NOAA-NMFS-AK-2024-2008190 NOFO Report.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 4

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 5 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 9 D. Submission Dates and Times 9 E. Intergovernmental Review 9 F. Funding Restrictions 10 G. Other Submission Requirements 10

V. Application Review Information 10 A. Evaluation Criteria 10 B. Review and Selection Process 12 C. Selection Factors 13 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 13

VI. Award Administration Information 14 A. Award Notices 14 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 15 C. Reporting 20

VII. Agency Contacts 22 VIII. Other Information 22

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 22

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-2024-2008190

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), March 1, 2024. 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 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 2024 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 residents in fishing, fishery management, subsistence 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 22 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. Indigenous Knowledge: Projects that enhance science-based management of fishery resources and marine mammals of the region though indigenous 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 $200,000.

Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon FY 2024 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 may be submitted for up to $50,000 but are unlikely to be funded if they exceed $25,000. Minimum amount of funding for a proposal is $15,000. Award amounts will be determined by the proposals and available funds. There is a limit of one application that can be submitted by the same applicant. 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 12-18 months in duration. July 1, 2024 is the earliest recommended start date to be used on proposals, unless otherwise directed by the 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 22 include assisting in the development of educational materials. Additional information on Cooperative Agreements can be found in Chapter 5.C of the Department of Commerce (DoC) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, which is currently available at:

https://www.commerce.gov/oam/files/grants-and-cooperative-agreements-grants-manual-april-20-2021

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are individuals (as legal entities, such as sole proprietorships or limited liability companies), 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

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.

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 22 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. 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 22 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, 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 22 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://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for- NOAA-grants.pdf. 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 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: Raishan Adams, Grants Officer NOAA Grants Management Division 1325 East West Highway 9th Floor Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 raishan.adams@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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 22 of collaboration which document partners or community involvement are strongly recommended.

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.gov 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 UEI and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Complete proposals/applications must be received by the NOAA NMFS Alaska Regional Office on or before 7:59 p.m., Alaska Standard Time (AST), March 1, 2024.

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

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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 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

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.

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 22 relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities.

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

• Are the costs reasonable for the proposed activities?

• 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?

Technical/Scientific Merit (25 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?

• 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 (25 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. Outreach and Education (25 points) This criterion assesses whether the project provides a focused and effective education and

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 22 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?

• 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 Panel 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 2024. The earliest start date for projects will be July 1, 2024, 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 if 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.

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.

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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. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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 NOAA’s Grants Online system at http://www.ago.noaa.gov and at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy.

5. BUREAU TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Successful applicants who accept an award under this solicitation will be bound by bureau-specific standard terms and conditions. These terms and conditions will be provided in the award package in NOAA’s Grants Online system. For NOAA awards only, the Administrative Standard Award Conditions for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Financial Assistance Awards U.S. Department of Commerce are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 22 at https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/financial-assistance.

6. HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH. For research projects involving Human Subjects, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or an exemption determination will be required in accordance with DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions “Research Involving Human Subjects” found at https://www.commerce.gov/oam/policy/financial-assistance-policy.

7. 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 specific 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.

8. 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 22 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.

9. 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.

10. REQUIRED USE OF AMERICAN IRON, STEEL, MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS,

AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS. If applicable, and pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“IIJA”), Pub.L. No. 117-58, which includes the Build American, Buy American (BABA) Act, Pub. L. No. 117-58, §§ 70901-52 and OMB M-22-11, recipients of an award of Federal financial assistance from the Department of Commerce (DOC) are hereby notified that none of the funds provided under this award may be used for a project for infrastructure unless: 1) all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States–this means all manufacturing processes, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States; 2) all manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States—this means the manufactured product was manufactured in the United States; and the cost of the components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent of the total cost of all components of the manufactured product, unless another standard for determining the minimum amount of domestic content of the manufactured product has been established under applicable law or regulation; and 3) all construction materials are manufactured in the United States—this means that all manufacturing processes for the construction material occurred in the United States. The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project but are not an integral part of the structure or permanently affixed to the infrastructure project. WAIVERS. When necessary, recipients may apply for, and DOC may grant, a waiver from these requirements.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 22

