Foa_Content_of_NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2025-28670.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 NOS Integrated Ocean Observations System (IOOS) Funding Opportunity Title NOAA Community Project Funding Program (Hard Earmark) Announcement Type Congressionally Directed Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NOS-IOOS-2025-28670

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.469 Dates Full proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM (EDT) on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Funding Opportunity Description The NOAA/NOS/U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Office (IOOS) is soliciting proposals in accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, P.L. 118-42 (March 9,2024). Funds have been appropriated for specific projects assigned to IOOS (See Section III.A. Eligible Applicants).

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective

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The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to provide ocean, coastal and Great Lakes observations, data, tools, and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment. U.S. IOOS is designed to address regional and national needs for ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes information, to gather specific data on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables, and to ensure timely and sustained dissemination and availability of these data to support national defense, marine commerce, navigation safety, weather, climate, and marine forecasting, energy siting and production, economic development, ecosystem-based marine, coastal, and Great Lakes resource management, public safety, and public outreach training and education.

Pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, P.L. 118-42 (March 9,2024), IOOS is authorized to fund FY24 NOAA Special Projects (See Section III.A. Eligible Applicants).

B. Program Priorities Proposals should identify project priorities that are consistent with the project description outlined as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. Proposals should demonstrate the ability to successfully initiate and complete the work proposed and describe the outcomes resulting from the project.

C. Program Authority The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, P.L. 118-42 (March 9,2024); and the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-11) (“ICOOS Act” or “Act”), as amended by the Coordinated Ocean Observation and Research Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-271, Title I) (“COORA”), codified at 33 U.S.C. 3601-3610.

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability Funding is solely based on FY24 appropriations as indicated in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, P.L.

118-42 (March 9,2024).

B. Project/Award Period The full proposal must cover an award period of no greater than 60 months, or five years.

C. Type of Funding Instrument Projects will be awarded as a non-competitive cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is a financial assistance vehicle that requires substantial involvement by the awarding agency. A cooperative agreement is similar to a grant, but used when substantial federal government involvement is anticipated. This means that the recipient can expect substantial agency collaboration, participation, or intervention in project performance. Substantial involvement exists when responsibility for the management, control, direction, or performance of the project is shared by the assisting agency and the funding recipient; or, the assisting agency has the right to intervene (including interruption or modification) in the conduct or performance of project activities

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

Recipient Project Amount

Stevens Institute of Technology Extreme Event Coastal Preparedness and Response System $900,000

Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Gauges and Data Collection Systems $3,000,000

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement None

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package Application packages are available online as part of the RFA announcement on grants.gov, and final applications will only be accepted via submission through www.grants.gov. Applications will need to pass eRA minimum requirements in order to be accepted. Please verify all attachments meet the requirements outlined on the National Institute of Health's Grants and Funding website https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm.

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm

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B. Content and Form of Application The application must include the following 14 elements:

1. Standard Form (SF) 424

2. Title Page

3. Project Summary

4. Project Description and Milestone Schedule

5. Data Management Plan

6. References Cited

7. SF-424A (required for lead and each subaward and subcontract)

8. Budget Narrative (required for lead and each subaward and subcontract)

9. Resumes (required or all key personnel)

10. Letters of Support (not required)

11. CD-511

12. SF-424B

13. SF-LLL (If applicable)

14. NOAA Environmental Compliance Questionnaire The instructions for preparation of full proposals provided below are mandatory. Required content includes:

1. Standard Form (SF-424): All applicants requesting direct funding must submit the Standard Form, SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance,” to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for their institution for the whole project period. This form is to be the cover page for the original proposal and is the first required form in the Grants.gov proposal package. The form can be downloaded at https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family. For a NOAA and non-NOAA Federal partner, applications for Federal assistance (SF-424 and SF-424A) must show the total amount less what would go to the Federal partner.

2. Title Page (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, one (1) page maximum): Include proposal title, complete contact information for the Principal Investigator and Financial Representative, duration of proposed project, and total funds requested. If funds are to be transferred to a NOAA or other Federal partner on the project, also state the amount to the Federal partner on the cover.3. Project Summary (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, two (2) page maximum): Provide a summary of the proposed project. The summary should be prepared to be readable to a broad audience and contain the following sections:

a. Project Name/Title

b. Primary Contact (name, address, telephone, fax, e-mail)

c. Primary Recipient Institution

d. Other Investigators (name, affiliated institution or agency)

e. Brief Project Summary including objectives and intended benefits

f. Partners

4. Project Description (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, 15 pages maximum. The project description must include the following sections and should be clear and concise, focusing on the who, what, when, and why of the project) including the description of the proposed scope of work.

a. Goals and Objectives. Describe in the narrative the specific project goals and objectives to be achieved.

