NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2015-2004207.LFairey.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: FY15 Coral Reef Conservation Program Domestic Coral Reef

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2015-2004207

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

Program

Dates: Complete applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov by 11:59

PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 to be considered for funding. If

Grants.gov cannot be reasonably used, hard copy applications may be submitted by mail or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt prior to 11:59 PM EST on

Wednesday, January 7, 2015. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service after that date and time will not be accepted. Applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service or commercial courier service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, applications received more than 10 business days after the postmarked closing date will not be accepted. All mailed applications must include hand signed and dated

Federal forms.

Funding Opportunity Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, provides matching grants of financial assistance through the Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grant program to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, and local and Indian tribal government agencies. These awards are intended to support coral reef conservation projects in shallow water coral reef ecosystems, including reefs at mesophotic depths, in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the

U.S. Virgin Islands, and coral-dominated banks in U.S. portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Projects may be proposed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island

Areas, but these locations are not considered geographic priorities under this announcement.

Proposals submitted to this competition must address at least one of the following four categories: 1) Fishing Impacts; 2) Land-Based Sources of Pollution; 3) Climate Change; and 4)

Local and Emerging Management Issues. Each category is described in more detail in the

Federal Funding Opportunity announcement. All proposed work must be consistent with Coral

Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) National Goals and Objectives 2010-2015

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf) and/or the relevant Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities) developed for each of the seven states and territories. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a grant and will require a 1:1 match of non-Federal funds.

Funding for this program is subject to the availability of FY 2015 Congressional appropriations and is expected to range between approximately $800,000 to approximately $1,000,000. Funding made available from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program is intended to support priority coral reef management activities as described in Section I(B) of this Federal Funding

Opportunity announcement. Funding will be divided among the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic regions to maintain the geographic balance of the CRCP Grant Program portfolio overall, as required by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. NOAA expects that each applicant will request

Federal funding at a funding level between $30,000 and $80,000 under this solicitation and that the average award size will be approximately $50,000.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

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

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

To address these and other threats, Congress passed the Coral Reef Conservation Act of

2000 (Act), which established the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and provided guidance for allocation of Federal funding toward efforts to conserve coral reef ecosystems in the United States and internationally. As described in the Act, one of the primary functions of the CRCP is to provide financial assistance to external partners for coral reef conservation projects consistent with the Act and CRCP priorities.

CRCP priorities have been outlined in to focus program investments on three of the most pressing threats to coral reefs: land-based sources of pollution, fishing impacts, and climate impacts. The CRCP’s approach for addressing these threats is described in more detail in a number of documents, including:

*the CRCP Goals and Objectives 2010-2015

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf);

*the seven Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities documents

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities);

*the Jurisdictional Capacity Assessments, which evaluate each jurisdiction’s ability to implement coral reef conservation measures and identify impediments to effective coral reef conservation and management

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/capacityassessments/); and

*the CRCP International Strategy

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/intl_strategy.pdf).

These documents are relevant to CRCP grant programs, but some may be more or less relevant to particular competitions. Please refer to the Program Priorities in Section I(B) for details on which of the above documents are most relevant to this funding announcement.

As required under the Act, NOAA published the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant

Program Implementation Guidelines on Thursday, August 12, 2010 in Federal Register Vol.

75, No. 155, page 48934. The Guidelines are available at:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/workwithus/funding/grants/welcome.html.

All applications submitted in response to this Federal Funding Opportunity announcement must be consistent with the requirements stated herein and the CRCP Grant

Program Guidelines. Funding is subject to the availability of Federal appropriations.

In FY 2015, the CRCP intends to initiate new awards in the following three funding categories:

1. CRCP Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants;

2. CRCP State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements; and

3. CRCP NGO Partnership Cooperative Agreement.

All of the following information in this funding opportunity announcement pertains only to the CRCP Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants funding category.

