nofa-mt13.pdf

OMB No. 1018-0123

Expiration: 09/30/2014

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of International Conservation

Wildlife Without Borders Programs

Notice of Funding Availability & Application Instructions

Fiscal Year 2013

Funding Opportunity Title: Marine Turtle Conservation Fund

Announcement Type: New Applications

Funding Opportunity Number: F12AS00404

Submission Deadline: April 1

Marine Turtle Conservation Fund

Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance (CFDA):15.645

Agency Contact

Mr. Earl Possardt

International Sea Turtle Specialist

Division of International Conservation

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

4401 North Fairfax Dr., MS 100

Arlington, VA 22203

Tel:. (703)358-2277 Fax: (703)358-2115

E-mail: earl_possardt@fws.gov mailto:earl_possardt@fws.gov

I. DESCRIPTION OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The Marine Turtle Conservation Fund is soliciting proposals for the conservation of marine turtles (Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Dermochelys coriacea, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea, Lepidochelys kempii) throughout their range outside of the United States and its territories. The U.S. Government enacted the Marine Turtle Conservation

Fund of 2004 in response to the decline of many marine turtle populations worldwide and the serious threats to the long term survival of marine turtle populations. The primary purpose of the Act is to provide financial support for projects that conserve nesting populations and habitat and address other threats to the survival of marine turtles in foreign countries.

The Marine Turtle Conservation Fund supports projects that promote the conservation of marine turtles by focusing on:

• Academic and technical training in the conservation and management of marine turtles;

• Applied research on marine turtle populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring;

• Conservation education and community outreach for the protection of nesting and near shore foraging populations;

• Development and execution of marine turtle conservation management plans;

• Habitat conservation and management;

• Information exchange to promote international collaboration;

• Projects to protect nesting females and eggs on important nesting beaches;

• Promotion of networks, partnerships, and coalitions that assist in the implementation of conventions, treaties, protocols and other international activities for the conservation and management of marine turtles;

• Protected area/reserve management of important nesting beaches;

• Strengthening local capacity to implement conservation programs on nesting beaches; and

• Strengthening law enforcement capacity and forensics skills through training and equipment.

Applicant organizations should be conducting project work directly on populations occurring outside the United States, or the results of research should have direct bearing on and benefits to marine turtle populations outside the United States.

Applied research projects should address specific management needs and actions, and threats from emerging issues -such as disease and climate change - that affect the species and their habitats.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

Due to the limited funds available, proposals requesting less than $50,000 USD and demonstrating in-kind or financial matching support have a higher likelihood of being selected. Higher amounts may be requested with appropriate justification. The period of performance for projects funded under this program is typically one year. The period of performance for all funded projects begins on the date the award is signed by the USFWS. Past and present recipients of awards under this Fund are eligible but must submit new proposals to compete for funding each year. This Fund uses grant agreements as the assistance instrument.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants: Any government agency responsible for conservation and protection of marine turtles or any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in marine turtle conservation may submit proposals to this Fund.

U.S. non-profit, non-governmental organizations must submit documentary evidence of their Section 501(c)(3) non-profit status.

Ineligible Activities: The Division of International Conservation will not fund:

the purchase of firearms or ammunitions;

buying intelligence information or paying informants;

gathering information by persons who conceal their true identity;

law enforcement operations that, to arrest suspects, prompt them to carry out illegal activities (entrapment);

any activity that would circumvent sanctions, laws or regulations of either the U.S. or the country of proposed activity;

material support or resources to individuals, entities, or organizations of countries that the U.S. Department of

State has identified as state sponsors of terrorism. These countries are: Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. (Exceptions may be allowed with clearance from U.S. Department of State.)

