NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2022-2007153 NOFO Report.pdf

2022 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 12 C. Program Authority 14

II. Award Information 14 A. Funding Availability 14 B. Project/Award Period 15 C. Type of Funding Instrument 15

III. Eligibility Information 16 A. Eligible Applicants 16 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 16 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 16

IV. Application and Submission Information 16 A. Address to Request Application Package 17 B. Content and Form of Application 17 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 25 D. Submission Dates and Times 25 E. Intergovernmental Review 25 F. Funding Restrictions 25 G. Other Submission Requirements 26

V. Application Review Information 27 A. Evaluation Criteria 27 B. Review and Selection Process 32 C. Selection Factors 33 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 34

VI. Award Administration Information 35 A. Award Notices 35 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 35 C. Reporting 38

VII. Agency Contacts 39 VIII. Other Information 39

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 39

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

Funding Opportunity Title: 2022 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B- WET) Program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2022-2007153

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.429, Marine Sanctuary Program

Dates:

The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on February 18, 2022 when submitting through www.grants.gov (Grants.gov). PLEASE NOTE: For applicants that submit through Grants.gov, it may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject the application.

Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline. If use of Grants.gov is impractical for technical or other reasons, paper copy applications will be accepted only as described in Section IV.D. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected without further consideration. No email and/or facsimile applications will be accepted.

An informational webinar about the FY 2022 CA B-WET funding announcement will be held on January 13, 2022 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time. To register for this webinar please visit the CA B- WET website or go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3304028462275053327.

Funding Opportunity Description:

California B-WET funds locally relevant, authentic experiential learning for K-12 audiences through Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEEs involve learning both outdoors and in the classroom as students engage in issue definition, outdoor field experiences, synthesis and conclusions, and action projects. The goal is to increase understanding and stewardship of the ocean, its local watersheds, and special areas like national marine sanctuaries. Projects advance the Next Generation Science Standards, the California Environmental Literacy Standards and Concepts, and the Ocean and Climate Literacy Essential Principles.

New this year, the CA B-WET Program is open to additional California counties. In support of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative and in an effort to work with communities that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19, hammered by school closures, and historically denied

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 39 the physical and emotional benefits of access to safe outdoor spaces, the CA B-WET Program is expanding its geographic footprint. Funding is now available to the following counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Monterey, San Benito, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Ventura.

The CA B-WET funding announcement focuses on the following priority areas: 1) Systemic MWEE Implementation in School Districts (Professional development for teachers and student experiences); 2) Teacher Professional Development for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs); and 3) Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for Students.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 39

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The NOAA B-WET National Program is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. B-WET was established in 2002 in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and currently exists in seven regions: California, Chesapeake Bay, Hawai`i, Gulf of Mexico, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes. Four of the seven B-WET regions are coordinated by or in partnership with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, which serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 15 national marine sanctuaries and Papahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. For more information, visit our NOAA B-WET National Program website at: http://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet.

The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive funding that promotes Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). MWEE is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action.

MWEEs are composed of multiple components that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and are designed to increase the environmental literacy of all participants by actively engaging students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on experiences. In these experiences, the core ideas and practices of multiple disciplines are applied to make sense of the relationships between the natural world and society. MWEEs help connect students with their local environment and equip them to make decisions and take actions that contribute to stronger, sustainable, and equitable communities.

The MWEE consists of four essential elements and four supporting practices that build upon each other to create a comprehensive learning experience for students. This process should be tailored to each audience and be age appropriate, with practices growing in complexity and sophistication across the grades, starting with teacher-guided investigations and progressing to student-led inquiry. Teachers should support and assist students in their inquiry and investigations of local environmental issues that are of interest to them and that connect to curriculum throughout the MWEE. To support teacher implementation of MWEEs, B-WET has also included five practices that are recommended to be in place for teacher professional development activities.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 39

B. Program Background

1. MWEE Essential Elements The MWEE consists of four essential elements that describe “what students do.” These elements promote a learner-centered framework that emphasizes the role of the student in actively constructing meaning from the learning experiences. The essential elements are not meant to be linear, in fact some elements, such as Synthesis and Conclusions, occur repeatedly throughout the MWEE.

