NOAA-NOS-OCM-2022-2007460 NOFO Report.pdf

NERRS Habitat Protection and Restoration Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Competition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 4 C. Program Authority 6

II. Award Information 7 A. Funding Availability 7 B. Project/Award Period 7 C. Type of Funding Instrument 8

III. Eligibility Information 8 A. Eligible Applicants 8 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 9 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 10

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) 28 D. Submission Dates and Times 28 E. Intergovernmental Review 29 F. Funding Restrictions 29 G. Other Submission Requirements 30

V. Application Review Information 31 A. Evaluation Criteria 31 B. Review and Selection Process 40 C. Selection Factors 42 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 42

VI. Award Administration Information 43 A. Award Notices 43 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 44 C. Reporting 47

VII. Agency Contacts 49 VIII. Other Information 49

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 50

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: NERRS Habitat Protection and Restoration Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Competition

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2022-2007460

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.473, Office for Coastal Management

Dates: Letters of Intent (LOIs) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 29, 2022.

Full proposals (by invitation only) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 14, 2022.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this notice is to solicit grant proposals from National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRS or Reserves) for coastal habitat restoration;

coastal habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design; and coastal land conservation projects that help support the goals and intent of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58 (IIJA). For the purposes of this funding opportunity, coastal land conservation is defined as the acquisition of fee simple interest in real property or conservation easements.

NOAA anticipates that approximately $12 million in funding will be competitively awarded to Reserves’ designated state lead agency or university. For habitat restoration engineering, design and planning, it is anticipated that projects will range from approximately $200,000-$350,000.

For habitat restoration, it is anticipated that projects will range from approximately $2 million to $4 million per project. For land conservation, it is anticipated that projects will range from approximately $500,000 to $1.5 million. Applicants may propose projects with a Federal funding request less than or more than these amounts, up to $4 million.

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) encourages applicants and awardees to support the principles of equity and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Promoting equity and inclusion through community engagement, co-development, and partnership improves creativity, productivity, and the vitality of the coastal management community that OCM supports.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

A. Program Objective The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) consists of estuarine areas of the United States and its territories designated and managed for research and educational purposes (Reserves). Each Reserve within the NERRS is chosen to represent a different biogeographic region and to include a variety of ecosystem types in accordance with the classification scheme of the national program as specified in 15 CFR 921. By funding designated Reserve agencies and universities to conduct land acquisition and habitat restoration projects that support the NERRS mission, NOAA will strengthen protection of key land and water areas, improve climate resilience, enhance long-term protection of Reserve areas for research and education, and support the habitat protection goals and priorities of the National Coastal Zone Management Act. Funding under this opportunity will enable Reserves to protect and restore ecologically significant habitats, including conserving lands that play a critical role in helping coastal communities become more resilient to storms, flooding, inundation, erosion, tsunamis, sea level rise and lake level changes and other natural hazards affecting the U.S. coastlines.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports NOAA’s efforts reduce the impacts of climate change. A key pillar is resilience to climate change and its impacts, throughout our communities and ecosystems. Specifically, this NOFO seeks projects that enhance coastal resilience. Coastal areas support the nation’s largest and often fastest-growing population centers as well as key natural assets. Strengthening coastal resilience means preparing and adapting coastal communities to mitigate the impacts of and more quickly recover after extreme events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, flooding, and sea level rise. Habitat restoration and natural and nature-based infrastructure and solutions are critical to doing so by protecting lives and property; sustaining commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing; recovering threatened and endangered species; and maintaining and fostering vibrant coastal economies and lifestyles. This NOFO – along with the NOFOs for National Coastal Resilience Fund; Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants;

Coastal Habitat and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities; and Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration grants– aims to fund projects that support the overarching goal of enhancing coastal resilience. This NOFO focuses on the resilience of the designated National Estuarine Research Reserves.

This announcement solicits applications from Federally-designated National Estuarine Research Reserves for projects relating to (i) coastal habitat restoration; (ii) coastal habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design projects, and (iii) coastal land conservation that

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 50 are expected to be completed within 3 years of the start date of the award, with the potential of up to 5 years.