Applicant and Partner Contributions: Applicants and/or other project partners must contribute funds to the project, which may include cash or in-kind contributions. Applicant and partner contributions cannot be included as contributions for any other federally assisted project or program. Funds provided by another U.S. Federal Government agency or another USFWS award cannot be reported as matching contributions but should be noted and explained in detail. Only verifiable contributions should be included as match. A match shown during one year may not be repeated as a match in a subsequent proposal.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

SUBMISSION DEADLINES: This program has two annual deadlines. The first deadline is October 1. We strongly encourage applicants with nesting season projects beginning April/May to submit proposals on or before the October 1 deadline. The second deadline is April 1. We strongly encourage applicants with nesting season projects beginning

October/November to submit proposals on or before the April 1 deadline. A confirmation e-mail will be sent out to applicants once their submission has been received. There are exceptions in deadline dates due to emergency situations

1. APPLICATION FORMAT AND CONTENT

You must submit your proposal in English. Proposals should be 10 pages or less. Figures, tables, maps, and required forms do not count toward the 10 page limit.

Your proposal should include these elements:

A. Application Cover Page Complete the Application Cover Page located on at:

http://www.fws.gov/international/dic/pdf/Cover_Page.pdf according to the instructions on page 3 of the form.

B. Project Summary BRIEFLY summarize your project in one page or less. Include the title of the project, geographic location, and a brief overview of the need for the project. Goal(s), objectives, specific project activities, beneficiaries, and expected products can also be included in this section.

C. Project Narrative

1. Statement of Need: Describe why this project is necessary and its significance to particular nesting populations and species and include supporting information. Summarize previous or on-going efforts (of your organization as well as other international, national, regional and/or local organizations or individuals) that are relevant to the proposed work.

2. Project Goals and Objectives: State the long-term goals of what your project aims to achieve. Objectives are the specific steps that you will take to reach your stated goals. Your objectives must be attainable within the project period and should be specific, measurable, and realistic.

3. Project Activities, Methods and Timetable: State the proposed project activities, and nesting beach site locations, and describe how they relate to the objectives. Provide a detailed description of the methods for each activity. Provide a timetable indicating roughly when (over a 12-month timeframe) activities or project milestones will be accomplished. Include any tables, spreadsheets or flowcharts within the body of the narrative (DO NOT include separate attachments). The timetable should not propose specific dates but rather group activities for each month over a 12-month period. To view a sample project timetable go to:

http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/Sample_timetable.pdf http://www.fws.gov/international/dic/pdf/Cover_Page.pdf http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/Sample_timetable.pdf

4. Stakeholder Coordination/Involvement: Describe how you have coordinated with and involved local resource managers and other relevant organizations or individuals in planning your project, and how they will be involved in conducting project activities and disseminating project results.

5. Anticipated Benefits and Outputs: Identify all expected project products/outputs (examples include:

management plans, brochures, posters, training manuals, number of people trained, workshops held, hours of training provided, patrols conducted, etc.). Once identified, describe the intended impact of the products/outputs on the objectives. Detail how products will be distributed to the host country government, resource managers, researchers and other interested parties.

6. Project Monitoring and Evaluation: Describe how you (or others) will monitor project progress and measure the project’s results and impacts. Include details on how you will assess your progress toward reaching the objectives and how project participants and beneficiaries will participate in these activities.

7. Sustainability: Explain which project activities will continue beyond the year described in your proposal and how these activities will be funded in the future.

8. Description of Organization(s) Undertaking the Project: Provide a brief description of the applicant organization and all cooperating organizations and agencies. State the activities for which each group or individual is responsible. Provide brief (1-2 pages) curricula vitae for key personnel, identifying their qualifications to meet the project objectives. 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.

9. Project Budget Table Things to consider when developing your Budget Table:

Federally Funded Equipment: If the U.S. Federal Government has paid for equipment for another award, applicants cannot claim it to be a matching or in-kind contribution and SHOULD NOT include it in the budget table. Instead, provide a separate list of any equipment paid for by the U.S. Federal Government that will be used for the project, including the name of the Federal agency that paid for the equipment.

