NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-2008253 NOFO Report.pdf

FY 2024 NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program - Ruth D. Gates Grant Program: Local and National Capacity Building Support Grants and Cooperative Agreements

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 5

A. Program Objective 5 B. Program Priorities 6 C. Program Authority 8

II. Award Information 8 A. Funding Availability 8 B. Project/Award Period 9 C. Type of Funding Instrument 9

III. Eligibility Information 10 A. Eligible Applicants 10 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 11 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 13

IV. Application and Submission Information 13 A. Address to Request Application Package 13 B. Content and Form of Application 14 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 24 D. Submission Dates and Times 25 E. Intergovernmental Review 25 F. Funding Restrictions 25 G. Other Submission Requirements 26

V. Application Review Information 27 A. Evaluation Criteria 27 B. Review and Selection Process 30 C. Selection Factors 31 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 32

VI. Award Administration Information 32 A. Award Notices 32 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 33 C. Reporting 40

VII. Agency Contacts 42 VIII. Other Information 42

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 42

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: FY 2024 NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program - Ruth D. Gates Grant Program: Local and National Capacity Building Support Grants and Cooperative Agreements

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-2008253

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.482, Coral Reef Conservation Program

Dates: Full applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on February 15, 2024 to be considered for funding.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this notice is to solicit financial assistance applications that will build capacity in States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem) by strengthening local nongovernmental organizations’ and/or other interested stakeholder groups’ ability to participate in future coral reef stewardship partnerships, as outlined in the reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 6401-15 (the Act). Projects funded through this competition must address one of two priorities:

PRIORITY 1: Local Coral Community Group Support Applications submitted under the Local Coral Community Group Support priority should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 24 months (1 to 2 years). Each application should not request more than $50,000 in total Federal funds per geographic region (e.g., counties, islands, or States) in which the project will be performed. Applications that propose projects across multiple geographic regions may request proportionally higher levels of Federal funds.

Applications may be submitted by the local organization(s) themselves or by a collaborating partner (either local, regional, or national) who may act as a fiscal agent or primary program coordinator.

PRIORITY 2: National Coral Conservation Support.

Applications submitted under the National Coral Conservation Support priority will be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 42 implemented through either a grant or cooperative agreement and should propose work plans over a duration of 12 to 48 months (1 to 4 years). Each application should request no more than $75,000 in Federal funds per year for projects with regional beneficiaries and no more than $150,000 per year in Federal funds for projects with national beneficiaries. It is expected that one national or up to two regional applications may be selected. Applications are expected to be submitted by multi-state or multinational entities that may be located outside one of the beneficiary States, however, applicants should demonstrate experience working across these diverse jurisdictions.

Pending Federal appropriations, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) expects approximately $1,000,000 to be available for initiating financial assistance awards with up to ten

(10) organizations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. As mandated in the Act, recipients are required to match NOAA’s Federal contributions with non-Federal matching contributions at a minimum ratio of 1:1, unless the applicant requests and is granted a waiver to the matching requirement by the agency.

All projects must receive evidence of support (e.g., a letter of support or other indication of collaboration) by appropriate representatives of States or other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted. NOAA CRCP encourages applicants to provide evidence of support with their applications, and requires evidence of support to be confirmed prior to final selection. All proposals will be shared with coral reef management representatives from the appropriate jurisdiction(s) during review and their feedback will be considered prior to final selection. Any projects that do not obtain support are unable to be funded.

The NOAA CRCP encourages applicants and awardees to support the principles of diversity and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Diversity is defined as a collection of individual attributes that together help organizations achieve objectives. Inclusion is defined as a culture that connects each employee to the organization. Promoting diversity and inclusion improves creativity, productivity, and the vitality of the climate research and grant community in which CRCP engages.

If selected, applicants must also register with eRA Commons using the unique entity identifier (UEI) obtained from SAM.gov. The applicant’s organization must be registered by someone with signature authority to legally bind the organization in grants administration matters. Only authorized organization officials are qualified to be a signing official (SO) for their organization. If your organization is already registered with eRA Commons because you've applied for a federal grant that currently uses eRA systems, you do not need to register again.

