NOAA-NOS-OCM-2018-2005319 Full Annoucement.pdf

FY18-19 CRCP International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 5 C. Program Authority 10

II. Award Information 10 A. Funding Availability 10 B. Project/Award Period 11 C. Type of Funding Instrument 11

III. Eligibility Information 11 A. Eligible Applicants 11 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 12 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 14

IV. Application and Submission Information 14 A. Address to Request Application Package 14 B. Content and Form of Application 14 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 26 D. Submission Dates and Times 26 E. Intergovernmental Review 27 F. Funding Restrictions 28 G. Other Submission Requirements 29

V. Application Review Information 31 A. Evaluation Criteria 31 B. Review and Selection Process 32 C. Selection Factors 34 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 36

VI. Award Administration Information 36 A. Award Notices 36 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 36 C. Reporting 38

VII. Agency Contacts 40 VIII. Other Information 41

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

Funding Opportunity Title: FY18-19 CRCP International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2018-2005319

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.482, Coral Reef Conservation Program

Dates: Dates: Pre-applications in electronic form must be received via email at coral.grants@noaa.gov by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, November 13, 2017. Pre-applications in paper form must be postmarked or submitted to a delivery service that provides a tracking number and receipt on or before 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, November 13, 2017. Selected pre-applicants will be notified by Friday, January 12, 2018 of an invitation to submit a final application. Final applications by invitation only in electronic form must be received and validated through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time, on Thursday, February 15, 2018. Final applications in paper form must be postmarked or submitted to a delivery service that provides a tracking number and receipt by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time, on Thursday, February 15, 2018. Paper applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, paper applications sent by surface mail or delivery service and received more than 10 business days following the closing date will not be accepted.

When developing your submission timeline, keep in mind the following information necessary to submit a final application on Grants.gov: (1) a free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM) may take between three and five business days or as long as several weeks (see Section IV.F. of this Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO), and (2) if you submit an application via Grants.gov you will receive a series of e-mail notifications for up to two business days before learning via validation or rejection whether NOAA has received your application.

Funding Opportunity Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) provides matching grants for international coral reef conservation projects. CRCP solicits proposals that will support the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program’s International Strategy

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2010-2015 (International Strategy). The International Strategy focuses on supporting existing regional efforts in four priority regions based on their interconnections with U.S. reef ecosystems and existing initiatives and partnerships. The following three priority regions will be considered under this Federal Funding Opportunity: the Wider Caribbean, South East Asia and South Pacific, and Micronesia.

Funding for the Fiscal Year 2018 competition is subject to the availability of Congressional appropriations and is expected to be approximately $600,000. NOAA expects each applicant will request between $75,000 and $300,000 annually for an award with a project period up to two years. Funding after the first year generally depends on future Congressional appropriations, NOAA/CRCP priorities, and recipient performance in the first year(s) of the award.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

Coral reefs and associated seagrass and mangrove communities are among the most complex and diverse ecosystems on earth. They support important fishing and tourism industries, protect coasts from wave and storm damage, build tropical islands, contain an array of potential pharmaceuticals, and provide essential services like food security, livelihood, and culture, among other benefits.

As shallow-water, near shore communities, coral reef ecosystems are ecologically closely linked to adjacent watersheds and are highly vulnerable to human activity. Stresses in the coral reef environment include poor water quality from runoff and inadequate sewage treatment, destructive fishing practices, sedimentation, recreational overuse and misuse, and impacts from climate change and ocean acidification.

To address these threats, Congress passed the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (Act), codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 6401-6409, which established the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and provided guidance for allocation of Federal funding toward efforts to conserve coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and internationally. As required in the Act, one of the primary functions of the CRCP is to provide matching grants of financial assistance to external partners for coral reef conservation projects consistent with the Act and CRCP priorities. CRCP implements several financial assistance programs under the Act’s authority, including the Coral Reef Conservation Program International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements solicited in this announcement. More information about CRCP is available at http://coralreef.noaa.gov/.

NOAA has established Coral Reef Conservation Program International priorities, which were refined and redirected in 2009 to focus program investments on effectively reducing threats to coral reefs internationally. The CRCP’s approach for addressing these threats is described in more detail in the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program International Strategy 2010-2015 (International Strategy), available at http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/intl_strategy.pdf. Please refer to the Program Priorities in Section I.B. for details on the International Strategy’s relevance to this funding announcement.

