NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2019-2005889 Full Announcement.pdf

FY 2019 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 5 C. Program Authority 6

II. Award Information 6 A. Funding Availability 6 B. Project/Award Period 7 C. Type of Funding Instrument 7

III. Eligibility Information 7 A. Eligible Applicants 7 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 8 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 8

IV. Application and Submission Information 10 A. Address to Request Application Package 10 B. Content and Form of Application 11 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 18 D. Submission Dates and Times 19 E. Intergovernmental Review 19 F. Funding Restrictions 19 G. Other Submission Requirements 20

V. Application Review Information 21 A. Evaluation Criteria 21 B. Review and Selection Process 26 C. Selection Factors 28 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 29

VI. Award Administration Information 29 A. Award Notices 30 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 30 C. Reporting 32

VII. Agency Contacts 33 VIII. Other Information 33

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL 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: FY 2019 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2019-2005889

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation

Dates: This program has a mandatory pre-proposal. Pre-proposals must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 PM Eastern time on January 14, 2019. See Section IV.B for more information regarding pre-proposal requirements.

The full application deadline will be no earlier than April 15, 2019 at 11:59 PM Eastern time.

The actual deadline will be provided by direct notice to all eligible applicants, after pre-proposal review. At least 45 days will be provided for completion of a full application. Full applications must be received by www.Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 PM Eastern time on the due date. The time the application was provided to a delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted for the Full Application. See Section III.C for more information, including a limit on transit time and Section IV.G for an address to submit paper applications.

Funding Opportunity Description: The principal objective of the NMFS Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase populations under NOAA’s jurisdiction. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be primarily evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate how the proposed habitat restoration actions will help recover threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (hereafter, Listed Species), including species identified by NMFS as “Species in the Spotlight” (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation#species-in-the-spotlight), sustain or help rebuild fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (hereafter, Managed Species), and contribute to the sustainability of saltwater recreational fisheries. Successful proposals will: 1) identify a habitat-based issue/concern limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more species targeted by the proposed restoration action; 2) describe in detail the actions and on-the-ground habitat

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 2 of 34 restoration project(s) to be undertaken to resolve the issue/concern and; 3) describe the project(s)’ expected outcomes and measurable impact on the project’s target species and their ecosystem. Proposals may include: restoration feasibility and/or design; implementation; or a combination.

Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be funded through cooperative agreements. One-year or multi-year awards up to three funding years will be considered. Multi-year awards are awards that are funded for up to three years. The funding for the second and/or third year (FY20 and/or FY21) will not be determined in FY19, but will instead be determined in future years, pending future federal appropriations, and progress towards project milestones.

Proposals for multi-year funding should outline the costs expected for year two and/or year three in detail in this proposal (see Section IV.B for more details about the budget narrative for multi-year awards). NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $300,000 to $1.5 million over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $75,000 or more than $3 million total over three years. NOAA anticipates up to $6 million will be available under this FFO in FY19. Funds will be administered by the Community-based Restoration Program within the NOAA Restoration Center. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds Congress makes available to NOAA in the FY19 - FY21 budgets.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The principal objective of the NMFS Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase populations under NOAA’s jurisdiction. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be primarily evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate how the proposed habitat restoration actions will:

-- help recover threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (hereafter, Listed Species), including species identified by NMFS as “Species in the Spotlight” (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/endangered-species-conservation#species-in-the-spotlight), -- sustain or help rebuild fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (hereafter, Managed Species), or contribute to the sustainability of saltwater recreational fisheries by the restoration of habitat that benefits recreational fishing (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/recreational-fishing/national-saltwater-recreational-fisheries-policy).

Healthy habitat is critical to the recovery of protected resources and sustainability of commercial and recreational fisheries. Proposals benefiting coastal and marine species with a nexus to NMFS fishery management through the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Implementation Plans, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Coral Reef Conservation Act, and Species of Concern under NMFS will also be considered.