This competition has a mandatory pre-proposal/letter of intent. Only applicants whose pre-proposals strongly align with program objectives and goals, as determined by NOAA through the review process described in Section V.A. will be invited to submit full applications. Pre-proposals must be submitted by the deadline stated in Section IV.D. For details regarding the suggested content of pre-proposals please see Section IV.B.

B. Program Priorities

This competition is anticipated to fund a combination of habitat restoration and land conservation projects that are ready for construction or reasonably advanced in the acquisition due diligence process, as well as habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design projects that will create a pipeline of future projects. Proposals that include on-the-ground implementation will be given priority compared to those that include only pre-implementation activities. NOAA aims to fund high-impact projects that can have a transformational effect on an ecosystem or community.

NOAA will prioritize the geographic distribution of funding to Reserves within a given year.

Therefore, projects may be selected out of rank order to increase geographic distribution of funds across Reserves with meritorious projects. Projects may also be selected out of rank order to fund a variety of project types or to select meritorious projects that best advance the principles of equity and inclusion or effectively factor anticipated climate change effects.

NOAA intends to allocate at least 10% of the competition funding towards projects that target engagement and partnership with underserved communities, provided that a sufficient number of meritorious projects meeting this criterion are submitted to the competition.

There are three categories of projects that are eligible, as follows.

1. Habitat Restoration: For habitat restoration priority will be given to projects that:

• Reflect coastal habitat restoration priority areas identified in Reserve-specific management plans, or other state, regional or watershed level plans. However, please note that all projects must be located within the Reserve’s targeted watershed boundary;

• Restore important reserve habitats and connected ecosystem functions/species;

• Restore hydrologic connections between habitats that improve ecosystem function;

• Enhance or restore important ecosystem services that support coastal communities, vulnerable populations or cultural resources (i.e., coastal flood protection, extreme weather resilience, water quality and quantity, food safety & security, and chronic coastal erosion, etc.);

• Include a long-term plan for monitoring specific criteria relevant to achieve project objectives;

• Provide for engineering and design needs, if not already completed.

2. Habitat Restoration Planning, Engineering, and Design

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Habitat restoration planning, engineering, and design projects will be evaluated using the same criteria as noted above for habitat restoration projects, with the exception that monitoring plans are not required for planning, engineering, and design projects. Applicants proposing pre-implementation activities should demonstrate how these efforts will support or catalyze subsequent on-the-ground restoration. As with on-the-ground projects, all planning, engineering, and design projects must be located within the Reserve’s targeted watershed boundary.

3. Land Conservation For land conservation projects, priority will be given to projects that:

(a) have significant ecological value, and

(b) have a demonstrated need for protection; and

(c) can be effectively managed and protected.

Of the land conservation projects that meet the above standards, priority will also be given to projects that:

• are designed to protect properties under an imminent threat of conversion to a use that will degrade or diminish their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state;

• serve to mitigate the adverse impacts caused by coastal population growth in the coastal environment;

• and/or reflect the land conservation priority area(s) that are: identified in state or regional conservation plans such as a State’s CELCP plan; including the goals and objectives of its CZM Program and National Estuarine Research Reserve management plans approved under the CZMA; or included in other regional, state, or watershed protection plans.

For all project types, NOAA will prioritize projects that advance restoration and conservation, and/or support equity and inclusion.

1. Restoration and Conservation For all projects, priority will be given to projects that strengthen protection of key land and water areas, enhance long-term protection of Reserve areas for research and education, and support the habitat protection goals and priorities of the National Coastal Zone Management Act. Priority will be given to those projects that protect or restore high quality coastal ecosystems; increase connectivity to improve habitat conditions; and/or prevent fragmentation, maintain species or habitat diversity.

2. Climate Resilience For all projects, priority will be given to projects that factor anticipated climate change effects and increase climate resilience. For example, priority will be given to those projects that: (a) account for future environmental conditions in restoration designs, ensuring long-term ecosystem function to the full extent possible with available data and information; (b) protect pathways for habitat and species migrations in response to sea level rise or changing lake levels; (c) reduce existing stressors that hinder the ability of species or ecosystems to withstand climatic events; and/or (d) protect key ecosystem features (e.g., keystone species

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 50 or habitats, or natural infrastructure).

