noaa-nmfs-prpo-2016-2004539 ffo report.pdf

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: Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2016-2004539

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.472, Unallied Science Program

Dates: Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service, or received by www.grants.gov 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on [INSERT DATE of FIRST BUSINESS

DAY 90 DAYS FROM DATE of POSTING to Grants.gov]. Use of a delivery service other than U.S. mail must be documented with a receipt. PLEASE NOTE: It may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline.

Funding Opportunity Description: States play an essential role in conserving and recovering species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Listed species under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) jurisdiction may spend all or part of their lifecycles in state waters, and success in conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with the States. NMFS is authorized to provide Federal assistance to eligible State agencies to support the development and implementation of conservation programs for listed marine and anadromous species that reside within that State. This assistance, provided in the form of grants through the Species Recovery Grants to States Program, can be used to support conservation activities for any endangered or threatened species, as well as monitoring of candidate species, recently delisted species, and species proposed for listing under the ESA.

Proposals that address the recovery of one of the following critically endangered species are encouraged this year and will be considered a priority for funding: Atlantic salmon, white abalone, Cook Inlet beluga whales, Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, and southern resident killer whales. Funded activities may include development and implementation of management efforts, scientific research, and public education and outreach. Any State agency that has entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA within

30 days of the application deadline is eligible to apply under this solicitation. Proposals focusing on Pacific salmonids will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be considered through the NMFS Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2016 and how

NMFS will evaluate and select proposals for funding. This document should be read in its entirety; some information has changed from the previous year.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The principal objective of the Species Recovery Grants to States Program is to support the development and implementation of States’ programs to conserve and recover threatened and endangered species under NMFS’ jurisdiction. Funding may also support monitoring of candidate species, species proposed for listing, and recently de-listed species (see definitions below). Proposed activities may involve management, research, monitoring, and outreach activities or any combination thereof. Proposals should include clear and specific information about how the work being proposed would contribute to species recovery.

Successful applications will be those that demonstrate a direct conservation benefit to the species or its habitat.

Proposals may address new or ongoing work. If the proposal includes a continuation of previous or ongoing work, a brief discussion of accomplishments to date and a justification for the continuation of the work must be included in the project description in order to receive full consideration.

Candidate species. A candidate species is one that is actively being considered for listing as either threatened or endangered under the ESA and is the subject of a positive 90 day finding but not yet the subject of a proposed rule, or a species for which NMFS has initiated an ESA status review and has announced the review in the Federal Register.

Candidate species are listed at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/esa/candidate.htm.

Proposed species. Proposed species are those that are currently the subject of a proposed rule to list as threatened or endangered under the ESA. A list of proposed species is available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/esa/candidate.htm#proposed.

Recently delisted species.

Recently de-listed, for purposes of this solicitation, are those species de-listed within the past five years. A list of all de-listed species and the year de listed are available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/esa/delisted.htm.

B. Program Priorities

General. Priority will be given to proposals addressing listed species as opposed to proposals that only address proposed, candidate, or recently de-listed species. Among the species currently listed under the ESA, priority will be given to proposals addressing recovery of the following highly endangered species: Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), Cook

Inlet beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca), Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus schauinslandi), white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni), and

Pacific leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). These species are part of a recent

NOAA initiative to prevent the extinction the most at-risk species. For more information on this initiative, please refer to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2015/05/05_14_15species_in_the_spotlight.html.

Proposals addressing listed species for which NMFS has released a draft or final

Recovery Plan should indicate how the project would address one or more of the recovery objectives or actions identified in the relevant Plan and what priority level the actions are assigned by the Plan. Greater priority may be given to proposals addressing higher priority recovery actions or objectives as indicated by the particular plan. Recovery Plans are available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/recovery/plans.htm.

Proposals including measures by which performance or success of the project will be evaluated will receive higher priority over those that do not.

Proposals that present a series of unrelated or seemingly unrelated projects are less likely to compete well. Applicants that propose multiple projects within a proposal must clearly articulate within their proposal how the distinct projects relate to one another and how the results will be synthesized. There is no limit on the number of proposals that can be submitted by an individual state.

