NOAA-OAR-CPO-2020-2006076 Full Announcement.pdf

Climate Program Office 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 5 C. Program Authority 12

II. Award Information 12 A. Funding Availability 12 B. Project/Award Period 13 C. Type of Funding Instrument 14

III. Eligibility Information 14 A. Eligible Applicants 14 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 14 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 15

IV. Application and Submission Information 15 A. Address to Request Application Package 15 B. Content and Form of Application 15 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 19 D. Submission Dates and Times 20 E. Intergovernmental Review 21 F. Funding Restrictions 21 G. Other Submission Requirements 21

V. Application Review Information 21 A. Evaluation Criteria 21 B. Review and Selection Process 23 C. Selection Factors 25 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 25

VI. Award Administration Information 26 A. Award Notices 26 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 26 C. Reporting 29

VII. Agency Contacts 30 VIII. Other Information 30

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 30

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Climate Program Office 2020

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2020-2006076

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.431, Climate and Atmospheric Research

Dates: Letters of intent (LOIs) for all competitions should be received by email by 5:00 p.m.

Eastern Time on August 23, 2019.

Full Applications: Full applications for all competitions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, October 28, 2019.

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is focused on providing the essential and highest quality environmental information vital to our Nation’s safety, prosperity and resilience. Toward this goal, the agency conducts and supports weather and climate research, oceanic and atmospheric observations, modeling, information management, assessments, interdisciplinary decision-support research, outreach, education, and partnership development.

Climate variability and change present society with significant economic, health, safety, and security challenges and opportunities. In meeting these challenges, and as part of NOAA’s climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) advances scientific understanding, monitoring, and prediction of climate and its impacts, to enable effective decisions through investments at NOAA labs, service lines and Cooperative Institutes, as well as non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the university community. These investments are key to NOAA’s mission of "Science, Service, and Stewardship" and are guided by the agency’s vision to create and sustain enhanced resilience in ecosystems, communities, and economies.

Within this context, CPO manages competitive research programs through which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 30 and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners. CPO supports research that is conducted across the United States and internationally. CPO also provides strategic guidance for the agency’s broader climate science and services programs and supports NOAA’s mandated responsibilities under the National Climate Program Act, Global Change Research Act and its National Climate Assessment, the National Integrated Drought Information System Act, and similar international endeavors such as the Global Framework for Climate Services. CPO’s climate research portfolio is designed to achieve a fully integrated research and applications program.

CPO’s strategy addresses challenges in the areas of: (1) Weather and climate extremes, (2) Climate impacts on water resources, (3) Coasts and climate resilience, (4) Sustainability of marine ecosystems, and (5) Changing atmospheric composition and its impacts. Making progress in addressing climate-related societal challenges, and realizing benefits for NOAA’s public and private partners, requires that these mission-focused capabilities be integrated across CPO to align research, applications, transitions, and operations, and to meet the information needs for a resilient society. We work towards this objective of integration through a focus on climate intelligence and climate resilience, in support of NOAA’s goals.

CPO defines climate intelligence as the capabilities regarding: (1) Observations and monitoring,

(2) Earth system science and modeling, (3) Climate and societal interactions, and (4) Communication, education, and engagement. Climate resilience leverages climate intelligence to advance capabilities for responding to the urgent and growing demand for reliable, trusted, transparent, and timely climate information needed to protect and sustain all sectors of our economy and environment.

A hallmark of CPO’s success in linking climate intelligence to resilience is the development and deployment of end-to-end research-based integrated information systems that address needs of high societal relevance. Key components of this effort are annual Notice of Funding Opportunities, competitive grants programs and other types of support that advance and extend NOAA’s foundational capabilities and applications research. Proficiency in these core areas ensures that CPO’s infrastructure is always in place to meet the intelligence and resilience challenges of our changing climate.

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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 30

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is focused on providing the essential and highest quality environmental information vital to our Nation’s safety, prosperity and resilience. Toward this goal, the agency conducts and supports weather and climate research, oceanic and atmospheric observations, modeling, information management, assessments, interdisciplinary decision-support research, outreach, education, and partnership development.

Climate variability and change present society with significant economic, health, safety, and security challenges and opportunities. In meeting these challenges, and as part of NOAA’s climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) advances scientific understanding, monitoring, and prediction of climate and its impacts, to enable effective decisions. These investments are key to NOAA’s mission of "Science, Service, and Stewardship" and are guided by the agency’s vision to create and sustain enhanced resilience in ecosystems, communities, and economies.