3. Equity and Inclusion. The NOAA Office for Coastal Management encourages applicants and awardees to advance the principles of equity and inclusion when developing and implementing their work. NOAA intends to allocate at least 10% of the competition funding towards projects that target engagement and partnership with underserved communities, provided that a sufficient number of meritorious projects meeting this criterion are submitted to the competition. Supporting the principles of equity and inclusion in the context of this funding competition includes but is not limited to:

-providing benefit(s) to underserved communities and populations experiencing heightened vulnerabilities and disproportionate impacts relating to coastal access, ocean or Great Lakes resource management, and coastal habitat stressors, including climate change;

-seeking engagement with, input from, and partnerships with communities, groups and individuals who have not historically been actively engaged in, or may be underrepresented in the work of state or territorial coastal management programs, particularly early engagement in projects in or near their communities; and -promoting equity and inclusion through community engagement, co-development, and partnership improves creativity, productivity, and the vitality of the coastal management community that OCM supports.

In alignment with the Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government, all applicants are asked to describe how their proposed project will advance equity and inclusion (see Section IV.B.4).

For this funding competition, the following definitions from Executive Order 13985 are being included:

-The term “equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment.

-The term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life.

C. Program Authority

Statutory authority for this program is provided under Coastal Zone Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1456c (Technical Assistance), 16 U.S.C. § 1456-1 (CELCP), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58.

Note: The eligibility and procedural requirements in this funding opportunity supersede the CELCP Guidelines, published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2003 (68 Fed.Reg. 35860- 35869). Most notably, recipients are not required to have an approved CELCP plan in order to be eligible for this competition; there is no match requirement; and the details of the state

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 50 project solicitation/nomination process, as well as the NOAA merit review and project selection process may differ from the procedures described in the guidelines. Applicants should follow the application procedures as described in this announcement.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Total anticipated funding for this Federal award announcement is approximately $12,000,000, subject to availability of funding and final administrative funding allocations.

For habitat restoration engineering, design and planning, it is anticipated that projects ranging from approximately $200,000-$350,000 will be selected. For habitat restoration, it is anticipated that projects ranging from approximately $2 million to $4 million per project will be selected. For land conservation, it is anticipated that projects ranging from approximately $500,000 to $1.5 million will be selected. Applicants may propose projects with a Federal funding request less than or more than these amounts, up to $4 million.

The lead applicant on any proposal will be responsible for ensuring that allocated funds are used for the purposes of, and in a manner consistent with, this program, including any funds awarded to an eligible sub-awardee.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available 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 their own risk of not being selected and these costs not being included in a subsequent award.

Direct costs of proposal preparation shall not be included within the project application budget. In addition, NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for project costs if this program fails to receive funding. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.

Highly ranked proposals not funded in the current fiscal period may be considered for funding in another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement. Funding in subsequent fiscal years encompassing the proposed period of performance is subject to the availability of funding.

B. Project/Award Period

Consistent with the Program Objectives of this announcement, projects are expected to be scoped in a manner that would allow them to be completed within 3 years of the start date

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 50 of the award, with the potential of up to 5 years. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have an award start date of April 1, 2023. Applicants may submit proposals with a project period of 12 to 36 months, or for habitat restoration projects only, applicants may request a project period of up to 48 months, to allow for at least 1 year of post-restoration monitoring. NOAA may extend an award for a total performance period of up to five years if circumstances warrant, such as unforeseen circumstances that prevent the project from being completed within the original period of performance. In order to qualify for an extension, award recipients must be up-to-date on all progress and financial reports, demonstrate progress during the initial period of performance, and be able to demonstrate that additional time is likely to result in successful completion of the project.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Projects will be funded as grants or cooperative agreements, as described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.1, depending on the nature of the project. If a cooperative agreement is used, NOAA expects to be substantially involved in many aspects of the award. Substantial involvement may include, but is not limited to, collaborating on the scope of work, providing assistance with technical aspects of the habitat restoration, reviewing and commenting on design plans, and reviewing procurement materials to the extent authorized by 2 C.F.R. § 200.325.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are NERRS lead state agencies or universities designated to receive NERRS operations funding through a Memorandum of Understanding with NOAA in coastal states and territories including the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes. Eligible applicants should meet requirements as stated in the NERRS regulations codified at 15 CFR 921.32 which are available online at http://go.usa.gov/xkGEf.

