NOAA-SEC-OED-2016-2004737 FFO Report.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 5

A. Program Objective 5 B. Program Priorities 11 C. Program Authority 11

II. Award Information 11 A. Funding Availability 11 B. Project/Award Period 13 C. Type of Funding Instrument 13

III. Eligibility Information 13 A. Eligible Applicants 13 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 13 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 14

IV. Application and Submission Information 14 A. Address to Request Application Package 14 B. Content and Form of Application 14 C. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 22 D. Submission Dates and Times 22 D. Intergovernmental Review 23 E. Funding Restrictions 23 F. Other Submission Requirements 23

V. Application Review Information 23 A. Evaluation Criteria 23 B. Review and Selection Process 26 C. Selection Factors 27 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 28

VI. Award Administration Information 28 A. Award Notices 28 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 29 C. Reporting 33

VII. Agency Contacts 33 VIII. Other Information 34

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 1 of 34

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): Office of the Under Secretary (USEC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Strengthening the Public's and/or K-12 Students' Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-SEC-OED-2016-2004737

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.008, NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards

Dates: The deadline for applications is 11:59:59 pm EST on February 8, 2016. Note that NOAA’s Office of Education staff will only be available to answer questions until 5 PM EST.)

Applications must be submitted online through Grants.gov; no hard copy or email applications will be accepted. Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system and with SAM.gov prior to submitting an application. These registration processes can take several weeks and involve multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for this process, applicants should register as soon as they decide they intend to apply, even if they are not yet ready to submit their applications. Applications submitted through Grants.gov are automatically date/time stamped when they are validated and submitted to the Agency. PLEASE NOTE: When submitting through Grants.gov, you will receive 2 emails. An initial email will be sent to confirm your attempt to submit an application. This is NOT a confirmation of acceptance of your application.

It may take Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject the application and send you a second email. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline.

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: For a list of software applications that allow you to successfully navigate the Grants.gov pages and complete your application visit http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html.

Two informational teleconferences with the program officers will occur on Thursday, December 10, 2015 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm EST and Tuesday, January 5, 2016 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm EST.

Interested applicants may obtain the phone number and related teleconference information by visiting http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html#page=funding. Whenever possible, individuals from the same institution should try to join the teleconference from the same phone line.

Funding Opportunity Description: The goal of this Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is to

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 2 of 34 strengthen the public’s and/or K-12 students’ environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards. Many U.S. communities are contending with issues related to preventing, withstanding, and recovering from disruptions caused by environmental threats and vulnerabilities (U.S. Department of Commerce FY2014-FY2018 Strategic Plan). These threats and vulnerabilities include but are not limited to severe storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, heavy precipitation events, persistent drought, heat waves, increased global temperatures, acidification of the ocean, and sea level rise (Weather-ready Nation: NOAA’s National Weather Service Strategic Plan 2011; The Third National Climate Assessment, 2014). Preparing for and responding effectively to present and future environmental challenges enhances the resilience of communities.

Projects should build the environmental literacy necessary for community resilience by focusing on geographic awareness and an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community’s location. In order for communities to become more resilient, their members must have the ability to reason about the ways that human and natural systems function and interact; to understand the scientific process and uncertainty; to reason about the ways that people and places are connected to each other across time and space;

and to weigh the potential impacts of their decisions systematically. Projects will be based on the established scientific evidence about current and future natural hazards and stresses facing communities and consider socio-economic and ecological factors. Projects should also (1) leverage and incorporate relevant state and local hazard mitigation and/or adaptation plans and

(2) collaborate with institutions that are involved in efforts to develop or implement those plans.

Projects may focus on a single type of environmental hazard or a range of hazards that may impact a community or communities. NOAA will consider funding a wide range of project types, but all projects must actively engage participants in learning and addressing real-world issues. In addition, projects must utilize NOAA’s vast scientific data, data access tools, data visualizations, and/or other physical and intellectual assets available on these topics. In order to facilitate the use of NOAA’s assets, projects are strongly encouraged to partner with relevant NOAA entities (offices, programs, etc.) and/or NOAA employees and affiliates. NOAA's education website (www.education.noaa.gov) and an additional list of relevant assets (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/resilience_assets.html) provide links to NOAA datasets, potential NOAA partners, and other resilience-related assets from federal and non-federal organizations.