1.1 Issue Definition

Throughout the MWEE, students focus on a driving question that guides their inquiry, investigations, and ultimately results in environmental actions. To support this, teachers define a locally relevant environmental issue, problem, or phenomenon and a driving question— often referred to as an essential question, organizing question, or overarching question. This is the “big picture” question that is important for sparking curiosity and organizing student inquiry. The driving question should be open-ended, relevant to the students’ lives, maintain continuity of activities, and meet learning objectives.

During Issue Definition, students are actively involved in co-developing supporting questions with teachers. They also plan and conduct background research and investigations to better understand the driving and supporting questions (e.g. making observations and/or measurements; carrying out field investigations; talking to experts or relevant stakeholders;

reviewing credible resources; reviewing current environmental policies or community practices; exploring models). As a part of this process, students also reflect on personal and public values and perspectives, and root causes, related to the driving question.

1.2 Outdoor Field Experiences

Students participate in multiple Outdoor Field Experiences sufficient to explore the driving question. Within appropriate safety guidelines, students are actively involved in planning and conducting the field investigations, including developing supporting questions to explore the driving question in the field. Field experiences allow students to interact with their local environment and contribute to learning in ways that traditional classroom or laboratory settings may not. During field experiences, students use their senses, scientific equipment, and technology to make observations, collect data or measurements, and conduct experiments necessary to answer their supporting questions and inform Environmental Action Projects. Students who have opportunities to learn and thrive in, and appreciate the outdoors can become informed and engaged champions for our natural resources.

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Outdoor Field Experiences can take place on school grounds or at locations in close proximity to schools, such as streams or local parks. They can also take place at off-site locations such as state or national parks, wildlife refuges, marine protected areas, or nature centers that are often staffed by experts and may provide access to field equipment and facilities. A range of partners including environmental educators, natural resource professionals, or trained volunteers, can help facilitate field experiences however they should be co-developed and co-taught with teachers so that field experiences support learning objectives. Teachers and partners should ensure an accessible outdoor learning environment for all participants, including students with a range of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social abilities. They should also prepare students by discussing and providing information about what students can expect to see, feel, and experience during their time outdoors in order to ensure students feel safe and comfortable during their field experiences.

1.3 Synthesis and Conclusions

Students identify, synthesize, and apply evidence from their investigations to make claims and draw action. Synthesis and Conclusions should happen regularly throughout the MWEE.

Teachers dedicate time for students to reflect on each experience and investigation in relation to the issue and facilitate students sharing their claims and conclusions with each other. Students may demonstrate understanding of their investigations and conclusions through communication to a variety of audiences such as their peers, other classrooms, school leaders, parents, or the community.

1.4 Environmental Action Projects

Students identify and implement an environmental action project as a solution that directly addresses the defined issue within their school, neighborhood, town, or community. Students are actively engaged in and, to the extent possible, drive the decision-making, planning, and implementation of the action project, while teachers play a facilitation role by forming groups, moderating, and answering questions. Students reflect on the value of the action and determine the extent to which it successfully addressed the issue.

This essential element allows students to understand that they personally have the power to bring about change by taking action to address environmental issues at the personal, community, or societal level. Taking action instills confidence in students and can contribute to students becoming environmental stewards in their communities.

Environmental Action Projects can take many forms and may fall into the following types:

- Restoration or Protection: actions that assist in the recovery or preservation of a watershed or related ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed (e.g., plant or restore protective vegetation/trees; restore a local habitat; remove invasive plants; clean up litter at

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 39 local beaches, parks, or school grounds; develop a school garden, natural history area, community garden, or other sustainable green space; install rain gardens to help manage stormwater).

- Everyday Choices: actions that reduce human impacts on watersheds and related ecosystems and offer ways to live more sustainably (e.g., refuse/reduce/reuse/recycle;

monitor and save water in the face of potential drought or reduction in water availability;

compost food or yard waste; research and implement energy efficient strategies or energy alternatives at school and/or at home).

