NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2006631 NOFO Report (3).pdf

Fiscal Year 2022 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

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

II. Award Information 4 A. Funding Availability 4 B. Project/Award Period 5 C. Type of Funding Instrument 5

III. Eligibility Information 5 A. Eligible Applicants 5 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 6 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 6

IV. Application and Submission Information 7 A. Address to Request Application Package 7 B. Content and Form of Application 7 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 10 D. Submission Dates and Times 11 E. Intergovernmental Review 11 F. Funding Restrictions 11 G. Other Submission Requirements 12

V. Application Review Information 12 A. Evaluation Criteria 12 B. Review and Selection Process 13 C. Selection Factors 14 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 15

VI. Award Administration Information 15 A. Award Notices 15 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 15 C. Reporting 17

VII. Agency Contacts 18 VIII. Other Information 18

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 19

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: Fiscal Year 2022 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A.

Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2006631

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.417, Sea Grant Support

Dates: Eligible applicants must submit application materials by 5:00 p.m. local time on February 19, 2021 to eligible Sea Grant Programs. Applicants enrolled towards a degree in a graduate or professional program in a state or territory served by a Sea Grant Program must submit to that program. Other applicants must submit their applications to the Sea Grant program to which they were referred to by the Knauss Fellowship Program Manager as listed in Section VII. Selected applications from the eligible Sea Grant program are to be received and validated by grants.gov by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 02, 2021. (Note that National Sea Grant Office staff will only be available to answer questions until 5:00 p.m. EDT.)

Other than attaching the signed letter of recommendation from the eligible Sea Grant Director, the application submitted to the eligible Sea Grant program by the applicant must be submitted to grants.gov unchanged.

Funding Opportunity Description: The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2008, Public Law 110-394) to support federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

This notice announces that applications may be submitted for the 2022 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program). The National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) anticipates funding not less than 35 applicants, of which approximately 17 will be assigned to the Legislative branch. Application packages will each propose a total of $84,000 in funding. Detailed breakout of this funding is described in Section II.A and Section III.F of this announcement.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant Program in their state/territory at least one to two months prior to the state application deadline to receive application support

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 19 and provide notification of intent to apply. The applicant should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with the eligible Sea Grant program at the program’s request.

This document describes requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2006631.

Additional guidance and tips on how best to prepare an application are provided in the Sea Grant General Application Guide available at:

https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplicationGuide.pdf

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

NOAA provides funding to Sea Grant institutions to increase the understanding, assessment, development, management, utilization, and conservation of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources by providing assistance to promote a strong educational base, responsive research and training activities, broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and techniques, and multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problems, in accordance with 33 USC 1121(b).

B. Program Priorities

The Sea Grant Act includes a legislative mandate to provide an educational experience in the policies and processes of the Legislative and Executive Branches of the Federal Government for students enrolled in graduate or professional programs that have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. In 1979, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) initiated the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program to help fulfill its broad educational responsibilities and meet this legislative mandate. The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program meets NOAA's Mission of “Science, service and stewardship.”

The National Sea Grant College program values diversity, equity, and inclusion in both our organization and the communities we serve. Through the Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship we strive to provide an educational and employment opportunity for current and recent graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and the national policy decisions affecting those resources, regardless of race, color, religion, place of origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, disability or veteran status.

C. Program Authority

Statutory authority for this program is provided under the National Sea Grant College Program Act of 1966, as amended (33 USC 1121 et seq.).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 19 applicants should apply for the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program. Sea Grant anticipates funding not less than 35 applicants, of which those assigned to the Legislative branch will be approximately 17. Application packages will each propose a total of $84,000 in funding.

This includes base funding for each award at $66,500, of which $61,500 is to be used by the eligible Sea Grant program to cover the fellow’s personnel expenses (including salary, stipend, and fringe) for the twelve months of the fellowship and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses. Allowable expenses could include, but is not limited to, Fringe, relocation prior to the fellowship, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conferences fees, online trainings, and workshops. Applications should also include travel costs totaling $17,500, of which $15,000 will be budgeted for optional host office related travel and training and $2,500 will be budgeted for optional placement week expenses, which would be provided at the discretion of the National Sea Grant Office.