Projects must be implemented within the United States and its territories. They may be implemented on local to regional scales. Project topics must relate to NOAA's mission in the areas of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences and stewardship and should focus on one or more of the goals of NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 3 of 34

(http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/goals/): healthy oceans; weather-ready nation; climate adaptation and mitigation; and resilient coastal communities and economies.

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to institutions of higher education;

other nonprofits, including informal education institutions such as museums, zoos, and aquariums; K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; and state, local and Indian tribal governments in the United States. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply.

Proposed projects must be between 2 and 5 years in duration and have total federal requests of $250,000 to $500,000 for all years of the project. It is anticipated that awards funded under this announcement during this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2016 and that the projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2016. Note:

Links to helpful information for applying to this opportunity are available at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html#page=funding.

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 4 of 34

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

1. Overview

The NOAA Office of Education’s Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) support projects that inform, educate, and inspire a diverse pool of educators, students and the public to use Earth systems science toward both improving ocean and coastal stewardship and increasing safety and resilience to environmental hazards (NOAA's Education Strategic Plan, 2015- 2035). These grants support formal and informal education activities at local, regional, and national levels to address NOAA’s mission of science, service, and stewardship. This mission is directed toward a vision of the future where communities and their ecosystems are healthy and resilient in the face of sudden or prolonged change. A vision of resilient communities guides NOAA and its partners in a collective effort to reduce the vulnerability of communities and ecological systems in the short-term, while helping society avoid or adapt to potential long-term environmental, social, and economic changes. To achieve this vision NOAA strives to understand current Earth system conditions, project future changes, and help people make informed decisions that reduce their vulnerability to environmental hazards and stresses that emerge over time, while at the same time increase their ability to cope with them (NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan, 2010). To make the best social, economic, and environmental decisions, individuals should have the ability to understand scientific processes, consider uncertainty, and reason about the ways that human and natural systems interact (NOAA's Education Strategic Plan, 2015-2035). Therefore, education plays a critical role in achieving NOAA’s mission and vision.

Many U.S. communities are contending with issues related to preventing, withstanding, and recovering from disruptions caused by environmental threats and vulnerabilities (U.S.

Department of Commerce FY2014-FY2018 Strategic Plan). These threats and vulnerabilities include but are not limited to severe storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, heavy precipitation events, persistent drought, heat waves, increased global temperatures, acidification of the ocean, and sea level rise (Weather-ready Nation: NOAA’s National Weather Service Strategic Plan 2011; The Third National Climate Assessment, 2014).

Preparing for and responding effectively to present and future environmental challenges enhances the resilience of communities. A recent report from the National Academies states that, “[to] create a culture of resilience, public education and communication are important to help shift the way that Americans perceive themselves in relation to disasters and ensure that the lessons learned from our history with disasters stay active in the public’s

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 5 of 34 consciousness.” (National Academies, 2012, p. 136). Strengthening connections between community resilience initiatives and education efforts is key to ensuring that local communities make informed decisions to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant environmental hazards and stresses, with minimum damage to social well-being, the economy, and the environment (The Third National Climate Assessment, 2014).

Building these connections will be the emphasis of the Environmental Literacy Grants for the next several years.

The goal of this Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is to strengthen the public’s and/or K- 12 students’ environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards.

2. Description of Project Activities

Projects should build the environmental literacy necessary for community resilience by focusing on geographic awareness and an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community’s location. In order for communities to become more resilient, their members must have the ability to reason about the ways that human and natural systems function and interact; to understand the scientific process and uncertainty; to reason about the ways that people and places are connected to each other across time and space; and to weigh the potential impacts of their decisions systematically.

Projects will be firmly based on the established scientific evidence about current and future natural hazards and stresses facing communities and consider socio-economic and ecological factors. Projects should also (1) leverage and incorporate relevant state and local hazard mitigation and/or adaptation plans and (2) collaborate with institutions that are involved in efforts to develop or implement those plans. Projects may focus on a single type of environmental hazard or a range of hazards that may impact a community or communities.