Within this context, CPO manages competitive research programs through which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners. CPO supports research that is conducted across the United States and internationally. CPO also provides strategic guidance for the agency’s broader climate science and services programs and supports NOAA’s mandated responsibilities under the National Climate Program Act, Global Change Research Act and its National Climate Assessment, the National Integrated Drought Information System Act, and similar international endeavors such as the Global Framework for Climate Services.

CPO’s climate research portfolio is designed to achieve a fully integrated research and applications program.

CPO’s strategy addresses challenges in the areas of: (1) Weather and climate extremes, (2) Climate impacts on water resources, (3) Coasts and climate resilience, (4) Sustainability of marine ecosystems, and (5) Changing atmospheric composition and its impacts. Making progress in addressing climate-related societal challenges, and realizing benefits for NOAA’s public and private partners, requires that these mission-focused capabilities be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 30 integrated across CPO to align research, applications, transitions, and operations, and to meet the information needs for a resilient society. We work towards this objective of integration through a focus on climate intelligence and climate resilience, in support of NOAA’s goals.

CPO defines climate intelligence as the capabilities regarding: (1) Observations and monitoring, (2) Earth system science and modeling, (3) Climate and societal interactions, and (4) Communication, education, and engagement. Climate resilience leverages climate intelligence to advance capabilities for responding to the urgent and growing demand for reliable, trusted, transparent, and timely climate information needed to protect and sustain all sectors of our economy and environment.

A hallmark of CPO’s success in linking climate intelligence to resilience is the development and deployment of end-to-end research-based integrated information systems that address needs of high societal relevance. Key components of this effort are annual Notice of Funding Opportunities, competitive grants programs and other types of support that advance and extend NOAA’s foundational capabilities and applications research. Proficiency in these core areas ensures that CPO’s infrastructure is always in place to meet the intelligence and resilience challenges of our changing climate.

B. Program Priorities

CPO supports competitive research through three major program areas: Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM); Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI); and Communication, Education and Engagement (CEE). Through this announcement, CPO is seeking applications for 10 individual competitions in FY20. Prior to submitting applications, investigators are highly encouraged to learn more about CPO and its programs, as well as specific program priorities for FY20. In addition, interactions, partnerships, or collaborations with NOAA Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes are encouraged.

This information, along with the names and contact information for each Competition Manager, is provided in information sheets that can be found at the following website:

http://cpo.noaa.gov/Grants.

The 10 competitions covered by this announcement are as follows:

Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM):

1. AC4: Urban atmosphere in a changing climate: chemistry, carbon and composition

2. CVP - Climate and Changing Ocean Conditions - Process Research and Modeling to Support the Needs of NOAA Fisheries

3. MAPP - Characterizing and Anticipating U.S. Droughts’ Complex Interactions

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 30

4. MAPP - Modeling Climate Impacts on the Predictability of Fisheries and Other Living Marine Resources

5. MAPP - Constraining Models’ Climate Sensitivity

6. COM - Developing terrestrial-, marine-, and ice-atmospheric boundary layer datasets through collaborations between observations and modeling communities

7. Multi-program - Explaining Climate Extreme Events: Developing a Rapid Assessment Capability and Understanding the Causes and Mechanisms of Extreme Events

Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI):

8. Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Fisheries and Climate Program:

Understanding Climate Impacts on Fish Stocks and Fisheries to Inform Sustainable Fisheries Management

National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS):

9. Coping with Drought

Communication, Education Engagement (CEE):

10. Evolving the Climate Resilience Ecosystem of Adaptation Service Providers

Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM) Division

The mission of CPO’s Earth System Science and Modeling (ESSM) Division is to advance scientific understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land, and cryosphere as an integrated system and to improve NOAA’s Earth system climate models and predictions. To accomplish this mission, ESSM funds a unique and highly flexible research enterprise, including process-level studies, predictability studies of climate phenomena, testing for research-to-operation and application transitions; improving model representations of key processes and prediction technologies, and developing methodologies, tools and products for applications.

A. Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle, and Climate (AC4) Program

AC4 is a competitive research program that incorporates research on atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle. In collaboration with the NOAA Laboratories and the academic community, the AC4 program supports research to determine the processes governing atmospheric concentrations of trace gases and aerosols in the context of the Earth System.