NOAA Fisheries promotes a holistic, landscape-scale approach to resource management in a changing climate. Proposed habitat restoration actions may also provide important ecosystem services such as protection from coastal flooding, extreme weather events, and coastal erosion.

Successful proposals will: 1) identify a habitat-based issue/concern limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more species targeted by the proposed restoration action; 2) describe in detail the actions and on-the-ground habitat restoration project(s) to be undertaken to resolve the issue/concern and; 3) describe the project(s)’ expected outcomes and measurable impacts on the project’s target species and their ecosystem.

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This competition has a mandatory pre-proposal. Only applicants whose pre-proposals meet eligibility requirements, including strongly aligning with program objectives and goals, as determined by NOAA (through the review process described below in Section V.A), will be invited to submit full applications. Pre-proposals must be submitted to Grants.gov by the deadline stated in Section IV.B.D. For details regarding the suggested content of pre-proposals please see section IV.A.

B. Program Priorities

The principal objective of the NMFS Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase populations under NOAA’s jurisdiction. Habitat restoration projects include, but are not limited to, activities that contribute to the return of degraded or altered marine, estuarine, coastal, and freshwater, diadromous fish habitats to functioning habitats or techniques that provide species access to their historic habitats. Primary habitat restoration methods that the NOAA Restoration Center supports include, but are not limited to: removal of in-stream migration barriers for diadromous fish; hydrologic reconnection of wetlands; coral reef restoration; and bivalve shellfish habitat restoration that includes some form of protection from harvest. High priority will be given to habitat restoration proposals that have the greatest potential to:

-- Contribute to the recovery of Listed Species under NOAA jurisdiction, including those species designated by NOAA as Species in the Spotlight, where habitat availability and quality is limiting the recovery of the species. To be considered a priority, restoration project(s) should also be consistent with priority habitat restoration actions identified in Recovery Plans and 5-Year Action Plans for Species in the Spotlight.

-- Enhance or sustain populations of commercial or recreational Managed Species or their prey, specifically through project(s) that restore or enhance Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) or address actions supported by Fishery Management Plans, or the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy and Implementation Plans (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/recreational-fishing/national-saltwater-recreational-fisheries-policy).

-- Provide sustainable and lasting ecological benefits of regional or national significance for the species targeted by the project and its habitat. Projects that restore natural ecosystem function and processes will receive higher priority than projects that install structures that require maintenance. For example, dam removal projects will receive higher priority than projects installing fish passage devices.

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-- Demonstrate importance within the watershed or other geographic boundary through an inclusive planning process that determines the project’s relative importance and context within the landscape. Projects that were developed by collaborative processes, have coordinated investment strategies across multiple organizations, and that engage diverse communities in planning and ranking projects will be prioritized. Importance of fish passage projects between Virginia and Maine can also be demonstrated by the project’s location in high priority watersheds identified by the Restoration Center’s northeast region fish passage prioritization process.

Additional information about program priorities can be found at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/priorities-habitat-restoration-grants

C. Program Authority

The Secretary of Commerce is authorized under the following statutes to provide grants and cooperative agreements for habitat restoration and conservation: Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970;

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a; and Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1535.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

One-year or multi-year awards up to three funding years will be considered, and additional releases of funds may be used to fund selected proposals through FY21 without further competition. NOAA anticipates typical federal funding awards will range from $300,000 to $1.5 million over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $75,000 or more than $3 million over three years.

NOAA anticipates up to $6 million will be available under this FFO in FY19. Dependent on the level of funding made available by Congress, NOAA anticipates an additional $6 million may be available over the next two years (FY20 - FY21) to support selected awards, for a maximum of $12 million awarded under this FFO.

Funds will be administered by the Community-based Restoration Program within the NOAA Restoration Center. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Any funds provided to successful applicants for subsequent-year funding requests will be determined by progress towards

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 6 of 34 stated milestones and availability of funding at the discretion of the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation and the NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD).

NOAA or the Department of Commerce are not responsible for application preparation costs if programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other agency priorities.

Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all top-ranked applications. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for habitat restoration, the merit and ranking of the applications, and the amount of funds made available by Congress in FY19 and subsequent fiscal years.

B. Project/Award Period

Applications should cover a period of performance between 12 and 36 months. NOAA anticipates that the period of performance for most awards will be for 36 months, but may select a project where the period of performance extends up to 48 months. The earliest anticipated start date for awards will be October 1, 2019. Both federal and match pre-award costs, incurred up to 90 days prior to the award start date, may be requested and will be considered during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Incurring pre-award costs before NOAA GMD offers a grant is at the applicant's own risk.

Once funds are awarded in FY19, recipients of multi-year awards will not need to compete for funding in subsequent years. NOAA expects, but is not obligated, to provide additional funding to multi-year awards in subsequent years. Adding funds to multi-year awards is at the discretion of NOAA.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Selected applications will be funded through cooperative agreements, as described in 2 C.F.R. Sec. 200.24, meaning that NOAA expects to be substantially involved in many aspects of the awards. Substantial involvement may include, but is not limited to, collaboration on the scope of work, providing assistance with technical aspects of the habitat restoration project, review and comment on design plans, and review of procurement materials to the extent authorized by 2 C.F.R. Sec. 200.324.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial (for

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 7 of 34 profit) organizations, U.S. territories, and state, local and Native American tribal governments. Applicants must propose work in geographic areas that benefit species with a nexus to NOAA management. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations, municipal and county governments, and others that are eligible to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

There is no statutory matching requirement for this funding. NOAA typically leverages its federal funding with matching contributions from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors to implement coastal and marine habitat restoration. To this end, applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in Evaluation Criterion #4 "Project Costs" (Section V.A.4). Cost sharing will not be waived as an evaluation criterion for Territories of the United States; the Omnibus Territories Act does not apply.

Federal sources cannot be considered for matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage and collaboration. Match to NOAA funds can come from a variety of public and private sources and can include third party in-kind goods and services and volunteer labor. Refer to 2 C.F.R. 200.306 for cost sharing or matching policies. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from non-federal partners, as long as such contributions are not used to match any other federal funds and are available within the project period stated in the application. Applicants with approved indirect cost rates planning to provide cost sharing may find it convenient to propose a portion or all of their indirect costs as match, since the valuation of such costs has already been federally approved and documentation is readily available. Refer to Section IV.F "Funding Restrictions" for information on indirect costs. Refer to Section II.B “Project/Award Period” for information on pre-award costs.

Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by NOAA's Grants Management Division, unless amended based on extenuating circumstances. NOAA is under no obligation to amend the matching contributions once agreed to by the recipient. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the overall number of volunteers and third party in-kind participation hours devoted to habitat restoration projects.

Letters of commitment for any secured resources that will be used as match for an award under this solicitation should be submitted as an attachment to the application (see Section

IV.B).

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

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For the purposes of this program, work may be proposed in geographic areas that benefit species with a nexus to NOAA management (also described in Section III.A). Please review Section I.B and the evaluation criteria in Section V.A.1 to understand the priority target species within coastal areas.

Section III.A presents information distinguishing eligible versus ineligible organization types. Applications that propose projects in the Commonwealth and Territories of the United States, for this solicitation defined as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, are eligible, but those in the Freely Associated States are not eligible for funding consideration. Projects in the Great Lakes region are not eligible under this solicitation, as there are separate funding opportunities available for restoration projects in the Great Lakes.

The following information describes ineligible project proposal types and activities.

-- Proposals that solely benefit freshwater fish species or Listed Species under the jurisdiction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are not eligible, unless the species is jointly managed by NOAA.

-- Proposals that focus on marine debris prevention and removal, acquisition of real property, or beach renourishment solely for recreational purposes are ineligible.

-- Proposals addressing hard infrastructure only for water quality improvement are not eligible. Ineligible activities include, but are not limited to, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, elimination of combined sewer outfalls, and replacement of failing septic systems and implementation of agricultural animal waste management plans. However, projects that improve water quality through the creation or enhancement of fish habitat are eligible.