- Community Engagement: actions that inform others about how to address community-level environmental issues (e.g., give presentations to local organizations; organize community events; record or broadcast public service announcements; share information on social media; post flyers in community; share posters at community events/fairs/festivals;

mentoring).

- Civic Engagement: actions that identify and address issues of public concern. Students acting alone or together to protect public values or make a change or difference in a student’s school, town, neighborhood, or community (e.g., present to school board or school principal;

attend, speak, or present at town meetings; write or meet with decision makers/elected officials of a students’ school, town, neighborhood, or community)

2. MWEE Supporting Practices The MWEE also includes four supporting practices that describe “what teachers do” to ensure successful implementation with students.

2.1 Teacher Facilitation

MWEEs require that teachers support student learning for the duration of the MWEE - both inside and outside the classroom. Teachers balance roles of facilitation, direct instruction, and coaching to create a student-centered learning experience where the essential elements of the MWEE come together to support goals for learning and create opportunities for students to take active roles in the learning process. Teachers provide space for student choice and voice by creating learning experiences that center on what students value.

To support this level of engagement, teachers should have access to professional development opportunities that support their content knowledge, understanding of the MWEE framework, and confidence and intention to implement MWEEs independently (see Teacher MWEE Professional Development Practices for specifics).

2.2 Learning Integration

The MWEE is an educational framework that helps teachers meet their learning objectives in an engaging way. MWEEs are not meant to be something “extra”, but rather a means of

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 39 enriching lessons for deeper student learning while meeting academic standards. To achieve this vision, MWEEs should be embedded into the school curriculum to support goals for learning and student achievement. They can also provide authentic, engaging interdisciplinary learning that crosses traditional boundaries between disciplines. Finally, the MWEE essential elements can also be used by educators in out-of-school settings (e.g. after-school programs; clubs; summer camps) to enrich activities and complement school-based programming.

2.3 Sustained Experience

MWEEs rely on teachers to plan and implement a multi-faceted unit of inquiry where each essential element--from asking questions through implementing action--builds upon and reinforces the others to provide rich learning opportunities. MWEEs are spread over the course of a unit or multiple units, where learning happens both in and out of the classroom.

A Sustained Experience provides adequate time for students to not only reflect on the individual lessons and experiences, but also on how all of the elements cohesively come together. While an individual lesson may occur in one class period or field experience, that lesson or experience should be explicitly connected to the larger learning sequence of the

MWEE.

2.4 Local Context

MWEEs have teachers use the local environment and community as a context for learning that is relevant to students’ lives. Situating the MWEE within local contexts promotes learning that is rooted in the unique culture, history, environment, economy, literature, and art of a students’ school, neighborhood, town, or community. To enrich MWEEs, local resources (e.g. partners; expertise; field sites) should be incorporated. Partnerships, such as those with local community-based organizations, allow students to engage with members of their community of diverse cultures, values, and expertise for a more equitable and inclusive experience.

Emphasizing the local context enables students and teachers to develop stronger connections to, and appreciation for, their local environments and communities. This also enables students and teachers to explore how their individual and collective decisions affect their immediate surroundings and in turn affect larger ecosystems and watersheds.

3. Teacher MWEE Professional Development Practices Professional development should empower teachers to confidently and competently use the MWEE framework to support standards-based learning that aligns with local education agency initiatives. In order to gain and maintain environmental education competencies, teachers benefit from sustained, high-quality professional development that includes ongoing

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 39 support and feedback. Teachers should gain confidence in the value of MWEEs and strategies for conducting them so that they will be able to implement MWEEs after the professional development has ended. Specifically, the following practices are recommended for professional development to support teachers implementing MWEEs.

3.1 Increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues Teachers must have an adequate level of content knowledge for their MWEE topic area specific to their grade level and discipline, including an understanding of the interactions between natural systems and social systems and human impacts on local watersheds and larger Earth systems. Recognizing that environmental issues often include different perspectives and opinions, teachers must also have a deep understanding of the facts related to environmental issues, along with an understanding of the various stakeholder values. In addition, teachers who demonstrate environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviors may be role models for their students and increase their ability to guide students in environmental actions to address complex environmental issues.

