noaa-nmfs-se-2016-2004691 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 (DOC)

Funding Opportunity Title: Fiscal Year 2016 NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-SE-2016-2004691

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

Dates: Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on December 11, 2015 to be considered for funding. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through www.grants.gov (Grants.gov).

PLEASE NOTE: For applicants that submit through Grants.gov, it may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline.

If an applicant does not have Internet access or if Grants.gov has technical issues that prohibit submission, hard copy applications will be accepted. Hard copies may be submitted by postal mail, commercial delivery service, or hand-delivery, but must be received (not postmarked) by

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 11, 2015. Hard copy applications arriving after the deadline given above will be accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery prior to the specified closing date and time. In any event, hard copy applications received by NMFS later than two business days following the closing date will not be accepted.

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Region

(Fisheries Southeast Regional Office) is seeking proposals under the Gulf of Mexico B-WET

Program. The Gulf of Mexico B-WET program is a competitive, environmental education, grants program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. Funded projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students, related professional development for teachers, and help to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Gulf of Mexico. This program addresses NOAA's Long-Term Goal of "Healthy

Oceans: Marine fisheries, habitats, and biodiversity are sustained within healthy and productive ecosystems" and "NOAA's Engagement Enterprise Objective for An engaged and educated public with an improved capacity to make scientifically informed environmental decisions".

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The Gulf of Mexico NOAA Bay-Watershed Education and Training (Gulf B-WET)

Program is an environmental education program that supports experiential K-12 learning through local competitive grant awards. Gulf B-WET is part of the national B-WET Program found in each of the following geographic regions: Chesapeake Bay, California, Hawaiian

Islands, New England, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes.

For the purposes of this solicitation, the Gulf of Mexico region is defined as the coastal counties in the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Gulf of

Mexico coastal counties are listed on page 48-49 of the following document: National Ocean

Service, NOAA. 2011. The Gulf of Mexico at a Glance: A Second Glance. Washington, DC:

U.S. Department of Commerce.

http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/NOAAs_Gulf_of_Mexico_at_a_Glance_report.pdf.

Applicants may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, education projects must target teachers and/or students in the above defined Gulf of Mexico coastal counties.

NOAA recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one's community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship. Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, engendering discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. Experiential learning techniques, such as those supported by the NOAA B-WET Program, have been shown to increase interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), thus contributing to NOAA's obligations under the America Competes Act (33 USC 893a(a)).

DEFINING THE MEANINGFUL WATERSHED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

(MWEE)

The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive funding that promotes

Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs are multi-stage activities that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and aim to increase the environmental literacy of all participants. Teachers should support students to investigate topics both locally and globally that are of interest to them, learn they have control over the outcome of environmental issues, identify actions available to address these issues, and understand the value of those actions. More information about the MWEE can be found here: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/docs/MWEE_Definition-final2015-7-29v3.pdf.

MWEEs are defined as follows:

1. Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for Students

MWEEs for students should be learner centered and focused on questions, problems, and issues to be investigated through collecting, analyzing and sharing data; learning protocols;

exploring models; and examining natural phenomena. These activities, grounded in best practices and the context of the local community and culture, help increase student interest, motivation, and attitudes toward learning, and achieve environmental stewardship. As a result of the MWEE activities students should have an understanding of basic watershed concepts, as well as the interaction between natural systems (e.g. wildlife, plants, and water cycle) and social systems (e.g. communities, transportation systems, and schools), highlighting the connection between human activity and environmental conditions. MWEEs consist of multiple components as defined below.

> Issue definition and background research

Students focus on an environmental question, problem, or issue requiring background research and investigation. They learn more about the issue through classroom instruction, the collection of data, conducting experiments, talking to experts and reviewing credible publications. This process should be age appropriate with practices growing in complexity and sophistication across the grades, starting with educator guided investigation and progressing to student-led inquiry.

> Outdoor field activities

Students participate in multiple outdoor field activities sufficient to collect the data or make observations required for answering the research questions and informing student actions, or as part of the issue definition and background research. Students should be actively involved in planning the investigation, taking measurements, or constructing the project within appropriate safety guidelines, with teachers providing instruction on methods and procedures, data collection protocols, and proper use of equipment as needed. These activities can take place off-site and/or on the school grounds.

