NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-27598.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

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Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information III. Eligibility Information IV. Application and Submission Information V. Application Review Information VI. Award Administration Information VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name NOS Office for Coastal Management (OCM) Funding Opportunity Title Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Tribal Engagement in Regional Ocean Partnership Priorities Announcement Type Competitive Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-NOS-OCM-2024-27598

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.473 Dates Proposals must be received by 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 31, 2024. Additional informational resources will be posted at https://coast.noaa.gov/funding/bil/rop/applicant-information.html Funding Opportunity Description The purpose of this program is to encourage or enhance tribal engagement with or participation in existing Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) around the country. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must:

• support tribal activities aligned with ROP priorities, including identification of ocean and coastal priorities;

• provide opportunities for tribes to work together to define intertribal ocean and coastal management priorities and identify alignment and intersection with ROP priorities;

• enhance or create capacity for tribes to engage with and in ROP activities (e.g., webinars, meetings, workshops);

https://coast.noaa.gov/funding/bil/rop/applicant-information.html

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• support the development of partnerships or engagement between a tribal government and a ROP in the management of ocean and coastal resources; and/or

• increase consideration and inclusion of tribal information and knowledge (as appropriate) in regional data portals, enhance tribes’ ability to access data developed by ROPs, or to inform which data and tools are available in regional data portals.

Eligible applicants are U.S. federally-recognized Indian Tribes that have current and/or ancestral interests in a region with an established Regional Ocean Partnership and wish to pursue coastal and ocean activities that align with Regional Ocean Partnership priorities. The established Regional Ocean Partnerships are: the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/); the West Coast Ocean Alliance (https://westcoastoceanalliance.org/); the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (https://www.northeastoceancouncil.org/); and, the Mid Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (https://www.midatlanticocean.org/). Tribal-serving organizations may apply on behalf of one or more tribes, but must include a letter(s) from the tribe(s) confirming tribal leadership support for the application and describing how the tribe will be involved in the proposed work. This funding announcement is supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58), 135 STAT. 1356 (Nov. 15, 2021), also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL); both terms may be used interchangeably throughout this document.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective This program complements a separate funding program for established Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs), which seeks to enhance and sustain the efforts of those ROPs to coordinate interstate and intertribal management of ocean and coastal management issues.

The scope of work under this program focuses on encouraging or enhancing tribal involvement in or engagement with established ROPs, and/or tribal activities related to ROP priority actions. Proposals submitted under this competition must directly relate to priorities of established ROPs, either through tribal engagement in or with ROPs, or tribal activities closely aligned with ROP priorities.

Ineligible project activities are described in Section III.C, “Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility”, below.

B. Program Priorities Successful proposals will be those that most strongly meet the evaluation criteria (Section V.A), including those criteria related to the program priorities described below. Proposals must be related to one or more of the following program priorities:

https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/ https://westcoastoceanalliance.org/ https://www.northeastoceancouncil.org/ https://www.midatlanticocean.org/about/overview/

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• Capacity Building for Tribal Engagement in Regional Ocean Partnerships. Support for the development of partnerships and engagement between a tribal government and a ROP. Support for tribal capacity to engage with/in ROPs and ROP priority work, including in person travel (e.g., to engage and meet with ROPs and/or pursue and develop a relationship with their region’s ROP), and virtual engagement (webinars, online meetings).

• Ocean and Coastal Data Sharing, Accessibility and Application to Inform Management. Support to increase consideration and inclusion of tribal information and knowledge (as appropriate) in regional data portals, enhance tribes’ ability to access data developed by ROPs, or to inform which data and tools are available in regional data portals.

• Intertribal Ocean and Coastal Coordination. Support for tribes to work together to define intertribal ocean and coastal management priorities, including coordination and priority setting towards enhanced engagement or potential collaboration with ROPs.

• Specific activities related to ROP priorities that advance intergovernmental ocean and coastal management activities Support for tribal activities aligned with ROP priorities, including tasks to identify, vet, and advance ROP priorities.

Applicants should describe how their proposed work aligns with the priorities of the established ROP in their region. If applicants are already involved with or engaged in the ROP in their region, they should describe their role and nature of their involvement.

