement to reduce injury and mortality due to fishery gear and marine debris interactions. Development of entanglement response network capacity, including training, in areas where it is sparse is included under this priority.

Below are tables with three Priority #2 National Goals from “A” to “C” ( in no particular order). There may be additional specific goals within some regions (AKR = Alaska Region; PIR = Pacific Islands Region;

WCR = West Coast Region; GAR = Greater Atlantic Region; SER = Southeast Region), which are under the broad National Priority and Goal. You may apply for either the National Goal and/or your region’s goal.

Priority #2A: Large Whale Entanglement Response

NATIONAL Meet or exceed Large whale response activities as outlined in the Large Whale Entanglement Response Best Practices. Enhance regional and trans-regional logistical support, data collection, and analyses for response to living and dead large whale stranding or entanglement events, which may include: vessel and fuel costs, salary for higher level responders, monitoring and survey costs in areas of high whale density, purchase of response tools and safety gear, and support for current authorized responders to attend/conduct refresher large whale entanglement trainings.

Increase the number of authorized entanglement responders (Level 3, 4 and 5), particularly in Alaska, Pacific Islands, West Coast, and Greater Atlantic Regions.

Develop and test novel tools for more efficient responses to entanglements.

AKR

PIR

SER

Covered under National Goal.

WCR Provide large whale entanglement response training throughout the Pacific Northwest to authorized groups and responders by experts (Level 3 or 4 responders).

GAR Develop regional identification guide for common sources of entanglement, similar to Guide for Identifying Gear from Marine Mammal Entanglements in the U.S. West Coast and Alaska.

Collaboration with partners in SER is encouraged for consistency.

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48551 https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48551 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska

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Priority #2B: Small Cetacean Entanglement Response

NATIONAL Meet or exceed small cetacean response activities as outlined in the Small Cetacean Entanglement Response Best Practices. Enhance regional and trans-regional logistical support, data collection, and analyses for response to live small cetacean entanglement events, which may include:

Developing and testing novel tools for more efficient responses to entanglements, such as the development and caching of remote entanglement response tools and methods for boat-based disentanglement.

Providing training for the use of existing small cetacean entanglement remote tools.

Developing remote sedation tools and techniques for small cetaceans. Supporting costs of entanglement responses (including telemetry, tool purchases, etc.) as appropriate.

AKR

PIR

SER

WCR

Covered under National Goal.

GAR Develop regional identification guide for common sources of entanglement, similar to Guide

Priority #2C: Pinniped Entanglement Response

NATIONAL Meet or exceed pinniped response activities as outlined in the Pinniped Entanglement Response Best Practices. Enhance regional and trans-regional logistical support, data collection, and analyses for response to live pinniped entanglement events.

Support responses, particularly in: Alaska; Greater Atlantic; and West Coast regions.

Enhance reporting and documentation of live entangled pinnipeds using consistent and comparable methods with other regions.

Improve capacity and training with tools for land and boat-based disentanglement, remote sedation tools, and capture and handling techniques. This may include gear caches, or training through shadowing opportunities.

AKR

PIR

SER

WCR

Covered under National Goal.

GAR Develop regional identification guide for common sources of entanglement, similar to Guide https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48557 https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48557 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48556 https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48556 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/guide-identifying-gear-marine-mammal-entanglements-us-west-coast-and-alaska

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Priority #3. Diagnostic Labs & Other National or Multi-Regional Services

Support collaborative, multi-organizational scientific, diagnostic, and response services provided to the Stranding and Entanglement Response Networks to enhance data collection, analyses, and improve understanding of marine mammal health, strandings, entanglements, and rehabilitation.

Below is a table with three Priority #5 National Goals from “A” to “C” (in no particular order). This priority only considers National Goals.

Priority #5A, B, C: Diagnostic Labs & Other National or Multi-Regional Services

NATIONAL 5A. Increase Stranding Network diagnostic capabilities by providing diagnostics, disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, or histopathology services.

5B. Provide additional services to improve understanding of marine mammal health and strandings and/or entanglements. Examples of services include, but are not limited to:

hearing testing, imaging, gas analyses, tooth aging, epigenetics, genetics, stomach content analysis, parasites, stable isotopes, gear analyses, sample archiving/preservation, epidemiology, etc.

5C. Provide tags, post-release monitoring, analysis, and interpretation of telemetry data from stranded, out-of-habitat, entangled, or rehabilitated and released cetaceans and pinnipeds.