-- Activities that alleviate the liability associated with legally required mitigation for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by local, state, or federal law are ineligible.

-- Activities that constitute compensatory restoration for natural resource damages under federal, state, or local law are ineligible.

-- Activities that are required by a separate consent decree, court order, statute, or regulation are ineligible.

Applicants planning to combine grant or matching funds with mitigation should review the

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Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources; Final Rule at 73 Fed. Reg.

19594 (April 10, 2008). NOAA plans to follow the approach adopted by some other Federal agencies on Page 19636 that describes scenarios where mitigation credits may or may not be obtained in association with federal financial incentives.

Administrative Requirements:

-- This competition has a mandatory pre-proposal. Only those applicants whose pre-proposals strongly align with program objectives and goals, as determined by NOAA (through the criteria described below in Section V.A.), will be allowed to submit full applications. The recommended content and form of the mandatory pre-proposal are described in Section IV.B. Eligible full proposals should include the proposal ID provided by NOAA on form SF-424, field 5b.

-- Pre-proposals and full applications submitted through Grants.gov must be submitted by the due date and time provided in Section IV.D. Late applications will not be considered for funding. Paper applications received later than five business days following the post-mark due date and time will not be accepted. Submission time will be documented by electronic submission to Grants.gov, a U.S. Postal Service postmark, or a delivery service receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Information regarding electronic submission through Grants.gov and for submitting paper applications is contained in Section

IV.G.

-- All applications MUST contain ALL required forms; if these forms are not signed via the www.Grants.gov application process, they MUST be signed in ink (SF-424, SF-424b, CD- 511). Failure to submit signed forms shall result in disqualification from this competition.

See Section IV.G for more details.

-- NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $75,000 or more than $3 million over three years.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Complete application packages, including required federal forms and instructions, can be found on www.Grants.gov. If a prospective applicant is having difficulty downloading the application forms from www.Grants.gov, contact www.Grants.gov Customer Support at 1- 800-518-4726 or support@Grants.gov. Instructions for these forms are available at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions.html. Information about the

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 10 of 34 recommended format for pre-proposals and full applications is contained in Section IV.B.

B. Content and Form of Application

PRE- PROPOSAL CONTENT AND FORMAT

Applicants must submit a pre-proposal and receive an invitation from NOAA before submitting a full proposal. The pre-proposal must be submitted through the www.Grants.gov website and include the Standard Form (SF)-424 and a four -page narrative, which may include a map or aerial photo of the project site. The narrative should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to the competition’s priorities. NOAA requests that applicants use single-spacing, 11- or 12-point font, and 1-inch margins, and recommends that applicants follow the format provided for the full proposal “Project Summary” provided in this section below. PDF is recommended for all files to ensure readability, and to reduce file size. The SF-424 form may be downloaded from https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html.

Pre-proposals will undergo an initial administrative screening to determine if they are eligible and complete. NOAA, in its sole discretion, may continue the review process for pre-proposals with non-substantive issues that may be easily rectified or cured. The pre-proposal process is a critical step to determine if proposed projects are well-suited for this specific competition. Only those applicants whose pre-proposals strongly align with program objectives and goals, as determined by NOAA (through the criteria described below in Section V.A.), will be allowed to submit full applications. The goal of the pre-proposal process is to streamline the review process by inviting full proposals only from those applicants whose projects are most likely to support NOAA’s goals as described in this announcement.

FULL PROPOSAL CONTENT AND FORMAT

If invited by NOAA to submit a full proposal, applicants should apply through the www.Grants.gov website. A complete standard NOAA financial assistance application package should be submitted in accordance with the guidelines in this document (see below).