B. Program Priorities

The Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants program will accept applications for projects that fall within at least one of the following four categories: (a) Fishing Impacts; (b)

Land-Based Sources of Pollution; (c) Climate Change; and (d) Local and Emerging

Management Needs. The awards will support only activities associated with shallow water coral reef ecosystems, including coral reefs at mesophotic depths, in American Samoa, the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the

U.S. and coral-dominated banks in U.S. portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Projects may be proposed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island

Areas (PRIA), but these locations are not considered geographic priorities under this competition. Projects proposed in the NWHI and PRIA must include a statement explaining the relevance of project results to coral reef ecosystems located in the priority geographies noted above.

For the purpose of this solicitation, shallow water coral reef ecosystems include unconsolidated sediments (e.g., sand and mud); mangroves and other emergent vegetation;

submerged vegetation (e.g., seagrass and macroalgae); hermatypic coral reefs and associated colonized hardbottom habitats (e.g., spur and groove, individual and aggregated patch reefs, and gorgonian colonized pavement and bedrock); and uncolonized hardbottom (e.g., reef rubble and uncolonized bedrock). Projects focused on coral reef ecosystems at mesophotic depths must clearly describe how the mesophotic reefs are substantially linked to shallow water coral reefs (i.e., have a meaningful ecological connection between the mesophotic area and associated shallow water coral reefs) to be eligible under this competition.

The principal objective of this grant competition is to provide financial assistance to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, commercial organizations, and local and Indian tribal governments to support domestic coral reef conservation projects in the

United States. Proposals must address threats to coral reef ecosystems identified in the

CRCP Goals and Objectives 2010-2015

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf), the

Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities documents

(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities), and/or other local or regional planning documents (e.g., Endangered Species Recovery Plans, Watershed Management Plans, Local Action Strategies, or invasive species management plans). These include threats from fishery impacts, land-based sources of pollution, and climate change, and issues identified as local and emerging management needs.

Preference will be given to organizations with a demonstrated track record of conducting successful coral reef conservation projects; projects that involve community-based conservation activities; and projects that develop and disseminate high quality information and materials to relevant user groups and management agencies. Applicants must provide evidence of support (e.g., letter of support, co-principal investigator, or other indication of collaboration) for the project by appropriate representatives of States or other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted. Applicants are encouraged to consult with all relevant local governmental and non-governmental entities involved in coral reef conservation activities while developing the application and demonstrate collaboration among these entities.

Research activities are eligible only if: 1) the project conducts applied research that directly contributes to improved management; and 2) the project includes prompt mechanisms to disseminate information to resource managers in addition to peer-reviewed publications (e.g., training of managers to use information or direct presentations to managers on project activities and outcomes); or 3) the research activity is a listed

Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priority, in which case the applicant must cite the specific priority and obtain a letter of support from the local coral reef management authority that will utilize the research results.

Proposed projects addressing the categories below must be consistent with CRCP Goals and Objectives 2010-2015 and the Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities documents referenced above. Applicants are also encouraged to show how the proposed activity contributes to other management efforts and plans (e.g., watershed management plans, conservation action plans, Local Action Strategies, communication and outreach strategies, and marine protected area (MPA) management plans) if applicable, and provide a link to the specific document whenever possible.

Details of the four categories are as follows:

1. Fishing Impacts: Activities under this category must address at least one of the following topics:

a. Obtaining essential life history and ecological information on key species or functional groups to support management actions that reduce the impacts of fishing;

b. Addressing information gaps related to fishing effort on coral reef ecosystems by measuring fishing intensity, mortality, frequency, area coverage, and/or community dependence to inform management activities;

c. Identifying and characterizing spawning sites, nursery habitats, other areas critical to particular life-history stages; biodiversity hotspots; or coral reef areas with the greatest resilience;

d. Increasing participation of stakeholder or citizen groups in fisheries management planning, decision-making, and monitoring activities that improve conservation of coral reef ecosystems;

e. Working with relevant agencies, offices, and communities to create, implement, and improve the management of MPAs that protect key coral reef ecosystem components and functions;

f. Increasing public compliance with fishery regulations and MPA regulations that reduce fishing impacts on coral reef ecosystems, such as through establishment of community watch groups and provision of training workshops for enforcement personnel and/or prior violators; and

g. Developing targeted, locally-relevant outreach and communication strategies to increase community understanding and support for regulations to protect key coral reef ecosystems.

