NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2020-2006198 Full Announcement.pdf

2020 Marine Recreational Fisheries Photo Contest

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 3 C. Program Authority 3

II. Award Information 3 A. Funding Availability 3 B. Project/Award Period 4 C. Type of Funding Instrument 4

III. Eligibility Information 4 A. Eligible Applicants 4 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) 8 D. Submission Dates and Times 9 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 13 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 14

VI. Award Administration Information 14 A. Award Notices 14 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 15 C. Reporting 18

VII. Agency Contacts 18 VIII. Other Information 19

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 19

ANNOUNCEMENT OF 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: 2020 Marine Recreational Fisheries Photo Contest

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2020-2006198

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, Unallied Management Projects

Dates: Full proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements and must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 21, 2019. See Section IV.D. of this Announcement for further details. Failure to follow these requirements will result in proposals being returned without review.

Funding Opportunity Description: Funding Opportunity Description: The Recreational Fisheries Engagement Initiative works to advance the goals and objectives of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy, including to promote saltwater recreational fishing for the social, cultural, and economic benefit of the nation. Through the Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS proposes to fund one project to develop, manage and promote a national photo contest highlighting saltwater recreational fishing in waters of the United States and US territories.

For Fiscal Year 2020, NMFS anticipates that approximately $65,000 could be made available for such a project.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The Recreational Fisheries Engagement Initiative, through NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) proposes to fund one project to develop, promote, and manage, a national photo contest highlighting saltwater recreational fishing in waters of the United States and US territories. Saltwater recreational fishing is a key component of the United States’ blue economy and contributes to societal and family wellbeing. The project seeks to positively highlight saltwater recreational fishing as a means to bolster interest in outdoor recreational activity.

B. Program Priorities

The Recreational Fisheries Engagement Initiative, through NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) proposes to fund one project to develop, promote, and manage, a national photo contest highlighting saltwater recreational fishing in waters of the United States and US territories. Saltwater recreational fishing is a key component of the United States’ blue economy and contributes to societal and family wellbeing. The project seeks to positively highlight saltwater recreational fishing as a means to bolster interest in outdoor recreational activity and increase the visibility of NOAA Fisheries within the marine recreational fishing community.

C. Program Authority

16 U.S.C. 753a; 16 U.S.C. 661 – Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C 661), implemented through Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to provide assistance to, and cooperate with, Federal, State, and public or private agencies and organizations in the development, protection, rearing, and stocking of all species of wildlife, resources thereof, and their habitat, in controlling losses of the same from disease or other causes, and in minimizing damages from overabundant species.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

This solicitation announces approximately $65,000 in federal funds that may be available in FY 2020 to provide support for one project. NOAA does not anticipate funding project proposals requesting greater than the $65,000 in federal funding. The projects will be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 19 up to one year, as described in Section II. B. below. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make an award. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government.

Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made, or the award is for research, per 2 C.F.R. 200.308.

B. Project/Award Period

Applicants should propose a one year (12-month) period of performance, inclusive of program design, development, and management with photo contest promotion. Proposals should clearly identify objectives and products to be completed during that period of activity.

The requested start date must begin on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. The expected start date for projects will be December 1, 2019.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Under this solicitation, NMFS/OSF will fund the project as a cooperative agreement.

The cooperative agreement has been determined to be the appropriate funding instrument because of the substantial involvement by NOAA. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NOAA scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, collaborate, or participate in project activities in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. The dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardee for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and NOAA. The exact amount of funds, the scope of work, and terms and conditions of a successful award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA/NMFS representatives.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are individuals, institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, for profit organizations, foreign public entities or foreign organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or instrumentalities are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice.

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B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Applicants are not required to provide cost sharing or matching funds. However, if included in a project proposal, cost sharing and/or matching funds, including in-kind contributions, will be a factor considered when determining the awardee (see evaluation criteria, Section V.A).

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility n/a

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Address to Request Application Package - Electronic application packages for full applications are strongly encouraged and are available at: http://www.grants.gov.

If the applicant has difficulty accessing Grants.gov or downloading the required forms from the NMFS/OSF website. They may also contact the Office of Sustainable Fisheries:

Derek Orner Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-427-8567 derek.orner@noaa.gov

B. Content and Form of Application

All application materials should be submitted in Adobe PDF or a common word processing format, and when printed out should meet all format requirements. All pages must be double spaced, printed or typed in at least 12-point font, and printable on 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, with 1-inch margins.

