NOAA-NMFS-SE-2019-2005805 FFO Report.pdf

Fiscal Year 2019 NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 9 C. Program Authority 11

II. Award Information 11 A. Funding Availability 11 B. Project/Award Period 12 C. Type of Funding Instrument 12

III. Eligibility Information 12 A. Eligible Applicants 12 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 13 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 13

IV. Application and Submission Information 13 A. Address to Request Application Package 13 B. Content and Form of Application 14 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 21 D. Submission Dates and Times 22 E. Intergovernmental Review 23 F. Funding Restrictions 23 G. Other Submission Requirements 24

V. Application Review Information 24 A. Evaluation Criteria 24 B. Review and Selection Process 27 C. Selection Factors 29 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 30

VI. Award Administration Information 30 A. Award Notices 31 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 31 C. Reporting 33

VII. Agency Contacts 33 VIII. Other Information 33

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 1 of 33

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: Fiscal Year 2019 NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-SE-2019-2005805

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.008, NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards

Dates: Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on November 2, 2018 to be considered for funding. Applicants should apply online through www.grants.gov.

When developing your submission timeline, keep in mind that it may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject the application and that an advance registration process is required that may take a few days or several weeks.

If Grants.gov has technical issues that prohibit submission or is otherwise impractical, 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 November 2, 2018. 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. Hard copy applications received by the NMFS Southeast Regional Office later than two business days following the closing date will not be accepted.

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office (Fisheries Southeast Regional Office) is seeking proposals under the Gulf of Mexico B- WET Program (http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/outreach_education/gulf_b_wet/). 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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 2 of 33 ecosystems" and "NOAA's Engagement Enterprise Objective for An engaged and educated public with an improved capacity to make scientifically informed environmental decisions".

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 3 of 33

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 grants. Gulf B-WET (http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/outreach_education/gulf_b_wet/) is part of the National B-WET Program (http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet) 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://goo.gl/HQ5IDg. 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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 4 of 33 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:

www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet-mwee.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 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. B-WET program recommends providers aim to include at least 5 hours of student activity time spent outdoors. 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.

Resources exist to support environmental learning projects that provide benefits to both students and the school environment. For example, please see the School Grounds for Learning resources available at: http://baybackpack.com/schoolyard_projects/about.

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> 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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 6 of 33 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.noaa.gov/education or http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/grants/noaa-assets.

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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 7 of 33 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. Based on educational research findings and preliminary evidence from the B-WET national evaluation system, the B-WET program recommends that facilitators/trainers offer teachers more than 30 hours of professional development time, of which more than 10 hours should be spent outdoors.

These targets are expected to support teacher change and increase the likelihood that teachers will implement MWEEs. Also, where appropriate, professional development should include tools for teachers to implement MWEEs on their school grounds. Resources exist to support the effective hands-on implementation of MWEEs and the development and continued use of integrated, sustainable indoor and outdoor environmental learning projects that provide substantial benefit to both students and the school environment. For example, please see the School Grounds for Learning resources available at:

http://baybackpack.com/schoolyard_projects/about

> 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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 8 of 33 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; and (4) proposals must address one of the Regional Priorities of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. 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 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

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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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 10 of 33 have identified priorities that are regionally significant and can be effectively addressed through increased collaboration at local, state, and federal levels.

GOMA Priorities:

- Coastal Resilience

- Data & Monitoring

- Education & Engagement

- Habitat Resources

- Water Resources

- Wildlife & Fisheries

- Comprehensive Conservation, Restoration, and Resilience Planning

- Ecosystem Services

- Marine Debris

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), the America COMPTES 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 $600,000 will be available in FY2019 to fund eligible applications. NOAA anticipates making approximately four to seven new awards.

The total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA should not exceed $100,000 per award. The minimum Federal amount to request from NOAA is $25,000. The period of awards may be for a maximum of 24 months. NOAA does not expect to consider applications requesting Federal support from NOAA for more than $100,000 or less than $25,000.

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If there are no funds available or if funding for new projects is very limited in FY2019, Gulf of Mexico B-WET may carry proposals recommended for funding forward until funding does become available. In that case, the results of this competition, including the results of the application review and rankings, will be carried over for FY2020. So, while we anticipate funding four to seven proposals in FY2019, additional proposals from this competition may be selected for funding in the next fiscal year should funds be available.