3.2 Models MWEE framework

Facilitators should utilize the same techniques and experiences in professional development that teachers are expected to use with their students, such as hands-on Outdoor Field Experiences, critical thinking about environmental issues, and Environmental Action Projects. Professional development should also provide opportunities for teachers to understand the goals and rationale behind the MWEE as a framework to learning and environmental stewardship. Professional development should include ongoing support for teachers, and include time for teachers to reflect on modeled activities, and plan for how the student MWEEs will be implemented in their own classrooms.

3.3 Allows for adequate instructional time

Professional development should be multi-day, occurring consecutively or over the course of several weeks or months. Professional development should include ample opportunity for teachers to reflect on their own teaching practices and plan for how to use knowledge and skills gained from professional development in the classroom. Opportunities to share ideas and challenges with colleagues in a cohort creates space for dialogue that can provide teachers with additional support and inspiration.

3.4 Provides ongoing teacher support and appropriate incentives Even in cases where teachers participate in robust multi-day workshops, such as summer or weekend courses, it is still essential that professional development providers have a structure in place for on-going teacher support and enrichment. This can take the form of follow up meetings, creating web-based forums for communication and feedback, establishing mentor

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 39 teachers who can serve as points of contact, or including teams of teachers from one particular school. Continuing education credits and stipends can be used to encourage participation in on-going professional development opportunities. Outreach and training opportunities for school administrators help increase high level support for both environmental education and continuing teacher professional development for teachers.

3.5 Meets jurisdictional guidelines for effective teacher professional development Each jurisdiction has established guidance and recommendations relevant to all forms of teacher professional development. When possible, professional development opportunities for MWEEs should adhere to these general guidelines set forth by local education agencies.

4. Additional Required Components

4.1 Includes NOAA Assets

MWEEs use NOAA assets, such as data, resources, expertise, or places. NOAA has a wealth of applicable products, data, and services as well as a cadre of scientific and professional experts who can enhance student experiences both in the classroom and in the field. These resources complement the educator’s strengths and augment the educational resources.

Additionally, NOAA personnel can serve as important role models for career choices and stewardship. For more on NOAA assets for education please see: NOAA Education Resource Collections (https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections), NOAA in your state (https://www.legislative.noaa.gov/NIYS/), and NOAA in your backyard (https://www.noaa.gov/ education/noaa-in-your-backyard).

4.2 Educating Every Student

Unfortunately, many K-12 students do not currently have consistent access to adequately funded high-quality environmental experiences. The California B-WET Program is strongly committed to educating every student in, about, and for the environment with a focus on expanding the participation of marginalized communities. Youth in marginalized communities have traditionally not seen their identities reflected in outdoor spaces and the environment as a whole. In addition, a focus on cultural relevancy is expected both for the target audience and the organization structure. Cultural relevancy is defined as the ability to effectively reach and engage communities and their youth in a manner consistent with the cultural context and values of that community while effectively addressing disparities of diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organization’s entire structure. The California B- WET Program anticipates that a substantial portion of the target audience served by funded projects will be from diverse communities, especially those who have had historical and systemic barriers to accessing the outdoors and historically denied the physical and emotional benefits of access to safe outdoor spaces.

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4.3 Connection to a National Marine Sanctuary and the Ocean

Projects must include information about the National Marine Sanctuary System and the ocean environment throughout the duration of the project—before, during and after the MWEE activities. Information provided may highlight one or more of the national marine sanctuaries located on the West Coast and must demonstrate a connection to the ocean environment through the watershed system. The idea is that students understand how their actions can affect the coastal/ocean environment through the watershed system. They also need to understand what a national marine sanctuary is, why it is important, the resources found within the sanctuary, and where it is located. Examples of curriculum and lesson plans that can be used to highlight this information can be found at:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/.

