FY19 BTS Grants.gov Application Instructions.pdf

U.S. Department of the Interior

OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS

BROWN TREE SNAKE CONTROL PROGRAM

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.875

FY 2019 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

I. Program Description

The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is requesting fiscal year 2019 funding proposals for its Brown Tree Snake (BTS) Control Program.

The invasive Brown Tree Snake (BTS) is believed to have been introduced to the island of Guam following World War II. Due to an abundant prey base and an absence of natural predators, the BTS population on Guam grew, quickly reaching unprecedented numbers. It was not until the 1980s when researchers began to study the sudden and sharp decline in Guam’s bird populations that the environmental and socioeconomic damage caused by the BTS began to be understood.

The BTS is directly responsible for the extinction or local extirpation of 9 of 13 native forest birds and 3 of 12 native lizards on Guam. In addition, the BTS has had significant, negative impacts on Guam’s economy. The risk of accidental transport and establishment of the BTS in other locations has impacted regional shipping and transportation through increased biosecurity needs.

The BTS cause approximately one power outage per 1.8 days. A single island-wide outage is estimated to cost over $3 million in lost productivity, not including repair costs, damage to electrical equipment and lost revenues. Prior to BTS control measures being taken, costs of snake-caused outages on Guam were approximately $4.5 million annually, not including personal equipment failures, shorter equipment life span, or increased costs due to purchasing personal power generators.

Since Guam is a major transportation hub in the Pacific, numerous opportunities exist for this invasive species to be inadvertently introduced to other areas in the Pacific. The BTS has already been accidentally transported from Guam to other sites worldwide through infested civilian and military vessels and cargo. Documented sites include: Hawaii, the CNMI, Corpus Christi, Texas; McAlester, Oklahoma; Japan; Anchorage, Alaska; Wake Island; Taiwan; Kwajalein;

Diego Garcia; Darwin, Australia; and Rota, Spain. Most recently there were three snake sightings on the island of Saipan between December 2015 and March 2016. There is appropriate concern that the introduction of the BTS to other vulnerable sites, such as Hawaii and the CNMI, will have similarly catastrophic ecological and economic impacts as on Guam. The potential cost of a BTS introduction on Hawaii alone has been estimated between $593 million to $2.14 billion annually.

OIA’s Brown Tree Snake Control Program funding focuses on preventing the dispersal of this invasive species from Guam to other geographic areas and funding research in support of population suppression with the ultimate goal of eradication.

II. Eligible Applicants

Eligible grant applicants are limited to representatives of the governments of Guam, the Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands, the State of Hawaii, and educational institutions.

III. Application Information

Submission Deadline: The submission deadline is March 1, 2019. All applicants must submit via grants.gov (www.grant.gov).

Review Timeframe: OIA will act on applications in as timely a manner as possible, however, outside factors such as the Congressional appropriations cycle, may delay the review process.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to factor in at least a three month review timeframe; from the date of submission to the date of notification on the final decision.

Decision: Applicants will be notified of the final determination on their applications, generally via email, once a decision is reached.

Application Format: Your proposal should include the following elements in order to receive full consideration:

A. Signed and Dated Cover Page: The cover letter should briefly summarize the application and be signed by an Authorized Representative of the applicant organization.

Cover letters should be addressed to the Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas:

Mr. Douglas Domenech Assistant Secretary Office of Insular Affairs U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W.

Mail-Stop 2429 Washington, D.C. 20240

B. Project Narrative: The project narrative must include the following elements:

http://www.grant.gov/

1. Detailed Project Description(s): Describe, in detail, the projects, activities, and/or positions being proposed for funding. Please make sure to describe how these projects, activities, and/or positions directly relate to:

a. Preventing the spread of the BTS

b. The control and management of the BTS

c. BTS population suppression

2. Detailed Project Budget(s): Provide detailed budget information for the proposed project(s), activities, and/or positions. Please note that all activities and costs to be charged to the grant must be in full compliance with the applicable cost principles:

Entity incurring costs Applicable directive

State, local, or Federally recognized Indian Tribe

2 CFR 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles; 200.416-200.417 - Special Considerations for States, Local Government, and Indian Tribes

Non-profit organization 2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles

Institution of Higher Education

2 CFR 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles; 200.418 - 200.419 – Special Considerations for Institutes of Higher Education

3. Detailed Project Timeline(s): Provide a detailed project timeline for completion of each proposed project and/or activity.

4. Statement of Need: Describe why the projects, activities, and/or positions are considered key to the success of the BTS control effort. Please make sure to summarize any previous or ongoing efforts relevant to your proposal. This includes projects, activities and/or positions not funded by OIA grants. Please detail other funds received for your BTS efforts.

5. Project Goals, Objectives and Past Accomplishments:

a. State the short and long-term goals that will be advanced or achieved if your proposal is funded.

b. Objectives are the specific steps you will take to reach your stated goals. State your objectives, which must be specific, measurable, and realistic (attainable within the project’s period of performance).

c. Finally, list any accomplishments resulting from previously received BTS funding from OIA.

6. Grant Recipient: Please provide the name, title, and address of person to who the grant award, if made, should be addressed. This is normally, the head of the local government or organization.

7. Recipient Grant Manager: Please provide the name, title, and contact information for the person who will be the day-to-day grant manager if the proposal is funded.

Contact information should include the mailing address, phone number, fax number and email address (as applicable).