Registering with eRA Commons can take up to four weeks to process. It is encouraged that

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 42 applicants register with eRA Commons as soon as possible to avoid any delays. Please see the eRA Commons Registration Webinar Recording for more information and a registration demonstration. eRA Common may be accessed online at https://public.era.nih.gov/commonsplus.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

This funding opportunity specifically seeks to extend resources to support local interested stakeholder groups to build their capacity to participate in coral reef stewardship partnerships, as they are established. A coral reef stewardship partnership is a group established to further community-based stewardship of federal and non-federal coral reef units (refer to 16 USC 6405 for more details). This will be accomplished through direct funding to local coral reef conservation and community groups, and support to regional or national projects that will provide tools, training and skills development to the coral conservation community free of charge.

To further community-based stewardship of coral reefs, the Act permits the establishment of coral reef stewardship partnerships. These partnerships are intended to include various Federal agency representatives, State (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem) or county resource management agency representatives, coral reef research centers, nongovernmental organizations, Native entities culturally affiliated with the subject reef, and other members deemed appropriate, such as interested stakeholder groups.

In addition, the respective chairpersons may include “interested stakeholder groups” which is defined as any of the following with an interest in an applicable coral reef or ecologically significant unit of coral reef:

- A business

- A commercial or recreational fisherman

- A recreationalist

- A Federal, State, Tribal, or local government unit with related jurisdiction

- An institution of higher education (as such term is defined in section 1001(a) of title 20).

- A nongovernmental organization

Established coral reef stewardship partnerships will be eligible to assist in development of the national coral reef resilience strategy, develop and implement coral reef action plans, and encourage coordination across partners. Stewardship partnership members may have increased eligibility to apply to various Federal funding opportunities outlined in the Act, including the Coral Reef Stewardship Fund, Emergency Assistance, and Ruth D. Gates Coral

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Reef Conservation Grant Program.

All projects must receive evidence of support (e.g., a letter of support or other indication of collaboration) by appropriate representatives of States or other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted. This evidence of support should be provided with the application, when possible, but is not required within the package. All proposals will be shared with coral reef management representatives from the appropriate jurisdiction(s) and their feedback will be considered prior to final selection. Any projects that do not obtain support are unable to be funded. Applicants are encouraged to consult with all relevant local governmental and non-governmental entities involved in coral reef activities while developing the application and demonstrate collaboration among these entities.

Applicants selected for funding under this competition, or the receipt of support of a project by a State does not guarantee acceptance into stewardship partnerships or that formation of a stewardship partnership is imminent for the reef unit(s) in which the project is proposed.

Applicants not selected for funding are still encouraged to apply for stewardship partnership membership as they are developed and future funding opportunities.

In Fiscal Year 2024, the CRCP intends to initiate new awards through competitive Notice of Funding Opportunities within the Ruth D. Gates Grant Program:

1. Local and National Capacity Building Support Grants and Cooperative Agreements; and

2. Coral Restoration Innovation Grants.

All of the information in this funding opportunity announcement pertains only to the Local and National Capacity Building Support category. More information about the Coral Restoration Innovation Grants program and other funding opportunities can be found at https://coralreef.noaa.gov/conservation/funding_opps.html as it becomes available.

B. Program Priorities

The FY 2024 NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program - Ruth D. Gates Local and National Capacity Building Program is a two-track competition. Applicants should clearly identify in their application the track that should be used to evaluate their proposal. If a category is not identified by the applicant within the proposal, NOAA will identify a category for the applicant. No appeals regarding placement will be considered.

PRIORITY 1: Local Coral Community Group Support: This priority is intended to directly support the development of local interested stakeholder groups which could be eligible members of a coral reef stewardship partnership. Regional or national organizations may

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 42 also apply in partnership with, or on behalf of, local organizations, as needed (e.g., as a fiscal agent, primary service provider, or coordinating entity). Applications must describe how the project will build capacity and prepare local organizations for participation in stewardship partnerships to ensure long-term progress.