Management. Highest priority will be given to those projects that are designed to have a direct impact on recovery of listed species through development and implementation of management actions that reduce or eliminate threats. Proposals involving management activities should demonstrate a high probability of contributing to the recovery of the species, especially through mitigation of existing threats or factors inhibiting recovery of the species. Management proposals may, for example, involve the development of an ESA section 10 conservation plan, the development of a management plan pursuant to an ESA section 4(d) rule, habitat restoration or habitat conservation, or development and implementation of fishery by-catch reduction measures.

Aspects of developing an ESA section 10 conservation plan that can be supported through this program include collecting and analyzing bycatch data, designing measures to minimize and mitigate the incidental take of listed species, and drafting a conservation plan and/or the associated incidental take permit application. Species for which this is appropriate include sea turtles, shortnose and Atlantic sturgeons, and other listed non-marine mammal species known to be taken as bycatch.

Proposals addressing habitat restoration can involve the engineering and design of a restoration project, actual implementation of a restoration activity, and/or science-based monitoring of a previously funded or simultaneously proposed NOAA habitat restoration project that will yield information on population benefits accruing to listed species resulting from the restoration action.

Habitat or land acquisition proposals must clearly identify the expected benefits for the target species or habitats on which they depend. Proposals should also discuss how the property is threatened by conversion from its natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses; how existing and future uses will be managed consistently with long-term conservation of the target species; the likelihood that the project will be completed in a timely manner; and, if applicable, whether the project addresses an action identified in an

ESA Recovery Plan. Other funding sources for a given acquisition should also be identified in the proposal.

Research and Monitoring. Proposals that involve research only will be considered a lower priority for funding relative to “management proposals” described above. However, research proposals that are designed to fill critical data gaps and directly contribute to the management and recovery of eligible species may still be competitive under this solicitation.

Proposals involving scientific research should demonstrate a high probability of providing information that can be directly used to recover, manage, or improve current management strategies for a given species. Research activities may, for example, focus on defining and characterizing threats to the species, evaluating methods to reduce or mitigate threats to the species, assessing a state fishery, improving bycatch estimates (e.g., through observer programs), estimating effective population sizes, synthesizing or analyzing stranding or observer data, identifying and characterizing physical and biological features of important habitats (e.g. foraging habitats, spawning areas), or evaluating the effectiveness of a habitat restoration project.

Research proposals must include a clear hypothesis or set of hypotheses or questions to be tested, methods by which the hypotheses will be tested, methods by which data will be analyzed, and plans for sharing or disseminating the results. General statements about research objectives and expected results are insufficient.

Proposals involving scientific research on a listed distinct population segment

(DPS) or a specific, recognized management unit of a taxonomic species or subspecies should demonstrate a high probability of providing information specific to the recovery and/or management of the particular DPS or management unit. To do so, such proposals may be required to include genetic analyses or other acceptable techniques to properly identify specimens to their DPS or management unit, when appropriate. Proposed budgets must reflect costs associated with any such analyses.

Outreach. Proposals involving public education and outreach should demonstrate a high probability of improving or increasing public understanding of and participation in conservation activities. In order to be considered a priority for funding, proposals that exclusively address outreach activities should demonstrate how the proposed work will directly mitigate or reduce a significant threat(s) to the target species.

Outreach projects could, for example, involve developing outreach tools (e.g.

websites, brochures), convening regional coordination workshops or meetings, or working with local fishermen or boaters to address a particular issue (e.g. hook and line entanglement, boat strikes). Note that all proposals should address the dissemination of results and/or information resulting from completion of the proposed activities (including peer-reviewed publications) as explained in detail under the evaluation criteria listed in section V.A. (Application Review Information) of this document.

Applicants interested in further discussion of funding priorities should contact their Regional Section 6 Program Coordinator listed in Section VII., Agency Contacts.

C. Program Authority

16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1535

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

As much as approximately $4 million may be available under the FY 2016 Species

Recovery Grants to States Program to support new awards. New awards may range from about $40,000 to $400,000 in federal funding per year; however, there is no required minimum or maximum. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives.

