NOAA-OAR-OAP-2020-2006333 NOFO Report.pdf

Regional Vulnerability Assessments for Ocean Acidification (RVA-OA20)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 5 C. Program Authority 8

II. Award Information 9 A. Funding Availability 9 B. Project/Award Period 9 C. Type of Funding Instrument 9

III. Eligibility Information 9 A. Eligible Applicants 9 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 10 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 10

IV. Application and Submission Information 10 A. Address to Request Application Package 10 B. Content and Form of Application 10 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 18 D. Submission Dates and Times 19 E. Intergovernmental Review 19 F. Funding Restrictions 19 G. Other Submission Requirements 19

V. Application Review Information 20 A. Evaluation Criteria 20 B. Review and Selection Process 21 C. Selection Factors 22 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 23

VI. Award Administration Information 23 A. Award Notices 23 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 23 C. Reporting 26

VII. Agency Contacts 27 VIII. Other Information 27

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 27

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: Regional Vulnerability Assessments for Ocean Acidification (RVA-

OA20)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-OAP-2020-2006333

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.017, Ocean Acidification Program

(OAP)

Dates: Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time January 24th 2020. LOIs received after that date and time will not be accepted. We anticipate that feedback from the LOIs will be sent three weeks later. Full proposals are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time March 27th 2020. We anticipate that a review of full proposals will be completed during Spring 2020, and funding should begin during September 2020 for most approved projects. September 1, 2020, should be used as the proposed start date on proposals.

Applicants should be notified of their status within 3 months of the closing date. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the guidelines below. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in proposals being returned to the submitter.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/OAR/Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) is soliciting proposals for collaborative projects of up to 3 years in duration that synthesize ocean acidification information at a regional scale (e.g. Large Marine Ecosystem, large estuary or collection of small estuaries, and state or collection of states in US waters) to determine where societal vulnerabilities to ocean acidification exist or are emerging, in order to provide actionable information for marine resource decision makers and/or bolster the resilience of the nation's Blue Economy. This funding opportunity will not support the collection of new chemical or ecological observations or species response data. Social science data collection is permitted. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2020 Federal appropriations. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2020 start date. Approximately 1-6 projects for up to 3 years in duration are expected to be funded at the level of approximately $100,000 - $350,000 per year per proposal. It is anticipated that a total of up to $2 million may be available in FY20 to support the first year of projects

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 27

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) was established by the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act. OAP coordinates research, monitoring, and other activities to improve our understanding of how the chemistry of the ocean is changing, how variable that change is by region, and what impacts these changes are having on marine organisms, people, and the local, regional, and national economies that depend on the ocean. NOAA’s mission is to understand changes in the world’s oceans, share that knowledge, and conserve coastal and marine ecosystems. The OAP plays an integral role in NOAA’s mission by monitoring changes in ocean chemistry, measuring the biological response of ecologically and economically important species, assessing the socioeconomic impacts of the ocean chemistry changes and organismal responses, promoting ocean acidification educational opportunities; engaging in national public outreach activities related to ocean acidification and its impacts; and coordinating ocean acidification activities with other agencies and international ocean science bodies.

Ocean Acidification:

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been rapidly increasing for over 250 years, since the onset of the industrial revolution. The world's oceans act as a sink for a portion of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans, and this absorption is causing significant changes in ocean chemistry including a reduction in surface ocean pH, otherwise known as ocean acidification. A growing number of laboratory experiments have demonstrated that ocean acidification adversely affects many marine organisms. Ocean acidification has the potential to seriously threaten the future health of the world's oceans and the ecosystem services it provides.

To address ocean acidification and concerns as to possible ecological, economic, and societal impacts, the U.S. Congress enacted the FOARAM Act in 2009. The FOARAM Act requires NOAA to evaluate potential vulnerabilities to the nation's Blue Economy. Many states including Washington, Maine, Maryland, Oregon and New York have also passed legislation to assess the impacts of OA on their resources. California has created an Ocean Acidification Action Plan.

The federal government identifies its priorities for national and regional ocean acidification research in the Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification.