As directed by the Act, NOAA also issued Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program Implementation Guidelines, most recently published at 75 Fed. Reg. 48934 (Aug. 12, 2010)

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 4 of 41 and available at http://go.usa.gov/3FT7z. The most recent Guidelines cover 2010-2015 but their approach generally remains in effect until further notice unless otherwise stated in a NOAA CRCP funding announcement posted on Grants.gov. Please note that CRCP funding announcements will be issued only on Grants.gov, not in the Federal Register as stated in the Guidelines, and the Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notice referenced in the Guidelines is updated as described in Section VI.B. of this FFO.

In Fiscal Year 2018, the CRCP intends to initiate new awards in the following funding categories:

1) CRCP Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants; and

2) CRCP International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements.

All of the information in this funding opportunity announcement pertains only to the International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements funding category.

B. Program Priorities

In FY 2018, the CRCP will accept applications for cooperative agreements of up to a two-year project period focused on building international capacity for the effective ecosystem-based management of coral reef ecosystems. Priority will be given to proposals that support the International Strategy available at https://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa_documents/CoRIS/intl_strategy_2010-2015.pdf

CRCP’s international efforts focus on strategic goals, objectives, regions, and specific coral reef conservation activities where the CRCP can have the greatest impact while building on NOAA strengths, partnerships, resources, and expertise.

Depending on the availability of funds, CRCP intends to support cooperative agreements in each of three priority regions: the Wider Caribbean, South East Asia and South Pacific, and Micronesia, through this competition. To be competitive, a proposal should effectively address (1) the priority Goals and Objectives of the CRCP International Strategy for this competition, (2) guidance specific to the targeted priority region, and (3) general policies applicable to all applications, as described below. Note that some International Strategy Objectives were not included below intentionally as they are not considered priorities for this funding competition.

1. International Strategy Goals and Objectives. The four broad Goals of the CRCP International Strategy are to:

(a) Work with regional initiatives to build Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks and strengthen local management capacity to improve and maintain resilience of coral reef ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them;

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(b) Develop and implement tools and practices to more effectively observe, predict, communicate, and manage climate change impacts in priority international locations;

(c) Strengthen local and national capacity and policy frameworks to reduce impacts of fishing on coral reef ecosystems; and

(d) Strengthen policy frameworks and institutional capacities to reduce impacts to coral reef ecosystems from pollution due to land-based activities.

Within these goals, the following Objectives are the focus of this competition (proposals that address multiple goals of the Strategy will be evaluated more effectively to meet the application evaluation criteria):

Goal 1. Objective I1.2: Develop and implement comprehensive long-term capacity building programs for existing MPAs, based on capacity assessments to provide training, technical assistance, and follow-up support specifically for:

a. management planning and effectiveness evaluations;

b. community engagement program development;

c. integrated biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring linked to site management goals, including data analysis and interpretation;

d. use of climate change tools and crisis response planning; and

e. other topics as needed.

Goal 1. Objective I1.3: Increase local enforcement capacity to improve compliance with MPA regulations and conservation-oriented customary practices.

Goal 1. Objective I1.4: Support the development of sustainable finance tools and site implementation of sustainable finance plans to ensure long-term support for conservation efforts.

Goal 1. Objective I1.5: Use regionally appropriate biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring and evaluation protocols to:

a. establish baselines and detect changes over time in an adaptive management framework; and

b. identify priority sites for conservation and assess community support for designation of new MPAs and MPA networks.

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Goal 2. Objective I2.1: Collaborate with global partners to broaden the international delivery of coral bleaching prediction and warning tools and improve the science and technology for predicting climate impacts on global coral reef ecosystems.

Goal 2. Objective I2.2: Expand observing networks to identify and monitor priority coral reef areas that are especially resilient or vulnerable to climate change.

Goal 2. Objective I2.3: Develop international case studies on impacts of climate change and ocean acidification in order to encourage global greenhouse gas reductions and to encourage greater incorporation of climate change impacts on coral reefs into future global assessments.