Note that funds have not yet been appropriated for this program, and there is considerable uncertainty regarding the level of available funding for FY 2016. Thus, there is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make any new awards or that awards will be made for all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific grant proposal or to obligate any available funds.

If an application for a financial assistance award is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, pre-award costs are not allowed under the award unless approved by the Grants

Officer in accordance with 2 CFR §200.458.

B. Project/Award Period

In general, a project period will extend up to a maximum of three years. For multi-year proposals, applicants must include project plans and separate budgets for each year of the project. Multi-year projects may be funded in one-year or greater increments depending on available funds and terms of the award. In either case, multi-year awards do not compete for funding in subsequent budget periods within the approved award period. Rather, any funding required for subsequent years is added to the multi-year award provided demonstration of satisfactory performance by the recipient and provided funds to support the continuation of the project are available. If an applicant wishes to continue work on a funded project beyond the project period and obligated award funds have not been expended by the end of this period, the applicant can notify the assigned Federal Program Officer no later than 30 days prior to the end of the award period to determine eligibility for a no-cost extension. If, however, the money is expended and funds are needed to continue the project, the applicant should submit another proposal during the next competitive award cycle (e.g. FY 2017) or seek an alternate source of funding.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Under this solicitation, NOAA will fund grants with an expected maximum project period of 3 years.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are state agencies that have entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA. The terms “state” and “state agency” are used as defined in section 3 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1532).

Currently eligible state agencies are listed here:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/states/. Any state agency that enters into a section

6(c) agreement with NMFS within 30 days of the grant application deadline is also eligible to apply.

Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. In addition, NOAA and NMFS employees shall not provide assistance in writing applications, write letters of support advocating for any application, or otherwise confer any unfair advantage on a particular application. However, proposed activities can involve collaboration with current NMFS programs and NMFS employees, and NMFS employees can submit letters verifying that they would collaborate on a particular project if funded.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

In accordance with section 6(d) of the ESA, proposals must include a minimum non

Federal cost share of 25 percent of the total project budget if the proposal involves a single state. If a proposal involves collaboration of two or more states, the minimum non Federal cost share decreases to 10 percent of the total project budget. The project proposal and budget must reflect the work and responsibilities to be carried out by each of the cooperating states.

The non-Federal cost share must be identified in the project budget and on the

Standard Form (SF)-424A and may include in-kind contributions according to the regulations at 2 CFR Part 200.306. The source or sources of the non-Federal cost share is up to the particular applicants involved and may come from more than one entity.

The non-federal cost-share requirements of section 6(d) of the ESA do not apply to insular areas covered by the Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1977 (48 U.S.C. 1469a), including Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

State agencies may apply for funding to conduct work on federally listed species that are already included in their ESA section 6 agreement or added to their agreement within 60 days following the grant application deadline. State agencies may also apply for funding to conduct work on any species that has become a candidate or a proposed species by the grant application deadline.

Projects focusing on Pacific salmonids will not be considered under this grant program. State conservation efforts for these species may be supported through the Pacific

Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Species under the sole jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service will also not be considered.

Proposals cannot seek funding for projects that serve to satisfy regulatory requirements of the ESA, including complying with a biological opinion under section 7 of the ESA or fulfilling Federal mitigation requirements of an incidental take permit issued under section 10 of the ESA, or that serve to satisfy other Federal regulatory requirements

(e.g., mitigation for Clean Water Act permits). An exception is granted for section 10 conservation plans that include conservation obligations pursuant to State law or local ordinances that are above and beyond the Federal mitigation requirements for that conservation plan and associated permit.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The federal funding announcement and application instructions for this grant program are available via the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov. Applicants without internet access can obtain application instructions from Lisa Manning, NOAA/NMFS/Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring MD 20910, (phone) 301

427-8466, (email) Lisa.Manning@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

All prospective applicants should read this section in its entirety. All instructions regarding formatting and preparation of proposals must be followed. A formatted version of this Federal Funding Opportunity will be posted to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/states/grant.htm.