There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, they do so at their own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if this program fails to receive full funding.

B. Project/Award Period

The anticipated start date is February 1, 2022 for the 12-month fellowship. Projects should have an end date of February 28, 2023 to accommodate relocation expenses (of greater than 100 miles) following the completion of the fellowship. These awards cannot be renewed or deferred. Pre-award spending may be authorized 120 days prior to the start date of the award.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible institution, which will receive and administer the overall cooperative agreement on behalf of each fellow selected from their program. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during the performance of the proposed work is anticipated. The nature of the substantial involvement includes mentoring and hosting applicants by Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager(s) and host offices.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

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Any student, regardless of citizenship, is eligible to submit to this opportunity if:

(1) The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2020 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and February 19, 2021;

(2) The graduate degree will be awarded through an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. Territories, and;

(3) The student has an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

Application submission is through an application to the Sea Grant program in the state in which the student is earning their degree. If there is no Sea Grant program, a Sea Grant program will be assigned (see Section IV.D.)

The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by working to create a marine science workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are recruiting, retaining, and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking. We encourage applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, and income, and socioeconomic status types to apply for this opportunity.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

No cost share is required.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

-The one year fellowship will take place in the National Capital region. Applicants must be prepared to relocate to the Washington, D.C. area. Non-U.S. citizens are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visa to allow them to work in the Washington, D.C. area during the fellowship period.

-Foreign nationals please note: while this fellowship is open to all eligible students regardless of nationality, a significant number of participating Federal host offices are unable to accept foreign nationals as Fellows. This may reduce the number of placement opportunities available to foreign nationals. Note: Foreign nationals are eligible for both the Executive and Legislative cohort.

-Applicants must be able to pass a federal background security check.

-Prior contact/arrangements made with possible host offices before the start of the placement week will be cause for immediate disqualification from the process.

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-Applicants that have been accepted as National Finalists and/or become fellows are not eligible to apply again without the written permission of the NSGO Fellowships Manager, which will only be granted in response to exceptional life events. A National Finalists is defined as an applicant who goes through the review process and is selected at the national level for the fellowship program. Applicants are considered finalists until they are placed into a host office during the placement process.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are available online and can be downloaded from www.grants.gov under opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-2022-2006631. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Applicants enrolled towards a degree in a graduate or professional program in a state or territory not served by a Sea Grant program must first contact the Agency Contact listed in Section VII to obtain a written referral to an eligible Sea Grant program. This referral must be included in the application package.

B. Content and Form of Application

This section provides an overview of these required proposal elements (and where to locate them). Applications must adhere to the provisions under "Required Elements" below.

Failure to adhere to these provisions will result in rejection of the application without further review.

The submitting Sea Grant program or applicant should redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the application materials prior to final submission to grants.gov. PII that should be redacted from the application includes but is not limited to social security number, date of birth, student identification number (from transcripts) or other information which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual.

Required Elements:

Project Narrative The Application must include the following documents:

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 19

Project Proposal Narrative

The project proposal narrative must contain seven sub-elements. Six sub-elements must be completed by the student and one sub-element must be attached to the application by the eligible Sea Grant program.

The following six sub-elements are to be submitted by the student to the eligible Sea Grant program:

(1) Curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages). The student should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, programs should redact prior to submission.

(2) Personal education and career goal statement emphasizing the applicant's abilities and the applicant's expectations of the fellowship experience in terms of their career development (1,000 words or less). The student should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g., LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etc.). If included, programs should redact prior to submission.

(3) Two letters of recommendation, including one from a faculty member with knowledge of the applicant’s academic and research (when applicable) performance. Letters of endorsement from members of Congress, friends, or relatives will not be accepted. The letters should not include personal contact information or web links to external resources (e.g.,x. LinkedIn, articles, blogs, etct.). If included, programs should redact prior to submission. Any letters beyond the two letters of recommendation and the eligible Sea Grant Director’s letter will be disregarded by the selection panel.

(4) Future year activities including a listing of classes and/or plans for spring 2021, summer 2021, and fall 2021 (not to exceed one page).

(5) Clear digital or scanned copies of all undergraduate and graduate student transcripts (unofficial are acceptable).

