NOAA-NMFS-AK-2022-2007143 NOFO.pdf

Alaska Marine Education and Training Mini-Grant Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3 A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 3 C. Program Authority 4

II. Award Information 4 A. Funding Availability 4 B. Project/Award Period 4 C. Type of Funding Instrument 5

III. Eligibility Information 5 A. Eligible Applicants 5 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 5 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 5

IV. Application and Submission Information 5 A. Address to Request Application Package 5 B. Content and Form of Application 6 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 9 D. Submission Dates and Times 10 E. Intergovernmental Review 10 F. Funding Restrictions 10 G. Other Submission Requirements 11

V. Application Review Information 11 A. Evaluation Criteria 11 B. Review and Selection Process 13 C. Selection Factors 14 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 14

VI. Award Administration Information 15 A. Award Notices 15 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 15 C. Reporting 19

VII. Agency Contacts 21 VIII. Other Information 21

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 21

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Alaska Marine Education and Training Mini-Grant Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-AK-2022-2007143

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.452, Unallied Industry Projects

Dates: Complete proposals/applications must be received by the NOAA NMFS Alaska Regional Office on or before 7:59 p.m., Alaska Standard Time (AST), April 1, 2022. Proposals received after the established deadline will be rejected and returned to the sender without consideration.

For proposals submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication will be the basis of determining timeliness. The proposal must be validated by Grants.gov in order to be considered timely. It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline.

For those without access to the Internet, one signed original and two hard copy applications must be postmarked or received by the established due date. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. (Note that late-arriving hard copy proposals provided to a delivery service on or before 7:59 p.m. on the closing date for applications will be accepted for review if the applicant can document that the proposal was provided to the guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time and if the proposal is received by the NOAA NMFS Alaska Regional Office no later than 7:59 p.m., five business days following the closing date.) Private metered postmarks are not acceptable. No facsimile or electronic mail proposals will be accepted.

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service is soliciting competitive applications for the fiscal year 2022 Alaska Marine Education and Training Mini- Grant Program. Projects are being solicited to improve education and training on marine resource issues throughout the region and increase scientific education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

NOAA/NMFS is soliciting competitive proposals for grants and cooperative agreements that will increase the sustainability, education, and training on marine resource issues and increase education for marine-related professions in Alaska. Projects should prepare communities for employment in marine related professions including aquaculture; increase seafood and fishing safety, seafood marketing, or management; or increase the sustainability of fishing practices through technology improvements. All projects must be developed with and identify beneficial and appropriate partnerships. These partnerships may include various government agencies (at all levels), non-governmental community organizations (NGOs), traditional and local knowledge practitioners, researchers, or industry. All projects must include partnerships that contribute to the success of the project and build on, or expand relationships in the fishing and marine community.

B. Program Priorities

All projects, regardless of priority, must leverage and develop effective partnerships.

These partnerships may include: government agencies (island, local, state, or federal), NGOs, local and traditional knowledge practitioners, researchers, academic institutions, and industry. The partnerships should contribute to the success of the project and build on, or expand relationships in the marine community.

Projects must improve education and training on marine resource issues in the region and increase education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents. Projects must align with one of the following priorities, which are listed in no particular order of preference. If a project meets more than one of the listed priorities, the applicant should list the priority that most closely reflects the objectives of the proposed project.

1. Marine Science and Technology: Education and training projects that are focused on preparing community residents for employment in marine related professions, including marine resource conservation and management, marine science, marine technology, and maritime operations.

2. Fisheries and Seafood-related Training: Projects addressing fishery observation, seafood safety and seafood marketing, focused on increasing the involvement of coastal community

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 21 residents in fishing, fishery management, and seafood-related operations.

3. Outreach: Projects to educate and inform consumers about the quality and sustainability of wild fish or products farmed through responsible aquaculture. Projects that promote community education and outreach related to safe fishing and boating practices, reduction of marine pollution, and reducing conflicts with marine mammals.