Goal 2. Objective I2.4: Build local capacity to test, implement and evaluate management strategies to respond to climate change impacts.

Goal 3. Objective I3.1: Provide support and technical assistance to strengthen fisheries policy, governance and regulatory measures at national and regional levels to foster an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.

Goal 3. Objective I3.2: Facilitate local cooperative enforcement partnerships and socioeconomic monitoring to address community concerns and to assess and improve compliance with sustainable fishing regulations and customary practices.

Goal 4. Objective I4.1: Support national-level and regional initiatives to identify priority coral reef areas threatened by pollutants and assess pollutant sources to those areas.

Goal 4. Objective I4.2: Collaborate with U.S., regional and local partners to develop and implement coastal and watershed management plans to reduce land-based pollution.

Goal 4. Objective I4.3: Support national-level and regional initiatives to determine gaps in policy and legislation preventing the effective management of land-based pollutants.

2. Regional Guidance. In addition, proposals should address policies specific to the targeted priority region. Proposed projects must fall under one of three categories: (a) Wider Caribbean, (b) Micronesia or (c) South East Asia and South Pacific.

(a) Wider Caribbean Management Capacity Proposals: Applicants with projects involving Wider Caribbean Management Capacity must take into account the following NOAA-Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Assessment at the Caribbean Marine Protected Area

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Management Network and Forum (CaMPAM) web site, "A Management Capacity Assessment of Selected Coral Reef Marine Protected Areas in the Caribbean" (NOAA-GCFI Assessment), which can be found at http://campam.gcfi.org/CapAssess/CaMPAMCapacityAssessment2011.pdf. Accordingly, competitive applications would address the following region-specific approaches:

(1) Proposed activities must take place in at least two (2) of the following countries and/or territories: Bahamas; Belize; British Virgin Islands; Grenada; Honduras; Mexico;

Saba and St. Eustatius; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and Turks and Caicos Islands; and

(2) Activities proposed for each MPA must directly address at least two Management Capacity Priority Needs identified for that MPA in the NOAA-GCFI Assessment.

(3) Proposed activities must take place in a minimum of three (3) of the following 27 MPA sites, which are addressed by the CaMPAM Assessment:

Bahamas: Andros Barrier Reef National Park; Pelican Cay Land and Sea Park; South Berry Islands Marine Reserve

Belize: Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments; Port Honduras Marine Reserve;

South Water Caye Marine Reserve

British Virgin Islands: Hans Creek Fisheries Protected Area; Horseshoe Reef Fisheries Protected Area; Wreck of the Rhone Marine Park

Grenada: Molinière/Beauséjour Marine Protected Area; Sandy Island - Oyster Bed Marine Protected Area

Honduras: Monumento Natural Marino Archipiélago Cayos Cochinos; Zona de Protección Especial Marina Sandy Bay; Zona de Protección Especial Marina Turtle Harbour/Rock Harbour

Mexico: Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes; Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Xcalak; Parque Nacional Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres Punta Cancún y Punta Nizuc

Saba and St. Eustatius: Saba Marine Park; St. Eustatius National Marine Park

St. Lucia: Pitons Management Area; Point Sable Environmental Protection Area; Soufriere

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Marine Managed Area

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: South Coast Marine Park; Tobago Cays Marine Park

Turks and Caicos Islands: Columbus Landfall National Park; Princess Alexandra Land and Sea National Park; West Caicos Marine National Park.

(b) Micronesia: To be competitive, applications for Cooperative Agreements in Micronesia should include two or more countries and address at least two International Strategy goals and at least two of their corresponding objectives. The proposed project/s may include: 1) management planning and effectiveness evaluations; 2) community engagement program development; 3) integrated biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring that will inform decision makers; and 4) communication to the public, stakeholders and policy makers about project impacts and lessons learned on coral reef conservation. Applicants should describe how they intend to work closely with policy/decision makers and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, the information is considered when making decisions about coral reef conservation.

(c) South East Asia and South Pacific community-based marine management: Applicants with projects involving community-based marine managed areas should address Goal 1 Objectives 1.2 and 1.3 of the international strategy, include local communities in planning and implementation of project activities, and promote national or trans-national networks of locally- and/or community-based marine managed areas in any of the following countries in the South East Asia and South Pacific regions: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Proposals that contribute to only one locally managed marine area will not be considered.