NOAA will consider funding a wide range of project types, but all projects must actively engage participants in learning and addressing real-world issues. In addition, projects must utilize NOAA’s vast scientific data, data access tools, data visualizations, and/or other physical and intellectual assets available on these topics. In order to facilitate the use of NOAA’s assets, projects are strongly encouraged to partner with relevant NOAA entities (offices, programs, etc.) and/or NOAA employees and affiliates. NOAA's education website (www.education.noaa.gov) and an additional list of relevant assets (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/resilience_assets.html) provide links to NOAA datasets, potential NOAA partners, and other resilience-related assets from federal and non-federal organizations.

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 6 of 34

Project topics must relate to NOAA's mission in at least one of the areas of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences and stewardship and should focus on one or more of the goals of NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan (http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/goals/):

healthy oceans; weather-ready nation; climate adaptation and mitigation; and resilient coastal communities and economies.

Projects must be implemented within the United States and its territories. They may be implemented on local to regional scales. The project description should include a justification of the proposed geographic scale of a project and discussion of the project components that might be applicable to projects in other places.

Applications that propose the expansion or enhancement of a previously funded project that meets the requirements of this funding opportunity are eligible. However, the applicants must explicitly demonstrate the significant accomplishments of the previous award and how the proposed project will significantly improve, and/or build on the previous award.

Also, projects should consider engaging with local community foundations on resilience projects. Community foundations often serve as conveners for local and diverse stakeholders issues. You may find this community foundation locator useful:

http://www.cof.org/community-foundation-locator.

NOAA offers other funding opportunities for resilience projects through the Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants (http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/funding/coastalresiliency.html) and the Regional Coastal Resilience Grant Program (https://coast.noaa.gov/resilience-grant/).

Please consult the guidelines for these competitions as your project may be better aligned to these funding opportunities.

3. Target Audiences

The target audiences for this funding opportunity are: the broader public, K-12 students, and may also include informal educators (including interpreters and docents) and formal educators (pre- or in-service, and including school administrators). Higher education students and professionals working in the area of community resilience are not a target audience for this funding opportunity. Projects focused on engaging public audiences should involve individuals who represent multiple sectors of society.

There is an interest in projects that reach groups from under-served communities, which are often the most vulnerable to the risks associated with extreme weather events and

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 7 of 34 environmental change (Kersten et al., 2012).

4. Project Evaluation

Project descriptions should include robust evaluation plans. Evaluation plans should include measurement of the project’s progress towards meeting the project goals and objectives as well as the goal of this funding program. Plans for formative and summative project evaluations should be well constructed and should use best practices for evaluating the type of project. Discussion of both formative and summative evaluations should be included in the project description and in the budget section. Project evaluation should include assessment of changes in the target audiences' attitudes, knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors as a result of the activities undertaken. The impact of the proposed project on the target audiences must be measurable during the award period. Particularly when dealing with vulnerable populations, the evaluation should reflect practices of cultural competence (http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=92). Potential impacts of the project beyond the award period should be described. During the award period, reports of both outputs and outcomes for a project will be expected. Projects should be based on an existing front-end evaluation/needs assessment and there should be a description of that needs assessment in the project description. Applicants are encouraged to provide a logic model or theory of change for their proposed project.

Project evaluation should be handled by external professional evaluators or by internal staff who have significant experience with each type of evaluation and are not otherwise substantively involved with the project. Applicants should include funding for project evaluation in their budgets. While the costs for project evaluation may vary considerably, 10 to 20 percent of the total budget is a reasonable estimate of costs associated with a comprehensive project evaluation.

To further inform the broad fields of K-12 and informal science education about what was learned from the project, applicants are encouraged to develop appropriate project dissemination strategies. Project teams are encouraged to engage their peers in active discussion of relevant best practices. This may or may not be best accomplished by attending and presenting at annual meetings of professional societies. Principal Investigators (PIs) must provide summative project evaluation reports to NOAA. If applicable, PIs may also post evaluation reports to www.informalscience.org and include any resulting instructional products and materials in the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Science and Math Informal Learning Educators (SMILE) Pathway (www.howtosmile.org).

