NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2022-2007377 NOFO Report.pdf

NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

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

II. Award Information 9 A. Funding Availability 9 B. Project/Award Period 9 C. Type of Funding Instrument 10

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

IV. Application and Submission Information 13 A. Address to Request Application Package 13 B. Content and Form of Application 13 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 22 D. Submission Dates and Times 23 E. Intergovernmental Review 24 F. Funding Restrictions 24 G. Other Submission Requirements 25

V. Application Review Information 25 A. Evaluation Criteria 25 B. Review and Selection Process 26 C. Selection Factors 29 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 29

VI. Award Administration Information 29 A. Award Notices 29 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 30 C. Reporting 35

VII. Agency Contacts 35 VIII. Other Information 36

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 38

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2022-2007377

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.451, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology

Dates: A letter of intent (LOI) is required for this Announcement. The deadline for receipt of LOIs is 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on August 16, 2022. LOIs should be submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RESTORE Science Program by email (noaarestorescience@noaa.gov).

The deadline for receipt of full proposals is 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on November 15, 2022.

Full proposals should be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov).

LOIs and full proposals received after their respective deadlines will not be reviewed or considered.

If use of Grants.gov is not feasible, contact the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Grants Administrator (see section VII for contact information) as soon as possible and no later than a week before the due date to assess whether alternative arrangements can be made.

Applicants are advised to submit full proposals via Grants.gov well in advance of the deadline for full proposals as a precaution against unanticipated delays. Applicants must register with Grants.gov before submitting full proposals. When developing your submission timeline, keep in mind the following information regarding proposal submission on Grants.gov:

(1) Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the electronic System for Award Management (SAM), which takes an average of 7-10 business days after entering all information into SAM and requires the applicant’s Employer Identification Number (see section IV.C.).

SAM registration must be revalidated and renewed every 12 months.

(2) Following proposal submission to Grants.gov, an applicant will receive a series of email notifications for up to two business days before learning via validation or rejection whether NOAA has received their proposal.

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Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/NCCOS is soliciting proposals for the NOAA RESTORE Science Program for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. Funding is contingent upon the availability of funds in the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. It is anticipated that final recommendations for funding under this Announcement will be made in June 2023, and that projects funded under this Announcement will have an October 1, 2023 start date. Total funding for this competition will be approximately $15 million over five years and approximately 10 projects may be funded. The maximum individual award amount is approximately $2,000,000 for up to five years in duration.

Information regarding this Announcement, including webinars and additional background information, is available on the Science Program website (https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/ffo-2023).

The NOAA RESTORE Science Program encourages applicants and awardees to support the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity improves the creativity, productivity, and vitality of the research and management communities and leads to more robust natural resource management decisions.

Electronic Access: The NOAA RESTORE Science Program website (http://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/) furnishes supplementary information. Full proposals should be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov).

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 38

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RESTORE Science Program is to carry out research, observation, and monitoring to support the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem, fish stocks, fish habitat, and the recreational, commercial, and charter-fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA was authorized to establish and administer the Science Program, in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act) (Public Law 112- 141, Section 1604). The RESTORE Act also directs NOAA to prioritize integrated, long-term projects that address current or anticipated estuarine and marine ecosystem, fishery, or wildlife management information needs.

In developing proposals for this Announcement, applicants should consider the Science Program’s long-term outcomes. First, the Science Program supports research that fosters an integrated understanding of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. This means focusing on the connections among species, habitats, and ecosystem processes as well as the cause-and-effect relationships that govern the strength of those connections. Second, the Science Program supports the use of this integrated understanding of the ecosystem to guide natural resource management, including restoration. Natural resource managers and natural resource management bodies are individuals or groups with authority to make decisions regarding the human use of or interaction with natural resources. Natural resource management takes many forms, for example, wildlife and fishery management, state and federal rulemaking and permitting, conservation practices by public or private landowners, place-based management, and restoration planning.

