NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433.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 National Sea Grant College Program (SG)

Funding Opportunity Title Fiscal Year 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

Announcement Type Competitive

Funding Opportunity Number

NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433

Assistance Listing Number(s) 11.417

Dates Deadline(s):

(1) Eligible students must submit application materials by 5:00 p.m. local time on June 3, 2026, to eligible Sea Grant programs. 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 by the Knauss Fellowship Program Manager, as listed in Section VII.

(2) Letters of intent from state Sea Grant Programs, including the attestation document and outlining the selection process, must be emailed to oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on July 8, 2026.

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(3) Selected student applications from the eligible Sea Grant program are to be submitted to grants.gov and accepted by eRA by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on July 22, 2026. (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 student application submitted to the eligible Sea Grant program by the applicant must be submitted to Grants.gov unchanged beyond redacting PII as described in IV.B.

Period of Performance: Projects must have a start date no earlier than February 1, 2027, and an end date of no later than June 30, 2028.

Funding Opportunity Description The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged 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 2027 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program).

Pending the availability of federal funding, the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) anticipates funding not less than 35 applications. Application packages will each propose a total of $97,200 in funding. A detailed breakdown of this funding is described in Sections II.A and III.F of this announcement.

Student applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the Sea Grant program in their state/territory at least one to two months before the state application deadline to receive application support and provide notification of intent to apply. Following student application submission, the student should allow sufficient time to schedule an interview with the eligible Sea Grant program at the program’s request.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed before submitting the application. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions. NOAA has created a guide to aid applicants in formatting application packages to eRA, linked here.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C).

Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by the time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account to submit an application.

This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2027-32433

Full Text of Announcement 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

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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.

Through the Sea Grant Knauss 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.

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 applicants should apply for the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program. Sea Grant anticipates funding not less than 35 applicants.

Application packages will each propose a total of $97,200 in funding. This includes base funding for each award at $79,700, of which $74,700 is to be used by the eligible Sea Grant program to cover the fellow’s salary/stipend and personnel expenses for the twelve months of the fellowship, and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses. Allowable expenses could include, but are not limited to, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conference fees, in person and online training, and workshops that support the successful completion of the fellowship and future career development of the fellow. Additionally, relocation costs are allowable in compliance with 2 CFR 200.464 and university policy. Applications should 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 before 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 for the 12-month fellowship is between February 1 and June 1, 2027. The project is to be completed by June 30, 2028. 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. A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during 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 A student is eligible to submit application materials listed in Section IV.B.3.b.1-4 of this NOFO to an eligible Sea Grant program if:

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(1) The student is a U.S. Citizen (born or naturalized), a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or a dual national with at least one citizenship as the U.S.;

(2) The student is enrolled towards a degree in a graduate program at any point between the onset of the 2025 Fall Term (quarter, trimester, semester, etc.) and June 3, 2026;

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

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

Student 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 in a student’s state, a Sea Grant program will be assigned (see Section IV.D.). A written statement from the National Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program Manager referring the student to the most appropriate eligible Sea Grant program will be provided to the student and must be submitted to the State Sea Grant program through which they are applying.

Students are not eligible to submit full application materials to Grants.gov. The following entities are eligible to submit full proposals to this NOFO opportunity via Grants.gov:

Sea Grant College Programs, Sea Grant Institutional Programs, and Sea Grant Coherent Area Programs.

To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations: SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants must begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training. Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below.

B. Cost Share or Matching Requirement Standard Sea Grant cost sharing is not required for this call.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

• The one-year fellowship will take place in the National Capital Region. Student applicants must be prepared to relocate to the Washington, D.C. area.

• Student applicants who are dual citizens, please note: while this fellowship is open to dual citizens, a significant number of participating federal host offices are unable to accept dual citizens as fellows. This may reduce the number of placement opportunities available to dual citizens. Note: Dual citizens are eligible for both the Executive and Legislative cohorts.

• Student 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.

• Student applicants who 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 finalist is defined as a student applicant who goes through the review process and is selected at the national level for the fellowship program. If alternates are selected, they are eligible for re-application if they withdraw prior to accepting a finalist position or are not offered a finalist position and would otherwise still be eligible to apply. Student applicants are considered finalists until they are paired with a host office during the placement process.