This announcement specifically addresses the priorities listed in Theme 5, the Assessment of

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 27

Socioeconomic Impacts and Development of Strategies to Conserve Marine Organisms and Ecosystems. Assessments of the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification are essential for developing appropriate adaptation and conservation strategies; however, socioeconomic components have typically been lacking in past ocean acidification studies.

NOAA identifies its priorities for research in the NOAA Ocean and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/files/feel3500_without_budget_rfs.pdf. The most recent draft of the plan can be found on the OA information exchange here:

(https://www.oainfoexchange.org/members/documents/13203). Once the plan is final it will be featured on the OAP website here: https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ This announcement specifically addresses the priorities for human dimensions, to estimate anticipated changes to ecosystem services as a consequence of ocean acidification and evaluate alternative management options, and synthesis of data and information to develop data and information tools for evaluating the consequences of ocean acidification to create more effective management strategies.

Additional Guiding Documents:

In addition to the FOARAM and state legislation, several national-level and regional reports and products can provide background information on OA research and strategies and rationale for this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO):

1. The 2016 Implementation of the strategic plan for federal research and monitoring of ocean acidification, https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/sites/oap-redesign/Documents/IWGOA/OA%20Implementation%20Plan%20FINAL.pdf

2. NOAA Research and Development Plan https://nrc.noaa.gov/Council-Products/Research- Plans

3. The NOAA Fisheries Fish Species Climate Vulnerability Assessment http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/ecosystems/climate/tools/assessing-vulnerability-of-fish-stocks

4. Social Indicators of Fishing Community Vulnerability and Resilience in the U.S http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/humandimensions/social-indicators/index

5. National Socioeconomic Indicators for US Coral Reef Jurisdictions http://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/resources/ncrmp_socio_econ_indicators.pdf

6. Documents generated by the Washington State Blue Ribbon Task Force for OA, https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Our-role-in-the-community/Partnerships-committees/Ocean-acidification-Blue-Ribbon-panel

7. Documents generated by the West Coast OA and Hypoxia Science panel, (http://westcoastoah.org/executivesummary/)

8. The Maine OA Commission Report (http://www.maine.gov/legis/opla/Oceanacidificationreport.pdf)

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 27

9. Maryland Task Force Report (https://dnr.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Documents/MDOATF/OA_Report_010915.pdf)

10. California Ocean Acidification Action Plan (http://www.opc.ca.gov/oa-action-plan/)

B. Program Priorities

The NOAA/OAR/Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) is soliciting proposals for three types of collaborative projects that synthesize ocean acidification (OA) information at a regional-scale (e.g. Large Marine Ecosystem, large estuary or collection of small estuaries, and state or collection of states) to assess where societal vulnerabilities exist or are emerging, in order to provide actionable information for marine resource decision makers.

This information is intended to provide national to local marine resource decision makers (including U.S. Congress, Federal, state, tribal, and local agencies) with an improved understanding of the complex ways in which OA may impact ocean and coastal ecosystems, ecosystem services, and human communities to facilitate adaptation to OA. Equipping decision makers with actionable information, used to develop adaptation strategies, requires the synthesis of disparate types of data (chemical, biological, ecological and social), as well as translation of multi-disciplinary OA science tailored to support decision-making needs.

Projects funded in prior OAP Regional Vulnerability Assessment NOFO for Option 2 or 3 will receive special consideration if they now apply for Option 1 projects.

Applicants must choose only ONE of the following three project options:

Option 1: Regional Vulnerability Assessment. Proposals submitted under this option should develop a regional vulnerability assessment of human communities to OA, and can include both data synthesis activities and stakeholder meetings/workshops. Projects may last up to 3 years in duration and not exceed $350k/yr. Proposers should ensure that the size of the region is scaled to the needs of the intended end users. These vulnerability assessments should provide information to support adaptation planning for, but not limited to, habitat, species, and ecosystem protection and restoration; fisheries management and other extractive uses of coastal and marine resources; traditional and cultural uses of coastal and marine resources and environments; and coastal community planning for mitigation, resilience, and adaptation. They can be new projects or distinct additions to existing regional assessment projects.