Each full proposal must include the following Federal application forms:

-- SF-424 family application forms:

-- Application for Federal Assistance: SF-424 (7/03 version or newer; if not submitted through Grants.gov, this form needs to be signed in ink by the authorized representative for

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 11 of 34 the application to be eligible) -- Budget Information for Non-construction Programs: SF-424A (prior to award, an SF- 424A for each year of funding will be required) -- Assurances for Non-construction Programs: SF-424B -- Certification Regarding Lobbying: CD-511 -- Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: SF-LLL (if applicable)

In addition to the Federal application forms, NOAA recommends the following as part of a complete application package (page limits assume an 11- or 12-point font and 1-inch margins) organized into a maximum of four (4) files (PDF files only):

1) Summary, project narrative, and Data Management Plan (19 page limit);

-- Project summary (described below, 2 page limit) – recommended for the pre-proposal content and full proposal (may be updated for the full proposal);

-- Project narrative (described below, 15 page limit);

-- Data Management Plan (described below, 2 page limit);

2) Budget Justification (described below, 6 page limit);

3) Project designs (for proposals including on the ground restoration; schematic drawings are recommended, NOT feasibility studies or watershed plans; no page limit); and

4) Supplemental Information - all supplemental attachments should be combined into one file which includes a list of the documents and their page number. (15 page limit) -- A site location map such as a USGS topographic quadrangle map or aerial photo with site location(s) highlighted;

-- Brief curriculum vitae or resume for up to three (3) key personnel (maximum of 1 page per person) and any examples of projects similar in scope and nature that have been successfully completed by the project team;

-- A letter documenting private owner or public land manager support of the project proposed for the owned site(s); and/or -- Any other relevant supporting materials such as letters of support (including those from adjoining landowners and those documenting financial and in-kind support), federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements, monitoring plans, site photos, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL COMPONENTS

Project Summary (4 page limit for pre-proposals; 2 page limit for full proposals):

-- Applicant Organization -- Project Title -- Site Location - nearest town or watershed, and geographic coordinates (if multiple sites, please include the coordinates for all sites)

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-- Brief Project Description/Executive Summary: Briefly describe the activities to be accomplished with the requested funds including a habitat-based issue/concern limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more species targeted by the proposed restoration action and the detailed actions and on-the-ground habitat restoration project(s) to be undertaken to resolve the issue/concern.

Furthermore, in order to address the pre-proposal evaluation criteria listed in Section V.A:

-- Describe how the project addresses priorities listed in this funding opportunity (Section I.B).

-- Describe the planning process and whether the project is prioritized in relevant conservation planning documents.

-- Describe the sustainability of the project and efforts taken to address future climate scenarios.

-- Project Performance Measures and Outcomes: Describe the expected outcome of the project and measurable impact on the project’s target species and ecosystem, including proposed evaluation techniques. Include the number of acres to be restored and/or stream miles to be made accessible to diadromous fish through the proposed activities and any other anticipated long-term ecological and socioeconomic outcomes.

-- Project Timeline, including an Implementation Start Date, if applicable (not proposed award start date) -- Permits and Approvals - identify and list all consultations, permits, and regulatory approvals necessary for the proposed project(s) and their status (e.g. not applied for, pending, secured) -- Landowner - name and address (if privately owned) or public agency contact -- Amount of Funding Requested per year (if requesting a multi-year award) -- Total Federal Funds Requested & Non-Federal Match Anticipated – including the amount of Non-Federal Match that has been confirmed or secured -- Overall Project Cost, including any leveraged funds beyond proposed match and federal funding request

Full Proposal Project Narrative (15 page limit):

Only those applicants whose pre-proposals strongly align with program objectives and goals, as determined by NOAA (through the criteria described below in Section V.A), will be allowed to submit full proposals.

The project narrative should closely follow the organization of the evaluation criteria (see Section V.A Evaluation Criteria) for the application to receive a consistent review against competing applications. Providing the following information may help you address the evaluation criteria:

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Importance and Applicability. Provide sufficient background and contextual information for reviewers to independently assess the significance of the proposed project.