The program aims to contribute a process-level understanding of the Earth System through

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 30 observation, modeling, analysis, and field studies to support the development and improvement of models, and to inform carbon and air pollution management efforts.

In FY20, the AC4 Program is soliciting research proposals for the following competition:

Urban atmosphere in a warming climate: chemistry, carbon and composition.

To continue and expand its investments in the urban atmosphere, AC4 program invites proposals for research with a broad urban focus. For both air quality and carbon management purposes, urban areas are both a large source of pollutants, and the best place to focus research to inform mitigation efforts, given the geographic concentration of emissions.

More observations, more coordination and information exchange between scientists measuring different aspects of urban atmosphere are needed. In addition to studying previously identified emission sources, and chemical and deposition mechanisms, there is a need to revisit the urban atmosphere as changing emissions are resulting in different chemical compounds and altered chemical mechanisms. Urban vegetation and its interaction with the atmospheric composition, both as a source and a sink of various compounds, is in need of fundamental understanding through measurements. Rising temperatures, with the added effect of urban heat island and potential changes to urban humidity, only add to the complexity of urban atmosphere, its evolution in recent decades and potential future changes.

B. Climate Variability and Predictability (CVP) Program

The Climate Variability and Predictability (CVP) Program supports research that enhances our process-level understanding of the climate system through observation, modeling, analysis, and field studies. This vital knowledge is needed to improve climate models and predictions so that scientists and society can better anticipate the impacts of future climate variability and change.

In FY20, CVP is interested in coupled- or ocean-model process studies linked with observational data analysis to better understand physical changes in the ocean in direct support of the needs of NOAA Fisheries research in one or both of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs): California Current, and/or Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf.

Specifically, CVP seeks focused studies to better understand the following questions with respect to physical properties of the ocean (such as heat, freshwater, and momentum, the two-way exchange with the atmosphere; globally and/or regionally) and the impact on marine ecosystem habitat: 1) how does a particular climate phenomenon (with a timescale of months and longer, e.g., ENSO, PDO, AMO/AMV, NAO, etc.) drive physical ocean conditions (sea surface and subsurface temperature, salinity and currents)? and, 2) how are

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 30 ocean conditions changing in response to changing climate conditions and why? The goal of this work is to strengthen the fundamental understanding of physical mechanisms that affect ocean change in the context of climate variability and change, and how it impacts marine ecosystems and their habitats. Outcomes of this project should clearly describe how ocean changes may affect marine ecosystems and habitats for living marine resources (e.g., protected species and U.S. fisheries) in one or both Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) regions:

California Current and/or Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf. [See the MAPP and COCA programs solicitations Information Sheets for related research opportunities.]

C. Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) Program

MAPP's mission is to enhance the Nation's capability to understand and predict natural variability and changes in Earth's climate system. The MAPP Program supports development of advanced climate modeling technologies to improve simulation of climate variability, prediction of future climate variations, and projection of long-term future climate conditions.

To achieve its mission, the MAPP Program supports research focused on the coupling, integration, and application of Earth system models and analyses across NOAA, among partner agencies, and with the external research community.

In FY20 the MAPP program is soliciting research proposals for the following three competitions:

•MAPP - Characterizing and Anticipating U.S. Droughts’ Complex Interactions.

The MAPP Program in partnership with the NIDIS program solicits research proposals to advance our capability to more integrally characterize and anticipate US droughts in the context of climate variability and change. This includes examining the array of complex interactions that lead to drought and intervene during their evolution; identifying key parameters to more integrally characterize droughts; defining predictability and developing improved methodologies for prediction of key thresholds. [See the NIDIS “Coping with Drought” competition Information Sheet for a related research opportunity].

•MAPP - Modeling Climate Impacts on the Predictability of Fisheries and Other Living Marine Resources

The MAPP Program in partnership with the NMFS Office of Science and Technology solicits proposals for research to improve the modeling of how climate impacts the predictability of fisheries and other living marine resources across timescales. [See the CVP and COCA programs solicitations Information Sheets for related research opportunities].

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 30

•MAPP - Constraining Models’ Climate Sensitivity

The MAPP Program solicits research investigations to constrain climate model sensitivity focusing on clouds, convection and aerosol processes and their role within the coupled Earth system, with the goal of reducing overall uncertainties in future climate projections.