2. Land-Based Sources of Pollution (LBSP): Activities under this category must address at least one of the following topics:

a. Working with local communities and jurisdictions to develop and/or implement watershed management plans or conservation action plans in designated priority coral reef associated watersheds (priority sites have been identified for each jurisdiction in the jurisdictional management priorities documents found at:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities/);

b. Conducting applied research to address strategic scientific gaps that lead to informed management decisions related to planning and implementing activities in priority coral reef ecosystems and associated watersheds (e.g., identifying the causes and sources of pollution or estimating load reductions expected from implementation of specific management measures); and

c. Conducting targeted outreach to increase awareness and understanding of ecological and socioeconomic impacts of land-based pollution on coral reefs to bolster local support for the implementation of watershed management plans or conservation action plans that have been developed for priority coral reef associated watersheds.

Preference will be given to projects that are located within priority watersheds identified in the Jurisdictional Management Priority documents that have established, approved watershed management plans, and projects that are well-coordinated with ongoing activities sponsored by the local point of contact agency. Activities proposed under this category must focus on implementing projects from approved watershed management plans that reduce

LBSP inputs to coral reef ecosystems. These projects will receive preference because they contribute to CRCP performance metric L1 PM2: Number of projects completed from approved Watershed Management Plans and Conservation Action Plans to reduce LBSP in priority coral reef areas. For more information about this and other CRCP performance metrics, please visit: http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/howwework/#success.

3. Climate Change and Ocean Acidification: Activities under this category must address at least one of the following topics:

a. Conducting socioeconomic assessments of the effects of climate impacts on reef-dependent social and economic systems through the application of established assessment protocols, such as the SocMon and SEM-Pasifika regional socioeconomic monitoring guidelines found at: www.socmon.org;

b. Promoting conservation of coral reef ecosystems through identification of areas that are potentially resilient to climate change and vulnerable areas where actions are likely to increase resilience;

c. Characterizing the response of coral reef ecosystems and their related components to climate change and ocean acidification; and

d. Developing and testing intervention measures to reduce stress from climate change and ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems.

Preference will be given to projects that contribute to CRCP performance metric C1

PM1: Number of new or enhanced tools implemented to improve management preparedness and response to climate change and ocean acidification. For more information about this and other CRCP performance metrics, please visit:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/howwework/#success.

4. Local and Emerging Management Needs: For this category, the applicant must identify the specific management need the proposal will address and explain how the proposed project activities and/or products will contribute to meeting the stated need.

Proposals under this category may address only the following topics:

a. Reducing invasive species impacts to coral reef ecosystems, including projects that address the proliferation of lionfish (Pterois volitans) in Florida and the U.S. Caribbean and invasive algae and fish species in the Pacific Islands;

b. Supporting recovery of Endangered Species Act-listed coral species, through filling critical information gaps about their locations, habitats, depth ranges, early life history, and field identification methods for the 66 coral species currently proposed for listing as well as for previously listed species of Acropora (i.e., in Florida and the U.S. Caribbean:

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/endangered%20species/Updated%20Recovery%20Outline.pdf);

c. Investigating coral diseases that are directly correlated with LBSP inputs or climate change impacts; and

d. Increasing the sustainability of the marine aquarium trade involving coral reef species found in U.S. waters through quantifying the ecological impacts associated with aquarium fisheries and the removal of rare and endemic organisms, or by developing educational materials for aquarium hobbyists to reduce mortality of species kept in home aquariums.