Each applicant may submit no more than three letters of intent for consideration under this competition.

NOAA may, with concurrence of the NERRS lead state agency or university, make a grant directly to an eligible Reserve partner in order to expedite completion of an approved project. Reserve partners must have a signed MOU or MOA in place with the NERRS lead state agency or university in order to be eligible for direct funding under this competition.

For these projects, the NERRS lead state agency or university would submit the Letter of Intent and include a description of which Reserve partner would be the final grant recipient.

If the Reserve is invited to submit a final application for this proposal, then the Reserve partner would submit the final application through grants.gov. In such cases, the Reserve

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Partner (as the grant recipient) will be responsible for ensuring that allocated funds are used for the approved purposes and in a manner consistent with this program.

DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. While this program limits applicants to NERRS lead agencies or universities, DOC/NOAA encourages applicants to include partners and contributors from any of the above institutions.

Non-governmental organizations are not eligible to hold title to lands acquired with these funds. However, non-governmental organizations may also participate as partners with eligible entities in the acquisition, restoration and long-term stewardship of lands through this program, such as: identifying target properties; conducting or assisting in acquisition negotiations to secure properties; conducting restoration activities; and providing stewardship and management of properties in perpetuity, including holding a secondary easement or other stewardship agreement for these lands.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58, Division J, Title II, in order to promote a more equitable competition that supports a wider variety of projects and project partners, there is no non-Federal matching requirement for this funding.

However, applicants are strongly encouraged to combine NOAA Federal funding with formal matching contributions or informal leverage from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors to implement restoration. Such cost sharing is an element considered in the evaluation criteria.

Non-Federal match funds may be optionally included within the application to demonstrate stakeholder support for the proposed work. For applications including non-Federal match funds within the proposed budget, the ratio of approved NOAA funds to non-Federal match funds will be legally binding within the award document signed by NOAA's Grants Management Division, if the application is selected for funding. NOAA is under no obligation to amend the match contributions once the award document is signed by the recipient, unless the amount is amended based on extenuating circumstances. NOAA encourages applicants to include and describe informal leveraged funds in the budget narrative to demonstrate partnership and collaboration. Leveraged funds are funds that are in addition to Federal IIJA funds and voluntary matching funds that are spent on a funded project. Federal sources cannot be considered for voluntary matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative as leveraged funds. NOAA will require successful applicants to track leveraged funds as part of the project reporting requirements.

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C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Criteria 1-6 apply to all project types. Criteria 7-8 are specific to land conservation projects.

1. Each applicant may submit no more than 3 proposals (Letters of Intent) for this competition.

2. Project location. All projects must be located within a Reserve’s boundary or targeted watershed boundary. Targeted watershed boundary maps for each reserve are available on the NERRS Central Data Management Office website at:

http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu/get/gis_index.cfm. For those three Reserves (He’eia NERR and Connecticut NERR) that have not yet designated targeted watershed boundaries, all projects must be located within the Reserve’s boundary or the boundary of the 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC12) watershed that the reserve is located within.

3. Public Benefit. All projects should provide clear public benefit. Eligible habitat restoration projects must be located on publicly-owned land, or land where a public entity holds a lease or easement that provides for adequate public control of the property.

Restoration planning, engineering, and design projects should also be for publicly owned or controlled project sites, or for sites where the majority of the project area is under public ownership or control. Land conservation projects must provide for non-Federal public ownership by the grant recipient or sub-recipient for conservation in perpetuity. For the purposes of this announcement, non-Federal public ownership includes state agencies, federally recognized Indian tribes as defined at 15 CFR 28.105, local governments as defined at 15 CFR 28.105, or other local or regional entities as included in the definition under section 306A(e) of the CZMA (16 USC 1455a (e)), provided that each has the authority to acquire and manage land for conservation purposes.