D. Climate Observations and Monitoring (COM) Program

The COM program works collaboratively with NOAA and other federal laboratories, NOAA cooperative institutes, and academic institutions to competitively leverage existing observational assets and develop value-added products, diagnostics, and indices that have a strong scientific foundation, and are publicly accessible. Products advance understanding and improve modeling of climate variability and changes through exploitation of observations to ultimately detect and forecast the earth system.

In FY20, the COM program is soliciting proposals that develop, or significantly improve upon, oceanic, atmospheric, sea-ice, and/or terrestrial, physical or biogeochemical datasets from existing observations that will advance modeling efforts (development/improvement, assessment, and/or performance evaluation) of the terrestrial-, marine-, or sea ice-atmosphere boundary layer (BL), advancing understanding and representation of the BL in models. Projects should promote collaboration and coordination between the observation and modeling communities and include at least one named collaborator with modeling expertise.

Proposed dataset development should focus on at least one of the priority areas: (a) Explore and apply state-of-art techniques to upscale surface-based network data and point data for model use, (b) Integrate observations from different platforms for model use (e.g. in-situ, satellite), (c) Enable implementation of new metrics, such as process-based model diagnostics. Please see the information sheet for a detailed description of specific requirements.

E. Multi-program: Explaining Climate Extreme Events: Developing a Rapid Assessment Capability and Understanding the Causes and Mechanisms of Extreme Events

In FY20, a number of CPO programs (CVP, COM, Assessments) are collaborating to support research and development activities around the topic of explaining extreme events.

Two types of research proposals are solicited under this effort: 1) small individual proposals that increase our process-based understanding of the climate mechanisms that influence particular extreme events, and 2) a large proposal that develops and tests a potential rapid event analysis and assessment capability. Proposed research for both types of proposals

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 30 should focus on particular types of extreme events -- extreme heat or cold events, droughts, and/or marine extremes impacting the Nation’s blue economy, and should focus on the United States and outlying territories.

Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division

The Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Division supports projects to address the needs of decision makers planning and preparing for extremes (i.e., droughts, floods, and heat) in the context of their overall social and economic development objectives. The overarching goals of the CSI Program are the following:

-Support for innovative, applicable and transferable approaches for decision making, especially for risk characterization in the context of a variable and changing climate;

-Establishment of a network of regionally scoped, long-term efforts to inform climate risk management and decision making; and -Promotion of the transfer of climate knowledge, tools, products, and services within NOAA, across the federal government, nationally, and internationally.

CSI serves a unique role within NOAA and the Federal system by resourcing a space for interdisciplinary, applied research and capacity building that helps NOAA and its partners bridge the gap between science and the Nation’s economies and communities.

A. Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Fisheries and Climate Program:

Understanding Climate Impacts on Fish Stocks and Fisheries to Inform Sustainable Fisheries Management For FY20, COCA, in partnership with the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, is soliciting proposals for multidisciplinary projects to better understand the impacts of climate variability and change on marine ecosystems and implications for fish stocks, fisheries and the communities and economies that depend on them in the following Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs): California Current LME, Gulf of Alaska LME, Eastern Bering Sea LME, and Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf LME. Projects that cross LME boundaries (e..g Northeast and Southeast, Gulf of Alaska and Eastern Bering Sea, etc.) are welcome. [See the MAPP and CVP programs solicitations Information Sheets for related research opportunities].

3. NIDIS - Coping with Drought

The mission of NIDIS is to help the nation move to an increasingly proactive approach to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 30 understand and manage drought risks and impacts, and to improve long-term drought resilience. Since its inception (2006), and through two subsequent reauthorizations (2014, 2018), NIDIS has been working with various federal, state, local and tribal agencies as well as a network of researchers, academics, resource managers, and policymakers. The work is the basis for the regional Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS). These systems are not simply in place to disseminate forecasts, but to encourage innovation by integrating new, locally relevant drought information and supporting the introduction of new technologies that detect and communicate drought risks and warnings.

In FY20, the Coping with Drought competition will be focused on research to improve our understanding and use of drought indicators, thresholds and triggers, and drought impact reporting to inform more deliberate and expanded decision-making to prepare for and respond to drought.