Full Application Format:

The full application includes required Federal forms, a Project Summary (one page limit), Project Narrative (double-spaced 10 page limit), Appendices or Attachments (15 page limit, including the outline of a plan to promote the project), and Budget Narrative (no page limit).

Applicants must submit the following forms during initial submission of the application:

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424), Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 19

• Budget Information, Non-construction Programs (SF-424A),

• Assurances, Non-construction Programs (SF424B),

• Certification Regarding Lobbying (CD511)

Applicants may submit the information typically included on these documents through the http://www.grants.gov/ website.

Proposal format should be in at least a 12 point font and double-spaced. Brevity will assist reviewers and program staff in dealing effectively with proposals. Therefore, the Project Narrative may not exceed 10 pages double-spaced. Tables and visual materials, including charts, graphs, maps, photographs and other pictorial presentations are included in the 10-page limit. Appendices may be included but must not exceed a total of 15 pages in length.

Data (e.g., contest photos, participant registration data), data access agreements, milestones, and a promotion plan, as well as budgets and justifications, project summary, cost rate documentation, and previous, current and pending support sections do not count towards the 15-page limit for appendices. Appendices or attachments may be combined into a single file and include information such as descriptions of organizational capacity, resumes, and/or letters of support. Additional informational material beyond the page limits will be disregarded.

In addition to the Federal Forms listed above, proposals must include the following information in the format outlined below.

a. Project summary (1-page limit):

(1) Organization title.

(2) Project manager(s).

(3) Address, telephone number, and email address of Project manager(s).

(4) Project title.

(5) Project objectives for the project period.

(6) Summary of work to be performed within the project period.

(7) Budget Information - Total Federal funds requested for federal fiscal year 2020.

b. Project Narrative (10 page limit):

The project narrative should provide a holistic overview of the project, including a description of how the project may assist in promoting a positive image of saltwater recreational fishing in the United States and US territories while increasing the visibility of NOAA Fisheries within the marine recreational fishing community.

Recognizing that the project and project plans will be further developed and refined over time, the narrative should describe:

• Key anticipated project steps and milestones (a separate detailed timeline may be attached as an appendix);

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• Proposed management approach of the project;

• Outline the contest promotional plan, including the types of promotional materials to be developed, anticipated methods of outreach / distribution (media and platforms), and other related activities;

• Provide an estimate of the number of media (social and/or print) impressions promotional activities may achieve;

• Describe the general process for managing and vetting photo submissions and how contest winners will be chosen.

• The narrative should discuss the applicant’s institutional capacity to target and reach a national audience of recreational saltwater fishermen and women; make use of multiple of types of media (e.g. electronic, paper, TV, etc.) and media platforms (e.g., electronic media has multiple platforms: web based, email, social, etc); and, manage, vet, and post photo submissions.

• This announcement is not seeking proposals that generate environmental data.

Therefore, a Data Management Plan is not required as part of the Proposal.

Applicants should be prepared to require that participants in the photography contest adhere to responsible photo contest requirements, such as obtaining releases from recognizable models and for depictions of the work of others, refraining from objectionable content, assuring the safety and welfare of people and animals involved in a photo, compliance with Federal requirements if unoccupied aerial systems are used, etc. Applicants should be aware of applicable intellectual property requirements at 2 C.F.R. 200.315 and the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions (see Section VI.B. of this Announcement), particularly Terms C.03 and G.05.k (2019). The funding recipient owns any work produced or purchased under a Federal award subject to the Commerce Department’s royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work or authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Government purposes. The recipient may be required to submit a copy of any publication materials, including but not limited to print, recorded, or Internet materials, to NOAA. While creators of content have intellectual property rights in their works, the photo contest requirements should allow for compliance with these Federal requirements.

The narrative should also succinctly discuss any relevant experience in managing similar photo, video, or art contests. The narrative should describe the applicant’s connection to and general reputation among the saltwater recreational fishing community and how this may contribute to project success.

The project narrative should discuss how the proposal addresses the evaluation criteria identified in section V.

c. Total project costs and Budget Narrative:

Total project costs are the amount of funds required to accomplish what is proposed in the Project Description.