Capacity building activities that may be included in applications include, but are not limited to:

- Organizing local stakeholder groups into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization;

- Development of sustainable financing options or funding portfolios for local organizations;

- Obtaining or providing training focused on application to, and management of, Federal and non-- Federal financial assistance and/or contract awards, including: proposal development guidance, proper documentation and administration of awards, accounting procedures, sub-award mechanisms, etc.;

- Development of citizen science or community volunteer groups, with an emphasis on local villages or community-based subsistence fishing groups;

- Support for community-based conservation areas (e.g., village Marine Protected Areas, Marine Life Conservation Districts, special management areas, Hawaiian fishponds, etc.);

- Stewardship partnership development and coordination activities, with specific support of the relevant State coral management agency, Activities under this priority must take place within an eligible State, defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii; territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem.

PRIORITY 2: National Coral Conservation Support: This priority supports regional or national organizations to increase coral conservation and resilience knowledge and build capacity across multiple States.

These activities may include, but are not limited to:

- Online and/or in-person training and skill development opportunities to benefit local coral reef management agency staff, local interested stakeholder groups, other nongovernmental organizations, and/or the general public;

- Development of tools that educate and address the needs of the general coral reef community that will be made publicly available at no charge.

Activities under this priority must be for the direct benefit of the public and State and local governments of the United States and/or any other territory or possession of the United

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 42

States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem. However, online tools and training developed are encouraged to be made available to the international community provided any additional costs are not included in the application as either Federal or non-Federal expenses.

Applicants should also note that the following activities will not be considered for federal funding under this announcement:

- Dive or beach clean-ups

- Coral outplanting activities

- Coral research activities

- Water quality research or implementation of watershed action plans

Expenses that will not be considered for funding under this announcement include:

- Vehicle or large equipment purchases

- Most improvements to land, buildings, or equipment which materially increase their value or useful life (contact NOAA for questions before submission)

C. Program Authority

Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program - Ruth D. Gates Local and National Capacity Building Program is provided by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. § 6410, as amended by James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Pub. L. 117–263, December 23, 2022, 136 Stat 2395, reauthorized Coral Reef Conservation Act).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Total anticipated funding for this federal award announcement is approximately $1,000,000 and is subject to the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations. The anticipated federal funding amount per Local Coral Community Support award is no more than $50,000 total. The anticipated federal funding amount per National Coral Conservation Support award is no more than $75,000 in Federal funds per year for projects with regional beneficiaries and no more than $150,000 per year in Federal funds for projects with national beneficiaries. This announcement anticipates funding approximately ten (10) awards depending on available funding.

Funding for the second, third, and/or fourth year (FY25, FY26 and/or FY27) should be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 42 estimated in the FY24 application, with final amounts determined in future years, pending future federal appropriations and progress towards project milestones. Proposals for multi-year funding should outline the costs expected for year two, three, and four, as applicable, in detail in this proposal (see Section IV.B for more details about the budget narrative for multi-year awards).

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.

B. Project/Award Period

The start date of proposals shall be on October 1, 2024 or later. Applications for 1) Local Coral Community Support awards should conform to performance periods of 12 to 24 months (1 to 2 years). 2) National Coral Conservation Support awards should conform to performance periods of 12 to 48 months (1 to 4 years).

C. Type of Funding Instrument

The funding instrument for these awards may be a grant or cooperative agreement. In the case of a cooperative agreement, NOAA will have substantial involvement in the project.

Applicants may propose anticipated federal roles and responsibilities in their proposals, or NOAA may establish the particular involvement. Substantial involvement on the part of NOAA may include the collaboration and participation of NOAA Federal Program Officers, Coral Reef Management Liaisons, Coral Reef Fisheries Liaisons, and other CRCP 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. When applicable, substantial involvement will be described in a condition included in a funded award. NOAA will address any negotiations on NOAA staff roles in any project through the substantial involvement award condition.