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 8 of 34

5. Awards Dates and Mission Goal

NOAA anticipates that awards funded under this announcement during this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2016 and that the projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2016. Note: Links to helpful information for applying to this announcement is available at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html#page=funding.

This FFO meets NOAA's four Mission Goals: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Weather- Ready Nation, Healthy Oceans, and Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies (www.ppi.noaa.gov/ngsp/goals/).

6. Definitions

Environmental Data: Environmental data are defined as recorded and derived observations and measurements of the physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical properties and conditions of the oceans, atmosphere, space environment, sun, and solid earth, as well as correlative data, such as socio-economic data, related documentation, and metadata. Data and information collected as part of the project evaluation are not considered environmental data and information.

NOAA Assets: Resources, services, or sites that are used to support NOAA's mission and to communicate NOAA research, data, information, and knowledge to the public. These include education materials and programs, datasets and visualizations, subject matter experts, facilities, and managed natural resource areas. A partial listing of NOAA assets can be found at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/resilience_assets.html. A summary of NOAA programs and activities sorted by the state or territory in which they are based or focused is available at: www.legislative.noaa.gov/NIYS/. A summary of NOAA resources in various regions of the country is available at:

www.education.noaa.gov/Special_Topics/NOAA_in_Your_Backyard.html. NOAA assets incorporated into education materials can be found at www.education.noaa.gov.

Outcomes: The changes that show movement toward achieving ultimate goals and objectives

- e.g., the number of persons who, as a result of their participation in a project, demonstrate changes in: awareness and knowledge of specific concepts and/or issues; interest in and/or attitudes toward certain issues, careers, or courses of action; and behavior or skills.

Outcomes may be changes that occur in the short term (e.g., knowledge, attitudes, skills and aspirations); medium term (e.g., practices and behaviors); or long term (e.g., social, Federal Funding Opportunity Page 9 of 34 economic, and environmental conditions). (Source: adapted from the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (p.35, http://informalscience.org/documents/Eval_Framework.pdf).)

Outputs: The immediate results of an action (e.g., services, events, and products) that document the extent of implementation of a particular activity. They are typically expressed numerically - e.g., the number of educators involved in a capacity-building project or the number of professional development workshops held. (Source: adapted from the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (p.35, http://informalscience.org/documents/Eval_Framework.pdf).)

Resilience: The capacity of a community, business, or natural environment to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption. (U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, 2014, http://toolkit.climate.gov/get-started/overview)

7. References

American Evaluation Association. (2011). Public Statement on Cultural Competence in Evaluation. Fairhaven, MA: Author. URL: http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=92.

Friedman, A. (Ed.). (2008). Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects. URL: http://informalscience.org/documents/Eval_Framework.pdf.

Kersten, E., Morello-Frosch, R., Pastor, M., Ramos, M., 2012. Facing the Climate Gap: How Environmental Justice Communities Are Leading the Way to a More Sustainable and Equitable California. Program for Environmental and Regional Equity. University of Southern California. URL: http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/facingtheclimategap/

Melillo, Jerry M., Terese (T.C.) Richmond, and Gary W. Yohe, Eds., 2014: Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program. URL: http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA in Your Backyard. [online] URL: http://www.education.noaa.gov/Special_Topics/NOAA_in_Your_Backyard.html

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2015). Education Strategic Plan 2015- 2035. URL: http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/leadership/edcouncil/education_plan.html

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2011). Weather-ready Nation: NOAA’s National Weather Service Strategic Plan 2011. URL:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/files/strategic_plan.pdf

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2010). Next Generation Strategic Plan.

URL: http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/NOAA_NGSP.pdf

National Research Council. (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. P. Bell, B.

Lewenstein, A.W. Shouse, and M.A. Feder (Eds.). Board on Science Education, Center for Education. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K- 12 Science Education Standards. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

National Research Council. (2012). Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

U.S. Department of Commerce. (2014). FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. URL:

https://www.commerce.gov/sites/commerce.gov/files/media/files/2014/doc_fy2014- 2018_strategic_plan.pdf.

B. Program Priorities

Refer to I.A., Program Objective. There are no other program priorities.