(6) For applicants in a state or territory not served by an eligible Sea Grant program, but applying through an eligible Sea Grant program, a written statement from the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager referring the applicant to the most appropriate eligible Sea Grant program must be included as part of that applicant's application package to the Sea Grant program.

The following sub-element is to be submitted by the program:

(7) Signed letter of recommendation from the state Sea Grant Director, which documents an interview with the applicant. If a conflict of interest exists, please contact the agency contact (Section VII).

Abbreviated Environmental Compliance Questionnaire (OMB Control No. 0648-0538)

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 19

This announcement is not seeking proposals that will have an environmental impact.

Therefore, an abbreviated environmental compliance questionnaire is not required as part of the proposal.

Data Management Plan

This announcement is not seeking proposals that generate environmental data. Therefore, a Data Management Plan is not required as part of the Proposal.

Budget Narrative (to be submitted by the Program)

Each individual project included within the application must also include the following budget documents (Sea Grant 90-4 Forms and Budget Justification Narratives) in the following format:

Sea Grant 90-4 Form (OMB Control No. 0648-0362)

A required form used to provide budget breakdowns and budget justifications by year and object class for the overall proposal and each project in this application. Please submit one 90-4 form covering the full 13-month period of the award. Additional guidance on filling out the form is located in the Sea Grant General Application Guidance Document.

Budget Justification

A budget justification explains budget items in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. This document should be attached as a PDF to each Sea Grant 90-4 Form, as appropriate. Guidance on completing the justifications is located in the Sea Grant General Application Guidance Document (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplicationGuide.pdf).

Overall Application

In addition to the forms required above, standard Federal Forms and Assurances are required for the overall application and can be found with the Application package on Grants.gov or on the Sea Grant website (links found below). These include:

SF-424 Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0004)

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This form, titled “Application for Federal Assistance,” must identify the entire funding period (February 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023), as well as the federal funding amount being requested by the applicant. The form must be completed with the institution’s accurate EIN and DUNS and Point of Contact, and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee. Note: for the Knauss Fellowship, no match is required.

SF-424A Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0006)

This form, titled “Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs,” must describe the entire funding period in federal and non-federal dollars, for the entire application. Fill out Section B of this SF-424A form to show the overall budget breakdown by object class by year. Federal and match years should each have their own column. If there is insufficient space, an additional SF-424A Form, Extra Section B should be used (see below). Note: for the Knauss Fellowship, no match is required.

SF-424B Assurances (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0007)

The form, titled “Assurances – Non-Construction Programs,” must be completed and signed by the institution's authorized representative or designee.

CD-511 (Grants.gov, US Department of Commerce)

The form, titled “Certification Regarding Lobbying,” must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee. In some instances, the SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form may also be required. See the instructions on the CD-511 for further information.

SF-LLL (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 0348-0046)

The form, titled “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee, if appropriate.

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

To enable the use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, to the extent applicable, any proposal awarded in response to this announcement will be required to use the System for Award Management (SAM), which may be accessed online at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. Universities submitting applications are also required to use the Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System, as identified

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 19 in OMB guidance published at 2 CFR Parts 25, which may be accessed at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr25_main_02.tpl.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Eligible applicants must submit application materials by 5:00 p.m. local time on February 19, 2021 to the appropriate Sea Grant program. Students enrolled towards a degree in a graduate or professional program in a state or territory served by a Sea Grant Program must submit to that program. Other students must submit their applications to the Sea Grant program to which they were referred to by the Knauss Fellowship Program Manager as listed in Section VII.

Selected applications from the eligible Sea Grant program are to be received and validated by grants.gov by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 02, 2021.

(Note that National Sea Grant Office staff will only be available to answer questions until 5:00 p.m. EDT.) Other than attaching the signed letter of recommendation from the eligible Sea Grant Director or appropriate redactions the sub-elements submitted to the eligible Sea Grant program by the applicant must be submitted to grants.gov unchanged.

Please note: validation or rejection of an application by Grants.gov may take up to two business days after submission. Eligible Sea Grant programs should consider this process in developing their submission timeline. For eligible Sea Grant program applications submitted through grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication is included and will be the basis of determining timeliness.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications under the National Sea Grant College Program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs."