Indirect Costs: Indirect costs may not be included unless applicant has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate

Agreements (NICRA). Applicants with NICRAs must include a copy with their proposal. If they so choose, applicants with NICRA rates may request less than their negotiated rate and/or contribute indirect costs as a match.

Program Income: Your project may include activities that will generate program income. Program income earned as a result of activities supported with Federal funding includes, but is not limited to the following: income from fees for services, the use or rental of property, the sale of commodities or fabricated items, license fees and royalties on patents and copyrights, and interest on loans. Program income does not include interest earned on advances of Federal funds. Under this Fund, income earned during the project period of an approved award shall be retained by the recipient and used in at least one of the following ways:

1. added to the funds requested from the USFWS for the project in addition to those committed by the recipient/other partners, and later used to conduct additional activities that will further the project objectives; OR

2. used to finance the non-Federal share of the project.

If your project will generate program income, provide: (1) a description of how the income will be generated, (2) an estimate of how much income will be made during the project duration, and (3) a description of how the funds will be used. If the income is to be used to conduct additional activities, you must include a Program Income column in your budget table and include all cost categories/items and associated amounts that the program income will cover.

Instructions for Budget Table:

Begin your project budget table on a new page. The budget table should include a column for all cost categories/items for the project, one column to show the cost calculation, a column for the total costs, one column for the requested USFWS funding, one or more columns for applicant and partner contributions, and, if applicable, a column for any program income that will be used to conduct project activities, as demonstrated here:

Category/ Budget Item**

Cost Calculation

TOTAL

COST*

USFWS “Applicant” “Partner X” “Partner Y” Program Income (if applicable)

Totals

*Present all amounts in U.S. dollars

**We cannot accept the term “contingencies” in the budget as a line item

Go to http://www.fws.gov/international/dicprograms/Sample%20Budget.pdf to view a sample project budget table.

The budget table should provide enough information for reviewers to be able to understand the cost basis and calculation at a glance. For example, a $3,300 line item for lodging costs should include the formula for how the cost was calculated: Lodging for 20 nights x 11 people x $15/night = $3,300. Wherever possible, cost calculations should be included in the Project Budget Table, but where necessary, additional description should be provided in the Budget Justifications. If the budget table requires more than one page, verify that the column headings and row titles appear on all pages.

10. Budget Justifications: Justify or explain all requested budget items/costs. Demonstrate a clear connection to project activities, and show how line item amounts were determined. For expensive items or large single purchases, provide detailed technical specifications or a pro-forma invoice. Requests for personnel salary should be well documented, including the base-line salary figure and the estimate of time (percent) to be directly charged to the project. Assistance to cover personnel salaries is generally given a lower priority.

11. Governmental Endorsement: Non-governmental applicants must include a RECENT letter of support (no older than two years) from the appropriate local, regional, or national government wildlife or conservation authority. Endorsement letters should make specific reference to the project by its title, as submitted on the applicant’s proposal.

12. Map: Provide a map showing the location of your project site at the regional or national level. Ensure that the sites that you have referred to in the proposal are labeled on the map.

Provide the latitude and longitude coordinates of a representative geographic location for your project in decimal degrees format (NOT degree-minute-seconds format). For example, USFWS in Arlington, Virginia, USA, would be provided as 38.8825, -77.1145 (latitude, longitude). Please correctly enter north and east coordinates as positive values, and south and west coordinates as negative values.