All projects funded through this competition are expected to result in tangible improvements in the condition of coral reef ecosystems. To achieve this outcome, applicants must specify the activities they will undertake as well as the specific outputs, products and outcomes that are expected to result from funded proposals. Specific outputs may include:

a. Support to management authorities in the form of management plans, legislation, regulations or policies, best management practices, communication and outreach tools, and/or applied research aimed at enhancing local capacity to conserve coral reef resources;

b. Environmental data, including recorded and derived observations and measurements of the physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical properties and conditions of the oceans and/or atmosphere, as well as correlative data, such as socio-economic data and media (e.g. recordings, photos, videos etc.), and their accompanying metadata files, which must comply with standards developed or endorsed by the Federal Geographic Data

Committee (http://www.fgdc.gov). The FGDC has recently endorsed the use of International

Standards Organization (ISO) 19115 Parts 1 and 2 and representation standard ISO 19139 for documenting environmental data and information (http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/metadata-standards/). If you are documenting geospatial data in accordance with the FGDC Content

Standard for Digital Geospatial Data this template identifies the minimum fields CRCP required for a complete record:

http://coris.noaa.gov/data/examples/bamf_min_crcp_fields.txt. All data products must be archived in multiple locations and provided to CRCP for long-term storage in accordance with the terms of the award and the award's Data/Information Sharing Plan, as described in

Section IV(B)15; and

c. Other outputs, such as assessments, publications, summary reports, outreach and education materials, and other useful products that provide resource managers and the public with timely and readily understandable information on coral reefs. These outputs and products must be identified in the original application as described in Section IV(B)4 and must be provided to NOAA at the end of the award period; products of awards may be made available to the public via NOAA's Coral Reef Information System. As such, all products must be of publishable quality, be written in English unless another language is specified in the application and approved by NOAA, and include appropriate acknowledgement of the support provided by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program as described at:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/whoweare/graphic/.

C. Program Authority

Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program is provided by Section

6403 (Coral Reef Conservation Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16

U.S.C. 6401 et seq).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Funding for this program is subject to the availability of FY 2015 Congressional appropriations and is expected to range between approximately $800,000 and $1,000,000.

NOAA will not accept proposals requesting less than $30,000 or more than $80,000 in

Federal support under this solicitation. It is expected that the average award size will be

$50,000.

There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the same applicant during the FY 2015 competitive grant cycle. However, multiple applications submitted by the same applicant must clearly differentiate projects and must be successful in the competitive review process. The number of awards made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for each project, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and the amount of funds made available to the Coral Reef Conservation Program by Congress. In addition, funding will be divided between the U.S. Pacific and U.S. Atlantic/Caribbean to meet requirements for geographic distribution of funds as described in the Coral Reef Conservation Act.

Attempts will also be made to fund one or more projects in each jurisdiction, provided that the project addresses priorities outlined above, it is identified as having sufficient merit, and it meets all other requirements as stipulated in this solicitation. Funds have not yet been appropriated for this program, and there is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige

NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards for this 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, they do so at their own risk of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. In no event will

NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for any proposal preparation costs.

Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. Applicants must be in good standing with all existing NOAA awards in order to receive funds.

B. Project/Award Period

Projects with an award period of either 12- or 18-months will be considered for funding under this competition; the requested award start date must begin on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. Proposals may include an award start date no earlier than July 1, 2015. If an application for a financial assistance is selected for funding, the CRCP has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. Funding for subsequent years will require submission of a new application, which will compete with other project proposals submitted during the subsequent competition. If an applicant wishes to continue work on a project funded through this program beyond the project period and obligated award funds have not been expended by the end of the period, the applicant must apply for a no-cost extension at least 30 days prior to the end date of the award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or to extend the period of performance is at the discretion of NOAA.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Successful applicants will enter into a grant agreement with NOAA's Coral Reef

Conservation Program.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, and local and Indian tribal government agencies are eligible to apply for funding under this funding category. U.S. federal, state, territory, and commonwealth governments and

Regional Fishery Management Councils are not eligible to apply under this funding category.