4.4 Climate Change Education

The K-12 education system is a well-positioned venue for instilling comprehensive knowledge, skills, competencies, and resilience around one of the most pressing economic, social and environmental issue of today: climate change. According to the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and most recent National Climate Assessment (NCA, 2018), communities in the U.S. are experiencing changes in climate that are resulting in severe storms, flooding, hurricanes, extended drought, change in ocean chemistry and sea level rise, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth. Currently, educational institutions, researchers and policy makers are calling for climate change education that goes beyond knowledge acquisition and formal classroom teaching to efforts that reach audiences of all demographics and incorporate the social, political, economic, and justice elements of climate change. Education has the power to help students develop meaningful personal connections to climate solutions, a sense of personal agency and empowerment, and ultimately impact their behaviors and decision-making in relation to climate change (Kwauk, 2021; K12 Climate Action Commission, 2021). The MWEE educational framework can directly foster climate knowledge, skills, and competencies to address climate change, climate impacts, and the opportunities to contribute to climate solutions in their own communities. Therefore, applicants should incorporate education about climate change into programming.

Specifically, projects must incorporate on one or more of the following areas of climate change as is relates to the watershed and MWEEs:

- Ocean Acidification

- Energy Reduction

- Consumer Choices

- Ecosystem Resiliency

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And must integrate the following key themes and messages:

a. Changes in climate will impact national marine sanctuaries and the overall health of the ocean that is vital to our quality of life and, ultimately, our survival.

b. One or more of the following key messages:

1) Human activities are changing the Earth’s climate.

2) Climate change affects national marine sanctuaries and the underwater treasures they protect.

3) The choices you make today do make a difference.

4) Collectively we need to adapt our carbon footprint and lower our carbon emissions.

5) Collective actions are needed to preserve as much biodiversity in the ocean as possible.

NOAA provides data, tools, and information to understand and prepare for climate variability and change. Many resources exist that can support teachers and students including but not limited to: Climate.gov (https://climate.gov/teaching), the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (https://toolkit.climate.gov/), Climate Explorer (https://crt-climate-explorer.nemac.org), and the Chesapeake Exploration Teaching Climate Change on line course (https://cbexapp.noaa.gov/course/view.php?id=5581). An additional list of relevant assets (https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/elp/resilience-assets) provide links to NOAA datasets, potential NOAA partners, and other resilience-related assets from federal and non-federal organizations.

B. Program Priorities

B-WET projects under this funding announcement support the direct implementation of the MWEE. All proposals must follow the MWEE definition and all additional required components to be successful. In addition to the components listed below.

PRIORITY 1: Systemic MWEE Implementation in School Districts (professional development for teachers and student experiences) CA B-WET is putting a priority on the development and implementation of systemic MWEEs in school districts and/or County Offices of Education. This year’s funding announcement is focused on reaching school districts that will provide MWEEs over a period of time for whole school districts. These can be through grants directly to school districts or County Offices of Education; or through grants awarded to non-profit organizations, state agencies, universities, or other partners to work with school districts on their systemic programs. Placed-based MWEEs can provide excellent opportunities to teach

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 39 the Next Generation Science Standards and California Environmental Literacy Standards (Senate Bill No. 720).

Systemic MWEE projects reach the entire student population in one or more grades with teacher-supported MWEEs. The systematic implementation should ensure that the teachers of these students receive high quality professional development to give them the content knowledge and pedagogical skills for outdoor learning to support all aspects of the MWEE.

Projects that are systemic encourage ownership from a broad range of constituents and promote long-term sustainability of the MWEE project in a school district. These programs require leadership and support from the school district, however, because of the broad reach of systemic projects, partnerships with multiple partners are often needed to ensure all students receive all components of a MWEE and meaningful professional development for teachers is provided.

Applicants must demonstrate how trained teachers will implement student MWEEs, and what resources (funds, staff, facilities, partner organizations, etc.) exist to support student components of the MWEE. Successful applicants under this priority will be asked to document the number of students receiving MWEEs as a direct result of the project.

Proposals should include details about where the project fits in the scope and sequence of the school district curriculum, and applicants should clearly understand and convey the primary learning objectives. Multi-disciplinary objectives are encouraged.

