PKG00263613-instructions.pdf

FY21 Regional Ecosystem Research Program: Understanding Species’ Habitat Usage and Connectivity

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4

A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 5 C. Program Authority 8

II. Award Information 8 A. Funding Availability 8 B. Project/Award Period 8 C. Type of Funding Instrument 9

III. Eligibility Information 11 A. Eligible Applicants 11 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 12 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 12

IV. Application and Submission Information 12 A. Address to Request Application Package 12 B. Content and Form of Application 12 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 21 D. Submission Dates and Times 21 E. Intergovernmental Review 22 F. Funding Restrictions 22 G. Other Submission Requirements 22

V. Application Review Information 23 A. Evaluation Criteria 23 B. Review and Selection Process 24 C. Selection Factors 27 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 27

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

VII. Agency Contacts 36 VIII. Other Information 36

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NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: FY21 Regional Ecosystem Research Program: Understanding Species’ Habitat Usage and Connectivity

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2021-2006622

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research - Coastal Ocean Program

Dates: Full applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 14, 2021. Electronic submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

Investigators are advised to submit full applications well in advance of the deadline as a precaution against unanticipated delays. Applicants must register with Grants.gov before submitting application materials. When developing your submission timeline, keep in mind the following information regarding application submission on Grants.gov:

1. Grants.gov requires applicants to complete a free annual registration process in the electronic System for Award Management (SAM), which may take between three and five business days or as long as several weeks to process as described in Section IV.G. of this Announcement.

2. If you submit a full application via Grants.gov, you will receive a series of email notifications for up to two business days before learning via validation or rejection whether NOAA has received your application.

If use of Grants.gov is not feasible, contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (see section VII for contact information) as soon as possible and no later than a week before the due date to assess whether alternative arrangements can be made.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)/Competitive Research Program (CRP) [formerly Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR)/Coastal Ocean Program (COP)], in partnership with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and

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National Marine Protected Areas Center, is soliciting proposals under the Regional Ecosystem Research Program for projects to understand species’ habitat usage and connectivity in and around marine protected areas. This information will be used to improve the ability of resource managers to address habitat connectivity, species’ habitat affinities, and spatial and temporal usage of habitats in management plans for marine protected areas. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2021 Federal appropriations. If funds become available for this program, two projects are expected to be supported for up to three to four years in duration, with an approximate annual budget for each project up to $500,000, not to exceed $2,000,000 per project.

Electronic Access: Proposals should be submitted through Grants.gov, http://www.grants.gov.

Sign up to receive any potential amendments to this Announcement via www.grants.gov.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) through its Competitive Research Program (CRP) supports the development of actionable information and tools to improve how the Nation protects, manages, and conserves ocean and coastal ecosystems. NCCOS/CRP bolsters sound coastal management decisions by involving resource managers, planners, policymakers, and impacted communities as research project partners or advisors to ensure useful results.

NCCOS/CRP provides a focal point for regional-ecosystem scale, multidisciplinary coastal ocean research within the NOAA National Ocean Service. Together with partners in NOAA and other organizations responsible for coastal resources, NCCOS/CRP advances the scientific understanding needed to protect coastal and ocean resources and ensure their viability for future generations. This increased understanding of the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes directly benefits the management of U.S. coastal and ocean resources, and helps NOAA, other Federal agencies, and state, tribal, and local governments achieve their stewardship responsibilities.

A key objective of NCCOS/CRP research is the production of user-driven tools that will enable resource managers to assess alternative management strategies to restore degraded ecosystems and protect healthy ones. Research supported is outcome-oriented towards increased scientific understanding that will provide managers and the public with sound scientific information for making decisions in support of societal objectives. Articulation of outcome-based management goals is required in proposals (see Section IV.B.) and recipients must report progress toward achieving outcome-based goals annually. An example of an outcome-oriented research project can be viewed at:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/coral-ecosystem-connectivity-gulf-florida-keys/. This example highlights management-driven connectivity research with direct management applications, i.e., research was used by resource managers to move a protected area boundary to encompass important habitat that was outside the protected area.

The Regional Ecosystem Research (RER) Program was established to provide resource managers with actionable information, tools, and capabilities to improve their ability to protect, conserve, and restore the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. The RER Program identifies key regional research needs that are limiting the ability of resource managers to address one or more issues from a regional ecosystem perspective.

