NOAA-OAR-OAP-2025-28235.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

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Table of Contents

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Executive Summary

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

IV. Application and Submission Information

V. Application Review Information

VI. Award Administration Information

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

Executive Summary Federal Agency Name OAR Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) Funding Opportunity Title Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments for Ocean and Coastal Acidification (RVA OA25) Announcement Type Competitive Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-OAR-OAP-2025-28235

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.017 Dates

• Informational Webinar 9/27/24: A webinar outlining required proposal elements and the review process will take place on Friday, September 27th at 3pm Eastern Standard Time. This will be recorded and posted to the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program’s website, for those who are unable to attend. Register here:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1866312576649519451

• Optional Virtual Workshop 10/9/24: On October 9th at 1pm Eastern Standard Time, there will be a virtual workshop featuring project teams from previously funded Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments. This workshop is open to the public. The goals of this workshop are: 1) to hear from previously-funded Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments on lessons learned and next steps; 2) to address common challenges (such as engagement with Indigenous communities, Tribes, and/or other interested groups; working in data-poor regions; and building interdisciplinary teams); and 3) to facilitate networking and collaborations between current Principal Investigators and new interested partners. The meeting will be held on GoToWebinar; register here:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1071610861236823642.

• Optional Office Hours 10/18, 11/15, 12/20 & 1/17: OAP program staff will hold monthly virtual office hours to address applicant questions. Office hours will be held from 3-4pm Eastern Standard Time once a month on the third Friday of each month in October, November, December and January. See below for specific dates and access information:

o Friday, October 18th, 2024: meet.google.com/kgv-setk-nff https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1866312576649519451 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1071610861236823642 http://meet.google.com/kgv-setk-nff

NOAA NOFO Page 2 of 25 o Friday, November 15th, 2024: meet.google.com/ehm-pppg-vze o Friday, December 20th, 2024: meet.google.com/wod-decf-oik o Friday, January 17th, 2025: meet.google.com/syd-ofud-yvq

• Required Letters of Intent Due 11/20/24: Letters of Intent are required in order to be considered for proposal submission and are due no later than 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on November 20, 2024.

LOIs received after that date and time will not be accepted. We anticipate that feedback from the LOIs will be sent four weeks later.

• Required Proposals Due 3/5/25: Full proposal submissions are due no later than 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on March 5, 2025. We anticipate that a review of full proposals will be completed during Spring 2025. September 1, 2025, should be used as the proposed start date on proposals. Applicants will be notified of their status in June of 2025. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the guidelines in Section IV (Application & Submission Information) below. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in proposals being returned to the submitter.

Funding Opportunity Description The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program is requesting proposals for collaborative projects that synthesize ocean and coastal acidification information at a regional scale. This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how ocean and coastal acidification - in the context of changing ocean conditions - affects dependent human communities (the human dimensions of ocean and coastal acidification). This includes the identification and engagement of interested partners and groups, the assessment of their needs, and the generation of products and tools that support management, adaptation, and resilience to ocean and coastal acidification. These projects should provide actionable information to decision makers and/or bolster the resilience of the nation’s economy by determining where societal vulnerabilities to ocean and coastal acidification exist or are emerging. This funding opportunity will only support the collection of social science data. Synthesis of existing data in other fields is strongly encouraged. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2025 Federal appropriations.

Projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2025 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 - $400,000 per year per proposal. It is anticipated that a total of up to $3 million may be available in FY25 to support the first year of these projects.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description A. Program Objective NOAA’s mission is to understand changes in the world’s oceans, share that knowledge, and conserve coastal and marine ecosystems. NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) was established by the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act. 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 ocean and coastal acidification, investigating adaptation and mitigation strategies to increase resilience, promoting educational opportunities; engaging in national public outreach activities; and coordinating relevant activities with other agencies and international science bodies.