NOAA CRCP staff is available to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities. However, NOAA employees or contractors are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications or write letters of support for any application. For proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a statement confirming the degree and nature of the collaboration. For applications working in

National Marine Sanctuaries or with protected species, NOAA employees may provide a statement acknowledging the utility of the proposed work to meet management priorities.

Letters of support from NOAA employees will be discarded from application materials prior to technical review. Federal employee travel and salaries are not allowable costs under this funding category. Please direct all questions about this competition, including application procedures and selection criteria, to the Federal Program Officer listed under Section VII.

Agency Contacts.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

All awards of financial assistance provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation

Grant Program (Grant Program) under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act

(Act) of 2000 are subject to the matching fund requirements described below. As per section

6403(b)(1) of the Act, Federal funds for any coral conservation project funded under this

Grant Program 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. Matching funds may come from a variety of public and private sources and may include in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and volunteer labor.

Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from multiple non-federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match requirement, as long as such contributions are not being used to match any Federal funds received under another award. Federal sources cannot be considered as matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage.

Applicants must specify in their proposal the source(s) of match and may 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 and the recipient organization.

Applicants must be prepared to document matching contributions for each project selected for funding.

As per Section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, the NOAA

Administrator may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the following two requirements:

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

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

In the case of a waiver request, the applicant 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 package.

Please Note: applicants who are eligible to claim the matching funds exemption contained in 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d) may request use of the waiver for part or all of the matching requirement. Please contact the individual listed in section VII. Agency Contacts for more information about eligibility for this exemption.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Applicants requesting indirect costs are required to submit a copy of their current, signed indirect cost rate agreement with their application package.

If an award recipient has not previously established an indirect cost rate with a Federal agency, the negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by

NOAA and the Department of Commerce. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Financial

Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions require that recipients within 90 days of the award start date, submit the documentation (indirect cost proposal, cost allocation plan, etc.)

necessary to perform the review to Lamar Revis, Grants Officer, NOAA Grants Management

Division, 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

The standard application package is available at through the apply function on

Grants.gov or http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1. For applicants without Internet access, an application package may be requested by contacting the Federal Program Officer and technical point of contact for the CRCP Domestic Coral

Reef Conservation Grants, Liz Fairey. She can be reached at 301-427-8632, or via email at

Liz.Fairey@noaa.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application

The application process for this grant competition requires submission of a complete application on or before the submission date and time listed in Section IV (C) Submission

Dates and Times. All application materials must use a legible 12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides. For each application, the information provided in elements 1-6

(described below) may not exceed 30 pages total; the 30-page limit does not apply to required federal forms and other documentation (elements 7-16 below). Applications that exceed the 30-page limit will be shortened by removing pages at the end of the project narrative (element 3 below) before it is forwarded to merit reviewers. Because the pages excised from lengthy applications will not be reviewed, activities described therein will not be eligible for funding consideration. Reviewers will be instructed to deduct points from applications that are incomplete, unclear, or contain numerous typographical errors, so applicants are advised to review their application materials closely before they are submitted to the agency for consideration.

Applications must follow the format described below; failure to follow these requirements may result in the application being eliminated from the competition.

Each application must include the following information in this order:

1. Application Cover Sheet (1-page limit), which includes:

a) Applicant name and contact information;

b) Applicant organization;

c) Primary and alternate points of contact;

d) Contact information for the primary and alternate points of contact, including address, phone number, and e-mail address;

e) Project title;

f) Geographic location of the proposed project;

g) Amount of Federal funding requested;

h) Amount and source(s) of matching funds provided;

i) Requested award start date, which must be the first day of the month, end date, which must be the last day of the month, and an award period of either 12 or 18-months duration.