> Stewardship action projects

Students participate in an age appropriate project during which they take action to address environmental issues at the personal or societal level. Participants in B-WET MWEE activities should understand they have control over the outcome of environmental issues, be encouraged to identify actions to address these issues and understand the value of those actions. Examples of stewardship activities include: Watershed Restoration or Protection

(e.g., create schoolyard habitat, planting trees or grasses, invasive species removal, community cleanup, stormwater management); Everyday Choices (e.g., reduce/reuse/recycle/upcycle, composting, energy conservation, water conservation);

Community Engagement (e.g., presentations, social media, event-organizing, messaging at community events/fairs/festivals, mentoring, PSAs, flyers, posters); and Civic Action (e.g., town meetings, voting, writing elected officials/decision makers, advocating for policy change).

> Synthesis and conclusions

Students analyze and evaluate the results of projects and investigations. Students synthesize and communicate results and conclusions to an external audience such as other classrooms, schools, parents, or the community.

2. Support for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) with Students

In addition to the components identified above, NOAA recommends that the following elements are in place to fully support successful MWEE implementation with students.

> Teacher participation for the duration of the MWEE

While external partners are entirely appropriate to support MWEEs, teachers should support the experience in the classroom and in the field. Teachers are in the best position to help students make connections and draw on past lessons, serve as environmental role models, and enhance students overall outdoor education experience and should be involved in all components of the experiences detailed above. To support them in this role, teachers should have appropriate knowledge of environmental issues and watershed concepts, skill in connecting these issues to their curriculum, and competency in environmental education pedagogy, including the ability and confidence to teach outdoor lessons and to lead students in critical thinking about environmental issues.

> Integration with classroom curriculum

Experiences should be integrated into what is occurring in the classroom, and can provide authentic, age appropriate, engaging multi-disciplinary content to address academic standards. Specifically, elements of science and social studies standards related to questioning and investigation, evidence-based analysis and interpretation, model and theory building, knowledge of environmental processes and systems, skill for understanding and addressing environmental issues, and personal and civic responsibility align well with

MWEEs. Non-school activities may enrich traditional classroom curriculum when needed, though this need should be documented and supported by local education agencies.

> Use of the local context for learning

The local community and environment should be viewed as a primary resource for student MWEEs. Place-based education promotes learning that is rooted in the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a students’ schoolyard, neighborhood, town or community, and thus offering students and teachers the opportunity to explore how individual and collective decisions impact their immediate surroundings.

Once a firm connection to their local environment is made, students are better positioned to expand their thinking to recognize the far-reaching implications of the decisions they make to the larger national and global environment.

> Experiences are a set of activities over time

The MWEE includes the full duration leading up to and following the outdoor field experiences. Each component should involve a significant investment of instructional time, incorporate time for reflection, and include all students. Experiences such as tours, simulations, demonstrations, or nature walks may be instructionally useful, but alone do not constitute an entire meaningful watershed educational experience as defined here.

> Includes NOAA assets, including personnel and resources

NOAA has a wealth of applicable products and services as well as a cadre of scientific and professional experts that can heighten the impact of environmental instruction both in the classroom and in the field. Additionally, environmental professionals can serve as important role models for career choices and stewardship. For more on NOAA assets for education please see: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/NOAA_assets.html

3. Teacher Professional Development for Meaningful Watershed Educational

Experiences (MWEEs)

Teachers should be skilled in using environmental education and MWEEs to address multiple subjects’ curriculum standards and local education agency initiatives. In order to gain and maintain environmental education competencies, teachers need access to sustained, high quality professional development that includes ongoing support and feedback. Teachers should gain confidence in the value of MWEEs and strategies for conducting them so that they will conduct MWEES after the B-WET supported program has ended. Specifically, the following elements are recommended for professional development to support teachers implementing MWEEs:

> Increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues

Teachers must have an adequate level of content knowledge for their MWEE topic area specific to their grade level and discipline, including an understanding of basic watershed concepts and the human connection to the watershed. Recognizing that environmental issues often include different perspectives and opinions, teachers must also have a deep understanding of the facts related to environmental issues along with an understanding of the various stakeholder values. In addition, teachers who demonstrate environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviors may be role models for their students and increase their ability to guide students in actions to address complex environmental issues.