B. Program Priorities

1. Background

Effective management of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and its natural resources is supported when natural resource managers and natural resource management bodies have access to the best available science and local knowledge, and then use it to inform their decisions (i.e., take action). To be actionable, research needs to be designed to produce findings and products that meet the information needs of resource managers, including matching the spatial and temporal scale of their decisions and being shared in a timely

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 38 manner and a comprehensible format. Fisheries managers have more confidence when setting catch targets if they have timely information on fish abundance and recruitment as well as information on catch and other causes of mortality, such as harmful algal blooms.

When selecting a site and a technique for restoration, wetland restoration managers benefit from site-specific local knowledge, information on soil conditions and hydrology, and models for how human use, subsidence, and sea level rise could alter conditions over time.

County and municipal land use planners deciding on zoning and regulations to preserve coastal habitats and species benefit from habitat maps, information on how species are using habitats, locally relevant climate and sea level rise projections, and estimates of other future stressors such as human population growth.

While there is no single recipe for success, using a co-production process is one way to make science actionable. Co-production is the collaboration of researchers, resource managers, and other stakeholders, including resource users, across the four phases of a research project to inform a specific natural resource management decision. Those four phases are:

(1) scoping;

(2) design;

(3) research and development; and

(4) transfer and application of findings and products.

Examples of co-production, as well as guidelines and best practices, can be found in Beier et

al. (2017), Djenontin and Meadow (2018), Vincent et al. (2018), Laudien et al. (2019), and Miller et al. (2017), among others.

The scoping and design phases lay the foundation for the co-production of actionable science. The scoping phase starts with the identification of a specific natural resource management decision to be made in the future. As the scoping phase continues, the researchers, resource managers, and other stakeholders build relationships and form a team that allows for open communication and collaboration and develop a shared understanding of the decision and the information needed to inform it. In the design phase, the team develops an approach for acquiring that information, including developing research questions centered on reducing the uncertainties surrounding the decision and the methods for answering those questions. During the design phase, the team identifies approaches and strategies for developing research findings and products and plans how to best disseminate those outputs to those involved in making the decision as well as other stakeholders. The scoping and design phases take time and, because co-production is an iterative process, additional scoping and design may be necessary as the team proceeds to the third (research and development) and fourth (transfer and application) phases of a project. For example, research findings may emerge that raise new questions or the context for the decision may change.

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This funding opportunity is intended to support phases three and four of co-production. It will provide funding to established teams of researchers, natural resource managers, and stakeholders to collaboratively execute a previously planned (i.e., scoped and designed) research project and apply its findings and products to a natural resource management decision. During the third and fourth phases of co-production, team members should continue to communicate, collaborate, and periodically evaluate the co-production process.

The research and development phase may include collecting environmental observations, conducting surveys to assess the economic impact of a decision or stakeholder perceptions, gathering and integrating local knowledge, collaboratively analyzing and interpreting results, co-authoring research papers and reports, iteratively developing research products, and formulating policy recommendations that integrate knowledge from resource managers, researchers, and other stakeholders. The transfer and application phase may include communicating clear guidance on the appropriate use of the information generated by the project, the training of a resource manager or other user on the use of a research product, the use of research findings and products in the decision making process, feedback on how to improve a research product, and answering questions about how the research informed the decision.

2. Priority

This announcement invites proposals that request funding for researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder teams to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision.

Applicants must clearly describe the specific natural resource management decision to which research findings and products generated by their project will be applied. Applicants should describe the context of the decision, including relevant ecological, social, political, economic, or other factors. Applicants should describe information that is needed to inform the decision and identify uncertainties related to the decision and how those uncertainties would be reduced by their proposed research. Applicants should also outline the timeline for the decision and should clearly describe how the proposed research and the development, transfer, and application of findings and products will align with key steps in the decision-making process.