Proposals may include an award start date no earlier than July 1, 2015; and

j) The specific priority or priorities (see Section I(B)) that the proposal will address. If the proposal addresses more than one priority, the applicant must list the priority that most closely reflects the overall objective of the proposal, followed by additional priorities.

k) Application summary/abstract - a brief, one-paragraph description of the application including an overview of the types of activities that are proposed for funding.

2. Project Summary (1-page limit) describing:

a. Status and magnitude of the issue(s) in the jurisdiction where the project will occur and recent actions undertaken to address the issue(s);

b. A description of how the project proposes to address the issue;

c. The partners that will be involved in the project;

d. A summary of the specific tasks to be accomplished and the proposed approach;

e. Expected outcomes of the proposed work; and

f. A description of how performance will be evaluated.

This information may be utilized during Congressional Notification and shared with the public.

3. Project Narrative

The Project Narrative comprises the majority of the application and must include a clear and thorough description of the proposed work including a timeline with milestones. Each task must be completely and accurately described. Sufficient detail must be provided to enable reviewers to evaluate the relevance and applicability of proposed work to program goals, 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, the Endangered Species Act, the Historic Preservation

Act, etc. Applicants must clearly describe how the project will directly benefit coral reef management efforts. Elements of a good project narrative include:

a. Identification of issue(s): Identify the problem/issue the project intends to address and describe its significance to the conservation of U.S. coral reef ecosystems.

b. Project objectives: Identify the specific objective, listed under I. Funding Opportunity

Description, B. Program Priorities, to which the project's objective(s) corresponds.

Objectives must be simple and understandable, as specific and quantitative as possible, and attainable within the proposed timeframe, the described budget, and the human resources available. Projects must be accomplishment-oriented and identify obtainable goals, outcomes, and products. Describe expected outcomes, results, or products resulting from the specific activities undertaken during the project period; these are also summarized in the

Table of Anticipated Products and Outcomes (element 4).

c. Task Description and Methodology: The project narrative is the scientific or technical plan of activities that are to be accomplished, and must be written with sufficient detail to allow reviewers to evaluate the suitability of the proposed work and the likelihood of successful completion in the stated timeframe. Please ensure your project narrative includes detailed descriptions of each activity, including the rationale for the activity, how it will be accomplished, specific milestones, and expected products. The narrative must include information on dissemination of the findings/results to resource managers, local communities, and other stakeholders as appropriate. The project narrative also needs to include information on how the project will be evaluated for success. If the work is one component of a larger project (or the activity is a pilot project for a larger initiative), and proposed activities will continue after the end of the grant period, describe future activities and potential future funding sources (and other mechanisms) to continue the work. If the goal of the project is to build capacity for improved conservation, describe proposed plans to ensure the activities continue into the future and how success will be evaluated.

d. Timeline: A description of specific activities and associated timelines necessary to meet them. Describe the time lines in increments (e.g., month 1, month 2, etc. or 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, etc.), rather than by specific dates.

e. List the programs (Federal, state, territorial or local governmental activities) this project would affect and describe how the project coordinates with relevant state, territorial, or local governmental and non-governmental agencies, and if applicable, NOAA activities.

f. Describe how the project will be organized and managed, and include the qualifications of the principal investigator(s) by providing curricula vitae or resumes. The principal investigator may or may not be the applicant. However, if the applicant is not the principal investigator, there must be an explanation of the relationship between the applicant and principal investigator (e.g., the applicant may be responsible for managing the grant funds and the principal investigator will be responsible for completing the work). Please also include information about the specific responsibilities of other personnel funded through the proposal, including the technical and administrative points of contact as appropriate.

4. Table of Anticipated Products and Outcomes

Please provide a table to summarize the specific products and outcomes that will be produced under the award. All products resulting from Federally-funded awards must be provided to NOAA within 90 days of the end of the award period and must be of publishable quality. NOAA may make award products available to the public, so recipients are encouraged to omit sensitive information (i.e., budget or salary information) from products submitted to NOAA. All products must explicitly acknowledge the support of NOAA's Coral

Reef Conservation Program according to the guidance available at:

http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/whoweare/graphic/.