4. Technology: Projects that, with the fishing industry, not only identify methods and technologies that will improve the data collection, quality and reporting, but also increase the sustainability of fishing practices, and ultimately transfer such methods and technologies among fisheries sectors and to other nations in the Western, Northern, and Central Pacific.

5. Local and Traditional Knowledge: Projects that enhance science-based management of fishery resources and marine mammals of the region though local and traditional knowledge.

C. Program Authority

16 U.S.C. 1855 (j)

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Total funding available under this notice is anticipated to be approximately $150,000.

Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon FY 2022 Federal appropriations. Publication of this notice does not obligate NOAA to make an award to any specific project or to obligate any funding. Proposals not funded in the current fiscal period may be considered for funding in another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement.

Proposals in excess of $15,000 are unlikely to be funded. Award amounts will be determined by the proposals and available funds. There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the same applicant; however, multiple applications submitted by the same applicant must clearly identify different projects. If an application for a financial assistance award is selected for funding, NOAA/NMFS has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years.

B. Project/Award Period

The project period is recommended to be 12 months in duration. July 1, 2022 is the earliest recommended start date to be used on proposals, unless otherwise directed by the

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NOAA Program Officer.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

NOAA/NMFS will fund the projects under this competition as grants and/or cooperative agreements. The government will be substantially involved in the management and/or operation of the program if a project is funded through a cooperative agreement. This substantial involvement may include but is not limited to partnering in collaborative efforts and/or alignment of activities to meet program priorities. Substantial involvement may also include assisting in the development of educational materials.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are individuals, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies and their employees, as well as Federal instrumentalities (including employees and members), are not eligible to apply. Projects must be conducted within Alaska.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

None

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

None

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are available through the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov. Delays may be experienced when registering with Grants.gov near the end of a solicitation period. Therefore, NMFS strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline to begin the registration/application process through the Grants.gov website.

If an applicant has problems with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1- 800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, application materials may be requested from Kristin Cieciel, NOAA Federal Program Officer, NOAA/NMFS PO Box 21668, Juneau Alaska 99802-1668, Phone: (907)586-7273.

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B. Content and Form of Application

All application materials should be submitted in PDF (recommended) or a common word processing format, and when printed out should meet all format requirements. All pages must be double-spaced, at least 12-point font, and printable on 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins. Any PDF or other attachments that are included in an electronic application must meet the above format requirement when printed out. Failure to follow these requirements will result in the rejection of the application.

A complete standard NOAA grant application package is required in accordance with the guidelines in this document. Applications that are not complete on the closing date of this announcement will not be reviewed. Your application must contain all required forms; if these forms are not signed via the www.Grants.gov application process, they MUST be signed in ink. Paper applications without inked signatures on their forms will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

Each application must include:

Federal application forms:

• SF-424

• SF-424A, Budget Information, Non-construction Programs must be completed, and also include all matching funds.

• SF-424B, Assurances, Non-construction Programs must be completed for each submitted non-construction application.

• CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying

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

Application materials:

• Title Page (described below, limit 1 page)

• Project Summary (described below, limit 1 page)

• Narrative Project Description (described below, limit 5 pages)

• Budget Justification (described below, limit 2 pages). Provide justifications (in narrative format for all budget items in sufficient detail to enable the reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the funding requested. The budget justification should be broken out and detailed using the same budget categories as noted on the SF-424A budget form.

• NEPA Questionnaire. The NOAA National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) questionnaire must be completed for each application. For more information on this requirement, see section "B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements" and https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants-Questionnaire-final.pdf. This questionnaire does not count towards any page limits.

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• Data Sharing or Management Plan (up to 2 pages, if the project collects environmental data). Note that due to the nature of programmatic priorities, we do not anticipate applications that will be collecting environmental data.

