NOFA.DLCC-LCPD.FINAL.12-17-2014.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Applications

Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.670

Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) is an applied science and conservation partnership that supports the strategic, science-based conservation of natural and cultural resources in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts and the montane "sky islands" within this region in the U.S. and Mexico. For a map of the Desert LCC geographic area, visit:

http://www.usbr.gov/dlcc/resources/map.cfm. On behalf of the Desert LCC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting proposals for applied scientific work to inform resource management decisions that address landscape-scale stressors, as described below.

The Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative is embarking on a Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning and Design project that will:

• produce spatially explicit data and information about focal resources, chosen by the Desert LCC members;

• seek to understand the effects of climate change and other landscape stressors on natural resources;

• integrate social and economic information to understand what these resources might look like in the future; and

• result in collaborative adaptation responses that are useful and implementable by our partners.

The Desert LCC is developing an ecosystem stewardship approach to landscape conservation planning and design, integrating ecological sustainability as a basis for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Working with a broad spectrum of organizations representing a diversity of perspectives and interests requires a well-paced, transparent process that will allow us to build the capacity and tools that enhance the ability of our partners to make flexible, “no-regrets” decisions in keeping with a long-term perspective that incorporates landscape conservation design. Our approach emphasizes trans-disciplinary processes by defining the science and products we need to achieve our mission and goals, including spatially explicit decision support tools (e.g., Desert LCC Conservation Planning Atlas; http://dlcc.databasin.org) and investing in landscape conservation planning and design strategies. The Desert LCC is focused on continuing to build the trust, relationships, processes, capacity, and tools necessary to create a foundation that can lead to effective landscape conservation designs by using integrative approaches that encourage knowledge exchange and solutions to emerge.

The Desert LCC Steering Committee has decided to focus this project on three focal ecosystem types within our geographic area: arid grasslands and shrublands; streams and rivers, including aquatic and riparian components; and springs, including aquatic and riparian components.

http://www.usbr.gov/dlcc/resources/map.cfm http://dlcc.databasin.org/

Overall, this project will bring together the information, tools, and methodologies available for landscape conservation design and the development of climate adaptation strategies for focal areas representative of these ecosystem types. We will engage interested parties in determining design priorities, compiling and curating existing resources, determining what additional information, tools, or resources are needed, and developing plans for 2-3 pilot landscape conservation designs within the Desert LCC geographic area.

The successful applicant (Cooperator) to this funding opportunity will work in cooperation with the Desert LCC Science Coordinator (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), other Desert LCC staff, Steering Committee, and other Desert LCC members and will fulfill roles required to implement phases 2-3 of the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative’s Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning & Design Draft Implementation Plan, 2014-2016, Version 1.1, December 15, 2014 (Draft Implementation Plan, Attachment #1) (see associated application materials).

These roles are described below and in additional detail in the Draft Implementation Plan, and include, but not necessarily limited to:

1. Project management. The project manager should have significant expertise in landscape ecology and/or complex spatial analysis and modelling relevant to priority ecosystems in the Desert LCC geography. Expertise in human dimensions of conservation is also highly relevant to this project. The project manager will be the key contact responsible for timely implementation of all aspects of the project under this cooperative agreement and communication on progress with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project officer (Desert LCC Science Coordinator).

2. Coordination with the Bureau of Land Management to integrate information from their Rapid Ecoregional Assessments within the Desert LCC into the Desert LCC Conservation Planning Atlas (http://dlcc.databasin.org). This will also include working with Bureau of Land Management staff to develop trainings for Desert LCC members on interpreting and using the Rapid Ecoregional Assessment data in the Conservation Planning Atlas. Within the Desert LCC region, the Bureau of Land Management has completed two Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (Mojave Basin and Range, Sonoran Desert), will complete an additional in 2014 (Madrean Archipelago), and a fourth (Chihuahuan Desert) in 2015. The Rapid Ecoregional Assessments look across an ecoregion to examine regionally conservation elements and gauge potential of these elements to be affected by four environmental change agents: climate change, wildfire, development and invasive species. The Desert LCC, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, is introducing the Rapid Ecoregional Assessments to a wide variety of partners and integrating that information with other existing resources, tools, and methodologies to identify shared conservation priorities and associated goals and objectives.