> Models environmental education pedagogy

Facilitators/trainers should utilize the same techniques and experiences in trainings that teachers are expected to use with their students, such as hands-on, place-based, outdoor field experiences and environmental issue investigation and action.

> Allows for adequate instructional time

Professional Development trainings should be multi-day, occurring consecutively or over the course of several months. Trainings should include ample opportunity for teachers to reflect on their own teaching practices and planning for how to use knowledge and skills gained from professional development in the classroom.

> Provides ongoing teacher support and appropriate incentives

Even in cases where teachers participate in robust multi-day trainings, such as a summer or weekend courses, it is still essential that professional development providers have a structure in place for on-going teacher support and enrichment. This can take the form of follow up meetings, creating web-based forums for communication and feedback, establishing mentor teachers who can serve as points of contact, or including teams of teachers from one particular school. Continuing education credits and stipends can be used to encourage participation in on-going professional development opportunities. Outreach and training opportunities for school administrators may help increase high level support for both environmental education and continuing teacher professional development for teachers.

> Meets jurisdictional guidelines for effective teacher professional development

Each jurisdiction has established guidance and recommendations germane to all forms of teacher professional development. When possible, professional development opportunities in environmental education should adhere to these general guidelines set forth by local education agencies.

B. Program Priorities

Proposals must address one of the three areas of interest: (1) Meaningful Watershed

Educational Experiences for Students; (2) Professional Development for Teachers related to

Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences; (3) Exemplary Programs combining

Teacher Professional Development with long-term classroom-integrated Meaningful

Watershed Educational Experiences for their students. In addition to the three program priorities above, one additional factor will be taken into consideration in making funding recommendations: (4) Regional Priorities of the Gulf B-WET Program. Each of these four priorities is described below.

1. Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Students

The NOAA B-WET Program seeks proposals for projects that provide opportunities for students to participate in a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. The marine and estuarine environment and the surrounding watershed provide an excellent opportunity for environmental education. In many cases, tidal and non-tidal waters and the landscape around them can provide "hands-on" laboratories where students can see, touch, and learn about the environment. In other cases, the environment can be brought alive to the classroom through a strong complement of outdoor and classroom experiences. The watershed environment can provide a genuine, locally relevant source of knowledge that can be used to help advance student learning skills across the entire school curriculum. Proposals submitted under this area should address the specific elements and types of activities that define a Meaningful

Watershed Educational Experience (definition above).

2. Professional Development for Teachers related to Meaningful Watershed Educational

Experiences

The NOAA B-WET Program seeks proposals for projects that provide teachers opportunities for professional development in the area of environmental education. As the purveyors of education, teachers can ultimately make meaningful environmental education experiences for students by weaving together classroom and field activities within the context of their curriculum and of current critical issues that impact the watershed.

Systematic, long-term professional development opportunities will reinforce a teacher's ability to teach, inspire, and lead young people toward thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources.

Proposals submitted under this area should be designed so that teachers not only understand what a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience is, but why this type of pedagogy is important. The goal is to ensure that professional development experiences for the teacher ultimately benefit the student. Projects should be designed so that teachers are capable of conducting a meaningful watershed educational experience and provide the resources and necessary technical support needed to implement an experience in their classroom. Proposals submitted under this area should address the specific elements and types of activities that define a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (definition above).

3. Exemplary Programs combining Teacher Professional Development and Meaningful

Watershed Educational Experiences for their Students

The NOAA B-WET Program seeks proposals for exemplary projects that combine

Teacher Professional Development with long-term classroom-integrated Meaningful

Watershed Educational Experiences for their Students. Systematic, long-term professional development for teachers coupled with multiple meaningful watershed experiences for students that are fully supported in the classroom by their teachers will ensure that the concepts of watershed education are fully reinforced throughout the school year. Proposals submitted under this area should address the specific elements and types of activities that define a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (definition above).

4. Regional Priorities of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance

The Gulf of Mexico B-WET Program responds to regional education and environmental priorities through local implementation. Therefore, in addition to addressing one of the three programmatic priorities, programs are asked to employ meaningful watershed educational experiences that address the coastal resource priorities outlined by the major regional policy body: The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA).

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. The five

U.S. Gulf States have identified six priority issue areas that are regionally significant and can be effectively addressed through increased collaboration at local, state, and federal levels.

