FOA Content of NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-24695.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

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Table of Contents 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 OAR National Sea Grant College Program (SG) Funding Opportunity Title FY2024 Sea Grant Programs Only - Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives Announcement Type Competitive Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-24695

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.417 Dates Full applications due: 04/10/2024

Period of Performance: Projects should have a start date no earlier than September 1, 2024 and an end date of no later than August 31, 2027.

Funding Opportunity Description The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates approximately $3,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs to create four Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives with up to $750,000 available for each.

The overall goal of this competition is to support development and expansion of aquaculture communications and literacy approaches applicable to specific regions and aquaculture operations. The four regions in which Collaboratives are sought to be established (including states and territories) are:

• West Coast/Alaska/Pacific (CA, OR, WA, AK, HI, GU, and other Pacific territories)

• Southeast/GOM (TX, LA, MS. AL, FL, PR, US Virgin Islands, GA, SC, NC)

• Northeast/mid-Atlantic (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, ME)

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• Great Lakes (NY, VT, PA, OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN) While a regional approach is the required mechanism for achieving these goals, it is expected that the individual Collaboratives will interact with one another to support shared National level interests. Proposals are sought that will support collaborative, multi-SG Program efforts within each region to address aquaculture communications and literacy needs, and ensure that efforts benefit the aquaculture community as well as seafood consumers and the general public. These investments are consistent with Sea Grant’s focus area of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA) and the Sea Grant Network’s 10-year Aquaculture Vision, both which support NOAA and Department of Commerce aquaculture goals.

This competition is open to all Sea Grant Programs. A Sea Grant Program may submit or be a part of more than one application. Programs are encouraged to partner with other Sea Grant Programs and/or other entities such as individuals, State and Tribal Agencies/Organizations, HBCUs/MSIs, NGOs, aquaculture industry members and associations, universities, and colleges, including community colleges. Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used as match. All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.

This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-24695.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective NOAA provides funding to Sea Grant institutions to increase the understanding, assessment, development, management, utilization, and conservation of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources by providing assistance to promote a strong educational base, responsive research and training activities, broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and techniques, and multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problems, in accordance with 33 USC 1121(b).

The U.S. has an opportunity to sustainably increase aquaculture production in marine systems (ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes) while increasing the economic resilience and nutritional security of communities across the country.

Farming of finfish, shellfish, sea vegetables/algae, and other aquaculture provides great potential in the U.S. for increasing the supply of ocean and Great Lakes-sourced products while supporting and growing rural and coastal communities and economies. In addition to increasing aquaculture production, enhancing aquaculture communications and increasing aquaculture literacy is vital to the support of the aquaculture community, seafood consumers, and the general public.

This competition (FY2024 Sea Grant Programs Only - Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives - NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-24695) focuses on projects and programs that will create four Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives with the overall goal of supporting development and expansion of aquaculture communications and literacy approaches applicable to specific regions and aquaculture operations. The four regions in which Collaboratives are sought to be established (including states and territories) are:

• West Coast/Alaska/Pacific (CA, OR, WA, AK, HI, GU, and other Pacific territories)

• Southeast/GOM (TX, LA, MS. AL, FL, PR, US Virgin Islands, GA, SC, NC)

• Northeast/mid-Atlantic (VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, ME)

• Great Lakes (NY, VT, PA, OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN)

While a regional approach is the required mechanism for achieving these goals, it is expected that the individual Collaboratives will interact with one another to support shared National level interests. Proposals are sought that will support collaborative, multi-Sea Grant Program efforts within each region to address aquaculture communications and literacy needs, and ensure that efforts benefit the aquaculture community as well as seafood consumers and the general public.

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Strong applications will address program priorities described below and will integrate communications, research, education, and extension.

Principal investigators and/or project team members of proposals selected for funding will be required to participate in an annual National Sea Grant Aquaculture Symposium to be held at a future aquaculture meeting venue to share results of work conducted.

B. Program Priorities The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) recognizes that there is no “one size fits all” solution to the challenges of addressing and enhancing aquaculture communications and aquaculture literacy that can satisfy all of the needs that exist in different areas of the country. Different parts of the U.S. have aquaculture industries/communities that may share similarities, but also differ in terms of maturity, density, species, and social license.