3. GIS support for data compilation, processing and analysis. GIS data compilation support includes locate, pre-process, and load GIS data into the Desert LCC platforms ScienceBase (http://www.sciencebase.gov) and the Conservation Planning Atlas. Data sources include the Rapid Ecoregional Assessments mentioned above as well as other relevant data from U.S. and Mexico data providers including but not limited to states, universities, non-governmental organizations, Western Governors Association Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Sonoran Joint Venture, Rio Grande Joint Venture, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático, Comision Nacional para el Conocimiento y uso de la Biodiversidad, Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, and others (see Appendix D of the Draft Implementation Plan for additional details). GIS data processing support includes preparing or creating data and metadata as needed for upload according to ScienceBase and Conservation Planning Atlas format specifications. GIS analysis support includes running geospatial analyses and reporting results for stakeholder input sessions and the final report product.

4. Planning and logistical support for 3 workshops, and related pre- and post-workshop webinars in 2015, as described in the Draft Implementation Plan. Proposal should include approximately $10,000 for travel assistance for participants at each of the three workshops ($30,000 total). The Cooperator will work with the Desert LCC staff to determine eligibility for travel assistance. Proposal should also include simultaneous translation for one of the workshops, to be held in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

5. Communications. Proposal should include the writing of 6 articles summarizing the progress and results of the project at regular intervals suitable for publication in Desert LCC newsletters and outreach materials. Specific topics of each article will be determined in coordination with the Desert LCC Science Coordinator and other staff.

Additional information about this project can be found in the Draft Implementation Plan.

Proposals submitted to this opportunity should closely follow the Draft Implementation Plan and describe how the applicant will work with the Desert LCC staff, Steering Committee, working groups and teams to further develop, finalize, and implement the plan. All Desert LCC working groups and teams, along with additional partners, will provide input to the Landscape Conservation Planning & Design process. The Desert LCC Steering Committee will provide significant guidance and communicate key decisions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project officer (Desert LCC Science Coordinator) throughout the process to advance implementation by the Cooperator. Specifically, the Cooperator will be instrumental in implementing phases 2-3 of the Desert LCC Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning and Design project as in the Draft Implementation Plan.

Deliverables:

1. Final version of the Desert LCC Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning and Design Implementation Plan. The Draft Implementation Plan, version 1.1, dated December 15, 2014, incorporates feedback and input from the Desert LCC Steering Committee, working groups, and teams. Specifically, this version clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the Desert LCC Steering Committee, working groups, and teams.

Other comments are summarized in Appendix F. The Project Manager hired under this request for proposals will be responsible for leading efforts to finalize the implementation plan, including full consideration and integration of the comments summarized in Appendix F.

2. Series of workshops and webinars as described in the Draft Implementation Plan.

3. Spatial data and analysis and compilation of other information in ScienceBase.gov and the DLCC Conservation Planning Atlas as described in the Draft Implementation Plan.

4. Plans for 2-3 pilot Landscape Conservation Designs to be developed in 2017-2018 (i.e., implementation of phases 5-7).

5. Six articles that summarizing the progress and results of the project at regular intervals in

2015-2016 suitable for publication in Desert LCC newsletters and outreach materials.

Specific topics of each article will be determined in coordination with the Desert LCC Science Coordinator and other DLCC staff.

6. A final report summarizing the results of the Desert LCC’s Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning and Design phases 2-3 as described above and in the Draft Implementation Plan. The proposal should include additional details as to what will be included in the report.