There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the same Principal Investigator, agency, or State. Multiple applications submitted by the same applicant must, however, be clearly distinct projects.

State agencies that are interested in partnering on a particular proposal may submit a single application through a lead state agency. Alternatively, partnering states may instead elect to submit separate applications that include identical proposal components (i.e., title page, summaries, project descriptions, budget justification, budget tables) and federal forms specific to the particular state agency submitting the application. Joint proposals structured in this manner must indicate they are a multi-state proposal and must list the other applicant state agencies on the title page. If states elect to submit separate applications for a multi-state proposal, each state would receive a separate award should the proposal be selected. Regardless of format (i.e., a single, joint application; or separate, linked applications), multi-state proposals must clearly explain the nature of the collaboration within the body of the project description.

Proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements by the proposal submission deadline. Failure to follow these instructions will be reflected in lower scoring by reviewers (see Section V. Application Review Information).

The following forms are required as part of each application: Application for

Federal Assistance (SF-424); Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A);

Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B); and Certifications Regarding Lobbying

(CD-511). These forms are available on Grants.gov and may be downloaded with the application package. For applicants submitting proposals by mail, all forms requiring signatures must be signed in ink (preferably blue ink).

Proposals and all attachments must be formatted to fit on letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”). Text must be no smaller than 10-point font, and all pages must be numbered. If possible, please submit proposal documents as pdf files to ensure conversion errors do not occur when proposals documents are later accessed in Grants Online system.

The Project Description is limited to 15 pages. Pages exceeding this limit will not be reviewed. The list of references cited will not be counted against the 15-page limit.

Appended material must not exceed a total of 10-pages. Abbreviated CVs or resumes for all individuals named in the proposal must be appended and are considered appended material. If indirect costs are included in the budget, and a copy of the most recent indirect cost rate agreement for the applicant’s organization must also be provided as part of the appended material. Additional appended material can include letters of endorsement; letters of cooperation; maps, photos or other visual materials; permit information; related grant progress reports; or any other supporting information. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit a map or maps of the geographic location of the proposed work (as applicable); such visual information helps inform reviewers.

DO NOT submit any letters of support or endorsement from any NMFS, NOAA or Department of Commerce personnel.

Proposals must include the following elements:

1. Title Page

Provide the project title, project duration (with a start date of July 1, 2016, or later unless applicants request and get approval for an earlier start date from the Program

Officer, Lisa Manning; See Section VII, Agency Contacts), applicant name(s), name(s) of the Principal Investigator (or Project Manager) and any Co-Investigators (or Co-Managers), complete contact information (mailing address, email address, and phone number) for the applicant(s) and all Co-investigators (or Co-Managers), and a statement regarding the

Federal, non-Federal, and total costs of the project. If the proposal is a multi-state proposal being submitted through multiple agencies, include a list of the other applicant state agencies.

2. Project Summary (300 word limit)

Provide a brief summary discussing the proposal’s purpose; the proposed activities; the general geographic area where the activities would occur; the recovery objectives or actions as specified in an ESA Recovery Plan, State Section 6 management plan, or State Wildlife Action Plan (as applicable), or as identified by NMFS as a regional priority; and the expected outcomes and benefits of the proposed activities. If the proposal focuses on implementing recovery actions identified in a NMFS Recovery Plan, indicate the priority number or level assigned to the particular actions. Please make this summary as succinct and cogent as possible; it will be made publicly available if the project is funded.

3. Project Description (15-page limit)

The Project Description should be a clear statement of all work to be undertaken and must include the information listed below in (a)-(g). Multi-year proposals must include a project description that covers each year of the proposed award period. If multiple projects are included in the proposal, the information listed below must be included for each project. The 15-page limit does not change if a proposal includes multiple projects.

(a) Goals/objectives: Identify the specific problem(s) or opportunities the project intends to address and describe its significance to the conservation of the species. Identify the project objectives, which should be simple and understandable, as specific and quantitative as possible and attainable with the time, money and human resources available. Scientific research proposals must state the hypotheses to be tested.