The information in the table must include all products and outputs that will be developed in conjunction with the award. For each entry, please provide a description of the product, a working title for the product, the type or format of the product (e.g., journal publication, public service announcement, watershed management plan, presentation, newsletter, metadata record, annual monitoring summary), and the expected date(s) when the product will be submitted to NOAA. NOAA will use this information to ensure that products are submitted to the agency in a timely manner and made available to the public whenever possible.

5. Budget Narrative and Justification

In order to allow reviewers to fully evaluate the appropriateness of proposed costs, all applications must include a detailed breakdown of costs by standard cost category in table format with separate columns showing the relative contribution of Federal and non-Federal matching funds. A detailed budget narrative must accompany the budget table to clearly explain and justify all proposed expenses. The budget narrative must also document the source(s) of all matching funds.

The information in the budget narrative must match the dollar amounts on all required forms and describe, by category of expenditure, the total cost to accomplish the work.

Budget categories must correspond to the Object Class Categories listed in Section B of the

Standard Form-424A (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1):

a. Personnel costs, including salary and wages, must be itemized by individual or principal investigator (PI) and indicate the number of months requested per year per PI as a percentage of their normal salary. Support for each individual must be commensurate with their stated involvement, which may or may not correspond to their current position. Any unnamed personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) must be identified by their job title, and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs above.

b. Fringe benefits must be identified separately from salary and wages; fringe benefit rates must be applied consistently and equally to both Federal and non-Federal (matching) funds. Funds for salaries and fringe benefits may be requested only for those personnel who are directly involved in implementing the proposed project and whose salaries and fringe benefits are directly related to specific products or outcomes of the proposed project. NOAA strongly encourages applicants to request reasonable amounts of funding for salaries and fringe benefits to ensure that your proposal is competitive.

c. Travel costs must be broken out by traveler name/position, destination, purpose of travel, number of people traveling and projected costs per person. Briefly describe each travel request and explain how the proposed travel is necessary for successful completion of the project. Projected travel costs must be inclusive of transport costs, lodging costs, and per diem expenses for all travelers, which are to be described in detail in the budget narrative. If travel details for a particular trip are unknown, explain the basis for estimating proposed costs. Applicants must adhere to the provisions of the 'Fly America Act' and use U.S.-flagged vessels for transport, unless a specific waiver to this provision has been secured. Any foreign travel necessary to implement the project must be highlighted in the project and budget narratives since foreign travel requires prior approval of the agency and may require additional clearances.

d. "Equipment" is non-expendable, tangible personal property with a unit cost of $5,000 or more and a useful life of more than one year. Items that do not meet the equipment definition may be included under supplies. Each piece of equipment must be described separately and reference the type/model to be purchased and its contribution to the achievement of the project goals. General use equipment (i.e., computers, printers, etc.) must be used 100% for the proposed project if charged directly to the award; if the equipment will be used for multiple projects, only a portion of the expense that is commensurate with the actual use of the equipment during the project may be requested. Equipment must be inventoried periodically and accounted for in progress reports; recipients must also document dispensation of equipment through submission of SF-428/429 forms as required by NOAA. Equipment purchase is not a priority under this funding announcement.

e. Supplies must be itemized to the level of detail known or may be based on established historical costs. Whenever possible, please include the quantity/number of units, cost per unit, and a justification of the expenses. Examples of items that typically fall into the

‘supplies’ category include office supplies, snorkel and/or dive gear, monitoring supplies, fuel for vessels, basic computer hardware and software, cameras, and outreach materials.

f. Contractual costs must be itemized separately, according to standard budget categories that appear in the SF-424A; all types of contractual costs must be aggregated in the