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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-2027-32433. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Student 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 may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance. If a program is submitting multiple applications, each application must have a unique title. Suggested title format: “{XXSG}_2027 Knauss_{Student’s Last Name}”

The submitting Sea Grant program must redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the application materials prior to final submission to grants.gov. PII that must 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.

Before submission, carefully review the PDF Guidelines for submission found here:

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/format-attachments.htm.

Recent applicants have encountered rejected applications for formatting issues, especially:

• All attachments must be in PDF form.

• Do not use “bundling” or “portfolio” features to combine PDFs into a single document. Everything must be visible in the PDF.

• Descriptive filenames may only be 50 characters or less (including spaces).

• Keep attachment file size to 100 MB or less.

• eRA won’t accept any pages larger than the U.S. standard letter paper size (8.5” x 11”).

We strongly recommend that applicants attempt to submit their full proposals at least a few days prior to the due date in case these or other issues impact your submission, as they are not reasons we can extend the deadline. If you have issues during the submission process, please contact theeRA Service Desk.

Required Elements:

Applications must include the following elements. Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance.

Letter of Intent Requirements

Letters of Intent (LOIs) will be requested in advance of final proposal submission to allow the NSGO to gauge the number of expected applications to be submitted by the Sea Grant programs. LOIs should be received via digital submissions to the NSGO Fellowship Program Managers (oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov) by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on July 8, 2026.

Letters of Intent should provide the following information:

1. Attestation of State Level Review (spreadsheet/table)

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A list of all applications received by the state program that clearly indicates basic eligibility for the Knauss Program. A submission template for this information was shared with state Sea Grant programs. The information provided in the attestation table will not be included as part of the national-level review. For each student applicant, please provide the following information:

A) Confirmation of administrative review

B) Student Submission Count

C) Average score of the applicant from the state-level review panel. If applicable, please provide a short explanation of why an application was not scored (e.g., did not meet minimum requirements, submitted late, etc.)

D) Student Recommendation Status

E) Student’s Last Name

F) Student’s First Name

G) Student’s permanent email address

H) Student’s University

I) Degree the student is seeking

J) Degree field the student is seeking

K) Confirmation of enrollment in accordance with eligibility (encouraged to use transcripts)

L) Confirmation of eligibility based on citizenship status

M) List of current and pending support for the student, specifically for any fellowships or internships

N) Confirmation of CV complying with NOFO guidelines

O) Confirmation of Application Questions complying with NOFO guidelines

P) Confirmation of Future Year Plans complying with NOFO guidelines

Q) Confirmation of two letters of recommendation complying with NOFO guidelines

R) Confirmation of addition of Director’s letter attachment in compliance with the NOFO

S) If applicable, Confirmation of an out-of-state letter for applicants in a state or territory not served by an eligible Sea Grant program, but applying through an eligible Sea Grant program

2. Summary of the State Review Process (one page max)

i. A brief discussion of the review process, including information regarding the program interview and the panel selection process.

ii. A brief discussion of the recruitment process focusing on how programs engaged schools and audiences.

Programs will receive email confirmation of LOI receipt by COB July 10, 2026.

Full Proposal Required Elements

(Please also see VIII. Other Information for additional post-application required elements for submission):

1. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

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This form must be completed and include a profile for the Principal Investigator and any co-PI(s).

CVs and RELEVANT Current and Pending Support for each person’s profile will also be attached to this form. The biosketch/CV for Senior/Key Persons listed should not exceed two pages. The first listed PD/PI on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the “Credential, e.g., agency login” field of the form. Failure to register in eRA Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the Applicant Identifier field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application. eRA Commons registration can take 2-3 weeks to be approved, so it is encouraged to start the registration process as soon as possible. NOAA is not involved with eRA registration.

Additional personnel included on the form do not need to include this information; however, eRA will create a warning recommending that those personnel also have valid eRA Commons IDs.

Again, it is not required that those additional personnel include valid eRA Commons IDs regardless of the warnings created by the eRA system.