F. Funding Restrictions

Indirect costs are not allowable for either the Fellowship or for any costs associated with the Fellowship (15 CFR 917.11(e), "Guidelines for Sea Grant Fellowships").

The eligible Sea Grant program receives and administers the overall cooperative agreement.

Application packages will each propose a total of $84,000 in funding. This includes base funding for each award at $66,500, of which $61,500 is to be used by the eligible Sea Grant program to cover the fellow’s personnel expenses (including salary, stipend, and fringe) for the twelve months of the fellowship and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses.

Allowable expenses could include, but is not limited to, Fringe, relocation prior to the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 19 fellowship, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conferences fees, online trainings, and workshops. Applications should also include travel costs totaling $17,500, of which $15,000 will be budgeted for optional host office related travel and training and $2,500 will be budgeted for optional placement week expenses, which would be provided at the discretion of the National Sea Grant Office.

G. Other Submission Requirements

Selected applications from the eligible Sea Grant Program must be submitted electronically to www.grants.gov by the application deadline.

Proposals must be submitted through Grants.gov. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

(1) Statement of career goals of the student (45 points or percent). For the Knauss Fellowship program, the career goal statement, curriculum vitae, and future year activities is reviewed on the extent to which:

-The goal statement is specific, direct, and concise while discussing what the applicant would bring to and gain from the Knauss fellowship;

-The goal statement clearly articulates the applicant’s career or life goal;

-The future year activities support the career goals of the applicant;

-The goal statement demonstrates the applicant’s diverse personal and professional background;

-The goal statement provides evidence of creative thinking, analytical skill, and/or indicates the applicant’s capacity and willingness to make connections between science and broader economic, social, and political issues;

-The goal statement demonstrates the applicant’s ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts;

-The goal statement includes clear objectives which align with the broader mission of the Sea Grant program and NOAA.

(2) Additional relevant experience related to diversity of education; extra-curricular activities; honors and awards; work and life experience; and interpersonal, written and oral communication skills (40 points or percent). For the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program, relevant experience would be in marine or aquatic-related fields. The curriculum vitae, career goal statement, and future year activities are reviewed on the extent to which:

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-The applicant has employment, volunteer, or extracurricular activities in academic, applied, research, administration, outreach, or policy positions;

-The experience in the applicant’s area of expertise is appropriate to the career stage;

-The applicant has received honors, and awards, and other recognition;

-The applicant has shown interest in working with diverse stakeholders;

-The applicant’s experience demonstrates a commitment to apply scientific expertise to serve society;

-The applicant demonstrates work/life experiences that are relevant and applicable to serving the American people;

-The applicant’s experiences show prior leadership roles relevant to career stage (e.g., student government, faculty committees, advisory committees, professional societies, community initiatives, etc.).

(3) Academic record (5 points or percent). For the Knauss Fellowship program, the graduate and undergraduate transcripts, as well as the curriculum vitae, are reviewed on the extent to which:

-The education and experience in the applicant’s area of expertise are appropriate to the career stage;

-The applicant displays strength in academic performance and competitive course grades;

-Records of publications and/or presentations (academic or non-academic) are appropriate to the career stage, field, and institutional settings.

(4) Recommendations and/or endorsements of student (10 points or percent). For the Knauss Fellowship program the endorsements and content of the letter from the applicant's academic reference, and the second letter of recommendation are reviewed on the extent to which the letters:

-Demonstrate knowledge of the applicant and their abilities;

-Speak to the leadership potential, confidence, maturity, and self-direction of the applicant;

-Provide evidence of the applicant’s willingness and flexibility to tackle issues beyond their area of expertise and an openness and capacity to expand experiences;

-Provide evidence of the applicant’s ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts.

At the national review, evaluation criteria are identical to that at the eligible Sea Grant program level, except that in criteria (4), the letter of endorsement from the eligible Sea Grant program director will also be considered.

B. Review and Selection Process

State Level/individual Sea Grant Program Review:

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An initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the Application.