Projects must allow passive public access or provide other public benefit(s), to the extent it is appropriate and consistent with resource protection. However, this funding is not intended to support public access infrastructure; therefore, public access infrastructure projects such as construction or restoration of boardwalks, boat ramps, bridges, bathrooms, or walkways would not be eligible for funding under this competition.

4. Mitigation. Federal project funds may not be used to comply with mandatory or compensatory mitigation for recent, pending or future habitat losses resulting from the actions of agencies, organizations, companies, or individuals. Project funds also may not be used for enforcing fish, wildlife, or other regulations, either solely or primarily, except when necessary for the accomplishment of approved project purposes.

5. Monitoring. Applications requesting funding for restoration activities should include a Monitoring Plan. Applicants should be willing to work with NOAA to adjust the plan, if necessary, to ensure that the proposed parameters are adequate and meaningful. All

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Monitoring Plans should propose sufficient, cost-effective monitoring metrics that assess whether the restoration action was carried out as designed and provides a basic level of effectiveness. Monitoring Plans should: 1) include parameters that evaluate short-term structural changes at the project site(s) (e.g. as-built surveys), and may also include a basic measure of effectiveness (e.g. presence/absence of target species); 2) propose pre-implementation data collection, when applicable; 3) include parameters with quantitative or clearly defined ecological targets; and 4) include parameters with ecological targets that can be evaluated within approximately one-year post-implementation.

Applications requesting funding for feasibility and planning projects should include a pre-restoration monitoring that meets the requirements listed above. On a limited basis, NOAA may also consider funding more in-depth, longer-term monitoring that addresses ecological effectiveness or restoration technique effectiveness. NOAA may choose to provide additional outyear funds to an award, increase the award period, and/or an additional outyear award for successful applicants whose awards are identified as suitable for longer-term effectiveness monitoring. Projects proposing such effectiveness monitoring should describe the specific question or hypothesis that will be addressed, and detail the monitoring methods and analyses proposed.

NOAA encourages projects that align monitoring metrics with regional and/or other restoration funding programs. Monitoring should support ecosystem service goals of the restoration projects, as well as consider cultural ecosystem services.

6. Post Award Changes in Scope: In the event that a funded project is determined to be no longer feasible, in-full or in-part, after the start of the award, the recipient may propose a replacement project that also meets the intent and purposes of this funding competition. This project will be reviewed by NOAA program staff using the criteria within this funding announcement, and if the project is found meritorious consistent with program priorities in Section I.B. and evaluation criteria in Section V.A., then NOAA may recommend that the Grants Officer approve the replacement project. However, NOAA may take the need for a replacement project into account when making subsequent years’ funding recommendations.

7. Eligible Coastal Land Conservation Projects: This competition provides support for acquisition of fee simple interests in lands or conservation easements from willing sellers within eligible States (as defined in Eligible Applicants, above). In order to be eligible, a project must:

a. Protect important coastal and estuarine areas that have significant conservation or ecological values, or that are threatened by conversion from their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses. Historic and aesthetic values will also be evaluated, but for the purposes of this competition, the primary purpose of the project must be based on conservation or ecological values;

b. Be located within a Reserve’s targeted watershed boundary;

c. Provide for non-Federal public ownership by the grant recipient or sub-recipient for

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 50 conservation in perpetuity. If the grant recipient is a State agency that does not have authority to hold title to lands, the property may be held by another eligible non-Federal public entity as defined under #2, “Public Benefit”, above. Applications requesting funding for land conservation should describe the proposed strategy for long-term stewardship of the site once acquired, including ongoing monitoring and management, and, if restoration is proposed, how that will be accomplished.

d. Provide for passive public access or other public benefit on some portion of the property, as appropriate and consistent with resource protection, or clearly describe why passive public access would be detrimental to the conservation goals of the property;

e. Advance the goals, objectives, and implementation of state or regional conservation plans such as a State’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation (CELC) plan; the goals and objectives of its coastal management plan and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) management plans approved under the CZMA; or other regional or State watershed protection plans.

f. Acquire property or conservation easements from willing sellers;

g. Be consistent with a State’s coastal management program approved under the CZMA; and

h. Complement (or not conflict with) working waterfront needs, to the extent practicable.