The possibility of carrying the results of this competition over to FY2020 depends on determining that the project applications received under this funding opportunity for FY2019 funds remain relevant to NOAA priorities in the Gulf of Mexico in FY2020.

This alternative to developing another, new FFO for FY2020 acknowledges the great effort required by applicants to develop a strong proposal as well as the work required by the B- WET Program Office and reviewers to conduct panel reviews. If we select proposals from this FY2019 competition for possible funding in FY2020, the standard practice of considering the remaining projects from this FY2019 solicitation in rank order will be followed.

B. Project/Award Period

The project start date should not begin before August 1, 2019. 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. Federal agencies are not allowed to

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 12 of 33 receive funds under this announcement but may serve as collaborative project partners and may contribute services in kind.

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://goo.gl/HQ5IDg.

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.

The Department of Commerce/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. The NOAA B-WET program encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions as well as other organizations that work with underserved or underrepresented audiences.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

No cost sharing is required under this program. Cost sharing is not considered in the evaluation criteria or selection factors. However, NOAA encourages applicants to demonstrate cost sharing, third party in-kind match, and program leveraging to support their projects. Funds from other Federal sources may not be considered matching funds and may not be used under this award unless expressly authorized by statute. All cost sharing or matching must be consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR §200.306.

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 this is not feasible, 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, Federal Funding Opportunity Page 13 of 33

(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. Some helpful resources for applicants can be found here:

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/outreach_education/gulf_b_wet/applying_for_a_gulf_b_wet_grant /index.html.

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 investigators, letters of support, data sharing plan, National Environmental Policy Act questionnaire, 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, MOV, or other files types).

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

(4) Certifications Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and other Responsibility Matters: Drug Free Workplace Environment: CD-511

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

(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

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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; Succinct description of work to be performed during the project period including audience description information (i.e. schools/school districts, grade levels, number of teachers/students to be reached), Delivery method to be used (e.g. workshops, field experiences, interactive programs), and Contact time with project participants (teachers in professional development and/or students) with indication of how much of this time will be spent outdoors.

b. Project Description (15-page limit): The project description should describe and justify the project being proposed and address the elements of the evaluation criteria as described 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 watershed and coastal systems and processes.

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. Applicants should clearly state total anticipated contact time with target audience (teachers in professional development and/or students), and indicate how much of this time will be spent outdoors.

Project descriptions should outline how the project proposes to implement each component of a meaningful watershed educational experience (fully defined above), including issue definition and background research, outdoor field activities, stewardship action projects, synthesis and conclusions based on observations and activities, integration with classroom curriculum, and use of the local context for learning. Note what NOAA products, services, or staff will be used in program delivery. Discuss a plan for sustainability of project beyond NOAA funding.

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., Federal Funding Opportunity Page 15 of 33 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. Project descriptions should include a two part evaluation description as explained below. No more than 10% of the project costs should be spent on the evaluation components of your proposal.

(1) Project-level Evaluation: Project-level 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

(2) National Evaluation: In addition to project evaluation, grantees will be asked to participate in data collection for the national B-WET evaluation. The B-WET national evaluation consists of two parts; part 1 is for all recipients of B-WET grants while part 2 is only for programs that work with teachers. The B-WET national evaluation is intended to monitor program implementation and outcomes on an ongoing basis. Results of this evaluation will be used to improve the B-WET program, document its value, and better tailor it to program audiences. Grantees with teacher participants will be able to view a summary of responses from their participating teachers. 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.noaa.gov/officeeducation/bwet/grantee-resources/national-evaluation) and consider how they can support it as part of their projects.

National Evaluation Part 1 (for all B-WET grantees): As part of this evaluation system, one individual from each recipient organization will be asked to voluntarily complete an online questionnaire once per year of the award. The questionnaire should be able to be completed within 30-60 minutes (depending on the nature of the program) and may require some internal data compilation.

National Evaluation Part 2 (for programs with teacher professional development): For projects that work extensively with teachers, the teacher-participants will be asked to complete one questionnaire at the close of their professional development and one after

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 16 of 33 implementing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences with their students (at the end of the following school year). Each teacher questionnaire should be able to be completed within 30 minutes. Along with completing the recipient questionnaire, grantees will be asked to provide the email addresses of participating teachers (after notifying teachers that their email will be shared) and to encourage teachers to participate in the national evaluation.

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.