4. Communication, Education and Engagement (CEE) - Evolving the Climate Resilience Ecosystem of Adaptation Service Providers

A key part of the mission of the Communication, Education & Engagement (CEE) Division of NOAA’s Climate Program Office (CPO) is to help U.S. communities and businesses better understand and manage their climate-related risks and opportunities, which includes building resilience to climate-related hazards. To help achieve this mission, CEE manages and maintains the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (or CRT, online at https://toolkit.climate.gov), which gives easy public access to federal science-based information, tools, data products, and expertise—all designed to help U.S. decision makers, resource managers, municipal planners, and business and policy leaders (“stakeholders”) make their valued assets more resilient to extreme events. Scalability and replicability of successful tools and methods are of particular interest to this program and, therefore, partnerships across all domains—government, academic, commercial, and non-profit organizations—are essential to our success.

In FY20, the CPO/CEE Division seeks one non-profit organization to conduct and manage an annual competition for organizations to collaborate within the Resilience Ecosystem and to support projects that address recognized goals and gaps in the Resilience Ecosystem. The successful applicant will receive between $150,000 and $250,000 per year, for three years, aimed at improving collaboration of work, and scalability of tools and services, among a broad array of actors in the Resilience Ecosystem in five focus areas:

1. Tools and frameworks for enhancing discoverability and interoperability of online resources.

2. Expand, propagate, or scale resources, programs, or projects that effectively map or

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 30 quantify exposure to climate-related hazards.

3. Enhance professional development to support efforts to adapt to or improve resilience to climate-related hazards.

4. Defining and measuring progress among climate adaptation and resilience-building projects, using the CRT’s Steps to Resilience framework as a point of reference.

5. Enhance the CRT’s Climate Explorer and/or other online mapping and graphing tools using open-source and open-access code.

C. Program Authority

49 U.S.C. 44720(b), 15 U.S.C. 2904, 15 U.S.C. 2931-2934

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Funding Availability

In FY20, approximately $ 13.5 million will be available for approximately 90 new awards pending budget appropriations (see section I.B above). It is anticipated that most awards will be at a funding level between $50,000 and $300,000 per year with exceptions for larger awards, unless otherwise noted below. Federal funding for FY 2021 may be used to fund awards submitted under this Notice of Funding Opportunity. Current or previous grantees are eligible to apply for a new award that builds on, but does not replicate, activities covered in existing or previous awards. Current grantees should not apply for supplementary funding through this announcement.

Funding availability per FY20 competition is provided below.

1. Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) $1.5 million for first year of the funded projects.

2. CVP - Climate and Changing Ocean Conditions - Process Research and Modeling to Support the Needs of NOAA Fisheries - It is anticipated that there will be $1.0 million for the first year of funded projects.

3. MAPP - Characterizing and Anticipating U.S. Droughts’ Complex Interactions, $1.8 million for first year of the funded projects

4. MAPP - Modeling Climate Impacts on the Predictability of Fisheries and Other Living

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 30

Marine Resources, $1.5 million for first year of the funded projects.

5. MAPP - Constraining Models’ Climate Sensitivity, $1.5 million for first year of the funded projects.

6. COM - Developing terrestrial-, marine-, and ice-atmospheric boundary layer datasets through collaborations between observations and modeling communities. It is anticipated that there will be $1.0 million available for the first year of funded projects. It is anticipated that most awards will be at a funding level between $100,000 and $150,000 per year.

7. Multi-program: Explaining Climate Extreme Events: $1.75 million for the first year.

8. Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Fisheries and Climate Program: $1.9 million for first year of the funded projects. Projects can request up to $500,000 per year for up to a 3-year period. It is anticipated that a total of three to four projects may be funded in up to four of the identified LMEs (California Current, Gulf of Alaska, Eastern Bering Sea, and Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf).

9. NIDIS - Coping with Drought $1.2 million for the first year of projects. It is anticipated that most awards will be at a funding level between $300,000 and $400,000 per year.

10. Communication, Education and Engagement (CEE) - Evolving the Climate Resilience Ecosystem of Adaptation Service Providers: CEE seeks a non-profit organization to conduct and manage an annual competition for organizations to collaborate within the Resilience Ecosystem and to support projects that address recognized goals and gaps in the Resilience Ecosystem (please refer to the Program Information Sheet on the CPO website to review the goals and gaps identified). The CPO CEE Division anticipates making one award of between $150,000 and $250,000 per year for a 3-year period.

