Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NMFS-WCRO-2026-33121.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 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 Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (Annual Appropriations and IIJA Funds)

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NMFS-WCRO-2026-33121

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.045

Dates Final applications should be submitted via Grants.gov and must be received no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time 60 days after the posting date of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication will be the basis of determining timeliness. The application must be validated by grants.gov in order to be considered timely. See Section IV.G for further application submission and validation information.

If you do not have access to the internet, you may submit a paper application. One signed original and two hard copy applications must be postmarked or received by the established due date for the program at the following address:

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Kyle Bowers Federal Program Officer NMFS West Coast Region 800 E. Park Blvd.

Plaza IV, STE 220 Boise, ID 83712-7768

Use of U.S. Mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. Note that late-arriving hard copy applications provided to a delivery service on or before 11:59 pm Eastern time on the closing date for applications will be accepted for review if the applicant can document that the application was provided to the guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time and if the application is received by the Program no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Time two business days following the closing date. Applications received through email or fax will not be accepted.

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.

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

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NOAA announces the availability of Federal funding, authorized pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L. 117-58 (November 15, 2021) and the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, Pub. L. 119-74 (January 23, 2026), for necessary expenses associated with the restoration of Pacific salmon populations. The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) program makes such funding available to the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Alaska, and federally recognized tribes of the Columbia River and Pacific Coast (including Alaska) for projects necessary for the conservation of salmon and steelhead populations listed as threatened or endangered, or identified by a State as at-risk to be so-listed; for maintaining populations necessary for exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing; or for the conservation of Pacific coastal salmon and steelhead habitat. This announcement supports the Executive Order 14276 Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness by focusing on core fisheries management, addressing threats to our nation’s waters, and using science to strengthen healthy and harvestable populations of Pacific salmon. Additionally, projects shall follow the “Gold Standard Science” principles - emphasizing reproducibility, transparency, clear communication of error and uncertainty, collaboration, skepticism of findings and assumptions, structures for falsifiability of hypotheses, unbiased peer review, and freedom from conflict of interest in alignment with Executive Order 14303 Restoring Gold Standard Science. A federally recognized tribe is defined as an Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130, 5131. See Executive Order No. 13175 (2000). Native subsistence is inclusive of federally recognized non-treaty tribal salmon fisheries. This announcement outlines the priorities and guidelines that will be used to award funding to eligible entities.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective PCSRF was established in Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 to address a coast-wide need to restore and conserve Pacific Chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon and steelhead, and their habitat. PCSRF supplements existing state and tribal programs to foster development of federal-state-tribal-local partnerships in salmon recovery and conservation by providing grants for restoration of anadromous salmonids to the eligible states and tribes.

Under this solicitation, NMFS seeks applications for projects from eligible states, federally recognized tribes, representative tribal commissions, and tribal consortia so that it can allocate the FY 2026 federal funds for PCSRF grants based on scientific and merit principles. For further information on PCSRF, please visit the PCSRF website.

B. Program Priorities The objective of the FY 2026 PCSRF funding is to supplement state and tribal programs for salmon restoration by allocating federal funding to projects and activities that provide demonstrable and measurable benefits to Pacific anadromous salmonids (i.e., Chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon and steelhead) and their habitat. These projects and activities are those necessary for conservation of salmon and steelhead populations listed as threatened or endangered, or identified by a state as at-risk to be so-listed; for maintaining populations necessary for exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing; or for conservation of Pacific coastal salmon and steelhead habitat.

Successful applications will best address the evaluation criteria (Section V.), including addressing the program priorities listed below. Applicants are encouraged to propose (1) interdisciplinary projects with budget allocations supporting joint initiatives and (2) incorporate open data-sharing protocols to enable independent replication in alignment with the Executive Order 14303 Restoring Gold Standard Science.

Applicants should address the following set of program priorities:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/apply-pacific-coastal-salmon-recovery-fund

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Priority One Eligible projects are those that address factors limiting the productivity of Pacific anadromous salmonid populations that are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and/or necessary for the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing. Native subsistence is inclusive of federally recognized non-treaty tribal salmon fisheries.