7. A two-page summary of the report and outcomes suitable for wildlife and natural resource managers.

8. A Desert LCC-hosted webinar to convey the results of the project.

Relative to these deliverables, the Cooperator will:

1. Meet all delivery dates and milestones jointly agreed upon with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .

2. Ensure that geodatabases and spatial data produced in the course of this research follow the data quality standards developed by Desert LCC GIS working group.

3. Complete geospatial metadata following the North American Profile of the ISO 19115 (http://www.fgdc.gov/nap/metadata).

9. The Cooperator’s deliverables are subject to the following guidelines:

a. All written deliverables will be produced in Microsoft Office v2007/2010 software applications.

b. All mapping deliverables will be ArcGIS 10.x compliant files.

c. All deliverables will be in both hard copy and electronic 508-compliant format.

d. All deliverables will arrive, as electronic media on an external USB drive large enough to contain all data, at the Desert LCC Science Coordinator’s office no later than the last day specified in the due date along with a transmittal letter on the Cooperator’s letterhead describing the contents.

Authorization: The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16U.S.C. 742a-742j, not including 742 d-1;

Stat. 1119, as amended; Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, as amended (16 U.S.C. 703-712).;

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; 94 Stat. 1322); The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-57); Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 87 Stat. 884).

II. Award Information To accomplish the work described above and in the Draft Implementation Plan, 2014-2016, Version 1.1, December 11, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will grant one award up to $270,000 in the form of a cooperative agreement.

http://www.fgdc.gov/nap/metadata

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be substantially involved in the project described in this funding opportunity. In particular, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ’s Desert LCC Science Coordinator will be responsible for working with the Cooperator to plan, develop, and implement each phase of the project and review and approve the products and outcomes before moving onto the next phase. Substantial involvement in this project by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other Desert LCC staff, and Desert LCC members is described in additional detail in the Draft Implementation Plan.

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements Eligible Applicants:

All potential applicants are eligible for funding under this announcement. U.S. non-profit, non-governmental organizations must provide a copy of their Section 501(c) (3) or (4) status determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service.

Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a valid Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). See Title 2of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 25 for more information. Exemptions: The SAM registration requirement does not apply to individuals submitting an application on their own behalf and not on behalf of a company or other for-profit entity, state, local or Tribal government, academia or other type of organization.

A. DUNS Registration

Request a DUNS number online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. U.S.-based entities may also request a DUNS number by telephone by calling the Dun & Bradstreet Government Customer Response Center, Monday – Friday, 7 AM to 8 PM CST at the following numbers:

U.S. and U.S Virgin Islands: 1-866-705-5711 Alaska and Puerto Rico: 1-800-234-3867 (Select Option 2, then Option 1) For Hearing Impaired Customers Only call: 1-877-807-1679 (TTY Line)

Once assigned a DUNS number, entities are responsible for maintaining up-to-date information with Dun & Bradstreet.

B. Entity Registration in SAM

Register in SAM online at http://www.sam.gov/. Once registered in SAM, entities must renew and revalidate their SAM registration at least every 12 months from the date previously registered. Entities are strongly urged to revalidate their registration as often as needed to ensure that their information is up to date and in synch with changes that may have been made to DUNS and IRS information. Foreign entities who wish to be paid directly to a United States bank account must enter and maintain valid and current banking information in

SAM.

C. Excluded Entities

Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.sam.gov/ certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program.

D. Cost Sharing or Matching:

Cost share is not required.

IV. Application Requirements To be considered for funding under this funding opportunity, an application must contain:

A. A completed, signed and dated Application for Federal Assistance form and Standard Forms

(SF): SF-424, SF-424a, and SF-424b. Individuals applying on their own (unrelated to any business or non-profit organization s/he may own or operate in her/his own name) must use the SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance-Individual form (http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=12). All other applicants to discretionary programs and for single source awards must use the SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance form (http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). Do not include other Federal sources of funding, requested or approved, in the total entered in the “Federal” funding box on the Application for Federal Assistance form. Enter only the amount being requested under this program in the “Federal” funding box. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the total funding entered in the “Other” box.

