PKG00252137-instructions.pdf

U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service

Financial Assistance

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Program Title The Challenge Cost Share Program Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: P19AS00261 Announcement Type: Initial CFDA Number: 15.943

Issue Date: 6/19/2019 Application Due Date: 9/19/2019 Time AM/PM Zone 4 PM Mountain

Agency Contact Information Questions and Requests Name John M. Bechtold Name John M. Bechtold Address 7333 W Jefferson Ave

Lakewood, CO 80235 Address (as applicable) 7333 W Jefferson Ave

Lakewood, CO 80235 Phone 303-969-2492 Phone 303-969-2492 Email John_bechtold@nps.gov Email John_bechtold@nps.gov

Table of Contents

Section A: Program Description Section B: Federal Award Information Section C: Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Other

Section D: Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Contents and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

7. Other Submission Requirements

Section E: Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Evaluation of Applicant Risk

4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Section F: Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

Section G: Federal Awarding Agency Contacts Section H: Other Information:

Appendix A - Application Package Forms SF 424, SF 424A, SF 424B Appendix B - NPS Standard and Special Award Terms and Conditions

Section A: Program Description

Federal Agency Name: Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Funding Opportunity Title: Challenge Cost Share

Funding Opportunity Number: P19AS00261

Catalog Of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 15.943 Challenge Cost Share

Legislative Authority:

• 54 USC 101702 authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of NPS appropriated funds to funds to State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 6305.

• 16U.S.C. lf, Challenge Cost Share Authority, authorizes the NPS to enter into agreements with cooperators for the purpose of sharing costs or services in carrying out authorized functions and responsibilities of the Secretary with respect to any unit or program if the national park system, and affiliated areas, or any designated National Scenic or Historic Trail. This authority allows the agency to negotiate and enter into cooperative agreements with any State of local government, organization, institution, individual or other entity. A cooperative agreement may be utilized if there is substantial involvement in the project on the part of the NPS.

Federal Regulations: 2 C.F.R. § 200, 2 C.F.R. § 1402

Program Background Information and Objectives:

The principal purpose of this agreement is to select one to three organizations to serve as a national partner to help conduct the NPS’s Challenge Cost Share program. The national partner organization(s) will be collaborators with NPS in administering and leveraging resources for the program. In addition to NPS funds, the national partner is required to leverage funds and in-kind services to contribute to local Challenge Cost Share projects. The projects will support a public purpose by supporting the NPS parks, national trails system and national wild and scenic rivers. The national partners will provide financial and other forms of support for locally generated projects that aligns the shared goals of the NPS and participating partners to address the strategic priorities of the agency. The projects will promote the public purpose of conservation and outdoor recreation, public access, improve facilities, stewardship, education, and engaging diverse participants. Locally generated projects are approved by NPS and leveraged resources with local and national partner. NPS will make the final selection of projects with the counsel of the recipient.

Potential applicants can apply based on their credentials to support one or more of the identified themes. Thematic categories will evolve but will retain a focus on connecting people to the outdoors, conserving national and cultural resources, rehabilitation of assets, improving public access, stewardship, education and engaging diverse participants.

The Challenge Cost Share program is designed to support a public purpose that benefits national parks, national trails system and national wild and scenic rivers. The national partner will build national awareness of the organization and its association with NPS; grow relationships with locally based organizations and parks; participate in a rich array of projects with broad public benefit; receive exposure to leadership of NPS at the national and regional levels; and receive reimbursement for administrative costs as the indirect billing.

NPS will gain by benefiting from building new partnerships and support for the NPS mission by;

leveraging support beyond appropriated dollars; support projects which serve parks; and promote bold innovation and broad new initiatives.

1.

Challenge Cost Share Project Selection Criteria:

Each project will be an agreed upon collaboration between individual NPS units and a lead project non-Federal entity. NPS regions and headquarters will prioritize and select projects based on the following criteria:

• Amount of funds leveraged

• Impact and significance of projects and relationship to furthering the public purpose of conservation and outdoor recreation, public access, stewardship, education, and engaging diverse audiences.