C. Program Authority

Authority for this program is provided by the following: 33 USC 893a, as amended by the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010 ("America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010"), Pub. L. 111-358, § 302.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 11 of 34

NOAA anticipates the availability of approximately $2,000,000 of total Federal financial assistance in FY 2016 for this solicitation. Approximately 4 to 8 projects will be funded in the form of cooperative agreements in FY 2016. NOAA reserves the right to hold over a subset of applications that do not receive funding in FY 2016 for consideration in FY 2017.

During the next few years of Environmental Literacy Grant competitions, NOAA’s Office of Education plans to focus on building the environmental literacy necessary for community resilience.

Proposed projects must be between 2 and 5 years in duration and have total federal requests of $250,000 to $500,000 for all years of the project. It is anticipated that awards funded under this announcement this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2016 and that the projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2016.

The total Federal amount requested from NOAA for each project must be no less than $250,000 and no more than $500,000 for all years of the project, including direct and indirect costs. Any project requesting total Federal support from NOAA of less than $250,000 or more than $500,000 total for all years will not be considered for funding.

The combined total budget request should not include any funding that would support NOAA partners in the project, including the personnel involved and the activities and tasks that they will undertake. Any costs associated with these activities that go beyond in-kind support will be handled internally by the Office of Education; these costs may not exceed 10% of the total federal request for the proposed project. See Section IV.B.1(f) for details regarding how to document potential NOAA costs.

The amount of funding available through this announcement will be dependent upon final FY 2016 and FY 2017 budgetary decisions. Publication of this notice does not obligate DOC/NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement from an authorized NOAA Grants Officer, the applicant does so solely at his/her own risk of such costs not being included under the award. Pre-award costs are not allowed under the award unless approved by the NOAA Grants Officer in accordance with 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.308(d) and 200.458. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives.

Applications to renew or supplement existing awards will not be accepted. Multi-year funding may be considered for programs or long-term awards where funding for the subsequent year(s) is anticipated but not provided at the time the initial award is approved

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 12 of 34 and where the estimated budget for future funding periods can be forecast with some degree of reliability.

B. Project/Award Period

Applications must cover a project period of two to five years to be eligible for merit review. Start dates can be October 1, 2016 or later. Applicants selected to receive funding may be asked to modify the project start date.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Applications selected for funding will be funded through cooperative agreements under the terms of this notice. Applications funded through cooperative agreements will include substantial involvement of the Federal government which may include, but is not limited to, liaison activities between the grantee and NOAA personnel who are contributing data or expertise to the project.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to institutions of higher education; other nonprofits, including informal education institutions such as museums, zoos, and aquariums; K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; and state, local and Indian tribal governments in the United States. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply.

There are no eligibility restrictions on institutions that are serving as project partners but are not submitting an application. These partners can receive a portion of the funding through sub-awards or, for NOAA partners, through direct support from the Office of Education.

Note: Although NOAA programs and offices can receive a small amount of support from the Office of Education to facilitate their involvement with the project, the principal benefit of the project cannot be to support NOAA (see Section II.A. and Section IV.B.1(f)).

It is strongly encouraged that an individual serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on only one application submitted to this funding opportunity. Institutions may submit more than one distinct application and individuals may serve as co-PIs or key personnel on more than one application. Federal employees may not serve as PIs or co-PIs on any application, although they may be included as key personnel.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

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There is no cost share requirement.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Eligibility See sections IV. B. and D. below.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Application packages are available through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov).

Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system prior to submitting an application.

This registration process can take several weeks and involves multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time for this process, applicants should register as soon as they decide they intend to apply, even if they are not yet ready to submit their applications. Also, even if an applicant has registered with Grants.gov previously, the applicant's password may have expired or their System for Award Management (SAM) registration (formerly Central Contractor Registration [CCR]) may need to be renewed or updated prior to submitting to Grants.gov. (Note that your CCR username will not work in SAM; you must create a new SAM User Account to renew or update your registration.) Grants.gov will not accept submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials are incorrect.

Authorizations and credential corrections can take several days to establish. Please plan accordingly to avoid late submissions. For further information please visit the SAM web portal (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/).