• Attachments (limit 10 pages). Other supporting documentation and relevant attachments the applicant deems important to the overall understanding and evaluation of the proposed project (combined into one PDF document). All combined attachments must be no longer than 10 pages. Attachment information can include: charts, graphs, maps, photographs, and other pictorial presentations; abbreviated CVs or resumes of key personnel; letters of collaboration; an indirect cost rate agreement; permit information;

or any other supporting information.

Content Requirements:

1. Title Page (Proposal Cover Sheet, limit 1 page)

(a) Project title

(b) Principal Investigator (or Project Manager) and Financial Representative with complete contact information (address, fax, email, and phone number)

(c) Any co-investigators (or Co-managers) with contact information

(d) Start and end dates of proposed project

(e) Identification of programmatic priority applicable to the project (Priority 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)

(f) Funding type request (grant or cooperative agreement)

(g) Total cost of the project, including federal and non-federal funding requested

2. Project Summary (limit 1 page).

This one page project summary should be a high level description of the project written for the general public audience. The summary may be posted on our website if the project is funded. The summary should tell the story of what the proposed project will do (project goals and objectives); how the project will be conducted (project activities and timelines, project geographic area, number of participants, etc); and expected outcomes and benefits of the proposed project.

3. Project Narrative (limit 5 pages).

This section will be a detailed description of the project goals, objectives, and activities;

performance measures for the period of the proposed work and the expected results or outcomes; information that demonstrates the need for the project; descriptions of methodologies and time-lines for all phases of work; and, if applicable, the relationship to other ongoing work, or work planned, anticipated, or underway through Federal Assistance or other means. The project description should be a clear statement of all work to be undertaken and must include the information listed below.

(a) Project goals and objectives: This section should very briefly state the project goal, Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 21 and how this goal will address the problem or opportunity the project intends to address.

(b) Project activities and plans: This section is the technical or scientific plan of activities that are to be accomplished during the project. This description should include detailed descriptions of the specific plan and/or methods that will be employed.

(c) Milestone Schedule. This section should display timelines for each of the major tasks, activities, or objectives.

(d) Benefits or results expected: Clearly identify the outcomes, results, and benefits of the project. Describe how these expected outcomes, results, or products will be applied and/or made available to any appropriate user groups. This section should also include information on how you will measure success of the project.

(e) Project management: Describe how the project will be organized and managed and who will be responsible for carrying out project activities. The lead organization/ individual and person listed as the technical contact should be identified as the Project Manager (PM) or Principal Investigator (PI). Use of sub-contractors or volunteer staff time to complete project activities and oversight of those individuals should be discussed.

4. Budget Justification (not to exceed 2 pages in length).

Each application must include clear and concise budget information covering total project costs, both on the required Federal forms and in a detailed budget narrative.

(a) Applications must include OMB standard form 424A, "Budget information - Non Construction Programs." All instructions should be read before completing the form, and the amounts per category and total amounts indicated on the form should correspond with amounts indicated in the budget narrative and justification. This form should include both the federal and non-federal (matching funds) in separate lines/columns. In "SECTION B - BUDGET CATEGORIES" the amount requested from the federal government should be on column (1); the non-federal portion (matching funds) should be in column (2).

(b) The budget narrative/justification should include a sheet/table of costs as well as a written justification that supports the table. We strongly recommend using the NOAA Grant Management Budget Narrative guidance that can be found on their website:

https://go.usa.gov/xPjNf. The budget narrative should be a maximum of 2-pages. The table should be a detailed list of costs per category. The justification should describe and justify the listed costs. The costs should be broken out in both the corresponding Federal and non- Federal share (direct and indirect cost). If in-kind contributions are included, describe briefly the basis for estimating the value of these contributions.

(c) 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 21 the de minimis indirect cost rate of 10% of MTDC (as allowable under 2 C.F.R.