2. Research and Related Budget Form

The Research and Related Budget is a form that will need to be completed covering the entire award by each yearly budget period, following the instructions from Grants.gov (e.g., if an award is two years, there needs to be a Budget Period 1 and Budget Period 2 filled out). At the end of the Research and Related Budget form, “Section L” provides space for one attachment titled “Budget Justification.” The budget narrative for the project must be attached there. The budget narrative should explain the budget items by object class category (both federal and non-federal/match) in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. Please closely follow the additional budget narrative guidance found at: NOAA Grants Management Division's Budget Narrative Guidance.

Dollar amounts in this form must be in whole dollars.

3. Research & Related Other Project Information Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

This form must be completed for the application, and should also be used to attach the Project Abstract, the Project Narrative, Bibliography & References Cited (if applicable), and any other relevant forms or information as applicable. See form-specific instructions available on Grants.gov for additional instructions as needed.

a. Project Summary/Abstract Attachment

For the purposes of this NOFO the National Sea Grant Office will provide a recommended abstract template to eligible applicants.

Project abstracts (as submitted) will be made available on public websites and/or databases, including USAspending.gov.

b. Project Narrative Attachment

The project proposal narrative must contain the following element.

A signed letter of recommendation from the state Sea Grant director, which is built from the totality of the student application package and an interview with the student. The letter should not exceed two pages, single-spaced. Following the interview, and as part of that subsequent letter, the director shall:

(a) demonstrate why the student aligns with the goals of the Knauss program (Section 1B));

(b) highlight the skills the student emphasized in the student application materials and interview;

(c) highlight the student’s response to program interview questions regarding interpersonal skills and ability to manage expectations in challenging situations; and

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(d) explain any gaps in the CV or personal education and career development response, or anything that the student was unable to include in the Student Application Materials (see Section IV. B. 3. d. Other Attachments) that they feel is important for the review panel to know.

If a conflict of interest exists, please contact the agency contact (Section VII). NOTE: Blinded reviewer comments will be provided to the students, including discussion of the Letters of Recommendation.

d. Other Attachments

Student Application Materials

The following elements are to be submitted by the student to the eligible Sea Grant program. The attachment should be ordered: CV, Application Questions, Future Year Plans, Director Letter, Academic Letter and Other Letter. The attachment name should match that of the application (suggested format: “{XXSG}_2027 Knauss_{Student’s Last Name}”). Other than necessary redactions, the materials shall be attached without changes.

(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 excess materials prior to submission to Grants.gov.

(2) Personal education and career development response. The student should emphasize their abilities and expectations of the fellowship experience in terms of their career development.

Each section and subsequent subsection should be answered separately using the section headers below. The entire personal education and career development section should not exceed 1,500 words total. Suggested word counts will be included with each subsection below. Section headers will not count as part of the overall word count. 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.

Section One: Career Path and Objectives. The suggested word count is 750 words for this section.

(Prompt A) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss any experience(s) (research or otherwise) that supports or relates to the mission of the National Sea Grant College Program or the state Sea Grant program (the student does not have to have had a direct connection to Sea Grant). The student should emphasize (if relevant) any experience with extending and distilling science for non-scientific audiences.

(Prompt B) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss their interest in the Knauss Fellowship with a specific focus on how the Knauss Fellowship supports the student’s career pathway. The student should focus on how the Knauss Program would further support their development as a professional.

(Prompt C) (Suggest 250 words) The student should discuss the transferable skills (skills that can be applied across a variety of disciplines) that they would bring to the Knauss Fellowship. In this response, students should highlight experiences from their personal, professional and academic background.

Section Two: Career Path Experience. The suggested word count is 750 words for this section.

(Prompt A) (Suggested 250 words) During the fellowship, fellows may serve in a range of capacities, including developing and delivering public programs or services, informing policy-making, and providing evidence-based advice to leaders. The student should discuss how they have and/or will embrace the concept of public service.

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(Prompt B) (Suggested 250 words) The student should discuss a situation in which they have managed or supported a project or activity that included collaborators, community members and/or interested partners with the intent to achieve a common goal. The student is encouraged to use examples.