(3) ALL proposals should include evidence of engagement from each country's key government agencies in the implementation of the cooperative agreement through a letter of support from each affected country's government agency responsible for planning and/or management of coastal and marine resources. If the letter cannot be obtained by the pre-application deadline, describe the reason and name the government official who has certified that they will sign one for the final application stage. The letters should be attached to the final application in grants.gov.

NOAA CRCP does not allow NOAA employees or associates to assist in writing an application or otherwise provide an unfair advantage to applicants in this competitive

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 9 of 41 program. If a letter of support from NOAA staff or associates is included, it will not be considered. If an applicant proposes to collaborate with specific NOAA programs or staff, however, the applicant may include a statement from NOAA staff verifying that they would collaborate with the project applicant if the project receives an award, confirming the degree and nature of the collaboration, and acknowledging the utility of the proposed work. Such specific collaboration does not confer any competitive advantage on the application;

applicants may propose general collaboration with NOAA or not mention collaboration in a project, or NOAA may propose collaborating on a project in funding negotiations or an award offer. Federal agencies are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this announcement, including travel or salary costs, without specific statutory authority. Refer any questions about application procedures, proper completion of forms, the selection process, and potential collaboration or support by NOAA or non-NOAA Federal employees or contractors to the official listed in Agency Contacts, Section VII. of this FFO.

C. Program Authority

Authority for NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program is provided by Section 6403 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 6401-6409.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Anticipated funding for International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements is approximately $600,000 in FY 2018 and approximately $600,000 in FY 2019 and is subject to funding availability for both years.

For Cooperative Agreements in the Wider Caribbean and Micronesia with a project period of up to two years, NOAA expects proposals between the range of $75,000 and $300,000 for Year 1 and between the range of $75,000 and $300,000 for Year 2. NOAA anticipates funding two to four awards in FY 2018, subject to the policies described below in Section II.B., Project/Award Period and Multi-Year Funding.

Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to establish any specific partnership or to obligate available funds for partnership activities. There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards for this federal funding opportunity or that any proposal will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, the applicant does so at its own risk of not receiving an award or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award.

Applicants must not include proposal preparation costs within the project application budget, Federal Funding Opportunity Page 10 of 41 and NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for proposal preparation costs in any circumstance or any other costs if this program fails to receive funding.

B. Project/Award Period

Pre- and final applications should use an anticipated start date of October 1, 2018. The period of performance for projects in this program is ordinarily up to 24 months. NOAA anticipates multi-year or incremental funding, that is, funding for approved projects will usually only be provided for the amount budgeted for the first year of the program, and NOAA has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award.

Continuation of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the sole discretion of NOAA. Continued funding is contingent upon satisfactory performance, continued relevance to the CRCP mission and priorities, and the availability of funds.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Successful applicants will enter into a cooperative agreement with NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program as described under the terms of this document. Federal cooperative agreements are different from traditional grants in that they allow for 'substantial federal involvement' in the planning and implementation of funded projects. Substantial involvement on the part of NOAA may include the collaboration and participation of NOAA Federal Program Officers and/or NOAA staff in project development, planning and implementation; technical monitoring of award activities beyond ordinary stewardship; and coordination of funded projects with other CRCP-funded efforts as needed. Applications should be written with the understanding the project will be a cooperative agreement. As the Federal government will be substantially involved in the project; applicants may suggest anticipated Federal roles and responsibilities in their proposals. Applicants tentatively selected for potential funding are expected to discuss how the CRCP might be involved in the project after during project negotiations. Additional information about substantial involvement is described in Section 5.C. of the Department of Commerce Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, currently available at http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, non- U.S. government natural resource management agencies, foreign public entities and foreign organizations, and for-profit organizations. An eligible organization may include proposed sub-recipients, contractors, or other collaborators, which may include governmental

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Federal agencies and employees may participate in projects as collaborative project partners at the agency’s expense, as this announcement does not cover their funding. Federal agencies’ and employees’ in-kind services and equipment are generally not allowed as part of an applicant’s match on shared costs. If an applicant proposes federal agency collaborators, applicants should provide detail on the expected level of federal engagement in the application. Examples might include, but are not limited to partnership services;

serving in a review capacity; or participating in priority task teams, working groups, or leadership teams.