• Additional Information:

o Priority One projects benefiting ESA-listed populations shall address the limiting factors and priority actions specified in NOAA approved, interim, or proposed Recovery Plans, and/or in the most recent 5-year reviews.

o Priority One projects benefiting populations important to the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing may include efforts to restore or maintain such populations while limiting factors are being assessed. “Tribal treaty fishing rights” or “native subsistence fishing” includes tribal trust fishing opportunities as outlined in Secretarial Order 3206.

o Priority One projects may also include the development of project-specific engineering or designs that are a necessary precursor to implementing on-the-ground habitat improvement projects.

o Planning, coordination, landowner outreach, assessment, research, and monitoring projects are NOT eligible under Priority One.

o Typically, Priority 1 projects address habitat improvement. The PCSRF Program is focused on projects that achieve lasting benefits through the restoration of self-sustaining natural ecosystem functions and processes.

▪ Examples of habitat improvement projects that result in self-sustaining ecosystem functions and processes include:

▪ A levee-setback project that provides access to off-channel habitat and improves survival for overwintering juveniles,

▪ Re-establishing floodplain connection and function, restoring natural river-channel migration, and

▪ The restoration and protection of riparian habitats in identified priority areas.

Priority Two Eligible projects are those that consist of:

Watershed-scale or larger effectiveness monitoring and the biological response of anadromous salmonid populations to habitat restoration actions;

• Population-scale status and trend monitoring that directly contribute to population viability assessments for ESA-listed anadromous salmonids or populations;

• Monitoring necessary for the exercise of tribal-treaty fishing rights or native-subsistence fishing on anadromous salmonids; or

• Conducting watershed-scale or larger restoration planning.

• Additional Information:

o Project-scale effectiveness monitoring, or status and trend monitoring at a scale less than the population are not eligible under this priority and should be categorized under Priority Three.

• Examples of Priority Two projects may include:

o Life Cycle and Harvest Monitoring, o Stock Assessments, o Strategic Action Plans, and o Intensively Monitored Watershed Monitoring

Priority Three

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Eligible projects include all other projects consistent with the referenced statutory authority with demonstrated need for PCSRF funding.

• Additional information:

o Priority Three projects build capacity by supporting the implementation of activities under

Priorities One and Two.

o Priority Three projects benefiting ESA-listed populations shall address the limiting factors and priority actions specified in NOAA approved, interim, or proposed Recovery Plans and/or the most recent 5-year reviews.

o Priority Three projects benefiting populations important to the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing may include efforts to restore or maintain such populations while limiting factors are being assessed. Tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing includes tribal trust fishing opportunities as outlined in Secretarial Order 3206.

• Examples of Priority Three projects include:

o Project planning and coordination, o Landowner outreach, o Small scale assessment, research, and status/trend monitoring (i.e., monitoring at less than watershed or population scale), and o Tribal capacity to participate in salmon recovery, conservation planning, and project development including providing Indigenous Knowledge, and managing project design, implementation, and project effectiveness monitoring.

Grant applications may be submitted for one or more of the above PCSRF Program Priorities and include more than one project. If the application includes more than one project, distinct narratives and budgets must be identified for each project within the same application organized by priority. Grant applications will be evaluated separately for each priority. NMFS anticipates a greater proportion of the available FY 2026 PCSRF funding will be distributed to the higher-ranked PCSRF Program Priorities.

Applications from States and tribal commissions or consortia must have at least 10% of their applications apply to monitoring.

C. Program Authority 16 U.S.C. 3645(d)(2); Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Pub. L. 117-58 (November 15, 2021);

Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, Pub. L. 119-74 (January 23, 2026).

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region anticipates that up to $99 million in funding will be available under this notice. The amount of funds available for competitive awards will depend on the final fiscal year 2026 appropriation. Depending on the number of applications and amount of funding requested for each PCSRF Program Priority, NOAA may limit or proportion the distribution of FY 2026 PCSRF funds to each PCSRF Program Priority. There are no restrictions on minimum funding requests, but NOAA will not accept applications with federal funding requests of more than $25,000,000 for the entire award. Funds will be administered by NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region. Neither NOAA nor the Department of Commerce is responsible for direct costs of application preparation. Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested, and the merit and ranking of the applications as described in Section V.

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B. Project/Award Period NOAA encourages and anticipates a period of performance for most awards of up to five years. The earliest anticipated start date for awards will be September 1, 2026. Both federal and non-federal match pre-award costs will be considered during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA.

Incurring pre-award costs before NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) awards a grant is at the applicant's own risk.