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 and coastal acidification, or OCA. A growing number of laboratory experiments have demonstrated that OCA adversely affects many marine organisms. OCA has the potential to seriously threaten the future health of the world's oceans and the ecosystem services it provides, thus it is critical to determine vulnerabilities and develop mitigation and adaptation strategies to increase resilience.

To address OCA and concerns about possible ecological, economic, and societal impacts, the U.S. Congress enacted the FOARAM Act in 2009. The FOARAM Act requires NOAA to respond to this pressing issue through research and monitoring. In recent legislation, the US Congress also tasked NOAA with providing technical assistance to socioeconomically vulnerable States, local governments, Tribal governments, communities and industries impacted by OCA to support their development of mitigation strategies. In partnership with the OA Alliance, many states have created state-specific OCA action plans and/or passed legislation to understand the impacts of OCA on their resources.

http://meet.google.com/ehm-pppg-vze http://meet.google.com/wod-decf-oik http://meet.google.com/syd-ofud-yvq https://www.oaalliance.org/member-examples

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The federal government identifies its priorities for national and regional OCA research in the Second Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification. This announcement specifically addresses the priorities listed in Theme 5, the Assessment of Socioeconomic Impacts and Development of Strategies to Conserve Marine Organisms and Ecosystems.

NOAA identifies its priorities for research in the NOAA Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan: 2020-2029. This announcement specifically addresses priorities for how OCA - in the context of changing ocean conditions - affects dependent human communities. This includes the identification and engagement of interested partners and groups, the assessment of their needs, and the generation of products and tools that support management, adaptation, and resilience to OCA.

A list of previously funded Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability (RVA) projects can be found on OAP’s website.

In 2021, OAP hosted a virtual workshop to bring together funded RVA project teams to discuss plans for FY20 projects and hear lessons learned and results from projects wrapping up the first round of FY17 funding. The workshop report can be accessed here.

In 2023, the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA) released a national Ocean Chemistry Coastal Community Vulnerability Assessment. In this assessment, it was determined that advances in social science research will improve understanding of community vulnerabilities to OCA. The recommendations across regions included: collecting and synthesizing additional socioeconomic data; improving social-ecological models;

developing social indicators relevant to OCA; researching factors that increase sensitivity to impacts from OCA; and considering OCA in the context of other social stressors.

Guiding terms and phrases:

These terms are defined in the IWG-OA Vulnerability Assessment:

Vulnerability represents the intersection between an organism’s or system’s exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity to an environmental stressor.

Ecosystem Vulnerability can be thought of as the exposure of marine ecosystems to OCA, the biological response or sensitivity of species and ecosystems to OCA, and the ability of species and ecosystems to cope or adjust to OCA as a stressor. Other co-occurring stressors could include phenomena like hypoxia, sedimentation, and harmful algal blooms.

Social Vulnerability can be described using a similar framework, where exposure is the impact to marine resources in a coastal community, sensitivity is related to the social and economic dependence on these affected marine resources, and adaptive capacity is the ability to prepare for, adjust to, and cope with the impacts from OCA.

Exposure refers to the extent that biophysical, social, and economic systems or organisms are exposed to a stressor.

Sensitivity is defined as the degree that biophysical, social, and economic systems or organisms are prone to stress and effects by a stressor.

Adaptive Capacity refers to the biophysical, social, and economic systems or organism’s ability to prepare for, adjust, and cope with a stressor.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:

(Climate) Vulnerability is defined as “the degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude and rate of climate change and variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity and its adaptive capacity”.

As defined by the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit:

Resilience is “the capacity of a community, business, or natural environment to present, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption”.

Guiding Documents:

About OAP: Why is OCA important, and what are we doing about it?

• OAP website

• Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan: 2020-2029

Previously-funded RVAs: What kinds of projects like this have been previously funded?

• OAP Human Dimensions webpage (including funded projects)

• The Ocean Acidification Regional Vulnerability Assessment Workshop Report

National documents: What guides our priorities on a national level?

• Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification’s Ocean Chemistry Coastal Community Vulnerability

Assessment https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/StrategicPlanforFederalResearchandMonitoringofOceanAcidification.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/StrategicPlanforFederalResearchandMonitoringofOceanAcidification.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ResearchPlan2020-2029_comp.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ResearchPlan2020-2029_comp.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ocean-acidification-research/human-connections/#related-projects https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/39880 https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IWGOA_Vulnerability_Assessment_2023.pdf.

https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IWGOA_Vulnerability_Assessment_2023.pdf.

https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ResearchPlan2020-2029_comp.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ocean-acidification-research/human-connections/ https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/39880 https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IWGOA_Vulnerability_Assessment_2023.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IWGOA_Vulnerability_Assessment_2023.pdf

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• Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification

• The US Ocean Acidification Action Plan

• NOAA Research and Development Vision Areas 2020-2026

Working Together: What communities of practice are there?

• Coastal Acidification Networks

Other NOAA Initiatives: What other initiatives are relevant to this funding opportunity?

• NOAA Fisheries Climate Vulnerability Assessments

• NOAA Climate Program Office Climate and Fisheries Adaptation Program

• NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Marine Protected Area Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Guide

• NOAA Fisheries Social Indicators of Fishing Community Vulnerability and Resilience in the U.S

• NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Socioeconomic Indicators for US Coral Reef

Jurisdictions

• NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Understanding Socioeconomic Connections

• NOAA Carbon Dioxide Removal Research Strategy

The Ocean Acidification Information Exchange: How can I make connections with other researchers interested in partnering together on this proposal?

• To facilitate matchmaking and collaborations across disciplines at the proposal development stage, there is a “NOAA OAP Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments” Team on the OA Info Exchange. The OA Information Exchange is an online community for professionals involved with or interested in OCA.

By joining at no cost, you can post updates and comments with questions, answers, or announcements, share papers and presentations, join teams based on regions and topics of interest, and network with people from a variety of fields. To learn more and join the RVA Team, see here (note: you must register an account with the OA Info Exchange to be able to join this team).

B. Program Priorities The NOAA/OAR/Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) is soliciting proposals for three types of collaborative projects that synthesize ocean and coastal acidification (OCA) information at a regional-scale (i.e. 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 and impacted communities in order to build resilience. This information is intended to provide national to local marine resource decision makers (including U.S. Congress, Federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies) with information in order to develop adaptation strategies to OCA and related stressors/impacts affecting ocean and coastal ecosystems, ecosystem services, and the human communities that depend on them. Equipping decision makers with actionable information to develop adaptation strategies, requires the synthesis of disparate types of data (chemical, biological, ecological and social), as well as translation of multi-disciplinary OCA science tailored to support decision-making needs. Projects funded in the prior OAP Regional Resiliency & 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 that best aligns with proposed activities.

Option 1 Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessment (RVA): Proposals submitted under this option should develop an RVA examining the impact of OCA and related stressors on marine ecosystems and human communities, and can include both data synthesis activities and community meetings and/or workshops. Projects may last up to 3 years in duration and not exceed $400k/yr. Proposers should ensure that the size of the region is scaled to the needs of the intended end users. These 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 RVAs that wish to carry forward their projects to address remaining gaps or implement findings into resiliency planning efforts. Including a social scientist as a co-Principal Investigator on the proposal is a requirement for Option 1.