Applicants are encouraged to, but not required to, submit a letter of support or acknowledgment from the ROP in their region to promote coordination and awareness.

C. Program Authority The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs.

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

II. Award Information A. Funding Availability NOAA anticipates approximately $1.5 million will be available under this opportunity, with applicants being able to request up to 2 years of funding per award. NOAA anticipates typical federal funding awards will range from $50,000 to $200,000 per year. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of more than $400,000 for a 2-year award, inclusive of both direct and indirect costs. See Section II.B below for more information on the options for the award period.

The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Any funds provided to successful applicants for subsequent-year funding requests will be determined by progress towards stated milestones and availability of funding at the discretion of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management.

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. 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.

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Proposals not funded through this announcement, may be considered for funding in future fiscal years 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 appropriations.

B. Project/Award Period One-year or multi-year awards (up to two years of funding) will be considered. Proposals for multi-year funding should outline the costs expected for year 1 and year 2 in detail in this proposal (see Section IV.B for more details about the budget narrative for multi-year awards). NOAA expects, but is not obligated, to provide additional funding to multi-year awards in subsequent years. The second year of funding for a multi-year award, is contingent on the availability of out-year funding, continued relevance to program objectives and priorities, and performance under the current award, and is at the sole discretion of

NOAA.

NOAA anticipates the start date for awards will be May 1, 2025 and should be for an award period of 18 to 24 months for a one-year funding award (if requesting only 1 year of funding), or the award period can be up to 36 months for a multi-year award (if requesting 2 years of funding).

C. Type of Funding Instrument The funding instrument for these awards will be a cooperative agreement. Federal cooperative agreements are different from traditional grants in that they allow for substantial federal involvement in the planning and implementation of funded projects if desired by the applicant. Substantial involvement on the part of NOAA may include the collaboration and participation of NOAA program officers and other NOAA Office for Coastal Management staff in project development, planning and implementation; technical assistance with accessing and applying existing data, tools, and management practices;

technical monitoring of award activities; and coordination of funded projects with other NOAA-funded efforts as needed. Applicants may propose anticipated federal roles and responsibilities in their proposals, or NOAA may establish the particular involvement. Please note that federal agencies and employees are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement.

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, and Regional Ocean Partnership 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.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants Eligible funding applicants include U.S. federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations as defined at 25 U.S.C. Section 5304. See also 2 CFR 200.1. While tribal organizations are allowed to apply on behalf of one or more tribes, they must include a letter confirming tribal leadership support for the application and describing how the tribe will be involved in the proposed work.

Eligible applicants must have current and/or ancestral interests in a region with an established Regional Ocean Partnership and wish to pursue coastal and ocean activities that align with Regional Ocean Partnership priorities. The established Regional Ocean Partnerships are:

• the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/);

• the West Coast Ocean Alliance (https://westcoastoceanalliance.org/);

• the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (https://www.northeastoceancouncil.org/); and,

• the Mid Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (https://www.midatlanticocean.org/).

https://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/ https://westcoastoceanalliance.org/ https://www.northeastoceancouncil.org/ https://www.midatlanticocean.org/about/overview/

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Tribal-serving organizations may apply on behalf of one or more tribes, but must include a letter(s) from the tribe(s) confirming tribal leadership support for the application and describing how the tribe will be involved in the proposed work. Each tribal government may be involved in up to two applications which may include individual tribal proposals and/or involvement in an intertribal proposal. See III.C. below for more details.

Organizations that identify as Indian tribes but do not meet the definition of “Indian tribe” or “tribal organization” as defined at 25 U.S.C. section 5304(e) or (l), which may include State recognized tribes, may not receive direct funding under this announcement, but may participate in partnership applications with eligible tribes or tribal organizations, or through involvement in a separate NOAA Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding opportunity for Regional Ocean Partnerships published atwww.grants.gov.

Federal agencies and employees are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement, but may serve as collaborative project partners. 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.

To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations; SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants must begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules:

https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training.

Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Content and Form of Application’ section below.

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement Pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58, Division J, Title II, 135 STAT. 1357, match is waived for this funding opportunity.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility Each tribal government may be involved in up to two applications which may include individual tribal proposals and/or involvement in an intertribal proposal. Intertribal proposals may be submitted by a tribal organization, or by one tribe on behalf of other tribes who will be collaborating in the proposal. Please note: if multiple tribes submit separate proposals for their own portion of a collaborative intertribal project, there is no guarantee that each one will be successful. Tribes should consider having a single eligible applicant (tribal organization or a tribe) submit one proposal that would fund all the tribes involved in the intertribal effort.

Tribal governments are encouraged to work with other tribes with shared priorities in the same region.

Foreign governments are not considered eligible applicants.

The following information describes ineligible project proposal types and activities for this announcement:

• Construction;

• Large scale restoration projects (please note there are other NOAA funding opportunities, including: Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants; Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants;

Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities; and the National Coastal Resilience Fund; that include habitat restoration as an eligible activity);

• Land acquisition (fee or easement);

• Activities not related to ROP priorities;

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training

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• Staffing/Capacity for tribal work not related to engaging in, coordinating with, and/or partnering with an established ROP or not in alignment with the Program Priorities described in Section 1.B;

• Data collection or creation not directly related to an identified regional data priority or a priority of the ROP; and

• Data collection or environmental condition monitoring activities where the results cannot be used by or integrated with the ROP activities or data sharing efforts, or where there is not a clear plan to integrate the data.

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package Complete application packages, including required federal forms and instructions, can be found on www.Grants.gov. If a prospective applicant is having difficulty downloading the application forms, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@Grants.gov. Instructions for how to apply for grants are available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html. If an applicant does not have Internet access, application materials may be requested from Kris Wall, the competition manager, by phone at 541-843-0252, or by email at rop.iija@noaa.gov.

Information about the recommended format for applications is contained in Section IV.B.

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. 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.

Organizations applying for a federal grant must be registered with these three systems:

• eRA.nih.gov

• SAM.gov

• Grants.gov

NOAA has developed a number of resources to provide assistance on the registration processes (https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/grants-guidance.pdf), successfully submitting applications for eRA (https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2024- 03/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20for%20Successful%20eRA%20Submissions.pdf), and general grant application processes (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-financial-services/grant-application-process). Applicants should review these resources for support in submitting applications under this opportunity.

Prior to submission, carefully review the PDF Guidelines for submission found here:

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm. Recent applicants have encountered rejected applications for formatting issues, especially:

• Do not use “bundling” or “portfolio” features to combine PDFs into a single document. Everything must be visible in the PDF.

• Descriptive filenames may only be 50 characters or less (including spaces).

• Keep attachment file size to 100 MB or less.

• eRA Commons won’t accept any pages larger than the U.S. standard letter paper size

(8.5” x 11”).

We strongly recommend that applicants attempt to submit their full proposals at least a few days prior to the due date in case these or other issues impact your submission, as they are not reasons we can extend the deadline. If you have issues during the submission process, please contact the eRA Service Desk https://inside.era.nih.gov/era-service-desk.htm.

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

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html mailto:rop.iija@noaa.gov http://era.nih.gov/ http://sam.gov http://grants.gov https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/grants-guidance.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20for%20Successful%20eRA%20Submissions.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/Tips%20and%20Tricks%20for%20Successful%20eRA%20Submissions.pdf https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-financial-services/grant-application-process https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/funding-financial-services/grant-application-process https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm https://inside.era.nih.gov/era-service-desk.htm

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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 application should also include a title page, table of contents, and a 1 to 2-page project summary, but these three items 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 the “Project Description” section below) before it is forwarded to merit reviewers for evaluation. Pages removed from lengthy applications will not be reviewed or considered.