(Prompt C) (Suggested 250 Words) The student should discuss a situation in which they overcame a challenge (e.g., within a community or institution, personally, professionally, etc.) specifically as it relates to how they took a leadership role. The student should also consider including a reflection on what they learned from this experience.

(3) Relevant Coursework and Future Year Plans (not to exceed one page single-spaced): The student should discuss any relevant coursework and their future year activities.

Relevant Coursework: The student may discuss any completed or in-progress classes that they deem relevant to their success in the Knauss Fellowship Program.

Future year activities: The student should include a listing of classes and/or plans for spring 2026, summer 2026, and fall 2026.

(4) Two letters of recommendation from individuals who have worked with the student, including at least one from a faculty member associated with the student’s current enrollment who has knowledge of the student’s academic and research (when applicable) performance. Each letter should not exceed two pages, single-spaced, and should clearly indicate the letter writer’s name and position. These letters should:

(a) discuss the following attributes of the student: self-motivation, response to setbacks, skills and involvement in teamwork, collaborative leadership skills, willingness to learn a new skill or topic, academic performance and potential; and

(b) speak to anything else the review panel should know about the strengths that the student will bring to the fellowship.

The letters 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. Any letters beyond the two letters of recommendation and the eligible Sea Grant director’s letter will be disregarded by the selection panel. Letters of endorsement from members of Congress, friends, or relatives will not be accepted. NOTE: Blinded reviewer comments will be provided to the students, including discussion of the LORs.

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

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

Therefore, a NEPA Questionnaire is not required as part of the proposal.

4. Additional Application Package Forms

In addition to the forms required above, standard federal forms and assurances are required and can be found with the application package on Grants.gov. These include:

a. SF-424 R&R Form (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001)

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This form, titled “Application for Federal Assistance,” must identify the entire funding period, as well as the federal funding amount being requested by the applicant and any non-federal matching fund amount. 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. Total federal and non-federal amounts listed in the SF-424 R&R, the Cumulative Budget of the Research and Related Budget form, and the budget narrative must be the same.

The proposed start date must be the first day of a month, and the proposed end date must be on the last day of a month.

Applicants will be required to enter their organization’s Congressional District in the SF424 R&R form. For tips on finding and entering your Congressional District correctly, please review the information found here:

https://grantsgovprod.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/how-to-find-your-congressional-district-for-the-sf-424-form/

b. 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.

c. CD-511 (Grants.gov, US DOC)

The form, titled “Certification Regarding Lobbying,” must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

d. SF-LLL (Grants.gov, OMB Control No. 0348-0046) - optional form, include if appropriate

This form, titled “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,” is an optional form and should be included if appropriate. If included, it must be completed and signed by the institution’s authorized representative or designee.

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

This announcement is not seeking proposals that will have an environmental impact. Therefore, a NEPA Questionnaire is not required as part of the proposal.

C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;

(ii) Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application; and (iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Submission Dates and Times Eligible student applicants must submit application materials by 5:00 p.m. local time on June 3, 2026, 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.

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Letters of intent from state Sea Grant Programs, including the attestation document and outlining the selection process, must be emailed to oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on July 8, 2026.

Selected student applications from the eligible Sea Grant program are to be submitted to Grants.gov and accepted by eRA by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on July 22, 2026. (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 student applicant must be submitted to grants.gov unchanged.

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

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 The Sea Grant Act at 33 USC 1124(d)(2) states:

“No payment under any grant or contract under this section may be applied to:

(A) the purchase or rental of any land; or

(B) the purchase, rental, construction, preservation, or repair of any building, dock, or vessel; except that payment under any such grant or contract may be applied to the short-term rental of buildings or facilities for meetings which are in direct support of any Sea Grant Program or project and may, if approved by the Secretary, be applied to the purchase, rental, construction, preservation, or repair of non-self-propelled habitats, buoys, platforms, and other similar devices or structures, or to the rental of any research vessel which is used in direct support of activities under any Sea Grant Program or project.”

Other Restrictions:

(1) 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").