B. Project/Award Period

1. AC4 Projects are expected to last 2-3 years.

2. CVP - Awards will be between $150,000 and $225,000 per year for 3 years. The focus area of these studies should include one or both of the identified LMEs (California Current, and/or Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf).

3. MAPP Projects across its three competitions are expected to last up to 3 years.

4. COM - Developing terrestrial-, marine-, and ice-atmospheric boundary layer datasets

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 30 through collaborations between observations and modeling communities. Projects are expected to last 2 - 3 years.

5. Multi-program: Explaining Climate Extreme Events: type 1 awards expected to last up to 3 years, type 2 award expected to last up to 4 years.

6. COCA - Projects are expected to last up to 3 years

7. NIDIS CWD Projects are expected to last 2 years.

8. CEE - Project is expected to last 3 years.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

The funding instrument for awards will be a grant. If, however, it is anticipated that NOAA will be substantially involved in the implementation of the project, a cooperative agreement may be awarded. Examples of substantial involvement may include, but are not limited to, applications for collaboration between NOAA scientists and a recipient scientist or contemplation by NOAA of detailing Federal personnel to work on proposed projects.

NOAA will make decisions regarding the use of a cooperative agreement on a case-by-case basis. Funding for contractual arrangements for services and products for delivery to NOAA is not available under this announcement.

If the applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA Cooperative Institute (CI), the applicant is encouraged to submit a proposal that references the CI by attaching a cover letter to the proposal stating the desire to have the grant associated with the CI.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments.

Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

All CPO programs have no cost sharing or matching criteria EXCEPT the CEE competition. CEE requires matching funds of between $150,000 and $250,000 per year, for each of the 3 years of this grant award. The non government entity shall provide proof of

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 30 matching funds for the first year, prior to disbursement of CPO/CEE funds.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

None.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are at grants.gov. For applicants without Internet access, please contact the CPO Grants Manager Diane Brown by mail at NOAA Climate Program Office (R/CP1), SSMC3, Room 12734, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 to obtain an Application Package.

B. Content and Form of Application

1. Letter of Intent (LOI) The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to potential applicants on the relevance of their proposed project to the competition in advance of preparing a full application. Full applications will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant. Applicants who have not been encouraged may still submit a full application. While LOIs are strongly encouraged, applicants are not required to submit them and may submit a full application even if they have not submitted an LOI.

LOIs should be submitted by email (for MAPP competitions, applicants should check the information sheet for requested means of LOI submission) to the identified NOAA Competition Manager by the deadline specified in section IV.C below (check competitions information sheet for contact information). The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and a statement regarding its relevance to the targeted competition. The LOI should be no more than two pages in length and should include the items listed below. If these items are not included or the LOI is submitted late, the LOI may not be considered:

Identification of the competition that is being targeted in the LOI.

-Competition Name -A tentative project title.

-Name(s) and institution(s) of the Lead Principal Investigator(s) and other -Principal Investigator(s).

-Statement of the problem.

-Brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used, data sets needed or to be collected.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 30

-Approximate cost of the project.

-Relevance to the Competition that is being targeted.

A response to the LOI from the Competition Manager (e-mail or letter) will be sent to the investigator within three weeks after the LOI’s due date encouraging or discouraging a full application based on its relevance to the targeted competition. It is then entirely up to the investigator whether to submit a full application.

2. Full Application Failure to comply with these provisions will result in applications being returned without review. Full applications are limited to 35 pages, single spaced, using 12-point font type with one-inch margins on standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper. For full applications with three or more Principal Investigators, the page limit is 40 pages. The page limit includes:

-Title page -Abstract -Results from prior research -Project Narrative -Budget narrative -Budget table -Vitae -Current and pending support -Associated figures -References -Data/Information Sharing Plan -Statement of Diversity and Inclusion.

For applications to the MAPP Competitions, the form to request the use of NOAA’s high-performance computing platforms is considered part of the full proposal, but it will not be included in the page count.

The full proposal and Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (IDCRA) should be put into one electronic file. The budget table/justification should be submitted in a file labeled budget narrative. The Federal Forms (SF424, SF424A, SF424B, CD511) and other mandated forms should be inserted in separate files when submitted and are not included in the page count.

The following forms and elements are required in each application.