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B. Program Priorities

NCCOS/CRP, in partnership with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and National Marine Protected Areas Center, is soliciting proposals under the RER Program to understand species’ habitat usage and connectivity in and around marine protected areas (MPAs). This information will be used to improve the ability of resource managers to address habitat connectivity, species’ habitat affinities, and spatial and temporal usage of habitats in MPA management plans.

Connectivity can be broadly defined as the exchange of materials (e.g., nutrients and pollutants), organisms, and genes and can be divided into three categories: (1) genetic connectivity that concerns the exchange of genetic material, (2) demographic or ecological connectivity, which is the exchange of individual propagules, juveniles, and adults, and (3) oceanographic connectivity, which includes flow of materials and circulation patterns and variability that underpins many of these exchanges. This Announcement primarily addresses demographic or ecological connectivity; however, projects may also address genetic and oceanographic connectivity as appropriate. Characterizing and understanding connectivity is a growing field of research that is critical to successful resource management efforts to protect, conserve, and restore marine habitats or populations.

MPAs have been used as one of the main tools to protect significant natural and cultural resources within the marine environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

While the use of MPAs and MPA networks as resource management tools has grown significantly in recent decades, there is still substantial scientific investigation needed to improve our understanding of habitat connectivity, species’ habitat affinities, and spatial and temporal usage of habitats, as well as, to what extent surrounding areas benefit from MPAs (e.g., post-recruitment spillover, larval dispersal, and protection of spawning aggregation sites). For an MPA or MPA network to meet its intended purpose, it is imperative that it encompass the habitat requirements for key species, taking into account the species’ home range, site fidelity, and habitat utilization. Lack of this type of knowledge is a major impediment to the management of marine resources for sustainable fishing, maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services, recovery of endangered species, restoration of ecosystems, economic stability in coastal communities, habitat conservation, and other management goals in the face of natural disasters, habitat degradation, and other ecosystem threats.

To increase the resilience of MPAs to climate and other anthropogenic impacts, this Announcement solicits proposals focused on understanding the relationship between species’ use of habitats, physical processes, biological and cultural resources, and MPA boundaries.

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Proposed projects must address species of management relevance to an MPA or MPA network in the waters under the jurisdiction of the U.S. (including U.S. territories and the Great Lakes). The inclusion of a National Marine Sanctuary is encouraged, but not required.

The relevance of the proposed project to ongoing management actions (e.g., restoration or zoning efforts) and their ability to address significant information gaps and research needs should be prioritized. The goal is to provide resource managers with actionable information that can be addressed more readily in MPA management plans. Proposals must address research priorities (a) and (b), while not required, activities may address priority (c).

Using one or more management relevant species (i.e., commercial, recreational, keystone, foundational, and/or ecologically important species) in the selected MPA or MPA network,

a. Determine species’ habitat requirements (e.g., home range, site fidelity, and habitat utilization) and whether the MPA(s) size and/or location is sufficient to ensure or enhance the population’s persistence under changing conditions.

b. Characterize temporal and spatial movement and connectivity (between locations) of species, document the reliance of species on essential habitats, physical processes, and environmental conditions, and determine whether MPA actions are sufficient to protect these species, essential habitats, processes, and environmental conditions. This may include evaluations of MPA boundaries, zoning programs, or specific regulations addressing impacts to resources.

c. (optional) Document processes and mechanisms by which an MPA benefits populations and communities in areas outside its boundaries (e.g., post-recruitment spillover, larval dispersal, and protection of spawning aggregation sites).

Note: applicants addressing priorities a through c, or a and b only will be evaluated using the same criteria. There is no added benefit to applications in the evaluation process if they address all priorities.

Expected Outputs and Outcomes:

The intended outcome of this research is to provide resource managers and other end users with the scientific information and tools necessary to improve the relevance and effectiveness of MPAs and MPA networks in protecting critical processes affecting connectivity. Results from this research will also be of wide interest to scientists and managers applying findings from population connectivity studies to support MPA planning and management. Management end users of these research results include Federal, state, Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 37 territorial, and/or tribal authorities, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the National Marine Protected Areas Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Regional Fishery Management Councils, and any other organization or agency with a management role in MPAs or in areas affected by them.