C. Type of Funding Instrument The funding instrument will be a grant agreement, as described in 2 CFR § 200.1, or 31 U.S.C. § 6304, meaning that NOAA will not be substantially involved in carrying out the objectives of the federal award.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants are the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Alaska, and Federally recognized tribes of the Columbia River and Pacific Coast (including Alaska).

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement State applicants are required to match or document in-kind contributions of at least 33% of received Federal funds. Federally recognized tribes, representative tribal commissions and consortia are exempt from any cost share requirement.

Matching funds consist of PCSRF projects funded totally or partially by state appropriated funds; PCSRF projects that are funded totally or partially by subrecipient or contractor funds; or PCSRF projects funded partially by other pre-approved sources of federal funding. In-kind contributions must be applied directly to a PCSRF project in order to be considered match. State funding for a PCSRF program administration project may be used as matching funds.

Applicants should refer to 2 CFR § 200.306 for cost sharing or matching policies. Refer to Section IV.F "Funding Restrictions" and Section VI.B. “Indirect Costs” for information on indirect costs. Refer to Section II.B “Project/Award Period” and Section VI.A. “Pre-Award Costs” for information on pre-award costs.

For applications including non-federal match funds within the proposed budget, the ratio of approved NOAA funds to non-federal match funds will be legally binding within the award document signed by NOAA Grants Officer if the application is selected for funding. NOAA is under no obligation to amend the match contributions once the award document is signed by the recipient, but the amount may be amended based on extenuating circumstances. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

1. Eligible states must submit applications through one designated state entity identified by a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NMFS. Applications from multiple State agencies within one state will not be accepted.

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2. Federally recognized tribes must demonstrate eligibility in their application for consideration.

They may act on their own behalf when applying for PCSRF funding or may allow their representative tribal commission or consortium to act for them through an MOU agreement with NMFS. Applications requesting funding for a tribe from both the representative tribal Commission or Consortium as well as a Tribe represented by that Commission or Consortium will not be accepted. In the event that applications are submitted by both a representative tribal commission or consortium and a tribe, NMFS will contact both parties for resolution of which entity will submit a single application on behalf of the Tribe. If you have questions regarding eligibility, please contact the Federal Program Officer listed in Section IV.H.

3. Applicants with existing awards with the National Marine Fisheries Service who are not in compliance with award terms and conditions may not receive funding through this funding opportunity unless they become compliant or corrective action arrangements acceptable to the NOAA Grants Officer are made. If you have questions regarding compliance on prior awards, please contact the competition manager at kyle.bowers@noaa.gov.

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package Complete application packages, including required federal forms and instructions, can be found on Grants.gov. If a prospective applicant is having difficulty downloading the application forms from Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Instructions for these forms are available here. Information about the recommended format for applications is contained in Section IV.B.

B. Content and Form of Application A complete, standard NOAA financial assistance application package must be submitted, as described below. Each application must include the following Federal application forms. The Standard Forms (SF) may be downloaded here.

• SF-424: Application for Federal Assistance

• SF-424A: Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

• SF-424B: Assurances for Non-Construction Programs

• CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying

• CD-512 (if applicable): Certification Regarding Lobbying Lower Tier Covered Transactions

• SF-LLL (if applicable): Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

In addition to the Federal application forms, NOAA requires the following components as part of a complete application package. Pages must be composed in at least 12-point font with 1-inch margins.

Components must be organized into a maximum of five PDF files as outlined below:

• PDF 1. Title Page, Project/Program Summary (3-page limit)

• PDF 2. Project/Program Narrative (30-page limit)

• PDF 3. Budget Narrative (no page limit)

• PDF 4. Project Designs (no page limit)

• PDF 5. Supplemental Materials (25-page limit)

The application should follow the organization of the evaluation criteria (see Section V.) to receive a consistent review against competing applications. The information provided below may help you address the evaluation criteria.

Consideration will only be given to material that is physically included in an application. Information provided via a hyperlink will not be considered, nor will it influence the application evaluation. Letters of support will not be considered under this competition.

PDF 1. Title Page and Program/Project Summary (3-page limit), include the following:

mailto:support@grants.gov http://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family https://www.grants.gov/forms

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• Applicant Name and Demonstration of Eligibility (Indian Tribes only for latter requirement)

• Funding Opportunity Title

• Funding Opportunity Number

• Assistance Listing Number (ALN)

• Program/Project Title

• Program/Project Duration

• Program/Project Principal Investigator and/or Grant Lead

• Program/Project Description (brief description of proposed program/project; 4,000 characters max)

• Program/Project application Total Amount and Subtotals for each Priority (include PCSRF funds requested and state matching funds for each Priority split out by program or project year)

• Program/Project Justification and Need for Funding

• Program/Project Outcomes (brief description of anticipated benefits to anadromous salmonids)

PDF 1 must be uploaded under “Other Attachments” in grants.gov.