B. Project Summary Briefly summarize the project, in one page or less. Include the title of the project and a brief overview of the need for the project. Goal(s), objectives, specific project activities, anticipated outputs and outcomes can also be included in this section.

C. Project Narrative

1. Statement of Need: Building on the existing Draft Implementation Plan, describe why this project is necessary (significance/value) and include supporting information.

Summarize previous or on-going efforts (of you/your organization, and other organizations or individuals) that are relevant to the proposed work. Explain the successes or failures of past efforts and how your proposed project builds on them. If you have received funding previously (from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or any other donor) for this specific project work or site, provide a summary of the funding, associated activities and products/outcomes.

2. Project Goals and Objectives: Building on the existing Draft Implementation Plan, state the long-term, overarching goal(s) of the program/project. State the objectives of the project. Objectives are the specific outcomes to be accomplished in order to reach the stated goal(s). The project objectives must be specific, measurable, and realistic (attainable within the project’s proposed project period). Specific emphasis should be given to how human dimensions of conservation and ecosystem services will be integrated into this project by building on the existing Draft Implementation Plan.

3. Project Activities, Methods, and Timetable: Building on the existing Draft

Implementation Plan, list the proposed project activities and describe how they relate to http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=12 http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 the stated objectives. Activities are the specific actions to be undertaken to fulfill the project objectives and reach the project goal(s). The proposed project activities narrative must be detailed enough for reviewers to make a clear connection between the activities and the proposed project costs. For projects being conducted within the United States, the narrative must provide enough detail so that reviewers are able to determine project compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. For projects being conducted on the high seas, the narrative should provide enough detail so that reviewers are able to determine project compliance with Section 7 of Endangered Species Act. Provide a detailed description of the method(s) to be used to carry out each activity.

Provide a timetable indicating roughly when activities or project milestones are to be accomplished. Include any resulting tables, spreadsheets or flow charts within the body of the project narrative (do not include as separate attachments). The timetable should not propose specific dates but instead group activities by month for each month over the entire proposed project period.

4. Stakeholder Coordination/Involvement: As applicable, describe how you/your organization has coordinated with and involved other relevant organizations or individuals in planning the project, and detail if/how they will be involved in conducting project activities, disseminating project results and/or incorporating your results/products into their activities.

5. Description of Entities Undertaking the Project: Provide a brief description of the applicant organization and all participating entities and/or individuals. Identify which of the proposed activities each agency, organization, group, or individual is responsible for conducting or managing. Provide complete contact information for the individual within the organization that will oversee/manage the project activities on a day-to-day basis. If eligibility for funding is based in whole or in part on the qualifications of key personnel, provide for each key person a brief (1-2 pages) but descriptive overview of their education, experience and other skills that make them qualified to carry out the proposed project. To prevent unnecessary transmission of Personally Identifiable Information, do not include Social Security numbers, the names of family members, or any other personal or sensitive information including marital status, religion or physical characteristics on the description of key personnel qualifications.

6. Literature Cited

D. Budget Form

Complete the Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF 424A) or Budget Information for Construction Programs (SF 424C) form. Use the SF 424A if your project does not include construction and the SF 424C if the project includes construction or land acquisition. The budget forms are available online at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15. When developing your budget, keep in mind that financial assistance awards and subawards are subject to the cost principles in the following Federal regulations, as applicable to the recipient organization type:

• 2 CFR Part 220, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15

• 2 CFR Part 225, Cost Principles for States and Local Governments

• 2 CFR Part 230, Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations

• 45 CFR Part 74, Appendix E, Principles for Determining Costs Applicable to Research and Development Under Grants and Contracts with Hospitals

• 48 CFR 1, Subpart 31.2, Contracts with Commercial Organizations

Links to the full text of these Federal cost principles are available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/grants/.