• Sustainability of projects

• Number of community members, and public participation engaged

• Number of sites, parks, and programs involved

New partnerships created

The National Park Service will support the public purpose by collaborating with, and dedicating funding from the Challenge Cost Share Program. The funding will go to a national partner to conduct and support the local cost sharing project proposals from a collaborative application submitted by a NPS manager and a non-agency recipient. The National Park Service retains control of the Challenge Cost Share program but seeks a national partner to help support the program and the projects to be undertaken.

The primary mechanism for this collaboration will be a five-year cooperative agreement. The agreement will specify the precise amount of funding available and the specific requirements of the work to be performed. Funding to support the Challenge Cost Share program will be provided annually, subject to availability of funds, but may also be supplemented at various times during the year to take on site specific cost sharing projects. Selected applicants will be asked to identify areas of expertise and topics on which they have the capacity to lead a nationwide Challenge Cost Share program.

Recipient requests for additional time or funding must receive prior approval of the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer and will be authorized by modifications.

Objectives

NPS seeks one or more partners who will:

1. Solicit, administer and support Challenge Cost Share projects and offer support to locally generated local projects which address NPS priorities for its national parks, national trails system and national wild and scenic rivers. Project ideas are to be solicited from NPS managers in collaboration with partner organizations around the country and must enjoy the specific endorsement of the site or program for which they will be conducted. Work must be completed within 12 months of the award. All projects must address the public purpose of conservation and outdoor recreation, public access, improved facilities, stewardship, education, and engaging diverse participants. Furthermore, there will be an emphasis with providing young adults exposure to the importance of parks and conservation and to potential career opportunities therein, and engaging communities and locally based organizations in agency programs. Selected projects will provide direct benefit to NPS by helping our staff and partners cultivate strong relationships with neighboring communities, organizations, and youth to provide highly cost-effective support to further the public purpose of this agreement.

2. Provide documentation of the results of all Challenge Cost Share projects which receive support including funding leveraged for the projects, the number of participants, the duration of their participation and the tangible results of their engagement. Also provide a full accounting of the budget for each project including the sources of the cost share provided. Photo and media documentation of projects is expected.

3. Collaborate with NPS to equitably manage and conduct projects across the country and to serve the goals of reaching out to new and underserved populations.

The scale of the Challenge Cost Share Program will be determined by budgetary limitations;

minimal scale for operability will be $75,000 a year but could range up to $1,000,000. Local projects can vary in size from $5,000- $50,000 including the match.

The NPS will:

• Provide specific guidelines on the application, accounting, and documentation requirements for the Challenge Cost Share Program.

• Identify partnership program coordinators in every NPS region with whom to collaborate on project solicitation and evaluation.

• Make the final project selection and assure NPS site and program participation as specified.

• NPS staff will provide points of contact for a variety of NPS sites and programs with suitable expertise.

• Provide funding to stimulate and support these activities

The Recipient will:

• Administer the three components described above

• Develop and deliver an annual work plan and budget to accomplish the specific tasks, and an annual performance report documenting the impacts of work performed by the program participants fielded through these programs. The annual performance report should include a web-based reporting mechanism that documents and celebrates accomplishments through narrative and graphic communication.

Secretary of the Interior Priorities:

This program supports Secretary of the Interior priority(ies):

Other key Priorities 4: Access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

- Provides support to National Parks, National Trails System, and National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to improve access and recreational value.

1e. Foster relationships with conservation organizations advocating for balanced stewardship and use of public lands

- Leverages non-federal resources and community participation for the shared stewardship of public lands and outdoor recreation access.

3a. Be a better neighbor with those closest to our resources by improving dialogue and relationships with persons and entities bordering our lands

- Accomplished in the same nature as provided in Priority 1e.

Section B: Federal Award Information

Anticipated Federal Funding: ($75,000 to $1,000,000.00) The amount of funding available per award for this NOFO will be determined once final FY 2020 appropriations have been made. This NOFO will be cancelled if appropriations are insufficient to support new awards.

Non-Federal Entity Cost Share:

All projects funded through the Challenge Cost-share program require a cost match of minimum of 50% of the total project cost. Contributions for cost match must be made from non-Federal sources which may include cash, in-kind contributions or services, or materials. The recipient of this award will be responsible to ensure that all funded sub-awards meet this threshold.