Option 2: Data Synthesis. Proposals submitted under this option should focus only on conducting data syntheses that are relevant to a regional vulnerability assessment of marine ecosystems and/or human communities to OA. Applicants should identify a user group that will utilize the data synthesis product for the purpose of conducting a vulnerability assessment and include those users in the project work. Alternatively, proposals could

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 27 describe how the proposed activities and outputs would fit into a regional vulnerability assessment of human communities to OA. Projects may last up to 2 years and not exceed $250k/year.

Option 3: Workshop that Builds Towards a Regional Vulnerability Assessment. Proposals submitted under this option should propose a workshop or series of small meetings that inform regional vulnerability assessments of human communities to OA. This workshop should bring together stakeholders from various backgrounds and disciplines (e.g., industry;

academia; local, state, tribal, and federal government) to promote interdisciplinary partnerships and discuss what stakeholders would like to see in a vulnerability assessment of the impacts of OA on human communities. This workshop should also identify research needs/gaps in the region that are needed before a vulnerability assessment can be completed.

The Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on OA, West Coast OA and Hypoxia Panel, and Northeast Coastal Acidification Network exemplify efforts that have built the type of information needed for vulnerability assessments. A publication summarizing the outcomes of the workshop must also be produced and made publicly available within one year of the workshop. Projects may last up to 12 months in duration and not exceed $100k/yr.

Priority Elements The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program is accepting proposals that address one or more of these priority elements:

1. a clear summary of the information that end users and stakeholders have identified as requirements for sound decision making related to adaptation to OA or an actionable plan for generating this information by engaging with end users and stakeholders;

2. a plan to effectively structure and employ models and other tools that utilize chemical, climate, biological, ecological, and/or socio-economic information to assess the vulnerability of human communities to scenarios of OA;

3. a plan to generate techniques for presenting multidimensional information on OA that aid in the use of human community vulnerability assessments for adaptation and other decision-making;

4. a synthesis of existing data to produce the information and understanding on which human community vulnerability assessments are based; and

5. an assessment of whether current management strategies for coastal and marine resources and communities are robust to scenarios of OA, conduct management strategy evaluations to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 27 assess the success of alternative management options under different scenarios of OA, and/or identify and test how to effectively insert OA-related information into management processes.

A single proposal is not required to address all of the elements listed above. However, understanding the vulnerability of marine ecosystems and related human communities to OA will require the integration of multiple types of data. Proposals are expected to be multi-disciplinary and may include components that address biogeochemistry, ecology, human dimensions, and ecosystem services. End user and stakeholder involvement will be required during the course of the research by, among other activities, including a representative end user of the information generated by the project (e.g., marine resource manager, Sea Grant extension agent, state or local policy maker) as a co-PI. Use of an end user advisory committee to guide the transition of research results toward applications from the outset of the project is encouraged (especially for those applying under Option 1). Models, projections, and visualization tools developed through this announcement should capitalize on NOAA's other investments in OA and related research, modeling, and observations.

NOAA investigators are eligible to apply, however proposals must include participants from outside of NOAA. Where appropriate, proposals should show explicit linkages to, and utilization of, wider research, monitoring, and modeling efforts supported through federal, state, or regional entities.

Proposal requirements:

• Proposals must include interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g., between physical, ecological, social, economic scientists; managers/decision makers; industry leaders, etc.), and, if applicable, promote communication and partnerships between different groups to ensure continued use and shared understanding of information generated by the project

• Project teams must include a representative end user of the information generated by the project. The ability to produce usable science is greatly enhanced when researchers understand and are responsive to the interests and needs of end users; likewise, the application of knowledge increases when end users understand and acknowledge the capabilities of science to address their management challenges and actively seek to incorporate the research into management plans and decision processes.

• Proposals must clearly describe the process that will be followed to ensure that productive collaboration occurs among the project team and end users, including a mechanism for being adaptive and responsive to the respective input, needs, and capabilities of each.

• Projects must engage end users and other relevant partners and stakeholders throughout the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 27 entire project, from development through implementation.