§200.414). If the de minimis rate is used, this should be stated within the budget narrative and justification. The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions Section B.06. The NOAA contact for indirect or facilities and administrative costs is: Lamar Revis, Grants Officer NOAA Grants Management Division 1325 East West Highway 9th Floor Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 lamar.revis@noaa.gov

5. Data Management Plan.

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

6. Appendices (maximum 10 pages).

Abbreviated curricula vitae or resumes of the PM and any Co-Managers should be included with the application. Additional material that is necessary or useful to the description of the project may also be provided (e.g., letters of collaboration, tables or visual materials). Letters of collaboration which document partners or community involvement are strongly recommended.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

To enable the use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public, as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U. S. C. 6101 note, to the extent applicable, any proposal awarded in response to this announcement will be required to use the System for Award Management (SAM). Which may be accessed online at http://www.sam.gov, as well as the Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS ) as identified in OMB guidance published at 2 C.F.R. Part 25 which may be accessed at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

Each applicant is required to: (i) be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier 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.

The DUNS number remains the official identifier until April 4, 2022. After April 04 2022, there will be a new Unique Entity Identifier number in place. More info here:

https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systemsmanagement/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entityidentifier-update

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D. Submission Dates and Times

Complete proposals/applications must be received by the NOAA NMFS Alaska Regional Office on or before 7:59 p.m., Alaska Standard Time (AST), April 1, 2022.

Proposals received after the established deadline will be rejected and returned to the sender without consideration. For proposals submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication will be the basis of determining timeliness. The proposal must be validated by Grants.gov in order to be considered timely. It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline.

For those without access to the Internet, one signed original and two hard copy applications must be postmarked or received by the established due date. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. (Note that late-arriving hard copy proposals provided to a delivery service on or before 7:59 p.m. on the closing date for applications will be accepted for review if the applicant can document that the proposal was provided to the guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time and if the proposal is received by the NOAA NMFS Alaska Regional Office no later than 7:59 p.m., five business days following the closing date.) Private metered postmarks are not acceptable.

No facsimile or electronic mail proposals will be accepted.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 19 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372.

To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4- 13-20.pdf.

F. Funding Restrictions

NOAA will not consider expenses associated with fees, fund-raising activities, travel for activities not directly related to project implementation, travel or salaries for Federal employees, or profit as allowable costs in the proposed budget. The total costs of a project consist of all allowable costs incurred in accomplishing project activities during the project period. Project costs can only include support for activities conducted between the effective start date and end date of the award, and cannot include activities undertaken either before or after the agreed upon dates. Applicants will not be reimbursed for time expended or costs

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 21 incurred in developing a project or in preparing an application, or in any discussions or negotiations with the agency prior to the award. Such expenditures may not be considered as part of the applicant's cost share or matching contribution.

G. Other Submission Requirements

Full Applications should be submitted through www.grants.gov. If you do not have Internet access, an application package may submitted to Kristin Cieciel, Federal Program Officer, NOAA/NMFS PO Box 21668, Juneau Alaska 99802-1668

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

A. Evaluation Criteria Reviewers will assign scores to applications ranging from 0-100 points based on the following five standard NOAA evaluation criteria. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors that the reviewers will consider to determine how well an application meets the criterion. We encourage applicants to make explicit connections to the evaluation criterion and factors in their applications.

Written comments are required to justify provided scores in each section of the review.

Applications that best address these criteria will be most competitive.

1. Importance and/or Relevance of Proposed Project to the Program Goals (25 points) This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.

• Does the proposal adequately describe its relevance to a Program Priority?

• Will the project improve communication, education, and training on marine resource issues throughout the region?

• Will the project increase scientific education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents?

• Does the project include or showcase valuable and appropriate partnerships?

2. Technical/Scientific Merit (20 points) 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. Proposals should provide a clear definition of the project design, strengths and/or weaknesses and the means that are to be employed for securing productive results.

• Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project?

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• Are the objectives in the proposal clearly defined and focused, realistic and can be reached within the proposed project period?

• Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider ways to resolve the issues or implement alternative tactics?

• Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

• Is sufficient detail provided in the proposal about the methods proposed for monitoring and evaluating the success of the project, and are they appropriate?