8. For Land Conservation projects, award funds may be used for:

a. Acquisition of properties or interests in properties (conservation easements) from willing sellers, including direct expenses relating to the acquisition of lands. Costs to be paid from the Federal share must be documented and expended within the period of performance unless approved for reimbursement as a pre-award cost.

The negotiated price of the property or conservation easement should be based on the fair market value as established by a complete and self-contained appraisal prepared by an independent State-approved appraiser. Appraisals must reflect nationally recognized appraisal standards, including the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition (the Yellow Book). If an appraisal has not been completed at the time a project proposal is submitted, the applicant may propose a good-faith estimate of the cost for the project based on market value or agreement with the willing seller. However, if the project is selected for funding, an appraisal will be required before funds can be released. The amount of the grant cannot exceed the estimated cost in the project application. If the appraised value of the property is higher than the estimated cost in the project proposal, the applicant must make up the difference. If the appraised value is lower than the estimated cost, NOAA may reduce the Federal share of the project as appropriate.

For projects that propose to acquire more than one property, parcels must be located in the same vicinity, be substantially related in terms of conservation values, or have other direct physical or strategic connection (for example, acquiring multiple properties that will be assembled into a single greenway). NOAA recommends that applicants limit the scope to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 50 acquiring no more than three separate parcels. Properties containing multiple parcels covered under a single appraisal, title report, and survey plat could count as one parcel (e.g., a subdivided property with the same landowner).

Although uncommon, projects involving lands already held by a public entity or by a conservation organization (such as a land trust) whose purpose is to manage and protect land for ecological or conservation values, or lands already subject to an easement or deed restriction that limits the conversion of such lands from their natural, undeveloped or recreational state, may also qualify if they meet the following criteria to demonstrate their need for protection:

(i) the property was acquired and has been held by such entity in a “buy and hold” arrangement for a period of less than 3 years from the publication date of this funding announcement, or

(ii) the property was previously acquired and/or managed for a non-conservation purpose by a public entity; and

- the agency or entity currently holding title does not have a mission to manage land for conservation purposes, or

- the agency or entity currently holding title has governing authorities that require sale when transferring property to another public agency.

In these circumstances, reimbursement of some “holding costs” may be eligible subject to a limit of five percent of the total award.

b. Costs for administering a land conservation grant award. Staffing and administrative costs must be incurred within the period of performance, and should only include the amount of time necessary to complete the proposed project. Such costs may include time spent by staff for project planning, implementation, and review, as well as costs for certain initial land stewardship activities, such as signage, baseline report development, public safety, or other stewardship purposes.

-Appraisal reports for properties valued more than $250,000 should also be reviewed by a qualified review appraiser. Applicants may consider budgeting costs for an independent appraisal review for all properties valued more than $250,000.

c. Allowable grant costs are limited to costs necessary and reasonable to achieve the approved objectives of a grant and must be consistent with general cost principles for grants awarded by Federal agencies, as specified in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, available at http://go.usa.gov/c3pre. NOAA will not reimburse expenses that have been incurred prior to the start of a grant award, except in the following cases. Generally, applicants may receive reimbursement for certain costs incurred within 90 days prior to the grant’s official start date if such costs are requested in the application and the applicant can demonstrate it is necessary to incur the costs prior to the official award start date. Pre-award costs eligible for consideration include costs necessary for conducting appraisals, title work, and environmental assessments. The cost of land acquisition may also be reimbursed as a pre-

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 50 award cost if the acquisition occurred between the selection date (the date that the NOAA Selection Official recommends a list of projects for funding) and the start date for an approved grant award. Reimbursement of funds is subject to NOAA’s approval of due diligence documents; closing on a property prior to the award start date is at the applicant’s risk.

d. Land Conservation funds may not be used for:

-Funding long-term operations, maintenance, and management of the land (above those costs allowed for initial land stewardship);

-Construction of buildings, boat launching facilities, docks or piers, shoreline armoring, or other facilities;

-Research;

-Outreach and education;

-Acquisition of lands, or interests in lands, that completely restrict access to specific persons (e.g., non-residents of a community);

-Acquisition of lands, or interests in lands, to comply with mandatory or compensatory mitigation for recent, pending or future habitat losses resulting from the actions of agencies, organizations, companies, or individuals;