The natural resource management decision being addressed must impact resources that occur in the Gulf of Mexico, its watersheds, or connecting waters. The Gulf of Mexico is defined

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 38 as the ocean basin bounded by the United States along its northeastern, northern, and northwestern edges; Mexico on its southwestern and southern edges; and Cuba on its southeastern edge. This definition of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem includes the estuarine and marine environments of the basin’s continental shelf and its deepwater environments. If occurring in a watershed, which includes freshwater wetlands and uplands, or waters connected to the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatan Channel or the Straits of Florida, the natural resource management decision must affect a resource in a way that has a direct, significant, and quantifiable impact on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.

Applicants should describe the research questions developed during their design phase and how those questions are related to the uncertainties associated with their specific natural resource management decision. Applicants should describe the methods the project team plans to use to conduct the research. Applicants should describe the types of findings and products that could result from the research and how they would reduce the uncertainties associated with their specific natural resource management decision. Applicants should describe their strategy and processes for developing, transferring, and applying the findings and products to their management decision including how and when the findings and products would be used in the decision-making process. Given the iterative nature of co-production, applicants should also describe their approach for incorporating new information needs into their project’s design should they emerge.

Applicants should demonstrate that a strong foundation for co-production has been built and will be maintained throughout the remainder of the project. The project team must have made substantial progress on the scoping and design phases for their project, and the results of that work should be reflected in their proposal. Applicants should describe the specific activities and steps they have taken to build relationships among team members to complete the scoping and design phases of their project.

The project team must include one or more natural resource managers, one or more researchers, and one or more representatives from the stakeholder community, such as resource users. The natural resource managers must be from the management bodies responsible for the identified resource management decision.

Applicants must list the members of their team with a clear delineation of each person’s roles and responsibilities. If there are important collaborators who are not on the project team, they should be identified. Applicants should also describe how the team will operate and ensure accountability, including how decisions will be made within the team (e.g., consensus), how disputes will be resolved, and how the team will periodically self-assess its co-production process. One person on the team should be identified as the co-production

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 38 lead; they should coordinate the project’s collaborative activities and lead the team’s periodic evaluation of its co-production process. Project teams should include one or more individuals (e.g., representatives from boundary organizations) who have demonstrated expertise in the development and transfer of research findings and products to end users.

A letter of participation is required from each natural resource management body represented on the project team. This letter of participation should describe their roles in the project, how they were previously involved in the scoping and design phases of the project and two key insights they gained from those phases, and their plan for how and when they intend to use the findings and products from the project to inform their specific natural resource management decision. In cases where multiple resource managers or management bodies have responsibilities or decision authority, applicants may opt to include a subset of the managers or management bodies on the project team. However, applicants must explain how input from the other managers or management bodies not on the team will be considered and how the applicants will coordinate with them on the development, transfer, and application of research findings and products. Each management body with responsibilities or decision authority that is not represented on the project team should include a letter of support that clearly states their support for the project.

Applicants should incorporate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Diversity here is defined as a collection of individual attributes that together help support effective natural resource management decisions and the research that underpins them. Equity here is defined as the quality of being fair and impartial. Ensuring equity means paying attention to end users and stakeholders' barriers to informing and influencing decisions and taking steps to maximize fairness, transparency, and accountability with them. Inclusion here is defined as a culture that intentionally creates opportunities to connect each person to the larger organizing structure, for example, a researcher being a part of a research team or a stakeholder having an opportunity to participate in a natural resource management decision process. Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion improves the creativity, productivity, and vitality of the research and management communities and leads to more robust natural resource management decisions. Applicants may demonstrate this in a variety of ways. Examples include, but are not limited to, broadening the participation of underrepresented groups;

having a diverse project team across several factors (e.g., sectors, age, career stage, gender, ethnicity, disability, geography, etc.); working with under-resourced, underserved, underrepresented, or under-engaged communities and stakeholders that may be impacted by the natural resource management decision; partnering with minority serving institutions or programs actively seeking diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics;

encouraging diverse perspectives from project team members and partners; fostering an

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 38 inclusive and safe environment; or incorporating different learning or engagement approaches into the project.