PDF 2. Program or Project Narrative (30-page limit)

Document that describes how the applicant intends to carry out the proposed program or project(s).

Pages beyond the 30-page limit will not be taken into consideration when reviewing the application.

Applications are evaluated based on the criteria described in Section V. Please review the evaluation criteria for a full description of topics to include in the program or project narrative. If you are proposing more than one project, you must describe the anticipated outcomes for each individual project under each of the three PCSRF program priorities for which you are seeking funds. This is required to demonstrate the importance and relevance of your application, its applicability to program goals, and the technical and scientific merit of each project.

PDF 3. Budget Narrative (no page limit)

Reviewers will evaluate project costs by reviewing the budget narrative. Project costs must be separated by each year of the project period and divided into the following categories, also referred to as SF-424A Object Classes: Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, and Other. All project costs must be rounded to the nearest dollar. The sum of funds requested under these Object Classes should be recorded as Total Direct Costs. The costs required for organizational operation that cannot be easily associated with an individual project or program should be recorded as Indirect Costs.

Organizations with a federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) are required to include a copy of the approved NICRA or provide documentation on a new proposed rate agreement in PDF 5.

Supplemental Materials before indirect costs can be accrued. Organizations without a NICRA may claim the 15% de minimis rate for calculating indirect charges on the Modified Total Direct Costs or may negotiate a rate, as outlined below (see 2 CFR § 200.1 for definitions). Refer to Section VI.B. of this announcement for more information about indirect costs. These totals should also be recorded on the SF-424A. NOAA staff will review budget information in recommended applications to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary.

Recipients are encouraged to attend the biennial in-person PCSRF grantee meeting, and should outline travel-related expenses in their application as appropriate. With respect to States and tribal commissions/consortia, travel expenses related to attendance of this meeting do not fall within the 3% limitation on administrative expenses.

If any portion of the project will be conducted through contracts and/or subawards, you must follow the requirements set out at 2 C.F.R. § 200.331 through 200.333, as applicable.

PDF 4. Project Designs (no page limit)

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If available or applicable, project designs should be included in the application for reviewers to comprehensively assess the technical merit of the proposed restoration actions. Construction specifications, scopes of work for services, and cost estimates may also be provided. Please do not attach feasibility studies or watershed plans; the critical components of those documents should be summarized in the project narrative.

PDF 5. Supplemental Materials (25-page limit)

All supplemental materials must be combined into a single PDF, including a cover page that lists all of the documents and associated page numbers. The cover page does not count toward the 25-page limit. The compiled PDF should be uploaded under the “Other Attachments Form” in grants.gov. Include resumes or CVs for the principal investigator and/or grant lead (maximum of 1 page per person), as described in the guidance (Section IV.B.3) under Overall Qualification of Applicant. Include a Data Management Plan (2-page limit). See Section VI.B. of this announcement for a complete description of NOAA’s Data and Publication Sharing Directive for NOAA Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts. Include any other relevant supporting materials, such as: a federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement;

documentation of confirmed sources of formal, non-federal matching contributions or informal leveraged funds; additional site photos; an example or summary of a previous request for proposals (RFPs) for applicants proposing a competitive program component; etc.

States and tribal commissions or consortia only: A current copy of a signed MOU with NMFS (if applicable).

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 Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Submission Dates and Times The application deadline is 60 days after the posting date of the NOFO at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

Applications submitted through grants.gov must be submitted by the due date and time. Late applications may not be considered for funding. Applicants should consider the possibility of unforeseen impacts that could affect internet access and use of grants.gov on or before the application due date.

Applicants should be aware that localized hazardous weather, monthly scheduled grants.gov weekend maintenance, or other situations that impact the ability to submit application packages may not result in changes to the application deadline. Information regarding electronic submission through grants.gov is contained in Section IV.G. All applications MUST contain ALL required forms. Failure to submit forms may result in disqualification from this competition.

E. Intergovernmental Review

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Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 19 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, contact the official listed in Section VII of this announcement for referral information.