Goals and objectives should be specific for each year of the work plan presented. Recipients will be required to submit semiannual progress reports in which progress against these goals and objectives will be reported.

b. Background. Provide sufficient background information for proposal reviewers to assess independently the significance of the proposed project. Summarize the problem to be addressed and the status of ongoing efforts to address the identified needs

c. Audience. Identify specific users of the results of the project, describe how they will use the results, and identify any training that will be needed for users to make full use of the results.

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d. Approach. Provide a work plan that: identifies specific tasks to be accomplished; explains the technical approach (including quality assurance) needed to accomplish the tasks; identifies partner roles and contributions, including resources; and identifies potential obstacles to successful completion of the goals and objectives. Describe how end-users are involved in the planning and design process. If the project generates data, the work plan must include a data management plan which clearly addresses data management requirements, and the steps to be taken to achieve efficient and effective data access/sharing and archiving, if applicable, that is compliant with Federal regulations as indicated in the Data Sharing Plan Policy under “Other Information,” below. If the project includes Federal partners, the roles, responsibilities and contributions of the Federal partners must be clearly identified.

e. Benefits. Identify, with a high degree of specificity, the users of the products or information derived from the work, and the benefits that will be achieved for those users, as well as society as a whole. Document how valid user requirements are guiding the proposed work. Describe how the technologies or information from the project will be delivered to those users, and any special considerations or requirements for ensuring or improving the delivery of the technology or information.

f. Milestone Schedule. Display time lines for major tasks, target milestones for important intermediate and final products including deliverables and key project outcomes.

5. Data Management Plan (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, 2 pages maximum): Proposals must provide a detailed Data Management Plan that describes how metadata and data collected as part of the project will be disseminated to the broader community, and plans for longer term archiving of these data. PIs that propose to collaborate with data centers or networks, except the National Center for Environmental Information, are advised to obtain letters of commitment that affirm the collaboration. Where possible, all PIs are strongly encouraged to use existing data centers and data portals to archive and disseminate their data. Costs associated with use of data centers, or data archiving, should be included in the application budget. See the section on the NOAA Data Reporting requirements in Section VI.B.

6. References Cited: Reference information is required. Each reference should include the names of all authors in the same sequence they appear in the publications, the article title, the journal or book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the Project Description.

7. SF-424A Budget Form. All applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form, which identifies the budget for each fiscal year of the proposal. A separate SF-424A is required for each subcontract/subaward, if applicable. Place each fiscal year in separate columns in section B of page one on the SF-424A. NOTES: This revised SF-424A section B format is a NOAA requirement that is not reflected in the Instructions for the SF- 424A. The budget figures must correspond with the description contained in the Budget Narrative. The form can be downloaded at https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family.

Each subaward should provide a SF-424A listing each year of funding being requested. List total subaward costs under line item 6.h. Other category and contractor costs under line item 6.f. Contractual category on the

SF-424A.

8. Budget Narrative (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins). All proposals must include a detailed budget narrative covering the proposed period of performance with a justification to support all proposed budget categories for each fiscal year. A separate budget narrative is required for each subcontract/subaward, if applicable. For additional information concerning each of the required budget categories and appropriate level of disclosure please see https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for-NOAA-grants.pdf.

If a partner is requested to perform any work as part of the project, please be advised that the work to be performed must be reflected separately in the project description and partner budget. The budget should clearly identify the recipient and funded activity. An SF424A should accompany the budget narrative specific to each partner.

If more than one institution is collaborating in a project awarded funds, a separate budget narrative is required for each subaward and must be provided to the lead institution for submission. The lead institution will be the only institution to directly receive funds from NOAA and is responsible for sending funds to their other subaward institutions.

9. Resumes (single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, three (3) pages maximum, per person): Provide resumes of the Principal Investigator for the project and other key personnel critical to the success of the project. Ensure that resumes address qualifications relevant to conducting the proposed work.

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10. Letters of Support: Letters from unfunded collaborators, verifying their contribution to the project, or letters of support may also be included, but are not required.

11. CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying: Required only for the lead institution, which may submit this form through the Grants.gov CD511 document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institution. The form can be downloaded at:

https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family.