https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/StrategicPlanforFederalResearchandMonitoringofOceanAcidification.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Ocean-Acidification-Action-Plan.pdf https://sciencecouncil.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NOAA_R.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/working-together/#communities-of-practice https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/climate/climate-vulnerability-assessments https://cpo.noaa.gov/divisions-programs/climate-and-societal-interactions/the-adaptation-sciences-program/climate-and-fisheries-adaptation-program/ https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/docs/2023-mpa-climate-vulnerability-assessment-guide.pdf https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/docs/2023-mpa-climate-vulnerability-assessment-guide.pdf https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/socioeconomics/socio-cultural-dimensions http://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/resources/ncrmp_socio_econ_indicators.pdf http://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/resources/ncrmp_socio_econ_indicators.pdf https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/socioeconomic.html https://sciencecouncil.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/mCDR-glossy-final.pdf https://www.oainfoexchange.org/ https://www.oainfoexchange.org/ https://www.oainfoexchange.org/members/people/teams/241

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Option 2 Data Synthesis Collaboration: Proposals submitted under this option should focus only on conducting data syntheses that are relevant to a future RVA examining the impact of OCA and related stressors on marine ecosystems and human communities. Applicants should identify a user group that will utilize the data synthesis product for the purpose of conducting an RVA and include those users early on in the project work. Alternatively, proposals could describe how the proposed activities and outputs would fit into an RVA. Projects may last up to 2 years and not exceed $250k/year.

Option 3 Foundational Community Workshop: This option is for regions that have not yet conducted data synthesis activities or established an RVA. The primary outcome of this option is a community workshop or series of small meetings that will inform future RVAs. 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 an RVA. This workshop should also identify research needs/gaps in the region that are needed before a future RVA can be completed. 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 18 months in duration and not exceed $100k/yr.

Priority Elements Proposals must 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 OCA and other stressors 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 and resilience of marine ecosystems and human communities to scenarios of OCA and related stressors;

3. A plan to generate techniques for presenting multidimensional information on OCA and other stressors that aid in the use of RVAs for adaptation planning and other decision-making purposes;

4. A synthesis of existing data to produce the information and understanding on which RVAs are based; and

5. An assessment of whether current management strategies for coastal and marine resources and communities are robust to scenarios of OCA and related stressors, conduct management strategy evaluations to assess the success of alternative management options under different scenarios of COA and related stressors, and/or identify and test how to effectively insert OCA-related information into management processes.

A single proposal is not required to address all the priority elements listed above. However, understanding the vulnerability and resilience of marine ecosystems and human communities to OCA and related stressors will require the integration of multiple types of data, including social science. Proposals are expected to be interdisciplinary 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 policymaker) 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 OCA and related research, modeling, and observations. NOAA investigators are eligible to apply, however proposals must include participants from outside 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. To facilitate matchmaking and collaborations between OCA researchers and social scientists at the initial proposal development page, it is recommended (but not required) to join the “NOAA OAP Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessments” Team on the OA Information Exchange (note: you must first register an account with the OA Info Exchange to be able to join this team).

https://www.oainfoexchange.org/members/people/teams/241 https://www.oainfoexchange.org/

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• 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 entire project from development through implementation.

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

• Proposals must identify the data and data synthesis products on which RVAs 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 RVAs.

Projects developed through this announcement should capitalize on NOAA's other investments in OCA and related research, modeling and observations. OAP's website provides information about all of its activities, including regional perspectives on OCA.

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 progress reports.

This funding opportunity 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 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 - $400,000 per year per proposal. It is anticipated that a total of up to $3 million may be available in FY25 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 2026 funding and performance under the current award. Highly rated proposals that are unable to be funded in FY25 may be held and funded in FY26 without having to undergo additional competition.

B. Project/Award Period Applicants may submit multi-year applications covering up to a 3 year period (depending on which Option is chosen) with an anticipated start date of September 1, 2025. Subsequent funding is contingent on the availability of FY 2026 funding and performance under the current award.

C. Type of Funding Instrument http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/ http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/current%20projects

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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 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 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 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 Share or Matching Requirement No cost sharing or match 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 Alexandra Puritz (alexandra.puritz@noaa.gov),

(302) 754-1048. Visit the Resources for Applicants and Grantees section of OAP's website for a New Application Process Guide created by NOAA Fisheries, partially summarized below.