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Applicants should provide a detailed table with Budget Narrative (as an attachment not included in the page limits for the Project Narrative or Appendices) to support the requested items or activities (personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contract costs (such as vessel charters), and indirect costs.) Supplies (<$5,000/item) and equipment (>= $5,000/item) should be broken out in as much detail as possible. The budget table and narrative submitted with the application should match the dollar amounts on the SF-424 and SF-424A forms. If indirect costs are proposed, include a copy of the current Federally approved rate if applicable; see also Section IV.E.1. below. Additional cost detail may be required prior to a final analysis of overall cost allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Please note the following restrictions for salaries and fringe benefits: Funds for salaries and fringe benefits may be requested only for those personnel who are directly involved in implementing the proposed project and whose salaries and fringe benefits are directly related to specific products or outcomes of the proposed project. Hourly rates and projected hours worked on the project and/or percentage of time and yearly salary should be included for all salary requests. Applicants are strongly encouraged to request reasonable amounts of funding for salaries and fringe benefits to ensure the proposal is competitive.

All proposed costs must be reasonable, allowable, allocable, and necessary to the supported activity. Additional Budget Narrative Guidance may be found at http://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/training.html.

d. Indirect Cost Rate - 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 Modified Total Direct Costs (as allowable under 2 C.F.R. §200.414). The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions. 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, MD 20910, or lamar.revis@noaa.gov.

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

Unless excepted under 2 C.F.R. 25.110, each applicant is required to: (1) be registered in the Federal System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting its application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 19

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.

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 https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.

Applicants are also required to use a unique entity identifier, as identified in OMB guidance published at 2 CFR Parts 25, which may be accessed at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=2dae4a7dcd5848a6364bb94d2d7786dd&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02 /2subtitleA.tpl. Follow instructions at www.grants.gov to obtain a free unique entity identifier.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Full proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements and must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 21, 2019. Failure to follow these requirements will result in proposals being returned without review. Important: All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Please keep in mind that acquiring a unique identifier number and the registration processes for SAM.gov and Grants.gov may take as long as several weeks and may affect your submission timeline (see Sections IV.C. and IV.G. of this announcement).

Applicants should submit applications electronically (through http://www.grants.gov/). E-mail or Facsimile transmissions of proposals will not be accepted. To use Grants.gov, applicants must have active Grants.gov registration, a DUNS or other valid unique identifier number, and be registered with SAM.gov (as described in Section IV.C). Applicants should note that it may take up to several weeks for first time users to register with each of these systems. Even if an applicant has registered with each of these systems previously, renewing, updating or reactivating accounts are required prior to proposal submission, and may take some time to complete. Grants.gov will not accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect. Authorizations and credential corrections can take several days. For further information please visit http://www.sam.gov. See also 2 C.F.R. 25.

Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. If an applicant has problems downloading the application forms from Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

The Grants.gov validation process for a submitted application can take up to two business days to complete following submission through Grants.gov. After submission, Grants.gov will send a series of e-mail notifications (potentially for up to two business days) indicating

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 19 the application’s status and whether NOAA's system has received your application. Only validated applications are sent to NOAA for review. Please plan your time accordingly to avoid late submissions as such submissions will be rejected.

If Grants.gov cannot reasonably be used for submitting the full proposal, or internet access is not available to the applicant, a paper-copy application package (as outlined in Section IV.B.

"Content and Form of Application") must be postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on November 21, 2019. Mailed applications must have a tracking number and be received within 5 business days of the deadline. Paper applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Applicants are responsible for tracking their own applications. Please notify the Derek Orner, Derek.orner@noaa.gov, by email if you are submitting a paper application.

Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their guarantees. The mailing address for paper applications is:

Derek Orner, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Phone: 301-427-8567. Email: Derek.orner@noaa.gov.

Applications must follow the format described in this document and must be complete.

Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of NMFS as to the relative merits of the project described in the application.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." A funding applicant 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, if applicable.

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/2017/11/Intergovernmental_-Review-_SPOC_01_2018_OFFM.pdf.

F. Funding Restrictions

1. Indirect Cost Rates If the applicant does not have a current negotiated rate and plans to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, documentation necessary to establish a rate must be submitted within 90 days of receiving an award to Lamar Revis, Grants Officer, NOAA Grants Management Division, 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910. In accordance with 2 C.F.R.

§ 200.414(f), a recipient that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC).

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2. Allowable Costs Funds awarded cannot necessarily pay for all the costs that the recipient might incur in the course of carrying out the project. Allowable costs are determined by reference to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, codified at 2 C.F.R. Part 200. Generally, costs that are allowable include salaries, equipment, supplies, and training, as long as these are "necessary and reasonable."

G. Other Submission Requirements

Only applicants that submit complete and timely full proposals will have their proposals reviewed and evaluated. For additional information on application requirements or submission procedures, or any further information about this solicitation, contact:

Derek Orner Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-427-8567 Derek.orner@noaa.gov

Please refer to important information in submission dates and times above (Section IV.D) to help ensure your application is received on time.