The narrative should:

-- identify a habitat-based issue/concern limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more species targeted by the proposed restoration action;

-- succinctly describe the historic condition of the restoration site(s) and the habitat-based issue/concern that is the primary focus of the proposal;

-- describe any processes that have resulted in degradation of the habitat and how these processes have been abated to allow for successful restoration;

-- identify one or more species targeted by the proposed habitat restoration, their historic and current status or population estimates, and whether they are species under NOAA’s jurisdiction (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/priorities-habitat-restoration-grants);

-- define the project’s context within the ecosystem and how project planning and design incorporates an ecosystem-based approach. Are other restoration efforts planned or completed within the watershed for the benefit of the proposed target species? For fish passage projects, please indicate whether there are other dams or obstructions upstream or downstream of the target barrier and whether the target barrier is a partial or complete barrier;

-- describe the extent to which the proposed project aligns with the stated Program Priorities (Section I.B);

-- highlight how the proposed habitat restoration actions are identified in, or are consistent with, ESA Recovery Plans, Species in the Spotlight 5-year Action Plans, Fishery Management Plans, or other fishery-related strategic planning, conservation, or management documents;

-- describe the project(s)’ expected outcomes and measurable impact on the project’s target species and ecosystems. Please indicate how the outcomes that are anticipated have been determined (e.g., ground-truthing, desktop assessment).

-- indicate any additional societal benefits, such as increased community or ecosystem resiliency, business opportunities, recreational opportunities, decreased safety hazards, or

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 14 of 34 reduced maintenance costs that may result from the proposed habitat restoration;

Technical/Scientific Merit. Proposals should describe in detail the actions and on-the-ground habitat restoration project(s) to be undertaken to resolve the issue/concern. For each restoration site, applicants should clearly identify the project phase(s) proposed (e.g., feasibility study, design, construction) and proposed restoration techniques.

For applicants proposing feasibility and design activities, a detailed scope of services or tasks should be included in the proposal. Applicants should describe the overall habitat restoration goals of the feasibility and design activities, and how support for the proposed activity would catalyze subsequent on-the-ground restoration.

For applicants proposing construction, design plans (including the basis for the proposed design), specifications, scope of work for services, and engineering, opinions of cost or cost estimates (if available) should be included in the proposal. Project design plans should be included in the application in order for reviewers to comprehensively assess the technical merit of the proposed restoration action(s). Applicants should also describe how the proposed restoration design, methodology, and techniques account for, or provide for, resilience to extreme weather events or adaptation to potential climate change impacts at the project site.

Suggested Details by Project Type. Applicants proposing to alter tidal exchange should also provide a hydrograph and/or other information explaining any tidal restriction(s) and projected conditions with restoration. Applicants proposing to place plants or release animals into the environment should include the origin/source and regional genetic stock of the plant or animal, and describe the proximity to any existing or remnant sources of similar type in the area. As mentioned above, applicants should also describe how the proposed restoration design, methodology, and techniques account for, or provide for, resilience to extreme weather events or adaptation to potential climate change impacts at the project site.

Sustainability. To protect the federal investment, the narrative should describe future management, beyond the award period, including mechanisms to protect, maintain, or sustain the restoration site(s) so the effects of the funded project(s) can benefit the target species and their habitat into the future. Proposed habitat restoration action(s) that are sustainable and provide lasting benefits for the species targeted by the project and its habitat are preferred and considered in Evaluation Criteria #2.e. In particular, applicants proposing to install structures such as fish passage devices or tide gates as a component of the project should include discussion of an operation and management plan that specifies the entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of the structure(s) and how they will be

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 15 of 34 operated and maintained throughout the life of the structure(s) to ensure lasting habitat benefits. Applicants proposing new or modified tide gates should also describe measures that will be put in place to prevent filling of the flood storage area upstream of the proposed tide gate. Applicants proposing to enhance existing tidal wetlands, including beneficial re-use of dredged material to increase substrate elevation to keep pace with sea level rise and subsidence effects, should provide information on the source of the dredge materials, the site-specific rate of sea-level rise and subsidence, target substrate elevation(s), and how the restored site is expected to keep pace with the rate of sea level rise and subsidence.