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

Application packages will each propose a total of $97,200 in funding. This includes base funding for each award at $79,700, of which $74,700 is to be used by the eligible Sea Grant program to cover the fellow’s salary/stipend for the twelve months of the fellowship, and $5,000 can be used to cover allowable expenses. Allowable expenses could include, but are not limited to, academic tuition, journal publication fees, academic- and fellowship-related travel, conference fees, in person and online trainings, and workshops that support the successful completion of the fellowship and future career development of the fellow. Additionally, relocation costs are allowable in compliance with 2 CFR 200.464 and university policy. 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.

(3) Fellowship funds may not be used to travel to State Department Orange or Red Listed countries without prior approval of the National Sea Grant Office.

G. Other Submission Requirements

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Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C).

Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by the time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

The first listed PD/PI listed on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the "Credential, e.g.

agency login" field of the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in that field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application.

After submission to Grants.gov, the PI listed on the application will receive an email notification from the eRA email address era-notify@mail.nih.gov. This email will either confirm a successful submission to eRA or list errors and warnings associated with the application. Errors must be addressed, the application resubmitted via Grants.gov, and an email received by the listed PI indicating a successful submission to eRA for an application to be successfully received by NOAA.

H. Address for Submitting Proposals V. Application Review Information Sea Grant Director Letter

Maximum Points: 10

Director’s Letter (10 Points). The LOR does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the LOR addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the LOR meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the LOR meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• The director’s letter demonstrates how the student aligns with the Knauss Program, including what the student would bring to and gain from the Knauss Fellowship

• highlights the skills (academic, professional or personal) that the student would bring to the Knauss program;

• highlights the ability of the student to manage interpersonal situations and respond to adversity;

• elaborates on information not specifically addressed by the student in their application package.

Background, personal education, and career development response

Maximum Points: 70

The CV does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the CV addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the CV meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the CV meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• The student has employment, volunteer, or extracurricular activities in academic and applied, research, administrative, outreach, or policy positions;

• the education and experience (personal and professional) in the student’s area of expertise are appropriate to the career stage;

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• the student demonstrates academic, professional or personal experiences that are relevant and applicable to serving the American people;

• the student's experiences show prior leadership roles relevant to their career stage (e.g., student government, faculty committees, advisory committees, professional societies, community initiatives, etc.).

Section One: Career Path and Objectives (Each question is valued at 10 points; total is 30 points). The answer does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the answer addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the answer meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the answer meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• Prompt A:

o The student clearly links experiences to the ocean, coasts, or Great Lakes (national, state, or local);

o the student demonstrates their ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts;

o the student demonstrates creative thinking, analytical skill, and/or indicates their capacity and willingness to make connections between science and broader economic, social, and political issues.

• Prompt B:

• The student demonstrates an understanding of the Knauss Fellowship program;

• the career path and objectives demonstrate the student’s broad personal and professional background;

• the student clearly articulates their career or professional goals;

• the student is specific, direct, and concise while discussing what they would bring to and gain from the Knauss Fellowship.

• Prompt C:

• The skill set demonstrated will provide a foundation for success in the Knauss fellowship;

• the student is specific, direct, and concise while discussing the skills they have cultivated throughout their career.

Section Two: Career Path Experience (Each question is valued at 10 points; total is 30 points) The answer does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the answer addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the answer meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the answer meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• Prompt A:

o The student demonstrates an interest in contributing to public programs or service;

o the student demonstrates experiences in public service, including, but not limited to, volunteering, leadership, extension or education experiences. These do not have to be directly related to the mission of NOAA.

• Prompt B:

• The student demonstrates creativity and willingness to navigate a challenging situation;

• the student demonstrates leadership and problem-solving initiative;

• the student has shown interest in working with collaborators, community members and/or interested partners.

• Prompt C:

• The student demonstrates creativity and willingness to navigate a challenging situation;

• the student demonstrates leadership and problem-solving initiative.

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Relevant coursework and future year plans

The relevant coursework and future year plans does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0);

the relevant coursework and future year plans addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the relevant coursework and future year plans meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the relevant coursework and future year plans meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• The student has activities in academic, applied, research, administration, outreach, or policy;

• the future education and experience (personal or professional) support the student’s goals or provide further experiences applicable to the Knauss Program.