Multiple Federal Funding Sources: If the project budget includes multiple Federal funding sources, you must show the funds being requested from this Federal program separately from any other requested/secured Federal sources of funding on the budget form. For example, enter the funds being requested from this Federal program in the first row of the Budget Summary section of the form and then enter funding related to other Federal programs in the subsequent row(s). Be sure to enter each Federal program’s CFDA number in the corresponding fields on the form. The CFDA number for this Federal program appears on the first page of this funding opportunity.

E. Budget Justification In a separate narrative titled “Budget Justification,” explain and justify all requested budget items/costs. Detail how the SF 424 Budget Object Class Category totals were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between costs and the proposed project activities. For personnel salary costs, include the base-line salary figures and the estimates of time (as percentages) to be directly charged to the project. Describe any item that under the applicable Federal Cost Principles requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval and estimate its cost. A budget justification form that you can use has also been added as Attachment #2;

however this format is not required.

Required Indirect Cost Statement: All applicants except individuals applying for funds separate from a business or non-profit organization he/she may operate must include in the budget justification narrative one of the following statements and attach to their application all required documentation as detailed in the following table:

Circumstance: Statement to include in budget narrative:

Other document(s) to attach:

• No indirect cost rate

• Charges all costs directly

Indirect Cost Statement: Our organization does not have an indirect cost rate and will charge all costs directly.

None.

• Is not an individual

• Has an indirect cost rate

• Has an approved

Negotiated Indirect

Indirect Cost Statement: We have an approved NICRA covering part/all of the proposed project period. A copy of that NICRA is attached.

Copy of approved

NICRA.

http://www.fws.gov/grants/

Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) with their Federal cognizant agency covering part/all of the proposed project period

• Is not an individual

• Has an indirect cost rate

• Has established a NICRA in the past, but do not have an approved rate covering part/all of the proposed project period

• May or may not have recently submitted a new NICRA proposal to cognizant agency.

If not, will do so within the required timeframe, in the event an award is made

Indirect Cost Statement: Our indirect cost rate is [insert a description of the rate]. We have established a NICRA in the past but it expired. [Insert one of the following statements: “We submitted a new NICRA proposal to our cognizant agency on [insert date].” OR “In the event an award is made we will submit a NICRA proposal to our cognizant agency immediately and no later than 90 calendar days after the award is made”.

We understand that:

• Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service may approve a budget that includes an estimate of indirect costs based on our stated rate, that approval will be contingent on our establishing a NICRA.

• Recipients without a NICRA are prohibited from charging indirect costs to a Federal award.

• Failure to establish a NICRA during the award period will make all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs under the award unallowable.

• We will not be authorized to transfer any unallowable indirect costs to the amount budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements without the prior written approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We may not shift unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized by legislation.

Copy of most recently expired NICRA and, when applicable, a copy of any NICRA proposal submitted to the cognizant agency that is currently pending approval.

• Is not an individual

• Has an indirect cost

Indirect Cost Statement: Our indirect cost rate is [insert a description of the rate]. We have never established a

None at the time of application. In the event an award is rate

• Has never established a NICRA in the past

• Will submit a NICRA proposal to cognizant agency within the required timeframe, in the event an award is made

NICRA. In the event an award is made we will submit a NICRA proposal to our cognizant agency immediately and no later than 90 calendar days after the award is made. We understand that:

• Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service may approve a budget that includes an estimate of indirect costs based on our stated rate, that approval will be contingent on our establishing a NICRA.

• Recipients without a NICRA are prohibited from charging indirect costs to a Federal award.

• Failure to establish a NICRA during the award period will make all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs under the award unallowable.

• We will not be authorized to transfer any unallowable indirect costs to the amount budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements without the prior written approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We may not shift unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized by legislation.

made, recipient must submit a copy of their approved NICRA before charging indirect costs to the award.