2. PROPOSAL APPLICATION CHECKLIST

ALL PROPOSALS MUST INCLUDE:

□ Signed Grant Application Cover Page (MUST be signed by authorized representative)

□ DUNS Number

□ System for Award Management (SAM) registration (formerly Central Contracting Registry (CCR))

□ Project Summary (1 page)

□ Project Narrative

□ Timetable

□ Budget Table http://www.fws.gov/international/dicprograms/Sample%20Budget.pdf

□ Budget Justification

□ Curricula vitae (1-2 pages) for key personnel

□ Recent Letter of Governmental Endorsement

□ Map

□ Audit Report (Only necessary if your organization has expended more than $500,000 of Federal assistance per year. For more information go to: http://harvester.census.gov/sac/)

□ Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (India only)

PROPOSALS FROM U.S. APPLICANTS MUST ALSO INCLUDE:

□ A complete, signed Standard Form 424-Application for Federal Assistance http://www.fws.gov/international/DICprograms/sf%20424.pdf

□ A complete Standard Form 424b-Assurances http://www.fws.gov/international/DICprograms/sf%20424b.pdf

□ Grants.gov registration

□ Documentary evidence of Section 501(c)(3) non-profit status, if applicable

□ A copy of your organization’s Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if applicable

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

A. REGISTRATION: Before submitting a proposal, you must be registered in the following databases (registration may take several weeks for each):

Dun & Bradstreet Universal Number System (DUNS): U.S. Government-wide policy requires that all applicants, organizations and individuals, both domestic and non-domestic, apply for, and include, a nine-digit Dun & Bradstreet

Data Universal Number System (DUNS) on their proposal. Applicants without a DUNS number should go to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Applicants who already have a DUNS number are responsible for updating changes to their address or business name with Dun and Bradstreet directly. The organizational address (Grant

Administrator) must match the address in Dun & Bradstreet’s system.

System for Award Management (SAM): All foreign and domestic applicants MUST be registered in the SAM database to receive funding. SAM is used by the U.S. Government as the repository for standard information about applicants and recipients of federal funds. SAM interfaces with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife grants management database and financial systems, therefore all applicants must be registered with in SAM to receive an award.

Recipients must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during the project period.

For information on registration and exemptions go to: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

Grants.gov: Domestic Applicants MUST apply through Grants.gov. If you do not have an account, you must register. Go to: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.

B. SUBMISSION

Domestic Applicants: You must apply through Grants.gov. Your entire proposal including the cover page MUST be uploaded as a SINGLE .pdf file. Attach your file on the Attachment Form. For further instructions, see above.

Non-Domestic Applicants: May submit through Grants.gov or e-mail

Grants.gov: See above

E-mail: All documents must be printable on letter paper (8 ½” x 11”). Format all pages to display and print page numbers. We prefer to receive the entire proposal as a SINGLE file attachment. If you need to submit separate attachments please try to send them all together in a single e-mail message. If your files are too big for a single e-mail, please number your e-mails and attachments so that we know the order of your submissions. E-mail your proposal to the USFWS at MSCF_MarineTurtle@fws.gov http://www.fws.gov/international/DICprograms/sf%20424.pdf http://www.fws.gov/international/DICprograms/sf%20424b.pdf http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp mailto:MSCF_MarineTurtle@fws.gov

V. APPLICATION REVIEW

The USFWS may solicit advice from qualified experts to conduct a technical review of your proposed project. The

USFWS may also discuss your proposal with known past and present partners to reduce the potential for waste, fraud, and abuse and to encourage coordination and collaboration among projects on the ground.

Review Criteria: To be considered for funding, proposals must address one or more of this program’s priority areas, listed above in the Description of Funding Opportunity. The Division of International Conservation ranks proposals by scoring how well each proposal addresses the program priority areas and the requested elements listed in the Application and Format section above. High priority, well-justified projects that address all of the requested proposal elements will receive higher scores. These scores are not the sole determining factor for final funding decisions. Other review criteria include considering the degree to which a project will:

• Make a significant contribution to the protection, maintenance and/or enhancement of important nesting populations of the target species and/or their habitats;

• Act as a catalyst for activities in a previously neglected area with potential significant conservation value;

• Address an emerging issue with potential significant conservation value;

• Utilize requested funds in an efficient, cost-effective manner to accomplish project objectives;