(b) Methods: Describe the methodologies or technical plan for activities that are to be conducted during each budget period of the project. Include detailed descriptions of the specific plan and/or methods that will be employed. Project milestones and the timelines (e.g. the number of months) necessary to meet them should also be discussed. Information about relevant permits necessary to conduct the work must be included. See Section IV.G. (Other Submission Requirements (Permits and Approvals)) below for further information about permits and approvals.

(c) Benefits or results expected (300 word limit): Identify the outcomes or results and the benefits to the species that should result from the successfully completed project. Discuss how the project’s success in meeting the stated goals and objectives will be measured or assessed. Describe how these expected outcomes, results, or products will be applied and/or shared with appropriate user groups.

(d) Need for government financial assistance: Demonstrate the need for government financial assistance. List all other sources of funding that are or have been sought for the project.

(e) Federal, State and local government activities: List any plans or activities (Federal, State or local) this project would affect and, if applicable, identify the relationship between the proposed work and other ongoing work, or work planned, anticipated, or underway through Federal Assistance or other means. If the proposal is a continuation of previous or ongoing work, a brief discussion of results or accomplishments to date should be included; progress or final reports for previous awards may be included in the appendix.

(f) Environmental impacts: Discuss whether any negative environmental, biological, social, political, or economic impacts are expected as a result of the proposed activities. Also discuss any potential negative impacts on listed species or their critical habitat as a result of the proposed activities. If any negative impacts are anticipated, describe what steps will be taken to minimize or mitigate these impacts.

Incidental take of protected species and impacts to Essential Fish Habitat should be noted.

This information is the basis for a determination of the level of analysis required under the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), so please be thorough. See Section VI.B.

(Administrative and National Policy Requirements) below for further information about

NEPA requirements.

(g) Project management: Describe how the project will be organized and managed and who will be responsible for carrying out project activities. The lead organization/individual and person listed as the technical contact should be identified as the

Project Manager (PM) or Principal Investigator (PI). Use of sub-contractors or volunteer staff time to complete project activities and oversight of those individuals should be discussed. The PM/PI is responsible for all technical oversight and implementation of the approved work plan as delineated in the proposal. One PM or PI must be designated on each project, but the PM/PI may or may not be the applicant. However, if the applicant is not the PM/PI, there must be an explanation of the relationship between the applicant and

PM/PI (e.g., applicant will be responsible for managing the grant funds and the PM will be responsible for completing the project milestones on time and within budget, etc.). Project participants or organizations that will have a significant role in conducting the project should be listed as Co-investigators or Co-Managers. Organizations or individuals that support the project, for example, researchers contributing data or materials, should be referred to as

Cooperators. Copies of the PM’s or PI’s and all Co-investigator’s/Co-Manager’s abbreviated resumes or curricula vitae must be appended.

4. Data Sharing Plan (2-page limit)

Environmental data and information, collected and/or created under NOAA grants/cooperative agreements must be made visible, accessible, and independently understandable to general users, free of charge or at minimal cost, in a timely manner

(typically no later than 90 days after the award expires), except where limited by law, regulation, policy or by security requirements.

A Data/Information Sharing Plan of no more than two pages is required as part of the Project Narrative for all applications that propose field research or monitoring activities. A typical plan may include the types of environmental data and information 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; policies addressing data stewardship and preservation; procedures for providing access, data, and security; and prior experience in publishing such data. The Data/Information Sharing Plan will be reviewed as part of the NOAA Standard Evaluation Criteria, Item 1 – Importance/Relevance and

Applicability of Proposal Project to the Program Goals.

The Data/Information Sharing Plan (and any subsequent revisions or updates) will be made publicly available at time of award and, thereafter, will be posted with the published data.

Failing to share environmental data and information in accordance with the submitted Data/Information Sharing Plan may lead to disallowed costs and be considered by

NOAA when making future award decisions.

For further information on NOAA’s Data Sharing Policy and samples of

Data Sharing Plans, please refer to information posted here:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/states/faq.htm.

5. Total project costs and budget justification

Each application must include clear and concise budget information, both on the required Federal forms and as described here.

