NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2024-2008196 NOFO Report (6).pdf

2024 NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 14 C. Program Authority 19

II. Award Information 19 A. Funding Availability 19 B. Project/Award Period 20 C. Type of Funding Instrument 20

III. Eligibility Information 20 A. Eligible Applicants 21 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 21 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 21

IV. Application and Submission Information 21 A. Address to Request Application Package 21 B. Content and Form of Application 22 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 32 D. Submission Dates and Times 33 E. Intergovernmental Review 34 F. Funding Restrictions 34 G. Other Submission Requirements 35

V. Application Review Information 36 A. Evaluation Criteria 36 B. Review and Selection Process 44 C. Selection Factors 46 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 47

VI. Award Administration Information 47 A. Award Notices 47 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 48 C. Reporting 51

VII. Agency Contacts 52 VIII. Other Information 52

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 54

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: 2024 NOAA Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-ONMS-2024-2008196

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.429, Marine Sanctuary Program

Dates: Electronic applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 29, 2024 to be considered for funding.

Applicants are required to apply online through www.grants.gov. Use of Grants.gov requires an advanced registration process that may take a few days or several weeks.

A webinar outlining the required proposal elements and the review process will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 from 3-4 pm CT / 4-5 pm ET (https://meet.google.com/sus-teiu-fgg) and on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, from 1-2 pm CT/ 2-3 pm ET (https://meet.google.com/sus-teiu-fgg). Please join the webinars at the Google Meet Video call links listed for each.

The Great Lakes B-WET Coordinator will be available to answer questions Monday through Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm ET excluding federal holidays.

Funding Opportunity Description: NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary office) is seeking proposals under the Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (Great Lakes B-WET) program:

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/bwet/greatlakes/.

The B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes place-based experiential learning for K-12 students and related professional development for teachers. B- WET fosters the growth of new, innovative programs and encourages capacity-building and environmental education partnerships.

The primary delivery of B-WET is through competitive grants that promote Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs). The MWEE is a learner-centered framework that

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 54 focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action.

MWEEs are composed of multiple components that include both outdoor and classroom learning, and are designed to increase environmental literacy by actively engaging students in building knowledge and meaning through hands-on experiences. In these experiences, the core ideas 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 FY24 Great Lakes B-WET funding announcement focuses on the following priority areas:

1) new projects that use the MWEE framework, 2) systemic MWEE implementation, and 3) capacity building for expanded statewide K-12 environmental literacy initiatives.

The Great Lakes B-WET program emphasizes our strong commitment to expanding the participation of marginalized communities in watershed education and is interested in projects that partner specifically with organizations and institutions that serve marginalized groups, particularly minority communities. And, the Great Lakes B-WET program suggests that the MWEE framework can directly foster climate knowledge, skills, and competencies to address climate change, climate impacts, and the opportunities to contribute to climate solutions in participant’s own communities. Therefore, the B-WET program also strongly encourages the purposeful incorporation of education about climate change into programming.

For Great Lakes B-WET, applicants may be physically located in any U.S. state; however, education projects must target students and teachers in the Great Lakes region. For the purposes of this solicitation, the Great Lakes region includes counties in the Great Lakes watershed in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 54

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

a. Overview

Every year, the NOAA B-WET program supports environmental education programs for thousands of students and teachers. These programs engage youth in meaningful watershed educational experiences (MWEEs) that provide memorable hands-on, experiential learning that are not typically available within traditional classrooms. It also plays a significant role in providing professional development to classroom teachers nationwide that increases their content knowledge, skills, and pedagogical expertise. Lastly, it supports the expansion of environmental literacy in a systemic manner throughout the region, including providing support for state-level capacity building.

The K-12 education system is a well-positioned venue for instilling comprehensive knowledge, skills, competencies, and resilience around the most pressing economic, social and environmental issue of today: climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, https://www.ipcc.ch/) and National Climate Assessment (NCA, 2018, https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/), 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, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unleashing-the-creativity-of-teachers-and-students-to-combat-climate-change-an-opportunity-for-global-leadership/; K12 Climate Action Commission, 2021, https://www.thisisplaneted.org/blog/climate-action-plan-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, the B-WET program strongly encourages the purposeful incorporation of education about climate change into programming.