DOC will notify the recipient for information on the process for requesting a waiver from these requirements. 1) When DOC has made a determination that one of the following exceptions applies, the awarding official may waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference in any case in which DOC determines that: a. applying the domestic content procurement preference would be inconsistent with the public interest; b. the types of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or of a satisfactory quality; or c. the inclusion of iron, steel, manufactured products, or construction materials produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent. A request to waive the application of the domestic content procurement preference must be in writing.

DOC will provide instructions on the format, contents, and supporting materials required for any waiver request. Waiver requests are subject to public comment periods of no less than 15 days and must be reviewed by the Made in America Office. There may be instances where an award qualifies, in whole or in part, for an existing waiver described at whitehouse.gov/omb/management/made-in-america. DEFINITIONS. “Construction materials” includes an article, material, or supply—other than an item of primarily iron or steel; a manufactured product; cement and cementitious materials; aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel; or aggregate binding agents or additives —that is or consists primarily of:

non-ferrous metals; plastic and polymer-based products (including polyvinyl chloride, composite building materials, and polymers used in fiber optic cables); glass (including optic glass); lumber; or drywall. “Domestic content procurement preference’’ means all iron and steel used in the project are produced in the United States; the manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States; or the construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States. “Infrastructure” includes, at a minimum, the structures, facilities, and equipment for, in the United States, roads, highways, and bridges;

public transportation; dams, ports, harbors, and other maritime facilities; intercity passenger and freight railroads; freight and intermodal facilities; airports; water systems, including drinking water and wastewater systems; electrical transmission facilities and systems;

utilities; broadband infrastructure; and buildings and real property. Infrastructure includes facilities that generate, transport, and distribute energy. ‘‘Project’’ means the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of infrastructure in the United States. -- 1 Excludes cement and cementitious materials, aggregates such as stone, sand, or gravel, or aggregate binding agents or additives. 2 IIJA, § 70917(c)(1).

11. NOAA SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION AND

RESPONSE POLICY.

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 22 establish and maintain clear and unambiguous standards of behavior to ensure harassment free workplaces wherever NOAA grant or cooperative agreement work is conducted, including notification pathways for all personnel, including students, on the awards. This expectation includes activities at all on- and offsite facilities and during conferences and workshops. All such settings should have accessible and evident means for reporting violations and recipients should exercise due diligence with timely investigations of allegations and corrective actions. For more information, please visit:

https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial.

12. SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY. 1. Maintaining Integrity. The non-Federal entity shall maintain the scientific integrity of research performed pursuant to this grant or financial assistance award including the prevention, detection, and remediation of any allegations regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, and the conduct of inquiries, investigations, and adjudications of allegations of violations of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct. All the requirements of this provision flow down to subrecipients. 2. Peer Review. The peer review of the results of scientific activities under a NOAA grant, financial assistance award or cooperative agreement shall be accomplished to ensure consistency with NOAA standards on quality, relevance, scientific integrity, reproducibility, transparency, and performance. NOAA will ensure that peer review of "influential scientific information" or "highly influential scientific assessments" is conducted in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review and NOAA policies on peer review, such as the Information Quality Guidelines. 3. In performing or presenting the results of scientific activities under the NOAA grant, financial assistance award, or cooperative agreement and in responding to allegations regarding the violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct, the non-Federal entity and all subrecipients shall comply with the provisions herein and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 202-735D, Scientific Integrity, and its Procedural Handbook, including any amendments thereto. That Order can be found http://nrc.noaa.gov/ScientificIntegrityCommons.aspx. 4. Primary Responsibility. The non- Federal entity shall have the primary responsibility to prevent, detect, and investigate allegations of a violation of scientific integrity or scientific and research misconduct.