• Proposals must include clear plans to communicate the potential consequences of OA to its targeted end users and stakeholders, and those projects that develop vulnerability assessments must include clear plans to deliver recommendations to end users and stakeholders to foster actions consistent with the understanding of human community vulnerability to OA developed by their activities.

• Proposals must identify the data and data synthesis products on which vulnerability assessments of human communities to OA will be based, outline pathways for developing relevant new data synthesis products, and/or describe the process by which stakeholder needs will define regional needs for vulnerability assessments of human communities to OA.

Projects developed through this announcement should capitalize on NOAA's other investments in OA and related research, modeling and observations The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program website (http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/) provides information about all of its activities, including regional perspectives on OA (http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/current projects).

All proposals are encouraged to collaborate with and/or leverage output from relevant research and decision-making institutions (e.g., non-governmental organizations; academic institutions; state, tribal, and local governments; private sector organizations; and federal agencies) to the extent this collaboration enhances the effectiveness of the project and its outcomes.

Proposals should justify their work and approaches by reference to one or more of the guiding documents listed at the end of the Program Objective section, or some similar compilation of research needs and approaches within their geographic region.

Proposals should indicate the expected outputs and outcomes of the research, in addition to research activities. Funded proposals will be required to include outputs and outcomes in their annual reports.

This NOFO is NOT intended to support the collection of new chemical, biological or ecological observations or species response data. Social science data collection is permitted.

C. Program Authority

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 27

Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act 33 U.S.C. 3701-3708

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Approximately 1-6 projects for 1 - 3 years in duration are expected to be funded at the level of approximately $100,000 - $350,000 per year per proposal. It is anticipated that a total of up to $2 million may be available in FY20 to support the first year of projects However, there is no appropriation of funds at this time and no guarantee that there will be.

Subsequent funding is contingent on the availability of FY 2021 funding and performance under the current award.

B. Project/Award Period

Applicants may submit multi-year applications covering up to a 36 month period (depending on which Option is chosen) with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2020.

FY 2020 funding is expected to cover 12 months of any multi-year grant. Subsequent funding is contingent on the availability of FY 2021 funding and performance under the current award.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Proposals selected for funding will be funded through a grant or cooperative agreement depending upon the amount of collaboration, participation, or involvement by NOAA in the management of the project. Examples of substantial involvement may include, but are not limited to, proposals for collaboration between NOAA scientists and a recipient scientist.

Funding for contractual arrangements for services or products for delivery to NOAA is not available under this notice.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education; other nonprofits; commercial organizations; state, local and Indian tribal governments; and authorized Federal agencies.

Applications from non-Federal and Federal applicants will be competed against each other.

Proposals selected for funding from non-Federal applicants will be funded through a grant or cooperative agreement as described above in section II. C. of this notice. Proposals selected for funding from NOAA scientists shall be effected by an intra-agency fund transfer.

Proposals selected for funding from a non-NOAA Federal agency will be funded through an inter-agency transfer. PLEASE NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 27 funded, they must demonstrate that they have legal authority to receive funds from another Federal agency in excess of their appropriation. Because this announcement is not proposing to procure goods or services from applicants, the Economy Act (31 USC 1535) is not an appropriate legal basis.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

No cost sharing is required under this program.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Letters of Intent are required for this announcement. A full proposal that did not submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) will not be considered and will be returned to the proposer without review.

It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain all necessary Federal, state and local government permits and approvals where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted. Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize the potential adverse impact on the environment. If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of environmental permits must be received by the Program Manager prior to funding. Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, or whether an Environmental Assessment is necessary in conformance with requirements of the NEPA. For those applications needing an Environmental Assessment, affected applicants will be informed after the peer review stage;

and will be requested to assist in the preparation of a draft of the assessment (prior to award).

Failure to apply for and/or obtain Federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analysis where necessary (e.g. NEPA environmental assessment) will also delay the award of funds if a project is otherwise selected for funding.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

This solicitation, complete application packages (including required Federal forms) with instructions and the address for submission can be found at www.grants.gov, or by contacting Erica Ombres (Erica.h.Ombres@noaa.gov, 301-734-1072).