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In order to be effective, sustainable, and equitable, environmental education must be integrated within organizations that understand and support the needs of their community. In addition, challenges like climate change will be felt disproportionately by historically marginalized groups, particularly students of color and students from low-income families that are more likely to lose environmental education within their local school districts.

Therefore, the NOAA B-WET program is interested in projects that partner specifically with organizations and institutions that serve marginalized groups, particularly minority communities. Projects 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. 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 in developing their project plans for engagement of target audiences (NAAEE 2017;

https://dg56ycbvljkqr.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/eepro-post-files/community_engagement_guidelines.pdf)

b. Defining Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)

B-WET was established in 2002 in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and currently exists in seven regions: California, Chesapeake Bay, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries coordinates four of the seven B-WET regions. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of underwater areas encompassing more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington State to 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.

The Great Lakes B-WET region was established in 2011 with funding for awards provided by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (https://www.glri.us/). The program is managed by NOAA’s Office of Education and Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 2000 as the first national marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes. It encompasses 4,300 square miles off the Michigan coast in Lake Huron, and protects a significant collection of historic shipwrecks (https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/).

The Great Lakes B-WET program supports grantee capacity building and connects grantees

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 54 to local NOAA assets and relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) expertise, while being responsive to local education and environmental priorities. For the purposes of this solicitation, the Great Lakes region is defined as counties in the Great Lakes watershed in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

NOAA recognizes that knowledge and commitment built from firsthand experience, especially in the context of one's community and culture, is essential for achieving environmental stewardship. Carefully selected experiences driven by rigorous academic learning standards, stimulating discovery and wonder, and nurturing a sense of community will further connect students with their watershed, help reinforce an ethic of responsible citizenship, and promote academic achievement. Experiential learning techniques, such as those supported by the NOAA B-WET program, have been shown to increase interest in STEM, thus contributing to NOAA's obligations under the America Competes Act (33 USC 893a(a)).

c. Defining the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)

The Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) is a learner-centered framework that focuses on investigations into local environmental issues and leads to informed action. MWEEs are made up of multiple components that include learning both outdoors and in the classroom, and are designed to increase environmental literacy 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, student-centered learning experience. Throughout the MWEE, teachers provide structure, support, and encouragement as students use their curiosity and creativity to investigate and take action to address a local environmental issue.

To support teacher implementation of MWEEs, B-WET has also included six characteristics that are recommended to be included in teacher professional development activities.

MWEEs are appropriate for all grade levels with content and practices growing in complexity and sophistication across the grades — starting with teacher-guided investigations and progressing to student-led inquiry. Using the MWEE framework helps educators create an engaging program to achieve their learning objectives (i.e., the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 54 knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students should be able to exhibit following instruction).

Learning objectives should address academic standards, but might also include other objectives, such as teamwork, social-emotional learning, and civic responsibility.

1. MWEE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

The MWEE consists of four essential elements that describe “what students do:” Issue Definition, Outdoor Field Experiences, Synthesis and Conclusions, and Environmental Action Projects. These elements, together with the supporting practices, create 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

During Issue Definition, students learn about an environmental issue by planning and conducting background research and investigations. An environmental issue is an environmental problem, often with observable phenomena, to which community members bring a variety of perspectives. To provide structure for their exploration of the issue, students focus on a driving question that is defined by the teacher. This question is the “big picture” question that sparks curiosity and organizes student inquiry and investigations, which ultimately informs environmental actions. It should be open-ended, relevant to students’ lived experiences, and meet learning objectives. To support youth voice and deepen the learning, students are actively involved in co-developing supporting questions with teachers to better understand the driving question and environmental issue.

To explore the driving and supporting questions, students gather information by making observations, finding and reading credible sources, talking to experts, and carrying out field investigations. Students also consider environmental policies and community practices and reflect on personal, stakeholder, and societal values and perspectives to develop a comprehensive picture of the root causes of the environmental issue.