PRIORITY 2: Teacher Professional Development for Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) Teachers should be skilled in using environmental education and MWEEs to address multiple subjects’ curriculum standards and local education agency initiatives. In order to gain and maintain environmental education competencies, teachers need access to sustained, high-quality professional development that includes ongoing support and feedback. Teachers should gain confidence in the value of implementing MWEEs and strategies for conducting them so that they will conduct MWEES after the B-WET supported program has ended.

PRIORITY 3: Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for Students MWEEs for students should be learner centered and focused on questions, problems, and issues to be investigated through collecting, analyzing and sharing data; learning protocols;

exploring models; and examining natural phenomena. These activities, grounded in best practices and the context of the local community and culture, help increase student interest, motivation, and attitudes toward learning, and achieve environmental stewardship. As a result of the MWEE activities, students should have an understanding of basic watershed concepts, as well as the interaction between natural systems (e.g. wildlife, plants, and water

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 39 cycle) and social systems (e.g. communities, transportation systems, and schools), highlighting the connection between human activity and environmental conditions.

C. Program Authority

Under 33 USC 893 a(a), the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

This solicitation announces that approximately $1,500,000 may be available in FY 2022 in award amounts to be determined by the proposals and available funds. The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries anticipates that approximately 6-10 grants will be awarded with these funds.

If you are applying for Priority 1, you may apply up to $100,000 per year.

If you are applying for Priorities 2 or 3, you may apply up to $70,000 per year.

Up to 60% of CA B-WET funding will be set aside for new applicants. Therefore, the total funding amount for applicants that have successfully received B-WET funding in the past will be limited to 40%.

There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made.

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Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for this program. Future opportunities for submitting proposals to the California B-WET competitive process are anticipated, but will depend on funding levels and resources available to support new projects.

B. Project/Award Period

The project start date should not begin before August 1, 2022. Applicants applying to any one of the priority areas may apply for multi-year grants.

Applications should cover a project period of between one and three years. Projects that request multi-year funding must include in their submission a full description of the activities and estimated budget by line item (e.g. personnel, equipment, supplies) for all proposed work for each year. When a multi-year project is awarded, the scope of work and budget for all years is approved at the time of the award, but funding is usually provided only for the first year of the project with the remainder of the award subject to incremental funding, usually annually. NOAA anticipates continuing these multi-year awards for the entirety of their project periods; however, the agency has no obligation to provide any additional funding in connection with the award beyond the initial funding increment.

Continuation of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance beyond the initial funding increment is at the sole discretion of NOAA and will be contingent upon satisfactory performance, continued relevance to the NOAA mission and priorities, and the availability of funds. Recipients of incrementally-funded projects will not need to compete for funding in subsequent years, and current recipients seeking continued funding of these multi-year awards issued under the incremental funding policy do not need to apply to this funding announcement. Single-year awards and awards for which NOAA shortens the period of performance are required to re-compete for continued funding after the initial period of performance. Any renewal of the project will depend on the submission of a new proposal subject to review, adequate progress on previous award(s), and available funding. Future opportunities for submitting proposals to the B-WET competitive process are anticipated, but will depend on funding levels and resources available to support new projects.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Whether the funding instrument is a grant or a cooperative agreement will be determined by the amount of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ involvement in the project.

A cooperative agreement will be used if National Marine Sanctuary System staff share responsibility for management, control, direction, or performance of the project with the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 39 recipient. Specific terms regarding substantial involvement will be contained in special award conditions.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. For profit organizations, foreign organizations, and foreign public entities are not eligible to apply.

However, for-profit and foreign organizations and foreign public entities may participate with an eligible applicant as a project partner. Likewise, Federal agencies are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this announcement, but may be project partners.

New this year, the CA B-WET Program is open to additional California counties. In support of the California Environmental Literacy Initiative and in an effort to work with communities that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19, hammered by school closures, and historically denied the physical and emotional benefits of access to safe outdoor spaces, the CA B-WET Program is expanding its geographic footprint. Funding is now available to the following counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Mateo, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Monterey, San Benito, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Ventura.