2. The following Federal forms 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.:

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'. 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 and date stamp will automatically be included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov. Applicants will be required to enter their organization’s Congressional District in the SF424 R&R form. For tips on finding and entering your Congressional District correctly, please review the information found here:

https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/ Applicants are now required to register in eRA Commons for grant application and management. In order to successfully submit a proposal through eRA, the PI listed on the application materials must have an eRA Commons account, and that Commons account must be (1) affiliated with the applicant organization and (2) hold the PI role within that organization. The valid affiliated Commons Username (not PI name or email address) must then be included in the application materials, including on the SF-424 (question 4, “Applicant Identifier” box).

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.

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.

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) https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/ https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/

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Federal forms and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) information described below in this Section, 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 is a 100 megabyte file size limit on individual files. Applicants can upload multiple files to avoid exceeding the 100 megabyte file size limit.

All applications should contain the following components:

Title Page (Proposal Cover Sheet)

1. Project title

2. Proposed project period (start and end dates)

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

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

5. Recipient Unique Entity Identifier number (must match applicant information in

SAM.Gov)

6. Principal and other investigators (names, organization, and contact information)

7. Financial representative (names, organization, and contact information)

8. 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 the funds)

9. If the project is intended to be administered under an existing NOAA Cooperative Institute, state which Institute will administer the award.

Project Summary. Provide a one to two-page summary of the proposed project. The summary should contain the following sections:

1. Project name/title

2. Requested funding by year (as appropriate)

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

Project Description. All project descriptions should include the following sections (limited to 10-pages for all items in this section). 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.

1. Goal and Objective(s). 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. Describe how the proposed work aligns with the priorities of the established Regional Ocean Partnership (ROP) in the applicant’s region; this information should be publicly available on the website for each ROP. These websites are listed in Section III.A, Eligible Applicants, above. Describe the tribe’s existing level of engagement with the ROP in their region. Recipients will be required to submit semi-annual progress reports in which progress against these goals and objectives will be reported.

2. Alignment with Program Priorities. Describe how the proposed work aligns with one or more of the program priorities identified in I.B above.

3. 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.

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4. Technical Approach. 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 cooperators; and identifies potential obstacles to successful completion of the goals and objectives. If the project includes federal partners, the roles and responsibilities of the federal partners must be clearly identified. If environmental data will be created under the award, the work plan must clearly address data management requirements and the steps to be taken to achieve efficient and effective data access and data archive that are compliant with federal regulations (see Data Management requirements under Section IV.B). If no environmental data will be produced through the proposal, or if data is not publicly accessible due to law, regulation, policy (such as those applicable to personally identifiable information or protected critical infrastructure information or proprietary trade information) or by security requirements, then the application must include a clear explanation as to why no data management plan is being submitted.

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

6. Applicant Expertise. Identify any tribal expertise, knowledge holders, and personnel who will be directly involved with or contributing to the project. Describe where in the tribal government the applicant or PIs work, and how their expertise is relevant to the proposal. Identify any contractual expertise being used for the project, including a brief background and their experience working with tribes. Also identify the key individuals who will be corresponding with tribal managers and/or leadership, with descriptions as to their role(s) in the proposed project work. Describe any standards of practice, tribal protocols or guidelines, and/or any other frameworks that will help guide the engagement between tribal expertise and contractor expertise. Describe any prior experience the applicant has in managing, administering, and reporting on federal or other external project funding. If a tribal organization is submitting an application on behalf of one or more tribes, be sure to include a letter confirming tribal leadership support for the application and describing how the tribe will be involved in the proposed work.

7. Outreach and Education. Describe who will use or be engaged in the final project outcomes. Describe how the results of the proposal will benefit the tribe and or provide connections to other tribes and/or the Regional Ocean Partnership.

8. Partnerships. Describe how the Regional Ocean Partnership, or other partners will interact with the project, the communication mechanism utilized to engage the partners, and describe how they will use the outcome or results of the project.

Describe the roles of partners and indicate any efforts or resources that will be leveraged in the project. Letters of collaboration from project partners and any letters of acknowledgment or support from other entities shall be included in the appendices as appropriate.

9. Task Outcomes or Products. Identify and describe the anticipated project products or outcomes. Explain how they will benefit the tribe, Regional Ocean Partnership and/or the general coastal resource management community). 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 description should include information on how the project will be evaluated for success.