This competition is focused on funding projects and programs that will create four separate regional-based Collaboratives. Collaboratives will facilitate regionally specific, fact based communications about aquaculture, develop and distribute communications products to support regional aquaculture extension agents, and improve and enhance the aquaculture literacy of seafood consumers and the general public. In addition, Collaboratives will serve to communicate updated information to counter inaccurate and outdated information that persists in the public sphere about aquaculture, and support development of educational materials focused on healthy and sustainable seafood choices for Americans of all ages and demographics.

It is the expectation that awards administered by this program will coordinate and collaborate with one another in the spirit of support and cross-pollination. The Aquaculture Information Exchange (website) will provide a collaborative virtual workspace for these individual awards to share their ideas and experiences, host meetings, and collaborate as applicable.

Successful proposals will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the need for separate regional communications/literacy Collaboratives, and the benefits of interacting with other regional Collaboratives to support related efforts directed at various target audiences

• Demonstrate an understanding of the public perception of aquaculture in each respective region

• Demonstrate an understanding of the public perception of aquaculture outside respective regions, including areas outside the U.S..

• Describe a plan to interact and communicate with other regional Collaboratives awarded through this competition (NSGO recognizes that these individual concepts will need to be aligned post award)

• Clearly identify priority audiences

• Clearly identify priority topics/approaches/materials

• Involve participation and/or engagement of Minority Serving Institutions

• Involve engagement of underserved audiences and communities

• Clearly identify ways in which work would integrate aquaculture topics into broader seafood communications, enhancing public understanding that wild capture fisheries and farmed seafood are intertwined.

• Describe appropriate approaches to equitable community engagement, and building strong cross-sectoral partnerships with aquaculture industry and/or communications experts to co-develop their activities.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the expertise necessary to track and evaluate the short, medium, and long-term impacts of their work.

The above criteria should lead to the selection of proposals that: 1) enhance aquaculture communications within each region; 2) demonstrate that the work proposed will meaningfully improve the aquaculture literacy of seafood consumers and the general public; and 3) demonstrate a plan to ensure that the proposed work benefits aquaculture industry stakeholders and others involved in U.S. aquaculture, and the general public. The involvement of Sea Grant extension personnel and industry stakeholders in the proposed work is strongly encouraged.

C. Program Authority Statutory authority for this program is provided under the National Sea Grant College Program Act of 1966, as amended (33 USC 1121 et seq.).

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II. Award Information A. Funding Availability Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible applicants should apply for FY2024 Sea Grant Programs Only - Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives. The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates approximately $3.000.000 in FY2024 federal funds will be available to individual Sea Grant programs in order to support four awards (Regional Collaboratives). Each award will be no greater than $750,000. Applications require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award.

NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.

B. Project/Award Period The anticipated start date is September 1, 2024, with projects to be completed by August 31, 2027.

Pre-award spending may be authorized 90 days prior to the start date of the award.

C. Type of Funding Instrument The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible institution. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed work is anticipated. The nature of the substantial involvement includes strategic engagement with the National Sea Grant Aquaculture Team, support from National Sea Grant communication efforts and requires that award recipients follow reporting requirements and participate in a future Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Symposium.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants The following entities are eligible to submit to this opportunity: Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs, the National Sea Grant Law Center, and the National Sea Grant Library. For the remainder of this document, these entities are collectively referred to as “Sea Grant Programs”.

Programs are encouraged to partner with other Sea Grant Programs and/or other entities such as individuals, State and Tribal Agencies/Organizations, HBCUs/MSIs, NGOs, aquaculture industry members and associations, universities, and colleges, including community colleges. Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding (including funding for travel) under this competition.

The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. We encourage Sea Grant program applications to reflect diverse participation with regards to age, race, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status.