Recommendations and/or endorsements of the student

For the Knauss Fellowship program, the endorsements and content of the academic reference and the second letter of recommendation are reviewed as follows:

• Letters of recommendation (5 Points designated for each letter of recommendation). The LOR does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the LOR addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the answer meets the criterion in an average or expected way (3); the LOR meets the criterion in an exceptional way (5).

o The letter writers demonstrate knowledge of the student and their abilities;

o the letter writers speak to the leadership potential, confidence, maturity, and self-direction of the student;

o the letter writers provide evidence of the student’s willingness and flexibility to tackle issues beyond their area of expertise and an openness and capacity to expand experiences;

o the letter writers provide evidence of the student’s ability to convey scientific knowledge in broader, non-scientific contexts.

Overall application cohesion

For the Knauss Fellowship program, consider all aspects of the application materials (CV, Personal education and career development responses, Relevant Coursework and Future Year Plans, Letters of Recommendation, Director’s Letter). The application does not adequately address the expectations outlined (0); the application addresses the criterion in a poor or confusing way (1); the application meets the criterion in an average or expected way (5); the application meets the criterion in an exceptional way (10).

• The application materials complement each other;

• the application materials provide a clear picture of what the student would gain from receiving the Knauss Fellowship;

• the application materials provide a clear picture of what the student would bring to the Knauss

Fellowship.

Evaluation Criteria

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**The Knauss Fellowship is a learning opportunity. All applicants will be provided with BLINDED review comments. This will include reviews of the Letters of Recommendation. Applicants will not receive a copy of the letters.**

At the state level, applications will be reviewed out of 100 points, since Criteria 1 will not be included in the state level review. At the national level, applications will be reviewed out of 110 points. The value of each section and subsequent subsection is outlined below. Additionally, a point scale is provided for each section.

At the national review, evaluation criteria are identical to those 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.

Review and Selection Process State-level/individual Sea Grant program review:

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

After submission to the eligible Sea Grant program, and if the application meets the minimum requirements, the student application will be reviewed at the eligible Sea Grant program level. Each student application must receive a minimum of three separate written reviews based on the evaluation criteria listed above. Programs have the option to hold a review panel. If a program opts to hold a panel, the panelists may be the same as the written reviewers.

Based on the scores provided by reviewers, each eligible Sea Grant program may select and forward to the National Sea Grant Office up to six student applications from that program’s state/territory based on the evaluation criteria. In addition, up to six additional student 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 above 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.

The program manager, NEPA staff lead, or grants specialist may contact the applicants to discuss questions about the merit or administrative correctness of the application and may delay approval of the application or impose conditions on the award, preventing funding or execution of certain activities, until all questions are satisfactorily answered.

Selection Factors The Selecting Official shall recommend awarding 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:

1. Availability of funding.

2. Balance/distribution of funds:

a. geographically

b. by type of institution

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c. by type of partners

d. by research priority

e. by project types

3. Student applicant score as submitted as part of the LOI.

4. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA/Federal agencies.

5. Program priorities and policy factors.

6. Applicant’s prior award performance

7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a NEPA determination and draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the Grants Officer.

Consequently, awards may not necessarily be made to the highest-scored applications. Investigators may be asked to answer questions and/or modify objectives, work plans, and/or budgets (including overall funding level) to address the issues raised by the reviewers, the competition manager, the Selecting Official, or the Grants Officer before an award is made. Subsequent administrative processing will be in accordance with current NOAA grants procedures.

Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates It is anticipated that successful applicants will be notified in September 2026 that the Selecting Official is recommending them for funding to the NOAA Grants Officer. Subject to the availability of funds, projects are expected to start no earlier than February 1, 2027. The anticipated start date for awards made under this competition will be dependent on funding availability, acceptable completion of all NOAA/applicant negotiations, including NEPA and environmental compliance analysis and permit requirements, and the provision of other supporting documentation as requested. It is anticipated that unsuccessful applicants will be notified in September 2026 that their application is not recommended for funding. Unsuccessful applications submitted to this competition will be retained for three years and then destroyed.

After final selection and announcement of Knauss Finalists, the Selecting Official will place student applicants into either the legislative or executive cohort.