GOMA Priority Areas:

- Coastal Resilience

- Data & Monitoring

- Education & Engagement

- Habitat Resources

- Water Resources

- Wildlife & Fisheries

For more information about the Gulf of Mexico Alliance priorities, visit:

http://www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org/.

C. Program Authority

Under 33 U.S.C. § 893a(a) America Competes Act, the Administrator of the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

It is anticipated that approximately $700,000 will be available in FY 2016 to fund eligible applications. NOAA anticipates making approximately 4 to 7 new. The total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed $100,000. The minimum

Federal amount that must be requested from NOAA is $25,000. Applications requesting

Federal support from NOAA for more than $100,000 or less than $25,000 will not be considered for funding.

There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made.

B. Project/Award Period

The project start date should not begin before July 1, 2016. The period of awards may be for a maximum period of up to 24 months. Applications must include a project description and a budget for the entire award period. Applicants selected to receive funding may be asked to modify the project start date. It is recommended to include the flexibility of the requested start date in your project description.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Proposals selected for funding will be funded through a grant or cooperative agreement depending upon the amount of collaboration, participation, or involvement of NOAA in the management of the project. A cooperative agreement will be used if the NOAA B-WET

Program shares responsibility for management, control, direction, or performance of the project with the recipient. Specific terms regarding substantial involvement will be contained in special award conditions.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments.

Applicants may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, education projects must target teachers and/or students in Gulf of Mexico coastal counties, which are listed on page 48-49 of the following document: National Ocean Service, NOAA. 2011. The Gulf of

Mexico at a Glance: A Second Glance. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce.

http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/NOAAs_Gulf_of_Mexico_at_a_Glance_report.pdf

Additionally, priority will be given to applicants who 1) show prior experience in working in the Gulf of Mexico region, 2) show prior experience with Gulf of Mexico regional issues, or 3) demonstrate partnerships with local organizations in the Gulf of

Mexico region on proposed projects.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Cost-sharing is not required for this program.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

No other criteria.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through Grants.gov. Application packages are available through Grants.gov. If applicants do not have internet access, application packages may be requested from: Amy Clark, Gulf of Mexico B-WET Program

Manager, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 1021 Balch Blvd, Suite 1003, Stennis

Space Center, MS 39529, (228) 688-1520, amy.clark@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

Proposals should follow the content and format described below. Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of the Fisheries Southeast Regional Office or the reviewers as to the relative merits of the project described in the application.

1. Format Requirements:

All pages should be single-spaced and should be composed in at least 11 point font with one-inch margins on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. The project description should not exceed 15 pages, exclusive of project summary, literature cited, budget information, resumes of investigator, letters of support, data sharing plan, and federal forms. Any attachment included in an electronic application should meet the above format requirement when printed out. All documents submitted as electronic application elements should be PDF (rather than

MS Word, Excel, or other files types). Additional informational material should not be submitted.

2. Content Requirements:

The following Federal Forms are required and must be submitted with applications.

(1) Application for Federal Assistance: SF-424. Funding on this form should reflect the total funding requested in the application.

(2) Budget Information, Non-construction Programs: SF-424A.

(3) Assurances, Non-Construction Programs: SF-424B

Additionally, the following Department of Commerce forms may be required:

(4) Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and other Responsibility Matters:

Drug Free Workplace Environment: CD-511

(5) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: SF-LLL (if applicable)

The following information should be included.

a. Project Summary (1-page limit): It is critical that the project summary accurately describes the project being proposed and conveys all essential elements and objectives of the activities. A person unfamiliar with your project should be able to read the summary and grasp your plan. The project summary should include: Organization title; Principal

Investigator(s); Address, telephone number, and email address of Principal Investigator(s);

Program priorities addressed as described in Section I.B. (Meaningful Watershed

Educational Experiences for Students, Professional Development for Teachers related to

Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences, or Exemplary Programs, and the specific

GOMA Priority(ies) addressed); Project title; Project duration; Project objectives; Total

Federal funding requested; Cost-sharing to be provided from non-Federal sources if any;

Cost per student and/or teacher; and Succinct description of work to be performed during the entire project period including audience description information (i.e. demographics and school divisions, grade levels, number of teachers/students to be reached) and delivery method to be used (i.e. workshops, field experiences, interactive programs).

b. Project Description (15-page limit): The project description should describe and justify the project being proposed and address each of the evaluation criteria as described below in Section V.A.