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement Non-federal matching funds equal to at least 50 percent of the federal funding request must be provided unless a waiver justified by statute is granted, such as the waiver for insular areas granted by the Department of Commerce pursuant to 48 U.S.C. 1469a. If you believe your application may qualify for a waiver, please contact the National Sea Grant Office before submission to discuss it. The cumulative match at the end of each year of the grant must not fall below 50 percent of the cumulative federal request up to that point. In-kind contributions directly supporting this application may count towards this matching requirement.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package

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Application packages are available online and can be downloaded from www.grants.gov under opportunity NOAA- OAR-SG-2024-24695. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

B. Content and Form of Application This section provides an overview of these required proposal elements (and where to locate them). Applications must adhere to the provisions under "Required Elements" below. Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance.

The submitting Sea Grant Program must redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the application materials prior to final submission to grants.gov. PII that must be redacted from the application includes, but is not limited to, social security number, date of birth, student identification number (from transcripts) or other information which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This proposal package will be using a different set of forms than Sea Grant programs have completed in the past. Instead of the “SF424 NOAA Standard Non-Construction Application Package” of forms, this application will include the “SF424 NOAA Research & Related (R&R) Forms Package.” While many of the forms may be familiar, please pay special attention to the headings and instructions in this section.

Required Elements:

Applications must include the following elements. Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance.

Full Proposal Required Elements

(please also see VIII. Other Information for additional post-application required elements for submission):

1. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

This form must be completed and include a profile for the Principal Investigator and any co-PI(s). CVs and Current and Pending Support for each person’s profile will also be attached to this form. The first listed PD/PI on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the “Credential, e.g., agency login” field of form. Failure to register in eRA Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the Applicant Identifier field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application.

Additional personnel included on the form do not need to include this information, however eRA will create a warning recommending those personnel also have valid eRA Commons IDs. Again - it is not required that those additional personnel include valid eRA Commons IDs regardless of the warnings created by the eRA system.

2. Research and Related Budget Form

The Research and Related Budget is a single form that will need to be completed covering the entire award by budget period following the instructions from Grants.gov. At the end of the Research and Related Budget form, “Section L” provides space for one attachment titled, “Budget Justification.” The budget narrative for the project must be attached there. The budget narrative should explain the budget items by object class category (both federal and non-federal/match) in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. Additional budget narrative guidance can be found at: NOAA Grants Management Division's Budget Narrative Guidance

3. Research & Related Other Project Information Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

This form must be completed for the application, and should also be used to attach the Project Abstract Summary Form, the Project Narrative, Bibliography & References Cited (if applicable), and any other relevant forms or information as applicable. See form-specific instructions available on Grants.gov for additional instructions as needed.

a. Project Summary/Abstract Attachment http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_-_05-24-2017_final.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_-_05-24-2017_final.pdf

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This attachment should be the completed Project Abstract Summary Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0019) that is available as part of the application package. Using 4,000 characters or less, the Project Abstract should provide an overview of the application. Ensure the Project Abstract succinctly describes the project in plain language that the public can understand and use without the full proposal. It should be a self-contained description of the application and should contain a general statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a technically literate lay reader. Do not include personally identifiable, sensitive or proprietary/confidential information. This project abstract information (as submitted) will be made available on public websites and/or databases including USAspending.gov.

Project Abstract Elements:

• Use the following format:

o Purpose:

o Activities to be performed:

o Expected Outcomes:

o Intended Beneficiaries:

o Subrecipient Activities:

• Keep it short. In most cases, each element above should be a couple of sentences to a paragraph in length.

• DO NOT repeat the Proposal Title. The Proposal Title is always presented with the Project Description, so including it in the abstract is not necessary.

• Include a high quality description that includes specificity regarding the purpose of the project.

Characteristics of strong abstracts include a plain language description of the purpose for the project (which may include specific performance goals, indicators, milestones, or expected outcomes of the project), activities to be performed, deliverables and expected outcomes, intended beneficiary or recipient.

• Keep it simple. Do not use abbreviations, acronyms, technical terminology, or agency-specific terms. The intended audience is Congress and the general public, not specific interested parties and/or federal employees. The education level of the reader should be assumed to be the fifth grade of elementary school.

Even those who are highly educated will appreciate a simply written document when they have hundreds of projects to review in one sitting.

b. Project Narrative Attachment

Full applications to this competition must be submitted to Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 10, 2024.