References

Beier, P., L.J. Hansen, L. Helbrecht, and D. Behar. 2017. A how-to guide for coproduction of actionable science. Conservation Letters. 10:288-296. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12300.

Djenontin, I.N. and A.M. Meadow. 2018. The art of co-production of knowledge in environmental sciences and management: Lessons from international practice.

Environmental Management. 61:885–903. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-018-1028-3.

Laudien, R., E. Boon, H. Goosen, and K. van Nieuwaal. 2019. The Dutch adaptation web portal: seven lessons learnt from a co-production point of view. Climatic Change.

153:509–521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2179-1.

Miller, B.W., A.J. Symstad, L. Frid, N.A. Fisichelli, and G.W. Schuurman. 2017. Co-producing simulation models to inform resource management: a case study from southwest South Dakota. Ecosphere 8(12):e02020. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2020.

Vincent, K., M. Daly, C. Scannell, and B. Leathes. 2018. What can climate services learn from theory and practice of co-production? Climate Services. 12:48-58.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2018.11.001.

C. Program Authority

Public Law 112-141, Section 1604, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring and Technology Program; 33 U.S.C. § 1321 note.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Funding is contingent upon availability of funds in the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. It is anticipated that total funding for this funding opportunity will be approximately $15 million and will fund approximately 10 projects. The maximum individual award amount is approximately $2,000,000 for up to five years in duration.

B. Project/Award Period

Full proposals may cover an award period of 1 to 5 years. It is anticipated that final

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 38 recommendations for funding under this Announcement will be made in June 2023, and that projects funded under this Announcement will have an October 1, 2023 start date.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

In an effort to maximize the use of limited resources, proposals from non-federal, non- NOAA federal, and NOAA federal applicants will be evaluated in the same competition, with different funding instruments applicable to the type of applicant.

The funding instrument for a full proposal selected for funding from a non-federal applicant is expected to be a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is similar to a grant, but used when substantial federal government involvement is anticipated. This means that the recipient can expect substantial agency collaboration, participation, or intervention in project performance. Substantial involvement exists when responsibility for the management, control, direction, or performance of the project is shared by the assisting agency and the recipient; or, the assisting agency has the right to intervene (including interruption or modification) in the conduct or performance of project activities. Substantial involvement will be coordinated and communicated by the Science Program, and may include, but is not limited to, collaboration and participation by NOAA, involvement in investigator meetings, setting up management advisory groups, support for the co-production of science process, development of plans to transfer project findings and products to potential users and stakeholders, review of financial expenditures, and communication and dissemination of project results.

If the non-federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA Cooperative Institute (CI), and their proposed project fits within the scope of that CI, then they may include a cover letter with their proposal stating their desire to have the proposal associated with the CI. This letter should specify the name of the CI, the CI cooperative agreement number, and the NOAA-approved research theme and task that applies to the proposal. The proposal will use the Facilities & Administrative (F&A, or indirect costs) rate associated with the main CI agreement. If the proposal is selected for funding, NOAA will notify the institution that a separate award will be issued with its own award number. The new award will include two Specific Award Conditions: (1) the existing institution/NOAA memorandum of agreement (MOA) would be incorporated by reference into the terms of the competitive award, and (2) any progress report(s) for the competitive award must follow the timetable of the funding program and be submitted directly to the funding program. Report(s) will be copied to the CI's administrator when due, to be attached to the main cooperative agreement progress report as an appendix. This will allow the CI to coordinate all the projects funded through the CI, since the terms of these awards will specify that this is a CI project via the MOA.

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If the non-federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA approved Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) and meets the criteria described below for using that status, they may include a cover letter with their proposal stating their desire to have the proposal associated with that CESU. This letter should specify the name of the CESU. Of the 17 CESUs across the nation, NOAA is a member of 10: North and West Alaska, California, Hawaii-Pacific Islands, South Florida-Caribbean, Gulf Coast, Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast, Chesapeake Watershed, North Atlantic Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Great Plains.