Project descriptions should include the goals and objectives for your project. Include specific approaches to achieving those objectives, including methods, timelines, and expected outcomes. Include information about how the project contributes to greater understanding and stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico. Describe the need for your project and cite timely studies or sources, where appropriate, that verify the need for your project.

Project descriptions should define the target audience(s). Specifically, project descriptions should include a precise location of the project and area(s) to be served and the number of teachers and/or students to be reached each year of the proposed project.

Demonstrate an understanding of the needs of that audience, including anything that makes your target audience unique.

Project descriptions should outline how the project proposes to implement each component of a meaningful watershed educational experience (fully defined above), including alignment with state standards and classroom curricula. And, note what NOAA products, services, or staff will be used in program delivery. Discuss a plan for sustainability of project beyond NOAA funding.

In addition, project descriptions should include significant external sharing, communication, and stewardship. Projects should include a mechanism that encourages students and/or teachers to share their experiences with peers and with the environmental education community, e.g., through mentoring opportunities, presentations at conferences, in-school service days, or other public forums, media, or other community stewardship activities.

Project descriptions should also identify and document the results or benefits to be derived from the proposed activities of the entire prospective project. Project descriptions should include a two part evaluation description:

> Project Evaluation: Project evaluation is defined as the systematic collection and documentation of information about your project's outcomes in order to improve the project's effectiveness, guide judgments about its impact, and/or inform decisions about future programming or funding. Proposals should provide a project evaluation plan. For information on how to create a project evaluation plan, please see the California B-WET project evaluation website at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/evaluation/welcome.html.

and

> National Evaluation: In addition to project evaluation, grantees are asked to participate in data collection for the national B-WET evaluation. B-WET has created a cross-region, internal evaluation system to monitor program implementation and outcomes on an ongoing basis. Results of this evaluation will be used to make adjustments to B-WET Federal

Funding Opportunities (FFOs) and activities in order to improve the B-WET program, document its value, and better tailor it to program audiences. Furthermore, the system will generate a data set that will be valuable to researchers and has the potential to inform the field of environmental education more broadly. Success of this effort depends on grantee participation, so applicants are strongly encouraged to review the information about the national evaluation system (available here: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/bwet_eval.php) and consider how they can support it as part of their projects.

As part of this evaluation system, recipients of B-WET grants and teacher-participants in grantees’ professional development programs may be asked to voluntarily complete online questionnaires to provide evaluation data. One individual from each grantee organization will be asked to complete a questionnaire once per year of the award. For projects that work with teachers, the teacher-participants will be asked (using email addresses provided by the grantee organization) to complete one questionnaire at the close of their professional development and one after implementing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences with their students (at the end of the following school year). Grantees should be able to complete their questionnaire within 30-60 minutes (depending on the nature of their program) and teachers, within 30 minutes. B-WET grantees and teachers who respond to the questionnaires will remain anonymous to B-WET and NOAA. NOAA will only view the resulting data in aggregate at the national or regional level, however grantees will receive a password-protected report link to allow them to view data from teacher participants of their project in aggregate.

Grantees are encouraged to provide information about how they plan to support this national evaluation system, incorporate it into the project timeline, and ensure responses from participating teachers as part of their application. More information, including all of the survey instruments, is available on the NOAA B-WET national website here:

http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/bwet_eval.php. Grantees should review the information available and take this into consideration in the planning for their project evaluations. For example:

-Grantees may not need to include questions that will be answered through the teacher instrument in their own evaluations.

-Wherever possible grantees should try to incorporate participation in the evaluation system into existing requirements for professional development program completion. For example, on completion of the teacher professional development survey, teachers will receive some program incentive.

Note that this evaluation system is not intended to fully replace project level evaluation.

While grantees will have access to their teacher’s data from the evaluation system, the national evaluation may not provide the level of detail needed to fully understand, describe, and improve specific grant projects. Grantees are therefore encouraged to balance these needs within their evaluation budget.

Additional information about this project, including background, FAQs, survey instruments, and suggested text for communicating with your teacher participants about this project, is available here: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/bwet_eval.php.

This data collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with the Paperwork

Reduction Act and OMB guidelines (OMB Control No 0648-0658).

c. Literature Cited: If references are cited, proposals should include a literature cited list.

d. Letters of Support/Partnerships: Letters of support from each partner that is making a significant contribution to the project should be included with the application package.