1.2 Outdoor Field Experiences

Students participate in multiple Outdoor Field Experiences to explore the driving question and strengthen their connection to the natural world. 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 54 in ways that traditional classroom or laboratory settings may not. During field experiences, students can 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. Students who have opportunities to learn in, thrive in, and appreciate the outdoors can become informed and engaged champions for our natural resources.

Outdoor Field Experiences can take place on school grounds or at locations close 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 providing information and discussing what students can expect to see, feel, or experience during their time outdoors to ensure students feel safe and comfortable during their field experiences.

1.3 Synthesis and Conclusions

During Synthesis and Conclusions, students reflect on each experience and investigation in relation to the issue, and share their claims and conclusions with each other. Teachers should plan for this to occur regularly throughout the MWEE. This learning and frequent reflection provide the foundation for the development of claims and environmental action that address the driving question and connect to the environmental issue. Throughout this process, students should demonstrate understanding of their investigations and conclusions with their peers or the school community. This could involve multiple disciplines and a variety of formats including discussion, journaling, presentations, graphing, performing skits or songs, or creating art.

1.4 Environmental Action Projects

As a result of their investigations, students identify solutions and develop Environmental Action Projects that directly address the issue within their school, neighborhood, or community. Students are actively engaged in and, to the extent possible, drive the decision-making, planning, and implementation of the action project. Teachers facilitate this process 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.

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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. Examples include: plant or restore protective vegetation/trees; restore a local habitat; remove invasive plants; clean up litter at 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. Examples include:

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. Examples include: 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 societal values or make a change or difference in a student’s school, neighborhood, or community. Examples include: present to school principal or school board; attend, speak, or present at town meetings; write to local or state decision makers or elected officials.

2. MWEE SUPPORTING PRACTICES

The MWEE also includes four supporting practices that describe “what teachers do,” along with their partners, to ensure successful implementation with students. The supporting practices are Teacher Facilitation, Learning Integration, Sustained Experiences, and Local Context.

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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. Even when activities or lessons occur at partner sites or are primarily led by partners at the school, teachers should be actively engaged. Teachers should connect these experiences to prior learning, foster critical thinking, and lead reflection after the experience so, regardless of the facilitator, the entire MWEE experience feels cohesive to the students.

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 Characteristics 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 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 (for example, after school programs, clubs, or summer camps) to enrich activities and complement school-based programming.

2.3 Sustained Experience

MWEEs rely on teachers to plan and implement a series of rich and connected learning opportunities where each essential element — from asking questions during Issue Definition through implementing Environmental Action Projects — builds upon and reinforces the others. To accomplish this, MWEEs are incorporated into a unit or multiple units, where learning happens both in and out of the classroom. This 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 54 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, 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, create opportunities for students to engage with members of their community of diverse cultures, values, and expertise that can create 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 CHARACTERISTICS

Professional development providers play a crucial role in preparing teachers to implement successful MWEEs with their students. Professional development that includes characteristics such as: relevant content; explicit modeling of educational frameworks;

collaboration, feedback and modeling instruction such as student-centered teaching;

adequate time for professional development including time for ongoing support; and offering participation incentives that teachers value leads to a variety of positive outcomes.

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. 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. To set teachers up for success, the following six overarching characteristics, informed by education research and evaluation results, are recommended for inclusion in professional development to support teachers implementing MWEEs.

3.1 Increases teachers’ knowledge and awareness of environmental issues

Professional development facilitators should ensure that teachers have an adequate level of content knowledge in science and specific to their grade level and discipline to support their MWEE. The content knowledge should also be connected to the interactions between natural systems and social systems, including human impacts on local watersheds and larger Earth

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 54 systems. Recognizing that environmental issues often include different perspectives and opinions about the environment, teachers must also experience and build skills that enable them to address these traditionally non-academic factors in their classrooms. When combined, this knowledge and these experiences often result in teachers who are more aware of, and more prepared for, the complexity of implementing MWEEs.

3.2 Models MWEE framework

Professional development should also provide opportunities for teachers to understand the goals and rationale behind the MWEE as a framework for fostering learning and environmental stewardship. Facilitators of teacher professional development should utilize the same techniques and experiences 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.