The following criteria must be met for NOAA to use the established partnerships with CESUs:

(1) The proposed project must fit within the objectives of the National CESU Network Program, which are to provide research, technical assistance, and education to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies and their partners in biological, physical, social, cultural, or engineering disciplines needed to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context.

(2) The proposed project must fit the intent of the CESU’s existing Cooperative and Joint Agreement, which means (a) the research partnership will carry out or stimulate an activity (e.g., data, products, or services) for a public purpose, and (b) NOAA will be significantly involved in the work.

The funding instrument for a selected proposal from an eligible NOAA federal applicant will be an intra-agency transfer of funds.

The funding instrument for a selected proposal from a non-NOAA federal applicant will be through an inter-agency transfer of funds, provided legal authority exists for the federal applicant to receive funds from another agency. NOTE: Before non-NOAA federal applicants may be funded, they must demonstrate that they have applicable legal authority for an inter-agency transfer of funds. Non-NOAA federal applicants that intend to be the lead institution should contact the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Grants Administrator to discuss technical details (refer to section VII for contact information). Support may be solely through the Science Program or partnered with other federal offices and agencies.

The intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds are not federal assistance (grants or cooperative agreements), and the policies described in this Announcement applicable to federal assistance awards do not apply to federal entities receiving intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds. In the agreements implemented in these situations, NOAA will be substantially involved in the projects in a manner similar to the cooperative agreements with non-federal parties. Contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator for more information (refer to section VII for contact information).

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III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local, state, and tribal governments; and U.S. territories and federal agencies that possess the statutory authority to accept funding for this type of work. The lead applicant must be from a U.S.-based entity.

Science Program funding opportunities may not be used to hire and fund the salaries of any permanent federal employees. Federal award recipients may use their funding to cover travel, equipment, supplies, and contractual personnel costs associated with the proposed work.

Investigators are not required to be employed by an eligible entity that is based in one of the five Gulf of Mexico States (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). However, investigators that are not employed by or associated with Gulf of Mexico-based eligible entities are strongly encouraged to collaborate with partners from Gulf of Mexico-based eligible entities.

Foreign researchers may participate by submitting a subaward or contract through an eligible U.S. entity. Science Program funding may not be spent in Cuba.

The Department of Commerce and NOAA support cultural and gender diversity and encourage proposals involving women and minority investigators, participants, and groups.

In addition, the Department of Commerce and NOAA are 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 Department of Commerce and NOAA encourage any of the above institutions to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

None.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

A LOI is required to apply for this Announcement. Full proposals that do not have an associated LOI that was submitted by the deadline will not be considered and the full proposal will be returned to the applicant without review.

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Each proposal must substantially comply with the 18 elements listed under Required Elements in section IV.B.3.(1)-(18), or it will be returned to the sender without further consideration. A checklist with the required and optional elements can be found in section

VIII.B.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Proposal materials are available at http://www.grants.gov as part of the electronic proposal package, which includes the federal forms. Please contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator should you have an issue accessing the materials (see section VII for contact information).

B. Content and Form of Application

1. Letter of Intent

A LOI is required to apply for this Announcement. The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to potential applicants on the relevance of their proposal to the program priority described in this Announcement (section I.B.) in advance of preparing a full proposal. Full proposals will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant; however, the final decision to submit a full proposal is made by the investigator. The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to this competition. The LOI must be no more than three pages in length, single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and must include, in order, the components listed below. If these listed components are not included, the LOI may not be considered and the applicant may not be eligible to submit a full proposal:

(1) Tentative project title.

(2) Names, institutions, and roles (briefly) of all investigators. Identify the lead investigator, natural resource manager(s), co-production lead, and other co-investigators.

Also list unfunded collaborators that are not on the project team but are making a substantial contribution to the project.