F. Funding Restrictions As program entities, the states and tribal commissions or consortia will limit administrative expenses to no more than three percent (3%) of the federal funds received.

The 3% limitation on administrative expenses is not applicable to individual tribes applying directly on their own behalf for projects.

Administrative expenses are defined as all costs, including direct and associated indirect costs, incurred by the State, Commission, or Consortium in administering the PCSRF grant and managing the distribution of the PCSRF grant funds to subrecipients, contractors, programs, or projects that undertake PCSRF activities. Administrative expenses include activities such as subaward and contract management and monitoring, accounting, program oversight, site visits, program support and overhead costs, and competitive funding allocation processes including the processing and administrative review of project applications.

Data management activities related to PCSRF reporting requirements, including the PCSRF web-based project tracking database system, do not fall within the administrative expenses.

Cultural resource compliance support related to NMFS’ undertaking of issuing federal funds does not fall within the administrative expenses. This includes the costs for developing and implementing a programmatic agreement with NMFS under the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106.

G. Other Submission Requirements Registration requirements

NOTE: We strongly encourage all prospective applicants 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). See below for more detailed information on each required registration process.

1. System for Award Management (SAM.gov)

SAM.gov registration is required to do business with the U.S. government. After registering with SAM.gov, you will receive a 12-character Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) that you will use throughout the application process.

We recommend allowing at least three weeks for initial SAM.gov registrations and at least two weeks for SAM.gov registration renewals. Additional information on SAM.gov registration is available here:

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

You must update your SAM.gov registration any time your entity’s information changes. You must also renew and revalidate your entity’s SAM.gov registration at least every 12 months from the date you last certified to and submitted the registration. The renewal process may take up to two weeks. Your SAM.gov account’s primary point of contact will receive an email message alerting them to the renewal requirement at 60 days, 30 days, and 15 days prior to expiration. If you do not renew your registration by the deadline, it will expire.

http://www.webapps.nwfsc.noaa.gov/pcsrf https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

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2. eRA Commons

After completing your SAM.gov registration and receiving your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), you must register with eRA Commons and create several required user accounts. NOAA uses eRA Commons to process grant applications and manage grant awards.

NOTE: eRA Commons requires applicants to create one ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE and two USER ACCOUNTS before submitting an application. These requirements are described in detail below.

We recommend allowing at least three weeks for eRA Commons registration. This process can be completed concurrently with your Grants.gov registration. Additional information on the eRA Commons registration process is available here: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/key-initiatives/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training

After creating an overall account for your “institution”, which may be for your organization or yourself as an individual, eRA Commons requires you to set up at least two user accounts: one Signing Official (SO) account and one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account.

• The Signing Official (SO) user account must be assigned to an individual with signature authority to legally bind the organization in grants administration matters. The SO will receive 4-5 emails throughout the registration process.

• The Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account must be assigned to an individual with primary responsibility for the project(s) described in the grant application. The eRA Commons User ID (Username) for the PD/PI must also be listed on the SF-424 form for item 4 (Applicant Identifier).

Your SO and PD/PI user accounts must be active before you submit an application. Both accounts can be assigned to the same individual if appropriate.

3. Grants.gov

After completing your SAM.gov registration and receiving your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), you must complete a one-time registration process with Grants.gov. Grants.gov is a government-wide portal used to solicit and accept grant applications.

We recommend allowing at least two weeks for Grants.gov registration. This process can be completed concurrently with your eRA Commons registration. Additional information on the Grants.gov registration process is available here: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

Submission Validation

The Grants.gov and eRA Commons validation processes for a submitted application can take up to two business days after submission. 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.

Grants.gov and eRA Commons will not accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect. Submissions may also be rejected if:

• The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI)’s account username within eRA Commons is not provided on the SF-424 form for item 4 (Applicant Identifier).

• The Universal Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov is not provided on the SF-424 form for item 8.c

(UEI).

• The Congressional District is not entered in the correct format on the SF-424 form for item 16 (Congressional Districts). The correct format is: [State Abbreviation]-[three digit district number].

For example, Virginia’s 1st Congressional District would be listed as VA-001.

• PDF files are not flattened. To flatten a fillable PDF, you can use the “Print to PDF” function from any web browser or PDF reader application.

• File sizes exceed 100 MB.

https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/key-initiatives/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/key-initiatives/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

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• Page sizes are greater than 8.5x11.