12. SF-424B: Assurances - Non-Construction Programs: Required only for the lead institution, which may submit this form through the Grants.gov SF-424B document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institutions. The form can be downloaded at https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family.

13. SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable): If lobbying activity is or has been secured to influence the outcome of a covered federal action, complete the SF-LLL standard lobbying disclosure form found at https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family and include it with your proposal package.

14. Environmental Compliance Questionnaire: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies to complete an environmental analysis for all major Federal actions, including funding non-federal projects through Federal financial assistance awards where Federal participation in the funded activity is expected to be significant. The Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity Applicants (“Questionnaire”) is used by NOAA to collect information about proposed activities for NEPA and other environmental compliance requirements associated with the proposed project, such as Federal consultations under the Endangered Species Act. The Questionnaire (OMB Approval Number: 0648-0538, Expiration Date: 11/30/2024) can be found at https://www.noaa.gov/nepa, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVoZ-HPMlBu8Web6ITxAJlmG2tepoTEb/view Applicants are required to respond to the following questions:

• Proposed Activity-Information: Questions 1-2

• Proposed Activity-Location: Questions 3-7

• Proposed Activity-Timeframe: Questions 8-9

• Project Partners, Permits, and Consultations: Questions 10-13

• Proposed Activity Details and Impacts: Question 14

• Equipment Installation, Construction and/or Maintenance: Questions 46-50

• Data, Safety and Environmental Impacts, Monitoring, and Habitat Restoration: Questions 51-64

Applicants should answer the questions to the best of their ability with as much detail as possible. Some of the questions may overlap with material provided in other parts of the application. If appropriate, the applicant may copy the information from other parts of the application and paste it into the answers to the questionnaire.

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.

See Section B. Content and Form of Application for required NEPA/environemtnal data.

C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Any applicant awarded in response to this Announcement will be required to use the System for Award Management (SAM), which may be accessed online at https://sam.gov/SAM/. SAM enables the use of a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and to build the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6106 Note, to the extent applicable.

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 proposal, which takes an average of 7- 10 business days after entering all information into SAM and requires the applicant’s Employer Identification Number; (ii) provide a valid UEI in its proposal; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or a proposal or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. SAM registration must be re-validated and renewed every 12 months.

https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family

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Applicants are advised to complete SAM registration or renewal well in advance of the full proposal deadline. For UEI registration visit this link, https://sam.directory/UEI?gclid=CjwKCAjw_b6WBhAQEiwAp4HyIJaUI9DfZ6GgKVQxxe%20LeLsp72ZneUyTr cA7qQsOB_vQdGh9Z8B_XIRoCm-0QAvD_BwE NOAA may not make a federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI 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 Full proposals must be received no later than 5:00pm (EDT) on October 31, 2024.

E. Intergovernmental Review Not applicable.

F. Funding Restrictions Since this announcement solicits applications for financial assistance, profit or other increment above cost may not be included on awards issued under this noncompetitive RFA.

G. Other Submission Requirements Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov,Grants.gov,and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

The first PD/PI listed on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the"Credential, e.g. agency login" Applicant Identifier field on the SF424 form.Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the Applicant Identifier field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application.

H. Address for Submitting Proposals Full application packages must be submitted through eRA commons. Hard copy, faxed or emailed submissions will not be accepted.

V. Application Review Information

1. Importance/relevance and applicability of proposal Maximum Points: 30

This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state, or local activities.

This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work or relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state, or local activities

2. Technical/ Scientific Merit Maximum Points: 35 This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, whether there are clear project goals and objectives, and whether the data sharing plan, if applicable, is appropriate for the proposed work.

Does the proposal include an acceptable Data Management Plan that includes details on the types of environmental data and information expected and how and when the data will be shared, if applicable?

3. Overall qualifications of applicants Maximum Points: 15 This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.

4. Project Costs Maximum Points: 10

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This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time frame.

5. Outreach and Education Maximum Points: 10 This criterion assesses whether the project provides a focused and effective education and/or outreach strategy regarding the NOAA’s mission to understand and protect the Nation’s natural resources.

Evaluation Criteria Review and Selection Process The merit review for this non-competitive award consists of an objective merit review by one professionally and technically qualified reviewer. Both federal and non-federal experts may be used in this process. The Federal Program Officer is responsible for conducting the evaluation process described in this Announcement. The purpose of this review is to provide advice to the Selecting Official as to the technical soundness and merits of the application.