-Enforcing fish, wildlife, or other regulations, either solely or primarily, except when necessary for the accomplishment of approved project purposes;

-Acquisition of land for active recreation, such as sports facilities, water parks, playgrounds, or similar uses, except for at a de minimis scale; or -Reimbursement of expenses that have been incurred prior to the start of a grant award, except those approved as pre-award costs.

e. De minimis uses: Sustainable aquaculture, forestry, agriculture, and small-scale community recreation facilities (such as playgrounds, sports fields, non-primitive camping areas, or paved bicycle paths) may be allowed on a de minimis scale if they are located away from sensitive ecological features. For the purposes of this competition, de minimis scale is considered to be no more than 10 percent of the total acreage of the project. The location, size, and nature of these uses should be described in the project proposal and NOAA may negotiate with the applicant if the project is selected for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The standard SF-424 application package is available online at http://www.grants.gov. If this is not feasible, application packages may be requested from the Office for Coastal Management via email at ocm.nerrs.infrastructure@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

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Applicants should submit a complete standard NOAA financial assistance application package in accordance with the guidelines in this document. Applications that do not follow the Letter of Intent and proposal application requirements stated in this announcement may not be considered for review.

All application materials should use a legible 11 or 12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides, single spaced. Electronic applications must be submitted as Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) to the extent possible.

For this funding competition, a pre-proposal LOI is required before submitting a full proposal. The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to program objectives. The goal of the pre-proposal process is to streamline the application and review process by inviting full applications only from applicants whose projects are most likely to support NOAA’s goals as described in this announcement and for those projects that are most likely to be ready to start implementation soon after being awarded funding.

Please note that only LOIs that strongly align with the program objectives and goals will be invited to submit a full proposal. Applicants will not be invited to submit a proposal if the LOI does not strongly align with the program objectives and goals, or the LOI does not include the required components listed below. Applicants may not submit a full proposal unless they receive an invitation from NOAA. Any proposal submitted without having received an invitation will not be reviewed. The Office for Coastal Management will respond to each LOI by email informing the lead principal investigator whether or not they are invited to submit a proposal. We anticipate sending responses by September 1, 2022. If the lead principal investigator does not receive an email by September 1, 2022, the applicant must contact OCM via email at ocm.nerrs.infrastructure@noaa.gov and request the status of their LOI. The results of the LOI review will be released to the lead principal investigator only. The proposal submission deadlines in this announcement will apply to everyone.

The LOI should include the following information on a cover page:

a. Applicant

b. Project title

c. Type of Project: Habitat Restoration; Habitat Restoration Planning, Engineering, and Design; or Land Conservation.

d. Names and affiliation of the lead principal investigators (PI) with contact information.

NOAA will communicate with the lead PI on the status of their LOI.

e. Proposed project start and end dates

f. Total Federal Funding request The body of the LOI should be no more than 4 pages, 11 or 12-point font, single spaced, and must include the following components:

a. Statement of Purpose: state the intent, goal, and outcome of proposed work.

b. Brief Project Description: Briefly describe the proposed project and activities, ensuring to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 50 highlight and describe the 1) benefits to the Reserve, 2) the ecosystem benefits of the project, and 3) the intended benefits to the region and local community in improving resilience.

c. Equity and Inclusion: Briefly describe how the proposed activity broadens the participation of, and/or supports the needs of underrepresented groups.

d. Geography and Maps: Describe the location of the project, providing regional and site-specific maps as appropriate. Maps will not count against the page limit for the LOI.

e. Landowner (for habitat restoration and habitat restoration planning, design, and engineering projects). Include the name and address of the landowner of the project site.

f. Pre-Existing Uses: Briefly describe the existing uses of the property, the nature of those uses, and whether those uses will continue after completion of the project.

g. Partnerships: Describe any public, non-governmental organizations, private or individual partners involved in the project and their intended roles.