After submission to the eligible Sea Grant program, and if the application meets the minimum requirements (sub-elements 1-6, Section IV.B.1.a), the application will be reviewed at the eligible Sea Grant program level. A panel composed of a minimum of three members will individually discuss each application based on the evaluation criteria listed in Section V.A..

Based on the panel discussion, each eligible Sea Grant program may select and forward to the National Sea Grant College Program up to six applications from that program’s state/territory based on the evaluation criteria. In addition, up to six additional applications from each non-Sea Grant state/territory may be submitted by the eligible Sea Grant program handling those applications.

National Level Review:

An initial administrative review is conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application.

For applications that meet minimum requirements, the application will be individually ranked based on the evaluation criteria listed in Section V.A. by individual reviewers.

The selecting official shall award in the rank order unless the application is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon any of the selection factors provided below. The selecting official shall make final recommendations for award to the grants officer who is authorized to obligate the funds and execute the award.

C. Selection Factors

The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors:

-Balance/distribution of funds:

-across academic disciplines -by type of institution -geographically -Availability of funding.

-Program-specific objectives.

-Degree in scientific area and type of degree sought.

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D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Subject to the availability of funds, the eligible Sea Grant Programs will be notified of the competitive selection results in June 2021 and awards are expected to start February 01, 2022.

After final selection and announcement of Knauss Finalists, the Selecting Official will place applicants into either the legislative or executive cohort. Selection of executive and legislative cohorts will be informed by finalists’ stated preference (solicited after the announcement of the finalist class), recommendations from the eligible Sea Grant program Director and independent reviewers, as well as the selection factors.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

The notice of award is signed by the NOAA Grants Officer and is the authorizing document. The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) will notify each unsuccessful applicant by informing the eligible Sea Grant Program Director through which the application was submitted in writing via e-mail. The state Sea Grant Programs will, in turn, formally notify each unsuccessful applicant and forward the summary comments provided by the NSGO.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

(1) Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements For Grants And Cooperative Agreements - The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of December 30, 2014 (79 FR 78390) are applicable to this solicitation and may be accessed online at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-30/pdf/2014-30297.pdf.

(2) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements - Through 2 C.F.R. § 1327.101, the Department of Commerce adopted Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 C.F.R. Part 200, which apply to awards in this program. Refer to http://go.usa.gov/SBYh and http://go.usa.gov/SBg4.

(3) Department of Commerce Terms and Conditions - Successful applicants who accept a NOAA award under this solicitation will be bound by Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. This document will be provided in the award package in NOAA’s Grants Online system at https://grantsonline.rdc.noaa.gov/flows/home/Login/LoginController.jpf and is also available

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 19 at https://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/default.htm.

(4) Limitation of Liability - Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the availability of appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds may not have been appropriated yet for the programs listed in this notice. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

(5) Unpaid or Delinquent Tax Liability - In accordance with Section 523 of Division B and Sections 744 and 745 of Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235) or a future public law, an authorized representative of the selected applicant(s) will be required to provide certain pre-award representations regarding federal felony and federal criminal tax convictions, unpaid federal tax assessments, and delinquent federal tax returns. The form must be completed and submitted with grant applications for: (a) all for-profit and non-profit organization applicants (Part I, and if required, Part II); and (b) all non-Federal entity applicants anticipating receipt of $5 million or more in the current Federal Fiscal Year appropriated funding (Part II only).

The form can be found at https://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/documents/FAM%202015- 01.pdf.

(6) Review of Risk - After Applications are proposed for funding by the Selecting Official, the Grants Office will perform administrative reviews, including an assessment of risk posed by the applicant under 2 C.F.R. 200.205. These may include assessments of the financial stability of an applicant and the quality of the applicant’s management systems, history of performance, and the applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities. Special conditions that address any risks determined to exist may be applied. Applicants may submit comments to the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) about any information included in the system about their organization for consideration by the awarding agency.

(7) Minority Serving Institutions - The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC NOAA) is strongly committed to increasing the participation of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), i.e., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, and institutions that work in underserved communities.

(8) Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) - In the event that an Application contains

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 19 information or data that you do not want disclosed prior to award for purposes other than the evaluation of the Application, mark each page containing such information or data with the words "Privileged, Confidential, Commercial, or Financial Information - Limited Use" at the top of the page to assist NOAA in making disclosure determinations. DOC regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C 552, are found at 15 C.F.R.