B. Content and Form of Application

1. Letter of Intent (LOI)

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The purpose of the LOI process is to provide information to potential applicants on the relevance of their proposed project and the likelihood of it being funded in advance of preparing a full application. Full applications will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant, however the final decision to submit a full proposal is made by the investigator, regardless of feedback they receive from the LOI process. The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to the targeted competition. Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted to the program manager by emailing a pdf or word document to Erica.h.ombres@noaa.gov with the title RVA-OA20 LOI_PIslastname. The LOI should be no more than two pages in length, single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and should include in order the components listed below.

If the below components are not included, the LOI risks a delayed response and may not be considered.

1) Project Type – Regional Vulnerability Assessment (Option 1), Data Synthesis (Option 2), OR Workshop that Builds Towards a Regional Vulnerability Assessment (Option 3).

2) Specification of a tentative project title.

3) Name(s) phone number(s), email address(s) and institution(s) of all Principal Investigator(s), and specification of which individual is the Lead Principal Investigator.

4) Approximate cost of the project.

5) Problem Statement and Response to End User and/or Stakeholder Needs – Describe the regional focus and issue(s) the project will address, discussing the importance and context, with particular emphasis on how the project will address one or more management or stakeholder needs. Identify the project end user(s) and describe how the research is designed to meet their needs. Describe the process that was used to identify end user and other stakeholder needs. If applicable, briefly describe how the proposed work will leverage the outputs or outcomes of work previously supported by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program.

6) Brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used, relevant stakeholder groups and the plan for coordination with ongoing NOAA and/or other federal agency, state or NGO funded OA work.

Program Managers from NOAA and other federal agencies will review each LOI to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 27 determine whether it is responsive to the Program's goals and priorities, as advertised in this notice. Emails to proposers are scheduled to be sent out three weeks after the due date to encourage or discourage a full application. LOIs from the same region may be asked to combine their proposals. In general, full proposals will be encouraged if they show evidence of application to the program priorities above, clear statements of the problem addressed and the methodologies to be used, understanding of stakeholder concerns, and strong collaboration with NOAA, a NOAA-related program, or other Federal, state or regional management bodies. The final decision to submit a full application will be made by the investigator, regardless of the recommendations of the program manager regarding the LOI.

Late LOIs will not be considered and any associated full applications will not be accepted. In the feedback, the NOAA program manager may recommend that the proposers change the Option selected but it is up to the proposers to decide which Option they will apply for in their final proposal.

2. Applications The provisions for full application preparation provided here are mandatory. Applications received after the published deadline (refer to DATES) or applications that deviate from the prescribed format will be returned to the sender without further consideration.

Required Elements: Each application must substantially comply with the following nineteen elements or it will be returned to sender without further consideration. The Summary, Title page, Abstract, Project Description, References, Biographical Sketch, Budget Narrative, Applications to Management, and Diversity and Inclusion Statement must be single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. The nineteen elements are as follows:

(1) Standard Form 424. At the time of application submission, all applicants requesting direct funding must submit the Standard Form, SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance,” to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for their institution for the whole project period. This form is to be the cover page for the original application and is the first required form in the grants.gov application package.

(2) Summary title page - one page maximum. The Summary title page identifies the project's title, starting with the acronym: RVA-OA2020 and the Principal Investigator’s (PI) name and affiliation, complete address, phone and E-mail information. It should also include:

• The option (1,2 or 3) the proposal is addressing should be identified on the summary title page.

• The requested funding amounts for each fiscal year should be listed on the summary title page.

• Multi-institution applications must also identify the lead investigator for each institution

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 27 and the requested funding for each fiscal year for each institution on the title page. Lead investigator and separate budget information is not requested on the title page for institutions that are proposed to receive funds through a subaward to the lead institution; however, an accompanying budget justification must be submitted for each subaward. For further details on budget information, please see (14) Standard Form SF-424A of this part.