Proposals are expected to target the following specific countries:

1) For proposals that address the NOAA-GCFI Assessment, projects must be conducted in at least two of the following Non-US countries and territories of the Wider Caribbean:

Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Honduras, Mexico, Saba and St.

Eustatius, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Turks and Caicos Islands. For eligible MPA sites in each country please refer to the above Section B., Program Priorities.

2) Proposals for the South East Asia and South Pacific regions must be conducted in one or more of the following countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

3) For Micronesia proposals, the project must only be conducted in all of the following independent countries under compacts of free association with the United States: the Republic of the Marshall Islands; the Republic of Palau; and the Federated States of Micronesia.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

NOAA CRCP financial assistance awards are subject to statutory and regulatory matching fund policies. Federal funds for any coral conservation project under 16 U.S.C. § 6403(b) may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral conservation project under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 contribution of non-Federal matching funds.

“Cost sharing or matching” is defined by 2 C.F.R. § 200.29 as “the portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds (unless otherwise authorized by Federal statute).” Any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third party in-kind contributions of property and services, will be accepted as part of an applicant’s cost sharing

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 12 of 41 or matching when the contributions meet the criteria listed in 2 C.F.R. § 200.306(b). That is, the contributions: (1) Are verifiable from the non-Federal entity's records; (2) Are not included as contributions for any other Federal award; (3) Are necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of project or program objectives; (4) Are allowable under Subpart E—Cost Principles of this part; (5) Are not paid by the Federal Government under another Federal award, except where the Federal statute authorizing a program specifically provides that Federal funds made available for such program can be applied to matching or cost sharing requirements of other Federal programs; (6) Are provided for in the approved budget when required by the Federal awarding agency; and (7) Conform to other provisions of this part, as applicable. Contributions can come from a variety of public and private sources and can include third party in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and volunteer labor.

In addition, applicants are permitted to combine contributions for allowable costs from multiple non-Federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match requirement, consistent with the standards described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.306.

Applicants should specify the source(s) of match in the budget narrative and may provide or be asked to provide letters of commitment to confirm stated match contributions. Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Applicants must be prepared to carefully document matching contributions for each project selected for funding.

Valuation of proposed cost sharing is described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.306(d)-(k).

Applicants may choose to designate part or all of their Federally-negotiated indirect costs as match. This may be convenient because the valuation of such costs has already been Federally-approved and documentation is readily available. Refer to the “Indirect Costs” policies in Section IV.B.3. of this FFO.

The NOAA Administrator or designee may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the following two requirements identified in 16 U.S.C. § 6403(b)(2):

1) No reasonable means are available through which an applicant can meet the matching requirement, and

2) The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such matching requirement.

In the case of a waiver request, the applicant should provide a detailed justification explaining the need for the waiver including attempts to obtain sources of matching funds, how the benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in providing match, and any

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 13 of 41 other extenuating circumstances preventing the availability of match. Match waiver requests including the appropriate justification should be submitted as part of the final application package. Please address all waiver requests to Jennifer Koss, CRCP Manager, NOAA National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, SSMC4, N/ORM, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

This section is intentionally left blank.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The standard SF-424 application package is available at http://www.grants.gov. For a preview and to submit a paper application, these forms can be accessed at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1. The pre-application does not require the federal forms. Final applications with the federal forms will be received by invitation only and must include the Federal financial assistance forms SF 424, SF4 24A, SF 424B, and CD 511. For such invited final applicants unable to access the application package, it may be requested by contacting Scot Frew, NOAA/OCM Coral Reef Program, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, N/OCM6, Silver Spring, MD 20910, Phone: 240-533- 0774 or e-mail: Scot.Frew@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

The application process of this FFO requires a pre-application, and some applicants will be invited to submit a final application. Each pre-application and final application submitted in response to this FFO must be written in English and include the following information:

1. A one-page coversheet that includes:

a. Short title of the proposed Cooperative Agreement project and requested start date;

b. Applicant organization name, address, phone number and classification (nonprofit, university, government, etc.);

c. Principal investigator responsible for conducting the project and their contact information;

d. The applicant organization Authorized Representative and their contact information including address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address;

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e. Grant Program category: CRCP International Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements;

f. Geographic locations of the project and the site names;

g. Amount of grant funds requested per year (FY2018 and FY2019);

h. Amount of matching funds provided per year (FY2018 and FY2019); and

i. One paragraph project summary emphasizing the project objectives and activities.