h. Project Readiness. (i.) For habitat restoration projects, identify and list all consultations, permits, and regulatory approvals necessary for the proposed project and include documentation of approval status (e.g., not applied for; pending; secured). Please describe whether project design plans are construction ready (90 to 100% complete). Please describe whether experienced contractors are available and likely to compete under project bid process, if this information is known at the time of application submittal. (ii.) For land conservation projects, identify whether sites have been identified, the property is on the market, and/or negotiations with landowner have resulted in an option or purchase & sale agreement or other evidence that a seller would be willing to sell at a mutually agreeable price and terms; whether appraisal, title opinion, and other documentation have been completed or can be produced within the performance period; and whether the site has any uncertainties (such as liens, judgments, need for remediation) that are not likely to be resolved within the proposed award performance period.

i. Project Timeline. Provide a realistic timeline of all project activities to be supported with Federal funds, including an indication of when activities will begin.

j. Budget summary. Provide an overview of funding requested, match or leveraged funding expected, and brief details on how funds will be used.

If and once a PI is invited to submit a full proposal, the complete application package should include the following forms and documents grouped in two separate files:

1. A project description (proposal), as described in the application component section below, should be limited to no more than 15 pages, 11 or 12-point font, single spaced. The project description should also include a title page and table of contents, but these pages (title and table of contents) will not count towards the page limit. Additionally, the budget narrative, budget justification, budget forms, and Appendices will not count towards the 15-page limit for the project description.

Project descriptions that exceed the 15-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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 50 forwarded to merit reviewers for evaluation. Pages removed 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.

2. The following Federal forms from the SF-424 Form Family should be included in the application package, as applicable (no page limit with forms and related mandatory Federal form information):

i. Application for Federal Assistance: Form SF-424.

Applicants requesting Federal funding under this program must submit a copy of SF-424, 'Application for Federal Assistance'. An electronic signature and date stamp will automatically be included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov.

ii. Budget Information for Non-construction Programs: Form SF-424A.

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 multiyear projects. 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. Each proposed sub-award of $30,000 or more should be accompanied by a separate SF-424A form to fully document the proposed subaward budget.

iii. Assurances for Non-construction Programs: Form SF-424B

iv. Certification Regarding Lobbying: Form CD-511

v. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities: Form SF-LLL (if applicable) Federal forms and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) information, as well as information provided to complete the Federal forms (e.g. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement), can be submitted separately or combined and submitted as one PDF document.

There are rarely problems uploading or downloading large files through Grants Online, however, applicants should be aware that files that cannot be opened or downloaded will not be reviewed. Grants Online offers the following solutions to address the occasional challenge of uploading large data files to Grants Online (see this PDF at page 11):

https://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/grantsonline/Documents/EDATrainingManual_201

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 50

5Oct.pdf.

As a Grants Online security measure, there is a 5-minute time limit for the download and upload of files. If the user uploads a file and it takes approximately 5 minutes, the file upload may appear to have been successful. To test the integrity of the uploaded file, download and attempt to open the file. If the file does not open, the file is probably corrupted – the attempt to upload was incomplete and therefore unsuccessful.

All full applications should contain the following:

1. TITLE PAGE (Proposal Cover Sheet, not included in page limit)

a. Project title

b. Type of Project: Habitat Restoration; Habitat Restoration Planning, Engineering, and Design; or Land Conservation.

c. Proposed project start and end dates

d. Applicant Information: Recipient name; Names and affiliations of principal and other investigators (names, organization, and contact information); Financial representative (names, organization, and contact information).

e. Total Federal Funding Request

2. PROJECT SUMMARY (included in page limit) Provide a one to two-page summary of the proposed project. The summary should contain the following sections:

a. Project name/title

b. Requested funding

c. Brief project summary including objectives, expected results, and intended benefits and outcomes.

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION (included in page limit). All project descriptions (proposals) should include the following sections:

a. Relevance to Program Priorities. Describe how the proposed project meets the program priorities identified in Section I.B of this announcement: restoration and conservation, climate resilience, and equity and inclusion. Describe the 1) benefits to the Reserve, 2) the ecosystem benefits of the project, and 3) the intended benefits to the region and local community in improving resilience. Describe how the project will factor anticipated climate change effects.

Applications should provide sufficient detail to enable reviewers to evaluate the relevance and applicability of the proposed work to program priorities described in Section I.B of this announcement; to determine the technical/scientific merit of the proposed work;…