(3) One-page abstract/project summary. The summary (abstract) should appear on a separate single page, headed with the proposal title, the option (1,2, or 3) that this proposal is responsive to, institution(s), investigator(s), total proposed cost, and budget period. The project summary shall include an introduction of the problem, rationale, scientific objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, and a brief summary of work to be completed. It should be written in the third person. The summary is used to help compare proposals quickly and allows the respondents to summarize these key points in their own words. Project summaries of funded applications will be posted on the OAP website.

(4) Project description. The description of the proposed project must include narratives of the Proposed Research and not be more than 17 pages in length (including up to 2 pages for data sharing policy and the applications to management). The Proposed Research Narrative must be thorough and explicitly indicate its relevance to the program goals and scientific priorities by:

(a) Identifying the topic that is being addressed by the proposal;

(b) Describing the proposed scientific objectives and analytical activities in relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and in relation to previous and current work by the proposing principal investigator(s).

(c) Discussing how the proposed project supports relevant policy mandates;

(d) Identifying the function of each PI. The Lead PI (s) will be responsible for communicating with the Federal Program Manager on all pertinent verbal or written information.

(e) All proposals must include a data management plan which is compliant with NOAA’s Public Access to Research Results Plan. https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/parr.html. A detailed data management plan will describe how metadata and data collected as part of the project will be disseminated to the broader community, and will describe plans for longer term archiving of these data. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) serves as the data management focal point for the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oads/). All data resulting from NOAA OAP-funded projects must be archived and accessible through NCEI.

(5) The Applications to Management Narrative should establish the connection to relevant resource management needs by explicitly identifying the end user group(s) including

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 27 evidence of the linkage between the scientific questions and management needs. If proposed, the format and role of management and technical advisory committees should be included in this section. All proposals should specifically identify direct participation of resource manager(s) as co-Principal Investigators. This narrative should provide the management justification for the research through:

(a) Articulating the coordination with one or more management entities;

(b) Discussing the expected significance of the project to resource management priorities and needs. Specific management targets, with proposed outputs and outcomes, should describe how this project will improve management capabilities. Outputs are defined as products (e.g. publications, models) or activities that lead to outcomes (changes in management knowledge or action). The timeline for achieving outcomes should be included in the Milestone Chart (below).

(c) Describing specific activities, such as workshops or development of outreach materials, that will enhance information transfer from project scientists to relevant management entities, other end-users, or the public.

(6) References cited. Reference information is required. Each reference must include the names of all authors in the same sequence they appear in the publications, the article title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the 17 page proposal descriptions.

(7) Milestone chart. Provide time lines of major tasks covering the duration of the proposed project.

(8) Biographical sketch. All principal and co-investigators must provide summaries of up to 2 pages that include the following:

(a) A listing of professional and academic credentials and mailing address;

(b) A list of up to five publications most closely related to the proposed project and five other significant publications. Additional lists of publications, and lectures should not be included;

(9) Current and pending support. Describe all current and pending federal financial/funding support for all principal and co-investigators, including unfunded collaborators making a substantial contribution to the research. Continuing grants must also be included. The capability of the investigator and collaborators to complete the proposed work in light of present commitments to other projects should be addressed. Therefore, please discuss the percentage of time investigators and collaborators have devoted to other Federal or non- Federal projects, as compared to the time that will be devoted to the project solicited under

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 27 this notice. You must respond to the requirement whether or not you have any current and/or pending support.

(10) A list of all applicable permits that will be required to perform the proposed work. You must respond to this requirement element whether or not permits are required

(11) Accomplishments from Prior Federal Support. If any PI or co-PI identified on the project has received federal funding in the past five years for research, information on the award(s) is required. Each PI and co-PI who has received more than one award (excluding amendments) must report on the award most closely related to the proposal and funded by

OAP .

The following information must be provided:

a) the award number, amount and period of support;

b) the title of the project;

c) a summary of the results of the completed work;

d) publications resulting from the award;

e) a brief description of outputs and outcomes; and

f) as appropriate, a description of the relation of the completed work to the proposed work.