(1) Title page: The title page shall identify the Principal Investigator(s) (PI) and institutional

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 30 representative and clearly indicate which Competition is being addressed by name and Competition number. The title page should also include all co-PIs from Federal Institutions.

If more than one investigator is listed on the title page, please identify the lead investigator.

The lead PI and institutional representative should be identified by: full name, title, organization, telephone number, email, and address. For paper submissions, the lead PI and the institutional representative must sign the title page. The total amount of Federal funds being requested should be listed for each budget period. If there are several institutions submitting separate applications associated with the same project, the names of all component institutions along with their lead PI name, e-mail, and amount requested per year must also appear on the title page of all applications that anticipate being funded under the same project.

(2) Abstract: A one-page abstract must be included and should contain the project title, an introduction to the problem, rationale, and a brief summary of the work to be completed.

Abstracts must identify the name of the Competition that is being targeted and must also include a paragraph describing the work’s broader impacts and relevance to the Competition that is being targeted as well as NOAA’s long-term climate research goals stated in section I.A. For multiple applications associated with the same project, the abstract must be identical in all applications. Failure to include this paragraph can result in the application being denied without additional review.

(3) Results from prior research: The results of each prior research project led by the Principal Investigator(s) during the last three years relevant to the proposed effort should be summarized in brief paragraphs. Because NOAA believes it is important that data sets developed with its support should be shared with the scientific community, PIs should also indicate how and when they have made their data accessible and usable by the community in the past. This section should not exceed two pages. For multiple applications associated with the same project, this section must be identical in all applications.

(4) Project Narrative: The proposed project must be completely described, including identification of the problem, scientific objectives, proposed methodology, and relevance to the Competition to which you are submitting the proposal and to NOAA’s long-term climate research goals. Benefits of the proposed project to the general public and the scientific community should be discussed. The statement of work, excluding references, figures, and other visual materials, must not exceed 15 pages of text. Applications from three or more investigators may include a statement of work containing up to 20 pages of overall project description. For multiple applications associated with the same project, all applications must have an identical statement of work, including a clear statement of the roles and responsibilities of each applicant.

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(5) Data/Information Sharing Plan:

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include a data management plan (up to 2 pages). See section VI.B Administrative and National Policy requirements below for additional information of what the plan should contain.

(6) Statement of Diversity and Inclusion: CPO recognizes that it has a particular and unique opportunity to support NOAA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking an intentional step that encourages program applicants to consider diversity and inclusion as part of their scientific projects. This action has the potential to make an impact on not only the diversity and inclusion in science at NOAA, but also beyond the agency. In this section, describe how well the proposed activity broadens the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.). Examples could include, but are not limited to, full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

(7) Budget Table and Narrative:

Budget Table: An itemized budget for all years and a total itemized budget must be included as a separate spreadsheet that breaks down the budget per object class category. Travel must be itemized to include destination, airfare, per diem, lodging, and ground travel.

For multiple applications associated with the same project, the Lead Principal Investigator should include a spreadsheet that displays the total budget for all partners. All partners, including the Lead Principal Investigator and any co-PIs from Federal Institutions, should include a separate budget for their portion of the project.

Budget Narrative: A brief description of the expenses listed on the budget table and how they address the proposed work must be included. Item justifications must include salaries, equipment, publications, supplies, tuition, travel, etc. Investigators who will not be requesting funds for salaries must also be listed, indicating their estimated time of commitment. Purchases of equipment greater than $5000 must include a purchase versus lease justification.

(8) Federal Budget Forms: Budget numbers corresponding with the descriptions contained in the statement of work and budget table must be included. In addition to including the total budget on the SF424, the application must include the total budget and budgets for years 1, 2, and 3 in separate columns in Section B on page 1 on the SF424A. (Note that this revised 424A Section B format is a NOAA requirement that is not reflected in the Instructions for

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 30 the SF 424A). Note that these forms are not part of the required page limit.

For multiple applications associated with the same project, each application requesting funding from NOAA needs to complete the federal budget forms for their specific institution.

(9) Indirect Costs: A copy of the institution’s current Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (IDCRA) must be included. The IDCRA does not, however, count as part of the required page limit. To obtain an indirect cost rate if your institution does not already have one, a grantee must submit an indirect cost proposal to its cognizant agency and negotiate an indirect cost agreement. If an applicant has not previously (ever) established an indirect cost rate with a Federal agency they may choose to negotiate a rate with the Department of Commerce or use the de minimis indirect cost rate of 10% of MTDC (as allowable under 2C.F.R. 200.414). This document is not apart of the page limit.