3. Overall Qualifications of the Applicants (15 points) This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.

• Does the applicant have the capacity/knowledge to conduct the scope and scale of the proposed work, as indicated by the qualifications and past experience of the project leaders and/or partners that show adequate administrative capability and experience in successfully completing similar projects?

• Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the proposed project?

• Does the proposal include resumes of the Principal Investigator(s)?

• In cases where subcontracts are proposed for carrying out specific tasks, are the quality/appropriateness of the personnel, facilities and procedures (laboratory methods, work plan and or quality oversight procedures) adequate?

4. Project Costs (15 points) This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame. This includes reviewing the reasonableness of the costs associated with the required tasks to be performed, and the overall relationship with the cost effectiveness for successfully completing the project.

• Is the proposed budget cost-effective and realistic based on the applicant’s stated objectives, time frame, and amount of overall project budget already secured from other sources?

• Is the proposed budget sufficiently detailed, with appropriate budget breakdown and justification of costs by object class?

5. Outreach and Education (25 points) This criterion assesses whether the project provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy regarding NOAA's mission to protect the Nation's natural resources.

• Does the proposal identify anticipated benefits, potential users, indicators of success, and methods of disseminating results?

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• Is an effective method proposed for dissemination of project results? Are the various target audiences, such as the fishing community or the general public, identified?

B. Review and Selection Process

Screening, review, and selection procedures will take place in 3 steps: initial screening;

panel review; and final selection by the Selecting Official (the NOAA/NMFS Regional Administrator).

1. Initial Screening An initial administrative review is conducted on each application to determine compliance with application requirements and completeness of application materials. Applications determined to be ineligible, incomplete or non-responsive will be eliminated from further review. When applications are received, they will be screened to ensure that they were received by the deadline date (see Section IV. C. Submission Dates and Times); the applicant is eligible to apply; the proposed project addresses one of the funding priorities;

and that the application includes a project summary, project description, budget, and supporting documentation as outlined in Section IV.B. Content and Form of Application. We do not have to screen applications before the submission deadline in order to identify deficiencies that would cause your application to be rejected so that you would have an opportunity to correct them. However, should we do so and provide you information about deficiencies, or should you independently decide it is desirable to do so, you may correct any deficiencies in your application before the deadline. After the deadline, the application must remain as submitted; no changes can be made to it. If your application does not conform to the requirements listed above, and the deadline for submission has passed, the application will be rejected without further consideration.

2. Panel Review After the initial screening, each application will be reviewed by three or more appropriate federal experts with subject matter expertise. The reviewers will meet and evaluate each proposal individually based on its own merit against the evaluation criteria described in Section Evaluation Criteria. All applications, regardless of priority, will be reviewed in this manner.

Prior to the meeting or webinar, each reviewer will independently evaluate each project and provide an individual score prior to the panel meeting or webinar. During the panel meeting or webinar, reviewers may revise their scores and comments. Reviewers will submit their final proposal scores to the competition manager by the end of the panel meeting or Webinar. After the panel scores are submitted, a compilation of all proposals in rank order is developed based on the average score from the reviewer scores.

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3. Selection After applications have undergone the panel review, the Selecting Official will make the final decision regarding which applications will be funded based upon the numerical rankings and evaluations of the applications.

C. Selection Factors

The NOAA AKRO Regional Administrator, as the Selecting Official, will review the funding recommendation and comments of the reviewers to determine which applications will be recommended to the NOAA Grants Officer. The Selecting Official shall recommend proposals to the Grants Officer for funding 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 listed in no order of significance:

1. Availability of funds;

2. Balance/distribution of funds;

a. By research area;

b. By project type;

c. By type of Applicant;

d. By type of partners;

e. Geographic distribution;

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

4. Program priorities as noted in Section I A. and B;

5. Applicant's prior award performance in conducting a previous award, such as the applicant’s use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The Selecting Official may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable quality;

6. Partnerships with/Participation of targeted groups;

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

D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

The competitive selection process and subsequent notification of applications being considered for funding are expected to be complete by June 2022. The earliest start date for projects will be July 1, 2022, dependent upon availability of Federal funding, acceptable completion of all NOAA/applicant negotiations including NEPA analysis and permit requirements, and the provision of other supporting documentation as requested.