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III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

The purpose of this competition is to aid in coral reef stewardship partnership development. At the time of this announcement, these stewardship partnerships have not been established so eligibility for the Ruth D. Gates Grant Program (16 U.S.C. § 6410(c)(2)(C)) has been expanded to include most applicant types who could be considered eligible members of an “interested stakeholder group” (16 U.S.C. § 6415 (15)) that might be accepted into a stewardship partnership. Until such time, these entities may be considered as “candidate coral reef stewardship partnership members,” engaging in pre-partnership development activities. For Priority 1, regional or national organizations may also apply in partnership with, or on behalf of, local organizations, as needed (e.g., as a fiscal agent, primary service provider, or coordinating entity).

Eligible applicant types for include:

-City or township governments -County governments -Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) -Native American tribal organizations (other than -Federally recognized tribal governments) -Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education -Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education -Private institutions of higher education -Public and State controlled institutions of higher education -Small businesses -Special district governments -State governments -Foreign public entity (see 2 CFR 200.1) -Foreign organization (see 2 CFR 200.1)

NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications. NOAA CRCP staff are available to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities. For proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited statement verifying the nature and extent of the collaboration and confirming prior coordination activities. Letters of support from NOAA employees are not allowable and will not be included among the application materials considered by merit reviewers.

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Federal agencies and employees are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement, but may serve as collaborative project partners. In-kind services from federal agencies and employees cannot be considered as part of an applicant’s match on shared costs. If federal agencies are collaborators, applicants are expected to provide detail on the planned level of federal engagement in the application. Examples may include, but are not limited to, partnership services, serving in a review capacity, or participating in priority task teams, working groups, or leadership teams.

DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and groups to participate in proposals submitted to this program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in historically underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages applications involving any of the above institutions to apply.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program awards are subject to statutory and regulatory matching fund policies. Federal funds for any coral conservation award funded 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 CFR 200.29 as “the portion of project costs not paid by federal funds (unless otherwise authorized by federal statute).” NOAA will accept any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third party in-kind contributions of goods and services, will be accepted as part of an applications cost sharing or matching when they meet all of the following criteria listed in 2 CFR 200.306(b):

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 42

7. Conform to other provisions of this part, as applicable.

Matching funds may come from a variety of public and private sources and may include third party in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and volunteer labor. Goods and services provided by the recipient have the valuation described in 2 CFR 200.306.

Federal agencies and employees’ in-kind services cannot be considered as part of an applicant’s matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from multiple non-federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match requirement, consistent with the standards described in 2 CFR 200.306, and if funds are available within the project period stated in the application.

Applicants must specify the source(s) of match in their proposal and detailed 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. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the number of volunteer or community participation hours devoted to specific projects, and all other cash or third party in-kind contributions.

If the applicant plans to use any federal funds as a match, the applicant should identify the federal statute authorizing the program to use federal funds to meet the match or cost sharing requirements. 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” policy in Section IV.B.7 of this announcement.

In addition, any Program Income that may arise in the project may be applied toward cost sharing or added to the project, consistent with 2 CFR 200.307.

The NOAA Administrator 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. 6410(b)(3):

1. No reasonable means are available through which an applicant can meet the matching requirement with respect to a coral reef project, and

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 42

In the case of a waiver request, the applicant must 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 other extenuating circumstances preventing the availability of match. Match waiver requests, including the appropriate justification, must be submitted as part of the final application.

Please address the waiver request as described in Section IV.B (component 6) of this announcement.

In addition, under 48 U.S.C. 1469a, the DOC has determined that any requirement for local matching funds under $200,000 (including third party in-kind contributions) to be provided by the governments of American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall be waived, notwithstanding any other provision of law. Any matching funds otherwise required by law to be provided by government entities of an insular area may be waived at the discretion of the operating unit. Please contact the individual listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts for more information about eligibility for this exemption.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

“Foreign public entity” (i.e. government) and “foreign organization” are listed as eligible applicant types, however, project activities are limited to those taking place or direct benefiting States with coral reef ecosystems (defined as the states of Florida and Hawaii;

territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands; or any other territory or possession of the United States or separate sovereign in free association with the United States that contains a coral reef ecosystem), as described in the Funding Description, Program Objectives (Section I.A.), Program Priorities (Section I.B.), and Evaluation Criteria (Section V.A.). Any international proposals that include federal or non-Federal funding for projects outside of these areas will not be considered.