Applicants must be located within the U.S. and can be physically located in any state, but must work within the following counties listed above.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Cost sharing is not required under this program. Any voluntary cost sharing or matching does not impact scoring and must be consistent with the requirements of 2 CFR §200.306.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

None

IV. Application and Submission Information

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A. Address to Request Application Package

1. Electronic submission Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically through http://www.grants.gov. You may access the electronic grant application for the California Bay Watershed Education and Training Program at https://www.grants.gov/.

Please note that applicants must locate the downloadable application package for this program by the FFO number (found on the first page of the FFO) or CFDA number (11.429).

Users of Grants.gov are now required to use a new application process called Workspace.

For more information regarding this platform, please visit: https:

//www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

After electronic submission of the application, applicants will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. NOAA may request that you provide original signatures on forms at a later date.

Information on the CA B-WET program, including examples of currently supported projects, can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet/welcome.html.

2. Hard copy submission If an applicant does not have Internet access or if Grants.gov has technical issues that make submission impractical, hard copy applications will be accepted. A signed original may be submitted to Attn: Seaberry Nachbar, B-WET Coordinator, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Office, 99 Pacific Street, Building 455A, Monterey, CA 93940. Hard copy applications must be postmarked by the deadline posted in this announcement of February 18, 2022.

B. Content and Form of Application

Proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements.

The required Federal forms are as follows:

Standard Form 424: Application for Federal Assistance Standard Form 424A: Budget Information, Non-construction Programs Standard Form 424B: Assurances, Non-Construction Programs Form CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying Standard Form LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable)

1. Proposals Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of the NOAA Office of National

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Marine Sanctuaries as to the relative merits of the project described in the application.

a. Proposal Requirements: Required elements for all submissions

(1) Components of the proposal outlined in Section IV. B. 2b. (1-8) should be submitted as a single PDF document and uploaded into the Grants.gov system as a single PDF document.

The order of the documents should reflect the order outlined below (Project summary, Project description (items 2- 6), Budget narrative, Budget table, Letters of support, CVs, Logic model, and all other Supporting documents).

(2) Proposal format must be in a 12-point font and single-spaced. The entire project description (items 2- 6), should not exceed 15 pages. The budget narrative, budget table, Federal forms, indirect cost rate and the project summary are not included in this 15-page limit.

(3) Appendices and supporting documentation may be included, but may not exceed a total of 15-pages. Appendices may include information such as curriculum, resumes, and/or letters of endorsement. Additional informational material will be disregarded.

b. Proposal Format:

This year applicants may be struggling to deal with uncertainty related to COVID-19 on programming. Applicants should describe how their methods and programming will be adapted to address all MWEE elements, to the degree possible, while being responsive to guidelines and restrictions imposed in response to the pandemic. Proposals may detail a range of approaches to adapt to COVID-19 restrictions and uncertainty impacting schools throughout the watershed.

Specifically, applicants should:

- Know audience limitations: Because pandemic restrictions and limitations vary by jurisdiction, school, and household, applicants should demonstrate awareness of their target audiences’ capabilities. Applicants should describe planned communication with school partner administrative staff about how best to engage their audiences.

- Describe project flexibilities: Because pandemic responses are fluid over time, applicants should describe what flexibilities their project plan possesses and their ability to adjust methods mid-stream, if needed, and still carry on their project plan. Applicants may describe more than one scenario in their proposal, however the objectives of the scenarios should aim for a common outcome.

Proposals should include the following information and it is recommended that they follow the format outlined below:

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 39

(1) Project summary (1-page):

- Organization title

- Principal Investigator(s) (PI)

- Address, telephone number, and email address of applicant and PI

- Partner(s)

- Priority Area

- Project title

- Project duration

- Summary of work to be performed (include number of teachers and/or students that will be involved in your project and total project cost per student/teacher)

- Total Federal funds requested

- Cost-sharing to be provided from non-Federal sources, if any (specify whether contributions are project-related cash or in-kind)

- Total project cost

(2) Project description (15-pages)

- Accomplishments to date (this applies only to those applicants that have received a B-WET grant in prior years):

List your objectives from previous years and provide accomplishments to date for each of the objectives. Provide as much detail as possible to demonstrate to reviewers that the project goals and objectives of your grant have been/are being met. Please include your evaluation results from your evaluation report, including the tools and methods that you used. Specifically include your evaluation summary.