2. Proposal Narrative

Each pre- and final application narrative should clearly describe the proposed work including the budget narrative in 30 pages or less in 12-point font with one inch margins on all four sides, excluding attachments/appendices (letters of support, resumes, maps, appendices, and support documents), which should not exceed 30 pages in total. The title page and table of content will not count towards the project description 30-page limit. Project descriptions that exceed the 30-page limit will be shortened by removing pages at the end of the proposal narrative (see element 3 of the component section below) before it is forwarded to merit reviewers for evaluation. Pages excised from lengthy applications will not be reviewed or considered. Applications that are incomplete, unclear, or contain numerous typographical errors may not be understood effectively by reviewers, resulting in lower evaluation scores, so applicants are advised to review their application materials closely before they are submitted to the agency for consideration.

Appendices should be limited to materials that directly support the main body of the proposal (e.g., resumes, references, lists of relevant work products or reports, detailed methodologies, data sources, detailed budget information, letters of collaboration, letters of support, lists of data sources, and maps). Applicants should paginate their proposal and any appendices. Appendices should not total more than 30 total pages. Federal Financial forms (for the final application) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) information, and other information provided (e.g., Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement) to complete the federal forms can be separately submitted or combined and submitted in one PDF document without counting towards the appendix page limit or the proposal page limit.

Please keep in mind that the total electronic file size of the proposal narrative and attachments/appendices combined shall not exceed 5 megabytes. Files that are larger than

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 15 of 41 five megabytes may not be properly downloaded, uploaded, or received by the agency or the reviewers. Acceptable electronic formats for narratives, attachments, and images are limited to Adobe Acrobat (.PDF), or Microsoft Word files. Applicants should not submit images like JPG files, which may not be fully compatible with electronic systems in use. Files that cannot be opened or downloaded will not be reviewed and NOAA will not review content that exceeds the page limits. Paper pre- and final applications should not be bound or stapled, but can be bundled, for example, by rubber bands or binder clips. All pre- and final applications and attachments must be written in English. Letters of support in other languages should be accompanied by English language translations. In addition to the cover sheet, each pre- and final application should include the following elements in order to be competitive:

a. International Strategy: The specific NOAA CRCP International Strategy goals and objective addressed by the Cooperative Agreement;

b. Justification for proposed activities: The proposal narrative should describe each of the discrete projects or tasks proposed in the application. Sufficient detail should be provided to enable reviewers to evaluate the relevance and applicability of proposed work to program priorities described in Section I.B of this announcement; to determine the technical/scientific merit of the proposed work; to adequately review the qualifications of the applicants; and to assess whether the proposed scope of work raises any concerns with regard to federal policy considerations, such as those related to the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Historic Preservation Act, and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Applicants should clearly describe how each activity or project will directly benefit the coral reef management efforts of the countries’ agencies and identify how the proposal fits into applicant and government strategy for site management. All projects funded through this competition are expected to result in tangible improvements in the condition of coral reef ecosystems and to increase benefits to stakeholders who depend on them for income, safety and security. To achieve this outcome, applicants should specify the activities they will undertake as well as the specific outputs and products that are expected to result from funded proposals. Specific outputs may include: Support to management authorities in the form of management plans, legislation, regulations or policies, best management practices, communication and outreach tools, and/or applied research aimed at enhancing local capacity to conserve coral reef resources.

Applicants should describe their past experience in the selected sites or countries and whether there are any environmental conservation agreements in place with the local partners and government authorities. It is strongly recommended that applicants collaborate

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 16 of 41 with local government authorities in the project design and preparation of the application.

c. Proposal Goals and Objectives: what the application seeks to accomplish;

d. Implementation strategy (methods and activities in relation to Proposal Goals and Objectives): if any bio-physical and/or socio-economic monitoring activities are proposed, the description should include details of proposed methodologies.