Each applicant must be registered in Grants.gov. If any applicant has problems downloading the application forms from Grants.gov or uploading the application into the Grants.gov system, they should contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

PLEASE NOTE: For a list of software applications that allow you to successfully navigate the Grants.gov pages and complete your application visit http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html.

B. Content and Form of Application

Each applicant must submit an application through Grants.gov. Failure of an applicant to submit an application before the deadline will result in the project not being merit reviewed or receiving any additional consideration. See the Office of Education's frequently asked questions site: www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/faq_page.html for additional guidance during the preparation of applications.

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Collaborative applications will not be funded through this announcement; rather projects will be supported through a single award to an institution that may include sub-awards to project partners.

1. Format Requirements

The page margin on standard letter-size paper should be one inch (2.5 cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right. All pages should be numbered. The typeface should be standard 11-point size or larger and must be clear and easily legible. Color or high-resolution graphics, unusually sized materials, or otherwise unusual materials submitted as part of the application are allowed, but should be employed only when necessary for adequate description of the proposed project. All narrative sections of the application should be single spaced and consist of the elements described in Section IV.B.1. Do not submit scanned documents, other than letters of commitment.

2. Content Requirements

An application must include all elements (a) through (i) below; elements (j) and (k) are optional. Failure to provide this information in the required form and within prescribed page limits will result in the application being excluded from further review. Any non-requested elements submitted as part of an application package will be removed from the application prior to merit review.

As there are many required elements of an application, it is recommended that you develop and use an application checklist of your own or the one we provide on our templates page (www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/application_templates.html).

(a) Required Forms. At the time of application submission, applicants must submit the following forms with signatures of the Authorized Representative of the submitting institution. (Note: submission through Grants.gov results in automatic electronic signatures on these forms.):

(i) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

(ii) SF-424-A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs

(iii) SF-424-B, Assurances, Non-Construction Programs

(iv) CD-511, Certifications Regarding Lobbying

(v) SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (only if applicable; see instructions on form); only the versions of these forms available in Grants.gov are acceptable.

(b) Title Page. Please use the title page template available at

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 15 of 34 www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/application_templates.html. Whether or not the title page template is used, a title page must be submitted and contain all of the following elements:

(i) the funding opportunity name and number to which you are applying;

(ii) the project's title;

(iii) the Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PI names, affiliations, complete mailing addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, and fax numbers. The PI listed on the title page should be affiliated with the institution submitting the application;

(iv) the proposed start and end dates for the project;

(v) the requested funding amount;

(vi) the title page should also contain an executive summary of the project that does not exceed 150 words and should be a concise overview of the objectives of the project, the project activities, the location of the project, the expected outcome(s), and the rationale for the work proposed. Please note: project summaries of applications that receive funding may be posted on program-related websites and/or included in notices that NOAA may send to members of Congress.

(c) 15-page Project Description. The project description section must not exceed 15 pages and must follow the requirements in IV.B.1, Content and Form of Applications. Page limits are inclusive of figures and other visual materials, but exclusive of title pages, budget information, references, work plan/milestone chart, data sharing plan, resumes, description of NOAA involvement, current and pending support, and letters of commitment. A template for the project description can be found online at www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/application_templates.html.

The proposed project must be described completely. The project description should clearly describe the project's goals, implementation, and management. It should provide a full justification/rationale for the project. Specifically, this section should include:

(i) The objective(s), expected outputs and outcomes (see definitions in Section I.A.7), and an explanation for how the activities and expected outputs and outcomes support the goal of this funding program and advance NOAA’s mission, as described in section I.A;

(ii) Description of the proposed activities, including: all activities that will be undertaken and/or products that will be created; the need for those products or activities; and the process that will be used to develop and implement all activities and products. Applications should clearly demonstrate how the proposed project is informed by best practices and should cite appropriate literature references that support the proposed approach. Some examples of the literature on best practices can be found at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/elg/resilience_assets.html. Applications should clearly demonstrate how target audiences will be actively engaged in project activities. Examples of

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 16 of 34 active engagement include interactive discussions, deliberations, or investigations about an issue or participation in simulations where different scenarios and solutions are explored;

(iii) A justification of the project's geographic scale and a discussion of the applicability of implementation at larger scales or in multiple locations;