This is intended to provide the reviewers a clear outline of the work you have accomplished in prior years and to outline what work is needed to be accomplished with additional funds.

More importantly, this is your opportunity to describe to the reviewers your successes, lessons learned and any assessment/evaluation results you have completed. When the reviewers are reading this proposal they will want to know why funding should be continued, so use this section to demonstrate your growth.

- Need: Provide a statement that describes the need for this type of project. Why are you proposing this project? Cite studies or sources, where appropriate, that validate the need for your project. It should be made clear in this section that your organization’s proposed project is not duplicating other efforts in your region.

- Target audience: Identify the target audience and demonstrate an understanding of the needs of that audience. Identify specifically how many students and/or teachers are involved in your project and their demographics. Identify if you are working with a historically marginalized group, students of color, students from low-income families or those communities that have been denied consistent access to the outdoors. Please include

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 39 demographics about the target audiences reached and the web page(s) that were used to gather that information.

- Participant recruitment: Provide a plan of action that outlines how you will recruit your target audience and identify incentives to be used such as teacher stipends or continuing education credits.

- Objectives: Explain your objectives and how you are going to accomplish these objectives.

Objectives should be simple and understandable; as specific and quantitative as possible (please reference the CA B-WET Evaluation website:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/evaluation/ when developing your objectives). Clearly explain how you will achieve your expected outputs and outcomes.

- What: Provide a statement of your project that includes a clear statement of the work to be undertaken. Demonstrate how your project meets the criteria defined in the Program Priorities. This section should illustrate how the proposed project will meet the full definition of the MWEE, including integration into the school curriculum (supporting NGSS and Environmental Literacy), using issue investigation, and conducting a stewardship action project. Please include a table that outlines how you are meeting NGSS. For an example of a table please reference the CA B-WET website:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet/welcome.html.

- Where: Give a precise location of the project and the area(s) that will be served.

(3) Who: Organization leads and partners.

- Organization leads: Explain who from your organization will conduct the project. Include key individuals who will work on the project and a short description of the nature of their effort or contribution. A CV for each individual that is participating significantly in the project is required. These can be embedded within the Project description or as a part of the Supporting documents. Please demonstrate to the reviewers that the staff employed is representative of the target audience needs. For example if you are working with a Latino audience, you have/will be employing a bi-lingual staff member.

- Partners/collaborators: List each partner organization, collaborator, or other key individuals who will work on the project. A partner is defined as an organization that contributes funding and/or in-kind resources and actively collaborates in the planning, promotion, execution, evaluation and interpretation of the program. Essentially the program would not be able to take place without the partner. A collaboration involves cooperation in which parties are not necessarily bound contractually. There is a relationship, but it is usually less formal. The most important thing to remember is: Organizations don't collaborate – people collaborate (representing their organization). A letter of support from each partner/collaborator must be included in the Supporting documents.

- Community-Based Partnerships that Lead with Equity In order to be effective, sustainable, and equitable, environmental education must be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 39 integrated within organizations that understand and support the needs of their community.

Therefore, the CA B-WET Program is interested in projects that partner specifically with organizations and institutions that serve marginalized groups, particularly minority communities, and/or that are located within those communities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop meaningful and mutually-beneficial partnerships that honor the strengths of community organizations. In successful partnerships, organizations have shared goals and work together to share resources, communicate effectively, collaborate on decision-making, and competently engage members of diverse cultures and expertise (Israel et al. 2005). Adequate compensation should be provided for community-based organization partners and community members for the effort they are contributing to the project.

Applicants are encouraged to apply NAAEE’s Community Engagement Guidelines for Excellence (NAAEE 2017) in developing their project plans for engagement of target audiences.

Community partnerships may look different across proposals but may include:

- Organizations and institutions that serve marginalized groups, particularly minority black, indigenous, and people of color communities, and/or that are located…