The pre- and final applications may describe proposed substantial involvement with NOAA.

The grantee should expect substantial agency collaboration, participation, and/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 grantee; or the assisting agency has the right to intervene (including interruption or modification) in the conduct or performance of project activities.

e. Timetable: A task timetable with interim benchmarks linked to clearly defined work products or objectives;

f. Local needs: A paragraph that describes how the proposal will address relevant local management needs in the project area. It should include a clear means to incorporate the results into management needs of the agencies with authority over coral reef ecosystems in the project location;

g. Outcomes: A table with a column for project outcomes and another column for their corresponding concrete outputs/products; NOAA will track these to ensure that they are appropriate for public dissemination;

h. Partner justification and roles: Evidence of support for the project from the local management authority where the work is conducted at specific sites must indicate that the project supports local management objectives. In those cases where training is proposed, indication that participants will apply these techniques at their local sites is requested. To be competitive, an application should include evidence of coordination with relevant national and regional project partners, including a list of agencies consulted in developing the proposal and assurances that any necessary permits will be secured prior to the use of U.S.

Federal funds. If the applicant is not a regional organization (involving two or more countries), please include evidence of support from a regional organization that has a working relationship and demonstrated experience working with the local government authorities that manage the marine areas addressed;

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i. Evaluation method: A methodology to evaluate the success of the cooperative agreement activities;

j. Qualifications: Summary description of the qualifications of the individuals and principal investigators who will conduct the cooperative agreement;

k. Permits and Approvals: Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize the potential adverse impact on the environment. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain all necessary federal, state, and local government permits and approvals for the proposed work. Applicants must provide a list of all known permits that will be required to perform the proposed work and an indication of the status of any permits needed (e.g., not yet applied, permit application submitted/pending, permit granted, etc.) or a statement indicating that no permits are necessary. You should include this required element even if permits are not required.

Failure to apply for and/or obtain federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analyses where necessary (i.e., NEPA and environmental assessment) will delay or prevent the award of funds for projects that have been preliminarily selected for funding.

For work proposed within National Marine Sanctuaries, National Parks, National Seashores, and other federally designated managed areas, it is the responsibility of the applicant to request and obtain any necessary permits or letters of agreement from the appropriate government agencies prior to commencement of an award. For applicants who propose to conduct research or monitoring activities that may affect any coral species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, you will likely need an Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit. For more information see:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/corals.htm.

l. Other submissions: The pre- and final applications should also state in the Project Narrative or supporting material whether the project has been submitted for funding consideration elsewhere.

m. Revisions: In final applications only, invited applicants are expected to respond to any recommendations and comments NOAA may provide.

3. Budget Narrative

In order to allow reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of all costs, applications should

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 18 of 41 include a detailed budget narrative and a budget justification broken out by individual task.

The budget narrative submitted with the final application should match the dollar amounts included on all required forms and clearly link to the project narrative. Please explain each calculation and provide a narrative justification to explain expenditures for each budget category. The budget narrative should describe, by category of expenditure, the total funding needed to accomplish the objectives described in the project narrative for the entire award period. Please explain how categorical costs are derived in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to determine if costs are 'allowable and reasonable' according to the cost principles referenced in 2 CFR 200, Subpart E. Budget narrative categories should correspond to the standard object class categories listed in Section B of the SF-424A. For additional details, please review the budget guidance provided at:http://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/docs/gmd_budget_narrative_guidance_-_05-24- 2017_final.pdf. Applicants should include detailed budget information regarding all known contracts and subawards, and indicate the basis for the cost and price estimates in the narrative. Describe activities to occur or products or services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project. Each subaward should include form SF- 424A. Detailed budget information includes:

• Name of identified qualified subrecipient or contractor, affiliation, contact information, and method of selection. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection.

• Period of Performance. Include the dates for the performance period. If it involves a number of tasks, include the performance period for each task.

• Scope of Work. List and describe the specific activities or tasks to be performed.

• Criteria for Measuring Accountability: Include an itemized line item breakdown as well as total contract/award amount. If applicable, include any indirect costs paid under the contract/award and the indirect cost rate used.