• Complement activities of other organizations/individuals in a manner which will lead to efficient, effective conservation of the resource;

• Conduct activities that do not duplicate other on going activities;

• Address a conservation need identified by a specialist group, or by a regional, national or global strategy;

• Conduct activities that will be harmonious with international, national and/or regional conservation priorities, action plans and/or strategies;

• Implement an important element of a larger scale/scope project that would provide synergetic value;

• Apply the best scientific and technical information available in support of project activities;

• Provide training essential to the development of local capacity to implement conservation activities;

• Provide project management experience to local personnel, strengthening the local capacity to manage conservation programs;

• Include the participation of local people in the project activities, or otherwise contribute to local empowerment;

• Promote networking, partnerships and/or coalitions;

• Develop a demonstration activity that can be replicated for widespread use;

• Implement activities or provide benefits that have the potential to be sustained beyond the life of the grant;

• Maintain a positive track record with USFWS based on previous grant support, if applicable, including timely submission of financial and performance reports and a summary of major activities and accomplishments of previous

USFWS support in the Statement of Need section.

The above considerations are not listed in any order of importance. All considerations listed do not necessarily apply to every proposal. Following review, applicants may be asked to revise the project scope and/or budget before a final funding decision can be made. The Division of International Conservation occasionally receives and funds proposals outside of the announced submission deadlines that are of such a critical nature that they warrant immediate consideration

(examples include projects resulting from a natural disaster, disease outbreak, other imminent threats or population crash, among others).

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION

Award Notices: Successful applicants will be e-mailed written notice in the form of an Assistance Award document, along with an enrollment form for the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) for their banking information. Applicants whose projects are not selected for funding will receive an e-mail notice within 180 days of their proposal submission.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Go to http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/aag.pdf to review the Division of International Conservation’s Assistance Award Guidelines, which details the policies, terms and conditions applicable to awards made under this program.

Domestic registrants: Payments will be issued through U.S. Department of Treasury via the self-initiated electronic drawdown system, Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP). To view instructions and initiate ASAP enrollment, go to: http://www.fws.gov/fbms/

Non-Domestic registrants: Payments to non-domestic grantees are transferred electronically through the U.S. Treasury’s

International Treasury Services (ITS) system. To receive funding, you must submit a signed Standard Form-270, Request for Advance or Reimbursement (SF-270.) This form is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf270.pdf

You must also complete an ITS Payment Cover Sheet which will be included in your award notification email. Be sure your account numbers and banking information is accurate. Email both your completed ITS Payment Cover Sheet and your signed SF-270 to the appropriate FWS program located in Section 4 of the ITS Payment Cover Sheet.

Reporting: Grantees are required to submit a mid-term and a final report that conform to USFWS reporting requirements as described in detail in the Assistance Award Guidelines http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/aag.pdf

Branding: All materials (presentations, reports, large equipment purchases, infrastructure, awards, and other items as deemed relevant) produced under any award intended for distribution must acknowledge the support of USFWS by showing the USFWS logo. Photo-ready and vector format logos are available upon request from the USFWS Program

Officer.

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Mr. Earl Possardt

International Sea Turtle Specialist

Division of International Conservation

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

4401 North Fairfax Dr., MS 100

Arlington, VA 22203

Tel: (703)358-2277 Fax: (703)358-2115

E-mail: earl_possardt@fws.gov

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. Your response is required to receive funding. A 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. We estimate that it will take an average of 22 hours to complete the application and 40 hours to complete a report. These burden estimates include time for reviewing instructions and gathering data. OMB has approved this collection and assigned OMB Control No. 1018-0123, which expires 05/31/2011. The burden estimates do not include the time needed to complete Standard Forms associated with the application and financial reports. You may send comments concerning the burden estimates or any aspect of this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mailstop 222, Arlington, VA 22203.

http://www.fws.gov/fbms/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/sf270.pdf http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/aag.pdf mailto:earl_possardt@fws.gov