• Is not an individual, state, local or Federally-recognized Indian tribal government

• Has never established a NICRA in the past

• Cannot charge all costs directly

• Will not be able to meet the requirement to submit a NICRA proposal within 90 calendar days after award, in the event an award is made

Indirect Cost Statement: We have never established a NICRA in the past and will not be able to meet the requirement to submit a NICRA proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award, in the event an award is made. In the event an award is made we request as a condition of award to charge a flat indirect cost rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). We understand this rate will apply for the life of the award, including any future extensions for time, and that the rate cannot be changed even if we do establish a NICRA at any point during the award period. We understand that MTDC is defined as all salaries and

None.

wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and subawards and subcontracts up to the first $25,000 of each subaward or subcontract (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards and subcontracts under the award). We understand that MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward and subcontract in excess of $25,000.

Applicants who are individuals applying for funds separate from a business or non-profit organization he/she may operate are not eligible to charge indirect costs to their award. If you are an individual applying for funding, do not include any indirect costs in your proposed budget.

For more information on indirect cost rates, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Indirect Costs and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements guidance document on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/grants/.

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior:

For organizations without a NICRA, you must have an open, active Federal award to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to your cognizant agency. The Federal awarding agency that provides the largest amount of direct funding to your organization is your cognizant agency, unless otherwise assigned by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If the Department of the Interior is your cognizant agency, your indirect cost rate will be negotiated by the Interior Business Center (IBC). For more information, contact the IBC at:

Indirect Cost Services Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center U.S. Department of the Interior 2180 Harvard Street, Suite 430 Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone: 916-566-7111 Email: ics@nbc.gov Internet address: http://www.aqd.nbc.gov/Services/ICS.aspx

F. Statements Regarding A-133 Single Audit Reporting: Following OMB Circular A-133

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/a133/a133_revised_2007.pdf), all U.S. states, local governments, federally-recognized Indian tribal governments, and non-profit organizations expending $500,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in a fiscal year must submit an A-133 Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. All U.S. state, local government, federally-recognized Indian tribal government and non-profit applicants must provide a statement regarding if your organization was/was not required to submit an A-133 Single Audit report for the organization’s most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website (http://harvester.census.gov/sac/). Include these statements at the end of the Project Narrative in a section titled “A-133 Single Audit Reporting Statements”.

G. Assurances

Include the appropriate signed and dated Assurances form available online at http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15. Use the Assurances for Non- Construction Programs (SF 424B) if the project does not involve construction. Use the Assurances for Construction Programs (SF 424D) if the project does involve construction or land acquisition. Signing this form does not mean that all items on the form are applicable.

The form contains language that states that some of the assurances may not be applicable to your organization and/or your project or program.

H. Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities:

Under Title 31 of the United States Code, Section 1352, an applicant or recipient must not use any federally appropriated funds (both annually appropriated and continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a grant or cooperative agreement award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is defined as influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress connection with the award. Submission of an application also represents the applicant’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If you/your organization have/has made or agrees to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with this project AND the project budget exceeds $100,000, complete and submit the SF LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form. See 43 CFR, Subpart

18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

Submission of an application also represents the applicant’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying.

Application Checklist

□ Evidence of non-profit status: If a non-profit organization, a copy of their Section 501(c)(3) or (4) status determination letter received from the Internal Revenue Service.

□ SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance: A complete, signed and dated SF 424, SF 424-Mandatory, or SF 424- Individual form

□ Project summary

□ Project narrative

□ Timetable

□ Description of key personnel qualifications

□ A-133 Single Audit Reporting statement: If a U.S. state, local government, federally-recognized Indian tribal government, or non-profit organization, statements regarding http://harvester.census.gov/sac/ applicability of and compliance with OMB Circular A-133 Single Audit Reporting requirements

□ SF 424 budget form: A complete SF 424A or SF 424C Budget Information form

□ Budget justification

□ Federally-funded equipment list: If Federally-funded equipment will be used for the project, a list of that equipment

□ NICRA: When applicable, a copy of the organization’s current Negotiated Indirect Cost

Rate Agreement

□ SF 424 Assurances form: Signed and dated SF 424B or SF 424D Assurances form

□ SF LLL form: If applicable, completed SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form

Failure to provide complete information may cause delays, postponement, or rejection of the application.