Timeline and Milestone Schedule. The project narrative should include a timeline with key milestones identified and detail how the project(s) will be completed within the specified time period. This includes identifying all consultation and permitting requirements and their status (e.g. not applied for, pending, secured), as well as a commitment to quickly provide information needed by NOAA to analyze project impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, see Section VI.B.2). For projects with NEPA documents completed or under development, please indicate the status and level of NEPA review (CE, EA, or EIS), lead Federal agency, contact information for the lead agency person, and where public copies of the document are available. Applications for multi-year awards should identify annual/interim milestones that correspond to funding increments. As described in Section II.A, NOAA will consider progress towards identified milestones when making funding decisions for multi-year awards in subsequent years.

Project Monitoring or Assessment. Proposals requesting funding for restoration implementation / construction activities should include a discrete monitoring plan and applicants should be willing to work with NOAA to adjust the monitoring plan, if necessary, to ensure that the proposed parameters are adequate and meaningful. All monitoring plans should propose sufficient, cost-effective implementation monitoring. Implementation monitoring assesses whether the restoration action was carried out as designed and provides a basic level of effectiveness. Implementation monitoring plans should: 1) include parameters that evaluate short-term structural changes at the project site(s) (e.g. as-built surveys), but may also include basic measures of effectiveness (e.g. presence/absence of target species); 2) propose pre-implementation data collection, when applicable; 3) include parameters with quantitative or clearly defined targets; and 4) include parameters with targets that can be evaluated within approximately one year post-implementation. Guidance on implementation monitoring for selected restoration types is available at http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/applicantresources.html. Projects that include the project types listed in the monitoring guidance should incorporate the implementation monitoring parameters included in the guidance.

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NOAA will also consider proposals that include more in-depth, longer-term monitoring that addresses ecological effectiveness or restoration technique effectiveness of the Restoration Center’s primary restoration methods: removal of in-stream migration barriers for diadromous fish; hydrologic reconnection of wetlands; coral reef restoration, and bivalve shellfish habitat restoration. NOAA may choose to provide additional funds to an award or increase the award period for successful applicants whose awards are identified as suitable for effectiveness monitoring.

Multi-site projects. As mentioned above, proposals that include multiple restoration sites should fully describe the proposed restoration activity at each site within the project narrative section. Furthermore, if multiple restoration sites are included within one proposal, the habitat issue or target species should be linked across all proposed sites to achieve a substantive outcome. If page limits are restrictive, focus the application on the technical aspects of the proposed actions and on those actions with highest priority funding needs. If you cannot describe all aspects of a multi-year or multi-project award within the recommended page limits, applicants should consider submitting more than one application.

Data Management Plan (2 pages) Proposals submitted in response to this FFO should include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages. The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the examples provided by NOAA at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/resources-noaa-restoration-center-applicants. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project;

the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. Final Data Management Plans may be developed in coordination with NOAA as part of NOAA’s substantial involvement, as described in Section II.C. See also Section VI.B. NOAA’s Data and Publication Sharing Directive for NOAA Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts is available at https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.DSP.php.

Budget Justification (6 pages):

Reviewers will evaluate project costs by reviewing your budget justification. The budget justification narrative must include a detailed breakdown by category of cost (object class)

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 17 of 34 separated into federal and non-federal shares as they relate to specific aspects of the award, with a detailed narrative justification for both the federal and non-federal (if applicable) shares. The object classes should match those found in the SF-424A. If requesting funds for a multi-year proposal, award costs should be broken into annual/interim funding requests up to three years in duration, based on logical milestones in the implementation plan. For instance, a proposal request might include a request for a project's design costs in year one, estimated construction costs needed in year two, and estimated post-project monitoring costs in year three. Another example would be a project that requests construction costs for discrete sites in each year of a multi-year award. One, two, or three-year proposals will be accepted.

If funding will be used to complete part of a larger project, a budget overview for the entire project to demonstrate how the NOAA request relates to the overall project budget and outcomes should be provided. If the project has been submitted for funding consideration elsewhere, the amount(s) requested or secured from other sources, and whether the funds requested/secured are federal or non-federal should be included. If the proposed project includes a monitoring component, the applicant should provide an estimate of all monitoring-related costs within the proposed budget.