The Department of Commerce has transitioned their grants management system from Grants Online to eRA Commons. This change requires updates to an organization’s application submission process. Any grant application submitted to a Notice of Funding Opportunity in Grants.gov after January 1, 2024 must register for the systems below if the applicant’s organization does not already have an active account.

System Registrations: Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Check with your organization prior to applying to determine if the organization already has active accounts in the systems listed below. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4-6 weeks, so applicants should begin activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet or other technical issues prevent electronic submission, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity to enable submission prior to the deadline. Registration for all three systems is free.

(alexandra.puritz@noaa.gov https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/resources-for-applicants-and-grantees/ https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NOAA-Fisheries-NEW-Application-Process.pdf https://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NOAA-Fisheries-NEW-Application-Process.pdf

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1. SAM.gov: Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first register in SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The username and password for SAM.gov are managed by Login.gov. Registration can take 2+ weeks and requires renewal annually. Registration guidance can be accessed here.

2. Grants.gov: In order to submit an application, applicant organizations must be registered in Grants.gov.

Organizations must register after receiving the UEI from SAM.gov. Registration can take 2-4 weeks.

Registration guidance can be accessed here.

3. eRA Commons: Prior to submitting in Grants.gov, applicant organizations must first register in eRA Commons. The eRA registration can start while an organization is waiting for their final SAM.gov approval of their UEI. However, the organization must have a complete SAM.gov registration in order to submit the final application. Registration can take up to 4 weeks. eRA Commons registration must be completed by the organization’s Signing Official (SO). An SO is someone in the organization with signatory authority, such as a President, Executive Director, Owner, etc. In addition, a Project Director/Principal Investigator account must be created and linked on the SF-424 for a successful submission. Registration guidance can be accessed here. For eRA Commons questions, contact the eRA Service Desk toll free at (866) 504-9552 or (301) 402-7469. The eRA Service Desk hours of operation are Monday – Friday 7AM to 8PM Eastern Time (closed on federal holidays).

Submission Checks:

When an application is submitted in Grants.gov, it will undergo two layers of checks. This is a new process with the transition to eRA Commons.

• First check - Grants.gov: Grants.gov will check for an on-time submission and attachments uploaded for each required form in the application package. If your application is successfully submitted in Grants.gov, you will receive a Grants.gov tracking number.

• Second check - eRA Commons: eRA Commons will check for ERRORS and WARNINGS (elements of the application that need to be resolved and resubmitted - such as file formatting or role information).

Therefore, a Grants.gov tracking number alone does not verify a successful submission. You must resolve any ERRORS listed and resubmit in Grants.gov prior to the due date in order for NOAA to receive your application for processing. Applicants cannot consider their application fully received by the agency until they receive an email from eRA Commons confirming application receipt in addition to the Grants.gov tracking number.

In addition to Grants.gov, this announcement will also be available by contacting the program official identified in Section VII. Please refer to important information in Submission Dates and Times (Section IV.D.) to help ensure your application is received on time.

B. Content and Form of Application Letter of Intent (LOI) - due no later than 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on November 20, 2024. LOIs are required in order to be considered for full proposal submission.

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 NOAA by emailing a pdf or word document to alexandra.puritz@noaa.gov with the title RVA-OA25 LOI_PI's last name. 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 all the below components are not included, the LOI risks a delayed response and may not be considered.

1. Project Type – Regional Resiliency & Vulnerability Assessment (Option 1), Data Synthesis Collaboration (Option 2), OR Foundational Community Workshop (Option 3).

2. 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 by year and overall total.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.era.nih.gov/register-accounts/register-in-era-commons.htm

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5. Problem Statement and Response to End User 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 community needs. Identify the project end user(s) and describe how the research is designed to meet their needs and how they will be involved in project activities. Describe the process that was used to identify end-user and other community needs. If applicable, briefly describe how the proposed work will leverage the outputs or outcomes of work previously supported by the OAP.