Provide a table showing costs by category (e.g., salary, benefits, supplies, equipment, travel, contractual, indirect) and by Federal and non-Federal share. For multi-year applications, costs must also be shown by year for each year of the proposal.

Costs should be itemized to the maximum extent possible. Budget tables must be formatted to fit letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”). Do not format tables as multiple sheets or tabs within an Excel spreadsheet as sheets can be lost when applications are prepared for review in

NOAA’s Grants Online system. For an example of how to display costs and format budget tables, please refer to the sample table posted here:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/docs/budget_table.pdf.

All funds MUST be estimated to the nearest dollar; any budgets containing cents will be returned for revision.

A budget justification for each year of the requested budget must also be provided to explain and justify all project costs, including contractual costs. This narrative must be organized to clearly correspond to the information provided in the budget table.

For an example of how to prepare a budget justification, please refer to the sample posted here: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/docs/budget_narrative.pdf.

Detail provided in the budget table and/ or the budget justification must be sufficient so that reviewers can interpret how costs were estimated or calculated, especially for costs over $5,000 (including any contractual costs). For the non-Federal share, the itemized costs should be identified as cash or in-kind contributions. If in-kind contributions are included as part of the non-federal cost share, the basis for estimating the value of these contributions must be provided.

Applications must include OMB standard form (SF) 424A, “Budget

Information – Non-construction Programs.” All instructions should be read before completing the form, and the amounts per category and total amounts indicated on the form must correspond with amounts indicated on other proposal documents.

6. Appendices (10-page limit)

Abbreviated curricula vitae or resumes of the PM/PI and any Co-Managers/

Co-Investigators must be included with the application. Applicants requiring ESA scientific research permits must also include evidence of such a permit (e.g. by providing the permit number) or evidence that they have submitted an ESA permit application. If indirect costs are being requested as part of the proposed budget, a copy of the requesting agency’s indirect cost rate agreement must be provided. Additional material that is necessary or useful to the description of the project may also be provided (e.g. letters of endorsement, maps, photos, tables or other visual materials). Do not submit any letters of support or endorsement from any NMFS, NOAA, or Department of Commerce personnel.

C. Submission Dates and Times

Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service, or received by www.grants.gov (Grants.gov) by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on [INSERT DATE of FIRST

BUSINESS DAY 90 DAYS FROM DATE of POSTING to Grants.gov]. Applications submitted by U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Use of a delivery service other than the U.S. Postal Service must be documented with a receipt. Proposals submitted after the deadline cannot be considered for funding. PLEASE NOTE: It may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline.

D. Intergovernmental Review

Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

E. Funding Restrictions

1. Indirect Cost Rates

The budget may include an amount for indirect costs if the applicant has an established indirect cost rate with the federal government. Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, insurance) that are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically within a particular project. Applicants may use indirect costs or a portion of these costs as part of the non-federal cost share. A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost agreement with the federal government must be included in the application. Applicant that do not have a current negotiated rate but plan to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, must submit documentation necessary to establish a rate within 90 days of receiving an award.

Applicants that have not previously established an indirect cost rate with a

Federal agency 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, which may be used indefinitely (as allowable under 2 C.F.R. §200.414). If the 10% de minimis rate is chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a recipient non-Federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the recipient may apply to do at any time. If an applicant chooses to establish an indirect cost rate, the negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the

Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions Section B.06.

The NOAA contact for indirect or facilities and administrative costs is:

Lamar Revis, Grants Officer

NOAA Grants Management Division

1325 East West Highway

9th Floor

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 lamar.revis@noaa.gov

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 Office of Management and Budget’s “Uniform Administrative

Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements” regulations published in 2 C.F.R.

part 200, Subpart E. A project begins on the effective date of an award agreement between the recipient and the Grants Officer and ends on the date specified in the award.

Accordingly, applicants cannot be reimbursed for time expended or costs incurred in developing a project or preparing the application; such expenditures also cannot be accepted as part of the cost share.

F. Other Submission Requirements

1. Permits and Approvals

It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain all necessary Federal, State, and local government permits and approvals where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted.

If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of permits must be included in the proposal package.