For the purpose of eligibility under this announcement, regional organizations may be considered entities that operate at a multi-state, multi-county, or multi-city/town scale, such as existing regional ocean partnerships, councils of government, provided that they may receive and expend federal funds. If an organization is not eligible to receive and expend federal funds as a legal entity, the organization may partner with an eligible legal entity to apply for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

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The standard SF-424 application package is available online at http://www.grants.gov. If the electronic application is not accessible, contact Craig Reid <Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov> and Victoria Barker <Victoria.Barker@noaa.gov>.

B. Content and Form of Application

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 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. Electronic applications must be submitted as Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) to the extent possible.

The complete application package should include the following documents and forms:

1. A project description (proposal), as described in the application component section below, should be limited to no more than 10 pages 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.

Project descriptions that exceed the 10-page limit will be shortened by removing pages at the end of the proposal narrative (see element 2 of the required components section below) before it is 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). Please note that these federal forms must be filled out in a Grants.gov Workspace:

- 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'. If the applicant submits a hard copy of the final application, the SF-424 must be signed and dated by the organization's authorized representative and used as the cover page for the final application. An electronic signature

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 42 and date stamp will automatically be included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov.

- 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 multi-year 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. Multi-year awards will have out year funds shown in Section E. 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 $25,000 or more should be accompanied by a separate SF-424A form to fully document the proposed subaward budget.

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

- Certification Regarding Lobbying: Form CD-511

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

NEPA information, and the Appendices can be uploaded within the application package under “Other Narrative” or “Other Forms”.

All proposals should contain the following components:

1. Title Page (Proposal Cover Sheet)

- Project title

- Proposed project period (start date must be the first of the month and end date must be the last day of the month)

- Type of project (i.e., grant or cooperative agreement)

- Recipient name (must match registered name in Sam.gov)

- Recipient Unique Entity Identifier number (must match applicant information in SAM.Gov)

- Principal and other investigators (names, organization, and contact information)

- Financial representative (names, organization, and contact information)

- Requested funding by year (as appropriate) (if the project intends to have NOAA retain funds for technical assistance on the project, note the amounts by year and line office using

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 42 the funds)

- Brief project summary

2. Project Description/Project Narrative. All project descriptions (proposals) must include the following sections:

- Goal, Objective(s), and Approach. Describe in the narrative the specific project goals and objectives to be achieved. Goals and objectives must be specific for each year of the work plan presented. Recipients will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports in which progress against these goals and objectives will be reported. Provide a work plan that:

identifies specific tasks to be accomplished; explains the technical approach (including quality assurance) needed to accomplish the tasks; identifies the roles of partners and collaborators; and identifies potential obstacles to successful completion of the goals and objectives. Describe how the partners or collaborators are involved in the planning and design process, if at all.

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; 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.

- Background. Provide sufficient background information for NOAA and non-NOAA reviewers to independently assess the significance of the proposed project. Summarize the problem, gap or need, and network to be addressed and the status of ongoing efforts and coordination to address the identified needs or gaps. Summarize the relationship of the proposed work to other regional efforts. Include a description of the qualifications of the individual or entity applying for funds, including demonstrated expertise in the conservation or restoration of coral reefs in practice or through significant contributions to the body of existing scientific research on coral reefs.

- Partnerships and networks. Identify and describe the professional or technical network that will be leveraged or created locally and/or regionally. Describe how the partners and network users will interact with the project, the communication mechanism utilized to engage the network, and describe how they will use the outcome or results of the project.

Describe what existing federal, state, and local organizations or programs will be connected, integrated, and leveraged. Describe the roles of partners and indicate any efforts or resources

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 42 that will be leveraged in the project. Letters of collaboration from partners and any letters of support shall be included in the appendices as appropriate. Note that evidence of support for the project is required from appropriate representatives of States or other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted prior to final selection.