Reviewers will be asked to comment on the quality of the prior work described in this section of the proposal. You must respond to the requirement whether or not you have accomplishments from prior OAP support

(12) Budget narrative/justification. In order to allow reviewers to fully evaluate the appropriateness of costs, all applications must include a detailed budget narrative and a justification to support all proposed budget categories for each fiscal year. Personnel costs should be broken out by named PI and number of months and percentage of time requested per year per PI. Support for each PI should be commensurate with their stated involvement each year in the milestones chart (see Required Elements (6) Milestone chart). Any unnamed personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) should be identified by their job title, and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs above. The contribution of any personnel to the project goals should be explained. Travel costs should be broken out by number of people traveling, destination and purpose of travel, and projected costs per person. Budget narrative guidance can be found at http://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/training.html. A separate budget justification is required for each institution in a multi-institutional project and for each subcontract. Signed approval from each subaward and contractor’s institution is also required.

(13) CD 511. Certification Regarding Lobbying. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov CD511 document placeholder without a hard signature because

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 27 electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institution. However, these forms submitted through grants.gov as “Optional Documents” must have hard signatures i.e. collaborating institutions sending this form to the lead.

(14) SF 424B. Assurances - Non-Construction Programs. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov SF 424B document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on document from the submitting institutions.

However, these forms submitted through grants.gov as “Optional Documents” must have hard signatures i.e. collaborating institutions sending this form to the lead.

(15) Standard Form 424A. At time of application submission, all applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form which identifies the budget for each fiscal year of the proposal. Place each fiscal year in separate columns in Section B of 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 the SF 424A). The budget figures must correspond with the descriptions contained in the proposal. Multi-institution applications must include one comprehensive SF-424A from the lead applicant with the costs for additional institutions listed on the "other" line. In addition, a SF-424A must be submitted for each institution, and multi-investigator applications using a lead investigator with a subaward approach must submit a SF-424A for each subaward. Each subaward should be listed as a separate item. Provide separate budgets for each subaward and contractor regardless of the dollar value and indicate the basis for the cost estimates. Describe products/services to be obtained and indicate the applicability or necessity of each to the project. Signed approval from the institution of each subaward and contractor must be provided. Indirect cost may not be applied to ship costs.

(16) Collaborators List. Provide one list in the form of an excel spreadsheet that includes all (US and Foreign) collaborators, advisors, and advisees for each investigator (principal and co-principal investigators, post-docs, and subawardees), complete with corresponding institutions. Submit only one, combined and alphabetized list per application. Collaborators are individuals who have participated in a project or publication within the last 48 months with any investigator, including co-authors on publications in the resumes. Collaborators also include those persons with which the investigators may have ongoing collaboration negotiations. Advisees and Advisors do not have a time limit. Advisees are persons with whom the individual investigator has had an association as thesis advisor or postdoctoral sponsor. Advisors include an individual’s own graduate and postgraduate advisors.

Unfunded participants in the proposed study should also be listed (but not their collaborators). This information is critical for identifying potential conflicts of interests and avoiding bias in the selection of reviewers.

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(17) Key Contacts form. At the time of application submission, all applicants must submit the Key Contacts form. This form identifies the official applicant contacts.

(18) NEPA questionnaire: Please respond to questions 2-7, and 10-13 of the OMB approved NOAA NEPA questionnaire that can be found here:

https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants-Questionnaire-final.pdf

(19) Statement of Diversity and Inclusion: OAP 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).

Application format and assembly. Applications submitted via Grants.gov APPLY should follow the format guidelines below:

Attachments must be submitted in Adobe Acrobat PDF format (with the exception of the Collaborators list which should be in excel format) to maintain format integrity. Please submit the required documents as described below. Follow the instructions found on the Grants.gov web site for application submission into the Grants.gov system. All required forms that do not have specific placeholders in the Mandatory Document box must be submitted in the Optional Form box as Other Attachments and labeled with the document name: i.e. budget narrative, project description, milestone chart etc. For a collaborative application: The SF424’s of the additional institutions should be uploaded separately and labeled using the name of the institution/SF424 and then submitted in the Optional Form box as Other Attachments. Combine all of the remaining required documents for the individual institution into one PDF file and submit the file labeled with the name of the institution.