(iv) A discussion of the target audience(s) that specifically identifies whether the audience(s) is (are) K-12, public, or both and whether the proposed project will reach under-served groups;

(v) A description of the project partners’ roles and the coordination among project partners; specifically, highlight any partnerships involving the use of NOAA assets (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/elg/resilience_assets.html). (Note: letters of commitment articulating project partners' roles should be submitted as a separate section of the application. Also, additional details of NOAA involvement are provided in IV.B.1(f) below);

(vi) A description of the qualifications and capabilities of the personnel who will be involved in the project, as well as the institutional profiles and capabilities of the applicant and other partner institutions; include a justification for how the personnel/partnering institution(s) provide both educational and scientific expertise needed to carry out the project;

(vii) A description of how the project will incorporate NOAA data, data access tools, and/or other NOAA assets into the project activities (for a partial listing of NOAA assets, see http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/resilience_assets.html);

(viii) A description of whether or not relevant state and/or local hazard mitigation and/or adaptation plans exist for the project area, and if so, how the project will leverage and incorporate these plans into the proposed project; also include a discussion of how the project team will collaborate with institutions that are involved in efforts to develop or implement such plans;

(ix) A description of how the project activities will be evaluated for their effectiveness in meeting stated project goals and objectives as well as the goal of this funding opportunity.

Also discuss who will carry out the evaluation, and, if the evaluator is part of the applicant institution, verify that he/she is not otherwise substantively involved in the project. See Section I.A.4 for further guidance on project evaluation;

(x) A description of how project results will be disseminated beyond the audience

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 17 of 34 immediately involved in the activities of the project and how awareness and use of NOAA resources will increase;

(d) Proposed Work Plan/Milestone Chart. In a chronological fashion, indicate the tasks to be completed by the applicant and other project partners, including specific project deliverables.

Provide a timeline of major tasks and potential outcomes covering the duration of the proposed project, including project evaluation. The tasks should relate both to the budget and to the intended deliverables or activities. There is no page limit for this element.

(e) Brief Resumes. For all Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Principal Investigators (co- PIs) listed on the applicants title page, provide resumes of no more than 3 pages per person that include a list of professional and academic credentials. Resumes of additional key personnel from applicant institutions and project partners are optional but recommended, as this will help reviewers to assess the applicants' qualifications.

(f) Description of NOAA Involvement in Project. Describe the involvement of any NOAA partners in the project, including the personnel involved and the activities and tasks that they will undertake. Include a description of any costs associated with those activities that go beyond in-kind support from their NOAA office and will require financial support from the Office of Education. These costs cannot exceed 10% of the total federal request for the proposed project. The description of these costs should provide enough detail to allow the Office of Education staff and the review panel to evaluate the reasonableness and appropriateness of the these costs. Costs can include salaries, travel, equipment, contractual and/or any other costs directly supporting the NOAA project partner(s). These costs should not be included in the Title Page, SF-424, SF-424A, or the project budget table and narrative and do not count toward the budget minimum and maximum described in section II.A, (Funding Availability). If there is no NOAA partner, this must be clearly indicated on a separate page under a heading, "Description of NOAA Involvement in Project". There is no page limit for this element.

(g) Current and Pending Support. Describe all current and pending Federal and non-Federal funding, including application(s) to this funding opportunity, for all PIs and co-PIs listed on the title page. The capability of the designated PIs and co-PIs to complete the proposed work in light of present commitments to other projects must be assessable. Therefore, please list the percentage of time the individuals have committed to other Federal or non-Federal grant-funded projects. If any PI or Co-PI has no current or pending funding, this must be clearly indicated on a separate page under a heading "Current and Pending Support". There is no page limit for this element. A template for summarizing Current and Pending Support can be found online at www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/application_templates.html.

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 18 of 34

(h) Budget. Applications must include a budget that contains both a detailed table and a narrative, in addition to the required official budget form (SF-424A). Both the table and the narrative should use the same categories as shown on the SF-424A form.