Estimated Number of Agreements to be Awarded: 1-3 Each activity or project under this agreement will be treated individually, with more detail through project statements, project plans and budgets developed cooperatively between the NPS and the non-Federal entity.

Estimated Amount of Funding Available Per Award:

An estimated range of $25,000 To $1,000,000.00 of funding is anticipated for each award.

The amount of funding available per award for this NOFO will be determined as part of the application review process based on applications received and funding made available through appropriations.

Anticipated Start Date:

October 31, 2019 Projects receiving funding through this NOFO will start once funding has been secured and awards have been made.

Anticipated Term of the Agreement: October 2019 – October 2024 Agreement terms for funded projects are estimated to range between one and five years, depending on the negotiated project statement of work. Agreements are not effective until fully executed with signature from the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

Type of Agreements:

Stand-Alone Cooperative Agreement – A legal instrument of financial assistance entered into when the principal purpose of the relationship of the agreement is to transfer something of value from the Federal awarding agency to the non-Federal entity to carry out a public purpose authorized by a law, and substantial involvement on the part of the National Park Service is anticipated in carrying out the funded activity. Stand-alone cooperative agreements contain terms and conditions, statements of work, and funding that is obligated by the cooperative agreement.

They are not linked to task agreements or master cooperative agreements as they are fully self-contained.

Substantial Involvement:

Substantial involvement may include:

• NPS is involved with the non-Federal entity in describing the goals, jointly developing the scope and the activities to be accomplished. This must be combined with other substantial involvement, such as providing technical assistance or any of the statements listed below, that goes beyond Federal stewardship responsibilities.

• NPS staff will assist the non-Federal entity in selecting projects, providing orientation to park resources, overseeing assignments, teaching new skills, distributing tools and equipment and providing technical assistance and safety training.

Other Information:

Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

Data Availability:

1) Applicability. The Department of the Interior is committed to basing its decisions on the best available science and providing the American people with enough information to thoughtfully and substantively evaluate the data, methodology, and analysis used by the Department to inform its decisions.

2) Use of Data. The regulations at 2 CFR 200.315 apply to data produced under a Federal award, including the provision that the Federal Government has the right to obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award as well as authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes.

3) Availability of Data. The recipient shall make the data produced under this award and any subaward(s) available to the Government for public release, consistent with applicable law, to allow meaningful third party evaluation and reproduction of the following:

(a) The scientific data relied upon;

(b) The analysis relied upon; and

(c) The methodology, including models, used to gather and analyze data.

Conflict of Interest:

1) Applicability.

(a) This section intends to ensure that non-Federal entities and their employees take appropriate steps to avoid conflicts of interest in their responsibilities under or with respect to Federal financial assistance agreements.

(b) In the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction, and services by recipients and by subrecipients, the conflict of interest provisions in 2 CFR 200.318 apply.

2) Requirements.

(a) Non-Federal entities must avoid prohibited conflicts of interest, including any significant financial interests that could cause a reasonable person to question the recipient's ability to provide impartial, technically sound, and objective performance under or with respect to a Federal financial assistance agreement. (b) In addition to any other prohibitions that may apply with respect to conflicts of interest, no key official of an actual or proposed recipient or subrecipient, who is substantially involved in the proposal or project, may have been a former

Federal employee who, within the last one (1) year, participated personally and substantially in the evaluation, award, or administration of an award with respect to that recipient or subrecipient or in development of the requirement leading to the funding announcement.

(c) No actual or prospective recipient or subrecipient may solicit, obtain, or use non-public information regarding the evaluation, award, or administration of an award to that recipient or subrecipient or the development of a Federal financial assistance opportunity that may be of competitive interest to that recipient or subrecipient.

3) Notification.

(a) Non-Federal entities, including applicants for financial assistance awards, must disclose in writing any conflict of interest to the DOI awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 2 CFR 200.112, Conflicts of interest.

4) Recipients must establish internal controls that include, at a minimum, procedures to identify, disclose, and mitigate or eliminate identified conflicts of interest. The recipient is responsible for notifying the Financial Assistance Officer in writing of any conflicts of interest that may arise during the life of the award, including those that have been reported by subrecipients.

Restrictions on Lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under this grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR Part 18 and 31 USC 1352.