Repeat this procedure for each collaborating institution.

Save your completed application package with two different names before submission to avoid having to re-create the package should you experience submission problems. If you experience submission problems that may result in your application being late, send an email to support@grants.gov and call the Grants.gov help desk. Their phone number is posted on the Grants.gov web site. The Program Manager associated with the Notice of Funding Opportunity will use programmatic discretion in accepting applications due to documented

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 27 electronic submission problems.

Please note: If more than one submission of an application is performed, the last application submitted before the due date and time will be the official version.

In addition to the nineteen required elements, it is requested that the indirect rate agreement be provided upon application submission. It is allowable for applicants to suggest merit reviewers on a page after the Summary Title Page. These forms can be uploaded in to the Optional Form box under Other Attachments in Grants.gov.

Collaborative applications must be submitted by the lead institution and the following documents must be attached to the application for each collaborating institute:

Multi-institutional submissions - SF424, SF424A, Budget Justification, SF-424B, CD511, Current and Pending and Key Contracts are required. PLEASE NOTE: One comprehensive signed SF-424 from the lead applicant is required, along with signed SF424s from each applicant requesting direct funding. We also request submission of the indirect rate agreement, if applicable. Permits, accomplishments, Biographical sketches and the collaborators list must also be supplied to the lead institution in order for them to be combined within the lead application information.

Subaward submissions - SF424A, Budget Justification, SF-424B, CD-511, Current and Pending, and Key Contacts may be required. Signed approval from the institution of each subaward must be provided. We also request submission of the indirect rate agreement, if applicable. Permits, accomplishments, Biographical sketches and the collaborators list must also be supplied to the lead institution in order for them to be combined within the lead application information.

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 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

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 27 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.

D. Submission Dates and Times

LOIs are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time January 24th, 2020. LOIs received after that date and time will not be accepted. Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted to the program manager by emailing a pdf or word document to Erica.h.ombres@noaa.gov with the title RVA-OA20 LOI_PIslastname. We anticipate that feedback from the LOIs will be sent three weeks later. Full proposals are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time March 27th 2020. We anticipate that a review of full proposals will be completed during Spring 2020, and funding should begin during September 2020 for most approved projects. September 1, 2020, should be used as the proposed start date on proposals. Applicants should be notified of their status within 3 months of the closing date. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements listed above in section IV. B. Failure to follow these requirements will result in proposals being returned to the submitter.

Applications submitted through Grants.gov APPLY will be accompanied by a date and time receipt indication on them. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted and date and time stamped when they are received. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.

E. Intergovernmental Review

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

F. Funding Restrictions

Funding beyond the first year will be dependent upon satisfactory performance and the continued availability of funds.

This NOFO is NOT intended to support the collection of new chemical, biological or ecological observations or species response data. Social science data collection is permitted.

G. Other Submission Requirements

Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted to the program manager by emailing a pdf or word document to Erica.h.ombres@noaa.gov with the title RVA-OA20 LOI_PIslastname.

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Completed application packages (including required Federal forms) should be submitted to www.grants.gov. If an applicant does not have Internet access or cannot submit through www.grants.gov, hard copy proposals will be accepted and date and time stamped when they are received. Mail hardcopy proposals to: Erica Ombres 1315 East West Highway SSMC3 Rm 12806 Silver Spring MD 20910. LOIs received after the due date will not be reviewed.

A full proposal that did not submit a LOI will not be considered and will be returned to the proposer without review. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

1.Importance/Relevance and Applicability of Proposal to the Program Goals (40%) This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, federal, regional, state, or local activities. This criterion ascertains whether the proposal demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the issue, and clearly articulates and addresses at least one management or stakeholder need. This criterion also assesses the potential impact of the project. All outputs should be feasible and likely to lead to the identified outcomes. This criterion ascertains whether the proposal identifies and clearly articulates how planned outputs will be used within the context of the described management need.

2.Technical/Scientific Merit (30%) This criterion assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, whether there are clear project goals and objectives,…