The project proposal narrative should clearly lay out the topical nature of the proposal, how it responds to the priorities of the competition, and how it will lay the foundation for future work. The proposal should also identify appropriate end user groups and demonstrate their involvement throughout the project. Applicants should budget travel to attend and participate in a National Sea Grant Aquaculture Symposium to be held at a future aquaculture meeting venue to share results of work conducted. Dates and location for the symposium will be announced annually by the National Sea Grant Office.

The project proposal narrative should be not more than 12 pages using 12-pt font with 1” margins, inclusive of footnotes, tables, figures, and appendices. Reviewers will not be responsible for reviewing more than 10 pages of the project proposal narrative. Please note that the 12-page limit excludes the title page and letters of support.

Applicants need not fill the entire 12-page maximum for the project proposal narrative. The Project Proposal Narrative should include the following elements:

1. Title page (not included in 12-page limit) including:

o Proposal title, including region to be addressed o Listing of all project investigators with email addresses o Listing of collaborators/partners o Estimated budget by year of federal funds requested with matching funds

2. Project Summary (no more than 300 words summarizing elements 3, 4, 6, and 7 below)

3. Project background

NOAA NOFO Page 7 of 17 o Explain/describe the needs to be addressed regarding aquaculture communications and aquaculture literacy in your region and work (including that of the applicant and project team) that has been conducted to date addressing these topics

4. Project objectives/details o Provide a list of clearly defined project objectives o For each objective, provide a concise statement explaining how it is aligned with the goals and priorities of this funding opportunity

5. Methods/Project details o Provide a detailed description of the methods used to address the project objectives o Include a timeline chart illustrating project activities and milestones o Explain how this project leverages the expertise of project partners

6. Anticipated outcomes and deliverables including:

o A description of how the project will advance aquaculture communications and aquaculture literacy to benefit the coastal, marine, or Great Lakes region aquaculture community, seafood consumers, and the general public businesses

7. Outreach and technology transfer plan o Describe how project results will be disseminated/transferred to the aquaculture community, seafood consumers, and the general public; including underserved groups and communities o Describe how Sea Grant extension personnel will be involved in the outreach and technology transfer plan o Describe plans for integration with other regional Collaboratives

8. Applicants submitting proposals that involve the use of human test subjects should state so clearly in their application. These proposed research activities require approval of the applicant’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before such research can proceed. Applicants are responsible for obtaining IRB approval from their institution and providing that documentation to NOAA once the approval is obtained and prior to any NOAA-funded human subject testing. Proposals intending to use human test subjects should specify clearly in the timeline approximately when IRB approval will be obtained and when the testing is expected to occur.

9. Diversity statement o NSGO recognizes it has a particular and unique opportunity to support NOAA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking an intentional step that encourages applicants to consider diversity and inclusion as part of their scientific projects. This action has the potential to make an impact on not only the diversity and inclusion in science at NOAA, but also in the equity of services provided by NOAA. In this section, describe how the proposed activity incorporates the input of underserved groups (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender identities, sexual orientation, disability, geography, etc.) and how they benefit from its outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to review the resources and best practices compiled by NSGO related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/.

10. Letters of support confirming partnerships as listed in the proposal (does not count against the page limit)

11. Other letters of support (as relevant; if included, they do not count against the page limit)

c. Bibliography & References Cited Attachment (if applicable)

If applicable, provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project Narrative. Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Include only bibliographic citations. Applicants should be especially careful to follow scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the application.

d. Other Attachments

Abbreviated Environmental Compliance Questionnaire (OMB Control No. 0648-0538)

• Applicants must ensure that the questionnaire is completed in full and includes detailed information regarding project location, methodology, and permits. Copies of all permits required for project activities should be included with application materials. If a permit is pending or planned, please provide this information.

https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/

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1. A separate questionnaire must be completed for each relevant action/project in the proposal.

2. The questionnaire can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here:

https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/.

3. Guidance on how to complete the questionnaire, including how to describe work that will not involve any environmental impact, can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/. Example of questionnaires can also be found by following that link.

NEPA Questionnaire

A separate NEPA Questionnaire must be completed for each relevant individual project in the application, following the details below. The Questionnaire can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/. Applicants must ensure that the Questionnaire is completed in full and includes detailed information regarding project location, methodology, and permits.