Budget Narrative and Justification

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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 task.

The budget narrative submitted with the final application should match the dollar amounts included on all required forms and clearly link to the project narrative. Please use whole dollar amounts only. 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 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:

1. 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.).

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

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

Procurements are subject to policies described in 2 CFR 200.317 - .327. For “to be determined,” describe plans for selection.

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

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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 an annual NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) workshop for recipients.

Refer to item “Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement” below in this Section regarding treatment of Indirect Costs in the Budget Narrative.

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 20 pages (over and beyond the page limit for the “Project Description”, above). Applicants should number the pages in their proposal and any appendices. Applicants may upload the appendices and supporting information by using the 'Optional Form' box under 'Other Attachments' in Grants.gov during the application submission process.

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, eRA Commons. Recipients of any award (competitive or non-competitive) are required to designate PIs in eRA Commons within 30 days of receiving award offers.

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

1. Letters of Collaboration. If a tribal organization is submitting on behalf of one or more tribes, they must include a letter of collaboration confirming tribal leadership support for the application and describing how the tribe will be involved in the proposed work.

Any other supporting letters from partner organizations that are instrumental to the project should be included in the application package. Letters must clearly indicate the level of commitment and/or collaboration. Letters of collaboration do not need original signatures.

2. Regional Ocean Partnership (ROP) Letter. Applicants are encouraged to, but not required to, submit a letter of support or acknowledgement from the ROP in their region to promote coordination and awareness.

3. Resumes. Provide resumes or CVs for 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.

https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20-%2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20-%2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/DOC%20Standard%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20-%2012%20November%202020%20PDF_0.pdf

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4. Data Management Plan. If environmental data will be created under the award, a Data Management Plan of no more than two pages should be attached, as described below. Please note that any concerns with sharing and sovereignty of tribal data or Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can be discussed with NOAA and a potential exemption to data sharing or restrictions on public use of these data can be pursued.

It is important to note, however, that these data, generally, may nonetheless be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other legal requirements. Please see NOAA TEK guidance for more information:

https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/19-065933-Traditional-Knowledge-in-Decision-Making-Document-Signed.pdf The Data Management Plan should address the requirements in this section of the Announcement.

1. 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.

2. 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. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content; methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible. The 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

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

https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/19-065933-Traditional-Knowledge-in-Decision-Making-Document-Signed.pdf https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/19-065933-Traditional-Knowledge-in-Decision-Making-Document-Signed.pdf https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/data-mgmt-sharing-plan-review-form.pdf https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/data-mgmt-sharing-plan-review-form.pdf

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7. 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

8. Responsible NOAA Official for questions regarding this guidance and for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients: Randy Warren, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, randy.warren@noaa.gov

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Environmental Compliance -- Under (NEPA), NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts of projects or proposals seeking funding from NOAA. See Section VI.B below for NEPA Requirements.

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

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

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

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

Indirect costs are essentially overhead costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, and insurance) that are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically within a particular project. See 2 CFR 200.1 and 200.412-415.

Applicants are permitted to request indirect costs if their organization has an established Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement with a federal agency that covers the period of the award. Applicants requesting indirect costs should submit a copy of their current and signed indirect cost rate agreement with their application package. More information on establishing or negotiating indirect cost rates can be found in Section IV.B of this solicitation.

Indirect-cost-rate-agreement documentation is not required for sub awardees; however, indirect cost rates at the negotiated levels should be paid by the primary awardee. Under 2 CFR 200.414 “Indirect (F&A) Costs,” any applicant that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs which may be used indefinitely. Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both pursuant to 2 CFR 200.403 “Factors affecting allowability of costs.” If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a cooperator chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-federal entity may apply to do at any time.

The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the DOC Standard Terms and Conditions Section B.06.

https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/PD.all.php mailto:randy.warren@noaa.gov

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A copy of the current, approved negotiated indirect cost agreement with the federal Government should be included with the application package. If an award recipient has never established an indirect cost rate with any federal agency, the recipient may request to use the de minimis rate (10% of modified total direct costs)…