• Itemized Budget. Include categories used in program budget for subrecipients or cost-based contractors. If applicable, include any direct cost paid under the subaward or contract and the indirect cost rate used.

All subawards and contracts must be made consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR 200.330-200.332 for subawards, and 200.317-200.326 for procurements.

For any equipment, a description of the item and associated costs or price is required, including a description of how it will be used in the project. Note that equipment is defined 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. See 2 CFR 200.33 Equipment, 2 CFR 200.313, and 2 CFR 200.317-326.

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The cost or price, purpose, and method of selection for identified and planned acquisition contracts should be thoroughly justified in the Budget Narrative. Describe products or services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project.

Procurements are subject to policies described in 2 CFR 200.317 - .326. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection.

The budget narrative should also provide, to the extent possible, detailed information on travel, including costs, a description of anticipated travel, destinations, the number of travelers, and a justification of how the requested travel is directly relevant to the successful completion of the project. If actual trip details are unknown, applicants should state the basis for the proposed travel charges. Applicants should allocate travel funds for any coordination meetings at regional or national levels.

If a foreign air carrier is anticipated to be used for any portion of travel, prior approval is required under the DOC Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions, Section G.05.c., https://go.usa.gov/xRW4Rt, and therefore, such travel should be included in the proposal to avoid having to request prior approval after the project starts. Applicants may factor in travel costs for participation in an annual NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) workshop for recipients.

FOR THE FINAL APPLICATION, Federal forms from the SF-424 Form family (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1) should include the following forms as applicable:

--Application for Federal Assistance: Form SF-424 (7/03 version or newer) --Budget Information for Non-construction Programs: Form SF-424A (prior to award, a Form SF-424A for each year of funding will be required) --Assurances for Non-construction Programs: Form SF-424B --Certification Regarding Lobbying: Form CD-511 --SF LLL, only if applicable

Applicants requesting Federal funding in this program must submit a copy of SF-424, 'Application for Federal Assistance'. If a hard copy final application is submitted, it must be signed and dated by the organization's authorized representative, and used as the cover page for the final application. An electronic signature and date stamp will automatically be included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov.

Standard Form 424A (SF-424A): Budget Information for Non-construction Programs (please include a separate form for each year of funding and for each proposed sub-award of

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$25,000 or more). Applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form to summarize the budget for the proposed scope of work. The first column of Sections A and B shows the federal funds requested, while the second column of Sections A and B shows the non-federal matching funds provided for the project. Total award funding is shown in the final column of Section B. Non-federal funding is broken out by source in Section C. Forecasted cash needs in Section D should be inclusive of all funding for the project. Federal and non- federal funds should be expended at a similar rate throughout the course of the project. Section E may be left blank. Section F summarizes the direct charges in line 21 and lists the indirect charges requested; please show the rate used in line 22. Please note that completion of the SF-424A form as described above represents NOAA's preference and may not be consistent with the instructions that accompany the SF-424A form. All budget figures should match the funding requested on the application cover sheet and correspond with the descriptions contained in the project and budget narratives.

All subawards should also be accompanied by a separate SF-424A form to fully document the proposed subaward budget.

Standard Form 424B (SF-424B): Assurances for Non-Construction Programs Applicants are required to submit a signed SF-424B, 'Assurances for Non-Construction Programs'.

Form CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants are required to submit a Form CD-511, 'Certifications Regarding Lobbying.

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) The proposed budget may include an amount for indirect or Facilities and Administrative costs if the applicant has an established indirect cost rate with the federal government.

Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, and insurance) that are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically within a particular project. See 2 CFR 200.56 -57 and 200.412-415.

A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost agreement with the federal Government should be included with the application package. If an award recipient has never established an indirect cost rate with any federal agency, the recipient may request to use the de minimis rate described at 2 CFR 200.414. Non-federal entities that have never received a negotiated indirect (F&A) cost rate elect to charge a de minimis rate at 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). The de minimis indirect cost rate should be used for all federal awards. Non-federal entities may use this rate indefinitely, but may choose to negotiate an indirect (F&A) cost rate at any time. This de minimis rate option is not available

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 21 of 41 to state and local governments, and…