(10) Vitae: Abbreviated curriculum vitae are requested with each application. Reference lists should be limited to all publications in the last three years with up to five other relevant papers. For multiple applications associated with the same project, each application should include identical vitae for all applications.

(11) Current and pending support: For each Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator(s), submit a list of all current and pending Federal support that includes project title, supporting agency with grant number, investigator months per year, dollar value, and duration. Requested values should be listed for pending support. The list of support will be included in the page limit for the proposals.

For multiple applications associated with the same project, each application should include identical current and pending support information for all applications.

All letters of support should be submitted as part of the full application and are not included in the page limit for the proposals.

(12) DUNS Number: All applications must have a DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System) number when applying for federal grants. No application is deemed complete without the DUNS number, and only the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may grant exceptions.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

In order to submit an application through Grants.gov, an applicant must register for a

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Grants.gov user ID and password. Note that this process can take between three to five business days or as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed correctly. To avoid delays, applicants are strongly encouraged to start early and not wait until the approaching application deadline before registering, logging in, reviewing the application instructions, and applying. Information about the Grants.gov registration process for organizations can be found at http://grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp.

Please note that organizations already registered with Grants.gov do not need to re-register;

however, all registered organizations must keep their Grants.gov password and SAM database (which now incorporates CCR) registration up-to-date or their applications will not be accepted by Grants.gov. Note that your CCR username will not work in SAM. You must create a new SAM user account to renew or update your registration. Registration on SAM is a requirement. To obtain additional information and to verify that all required registrations are current, please visit www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM.

If you experience a Grants.gov systems issue (technical problems or glitches with the Grants.gov website) that you believe threatens your ability to complete a submission before the application deadline, please do all of the following:

-Print any error message received -Call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 for immediate assistance -Contact NOAA using the contact information in section VIII. of this NOFO prior to the close of the competition -Ensure that you obtain a case number regarding your communications with Grants.gov

In the event of a confirmed systems issue, NOAA reserves the right to accept an application in an alternate format prior to the application deadline. Problems with an applicant organization’s computer system or equipment are not considered systems issues. Similarly, an applicant’s failure to do the following are not considered systems issues:

-Complete the required registration -Ensure that a registered Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) submits the application -Read an email message with guidance from Grants.gov

D. Submission Dates and Times

Letters of Intent for all Competitions should be received by email to the Competition Manager by August 23, 2019 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Full applications for all Competitions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, October

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28, 2019.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

F. Funding Restrictions

Fees and profits are disallowed.

G. Other Submission Requirements

All applications should be submitted through grants.gov. If an applicant does not have Internet access, CPO Grants Manager Diane Brown should be contacted by mail at NOAA Climate Program Office (R/CP1), SSMC3, Room 12734, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 for hard copy submission instructions.

Faxed or emailed copies of applications will not be accepted.

Federal lead investigators who wish to apply to this Announcement of Opportunity must prepare a proposal according to the NOFO guidelines and submit the proposal to the appropriate competition manager directly, instead of to Grants.gov. Federal co-investigators must submit a proposal identical to the proposal lead's but with personalized budget information.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

1. Importance/Relevance and Applicability of Application to the Program Goals (Stage 1 Weight=0%) (Stage 2 Weight=100%) (Final Weight=25%) This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state, tribal, or local activities. For the CPO Grant Program Competition, this includes importance and relevance to the scientific priorities of the selected Competition(s), the PI’s record of making his/her data accessible and usable by the scientific community in the past, the Statement of Diversity and Inclusion described in Section IV.B(6), and the procedures described in Section IV.B(5) Data/Information Sharing Plan will also be considered when evaluating the importance and relevance of the application. For the CSI competitions, the above stated relevance score will also include the applicant’s approach for engaging decision makers and building networks of relationships to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 21 of 30 help support decision makers with scientific information. For the NIDIS CWD competition the weight of the evaluation criteria will be (Stage 1 Weight=0%) (Stage 2 Weight=100%) (Final Weight=40%). For the CEE Competition, applicants should articulate a vision for conducting an annual grant competition aimed at improving collaboration of work, and scalability of tools and services, among a broad array of actors in the Resilience…