Priority #4. Research & Development

Develop scientific research projects designed to test hypotheses about marine mammal strandings, entanglements, and/or health/health trends, utilizing data from living and dead stranded and/or wild marine mammals. Develop tools, techniques, tests, treatments, etc. for stranded, entangled, and/or injured/distressed marine mammals. Data or samples may be collected from stranded or entangled animals as well as bycaught, subsistence hunted, or “free-swimming” wild animals, if those animals serve as controls or for comparisons in specific scientific study designs. If using non-stranded wild animals such as from subsistence use, by-caught, or field research on free-swimming animals, the proposal must link the use of these animals/samples from these animals to known or suspected health issues of stranded marine mammals, to the health status of the population, or to the development and validation of new tools and techniques to assess such health conditions. Projects involving non-ESA-listed or non-MMPA depleted species should provide data/information on how the project objective will address conservation management needs.

For investigations of pathogen impacts on population health or strandings, you may want to refer to the Pathogen Prioritization list.

Below is a table with three Priority #6 National Goals from “A” to “C” ( in no particular order). This priority only considers National Goals.

Priority #6A, B, C: Research & Development

NATIONAL 6A. Develop, test, and evaluate tools and/or treatments, to determine efficacy for stranded, entangled, and/or injured/distressed marine mammals (e.g., point of care diagnostics, tag designs, refloating aids, remote sedation, entanglement tools, UAS platforms for tag or biopsy deployment, etc.).

6B. Investigate emerging diseases, climate changing environmental conditions (e.g., extreme flood events, harmful algae blooms, range shifts, habitat compression, etc.), and/or other developing issues that may impact marine mammal health, strandings, and/or entanglements.

https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/high-priority-marine-mammal-pathogens-2011-prescott-grants-pr.pdf

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6C. Conducting analyses and interpretations of marine mammal population health, stranding, and/or entanglement data.

C. Program Authority Authority 16 U.S.C. 1421 f-1

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability

All proposals must be limited to a maximum of a one year period of performance (12 month maximum).

Proposals from a single organization as well as multi-organization proposals will be accepted:

1. Single organization proposals may request and be awarded for a maximum federal award amount of up to $125,000.

2. A limited number of multi-organizational proposals may request and be awarded for a maximum award amount of up to $150,000. These multi-organizational proposals must meet the following criteria:

1. Proposals must be collaborative with any combination of at least 3 of the following:

stranding agreement holders, local/state agencies, Tribal governments, or researchers.

2. The proposal must clearly demonstrate cost sharing between all entities involved in the project. Costs do not necessarily need to be split evenly among all groups, but it should be apparent that there is substantive collaboration among all named organizations.

3. All organizations involved in the proposal must submit letters of collaboration to document their willingness to collaborate with all involved organizations.

Failure to meet these criteria will make the proposal ineligible to be considered for the full amount of Federal funding requested.Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs.

However, if an applicant incurs any costs before receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, the applicant would do so solely at its own risk of these costs not being reimbursed by the government or not receiving an award. No grant award may exceed $150,000 in any 12-month period (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1).

Awards are dependent upon the availability of federal funding as provided by Congress. Publication of this notice does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

Applicants are not guaranteed any level of funding. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. If an application for a financial assistance award is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years beyond the award period.

If funds become available, NOAA estimates that approximately ten to 40 awards may be made, depending on the amount of funds appropriated. Funds may be set aside from the annual appropriation to provide emergency assistance awards to eligible Stranding and Entanglement Response Network participants. These emergency funds will be available until expended during the period of fiscal availability.

See Section V. “Application Review Information” to learn more about “Evaluation Criteria”, “Review and Selection Process”, and “Selection Factors”.

B. Project/Award Period To accommodate award processing times, project start dates should be no earlier than September 1, 2027. The requested award start date must begin on the first day of the first month and end on the last day of the last month of the project period.

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If you cannot complete your project aims within the specified project period and have funds remaining, NOAA will consider providing a no-cost extension (NCE). A NCE extends the original project period, allowing the completion of project aims without additional funds being provided by NOAA. If the money is expended and funds are needed to continue the project, the applicant should submit another proposal during the next competitive award cycle.

Recipients must have a project-related reason to extend your project end date. Extensions may not be obtained for the sole purpose of spending remaining funds. This action must be taken before the project period ends, and grantees are required to notify the NOAA Federal Program Officer at least 30 days before the end of the award to discuss the possibility of a NCE. In general, a project period can be extended up to 12-months. A maximum of 4 NCEs may be granted for a project. However, NCEs are not guaranteed and must be justified based on the unforeseen challenges, delays, or hardships.