3.3 Includes collaboration, feedback, and models high-quality instruction

Effective professional development includes peer collaboration, time for teachers to experience, plan for, and practice model activities and lesson plans, and opportunities for reflection and feedback. Collaborative opportunities that include observing effective teaching practices and replicating these practices with expert instruction and feedback, can result in higher likelihood that teachers will apply these practices when implementing MWEEs. Such opportunities also foster exchanging ideas and create a collaborative atmosphere for changing the culture around adopting new teaching practices at multiple levels within a school system. In addition, when teachers experience high-quality instruction, such as active learning and student-centered inquiry, they are more likely to use high-quality instruction when implementing MWEEs with their own students.

3.4 Allows for adequate instructional time and ongoing support

Professional development should be multi-day, occurring consecutively or over the course of several weeks or months and include time for ongoing support for teachers. Professional development facilitators should build in adequate time for the types of experience described above, including time to learn, practice, reflect upon, and design practices they learn during the professional development. 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 structures and opportunities in place for ongoing teaching support and enrichment. This can take the form of follow up meetings, web-based forums for communication and feedback, mentor teachers who can serve as points of contact, or teams

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 54 of teachers from one particular school.

3.5 Offers appropriate incentives

Having appropriate incentives can increase participation in professional development programs. For example, teachers who participated in B-WET-funded professional development programs in the past reported that receiving a stipend or continuing education credits were the “most valuable” incentives enabling them to participate in those programs.

While a variety of incentives can be offered to professional development program participants, it is clear that continuing education credits and stipends can enable participation in ways that other incentives might not.

3.6 Meets jurisdictional guidelines and engages leadership

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 guidelines set forth by state and/or local education agencies.

Outreach and training opportunities for school administrators will also help ensure jurisdictional alignment and increase high level support for both environmental education and continuing teacher professional development for teachers.

d. Resources for Implementing The MWEE

The following resources explain the Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE) and provide guidance on implementing a MWEE.

1. MWEE description: The full definition of the MWEE is provided online in an easy-to-use online format. https://www.noaa.gov/education/explainers/noaa-meaningful-watershed-educational-experience

2. NOAA MWEE resources: This website, https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet/resources/mwee-resources, provides links to resources that will help educators find the tools they need to implement student MWEEs. Resources here include:

the MWEE definition, the MWEEs in action video series, MWEE implementation guides, student outcomes for environmental literacy, MWEE training courses, and an online resource that supports hand-on environmental learning titled Bay Backpack. Of special note is the new national guide, titled “An Educator’s Guide to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE), found here: https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/bwet/resources/mwee-guide

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3. EPA’s “How’s My Waterway?” Tool: This tool provides watershed boundaries, definitions, and a comprehensive overview of water quality data and information with those boundaries. How’s My Waterway? pulls in data from several sources with the goal of answering questions about aquatic life, eating fish, swimming, drinking water, restoration and protection. https://mywaterway.epa.gov/.

4. Tools for Implementing MWEEs on School Grounds: School Ground for Learning lists instructions and resources for 100+ educational green projects on school premises.

https://maeoe.org/environmental-literacy/school-grounds-for-learning.

5. Great Lakes Literacy Assets: The Center for Great Lakes Literacy is a collaborative effort led by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes watershed. The website includes educational resources such as curriculum. https://www.cgll.org/

6. 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:

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).

For applicants seeking to address the Climate Change special interest area, 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/). 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

a. Great Lakes Basin Priorities All projects must demonstrate a connection to the Great Lakes basin through the watershed system so that program participants understand how their actions can affect the Great Lakes ecosystem through their local watershed. Great Lakes B-WET awards are funded through

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 54 the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and applicants must demonstrate how the project will “educate the next generation about the Great Lakes ecosystem.” (GLRI Action Plan III, Objective 5.1, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-10/documents/glri-action-plan-3-201910-30pp.pdf)

b. B-WET Priority Areas

Proposals must also address one of the following B-WET priority areas: 1) new projects that use the MWEE framework, 2) systemic MWEE implementation, 3) capacity building for expanded statewide K-12 environmental literacy initiatives. Each of these three B-WET priority areas are described below. Applicants must indicate which priority they are applying under.