Application of research results for use by managers, policy-makers, and other end users through a highly integrated and collaborative approach is a central objective of NCCOS/CRP. Proposals should clearly articulate outcome-based management goals of the project (more information can be found at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/fundingopportunities/outputs-and-outcomes/) and a continuous engagement process with relevant end users. Engagement activities with end users may include, but are not limited to, annual meetings, workshops, training sessions on how to apply information or tools, and inclusion on coordination calls. At a minimum, the Lead Principal Investigator (PI) must establish a management transition advisory group (MTAG) to ensure effective collaboration between the project PI(s) and end users occurs and research results are transferred to the end users. To facilitate a collaborative science approach with resource managers and other end users, the Lead PI shall hold at least one meeting per year with project PIs and their MTAG. The purpose of the annual meeting will be to present results of the research to date and to interact with the MTAG to ensure that collaboration between the PIs and the MTAG is maximized and that research results are optimized for utility by end users. The end users can then help facilitate the transfer and use of information derived from this work for management applications, including sustainable fisheries management, habitat conservation and protection, and protection of listed threatened or endangered species. Applicants should include all costs associated with the annual meetings and MTAG engagement (with the exception of end user travel costs for Federal employees) in their proposal.

Expected outputs from this research include:

(1) Habitat usage and requirements of selected species.

(2) Recommendations regarding key species, habitats, and/or processes to address in targeted management actions to ensure the persistence of the species and critical supporting resources, and to support design of monitoring programs to evaluate effectiveness of those actions over time.

(3) Documented knowledge of the species reliance on essential habitats, physical processes, and environmental conditions.

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(4) (Optional) Identification of benefits, if any, to areas outside the MPA(s).

In addition to the above outputs and outcomes, the applicant will be expected to work with the NCCOS/CRP Program Manager and MPA staff to develop outreach and education materials (e.g., materials for websites, handouts, and social media; incorporating research into the classroom; and highlighting research findings/discoveries as they emerge). The proposal must describe a process to include an MTAG, which establishes the participation of resource managers and other end users at the onset of program implementation. The NCCOS/CRP Program Manager will work closely with the Lead PI to ensure that the appropriate management representatives (as end users of the program outputs) are engaged as advisors to the project.

C. Program Authority

33 U.S.C. §883 et seq.; Public Law 102-567, §201(c), Coastal Ocean Program.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

Funding is contingent upon availability of Federal appropriations. If funds become available for this program, two projects are expected to be supported for up to three to four years, with an approximate annual budget for each project up to $500,000, not to exceed $2,000,000 per project.

B. Project/Award Period

Full applications may cover a project/award period up to four years, but shorter-term project proposals are encouraged.

Awards may be funded incrementally, generally on an annual basis, but once awarded, those awards will not compete for funding in subsequent years. This multi-year funding is often appropriate for projects to be funded for two to four years. Once approved, full applications are not required for the continuation out years. While applicants are not required to divide Federal assistance project activities into annual increments based on appropriations law, this approach may be constructive given the possibility that funding may not be available in subsequent years.

Funding for each year's activity is contingent upon the availability of appropriations, satisfactory performance, and is at the sole discretion of the agency.

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During the implementation phase of research projects funded under this Announcement, regardless of the funding mechanism used, NCCOS/CRP Program Managers will analyze financial statements and progress reports for each continuing award, and will have dialogue with the PIs and Authorized Representatives of the recipient institutions to discuss research progress and expected timelines for the remaining award period. If NOAA experiences budget fluctuations in future fiscal years, the amount of funding provided in any given fiscal year will be determined on a project-specific basis by the remaining tasks to be completed, the overall pace of the research and the length of time remaining on the award and/or across the board reductions or increases based on the overall funds available.

Regardless of the budget for any given fiscal year, NCCOS/CRP Program Managers will consider the length of time remaining for each project, the amount of funds available, the tasks to be completed in the upcoming fiscal year, the pace of research, and any delayed progress relative to that originally proposed, before determining the funding amount in any given fiscal year.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

In an effort to maximize the use of limited resources, applications from non-Federal, non-NOAA Federal and NOAA Federal applicants will be evaluated in the same competition, with different funding instruments applicable to the type of applicant.