5) Review Procedures. The Financial Assistance Officer will examine each conflict of interest disclosure on the basis of its particular facts and the nature of the proposed grant or cooperative agreement, and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if it does, develop an appropriate means for resolving it.

6) Enforcement. Failure to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that satisfies the Government may be cause for termination of the award. Failure to make required disclosures may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338, Remedies for Noncompliance, including suspension or debarment (see also 2 CFR Part 180).

Section C: Eligibility Information

Application Due Date: September 19, 2019, 4:00 pm, MT An applicant's failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of the application deadline will result in the application being excluded from consideration. This includes but is not limited to late and incomplete application packages.

1. Eligible Applicants Non-Profit Organizations holding a designation of 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Non-Federal cost sharing is required to be eligible for an award under this NOFO. Eligible non- Federal sources of contributions must be in accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.306 and may include: cash, in-kind contributions, and/or volunteer services. Non-Federal entity cost share contributions shall be annotated within the SF-424A or C (reference section D, Application and Submission Information).

Criteria for considering voluntary committed cost sharing and cost share contributions above the minimum amount required, will be considered in the evaluation of applications in accordance with Section E. Application Review Information.

Section D: Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package An application package has been included within this NOFO for your convenience, found in Appendix A. The Application Package contains four mandatory forms, which must be submitted with your proposal, forms include: form SF-424 (Application for Financial Assistance), form SF- 424A (Budget Information), form SF-424B or D (Assurances), and SF-LLL (Lobbying). The Application Package can also be accessed and downloaded from the Synopsis page of this announcement in Grants.gov. Applicants may also request paper copies of application materials by contacting the Awarding Agency using the information provided in Section G of this NOFO.

2. Contents and Form of Application Submission You must complete the mandatory forms and any applicable optional forms, in accordance with the instructions below, as required by this NOFO. Do not include any proprietary or personally identifiable information. A complete application should include:

• Standard Form 424 (SF 424) - Application for Federal Assistance Complete this form as much as possible with all applicable information.

• Standard Form 424A or C (SF 424A/C) - Budget Information The project budget shall include detailed information on all cost categories and must clearly identify all project costs. Unit costs shall be provided for all budget items including the cost of work to be provided by contractors or sub-recipients. In addition, applicants shall include a narrative description of the items included in the project budget, including the value of in-kind contributions of goods and services provided to complete the project when cost share is identified to be included (reference section C of this announcement). Cost categories can include, but are not limited to, those costs items included on the SF424A and SF424C.

• Standard Form 424B or D (SF 424B/D) – Assurances This form must be signed and submitted with your application.

• Standard Form LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities In accordance with 43 C.F.R. § 18 and 31 U.S.C. § 1352 this form must be completed and signed if the amount of the Federal award is anticipated to exceed $100,00.00.

• Project Narrative - Proposal Submission Format The proposal is a narrative description that should specifically address each of the review criteria (see Section E). The proposal text must be no longer than 10 pages, no smaller than font size 11, and have 1-inch margins. The 10-page limit includes all text, figures, references, and resumes (Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, and the statement of indirect charges are not counted as part of the 10 page limit). Additionally, only information that is pertinent to the proposal should be included.

• Indirect Costs If your proposed budget includes indirect costs, the rate as proposed must meet the requirements of 2 CFR Part 200, Section 200.414 and 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix III through Appendix VII as applicable. A negotiated indirect cost rate agreement must be provided with your proposal. Proposals that fail to document their indirect costs may have those costs disallowed.

• Other Documents Required by the Program - All applicants must provide a statement to identify whether or not any overlap exists between the proposed project and any other active or anticipated projects in terms of activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel, including any application that was submitted for funding consideration to any other potential funding source (Federal or non-Federal). If no overlap or duplication exists, a sample statement to satisfy this requirement might be: “[Insert Applicant Name] affirms that no overlap or duplication exists between the proposed project in this application and any other active or anticipated project in terms of activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel, including any application that was submitted for funding consideration to any other potential funding source (Federal or non-Federal).” If any overlap or duplication does exist, applicants must provide a description of the overlap including when the overlapping or duplicative proposal(s) were submitted, to whom (entity and program), and when funding decisions are expected to be announced. The statement and the description of overlap or duplication, when applicable, may be provided within the proposal or as a separate attachment to the application. If at any time a proposal is awarded funds that would be overlapping or duplicative of the funding requested from NPS, the applicant must immediately notify the NPS point of contact. Any overlap or duplication of funding between the proposed project and other active or anticipated projects may impact selection and/or funding amount.