Most projects involving directed or incidental take of threatened or endangered species require permits under section 10 of the ESA (as implemented at 50 CFR § 222.307 and 222.308). If an ESA permit covering the proposed activities has already been issued, the permit number must be provided in the application. Issuance of the necessary ESA permit(s) or evidence that the applicant has submitted a permit application is required in order for a proposal to be considered for funding. If the grant applicant is not the Principal

Investigator (PI) or the permit holder, a copy of the authorization to work under the permit

(e.g., designation as a Co-Investigator under the permit) or a letter of support from the permit holder is required.

Projects involving rescue of non-listed marine mammals in accordance with the regulations at 50 CFR § 216.22, rescue or salvage of stranded or dead endangered sea turtles in accordance with 50 CFR§ 222.310, or take of threatened sea turtles in accordance with

50 CFR § 223.206 do not require an independent ESA section 10 permit.

For further information on permit requirements and application procedures for federal natural resource permits, contact the NMFS Office of Protected Resources Permits, Conservation and Education Division (301-427-8401) or see http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/.

If proposed activities will take place within National Marine Sanctuaries, National Parks, National Seashores, and other federally designated protected areas, the applicant is responsible for requesting and obtaining any necessary permits or letters of agreement from the appropriate government agencies.

Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize potential adverse impacts on the environment. Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further analysis, covered under an existing programmatic analysis, or whether additional analysis is necessary in conformance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For those applications needing further analysis, affected applicants will be informed after the merit review stage and asked to assist by providing any information necessary to complete a draft

Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement.

Failure to obtain other Federal, State, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide information necessary to complete environmental analyses where necessary (i.e., NEPA environmental assessments or documentation) may delay or prevent the award of funds if a project is selected for funding.

2. Address for Submitting Proposals

Applications should be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov. NOAA strongly recommends that applicants do not wait until the application deadline to begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use

Grants.gov, applicants must have a unique entity identifier (i.e., Dun and Bradstreet Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number) and register in the System for Award

Management (SAM) before submitting its application; the Central Contractor Registration

(CCR) is now a part of SAM and is located at www.sam.gov. Applicants should allow at least 5 business days to complete the SAM registration; registration is only required once.

The application process in Grants.gov cannot be completed without completing SAM registration. Also, it may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline.

Following submission of applications through Grants.gov, applicants should receive two automated responses from Grants.gov: one confirms receipt of the application; the other confirms that the application has been forwarded to NOAA. If both confirmation messages from Grants.gov are not received, applicants should contact both the Grants.gov Helpdesk and the NMFS Office of Protected Resources to confirm the application has been transmitted to and received by NOAA.

If you experience a Grants.gov “systems issue” (technical problems or glitches with the Grants.gov website) that you believe threatens your ability to complete a submission before the application deadline, please (i) print any error message received; and (ii) call the

Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 for immediate assistance. Applicants need to obtain a case number regarding communications with Grants.gov. Please note: problems with an applicant organization’s computer system or equipment or failure to comply with the

Grants.gov system requirements are not considered “systems issues.” Similarly, an applicant’s failure to: (i) complete the required registration, (ii) ensure that a registered

Authorized Representative (AOR) submits the application, or (iii) notice receipt of an email message from Grants.gov are not considered systems issues. A Grants.gov “systems issue” is an issue occurring in connection with the operations of Grants.gov itself, such as the temporary loss of service by Grants.gov due to unexpected volume of traffic or failure of information technology systems, both of which are highly unlikely. It is the applicant’s responsibility to take necessary steps to document a “systems issue” and contact NOAA. In the event of a confirmed “systems issue,” NOAA reserves the right to accept an application in an alternate format (i.e. hard copy submission), however all applications must be received by the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

For applicants lacking internet access, hard copies may be submitted (by postal mail or commercial delivery) to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources, Attn: Lisa

Manning, 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC3, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Applications submitted by U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Use of a delivery service other than the U.S. Postal Service must be documented with a receipt. Paper applications should be printed on one side only, on 8.5” x

11” paper, and not be bound in any manner. A signed (in ink) SF-424 must be included.