The NOAA Grants Officer will review financial and grants administration aspects of a proposed award, including conducting an assessment of the risk posed by the applicant in accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200.206. In addition to reviewing repositories of government-wide eligibility, qualifications or financial integrity information, the risk assessment conducted by NOAA may consider items such as the financial stability of an applicant, quality of the applicant’s management systems, an applicant’s history of performance, previous audit reports and audit findings concerning the applicant and the applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities. See also “Review of Risk" in Section VI.A.7 of this Announcement.

Applicants should be in compliance with the terms of any existing NOAA grants or cooperative agreements and otherwise eligible to receive Federal awards, or make arrangements satisfactory to the NOAA Grants Officer, to be considered for funding under this competition. All reports due should be received and any concerns raised by the agency should be timely addressed in order to receive a new award. Upon review of these factors, if appropriate, specific award conditions that respond to the degree of risk may be applied by the NOAA Grants Officer pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.208. In addition, NOAA reserves the right to reject an application in its entirety where information is uncovered that raises a significant risk with respect to the responsibility or suitability of an applicant. The final approval of selected applications and issuance of awards will be by the NOAA Grants Officer.

When a decision has been made (whether an award or declination), verbatim anonymous copies of reviews and summaries of review panel deliberations, if any, will be made available to the applicant upon their request. Declined applications will be held in IOOS for three years in accordance with current retention policies, and then destroyed.

Selection Factors N/A Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates The anticipated announcement and award date is March 1, 2025.

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices PRE-AWARD COSTS. Per 2 CFR 200.458, NOAA authorizes award recipients to expend pre-award costs up to 90 days before the period of performance start date at the applicant’s own risk without approval from NOAA and in accordance with the applicant’s internal policies and procedures. Such costs are allowable only to the extent that they would have been allowable if incurred after the date of the Federal award. This does not include direct proposal costs (as defined at 2 CFR 200.460). In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for direct proposal preparation costs. Pre-award costs will be a portion of, not in addition to, the approved total budget of the award. Pre-award costs expended more than 90 days prior to the period of performance start date require approval from the Grants Officer. This does not change the period of performance start date.

GRANTS OFFICER SIGNATURE. Proposals submitted in response to this solicitation are not considered awards until the Grants Officer has signed the grant agreement. Only Grants Officers can bind the Government to the expenditure of funds. The Grants Officer’s digital signature constitutes an obligation of funds by the federal government and formal approval of the award.

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LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the availability of funds. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds may not have been appropriated yet for the programs listed in this notice. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT

REQUIREMENTS. Through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce adopted Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which applies to awards in this program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRE-AWARD NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS

AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78390) are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12- 30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC) TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Successful applicants who accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by the DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. This document will be provided in the award package in eRA at http://www.ago.noaa.gov and at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy.

BUREAU TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Successful applicants who accept an award under this solicitation will be bound by bureau-specific standard terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will be provided in the award package in NOAA’s Grants Online system. For NOAA awards only, the Administrative Standard Award Conditions for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Financial Assistance Awards U.S. Department of Commerce are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial-assistance NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA). NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA federal funding opportunities. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations, http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA-40CFR1500_1508.pdf. Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their description of their program activities, applicants are required to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non- indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve as the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist NOAA in drafting an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. Failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding making requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the FOIA. Applications submitted in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be subject to requests for release under the Act. In the event that an application contains information or data that the applicant deems to be confidential commercial information that should be exempt from disclosure under FOIA, that information should be identified, bracketed, and marked as Privileged, Confidential, Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance with 15 CFR § 4.9, the Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential business information contained in financial assistance applications and other documentation provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.

http://go.usa.gov/SBYh http://go.usa.gov/SBg4 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial-assistance http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/ http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/NEPA-40CFR1500_1508.pdf

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MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to increasing the participation of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), i.e., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, and institutions that work in underserved communities.

DATA SHARING PLAN.1. Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely-used or open-standard format, and should also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely used or international standards. 2. Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied. The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance provided by NOAA in the Announcement. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. 3. NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data. 4. Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

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

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

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

NOAA SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICY.

NOAA requires organizations receiving federal assistance to report findings of sexual harassment, or any other kind of harassment, regarding a Principal Investigator (PI), co-PI, or any other key personnel in the award.

NOAA expects all financial assistance recipients to establish and maintain clear and unambiguous standards of behavior to ensure harassment free workplaces wherever NOAA grant or cooperative agreement work is conducted, including notification pathways for all personnel, including students, on the awards. This expectation includes activities at all on- and offsite facilities and during conferences and workshops. All such settings should have accessible and evident means for reporting violations and recipients should exercise due diligence with timely investigations of allegations and corrective actions.