If selected for award, NPS reserves the right to request additional or clarifying information for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to:

(a) Other budget information

(b) Financial capability

(c) Evaluation of risk

(d) Name and phone number of the Designated Responsible Employee for complying with national policies prohibiting discrimination (See 43 C.F.R. § 17)

3. Unique entity identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Each applicant (unless exempt under 2 CFR §25.110) is required to:

(a) Be registered in SAM;

(b) Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application (currently a DUNS number);

(c) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

Registration processes for SAM can be found at https://www.sam.gov

A financial assistance agreement will not be made with a non-Federal entity until the non- Federal entity has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements.

If a non-Federal entity has not fully complied with the requirements by the time that an agreement is ready for award, a determination may be made that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award. That determination may be used as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

In addition, in order to submit an application through Grants.gov an applicant must have an active SAM registration and register for submission permissions through the Grants.gov website.

Utilize the following link to guide you through this process:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

4. Submission Dates and Times Applicants are held responsible for their proposals being submitted to the National Park Service.

Applications must be received by September 19, 2019, 4:00 PM MT. Applicants are encouraged to submit the application well before the deadline.

Application preparation time may take several weeks, so please start the application process as soon as possible. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered for award. If it is determined that a proposal was not considered due to lateness, the applicant will be notified during the selection process.

5. Intergovernmental Review This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order (EO) 12372 “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Applicants subject to EO 12372 must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State’s process. The names and addresses of the SPOC’s are listed in the OMB’s home page at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

6. Funding Restrictions Costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of performance of a signed Federal award are only allowable with written approval by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

7. Other Submission Requirements Applications must be submitted through grants.gov to the National Park Service by the deadline identified in paragraph 4 above. Applications submitted by other means or not received by the deadline will not be considered.

In the event the applicant experiences technical difficulties with submitting their application, please contact: John Bechtold, 303-969-2492, john_bechtold@nps.gov https://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

START THIS PROCESS EARLY DON’T DELAY!

Section E: Application Review Information

1. Criteria NPS will evaluate and consider only those applications that separately address each of the merit review criteria. Each applicant is required to provide a detailed narrative, in accordance with section D.2., of the following criteria elements. It is HIGHLY recommended that the project narrative have sections labeled as follows:

Criterion 1 Secretary of the Interior Priorities

Weight 5%

Secretary of the Interior Priorities

Identify which of the Secretary of the Interior priorities, noted in Section A, Program Description, your project aligns with, and provide detail as to how your project meets the priorities.

Criterion 2 Support Program Administration

Weight 30%

Application, Promotion, Agreement Management

The selected applicant needs to demonstrate the ability to process applications, promote the program, ensure fiscal management, manage agreements, and produce report as required.

Criterion 3 Working with Community-Based Organizations

Weight 10%

Working with community-based organizations

Demonstrated experience partnering with community groups and citizen-based organizations in projects on parks and public lands.

Experience working with small volunteer based organizations to help build their capacity and to match them with appropriate resources. Strong outreach to and credibility with both rural and urban servicing organizations.

Criterion 4 Cost Share Weight 35% Leveraging funding and compounding opportunities

The applicant has demonstrated ability to leverage additional non-federal resources (both monetary and in-kind). The funds made available in this cooperative agreement are seen as stimulus, and the ability of applicant to leverage additional funding and other resources from other non-Federal sources will be a key consideration in selecting among proposals.

Creativity and resiliency

Applicant has demonstrated creativity in considering ways to use partnerships, resource sharing, and other means to accomplish the purpose of this agreement.

Criterion 5 Risk Evaluation Weight 20% Risks posed by Applicants

Applicant demonstrates the ability to maintain organizational capacity, national reach, and collaboration with other national partners to align resources, longevity of service, and the ability to leverage dollars.