(3) The specific natural resource management decision to be addressed by the proposal, and a brief description of its context, related uncertainties that would be informed or reduced by the proposed research, timeline, and geographic extent.

(4) A brief summary of research questions related to the uncertainties developed during the design phase, proposed methods to conduct the research to address those questions, the types of findings and products expected to come from the research, and how they are expected to reduce uncertainties associated with the specific natural resource management decision.

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(5) A brief summary of the project team’s strategy and timeline for developing, transferring, and applying the findings and products to their specific natural resource management decision, including a timeline that illustrates how and when the findings and products would be used in the decision-making process.

(6) A brief summary of the specific activities and steps the project team has taken to build and maintain relationships among team members to complete the scoping and design phases of their project.

(7) A brief description of how the team will operate and periodically evaluate its co-production process.

(8) A brief summary of how the management bodies responsible for the natural resource management decision on the team will participate in the project’s execution.

(9) A brief summary of how the proposed project incorporates the principles of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

(10) The approximate cost of the project, including a brief overview of its budget.

Section IV.D.1 provides a deadline by which the LOI must be submitted and instructions for how to submit it. The Science Program will conduct a review of each LOI to determine whether it is responsive to the program priority as detailed in section I.B. Emails to encourage or discourage a full proposal will be sent to the lead investigator for each LOI within approximately four weeks after the LOI due date. The final decision to submit a full proposal will be made by the applicant(s) and institution(s), regardless of the recommendations of the Science Program regarding the LOI.

2. Application

The provisions for preparing full applications (hereafter, “proposals”) provided here are mandatory. Proposals received after the published deadline (see section IV.D.2) or proposals that deviate from the prescribed format will be returned to the sender without further consideration. Information regarding this Announcement, including webinars and additional background information, is available on the Science Program website (https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/ffo-2023). An example proposal may be found at https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/resources. Please note the example is available for general guidance purposes only; applicants must comply with the complete instructions included within this Announcement. Answers to frequently asked questions are available at https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/ffo-2023/faqs.

For clarity in the submission of proposals, the following definitions are provided for applicant use:

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Funding or Budget Period - The period of time when federal funding is available for obligation by the recipient. A funding or budget period is typically 12 months and must be specified in multi-year awards, if applicable.

Period of Performance - The period of time established in the award document during which federal sponsorship begins and ends. The term “award period” or “project period” may be used interchangeably with “period of performance.”

Proposals with subcontractors or subawards - The lead institution on a collaborative proposal may request direct funding by NOAA. If funded, the lead institution will disburse funds to the contractors or sub-recipient institutions. A sub-recipient receives funds from the lead institution to carry out part of the federal award. A subcontractor provides property or services needed to carry out the project in the federal award.

3. Required Elements

Each proposal must substantially comply with the following 18 elements or it will be returned to the sender without further consideration. The summary title page, abstract, project narrative, data management plan, references, biographical sketch, and budget narrative must be single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. The 18 elements are as follows (see section VIII.B. for a checklist of elements):

(1) Standard Form (SF)-424: All applicants requesting direct funding must submit the Standard Form, SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance,” to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for their institution for the whole project period. This form is to be the cover page for the original proposal and is the first required form in the Grants.gov proposal package.

(2) Summary title page (one (1) page maximum): The summary title page includes, in order, the project's title; the letter of intent number (provided by the Science Program after the LOI review), the lead investigator’s name, affiliation, complete address, phone number, and email address; the name of each natural resource manager on the project team including their affiliation, complete address, phone number, and email address; the specific natural resource management decision to be addressed by the proposal; and the requested funding amounts for each fiscal year with and without ship funding. Separate budget information is not requested on the title page for institutions that are proposed to receive funds through a subaward to the lead institution; however, an accompanying budget narrative must be submitted for each subaward. For further details on budget information, please see elements

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14 and 15 below. Applicants may suggest merit reviewers on a page after the summary title page.