V. Submission Instructions SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 30 days after the initial announcement on grants.gov.

Intergovernmental Review: Before submitting an application, U.S. state and local government applicants should visit the following website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/) to determine whether their application is subject to the state intergovernmental review process under Executive Order (E.O.) 12372 “Intergovernmental review of Federal Programs.” E.O.

12372 was issued to foster the intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on state and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The E.O. allows each state to designate an entity to perform this function. The official list of designated entities is posted on the website. Contact your state’s designated entity for more information on the process the state requires to be followed when applying for assistance. States that do not have a designated entity listed on the website have chosen not to participate in the review process.

Download the Application Package linked to this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov to begin the application process. Downloading and saving the Application Package to your computer makes the required government-wide standard forms fillable and printable. Completed applications may be submitted by mail, by email, electronically through Grants.gov, or as otherwise described in the Grants.gov funding opportunity. Please select ONE of the submission options:

To submit an application by e-mail:

Format all of your documents to print on Letter size (8 ½” x 11”) paper. Format all pages to display and print page numbers. Scanned documents should be scanned in Letter format, as black and white images only. Where possible, save scanned documents in .pdf format. E-mail your application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program point of contact Timothy Uding at timothy_uding@fws.gov.

The required SF 424 Application for Federal Assistance and Assurances forms and any other required standard forms MUST be signed by your organization’s authorized official. The http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

Signature and Date fields on the standard forms downloaded from Grants.gov are pre-populated with the text “Completed by Grants.gov upon submission” or “Completed on submission to Grants.gov”. Remove this text (manually or digitally) before signing the forms.

To submit an application through Grants.gov:

Go to the Grants.gov Apply for Grants page (http://www07.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp) for an overview of the process to apply through Grants.gov. You/your organization must complete the Grants.gov registration process before submitting an application through Grants.gov. Registration can take between three to five business days, or as long as two weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner.

Important note on Grants.gov application attachment file names: Please do not assign application attachments file names longer than 20 characters, including spaces. Assigning file names longer than 20 characters will create issues in the automatic interface between Grants.gov and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s financial assistance management system.

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW

Criteria: A cooperative agreement will be awarded to the applicant whose submission best addresses the needs identified in this announcement. Applications will be evaluating using the following criteria:

1. Responsiveness to Desert LCC needs:

• How well does the proposal address the Desert Landscape Conservation

Cooperative’s Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning & Design Draft Implementation Plan, 2014-2016, Version 1.1, December 11, 2014, described above?

• How clearly does the proposal define proposed deliverables and useful outputs/results relevant to the needs of the Desert LCC?

2. Project Quality:

• Is sound science used to develop the proposed methodology and will these methods accomplish/produce the proposed project objectives/goals?

• Are the project objectives clearly defined, achievable, measurable, and connected to specific goals, milestones/deliverables, and timelines (i.e., a work plan) for completion?

• Will/can the proposed objectives and methodology produce the desired outcomes identified?

3. Applicant's Qualifications:

• What are the qualifications of all project personnel?

• How well-suited are the project team’s experience and background to successfully conducting this project?

4. Project Value:

• Is the project budget reasonable?

Review and Selection Process:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will assemble a review panel to evaluate and rank research proposals based upon the four criteria described above. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may seek input from the Desert LCC Steering Committee, Science Working Group, GIS Working Group, other Desert LCC members, and any other resources deemed necessary to clarify priorities and/or determine the technical merit of the submissions.