• File names exceed 50 characters (including spaces).

• File names include special characters.

After you submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by NOAA.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be accompanied by FOUR automated responses (1- Grants.gov Submission Receipt; 2-Grants.gov Submission Validation Receipt for Application; 3-Grants.gov Grantor Agency Retrieval Receipt for Application; 4-Grants.gov Agency Tracking Number Assignment for Application).

In addition to the Grants.gov automated notification messages, you may receive automated email notifications 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.

Once an electronic application is accepted in eRA Commons, you will receive an additional automated notification that the completed application was received and that an application number will be assigned.

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 agency contact listed in Section VII. to confirm NOAA’s receipt of the complete submission.

H. Address for Submitting Proposals For applicants that do not have access to the internet, one signed original and two hard copy applications must be postmarked or received by the established due date for the program at the following address:

Kyle Bowers Federal Program Officer NMFS West Coast Region 800 E. Park Blvd Plaza IV, Suite 220 Boise ID 83712-7768

Use of U.S. Mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. Note that late-arriving hard copy applications provided to a delivery service on or before 11:59 pm Eastern time on the closing date for applications will be accepted for review if the applicant can document that the application was provided to the guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time and if the application is received by the Program no later than 5:00 pm Eastern Time two business days following the closing date. Applications received through email or fax will not be accepted.

V. Application Review Information

1. Overall Qualifications of the Applicant

Maximum Points: 20

This criterion ascertains whether the applicant and their project/program management team possess the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to support the proposed award. For this competition, applications will be evaluated based on the following (as demonstrated by attached resumes, past project experience, and accomplishments of the key technical and financial staff):

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• Salmon Recovery and Conservation Qualifications. Does the project/program team (staff and/or partners) demonstrate the necessary education and experience in grant administration, stakeholder collaboration, planning, design, engineering, construction, and/or monitoring efforts, in order to successfully carry out the scale and scope of the project/program? Does the application demonstrate that the project/program team has the capacity to complete the proposed work, even in the face of adverse conditions? For applicants proposing a program:

Does the program team demonstrate the necessary experience with program administration by including a description of the competitive and non-competitive project solicitation process, timelines, selection criteria, technical reviews of proposed project merit and feasibility, funding decisions, and how these elements will be managed and administered?

• Management Capacity. Does the applicant describe the necessary experience, qualifications, facilities, equipment, and administrative resources available to successfully fulfill the responsibilities associated with managing a federal grant award? Does the applicant demonstrate an ability to manage the requested amount of funds, maintain financial and administrative records, and fulfill reporting requirements?

2. Project Costs

Maximum Points: 20

This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the program or project(s) needs and time-frame. For this competition, applications will be evaluated on the following:

• A justification and rationale for the amount of funding proposed by geographical area to meet the PCSRF program priorities. The justification and need for funding should be supported by evidence and described quantitatively when possible (e.g., miles/acres of habitat needing restoration; number or extent of ESA-listed Pacific salmon or Pacific salmon at risk; stocks important for tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing, etc.). The description should also address the applicant’s other sources of funding for Pacific anadromous salmonid programs and projects.

• Detailed budgets by program or project(s) that itemize the application costs including administrative and overhead costs within prescribed limits.

• For states and tribal commissions or consortia:

o A description of their monitoring effort that will account for at least 10% of the funding proposed.

o A description of their administrative expenses that will be applied to no more than 3% of the federal funds received.

o A description of how the proposed program will maximize benefits by leveraging additional coordinated investments from other entities and programs.

• For states: a description of the sources and amounts of matching funds (including details on sources and determinations on estimated value of any in-kind contributions) that will be applied to achieve the minimum matching requirements of 33% of the federal funds requested.

3. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed project to the program priorities

Maximum Points: 30

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This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and its relevance to the applicable PCSRF Program Priority. Applications will be evaluated based on how relevant and effective the applications are in providing demonstrable and measurable benefits to the highest priority needs of anadromous salmonids in respective geographic areas. Successful applications will include the following information in their project narratives:

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority One applications) that clearly articulate how the program/project will:

o Address factors limiting the productivity of Pacific anadromous salmonid populations that are (either one or both):

▪ ESA-listed anadromous salmonids: Identify how the application advances the priority recovery actions as detailed in approved, interim, or proposed Recovery Plans and/or the most recent 5-year reviews.