1. New projects that use the MWEE framework:

The NOAA B-WET program seeks applications for projects not previously funded by Great Lakes B-WET that address all aspects of the MWEE as defined in Section I.A.c. Projects submitted under this area should address the specific activities that define MWEE Essential Elements, MWEE Supporting Practices, and Teacher MWEE Professional Development Practices.

2. Systemic MWEE Implementation:

The NOAA B-WET program seeks applications that develop and implement systemic MWEEs in school districts. Systemic projects reach the entire student population in one or more grades within a school district with teacher-supported MWEEs and 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 as defined in section I.A.c.

Systemic projects should have a 24-month project period. 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 required to ensure all students receive all components of a MWEE and meaningful professional development for teachers is provided.

For systemic projects, students should participate in all MWEE essential elements as defined

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 54 in section I.A.c (Issue Definition, Outdoor Field Experiences, Synthesis and Conclusions, and Environmental Action Projects). Student MWEEs should be organized around a driving question that has students focus on a locally relevant environmental issue, problem, or phenomenon.

For systemic projects, teacher professional development should be offered for all teachers whose students will be engaged in MWEEs so they can support learning integration in the classroom. Projects should deliver training on both content and instruction outdoors, include year-long support for teachers, and include a plan for how teachers will be involved in implementing watershed education with their students. This kind of in-depth professional development reinforces a teacher’s ability to teach, inspire, and lead young people toward thoughtful stewardship of our natural resources. Where appropriate, teacher professional development should include tools for teachers to implement MWEEs on their school grounds. Teacher professional development under this priority area should address all components of the MWEE as defined in section I.A.c.

For systemic projects, 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. Letters of support from curriculum supervisors and science, social studies, and other relevant subject coordinators at the district level can be effective in communicating such details.

Whenever possible, MWEEs should be embedded across an entire grade level or levels in a district, or be part of a broader systemic program in a school district to reach every student.

For example, projects may reach only half of a grade level’s teachers and students if the application includes documentation from the school district and other partners that the proposed project is a component of a larger systemic effort that reaches the entire grade level. If this is not feasible, applicants should explain why it is not feasible and how they will build toward systemic implementation over the course of the grant and into the future.

Applications for projects can come from any eligible applicant, however, substantial coordination and support from the school district is required. To document the appropriate level of support and engagement from school districts, official letters from superintendents, school boards, and/or school district curriculum supervisors are requested with applications.

3. Capacity building for expanded statewide K-12 Environmental Literacy Initiatives:

This priority supports projects that increase opportunities for advancing the MWEE and

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 54 environmental literacy at the state level. These capacity building projects will define the barriers to advancing environmental literacy at the state level and explain how the proposed work will fill a recognized gap. They will expand the ability to advance environmental literacy strategies and lay the foundation for sustainable and equitable environmental literacy, including MWEEs, at the state or multi-state level. Projects under this priority implement coordination, networking, leadership, and other support structures necessary for advancing the MWEE as an approach at the state or multi-state level.

Projects proposed under this priority area build capacity for statewide or multi-state K-12 environmental literacy initiatives. Increased capacity for environmental literacy efforts at this level creates opportunities for more and higher quality MWEEs in school districts.

Projects in this priority area should create state-level frameworks, incentives, support systems, and/or drivers for environmental literacy to encourage or support systemic MWEE planning and implementation in local school districts. Projects should also seek to connect to existing education initiatives like Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programming, place-based or project-based learning, climate education, or other efforts/initiatives that already have momentum at the state-level. The proposed project should also look for opportunities to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, directly supporting authentic representation of these voices.

Examples of activities that may be funded under this priority include but are not limited to:

>Developing a state-level environmental literacy strategy, plan, or framework.

Creating a state-level environmental literacy advisory group to inform decision makers.

>Expanding upon the work that has been started through regional networks to increase state-level communication across networks and organizations seeking to increase environmental literacy.