Contractual line on the SF-424A and explained in detail in the budget narrative. Applicants must indicate the basis for each contract's cost estimate and specify the products or services to be obtained through all contracts. Based on new reporting requirements contained in the

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, all subawards of $25,000 or greater, whether in the form of a subcontract or subgrant, must be documented per the

Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS; www.FSRS.gov); a separate SF-424A must also be submitted for each subaward of $25,000 or greater.

g. Other costs must be listed by type of material or nature of expense and itemized by quantity/number of units and cost per unit if applicable. Examples of costs that are typically included in the ‘other’ category include stipends, honoraria, and publication costs. Limited publication costs will only be considered if the resulting journal publication will be made available to the public free of charge.

h. Indirect costs may be requested if the applicant has an established a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) 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. For this solicitation, the Federal share of the indirect costs awarded may not exceed 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed. For those situations in which the use of the applicant's indirect cost rate would result in indirect costs greater than 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed, the difference may be counted as part of the non-Federal share. See Section III(C) for more details on establishing an indirect cost rate with NOAA.

CRCP will not consider expenses associated with fees, fund-raising activities, or travel for activities not directly related to project implementation, travel or salaries for Federal employees, or profit as allowable costs in the proposed budget. The total costs of a project consist of all allowable costs incurred in accomplishing project activities during the project period. Project costs can only include support for activities conducted between the effective start date and end date of the award, and cannot include activities undertaken either before or after the agreed upon dates. Applicants will not be reimbursed for time expended or costs incurred in developing a project or in preparing an application, or in any discussions or negotiations with the agency prior to the award. Such expenditures may not be considered as part of the applicant's cost share or matching funds.

6. Supporting Documents

This section includes the qualifications of the primary project personnel and letters of support received from the relevant jurisdictional representatives, partners or communities involved in the project. The applicant must provide evidence of support for the proposed project from an appropriate representative of the State, Territory, Commonwealth, or non-

NOAA Federal Agency or a letter acknowledging the utility of the work if it will occur within a National Marine Sanctuary. Additional letters of support are not required, but are encouraged.

7. Standard Form 424

At the time of final application submission, all applicants must submit a signed and dated copy of Standard Form SF-424, "Application for Federal Assistance," to indicate the total amount of Federal funds and non-Federal matching funds proposed for the project period. Original signatures with the date are required on all hard copy SF-424 forms submitted by mail; an electronic signature is applied automatically when an organization’s authorized representative successfully submits an application via www.grants.gov.

8. Standard Form 424A

At time of application submission, all applicants are required to submit a SF-424A

Budget Form. 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 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 are inclusive of all funding for the project; in the case of an 18-month project, each 'quarter' represents 4.5 months. Both Federal and non- Federal funds must be expended at a similar rate throughout the course of the project. Section E may be left blank. Section F summarizes the direct charges in line 21 and lists the indirect charges requested; please show the rate used in line 22. Please note that completion of the SF-424A form as described above represents NOAA's preference and may not be consistent with the instructions that accompany the SF-424A form. All budget figures must match the funding requested on the application cover sheet and correspond with the descriptions contained in the project and budget narratives.

9. Standard Form 424B

At time of application submission, all applicants are required to submit a signed SF-

424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs.

10. Standard Form CD-511

The applicant must also include a completed form CD-511, Certifications Regarding

Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters, Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements, and Lobbying.

11. Permits

Please provide a list of all applicable permits that will be required to perform the proposed work and an indication of the status of any permits needed (e.g., not yet applied, permit application submitted/pending, permit granted, etc.) or a statement indicating that no permits are necessary. You must include this required element even if permits are not required.

12. Match waiver request (if applicable)

Preference under this competition will be given to applicants who provide a 1:1 or greater ratio of matching funds to Federal funds in accordance with the provisions of the

Coral Reef Conservation Act. If the proposal lacks sufficient matching funds, the applicant may include a separate document in which the applicant requests a waiver to the matching funds requirement as described in section 6403(b)(2) of the Act.