▪ Necessary for the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing: Identify the fishery(ies) with the greatest need for projects to restore or maintain the target salmonid population(s).

o Achieving lasting benefits through the restoration of self-sustaining natural ecosystem functions and processes (e.g., re-establishing floodplain connection and function, restoring natural river-channel migration, re-establishing ecologically functional riparian buffers).

o The description should be supported quantitatively when possible (e.g., number/types of limiting factors identified in recovery plan(s) being addressed, estimated miles/acres of habitat proposed for restoration, number/types of treaty/subsistence fisheries being addressed, etc.).

o For applicants proposing programs: describe how the proposed program will encourage and select large-scale strategies that maximize benefits through the implementation of coordinated projects that address multiple priority limiting factors.

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority Two applications) that clearly:

o Justify the type and location of monitoring application and identify how the results of proposed monitoring will inform population-level status and trends assessments, watershed-scale restoration effectiveness evaluations, and/or monitoring necessary for the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing.

o Describe the contribution that larger scale restoration planning will have on the conservation of the associated anadromous salmonid populations.

o The description should be supported quantitatively when possible (e.g., number/types of limiting factors identified in recovery plan(s) being addressed, estimated miles/acres of monitoring or restoration planning, number/names of watersheds/populations to be monitored, etc.).

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority Three applications) that demonstrate and justify an urgent need for funding to achieve a measurable benefit for the conservation and restoration of anadromous salmonids.

o The description should be supported quantitatively when possible (e.g., number of staff positions for tribal capacity support, outreach target numbers, number/names of small-scale targeted areas to be monitored, etc.).

• Applications that include non-competitive projects or program components should describe why a non-competitive process is appropriate and how the non-competitive projects are associated with species recovery priorities identified in NMFS recovery plans and/or the most recent 5-year reviews.

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4. Technical/Scientific Merit

Maximum Points: 30

This criterion assesses whether the activity or approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. Applications will be evaluated on whether there is a technically sound approach to manage and implement proposed projects; whether there is sufficient information to evaluate the project or program technically; and, if so, the strengths and/or weaknesses of the project or program approach to securing productive results. Applicants should clearly identify the different project phase(s) (e.g., feasibility study, engineering and design, on-the ground implementation) to be funded through the proposed project(s).

Successful applications will include the following information in their project narratives:

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority One applications) that clearly articulate the selection and design of viable projects that will effectively address limiting factors for ESA-listed anadromous salmonids and/or restore or maintain salmonid populations necessary for the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing.

o If proposed, describe how activities under Priority One will be designed to achieve lasting benefits through the restoration of self-sustaining natural ecosystem functions and processes (e.g., re-establishing floodplain connection and function, restoring natural river-channel migration, re-establishing ecologically functional riparian buffers).

o If proposed, describe how activities under Priority One will benefit populations important to the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing.

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority Two applications) that clearly articulate the proposed monitoring methodology and design for producing scientifically valid results at the watershed or population scales.

• Narrative descriptions (for Priority Three applications) that clearly articulate proposed methodologies designed to achieve measurable benefits to anadromous salmonids, and substantiate the urgency and need of the proposed activities. For projects including or solely focused on tribal organizational capacity building, the proposal should describe a measurable approach to increased tribal participation and how it will lead to measurable benefits to anadromous salmonids.

• Applications requesting funding for research must describe how they intend to provide full disclosure of methodologies and data, reinforcing accountability and public trust in alignment with the Executive Order 14303 Restoring Gold Standard Science.

Evaluation Criteria

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Reviewers will assign scores to applications ranging from 0–100 points based on the preceding evaluation criteria. Each criterion also includes the factors the reviewers will consider to determine how well an application meets the criterion. The components of an application addressing each priority will be evaluated separately and the respective points under each priority for Importance/Relevance and Technical Merit evaluation criteria will be averaged to produce one total overall score for Importance/Relevance and Technical Merit evaluation criteria. NMFS anticipates a greater proportion of the available FY 2026 PCSRF funding will be distributed to higher scoring applications addressing the higher priorities. For applications that mis-prioritize activities, reviewers will be instructed to use a consistent methodology for adjusting scores accordingly. For applications that list activities under multiple priorities without breaking out the funding by priority, reviewers will be instructed to determine the appropriate priority for each activity and evaluate it accordingly.

We encourage applicants to make explicit connections to…