6. Brief summary of work to be completed, methodology to be used, relevant end user group engagement and the plan for coordination with ongoing NOAA and/or other federal agency, state or NGO funded OCA work.

Program Managers from NOAA and other federal agencies will review each LOI to 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 four 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 end-user concerns, and strong collaboration with NOAA, a NOAA-related program, or other Federal, Tribal, 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. 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.

Late LOIs will not be considered, and any associated full applications will not be accepted.

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 may be returned to the sender without further consideration. This funding opportunity will not allow multi-institutional awards (an award granted to more than one recipient institution), but sub-awards through the applicant organization are allowed (a sub-award is an award provided by a pass-through entity to a sub-recipient).

Required Elements: Each application must substantially comply with the following seventeen elements or it may be returned to sender without further consideration. The Summary, Title page, Abstract, Project Description, References, Biographical Sketch, Budget Narrative, Applications to Management, Diversity and Inclusion Statement, and Letter(s) of Support must be single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. The seventeen 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. A copy of the form can be viewed here.

2. Summary title page with abstract/project summary - one page maximum.

o The Summary title page identifies the project's title, starting with the acronym: RVA-OA2025.

o The Principal Investigator’s (PI) name and affiliation, phone and Email information.

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

o The requested funding amounts for each fiscal year as well as the total requested amount should be listed on the summary title page.

o Abstract/project summary: 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 and in plain language. 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.

3. 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 the applications to management). The Proposed Research Narrative must be thorough and explicitly indicate its relevance to the program goals and scientific priorities by:

o Identifying the topic that is being addressed by the proposal.

https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_4_0-V4.0.pdf

NOAA NOFO Page 10 of 25 o 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).

o Discussing how the proposed project supports relevant research and policy mandates (see the Funding Opportunity Description section, Guiding Documents subsection).

o 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.

o All proposals must include a Data Management Plan which is compliant with NOAA’s Public Access to Research Results Plan. A detailed data management plan that describes 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 OAP via its Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS). All data resulting from OAP-funded projects must be archived and accessible and NCEI is one data archival option. Costs associated with the use of data centers, or data archiving, should be included in the application budget. See the section on the NOAA Data Reporting requirements below (Section VI. C.).

4. The Applications to Management Narrative should establish the connection to relevant resource management needs by explicitly identifying the end user group(s) including evidence of the linkage between the scientific questions and management needs. A management and/or technical advisory committee is required for all projects, regardless of which option the proposal is applying for; for Option 2 (Data Synthesis Collaboration) and Option 3 (Foundational Community Workshop), it is required to have at least one social scientist included in the committee. 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:

o Articulating the coordination with one or more management entities;

o 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).

o 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.

o Letters of support from Advisory committee members are required, and these letters will not count against the page limit.

5. 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 the 17-page proposal description.

6. Milestones chart. Provide timelines of major tasks covering the duration of the proposed project.

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

o A listing of professional and academic credentials and mailing address;

o 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;

8. 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 this notice. You must respond to the requirement whether or not you have any current and/or pending support.

https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/parr.html https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/parr.html https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ocean-carbon-acidification-data-system https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ocean-carbon-acidification-data-system

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9. A list of all applicable permits including IRB approvals that will be required to perform the proposed work.

You must respond to this requirement element whether or not permits or IRB approvals are required

10. 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. The following information must be provided:

o The award number, amount and period of support;

o The title of the project;

o A summary of the results of the completed work;

o Publications resulting from the award;

o A brief description of outputs and outcomes; and o 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 Federal support.

11. 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 here. Note: This funding opportunity will not allow multi-institutional awards (an award granted to more than one recipient institution), but sub-awards through the applicant organization are allowed (a sub-award is an award provided by a pass-through entity to a sub-recipient).

o Sub-awards: Each sub-award must include a separate budget justification/narrative, a separate SF424,CD-511, and signed approval from their institution.

o…