For further information about this solicitation, please contact:

Derek Orner Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910

Derek.orner@noaa.gov

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

A. Evaluation Criteria

1. Overall qualifications and institutional capacity of applicants (50 points) This criterion allows NOAA Fisheries determine if the applicant has the general qualifications, understanding, and institutional capacity (staff, resources, expertise, etc.) to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 19 successfully develop a well-informed project plan, create professional quality materials and other essential public facing assets, manage, and host the project.

• Does the application demonstrate a knowledge and comprehension of the challenges associated with developing, promoting, managing, and hosting a nationwide on-line photo submission contest? (5 pts)

• Does the application detail prior institutional experience in successfully completing similar projects? (10 pts)

• Does the proposal include a well crafted plan to manage a nationwide on-line project, and detail the applicant’s institutional capacity to manage a substantial volume of high-resolution photo submissions? (20 pts)

• Does the applicant have a positive reputation among and/or connection to the United States’ saltwater recreational fishing community? (15 pts)

2. Outreach and promotional capacity (30 points) This assesses whether the applicant has the capacity and an initial plan to develop and execute a focused and effective promotional and outreach strategy to secure robust participation in the photo contest.

• Does the application include a thoughtful draft plan to successfully promote participation in the online photo contest, including contest results? (10 pts)

• Does the plan detail the applicants outreach and promotional capacity including the ability to develop and deliver professional quality public facing materials (e.g. promotional materials, website), the types of media, and various platforms within those media, with which it has demonstrated experience and expects to utilize during this project? (10 pts)

• Does the application detail how the applicant intends to effectively reach/target a national audience with a keen interest in saltwater recreational fisheries and achieve a minimum of 1.5 million impressions during promotional activities? (10 pts)

3. Project costs (20 points) The budget is evaluated to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame.

• Is the budget request reasonable, and does the applicant justify the proposed budget request (10 points)?

• Does the overall budget include only those costs necessary to effectively and successfully meet all proposed objectives? (5 points)?

• Does the applicant propose budget matching or in-kind contributions of any kind? (5 points) For scoring purposes, the following schedule will be applied:

o $1 – 15,000 = 1 point o $15,001 – 30,000 = 2 points o $30,001- 45,000 = 3 points

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 19 o $45,001 – 64,999= 4 points o $65,000 and over = 5 points

B. Review and Selection Process

1. Initial Evaluation of Applications:

Once a full application has been received by NMFS/OSF, an initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application.

NOAA, in its sole discretion, may continue the review process for an application with a minor, non-substantive discrepancy that can be easily rectified or cured.

2. Technical Review Applications meeting the requirements of this solicitation will undergo a technical merit review. Technical review is conducted by a minimum of three independent reviewers. Each reviewer will individually evaluate and score proposals (1-100 points) using the evaluation criteria provided in Section V. A. This review will involve subject matter experts from NOAA and potentially other organizations. The reviewers may discuss the applications, but if non-Federal reviewers are used, final scoring will be individual. The technical reviewers' ratings will be used to produce a rank order of the proposals.

C. Selection Factors

The NOAA Federal Program Officer will, in consultation with appropriate OSF and Office of Communications staff, and the National Policy Advisor for Recreational Fisheries, review the ranking of the proposals and make recommendations to the Selecting Official, who is NMFS/OSF Director or designee. The numerical ranking from the Technical review will be the primary consideration by the NMFS/OSF Director in deciding which of the proposals will be recommended for funding to the NOAA Grants Officer. However, the Director of the NMFS/OSF will select proposals after considering the technical reviews and recommendations of the Federal Program Officer. The NMFS/OSF Director shall award in rank order unless it is justified that a proposal be selected out of rank order based upon any of the following factors:

1. Availability of funding.

2. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA, partner organizations, or other federal agencies.

3. Partnerships with/Participation of targeted groups.

NOAA may select all, some, or none of the applications, or part of any application, ask applicants to work together or combine projects, defer applications to the future, or reallocate funds to different funding categories, to the extent authorized. Applicants may be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 19 required, in consultation with NMFS, to further refine or modify study methodology and/or budget as a condition of project approval.

The NOAA Grants Officer will review financial and grants administration aspects of a proposed award, including conducting an assessment of the risk posed by the applicant in accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200.205. See also Review of Risk in Section VI.B.11. of this Announcement. In addition to reviewing repositories of government-wide eligibility, qualifications or financial integrity information, the risk assessment conducted by NOAA may consider items such as the financial stability of an applicant, quality of the applicant’s management systems, an applicant’s history of performance, previous audit reports and audit findings concerning the applicant and the applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities. Upon review of these factors, if appropriate, specific award conditions that respond to the degree of risk may be applied by the NOAA Grants Officer pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.207. In addition, NOAA reserves the right to reject an application in its entirety where information is uncovered that raises a significant risk with respect to the responsibility or suitability of an applicant. The final approval of selected applications and issuance of awards will be by the NOAA Grants Officer. The award decision of the Grants Officer is final.