All applicants should 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. Applicants may incorporate staff time required to complete the B-WET national evaluation in their budget proposal. More information, including all of the survey instruments, is available on the NOAA B-WET National Evaluation website here: http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet/granteeresources/national-evaluation. 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 replace project level evaluation. While grantees will have access to their teacher’s results 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 planning and budgeting process. 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.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet/grantee-resources/nationalevaluation.

This data collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with OMB guidelines (OMB Control No 0648-0658).

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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.noaa.gov/education and http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/grants/noaa-assets.

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.

For more information on equipment, see 2 CFR §200.313

Applicants must include the budgets and budget justifications of sub-awards and information supporting the price or cost of contracts. Information must include, to the extent known, 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/sub-award. All sub-awards and contracts must be made consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR §§200.330-200.332 for sub-awards, 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 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

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 18 of 33 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:

(1) Data Management Plan: Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages. This Data Management Plan does not count against the 15-page Project Description page limit. The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the NOAA B-WET Data Management Guidance provided below and will be considered as part of proposal review. NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data. Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

(2) Data Management Guidance to Applicants: The NOAA B-WET program has developed this guidance to help grant applicants plan to share quality environmental data collected as part of their B-WET funded projects, where applicable. Environmental Data are defined by NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 212-15: Management of Environmental Data and Information as recorded and derived observations and measurements of the physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical properties and conditions of the oceans, atmosphere, space environment, sun, and solid earth, as well as correlative data such as socio-economic data, related documentation, and metadata. Digital audio or video recordings of environmental phenomena (such as animal sounds or undersea video) are included in this definition. Numerical model outputs are included in this definition, particularly if they are used to support the conclusion of a peer-reviewed publication. Data collected in a laboratory or other controlled environment, such as measurements of animals and chemical processes, are included in this definition.

Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or at no more than the cost of

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 19 of 33 reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely-used or open-standard format, and should also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely-used or international standards.

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements apply to the proposed project and will be satisfied. The Data Management Plan will be considered as part of the proposal review. Note that the Federal Program Officer may require revisions to the applicant’s Data Management Plan prior to recommending the application for funding.

Applicant Data Management Plans should be aligned with the following Data Management Guidance.

If environmental data collected/generated as part of the project are primarily for education and/or the practice of making observations using scientific techniques/methods (e.g.

measuring pH of water with a refractometer, measuring atmospheric humidity with a sling psychrometer, measuring percent vegetative cover using a transect, etc.) and are not intended to be shared with scientists outside of the educational program, applicants may request permission not to make data publicly accessible and obtain approval from the Federal Program Officer, if funded. In this case, this element of the application should consist of a paragraph (under the heading "Data Management Plan") describing the intended use of the data and that an exemption from data sharing is requested.

If environmental data collected/generated as part of the project are for purposes beyond education and/or the practice of making observations using scientific techniques/methods, applicants should describe (up to 2 pages, under the heading "Data Management Plan") how data will be shared, based on the following guidance:

Contents: A typical Data Management Plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project;

the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The plan should describe or reference the data quality control techniques that will be used or note that the data will not be quality controlled. Data that is not quality controlled should include a description on the limitations of the data or an indication of degree of uncertainty.

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 20 of 33

Technical recommendations: The NOAA B-WET program does not offer specific technical guidance. Applicants should describe their proposed approach. Use of open-standard formats and methods is encouraged.

Data Accessibility: The NOAA B-WET program recommends that public access to grant-produced data be enabled via an existing publicly accessible online data server at the funded institution is to be used to host these data (describe in application); or a public data repository appropriate to this scientific domain (describe in application). (e.g. The GLOBE Program - http://www.globe.gov/, CoCoRaHS Community - http://www.cocorahs.org/); or recipient-established data hosting capability (please describe in application’s Data Management Plan).

Resources: Proposals are permitted to include the costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving in their budgets.

(3) Questions Regarding This Guidance: Responsible NOAA Official for questions regarding this guidance and for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients: Amy Clark, Gulf of Mexico B-WET Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries, amy.clark@noaa.gov, 228-688-1520; or Bronwen Rice, B-WET National Coordinator, NOAA Office of Education, Bronwen.Rice@noaa.gov, 202-482-6797.

h. NEPA: Refer to Sections IV.G. and VI.B of this announcement regarding National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) information for potential inclusion in the content of the application.

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

As required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C.

6101, to the extent applicable,…