FY25 SIANSMP Application Submission Instructions.docx

FY2025 State/Interstate ANS Management Plan Grant Program

March 28, 2025

Federal Financial Assistance Application Submission Instructions for the FY25 State and Interstate Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan Grant Program

The instructions provided below should only be used for submitting federal assistance applications for FY25 State/Interstate ANS Management Plan (SIANSMP) Grant Program Funds.

The Two-Stage Grant Process (see NOFO for more details) The application process for the SIANSMP grant program is a two-stage process. The Service uses the GrantSolutions system for its grant management. However, pre-proposals will be completed outside of the GrantSolutions system as they have in the past. Also please note that Grants.gov is only used for the grant announcement and to provide a downloadable Application Package; complete applications must NOT be submitted through Grants.gov without prior approval.

Stage One: Preliminary National Review The pre-proposal process occurs outside of Grant Solutions. After the Notice of Funding Opportunity is posted in GrantSolutions and on Grants.gov, the pre-proposals must be sent by e-mail to this Program’s Grant Manager in the Service’s Headquarters Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) office. See the end of this document or the NOFO for complete contact information. For 2025, pre-proposals are due approximately 4 weeks after posting of the NOFO; the exact date will be announced in the email sent to the States announcing the posting of the NOFO.

Stage Two: Regional Office Review and Grant Processing The Service’s Headquarters AIS office will notify applicants in writing when they are approved to submit a complete application within the GrantSolutions system. Do NOT submit complete application documents until you have received approval from the Service to do so.

FORMS AND DOCUMENTS

Stage One Application Requirements: Preliminary National Review – Preproposals Eligible entities must submit a preproposal that contains:

1. Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number – F25AS00283

2. Program narrative that outlines the ANS Management Plan activities to be conducted with the requested funding, including:

a. Narrative description of each activity pertaining to zebra and/or quagga mussels or other aquatic invasive species and the funding requested;

b. A linkage of each activity to its designated action within the SIANSMP implementation table;

c. A prioritization of all the proposed activities; and

d. A timeline for the performance of each activity in the preproposal.

3. A Budget in tabular form: MS Word or Excel Spreadsheet is acceptable; SF 424A Budget Information for Non-construction Programs is not necessary at Stage One. Budget must show individual entries for each proposed activity as well as:

a. Federal and nonfederal cost share (25 percent of total project costs); and

b. That administrative costs will not exceed 5 percent of the total budget (See Section III (B)(4)) of the NOFO. To support our determination that your proposed costs conform to the 5% limit on admin costs, provide the following information in your budget narrative:

i. Categorize all proposed costs (direct and indirect; Federal and non-Federal) within two categories: “Program or Project” and “Administrative”. “Program or project costs” are costs directly attributable to the funded program or project activities. “Administrative costs” are general award management or administration costs. Administrative costs may be for personnel or non-personnel costs and may be direct or indirect costs. For more information, see 2 CFR §200.414.

ii. Calculate the percentage of total proposed costs categorized as “Administrative”. Provide your calculation and describe any adjustments made to your budget to reduce your proposed administrative costs to conform to the program’s cap.

c. Use of MS Word or Excel Spreadsheet is acceptable; please note – the SF 424A - Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs can also be used but is not necessary at Stage One.

4. Budget narrative: Brief narrative describing how the budget numbers were derived.

Preproposals must be submitted in Microsoft Word or other Microsoft Word compatible format and should be approximately three-four pages in length. Preproposals must be submitted directly to the Grant Program Manager (see application submission below). Preproposals are not submitted through Grants.gov or GrantSolutions. See appropriate sections of the full NOFO for complete application submission instructions.

Stage 2 Application Requirements: Regional Office Review/Grant Processing (GrantSolutions) The Service’s Headquarters AIS office will notify applicants in writing, via a funding announcement letter (not an award letter), when they are approved to move to Stage Two and submit a complete application through GrantSolutions.

All applicants must use GrantSolutions to submit the documents detailed in the NOFO. The Service’s Regional AIS Coordinators, along with the Regional Contracting staff, will assist applicants with the remaining part of the grant process before any funding can be awarded (see the end of this document or Regional contacts information). Please note that the grant process procedures may vary depending on the Service Region managing your award. Your grant Notice of Award will identify the award number, the performance period (start and end dates), and describe the project activities and budget approved under the award. It will also define the general Terms and Conditions and performance reporting requirements of the award.

· All application packages should include, at a minimum, the latest version of appropriate federal forms: SF424, 424A and 424B for nonconstruction projects.

· Be sure to include the following Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) information on the SF424 form:

1. CFDA Number: 15.608 and

2. CFDA title: Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species.

· A list of other federal forms and additional application materials can be found in the FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the State/Interstate Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan Grant Program.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Stage One: Preliminary National Review Preproposals must be sent by email to this Program’s Grant Manager in the Service’s Headquarters Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) office:

Donald R. MacLean U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Fish and Aquatic Conservation Branch of Aquatic Invasive Species

USFWS HQ MS: FAC

5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041 3803 Phone: (703) 358 2108 Email: don_maclean@fws.gov

Stage Two: Regional Office Review and Grant Processing The Service’s Headquarters AIS office will notify applicants in writing when they are approved to submit a complete application. Do NOT submit complete application documents until you have received approval from the Service to do so. Each State will work with the appropriate Regional AIS Coordinator (listed below) and the appropriate USFWS financial assistance staff for Stage Two:

For program administration assistance, contact:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinators*

Region 1 - Pacific Region (HI, ID, OR, WA, Pacific Islands) Theresa Thom, Ph.D.

Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation, Pacific Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 911 NE 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97232 Office: 503-736-4722 Cell: 971-278-8029 Email: theresa_thom@fws.gov

Region 2 - Southwest Region (AZ, NM, TX, OK) Barak Shemai Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region 2

(505) 366-9565 Email: barak_shemai@fws.gov

Region 3 - Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region (IA, IN, IL, OH, MI, MN, MO, WI) Nathan Evans Fish Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990 Bloomington, MN 55437-1458 Cell: 612-286-4212 Email: nathan_evans@fws.gov

Region 4 - Southeast Region (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) James Ballard Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Cell: 470-733-6093 Email: james_ballard@fws.gov

Region 5 - Northeast Region (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV) Sandra Keppner Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Lower Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office 1101 Casey Road Basom, NY 14013 Office: 585-948-5445 (x 7039) Email: sandra_keppner@fws.gov

Region 6 - Mountain-Prairie Region - (CO, KS, MT, ND, NE, SD, UT, WY) Elizabeth Sunshine Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Fisheries Data & Outreach Coordinator Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | Mountain-Prairie Region Cell: 720-450-6601 Email: elizabeth_sunshine@fws.gov

Region 7 - Alaska Region Kim Holzer, PhD Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Office 1011 East Tudor Road Anchorage, AK 99503 Cell: 907-213-9792 Email: kim_holzer@fws.gov

Region 8 - Pacific Southwest Region (CA and NV) Cesar Cadena Blanco, PhD Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region (LR8) 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA 95825 Desk: 916-978-6190 Email: cesar_blanco@fws.gov