(3) Abstract (one (1) page maximum): The abstract should appear on a separate single page, headed with:

(a) The proposal title.

(b) The name, institution, and email address for the lead investigator, natural resource manager(s), co-production lead, and other co-investigators on the project team. Unfunded collaborators that are not on the project team but are making a substantial contribution to the project should also be identified.

(c) The total proposed cost (including shiptime, if any), and

(d) the funding period.

The abstract should include a brief introduction to the natural resource management decision that will be addressed, including its context and related uncertainties that could be reduced by additional research; the research questions and proposed methods; and a brief summary of the plan to have project findings and products applied to the specific natural resource management decision. It should be written in the third person. Project abstracts of proposals that receive funding may be posted on program related websites.

(4) Project narrative (ten (10) page maximum): The project narrative must describe the project and indicate its relevance to the stated program priority (refer to section I.B.), as follows:

(a) Describe the specific natural resource management decision that the project will address, including its context, related uncertainties that would be informed or reduced by additional research, and its geographic extent. Applicants should also outline the timeline and specific steps for the decision and highlight steps where additional research findings and products could inform the decision.

(b) Describe the research questions related to the uncertainties developed during the design phase, proposed methods to conduct the research to address those questions, and an approach for incorporating new information needs into the project’s design should they emerge.

(c) Describe the types of findings and products expected to come from the research and how they are expected to reduce uncertainties associated with the specific natural resource management decision.

(d) Describe the strategy and timeline for developing, transferring, and applying the findings and products to their specific natural resource management decision.

(e) Describe the specific activities and steps the project team has taken to build and maintain relationships among team members and complete the scoping and design phases of their project.

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(f) Describe the composition of the project team and the responsibilities of each team member. The project team must include one or more natural resource managers, one or more researchers, and one or more representatives from the stakeholder community (e.g., resource users). A co-production lead from among the team should be identified, and important collaborators that are not on the project team should be listed.

(g) Describe how the project team will operate and ensure accountability going forward, including how decisions and disputes will be addressed and how the team will periodically self-assess its co-production process.

(5) Statement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (one (1) page maximum): In this statement, describe how the proposed project incorporates the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Applicants may also highlight past diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and the value those experiences will add to the proposal.

(6) Data management plan (two (2) page maximum): Provide a detailed data management plan that aligns with the specific Data Management Guidance provided in section VIII.A.

The plan should describe how metadata and data used as part of the proposed work will be disseminated to the broader community. A plan for long-term archiving of these data should also be included. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected;

and prior experience in making such data accessible. The Science Program will not offer specific technical guidance; however, the use of open-standard formats and methods is encouraged. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. Applicants that propose to collaborate with data centers or networks, except the NCEI, are advised to obtain letters of commitment that affirm the collaboration. Where possible, all applicants are strongly encouraged to use existing data centers and data portals to archive and disseminate their data. Costs associated with data archiving may be included in the proposal budget (see Element 15). Refer to Section VIII.A. for specific Data Management Guidance.

(7) References cited: Each reference must include the names of all authors in the same sequence they appear in the publication, the article title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the ten (10) page project narrative.

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(8) Natural resource management letter of participation: Each proposal must include a letter of participation from each natural resource management body represented on the project team. The letter should describe their roles in the project, how they were previously involved in the scoping and design phases of the project and two key insights they gained from those phases, and their plan for how and when they intend to use the findings and products from the project to inform their specific natural resource management decision.

(9) Milestone chart: Provide the anticipated timelines of major tasks and milestones associated with the proposed work. Applicants are required to use the milestone chart template (which includes an example) included with the electronic proposal package (and also available at https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/resources; OMB Control No.

0648-0384).

(10) Biographical sketches: The lead investigator and each co-investigator (including natural resource managers) must provide a summary of up to two pages that includes:

(a) Their email and mailing address;

(b) A list of professional and academic credentials and accomplishments;

(c) A list of up to five examples or publications that describe their past experience working with researcher and natural resource manager partnerships and transferring and applying research findings and products in a natural resource management context; and

(d) A list of up to five archived datasets most closely related to the proposed project.