Copies of all permits required for project activities should be included with application materials. If a permit is pending or planned, please provide this information. Guidance on how to complete the Questionnaire and example Questionnaires for different types of projects can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here: https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/.

The NEPA Questionnaire is required for ALL research projects (those whose project ID starts with “R/”) even if the project is fully lab-based or relies on social science. The NEPA Questionnaire is also required for any project that meets the following criteria:

• Environmental permits, authorizations or waivers

• Biological take and/or release

• Environmental sampling

• Hazardous or toxic substances and waste

• Permanent or temporary environmental effects

• Endangered or threatened species and/or protected areas

• Known or unknown risks to human health or the environment

• Controversial environmental subject matter

NEPA Statement

Projects or actions that fall into the below categories do not need a questionnaire. If a program believes that a project in the omnibus application meets one of the exceptions, the program should include the following NEPA Statement directly after the relevant project narrative. Please use the following format for the NEPA Statement:

“This project’s activities are exclusively comprised of [choose applicable activities from the bulleted list below] and therefore no NEPA Questionnaire is being submitted, as allowed by NSGO guidance].

NOAA has final responsibility to determine whether a project or action requires environmental compliance review. If NOAA determines that a project or action needs an environmental review or that the NEPA Statement is not sufficient, staff may request that a completed NEPA Questionnaire be provided instead.

Some examples of projects that can use the NEPA Statement are:

• Program management (i.e., any projects be assigned the “M/” project ID) o Program Development projects (these projects may need to undergo environmental compliance review when the program identifies project activities; please work with your federal program officer during implementation of these projects).

• Placeholder projects (e.g., "Future Competed Projects"; these projects will have a Special Award Condition on the grant and undergo environmental compliance review when the program submits an award action request to satisfy that special award condition)

• Workshops or conferences that do not involve the above list of actions in the previous section

• Communication activities that do not involve the above list of actions in the previous section

• Fellowships where the Sea Grant Program does not have discretion over the fellow’s externally funded research https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/ https://seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/

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• Hiring actions

• Purely administrative actions (e.g., purchase of office supplies)

4. Additional Application Package Forms

In addition to the forms required above, standard federal forms and assurances are required and can be found with the application package on Grants.gov. These include:

a. SF-424 R&R Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

This form, titled “Application for Federal Assistance,” must identify the entire funding period, as well as the federal funding amount being requested by the applicant and any non-federal matching fund amount. The form must be completed with the institution’s accurate EIN and DUNS and point of contact, and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee. Total federal and non-federal amounts listed in the SF-424 R&R, the Cumulative Budget of the Research and Related Budget form, and budget narrative must be the same.

b. SF-424B Assurances (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0007)

The form, titled “Assurances – Non-Construction Programs,” must be completed and signed by the institution's authorized representative or designee.

c. CD-511 (Grants.gov, US DOC)

The form, titled “Certification Regarding Lobbying,” must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

d. SF-LLL (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 0348-0046) - optional form, include if appropriate

This form, titled “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” is an optional form and should be included if appropriate. If included, it must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

This announcement is not seeking proposals that generate environmental data. Therefore, a Data Management Plan is not required as part of the Proposal.

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 Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 10, 2024.

Please note: validation or rejection of an application by Grants.gov may take up to two business days after submission. Eligible Sea Grant programs should consider this process in developing their submission timeline. For eligible applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication is included and will be the basis of determining timeliness.

E. Intergovernmental Review Applications under the National Sea Grant College Program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

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F. Funding Restrictions The Sea Grant Act at 33 USC 1124(d)(2) states:

“No payment under any grant or contract under this section may be applied to:

(A) the purchase or rental of any land; or

(B) the purchase, rental, construction, preservation, or repair of any building, dock, or vessel; except that payment under any such grant or contract may be applied to the short-term rental of buildings or facilities for meetings which are in direct support of any Sea Grant Program or project and may, if approved by the Secretary, be applied to the purchase, rental, construction, preservation, or repair of non-self-propelled habitats, buoys, platforms, and other similar devices or structures, or to the rental of any research vessel which is used in direct support of activities under any Sea Grant Program or project.”