C. Type of Funding Instrument Under this solicitation, NOAA will fund Prescott projects as grants or cooperative agreements, as appropriate for the nature of the project. Where a cooperative agreement is issued, the nature of NOAA's "substantial involvement" will generally be a collaboration between NOAA and a Recipient on the scope of work. Additional forms of substantial involvement that may arise are described in Chapter 5. C of the Department of Commerce (DOC) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants All applicants must submit a Prescott Letter of Eligibility with the application in order to be considered for an award. The Prescott Letter of Eligibility states that you and/or your organization are either a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network participant in good standing, or collaborating with a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network member. New Applicants: The Letter of Eligibility must state that you are a new applicant who has never had a Prescott application reviewed during the technical review process of a previous Prescott competition.

For new and previous applicants, Eligibility Letters may be obtained in the following manner:

For Priority #1 and #2 (Stranding Response and Entanglement Response) proposals, applicants may request a letter from their NMFS Regional Stranding Coordinator or Entanglement Coordinator.

For Priority #3 and #4 (Diagnostic Labs and Research & Development), proposal applicants may request a letter from the Acting Prescott Grant Program Manager, (mackenzie.griffin@noaa.gov). Diagnostic laboratories should include a summary of their capabilities, services proposed, and their turn-around time (if applicable), as part of their request. For research applications (Priority #4), the applicant does not need to be a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network participant but must provide in the proposal a letter of collaboration from one or more Network participants in good standing that will work with them on the proposed activities.

It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain all necessary federal, local/state permits and approvals (including co-investigator and/or researcher authorization letters) prior to awarding of funds. Please see the Prescott Grant Program FAQs to learn more about eligibility, permits, and approvals. For further information on permit requirements and application procedures, please contact the Acting Prescott Grant Program Manager.

For these additional authorizations, the applicant must be able to provide the entire permit or approval prior to award funding, but only the cover letter should be submitted with the application. Receipt of required MMPA (and ESA, if applicable) scientific research and enhancement permits, verification of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval, or other authorizations will be required prior to awarding of funds. The awarding of funds will be delayed if other federal, local/state permits are not obtained.

https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/Department%20of%20Commerce%20Grants%20%20Cooperative%20Agreements%20Manual%20%2820%20April%202021%29.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/Department%20of%20Commerce%20Grants%20%20Cooperative%20Agreements%20Manual%20%2820%20April%202021%29.pdf https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/contact-directory/marine-mammal-stranding-network-coordinators https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-and-financial-services/frequent-questions-prescott-grant-program

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For coverage under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), applications will be reviewed to determine if the proposed activities were analyzed in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) for the MMHSRP. For those activities analyzed in the FPEIS, no further environmental documentation will be required. For applications whose activities were not analyzed in the FPEIS, program staff will ensure sufficient environmental documentation has been provided to determine the appropriate level of environmental analysis (EA) needed to comply with NEPA. Proposal activities may be categorically excluded, or an EA may be necessary. For those applications needing an EA, affected applicants will be informed after the peer review stage. Applicants will be requested to assist in the preparation of an EA by providing all necessary information to complete the assessment prior to the awarding of funds.

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).

Registration Requirements: 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 required registrations. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in this NOFO for submission instructions.

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement Pursuant to 48 U.S.C. 1469a, the match requirement does not apply to the U.S. insular areas (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

For applicants from all other areas, the proposed budget must provide a minimum non-federal cost-share (match) of 25% of the total budget (i.e., 0.25 x total project costs = total non-federal share).

Therefore, the total federal share will be 75% or less of the total budget.

To reduce calculation errors when determining the match, we recommend using the Prescott Grant Cost-Share Calculator. The match amount must be a whole number, so please round up.

Below is a manual calculation example:

Federal = $125,000 (75% of Total = 0.75 x $166,667 = $125,000) Match = $41,667 (25% of Total = 0.25 x $166,667 = $41,667)

Total = $166,667

The match may be > 25% of the total budget. However, please keep in mind that, if awarded, the match amount is binding and must be fulfilled (i.e. reducing Federal amount expended does not reduce the match amount).

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/47576 https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/47576 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/prescott-grant-cost-share-calculator https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/prescott-grant-cost-share-calculator https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/prescott-grant-cost-share-calculator

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Applicants should understand that any cost-share committed to the Prescott Grant Program cannot be applied to any other federal grant program. If a proposal does not meet the minimum cost-share requirements, it will not be considered for further review in this annual funding cycle. NOAA will review the valuation of the applicant's proposed non-federal cost-share according to 2 C.F.R. 200.306. This regulation describes valuation for property or services contributed by the applicant as well as third-party in-kind contributions, which are specifically allowed by the Prescott Grant Program statute and 2 C.F.R.