For more information, please visit: https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial.

https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive_v3.0_remediated.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial

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SCIENCE INTEGRITY. 1. Maintaining Integrity. The non-Federal entity shall maintain the scientific integrity of research performed pursuant to this grant or financial assistance award including the prevention, detection, and remediation of any allegations regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, and the conduct of inquiries, investigations, and adjudications of allegations of violations of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct. All the requirements of this provision flow down to subrecipients. 2. Peer Review. The peer review of the results of scientific activities under a NOAA grant, financial assistance award or cooperative agreement shall be accomplished to ensure consistency with NOAA standards on quality, relevance, scientific integrity, reproducibility, transparency, and performance. NOAA will ensure that peer review of "influential scientific information" or "highly influential scientific assessments" is conducted in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review and NOAA policies on peer review, such as the Information Quality Guidelines. 3. In performing or presenting the results of scientific activities under the NOAA grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement and in responding to allegations regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, the non-Federal entity and all subrecipients shall comply with the provisions herein and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 202- 735D, Scientific Integrity, and its Procedural Handbook, including any amendments thereto. That Order can be found athttp://nrc.noaa.gov/ScientificIntegrityCommons.aspx. 4. Primary Responsibility. The non-Federal entity shall have the primary responsibility to prevent, detect, and investigate allegations of a violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct. Unless otherwise instructed by the grants officer, the non-Federal entity shall promptly conduct an initial inquiry into any allegation of such misconduct and may rely on its internal policies and procedures, as appropriate, to do so. 5. By executing this grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement the non-Federal entity provides its assurance that it has established an administrative process for performing an inquiry, investigating, and reporting allegations of a violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct; and that it will comply with its own administrative process for performing an inquiry, investigation, and reporting of such misconduct. 6. The non-Federal entity shall insert this provision in all subawards at all tiers under this grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement.

REVIEW OF RISK. After applications are proposed for funding by the Selecting Official, the Grants Office will perform administrative reviews, including an assessment of risk posed by the applicant under 2 C.F.R. 200.206.

These may include assessments of the financial stability of an applicant and the quality of the applicant’s management systems, history of performance, and the applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities. Special conditions that address any risks determined to exist may be applied. Applicants may submit comments about any information concerning organizational performance listed in the Responsibility/Qualification section of SAM.gov for consideration by the awarding agency.

REVIEWS AND EVALUATION. The applicant acknowledges and understands that information and data contained in applications for financial assistance, as well as information and data contained in financial, performance and other reports submitted by applicants, may be used by the Department of Commerce in conducting reviews and evaluations of its financial assistance programs. For this purpose, applicant information and data may be accessed, reviewed and evaluated by Department of Commerce employees, other Federal employees, and also by Federal agents and contractors, and/or by non-Federal personnel, all of whom enter into appropriate conflict of interest and confidentiality agreements covering the use of such information. As may be provided in the terms and conditions of a specific financial assistance award, applicants are expected to support program reviews and evaluations by submitting required financial and performance information and data in an accurate and timely manner, and by cooperating with the Department of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with §200.303(e), applicants are reminded that they must take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other confidential or sensitive personal or business information created or obtained in connection with a Department of Commerce financial assistance award.

Indirect Cost Rate If an applicant has not previously established an indirect cost rate with a Federal agency they may choose to negotiate a rate with the Department of Commerce or use the de minimis indirect cost rate of 10% of MTDC (as allowable under 2 C.F.R. §200.414). The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions.

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

Michele Mazzocchetti, michele.mazzocchetti@noaa.gov. NOAA Grants Management Division, 1326 East West Highway,11th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 C. Reporting http://nrc.noaa.gov/ScientificIntegrityCommons.aspx

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In accordance with 2 CFR 200.328-9 and the terms and conditions of the award, financial reports are to be submitted semi-annually and performance (technical) reports are to be submitted semi-annually. Reports are submitted electronically through eRA.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, includes a requirement for awardees of applicable Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards. All awardees of applicable grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the FFATA Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at https://www.fsrs.gov/ on all subawards over $30,000. Refer to 2 CFR Part 170.

VII. Agency Contacts For questions regarding this NOFO contact: Jennifer Hinden at Jennifer.Hinden@noaa.gov.

VIII. Other Information None https://www.fsrs.gov/