C. Required SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance Forms (only required from state and Territory agencies, via grants.gov)

Applicants must complete and submit the appropriate SF-424 forms when applying for OIA grants. In addition to the core SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance form, applicants must complete two additional forms; either the SF-424A Budget Information – Non Construction Programs or the SF-424C Budget Information – Construction Program, as appropriate to the proposed project(s), as well as the SF-424B Assurances – Non-Construction Programs or the SF-424D Assurances – Construction Programs, as appropriate to the proposed project(s).

In total, three SF-424 forms must be submitted as part of the application. The forms can be found on the Grants.Gov website and are made available as part of the Grants.Gov application process:

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormsMenu?source=agency

IV. Award Administration Information

A. Award Instrument Information Projects will be funded, subject to availability of funds, by issuance of a grant agreement.

Grants will include a cover letter signed by an Office of Insular Affairs Official and a grant award document issued by the grant manager.

The recipient shall obtain prior approval for any budget or program revisions.

B. Term of the Grant or Agreement Grant and agreement are typically from 18 months to 3 years.

Prior to the expiration of the grant agreement, modifications may be proposed by either party and will become effective upon written approval.

C. Funding Restrictions All funding is contingent upon the availability and appropriation of funds by the

United States Congress.

Costs must be allowable in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles referenced in 2 CFR 200, Subpart E – Cost Principles.

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormsMenu?source=agency

D. Submission from Successful Applicants If selected for possible award, the Office of Insular Affairs reserves the right the request additional or clarifying information for any reason deemed necessary.

E. Award Notices After an applicant’s proposal is selected for award, the applicant will receive a letter from the Office of Insular Affairs. This letter will detail the next steps in the awarding process.

The Office of Insular Affairs anticipates that the grant recipients and projects will be chosen during the spring and summer 2019 once full year appropriations are received by the Office of Insular Affairs.

F. Administration and National Policy Requirements Code of Federal Regulations – By accepting financial assistance, your organization agrees to abide by the applicable Federal regulations in the expenditure of Federal funds and performance under this program: 2 CFR Part 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

V. Grant Reporting

The standard grant reporting requirements are listed below:

• A SF-425 Federal Financial Report and a narrative project status report will be due semi-annually for the periods beginning January 1 and ending June 30, and beginning July 1 and ending December 31 (only required by state and territory agencies).

• Reports are due within 30 days of the end of the period. Final reports are due 90 days after the expiration or termination of the award.

These standard reporting requirements will apply to all awards unless otherwise indicated in the Terms and Conditions section of the award. Additional requirements are assigned on a case-by-case basis and may also be found in the Terms and Conditions section of the award.

VI. Fund Disbursement (only required from state and Territory agencies, via grants.gov)

Grant recipients located in the U.S. Territories or in the United States will be required to enroll with, and utilize, the U.S. Treasury's Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system to request payments under a grant. Recipients located in the Freely Associated States or a foreign country may enroll with, and utilize, ASAP to request payments if using a U.S. Bank to receive payments.

All payments are made via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or Automatic Clearing House

(ACH).

Please note that a grantee must be enrolled in ASAP under Agency Location Code 14010001 to have access to OIA grant funds. A grantee may already be enrolled in ASAP for another grant program, such as through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but if the grantee is not specifically enrolled under ALC 14010001 it will not have access to the OIA grant.

Organizations already enrolled in ASAP under ALC 14010001 should list their ASAP ID on their applications as noted above in Section IV(B)(10).

The ASAP enrollment forms can be found on the OIA website: http://www.doi.gov/oia/grants.cfm

VII. Other Information

A. Modification or Changes to the Announcement Notices of any modifications to this announcement will be posted on Grants.gov. When you download the application materials at Grants.gov, you can also register to receive notifications by email of any changes or modifications to this announcement.

B. Government Right to Reject or Negotiate The Office of Insular Affairs reserves the right, without qualification, to reject any or all applications received in response to this announcement and to select any application, in whole or in part, as a basis for negotiation and/or award.

C. Notice of Right to Conduct a Review of Financial Capability The Office of Insular Affairs reserves the right to conduct an independent third party review of financial capability for applicants that are selected for negotiation of award.

D. Notice of Potential Disclosure under Freedom of Information Act Applicants should be advised that identifying information regarding all applicants, including applicant names and/or points of contact, may be subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, whether or not such applicants are selected for negotiation of award.

E. Personally Identifiable Information In responding to this Announcement, applicants must ensure that Protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is not included in the Application Package. These documents will be used by the Technical Assistance Grant Program Review Panel in the review process to evaluate each application. PII is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as:

Any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, etc., including any other personal information that is linked or linkable to an individual. This definition of PII can be further defined as: (1) Public PII and (2) Protected PII.

Public PII:

PII found in public sources such as telephone books, public websites, business cards, university listing, etc. Public PII includes first and last name, address, work telephone number, email address, home telephone number, and general education credentials.

http://www.doi.gov/oia/grants.cfm

Protected PII:

PII that requires enhanced protection. This information includes data that if compromised could cause harm to an individual, such as identity theft.

VIII. Agency Contact

Charlene Leizear Technical Assistance Division Director Telephone: (202) 208-3239 Email: Charlene_Leizear@ios.doi.gov

Hailey McCoy Brown Tree Snake Grant Manager

Technical Assistance Division Telephone: (202) 513-7746 Email: hailey_mccoy@ios.doi.gov

DOI - Office of Insular Affairs 1849 C St., N.W.

MS-2429

Washington, D.C. 20240 Fax: (202) 208-7585