Wherever reasonable, proposals should include partnerships with school divisions and/or the state department of education (if the applicant is not one of these entities). Projects are also encouraged to collaborate with NOAA entities as partners. More information about NOAA assets and educational resources can be found at: http://www.education.noaa.gov/.

e. Budget and Budget Justification: In addition to the SF424A Budget Information form, applicants should include a detailed budget justification, or budget narrative. In the budget narrative, include a per-teacher and/or per-student cost calculation for this project. Provide justification for all budget items in sufficient detail to enable the reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the funding requested. Also, applicants should complete and submit the

B-WET budget template found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/outreach_education/gulf_b_wet/applying_for_a_gulf_b_wet_grant

/index.html. All budget information submitted with the application should mirror the dollar amounts on required SF-424 and SF-424A forms.

For any equipment, defined in 2 CFR §200.33 as “tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-Federal entity for financial statement purposes, or $5,000,” a description of the item and associated costs is required, including a description of how it will be used in the project.

All equipment purchases must include a lease versus purchase analysis. For more information on equipment, see 2 CFR §200.313

Applicants must include the budgets and budget justifications of subawards and contracts. Information must include the name of the entity receiving funds, the location of the entity receiving the funds (e.g., city, state, and Congressional district), the location of the entity receiving funds (city, state, and Congressional district), and the location of the primary place of performance under the contract/subaward. All subawards and contracts must be made consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR §§200.330-200.332 for subawards, and

200.317-200.326 for procurements.

Grant recipients may be asked to attend a two-day Regional B-WET conference to be held in one of the Gulf States at some point during the award period. The conference will be an opportunity for former and current B-WET grant recipients to present their B-WET projects and learn from each other. Your budget should include, in the travel category, estimated funds for these trips (such as meals, lodging, airfare and/or other transportation including rental car, shuttle, or taxi). Although this is considered an outreach and education opportunity, it should not be the sole justification to meet the outreach and education criteria;

local, regional or national communication is required as well.

f. Resumes (2 pages maximum for each major participant)

g. Data Sharing: Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made visible, accessible, and independently understandable to general users in a timely manner (typically no later than two (2) years after the data are collected or created), free of charge or at minimal cost to the user that is no more than the cost of distribution, except where limited by law, regulation, policy, or security requirements.

A Data Sharing Plan of no more than two pages shall be required as part of the proposal.

A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the expected temporal and spatial coverage of the data; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; policies addressing data stewardship and preservation; and procedures for providing access, sharing, and security. Because NOAA believes it important that data sets developed with its support should be shared with the scientific community, PIs should also indicate how and when they have made their data accessible and usable by the community in the past. The Data Sharing Plan will be reviewed as part of the NOAA Standard Evaluation

Criterion “Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed project to the mission goals.”

The Data Sharing Plan (updated as needed) must be made available publicly at time of award and must remain available until the Environmental Data are made available publicly.

C. Submission Dates and Times

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on December 11, 2015 to be considered for funding. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected and returned to the sender without further consideration.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online through Grants.gov. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication is included and will be the basis of determining timeliness.

If an applicant does not have Internet access or if Grants.gov has technical issues that prohibit submission, hard copy applications will be accepted. Hard copies may be submitted by postal mail, commercial delivery service, or hand-delivery. Mail hard copy applications to Amy Clark, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 1021 Balch Blvd, Suite 1003, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529. Hard copy applications must be received (not postmarked) by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 11, 2015. Hard copy applications arriving after the deadline given above will be accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery prior to the specified closing date and time. In any event, hard copy applications received by NMFS later than two business days following the closing date will not be accepted.

Additional information about Grants.gov submissions: Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through http://www.grants.gov. Each applicant is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier (e.g. DUNS number) in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable 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. Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Because first-time registration with Grants.gov can take up to three weeks, it is strongly recommended that this registration process be completed as soon as possible. Also, even if an applicant has registered with Grants.gov previously, the applicant's password may have expired or their central contractor registration may need to be renewed prior to submitting to

Grants.gov. Grants.gov will not accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect. Authorizations and credential corrections can take several days to establish. Please consider these notes in developing your submission timeline.