Additional budget development guidance, including a budget narrative template, is available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/resources-noaa-restoration-center-applicants in the “Supplemental Instructions.” The NOAA Restoration Center and GMD staff will review budget information in recommended applications to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and realistic. The narrative budget justification should be sufficiently detailed to enable a clear understanding of the cost breakdown and calculations used to derive the line item subtotals in each object class of the SF-424A budget form. An SF-424A for each year of requested funding will be required prior to award, but not as part of the initial application.

Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for NOAA Federal Financial Assistance Applicants: This program does not use this questionnaire, except as described in Section

VI.B.4.

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

Applicants should: (1) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application; (2) provide a valid Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number on an 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. The federal awarding

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 18 of 34 agency may not make a federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the federal awarding agency is ready to make a federal award, the federal awarding agency 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.

Applicants should allow a minimum of two weeks to complete the SAM registration;

registration is required only once but must be periodically renewed. Applicants can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 1- 866-705-5711 or online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Your organization's Employer Identification Number (EIN) will be needed on the application form.

D. Submission Dates and Times

This program has a mandatory pre-proposal. Pre-proposals must be received by Grants.gov by 11:59 PM Eastern time on January 14, 2019. See Section IV.B for more information regarding pre-proposal requirements and Section IV.G for more application submission instructions and requirements.

The full application deadline will be no earlier than April 15, 2019 at 11:59 PM Eastern time. The actual deadline will be provided by direct notice to all eligible applicants, after pre-proposal review. At least 45 days will be provided for completion of a full proposal. See Section III.C for more information, including a limit on transit time, and Section IV.G for an address to submit paper applications.

E. Intergovernmental Review

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

To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, contact the official listed in Section VII of this announcement for referral information.

F. Funding Restrictions

Both federal and match pre-award costs incurred up to 90 days prior to the award start date may be requested and will be considered during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Incurring pre-award costs before the NOAA GMD provides an award document (generally via NOAA Grants Online on Form CD-450) is at the applicant's own

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 19 of 34 risk. The earliest date for receipt of awards for this funding opportunity is anticipated to be October 1, 2019.

The budget may include indirect (facilities & administrative [F&A]) costs if the applicant has an established indirect cost rate with the federal government. As defined at 2 C.F.R. § 200.56, indirect (F&A) costs are incurred for a common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefited, without effort disproportionate to the results achieved (e.g., lights, rent, water, and insurance). A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect (F&A) cost agreement with the federal government should be included with the application. In accordance with 2 C.F.R.

§ 200.414(f), an applicant 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), describe all costs as direct costs in the budget narrative, or establish a new rate through the Department of Commerce by contacting Lamar Revis, Grants Officer at NOAA Grants Management Division, 1325 East-West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or lamar.revis@noaa.gov. Applicants may elect to propose all or part of indirect costs as cost sharing.

G. Other Submission Requirements

Applicants should submit pre-proposals and full applications electronically through www.Grants.gov. Users of Grants.gov will be able to create an online application workspace to submit the application. If an applicant has problems accessing the online workspace at Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@Grants.gov.

Pre-proposals and full applications must be submitted by the due date and time provided in Section IV.D. Late applications will not be considered for funding. We highly recommend that applicants do not wait until the application deadline to begin the application process through Grants.gov, as registration with SAM and DUNS are required, as described in Section IV.C.

After electronic submission of the application, applicants will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. Applications submitted through Grants.gov will be accompanied by THREE automated responses (the first confirms receipt; the second confirms that the submission is acceptable and timely; and the third validates that the application has been forwarded to NOAA for further processing).

If all notifications are not received, applicants should follow up with both the Grants.gov help desk and the NOAA Restoration Center to confirm NOAA receipt of the complete submission.

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 20 of 34

Submission time for pre-proposals and full proposals will be documented by electronic…