2. Review and Selection Process NPS personnel, and in some cases independent reviewers, will review all proposals. All proposals for funding will be considered using the criteria outlined above. A summary of the review panel comments may be provided to the applicant if requested.

a. Initial Review Prior to conducting the comprehensive merit review, an initial review will be performed to determine whether: (1) the applicant is eligible for an award; (2) the information required by the NOFO has been submitted; (3) all mandatory requirements of the NOFO are satisfied;

and (4) the proposed project is responsive to the program objectives of the NOFO (program determination). If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient information for review, the applicant will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review.

b. Comprehensive Merit Review All applications that satisfactorily pass the initial review will be eligible for the Comprehensive Merit Review. Each criteria element will be scored on a 0-10 point scale:

10 Superior (100 % of weighted average) 8 Good (80 % of weighted average) 6 Satisfactory (60 % of weighted average) 4 Marginal (40 % of weighted average) 2 Poor (20 % of weighted average) 0 Not Acceptable (No score)

The following numerical rating values may be assigned: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.

The scoring of each criterion must be based on the strengths and weaknesses of the application narrative. To assist in assigning an appropriate score, the following will be used as a guideline:

Rating Descriptive Statement

10 Superior: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates that it will meet the Government's performance requirements, and demonstrates no weaknesses.

8 Good: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates a likelihood of meeting the Government's requirements, and demonstrates only a few minor weaknesses.

6 Satisfactory: Applicant addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements. The Application contains weaknesses and/or a number of minor weaknesses.

4 Marginal: Applicant addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements. The Application contains significant weaknesses and/or a significant number of minor weaknesses.

2 Poor: Applicant addresses some aspects of the criterion and demonstrates some doubt in the likelihood of successfully meeting the Government's requirements. Significant weaknesses are demonstrated and clearly outweigh any strength presented.

0 Not Acceptable: Applicant does not address all aspects of the criterion and the information presented indicates a strong likelihood of failure to meet the Government's requirements.

c. Selection The Selection Official may consider the merit review recommendation, program policy factors, and the amount of funds available to select applications for funding.

d. Discussions and Award The Government may enter into discussions with a selected applicant for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to: (1) only a portion of the application is selected for award; (2) the Government needs additional information to determine that the applicant is capable of complying with the requirements of DOI Financial Assistance Regulations, and/or

(3) additional specific terms and conditions are required. Failure to satisfactorily resolve the issues identified by the Government may preclude award to the applicant.

3. Evaluation of Applicant Risk In accordance with 2 C.F.R. § 200.205, applications selected for funding will be subject to a pre-award risk assessment which may include a review of information contained within the applicant’s proposal, past audits, Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and/or past performance on previous Federal financial assistance awards.

Negative information that leads to an applicant being designated as “Medium Risk” or “High Risk” may result in specific conditions, as identified in 2 C.F.R. § 200.207, being incorporated into the final award.

Include the following in all competitive master cooperative agreements, and in all competitive cooperative agreements in which the Federal funding is anticipated to be over $150,000.00 over the life of the agreement: Prior to making a Federal award, any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance (currently FAPIIS) will be reviewed and considered (see 41 U.S.C. § 2313). Applicants may review and comment about any information about itself in FAPIIS. The Federal awarding agency will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. §200.205

Section F: Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices Upon being selected for the award, successful applicants will receive a notification of the selection of their application for funding. NPS will notify the applicant selected for award by 1/1/19. A notice of selection is not an authorization to begin performance on an agreement. This notice will detail the next steps in the awarding process. Once all clearances and reviews have been conducted, a cooperative agreement will be sent for signature.

Work cannot begin before the non-Federal entity receives a fully executed copy of the cooperative agreement which contains the signature of the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. Any pre-award costs incurred prior to the receipt of a signed agreement or written notice signed by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer authorizing pre-award costs, is at the applicant’s own risk. A signed cooperative agreement signed by a Financial Assistance Awarding Officer is the only authorizing document to begin performance.

Organizations whose applications have not been selected will be advised as promptly as possible.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

a. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) By accepting Federal financial assistance, the non-Federal entity agrees to abide by the applicable Federal regulations in the expenditure of Federal funds and performance under this program: 2 C.F.R. Part 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements For Federal Awards

b. Standard Award Terms and Conditions Acceptance of a Federal financial assistance award from the Department of the Interior carries with it the responsibility to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of 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 as approved by the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. All financial assistance awards are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated either directly or by reference in the award document. Code of Federal Regulations/Regulatory Requirements, as applicable, are listed within Appendix B of this announcement (Contact the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer with any questions regarding the applicability of any terms and conditions).