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 an applicable funding cycle deadline, please (i) print any error message received; and (ii) call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 for immediate assistance. Ensure that you obtain a case number regarding your communications with Grants.gov. Please note:

problems with an applicant organization’s computer system or equipment are not considered

“systems issues.” Similarly, an applicant’s failure to: (i) complete the required registration, (ii) ensure that a registered AOR submits the application, or (iii) 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 system, 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. In the event of a confirmed “systems issue,” NOAA may allow more time for applicant submission due to system problems at Grants.gov at the time of application submission that are beyond the control of the applicant.

D. Intergovernmental Review

Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of

Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of

E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of

Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.

E. Funding Restrictions

Indirect Costs - The budget may include an amount for indirect costs if your organization has an established indirect cost rate with the Federal government. If indirect costs are requested, indirect-cost-rate agreements must be included for the applicant organization and the negotiated rate must be requested. If an applicant does not have an indirect cost rate and wants to include indirect costs, the applicant has up to 90 days after the award start date to submit an indirect cost proposal or cost allocation plan.

Indirect-cost-rate-agreement documentation is not required for sub-awardees, however indirect cost rates at the negotiated levels should be paid by the primary awardee. Under 2

C.F.R. § 200.414 “Indirect (F&A) Costs,” any 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 which may be used indefinitely. Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both pursuant to 2

C.F.R. § 200.403 “Factors affecting allowability of costs.” If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a cooperator chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-Federal entity may apply to do at any time.

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.

Construction is not an allowable activity under this program. Therefore, applications will not be accepted for construction projects.

All costs must be reasonable, allowable and allocable. Details about allowable costs can be found in 2 CFR part 200, Subpart E “Cost Principles.”

F. Other Submission Requirements

NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking

NOAA federal funding opportunities. Consequently, applicants should identify any impact the proposed work will have on the quality of the environment.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposal to the program goals (15 points)

This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state, or local activities. For the NOAA Gulf of

Mexico B-WET Program, this may include the following questions:

Does the project make a direct connection to the greater marine or estuarine environment and watershed system; and does it address how actions within that system can affect the environment? Does the applicant demonstrate a need for the project? Does the applicant demonstrate an understanding of the target audience? What is the likelihood of the proposed educational and environmental activities to improve the general understanding and stewardship of the environment? Does the experience focus around questions, problems, or issues pertaining to specific region?

2. Technical merit (50 points)

This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. For the

NOAA Gulf of Mexico B-WET Program, this may include the following questions:

Are the objectives and outcomes defined in the proposal focused on the stated outcome(s)? Does the applicant demonstrate that the objectives can be reached within the proposed project period? Does the project have a local context that uses the surrounding community as the primary resource for student MWEEs?

Is the project design project-oriented, hands-on, investigative, and part of a sustained activity? Is the project learner-centered and focused on questions, problems, and issues to be investigated through collecting, analyzing and sharing data; learning protocols; exploring models; and examining natural phenomena?

Consistent with the definition of the MWEE, if the project includes a student component, is such student programming part of a sustained activity that includes defining an issue, outdoor field experiences, stewardship action projects, and making conclusions?

Consistent with the definition of the MWEE, if the project includes a teacher training component, does such teacher professional development that will likely increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues, models environmental education pedagogy, allows for adequate instructional time, provides ongoing teacher support and appropriate incentives, and meets jurisdictional guidelines for effective teacher professional development?

Does the applicant provide an effective evaluation strategy to determine if project objectives and outcomes are being met? Does the project evaluation component of the project focus on measuring changes in participants (changes can be in knowledge, attitudes, skills or conservation actions)? Does the applicant discuss how the B-WET National

Evaluation system will be incorporated into their plans for project evaluation?

Does the proposal clearly outline how the project is an integral part of the classroom or instructional program and does the project address multiple disciplines? Does the applicant demonstrate how their project is aligned and supports the goals and strategies of the NOAA

Education Strategic Plan

(http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/leadership/edcouncil/docs/2015-Strategic-Plan-FullText.pdf)? Is the project aligned with environmental literacy principles (e.g. Ocean Literacy, http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OceanLitChart.pdf or Climate

Literacy, http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/literacy/climate_literacy.pdf) where appropriate? Does the applicant utilize NOAA staff, products, or services in the delivery of this project?

3. Overall qualifications of applicants (10 points)

This criterion ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.