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VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

Upon completion of the review and selection process, successful applicants will receive notification from a NMFS Regional representative that the application has been recommended for funding selection to the NOAA Grants Management Division. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the project, and it is not a guarantee of funding. Official notification of funding, signed by the NOAA Grants Officer, is the authorizing document that allows the project to begin. This notification will be issued to the Authorizing Representative of the project either electronically through use of Grants Online or in hard copy. Projects should not be initiated in expectation of Federal funding until the Applicant’s Authorized Representative has received official notice of the award from the NOAA Grants Officer and has reviewed and accepted the terms of the award.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified their proposal was not recommended for funding or was not reviewed because it did not meet the minimum requirements described in IV.B (Content and Form of Applications). Unsuccessful paper applications will not be returned to the applicant.

Successful applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets prior to final approval of an award. The exact amount of funds to be awarded, the final scope of activities, the project duration, and specific NOAA cooperative involvement with the activities of each project will be determined in pre-award negotiations among the applicant, the NOAA Grants Office, and NOAA program staff.

Award documents provided by the Grants Officer may contain special award conditions limiting the use of funds for activities that have outstanding environmental compliance requirements. These special award conditions may also include other compliance requirements for the award, as applicable, and will be applied on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review award documents carefully before accepting a Federal award so they are fully aware of the relevant Standard Terms and Conditions as well as any Special Award Conditions that have been placed on the award.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRE-AWARD NOTIFICATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.

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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

2. 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 apply to awards in this program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.

3. DOC TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Successful applicants that accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. This document will be provided in the award package in NOAA’s Grants Online system at http:// www.ago.noaa.gov and at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financialassistance-policy.

In addition, award documents provided by the NOAA grants office though the Grants Online award package may contain program-specific award conditions.

4. NOAA SEXUAL ASSUALT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND

RESPONSE POLICY APPLICABLE TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AWARD.

If NOAA-operated, leased, or owned facilities are involved in any awards funded under this announcement, such awards are subject to the NOAA Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Policy Applicable to Financial Assistance Awards Involving NOAA Operated Facilities (May 2018) found at:

https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/Feb/NOAA%20Sexual%20 Assault%20and%20Sexual%20Harassment%20Prevention%20and%20Response%20Policy %20Applicable%20to%20Financial%20Assistance%20Awards%20Involving%20NOAANo ticeOperated%20Facilities%20%28May%202018%29%20%281%29.pdf. If the use of a vessel(s) under NOAA contract, order, grant, or cooperative agreement is involved in any awards funded under this announcement where the non-Federal entity employees are anticipated to be crew members aboard the vessel(s), such awards are subject to the NOAA Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Policy Applicable to Financial Assistance Awards Involving the use of a Vessel(s) under NOAA Contract, Order, Grant, or Cooperative Agreement (May 2018) found at:

https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/Feb/NOAA%20Sexual%20 Assault%20and%20Sexual%20Harassment%20Prevention%20and%20Response%20Policy

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%20Applicable%20to%20Financial%20Assistance%20Awards%20Involving%20the%20Us e%20of%20a%20Vessel%28s%29%20%281%29.pdf

5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the availability of FY 2022 Federal appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice that an amount of funds has not yet been determined nor appropriated for the ANO program described in this notice and are advised that the competition described herein may be subject to cancellation due to unavailability of funding or revision of agency priorities. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award funding for specific projects or to obligate available funds. You should not initiate your project in expectation of Federal funding until you receive a grant award document signed by an authorized NOAA official. If you incur any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, you do so solely at your own risk of these costs not being included under the award.

6. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA).