(11) Current and pending support: The lead investigator, each co-investigator (including natural resource managers), and each unfunded collaborator making a substantial contribution to the project must provide a description of all current and pending financial/funding support (e.g., federal, state, not-for-profit institutions, for-profit organizations). The capability of the investigators and collaborators to complete the proposed work in light of present and future commitments to other projects should be addressed. Therefore, please discuss the percentage of time investigators and collaborators have devoted to other federal or non-federal projects, as compared to the time that will be devoted to the proposed work solicited under this notice. A current and pending support form is available on the NCCOS website for your use:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/funding-opportunities/application-forms/. You must respond to the requirement whether or not you have any current and/or pending support.

(12) Accomplishments from prior support: If the lead investigator or co-investigators have received federal or state funding awards in the past five years for research relevant to this funding opportunity, information on the awards is required. The following information must

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(a) The award number, amount, and period of support;

(b) The title of the project;

(c) A summary of the results of the completed work;

(d) Publications resulting from the award;

(e) Archived datasets resulting from the award;

(f) A brief description of outputs and outcomes, especially the application of research findings and products in a natural resource management context; and

(g) As appropriate, a description of the relationship of the completed work to the proposed work.

(13) Permits: Provide a list of all applicable permits that will be required to perform the proposed work. You must respond to this required element whether or not permits are required.

(14) SF-424A: Applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form, which identifies the budget for each fiscal year of the proposal. Place each fiscal year in separate columns in section B of page 1 on the SF-424A. NOTES: This revised SF-424A section B format is a NOAA requirement that is not reflected in the Instructions for the SF-424A. The budget figures must correspond with the description contained in the budget justification.

Multi-investigator proposals using a subaward approach must submit a SF-424A for each subaward that has the same budget figures as its corresponding budget narrative. The lead institution should list the total for subcontracts under 6.f. “Contractual” and the total for subawards under 6.h. “Other” in their SF-424A.

(15) Budget narratives: All proposals must include a detailed budget narrative covering the proposed period of performance with a justification to support all proposed budget categories. For additional information concerning each of the required budget categories and appropriate level of disclosure please see https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2019/Jun/gmd_budget_narrative_g uidance_-_05-24-2017_final.pdf.

Personnel costs should be broken out for each named investigator, number of months, and percentage of time requested per investigator. Support for each investigator should be commensurate with their stated involvement. Any unnamed personnel (e.g., graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, technicians) should be identified by their job title and their personnel costs explained similar to investigator personnel costs above. The contribution of any personnel to the project goals should be explained.

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Travel costs should be broken out by number of people traveling, destination and purpose of travel, and projected costs per person. Equipment costs should describe the equipment to be purchased and its contribution to the achievement of the project goals. Applicants may include publication costs.

Proposals are permitted to include the costs of project-level data management, including coordinating, organizing, documenting, formatting, or otherwise preparing datasets for submission to NOAA or non-NOAA data facilities; establishing and maintaining data access tools and services and related metadata; and managing non-digital data that are not required to be made publicly accessible, including laboratory notebooks, preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer review reports, communications with colleagues, or physical objects such as laboratory specimens.

A separate budget narrative is required for each institution that is proposed to receive funds through a subaward or subcontract to the lead institution. The budget narratives should describe the work to be supported and indicate the applicability or necessity to the project.

When a collaborator or contractor is known before applying, signed approval from the institution of each subaward and subcontract must accompany its budget justification. The lead institution is responsible for sending funds to its subaward and subcontract institutions.

For acquisition contracts, the purpose and cost or price must be fully justified and the contract must comply with 2 C.F.R. 200.317-.326.

(16) CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying: Required only for the lead institution, which may submit this form through the Grants.gov CD511 document placeholder without a…