The budget section of the application should provide enough detail to allow Office of Education staff and the review panel to evaluate the level of effort proposed by investigators and staff on the project. The budget must include all applicant expenses anticipated in order to realistically describe for reviewers what resources will be necessary to carry out the project. The budget must provide a year-by-year breakdown using the same costs categories of the SF424A. When appropriate, the narrative and table must provide details on:

- Personnel salaries and fringe benefits (specifying the salary plus the percent of time and/or number of months devoted to the project for every individual to be paid by the project).

- Travel including per person and per trip costs for transportation, lodging, and meals.

Applicants should request funding to allow the PI(s) to attend PI conferences every year during the life of the award. Travel costs may be charged on an actual cost basis, on a per diem, or mileage basis in lieu of actual costs incurred, or on a combination of the two, provided the method used is applied to an entire trip and not to selected days of the trip, and results in charges consistent with those normally allowed in like circumstances in the non- Federal entity's non-federally-funded activities and in accordance with non-Federal entity's written travel reimbursement policies. In the absence of an acceptable, written non-Federal entity policy regarding travel costs, the rates and amounts established under 5 U.S.C. 5701- 11, (“Travel and Subsistence Expenses; Mileage Allowances”), or by the Administrator of General Services, or by the President (or his or her designee) pursuant to any provisions of such subchapter must apply to travel under Federal awards (48 C.F.R. 31.205-46(a)) Federal travel per diem rates: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104877.

- Equipment and supplies, if applicable. See 2 C.F.R. §200.313 and See 2 C.F.R.

§200.314 for additional guidance on equipment and supplies costs.

- Contractual costs, such as anticipated sub-awards. If sub-contracts or sub-awards will be made to project partners or others, the same amount of budget detail provided for the applicant institution's activities (broken down by the categories shown on the SF-424A form) should be provided for each sub-award. If any portion of the project will be conducted through consultants, subcontracts and/or sub-awards, you must follow the requirements set out at 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.330 through 200.332, as applicable. If you select a consultant, Federal Funding Opportunity Page 19 of 34 subcontractor and/or sub-awardee prior to submitting an application, indicate the process that you used for selection and provide a statement of his/her qualifications or background.

- Other costs, including printing, publications, evaluations, and communication expenses.

- Indirect costs, if applicable. As defined at 2 C.F.R. § 200.56, indirect costs, which are sometimes referred to as facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, are those costs incurred for common or joint purpose benefitting more than one cost objective, and not readily assignable to the cost objectives specifically benefitting without effort disproportionate to the results achieved. Indirect costs may include costs for basic operational functions, including lights, water, and insurance. If indirect costs are included, the negotiated rate must be requested, and the application must include a copy of the current, approved, negotiated indirect cost agreement with the Federal Government. Indirect-cost-rate-agreement documentation is not required for sub-awardees, however indirect cost rates at the negotiated levels should be paid by the primary awardee.

Under 2 C.F.R. § 200.414 “Indirect (F&A) Costs,” any applicant that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs which may be used indefinitely. Costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.403 “Factors affecting allowability of costs.” If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a cooperator chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-Federal entity may apply to do at any time.

In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f), if an applicant has not previously established an indirect cost rate with a Federal agency, s/he may choose to negotiate a rate with the Department of Commerce. The negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions Section B.06. The NOAA contact for indirect or facilities and administrative costs is:

Lamar Revis, Grants Officer NOAA Grants Management Division 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 lamar.revis@noaa.gov

Applicants should include funding for project evaluation in their budgets. While the costs for

Federal Funding Opportunity Page 20 of 34 project evaluation may vary considerably, 10 to 20 percent of the total budget is a reasonable estimate of costs associated with a comprehensive project evaluation.

If appropriate, include in the budget narrative a description of any in-kind resources or equipment that will be provided to support this project.

See http://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/docs/budget_narrative_guidance-04.09.2015.pdf for guidance from NOAA’s Grants Management Division regarding the budget narrative details.

See www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg/application_templates.html for a budget narrative template and model and a budget table model.

There is no page limit for this element.

(i) Data Sharing Plan. Environmental data and information, collected and/or created under NOAA grants/cooperative agreements must be made visible, accessible, and independently understandable to general users, free of charge or at minimal cost, in a timely manner (typically no later than two (2) years after the data are collected or created), except where limited by law, regulation, policy or by security requirements.