If recommended for funding, applicants whose proposed projects may have an environmental impact will be asked to furnish sufficient information to assist NOAA in assessing the potential environmental consequences of supporting the project. NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for each project which seeks NOAA funding. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following NOAA NEPA web site:

www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our NOAA Administrative order 216-6 for NEPA, https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-216-6a, and the Council on Environmental Quality implementation regulations.

If needed by NOAA for NEPA assessment, applicants will be asked 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. The 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 21

Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental.

7. 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 to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) about any information included in the system about their organization for consideration by the awarding agency

8. 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.

9. USE OF APPLICANT INFORMATION AND THE FREEDOM OF

INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

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 Department of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2 C.F. § 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. In the event that an application contains information or data that

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 21 you do not want disclosed prior to award for purposes other than the evaluation of the application, mark each page containing such information or data with the words “Privileged, Confidential, Commercial, or Financial Information - Limited Use” at the top of the page to assist NOAA in making disclosure determinations. DOC regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, which sets forth rules for DOC to make requested materials, information, and records publicly available under FOIA. The contents of funded applications may be subject to requests for release under the FOIA. Based on the information provided by the applicant, the confidentiality of the content of funded applications will be maintained to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

This collection of information contains requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and SFLLL and CD-346 has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control numbers 0348- 0040, 0348-0044, 0348-0043, 0348-0046 and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number.

11. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT/REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ACT

Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required by the Administrative procedure Act or any other law for rules concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comments are not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared, and none has been prepared. It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.

C. Reporting

1. Award recipients will be required to submit financial and performance (technical) reports. Financial Status Reports (SF-425) are required to be submitted to the Grants Officer semi-annually, or as outlined in the award conditions. Financial Status Reports should be entered directly into the Grants Online system.

2. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, includes a

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 21 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 Federal Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS) available at https://www.fsrs.gov/ on all sub-awards over $25,000.

Refer to 2 CFR Part 170.

3. Performance Progress Reports Basic information that should be in all report submissions includes the project title, award number, dates of the award period, dates of the reporting period, and the name(s) of the grantee and the principal investigator. Inclusion of media such as photography and statistics (tables, graphs, etc.) to help document programmatic activities in report submissions is also encouraged. Pertinent, captioned photographs of project activities are requested, and may be included within the progress report document submitted via Grants Online. Semi-annual progress reports should describe the tasks accomplished within the reporting period (from the proposal and amendments) and the tasks that were actually accomplished in the period, using the evaluation criteria (metrics) for each objective as outlined in your Project Description (see section IV.B.3.c).

The report should also explain any special problems or differences between the scheduled and accomplished work.

(a) Report title, reporting period, organization, project manager/investigator, grant number, date.

(b) Executive Summary: A brief and succinct summary of the project.

(c) Purpose:

- Detailed description of problem or impediment that was addressed by the project.

- Objectives of the project.

(d) Approach: Detailed description of the work that was performed.

(e) Project Management: List individuals and/or organizations actually performing the work and how it was done.

(f) Findings/Results:

- Actual accomplishments and findings.

- If significant problems developed which resulted in less than satisfactory or negative results, these should be discussed.

- Description of need for additional work, if any.

- Collected data during the course of the performance period should be included in tabular format (e.g., spreadsheet). Final reports must include a complete dataset of data collected during performance period.

(g) Evaluation:

- Describe the extent to which the project goals and objectives were attained. This

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 21 description should address the following: Were the goals and objectives attained?

How? If not, why? Were modifications made to the goals and objectives?

If so, explain.

(h) Dissemination of project results:

- Explain, in detail, how the project’s results have been and will be disseminated.

4. Publications, Videos, and Acknowledgement of Sponsorship Publication of the results or findings of the funded award activities in appropriate professional journals, outreach materials, or press releases, and production of video or other media is encouraged as an important method of recording and reporting scientific information. These are also constructive means to expand access to Federally funded research. The recipient is required to submit a copy of any publication to the funding agency, and when releasing information related to a funded project, include a statement that the project or effort undertaken was or is sponsored by NOAA Fisheries Service.