D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Subject to the availability of funds, review of proposals will occur during the 120-days following the date given in this announcement that the proposals are due to the NMFS/OSF.

Funding should begin during winter 2019-2020. The project should not be expected to begin prior to December 1, 2019, unless otherwise directed by the Federal Program Officer.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

Upon completion of the review and selection process, successful applicants will receive notification from the Federal Program Officer that the application has been recommended for funding to the NOAA Grants Management Division. This notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the project. Official notification of funding, signed by a NOAA Grants Officer, is the authorizing document that allows the project to begin. This notification will be issued by e-mail from NOAA’s electronic system, Grants Online, to the Authorized Representative of the project. The official notice of award in which NOAA obligates funds for a project is the Standard Form CD-450, Financial Assistance Award.

Only the NOAA Grants Officer will issue the CD-450 through Grants Online. The CD-450 award cover page is available at http://go.usa.gov/SNMR. Projects should not be initiated in expectation of Federal funding until the Applicant’s Authorized Representative has received

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 19 official notice of the award from the NOAA Grants Officer and has reviewed and accepted the terms of the award, as such costs are at the risk of the applicant not receiving an award or such costs not being approved. Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification from the Program Office indicating that their proposals were not recommended for funding and provide technical reviewers' comments. Unsuccessful applications will be kept on file in the Program Office for a period of at least 12 months, and then destroyed.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. 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.

2. 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 terms and conditions that have been placed on the award.

3. Award recipients must comply with Executive Order 12906 regarding any and all geospatial data collected or produced under grants or cooperative agreements. This includes documenting all geospatial data in accordance with the Federal Geographic Data Committee Content Standard for digital geospatial data.

4. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Federal 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.

5. 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.

6. The Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions will apply to awards in this program. Successful applicants who accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, which may be amended from time to time. This document will be provided in the award package in NOAA’s Grants Online system at http://www.ago.noaa.gov and a

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 19 current version is available to view at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/documents/Department%20of%20 Commerce%20Standard%20Terms%20Conditions%2030%20April%202019.pdf.

In addition, a current version of NOAA Administrative Terms that will apply to any award are found at: https://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/docs/noaa_standard_conditions.pdf.

7. Limitation of Liability Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the availability of appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds may not have been appropriated yet for the programs listed in this notice. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for direct costs of proposal preparation. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

8. Unpaid or delinquent tax liability When applicable under appropriations law, NOAA will provide certain applicants a form to be completed by the applicant's authorized representative making a certification regarding federally-assessed unpaid or delinquent tax liability or recent felony criminal convictions under any federal law. See http://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/forms.html.

9. NOAA’s Data Sharing Policy See Section IV.B. of this Announcement.

10. 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 19 selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on the environment.

11. 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. 200.205. 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.

12. 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.

13. Access to Information Act. In the event that an application contains information or data that 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. In addition, 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 19 timely manner, and by cooperating with Department of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 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.

C. Reporting

Award recipients will be required to submit financial and performance (technical) reports in accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200.327-329 and the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions.

1. All financial reports should be submitted through the NOAA Grants Online system.

Reports will be submitted on a semi-annual schedule and must be submitted no later than 30 days following the end of each 6-month period from the start date of the award.

2. Performance Progress Reports must also be submitted to the Federal Program Officer through the NOAA Grants Online system on a semi-annual schedule and must be submitted no later than 30-days following the end of each 6-month period from the start date of the award.

3. 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. The recipient is also responsible for assuring that every publication of material (including Internet sites and videos) based on or developed under an award, except scientific articles or papers appearing in scientific, technical or professional journals, contains the following acknowledgement and disclaimer: "This project received funding under award [number] from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"

4. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act includes a requirement for awardees of applicable Federal grants to report information about first-tier sub-awards 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 www.FSRS.gov on all sub-awards over $25,000. Refer to OMB guidance published at 2 C.F.R. Part 170 (2015), accessible at http://go.usa.gov/cCr8j.

VII. Agency Contacts

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For further information about this solicitation, please contact:

Derek Orner Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910

Derek.orner@noaa.gov

VIII. Other Information n/a

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