VII. Award Administration Award Notices: Following review, applicants may be requested to revise the project scope and/or budget before an award is made. Successful applicants will receive written notice in the form of a notice of award document. Notices of award are typically sent to recipients by e-mail.

If e-mail notification is unsuccessful, the documents will be sent by courier mail (e.g., FedEx, DHL or UPS). Award recipients are not required to sign/return the Notice of Award document.

Acceptance of an award is defined as starting work, drawing down funds, or accepting the award via electronic means. Awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The notice of award document will include instructions specific to each recipient on how to request payment. If applicable, the instructions will detail any additional information/forms required and where to submit payment requests. Applicants whose projects are not selected for funding will receive written notice, most often by e-mail, within 30 days of the final review decision.

Domestic Recipient Payments: Prior to award, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program office will contact you/your organization to either enroll in the U.S. Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system or, if eligible, obtain approval from the Department of the Interior to be waived from using ASAP.

Domestic applicants subject to the SAM registration requirement (see Section III B.) who receive a waiver from receiving funds through ASAP must maintain current banking information in SAM. Domestic applicants exempt from the SAM registration requirement who receive a waiver from receiving funds through ASAP will be required to submit their banking information directly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program. However, do NOT submit any banking information to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service until it is requested from you by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program!

Transmittal of Sensitive Data: Recipients are responsible for ensuring any sensitive data being sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is protected during its transmission/delivery. The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service strongly recommends that recipients use the most secure transmission/delivery method available. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends the following digital transmission methods: secure digital faxing; encrypted emails; emailing a password protected zipped/compressed file attachment in one email followed by the password in a second email; or emailing a zipped/compressed file attachment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strongly encourages recipients sending sensitive data in paper copy to use a courier mail service. Recipients may also contact their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Officer and provide any sensitive data over the telephone.

Award Terms and Conditions: Acceptance of a financial assistance award (i.e., grant or cooperative agreement) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carries with it the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions applicable to the award. Acceptance is defined as the start of work, drawing down funds, or accepting the award via electronic means.

Awards are based on the application submitted to and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated into the notice of award either by direct citation or by reference to the following: Federal regulations; program legislation or regulation; and special award terms and conditions. The Federal regulations applicable to U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service awards are available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/grants/. If you do not have access to the Internet and require a full text copy of the award terms and conditions, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service point of contact identified in the Agency Contacts section below.

Recipient Reporting Requirements:

Interim financial reports and performance reports may be required. Interim reports will be required no more frequently than quarterly, and no less frequently than annually. A final financial report and a final performance report will be required and are due within 90 calendar days of the end date of the award. Performance reports must contain: 1) a comparison of actual accomplishments with the goals and objectives of the award as detailed in the approved scope of work; 2) a description of reasons why established goals were not met, if appropriate; and 3) any other pertinent information relevant to the project results.

Events may occur between the scheduled performance reporting dates that have significant impact upon the supported activity. In such cases, recipients are required to notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in writing as soon as the following types of conditions become known:

• Problems, delays, or adverse conditions that will materially impair the ability to meet the objective of the Federal award. This disclosure must include a statement of any corrective action(s) taken or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation.

• Favorable developments that enable meeting time schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost than anticipated or producing more or different beneficial results than originally planned.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will specify in the notice of award document the reporting and reporting frequency applicable to the award.

VIII. Agency Contacts For administrative questions about the application process: Timothy Uding, Administrative Officer; Timothy_Uding@fws.gov; 505-248-6411

For questions about Desert LCC needs related to this funding opportunity: Aimee Roberson, Desert LCC Science Coordinator, Aimee_Roberson@fws.gov, 520-670-5008

IX. Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The Paperwork Reduction Act requires us to tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether or not you have to respond. A response to this Notice of Funding Availability is required to receive funding. A mailto:Timothy_Uding@fws.gov mailto:Aimee_Roberson@fws.gov

Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.