>Building capacity for agencies, organizations, and collaboratives that are working statewide to modify or enhance existing programs that ultimately support systemic MWEEs.

>Building a cadre of professionals (school district and/or non-formal learners) to work across the state to increase knowledge sharing and communication pathways to scale best practices for systemic and sustainable environmental literacy programming (aka “Network Weavers”) with an emphasis on reaching underrepresented communities.

>Supporting and providing resources for key partners to elevate awareness of and the importance of environmental literacy among decision makers, including state boards of

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 54 education, superintendents, state department of education leadership, funders, and others who create policies, set standards of learning, and make funding decisions to support formal education (aka “Network Influencers”).

>Increasing the number of practitioners committed to advancing the MWEE framework with an emphasis on bringing new disciplines and perspectives to environmental literacy (aka “MWEE Ambassadors”).

Direct implementation of MWEEs for students should not occur in projects under this priority area, however, applications may include activities involving administrators, non-formal educators, teachers, and/or support staff such as those examples mentioned above.

c. Special Interest Areas

Any proposal to this announcement must meet the Great Lakes regional priory and one of the single priority areas as described in the previous section. Additionally, NOAA also has a Special Interest Area, which is: Climate Education. More information on this special interest area is provided below. While applicants are not required to address a NOAA Special Interest Area, doing so will make applications more competitive.

The K-12 education system is a well-positioned venue for instilling comprehensive knowledge, skills, competencies, and resilience around the most pressing environmental issue of today: climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, 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 https://www.brookings.edu/research/unleashing-the-creativity-of-teachers-and-students-to-combat-climate-change-an-opportunity-for-global-leadership/; K12 Climate Action Commission, 2021 https://www.k12climateaction.org/blog/climate-action-plan-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, the B-WET program strongly

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 54 encourages the purposeful incorporation of education about climate change into programming.

C. Program Authority

Under 33 U.S.C. § 893a(a), the America Competes Act, 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

It is anticipated that approximately $900,000 will be available in FY 2024 in award amounts to be determined by the proposals and available funds. NOAA anticipates making approximately five to 12 new awards.

For applications to B-WET Priority 1, the total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA should not exceed $80,000. For priority area 2, the total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA should not exceed $150,000. For priority area 3, the total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA should not exceed $200,000. In all cases, the minimum Federal amount to request from NOAA is $30,000. Awards will be made with one allotment of funding for the entire project period, which may extend up to 2 years.

Applications not funded in the current fiscal year may be considered for funding in the next fiscal year without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in this announcement.

This alternative to developing another, new funding opportunity for FY25 acknowledges the great effort required by applicants to develop a strong application as well as the work required by the B-WET Program Office and reviewers to conduct panel reviews. If we select applications from this FY24 competition for possible funding in FY25, the standard practice of considering the remaining projects from this FY2024 solicitation in rank order, subject to the application of selection factors, will be followed.

The possibility of carrying the results of this competition over to FY 2025 depends on determining that the project applications received under this funding opportunity for FY

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 54

2024 funds remain relevant to NOAA priorities in the Great Lakes in FY 2025.

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.

Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for this program. Future opportunities for submitting proposals to the Great Lakes 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, 2024. Awards will be made in a single allotment with an award period of up to 2 years. Applications must include a project description and a budget for the entire award period. Applicants selected to receive funding may be asked to modify the project start date. It is recommended to include the flexibility of the requested start date in your project description. The requested award start date must begin on the first day of a month, and project end date is always on the last day of a month.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Applications selected for funding will be funded through a grant or cooperative agreement depending upon the amount of collaboration, participation, or involvement of NOAA in the management of the project. A cooperative agreement will be used if the NOAA B-WET program shares responsibility for management, control, direction, or performance of the project with the recipient. Additional forms of substantial involvement that may arise are described in Chapter 5.C of the Department of Commerce (DoC) Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual, which is currently available at https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2021- 04/Department%20of%20Commerce%20Grants%20%20Cooperative%20Agreements%20M anual%20%2820%20April%202021%29.pdf.