200.306. An in-kind contribution is a non-cash contribution, including such contributions donated or loaned, by a third party to the applicant. In many cases, the value of in-kind services or property used to fulfill a non-federal cost-share will be the fair market value of the services or property. The fair market value is the cost of obtaining such services or property, had they not been donated, or of obtaining such services or property for the period of a loan. The applicant must document any third-party in-kind services or property used to fulfill the non-federal cost share.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility There is no limit on the number of proposals that can be submitted by the same Stranding or Entanglement Response Network, local/state agencies, Tribal governments, service lab or researcher participant during this competitive grant cycle. However, Stranding or Entanglement Response Network, local/state agencies, and Tribal governments will receive no more than two awards per year as part of the competitive program. All proposals submitted by the same applicant must be for completely independent projects that are clearly separate in their objectives, goals, and budget requests and must be successful in the competitive review process.

Service labs or researchers providing services or conducting research that are not independently authorized under Sections 112(c) or 109(h) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1382(c) and 1379(h), respectively, can only receive one award per year as part of the competitive grant cycle.

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

Both this NOFO 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 by contacting the Acting Prescott Grant Program Manager (mackenzie.griffin@noaa.gov, (301) 427-8418).

Mackenzie Griffin, Acting Prescott Program Manager

NOAA/NMFS/Office of Protected Resources (F/PR)

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13604

Silver Spring, MD 20910

B. Content and Form of Application Please see the NOAA Grant Application Process website for eRA Commons related registration and submission information.

Please see the Prescott Application Checklist to help you with your application.

The following federal forms are required as part of each application:

• Project Abstract Summary *new form*

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• SF-424A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs

• SF-424B, Assurances, Non-Construction Programs

• CD-511, Certifications Regarding Lobbying

• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable) http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-financial-services/grant-application-process https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xsworpZ-gkf6xgsHWX7hAr2lAeCxoElHeXWAp0FQ07o/edit https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family

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For Construction (only if construction cost is ≥ 50% of federal budget request):

• SF424C, Budget Information, Construction Programs

• SF424D, Assurances, Construction Programs

Proposals and all attachments should be at least in 10-point font. Spacing and margins should be consistent throughout the document. If possible, please submit proposal documents as PDF files to ensure conversion errors do not occur when proposal documents are later accessed in NOAA’s grants system (zip files, jpeg, and password-protected PDF files cannot be converted and should not be part of a proposal submission). NOAA’s grants system refers to eRA Commons, or any other subsequent system so designated by NOAA. For applicants submitting proposals by mail, the SF-424 must be signed in ink or signed by using a valid electronic or digital signature.

The following proposal documents are also required as part of each application. There are page limits for each document. Please adhere to the page limits, as proposal sections that exceed the page limit may not be fully transmitted to technical reviewers (i.e. if there is a 10 page limit and you submit 11 pages, the 11th page may be cut from technical review).

1) Proposal Narrative (ten-page limit): Describe the project activities completely and accurately. The project description should be a clear statement of all work to be undertaken. It must include the information listed below in (a)-(g).

1. List up to 3 Priorities and Goals (Section I.B.) in order of most to least relevant to the project. A minimum of one and a maximum of three National and/or Regional priorities that the proposed project will address should be named in the application.

1a) Priorities and Goals:

1. State the expected project accomplishments and their significance to the marine mammal health, stranding and entanglement response, and/or rehabilitation community.

2. State the project objectives. Objectives should be attainable within the specified time period and with the available monetary and human resources described/listed. Objectives should be simple, understandable, and as specific and quantitative as possible based on historic stranding data in the region.

1b) Project Management: Describe how the proposed project will be organized and managed, including financial management of the project. Roles of participants should be explained, including:

1. Principal Investigator - An application may only have one designated Principal Investigator.

2. Co-Investigators - Other project participants or organizations that will have a significant role in conducting the project.

3. Cooperators - Organizations or individuals that support the project.

4. Subcontracts - If any portion of the project will be conducted through subcontracts, follow the procurement guidance for federal awards (2 CFR 200.317-.327). Describe how provisions for competitive subcontracting will be met, if applicable. If the contractor has been identified, please provide a statement of their qualifications or background.

1c) Project Description: Describe the scientific or technical plan of activities that will be accomplished to meet the proposed project goals and objectives. Include detailed descriptions of activities and expected results from the completed project. The project description should include:

1. Detailed description of project activities with…