- Task Outcomes. Identify and describe the anticipated project outcomes. Explain how they will benefit the conservation and restoration of coral reef resources and describe performance measures that will be used to evaluate project success. The narrative should include information on dissemination of the findings/results to resource managers, local communities, and other stakeholders as appropriate. The project narrative also should include information on how the project will be evaluated for success. If the goal of the project is to build capacity for improved conservation and restoration, describe proposed plans to ensure the activities continue into the future.

- Milestone Schedule. Display time lines for major tasks, target milestones for important intermediate and final products, and key project outcomes.

3. Budget Narrative and Justification

In order to allow reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of all costs, applications should include a detailed budget narrative and justification of costs broken out by individual tasks.

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:

https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for- NOAA-grants.pdf.

Applicants should include costs in their proposal to cover expenses to track and measure outcomes, and key metrics of their program.

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. Applicants

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 42 should 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 sub recipient or contractor, affiliation, contact information, and method of selection. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection. Information must include the name and location (city, state, and Congressional district) of the entity receiving the funds and the location of the primary place of performance under the contract or subaward.).

- 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 the 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 200.331-200.333 for subawards, and 200.317-200.327 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 200.1 Equipment and 2 CFR 200.313.

Non-federal applicants should identify if this information is known when submitting the grant application, who they plan to request that NOAA transfer equipment or property ownership titles to after the project ends. The decision on grant ownership requests will be made by the Grants Officer during the grant closeout process.

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.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 42

Procurements are subject to policies described in 2 CFR 200.317 - .327. 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.d., https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020- 11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20- %2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf, 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 a bi-annual NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) workshop for recipients.

Refer to item 7 below in this Section regarding treatment of Indirect Costs in the Budget Narrative.

4. Appendices

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 narrative, letters of collaboration, letters of support, lists of data sources, and maps) and should not exceed a maximum of 15 pages.

Applicants should number the pages in their proposal and any appendices.

As a standard practice, NOAA requires that resumes for Principal Investigators (PIs) of competitive awards be on file and maintained in the grants processing system used by the Department of Commerce, NOAA’s electronic grants management system. Recipients of any award (competitive or non-competitive) are required to designate PIs in NOAA’s electronic grants management system within 30 days of receiving award offers.

The following appendix documents should be included in the application package:

- Evidence of Support. All evidence of support from partner organizations that are instrumental to the project should be included in the application package. Documents/emails

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 42 must clearly indicate the level of commitment and/or collaboration. Evidence of support from appropriate representatives of States or other government jurisdictions are required.

For proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited statement verifying the nature and extent of the collaboration and confirming prior coordination activities. Letters of support from NOAA employees are not allowable and will not be included among the application materials considered by merit reviewers.

NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications. NOAA Office for Coastal Management staff are available to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives.

- Resumes. Provide resumes of the Principal Investigator for the project and other key personnel critical to the success of the project. Ensure that resumes address qualifications relevant to conducting the proposed work. Please limit resumes to a maximum of two pages for each key investigator.

- Data Management Plan. This announcement is seeking proposals that may generate environmental data. Therefore, a Data Management Plan may be required as part of the proposal.

The Data Management Plan should address the requirements in this section of the Announcement.

- Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely used or open-standard format, and should be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely used or international standards.

- Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied. The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review. There is an optional fillable form for data management and sharing plans at this link:

https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/data-mgmt-sharing-plan-review-form.pdf. Otherwise, a typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 42 date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected;

and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. The NOAA Program is not offering specific data management technical guidance. Proposals are to describe their proposed approach. Use of open-standard formats and methods is encouraged. For more information about data sharing in this program, contact the agency official listed in Section VII. of this funding announcement.

- NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data.

- Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

- NOAA's Administrative Order on the Management of Environmental Data Management and Information is available under:

http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/ames/administrative_orders/chapter_212/212- 15.html

- Principal Investigators should indicate how and when they have made their data accessible and usable by the community in the past.

- More information about the NOAA Data Sharing Policy is available on NOAA’s Environmental Data Management Committee website at:

https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.all.php

- Responsible NOAA Official for questions regarding this guidance and for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients: Craig Reid, Federal Program Officer, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov.

Additional Data Management…