• 2 C.F.R. Part 175 - Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000

• 2 C.F.R. Parts 182 & 1401 - Government-wide Requirements for a Drug-Free

Workplace

• 2 C.F.R. Parts 180 & 1400 - Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement)

• 43 CFR. 18 - Restrictions on Lobbying

c. Order of Precedence http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=63fa3a961cf535c2c8382c1da1d0f279&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=63fa3a961cf535c2c8382c1da1d0f279&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5

Any inconsistency in the agreement shall be resolved by giving precedence in the following order: (a) Any national policy requirements and administrative management standards; (b) 2 C.F.R. Part 200, in its entirety; (c) requirements of the applicable OMB Circulars and Treasury regulations; (d) special terms and conditions; (e) all agreement sections, documents, exhibits, and attachments; (f) and the non-Federal Entity’s project proposal.

d. Modifications The agreement may be modified by written agreement signed by both the non-Federal entity’s Authorized Representative and the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

Administrative changes (i.e. Financial Assistance Awarding Officer name change, etc.)

which do not change the statement of work, agreement amount, etc., or otherwise affect the non-Federal entity may be signed unilaterally by the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

Additionally, a unilateral modification may be utilized if it should become necessary to impose remedies for non- compliance, suspension or termination of the agreement in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Section 200.338 – 200.342.

All other changes shall be made by means of a bilateral modification to the agreement. No oral statement made by any person, or written statement by any person other than the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer shall be allowed in any manner or degree to modify or otherwise effect the terms of the agreement.

e. Payments All applicants must be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) prior to award under this NOFO. Instructions for registering for SAM are located at http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM. All applicants must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times while they have an active Federal award or an application under consideration.

All applicants must also be registered with, and willing to process all payments through, the Department of the Treasury Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system.

All non-Federal entities with active NPS financial assistance agreements must be enrolled in ASAP under the appropriate Agency Location Code(s) (ALC) and the Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number prior to the award of funds. If a non-Federal has multiple DUNS numbers they must separately enroll within ASAP for each unique DUNS Number and/or Agency. Note that if your entity is currently enrolled in the ASAP system with an agency other than NPS, you must enroll specifically with NPS in order to process payments.

f. Funding Restrictions All funding is contingent upon the availability and appropriation of funds by the United States Congress.

g. Cost Principles:

Costs must be allowable in accordance with the applicable Federal cost principles referenced in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E – Cost Principles.

h. Pre-award Costs:

http://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM

Must comply with 2 CFR Part 200.458 and requires written approval from the Financial Assistance Awarding Officer.

3. Reporting

a. Financial Status Reports:

A report of expenditures is required as documentation of the financial status of awards according to the official accounting records of the non-Federal entity. The financial information will be reported by completing and submitting the Federal Financial Report (FFR), SF425. At a minimum, financial reports will be required annually and shall be submitted within 90 calendar days after the end of the annual reporting period. The Financial Assistance Awarding Officer may designate a reporting schedule requiring more frequent reporting based on the assessment of risk. The reporting requirements will be defined within the stand-alone cooperative agreement. A final FFR shall be submitted no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement.

The FFR can be downloaded at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/standard_forms/ffr.pdf

The NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer will review the report for patterns of cash expenditures and assess whether performance or financial management problems exist.

Before submitting the FFR to the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer, the non- Federal entity must ensure that the information submitted is accurate, complete, and consistent with the non-Federal entity’s accounting system. The non-Federal entity’s Authorized Certifying Official’s signature on the FFR certifies that the information in the FFR is correct and complete and that all outlays and obligations are for the purposes set forth in the agreement documents, and represents a claim to the Federal Government. Filing a false claim may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

b. Performance Reports:

A report of performance is required as documentation of performance towards the accomplishments of the Federal award and detailing project activity and participant profile information. At a minimum, performance reports will be required annually and shall be submitted within 90 calendar days after the end of the annual reporting period. The Financial Assistance Awarding Officer may designate a reporting schedule requiring more frequent reporting based on the assessment of risk. The reporting requirements will be defined within the stand-alone cooperative agreement. A final performance report shall be submitted no more than 90 calendar days after the end date of the agreement.