Part 4, which sets forth rules for DOC to make requested materials, information, and records publicly available under FOIA. The contents of funded Applications may be subject to requests for release under the FOIA. Based on the information provided by the applicant, the confidentiality of the content of funded Applications will be maintained to the maximum extent permitted by law.

(9) NOAA Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Policy - If NOAA-operated, leased, or owned facilities are involved in any awards funded under this announcement, such awards are subject to the NOAA Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Policy Applicable to Financial Assistance Awards Involving NOAA-Operated Facilities (May 2018) found at:

https://www.noaa.gov/organization/acquisition-grants/noaa-workplace-harassment-training-for-contractors-and-financial

C. Reporting

Project progress reports are due on a semi-annual basis. Sea Grant programs must submit all reports to the NOAA Grants Office via Grants Online. Fellows must submit via email a mid-year and a final performance report (summary of accomplishments and activities) to their Sea Grant program. Fellows must submit their mid-year report to their home Sea Grant program no later than six months from the start of the fellowship. Fellows must submit their final report to their home Sea Grant program by the last day of the fellowship. The Sea Grant program must then submit the mid-year progress to the NOAA Grants Office no later than 30 days following the end of the first six month period from the start date of the original award. The Sea Grant program must submit a comprehensive final project progress report to the NOAA Grants Office within 90 days after the award expiration date. The final project progress report will include the last interim reporting period. All performance reports must use the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) format.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (31 U.S.C. 6101 note) includes a requirement for awardees of applicable Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards. All awardees of applicable grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS) available at https://www.fsrs.gov/ on all sub-awards over $25,000.

Refer to 2 CFR Parts 170.

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VII. Agency Contacts

Contact the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager, National Sea Grant College Program, 1315 East-West Highway, R/SG, Room 11861, Silver Spring, MD 20910;

Tel: (240) 507-3712; E-mail: oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov

VIII. Other Information

Recipients are required to use the National Sea Grant Planning Implementation and Evaluation Reporting (PIER) project database to communicate with the National Sea Grant Office on activities relating to this award. This includes tracking progress and impacts, in addition to performance metrics.

Once the applicants have been selected, Programs will need to provide the information requested in the Sea Grant 90-2 into the PIER project database. Once the project is approved and funded, that information will be publicly available and searchable on the National Sea Grant College Program public website (http://seagrant.noaa.gov).

The grant Application and final report of all funded grants are public documents, except for privileged information or material that is personal, proprietary or otherwise exempt from disclosure under law. Appropriate labeling in the application will aid identification of what may be specifically exempt.

The applicant acknowledges and understands that information and data contained in applications for financial assistance, as well as information and data contained in financial, performance and other reports submitted by applicants, may be used by the Department of Commerce in conducting reviews and evaluations of its financial assistance programs. For this purpose, applicant information and data may be accessed, reviewed and evaluated by Department of Commerce employees, other Federal employees, and also by Federal agents and contractors, and/or by non-Federal personnel, all of whom enter into appropriate conflict of interest and confidentiality agreements covering the use of such information. As may be provided in the terms and conditions of a specific financial assistance award, applicants are expected to support program reviews and evaluations by submitting required financial and performance information and data in an accurate and timely manner, and by cooperating with Department of Commerce and external program evaluators. In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.303(e), applicants are reminded that they must take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other confidential or sensitive personal or business information created or obtained in connection with a Department of Commerce financial assistance award.

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In addition, Department of Commerce regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, are found at 15 C.F.R. Part 4, Public Information. These regulations set forth rules for the Department regarding making requested materials, information, and records publicly available under the FOIA. Applications submitted in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity may be subject to requests for release under the Act. In the event that an application contains information or data that the applicant deems to be confidential commercial information that should be exempt from disclosure under FOIA, that information should be identified, bracketed, and marked as Privileged, Confidential, Commercial or Financial Information. In accordance with 15 CFR § 4.9, the Department of Commerce will protect from disclosure confidential business information contained in financial assistance applications and other documentation provided by applicants to the extent permitted by law.

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