No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted.

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

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR §25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR §25.110(d)) is required to: (i) be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application (i.e. DUNS number); and (iii) continue to maintain an active

SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award, 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, 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.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by reviewers based on the criteria described here (with their relative weights):

1. Importance/Relevance and Applicability of the Proposal to the Program

Goals (35 Points)

This criterion addresses whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, State, or local activities. Reviewers will consider whether proposals clearly identify project goals and objectives and whether those goals and objectives are applicable to conservation and recovery of threatened or endangered species, de-listed species, or candidate species as specified in sections I.A. and I.B. of this document.

Reviewers will also score the proposal based on their consideration of the contribution of potential outcomes, results, or products to species conservation and management goals; whether milestones and products are clearly identified; and whether performance measures for evaluating effectiveness of the completed project were clearly identified. Reviewers will consider whether the proposal is designed to have a direct impact on species recovery as a result of implementation of management actions. If the proposal addresses the continuation of previously funded or ongoing work, reviewers should consider whether an adequate justification for the continuation of the same work is provided by the applicant (e.g., what benefit would additional results have?). (Score: 1-35 points; where, for example, 1= no importance/relevance to the program goals or objectives, very limited potential to contribute to species recovery, no implementation of management actions; 18= moderately important/ relevant, reasonably likely to make some meaningful contribution to species recovery; 35= extremely important/relevant, extremely likely to make a significant contribution to recovery of a threatened or endangered species, involves implementation of significant management actions, addresses a priority species.)

2. Technical/ Scientific Merit (30 Points)

For proposals including management and outreach, this criterion addresses whether the approach is appropriate for achieving the stated goals and objectives, whether the approach will result in successful execution of the project, and if the anticipated results can be achieved in the time line specified. Reviewers will consider whether sufficient information is provided to evaluate the design of the project relative to the stated goals/objectives.

For proposals including research and monitoring, this criterion addresses whether the approach is technically sound, if the methods are appropriate for achieving the stated goals/objectives, and if the anticipated results can be achieved in the time line specified. Reviewers will consider the sufficiency of information to evaluate the project technically, the strengths and/or weaknesses of the technical design relative to securing productive results, and the inclusion of quality assurance considerations for data collected.

For all applications, reviewers will consider whether the proposal includes an effective mechanism for evaluating the project’s success in meeting the stated goals and objectives. Reviewers will also evaluate whether application instructions contained in this document were followed. (Score: 1-30 points; where, for example, 1= completely unsound and/ or unlikely to meet the stated objectives, application instructions were not followed, and no performance measures included; 15= intermediately sound, and/ or reasonably likely to meet the stated objectives, application instructions generally followed; 30= extremely sound and highly likely to meet the stated objectives, application instructions followed thoroughly.)

3. Overall Qualification of Applicants (10 Points)

This criterion addresses whether the applicant possesses the necessary expertise, experience, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.

Reviewers will consider previous related experience and qualifications of the project's PM or

PI, Co Manager(s) or Co-Investigator(s) and other personnel, including designated contractors, consultants, and cooperators. Reviewers will also consider past award performance of the applicant(s) and PM/PI, if applicable. (Score: 1-10 points; where, for example, 1= completely unqualified and/or lacking the resources or capacity to accomplish the project, poor past award performance, 5= intermediate level of qualifications or experience and/or adequate resources and capacity to accomplish the project, satisfactory past award performance, 10= extremely qualified/ experienced, has all necessary resources and demonstrated capacity to accomplish the project, exceptional past award performance.)

4. Project Costs (15 Points)

Reviewers will evaluate the budget to determine if it is sufficiently detailed, realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame. The itemized costs and the overall budget must be adequately justified and appropriately allocated. Reviewers will consider whether sufficient detail was provided to evaluate how costs were estimated.

(Score: 1-15 points; where, for example, 1= unrealistic and lacking sufficient detail; 8= adequately detailed and realistic; 15= extremely detailed and realistic.)

5. Outreach and Education (10 Points)

This criterion addresses whether the project provides a focused and effective…