G. Other Submission Requirements Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations includeSAM.gov,Grants.gov,andeRA 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.

V. Application Review Information Evaluation Criteria Importance/relevance and applicability of proposed projects to the program goals Maximum Points: 25

This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities. For the FY24 Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives competition, this includes:

• A description of the needs to be addressed regarding aquaculture communications and aquaculture literacy in your region and work (including that of the applicant and project team) that has been conducted to date addressing these topics

Technical/scientific merit Maximum Points: 25 This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals, and objectives. For the FY24 Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives competition, this includes:

• A clear description of the goals and objectives of the proposal

• A description of the approach and methods proposed for the work

• A description of the role of project partners

Outreach and education Maximum Points: 15

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This criterion reviews whether the project provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy regarding NOAA’s mission to protect the Nation’s natural resources, Sea Grant's strategic focus areas, and the goals of the individual competition announcement to target the developing US aquaculture industry. Outreach to and inclusion of underserved audiences as part of this competition has the potential to make an impact on not only the diversity and inclusion in science at NOAA, but also in the equity of services provided by NOAA and is encouraged.

• A description of how project results will be disseminated/transferred to the aquaculture community, seafood consumers, and the general public; including underserved groups and communities

• A description of how Sea Grant extension personnel will be involved in the outreach and technology transfer plan

• A description regarding plans for integration with other regional Collaboratives Outcomes and deliverables Maximum Points: 15 This criterion assesses whether the project provides a clear description of anticipated outcomes and deliverables that will result from the project. FY24 Regional Aquaculture Communications/Literacy Collaboratives competition, this includes:

• A description of how the project will advance aquaculture communications and aquaculture literacy within the region

• A description of how the project will benefit the aquaculture community, seafood consumers, and the general public; including underserved groups and communities

Overall qualifications of applicants and project costs Maximum Points: 20 This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project; and also evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time frame.

Review and Selection Process Once a full proposal application has been received by NOAA, an initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application. Applications that are missing required elements listed in Section IV. B. above, or applications coming from ineligible applicants may be rejected without further review.

Applications that pass the administrative review will be reviewed by a technical panel drawn from experts in a range of disciplines that are relevant to the applications. Each proposal will receive at least three written reviews from the panelists assessing its merits with regard to the evaluation criteria. These reviews will be averaged to produce a rank order. The selecting official shall award in the rank order unless the application is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon any of the selection factors provided in Section V.C. The selecting official shall make final recommendations for awards to the Grants Officer who is authorized to obligate the funds and execute the award.

The program manager, NEPA staff lead, or grants specialist may contact the applicants to discuss questions about the merit or administrative correctness of the application and may delay approval of the application, or impose conditions on the award preventing funding or execution of certain activities, until all questions are satisfactorily answered.

Selection Factors The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors:

1. Availability of funding.

2. Balance/distribution of funds:

a. geographically

b. by type of institution

c. by type of partners

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d. by research priority

e. by project types

3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA/Federal agencies.

4. Program priorities and policy factors.

5. Applicant’s prior award performance.

6. Partnerships with/Participation of targeted groups.

7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the Grants Officer.

Consequently, awards may not necessarily be made to the highest-scored applications. Investigators may be asked to answer questions; and/or modify objectives, work plans, and/or budgets (including overall funding level) to address the issues raised by the reviewers, the competition manager, the Selecting Official, or the Grants Officer before an award is made. Subsequent administrative processing will be in accordance with current NOAA grants procedures.

Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates Subject to the availability of funds, projects are expected to start September 1, 2024.

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.

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.

RESEARCH TERMS AND CONDITIONS. For awards designated on the CD-450 as Research, the Commerce Terms, and the Federal-wide Research Terms and Conditions (Research Terms) as implemented by the Department of Commerce, currently, at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/rtc.jsp, both apply to the award. The Commerce Terms and the Research Terms are generally intended to harmonize with each other; however, where the Commerce Terms and the Research Terms differ in a Research award, the Research Terms prevail, unless otherwise indicated in a specific award condition.

http://go.usa.gov/SBYh http://go.usa.gov/SBg4 https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/rtc.jsp

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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. 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.

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…