In accordance with 2 C.F.R. 200 § 200.328, the performance reports shall contain brief information on:

(1) A comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives of the Federal award established for the period. Where the accomplishments of the Federal award can be quantified, a computation of the cost (for example, related to units of accomplishment) http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/standard_forms/ffr.pdf may be required if that information will be useful. Where performance trend data and analysis would be informative to the Federal awarding agency program, the Federal awarding agency should include this as a performance reporting requirement;

(2) The reasons why established goals were not met, if appropriate; and

(3) Additional pertinent information including, when appropriate, analysis and explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs.

Before submitting the performance report to the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer, the non-Federal entity must ensure that the information submitted is accurate, complete, and consistent with the non-Federal entity’s Federal financial report. Filing false information may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

c. Non-Compliance:

Failure to comply with the reporting requirements contained in an agreement may be considered a material non-compliance with the terms and conditions of the award. Non-compliance may result in withholding of future payments, suspension or termination of the agreement, recovery of funds paid under the agreement, and the withholding of future awards. The specific information regarding type, frequency and means of submission of post-Federal award reporting requirements will be contained in the award document.

4. Reporting Matters Related to Recipient Integrity and Performance:

If the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of this Federal award, then you as the recipient during that period of time must maintain the currency of information reported to the System for Award Management (SAM) that is made available in the designated integrity and performance system (currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) about civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings in accordance with Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. 200.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9c3f1f088a2ef78a524a9c28e4cd43b0&mc=true&node=ap2.1.200_1521.xii&rgn=div9

Section G: Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

Agency Contact Information:

Name: John M. Bechtold Address: 7333 W. Jefferson Ave. Lakewood, CO 80235 Phone: 303-969-2492 E-mail: John_bechtold@nps.gov

Questions and Requests pertaining to this Notice of Funding Opportunity shall be submitted to:

Name: John M. Bechtold Address: 7333 W. Jefferson Ave. Lakewood, CO 80235 Phone: 303-969-2492 E-mail: John_bechtold@nps.gov

Section H: Other Information:

1. Program Information

a. This program is a long standing program managed by the National Park Service Conservation and Outdoor Recreation office for more than 15 years to benefit national parks, national trails system, and wild and scenic rivers system.

b. More information about the program can be found at: www.nps.gov/ccsp

2. Proprietary and Personally Identifiable Information

a. Notice of Potential Disclosure under Freedom of Information Act Applicants should be advised that identifying information regarding all applicants, including applicant names and/or points of contact, may be subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, whether or not such applicants are selected for negotiation of award. Applicants must identify any proprietary information within their applications.

b. Personally Identifiable Information In responding to this NOFO, applicants must ensure that Protected Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is not included in the following documents: Project Abstract, Project Narrative, Biographical Sketches, Budget or Budget Justification. These documents will be used by the Merit Review Committee in the review process to evaluate each application. PII is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as:

Any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including but not limited to, education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric records, etc., including any other personal information that is linked or linkable to an individual. This definition of PII can be further defined as: (1) Public PII and (2) Protected PII.

Public PII:

PII found in public sources such as telephone books, public websites, business cards, university listing, etc. Public PII includes first and last name, address, work telephone number, email address, home telephone number, and general education credentials.

Protected PII:

PII that requires enhanced protection. This information includes data that if compromised could cause harm to an individual such as identity theft.

3. Routine Notices to Applicants http://www.nps.gov/ccsp

a. Modification or Changes to the Notice of Funding Opportunity Notices of any modifications to this NOFO will be posted on Grants.gov. You can receive an email when a modification or an announcement message is posted. When you download the application at Grants.gov; you can also register to receive notifications of changes through Grants.gov.

b. Government Right to Reject or Negotiate NPS reserves the right, without qualification, to reject any or all applications received in response to this announcement and to select any application, in whole or in part, as a basis for negotiation and/or award.

c. Evaluation and Administration by Non-Federal Personnel In conducting the merit review evaluation, the Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel as reviewers. The Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. The applicant, by submitting its application, consents to the use of non-Federal reviewers/administrators.