The funding instrument for a research application selected for funding from a non-Federal researcher is expected to be a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is appropriate when substantial Federal government involvement is anticipated. This means that the recipient can expect substantial agency collaboration, participation, or intervention in project performance. Substantial involvement exists when: responsibility for the management, control, direction, or performance of the project is shared by the assisting agency and the recipient; or the assisting agency has the right to intervene (including interruption or modification) in the conduct or performance of project activities. "Substantial involvement” will be coordinated and communicated by NCCOS/CRP Program Managers, and can include collaboration and participation by NOAA (but see section III.A.5-6), as well as NCCOS/CRP Program Manager involvement in PI meetings, setting up management advisory groups, development of management transition plans, and communication of project results.

If the non-Federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA Cooperative Institute (CI), https://ci.noaa.gov/, it is allowed to submit applications that reference the CI by attaching a cover letter to the application stating its desire to have the application associated with the CI.

This letter should specify the name of the CI, the CI cooperative agreement number, and the

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NOAA-approved research theme and task that applies to the proposal. The application will use the Facilities & Administrative (F&A, or indirect cost) rate associated with the main CI agreement. If the application is selected for funding, NOAA will notify the university that a separate award will be issued with its own award number. However, the award will include two Special Award Conditions (SACs): (1) the existing University/NOAA Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) would be incorporated by reference into the terms of the competitive award, and (2) any performance report(s) for the competitive project must follow the timetable of the funding program and be submitted directly to the funding program.

Report(s) will be copied to the CI's administrator when due, to be attached to the main cooperative agreement progress report as an appendix. This will allow the CI to coordinate all the projects submitted through the CI, since the terms of these awards will specify that this is a CI project via the MOA.

If the non-Federal applicant is at an institution that has a NOAA approved Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), http://www.cesu.psu.edu/, and meets the criteria described below for using that status, they may include a cover letter with their application stating their desire to have the application associated with that CESU. This letter should specify the name of the CESU. Of the 17 CESUs across the nation, NOAA is a member of 10: North and West Alaska, California, Hawaii-Pacific Islands, South Florida-Caribbean, Gulf Coast, Piedmont- South Atlantic Coast, Chesapeake Watershed, North Atlantic Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Great Plains. The following criteria must be met for NOAA to use the established partnerships with CESUs:

1. The proposed project must fit within the objectives of the National CESU Network Program, which are to provide research, technical assistance, and education to Federal land management, environmental, and research agencies and their partners in biological, physical, social, cultural, or engineering disciplines needed to address natural and cultural resource management issues at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context.

2. The proposed project must fit the intent of the CESU’s existing cooperative and joint agreement, which means (1) the research partnership will carry out or stimulate an activity (e.g., data, products, or services) for a public purpose, and (2) NOAA will be significantly involved in the work.

The funding instrument for a selected application from an eligible NOAA Federal applicant will be an intra-agency transfer of funds.

The funding instrument for a selected application from a non-NOAA Federal applicant will be through an inter-agency transfer of funds, provided legal authority exists for the Federal

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 37 applicant to receive funds from another agency. Non-NOAA Federal applicants that intend to be the lead institution should contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (refer to Section VII) to discuss how to structure budgets and prepare required documentation. PLEASE NOTE: Before non-NOAA Federal applicants may be funded, they must demonstrate that they have applicable legal authority for an inter-agency transfer of funds.

Support may be solely through NCCOS/CRP or partnered with other Federal offices and agencies.

The intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds are not Federal assistance (grants or cooperative agreements), and the policies described in this Announcement applicable to Federal assistance awards do not apply to Federal entities receiving intra- and inter-agency transfers of funds. In the agreements implemented in these situations, NOAA will be substantially involved in the projects in a manner similar to the cooperative agreements with non-federal parties. Contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator for more information (refer to Section VII).

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for Federal financial assistance in this competition are institutions of higher education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, U.S. Territories, and for-profit organizations. Federal agencies that possess the statutory authority to receive transfers of funds are eligible to submit applications for intra- or inter-agency funds transfers through this competition. Department of Commerce (DOC)/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to its programs. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages applications involving any of the above institutions to apply.

Please note that:

(1) PIs must be employees of an eligible entity listed above; and applications must be submitted through that entity. Non-Federal researchers should comply with their institutional requirements for application submission.

(2) Non-Federal researchers affiliated with NOAA-University Cooperative/Joint Institutes will be funded through cooperative agreements.

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(3) Foreign researchers must apply as subawards or contracts through an eligible U.S.

entity.

(4) Federal applicants are eligible to submit applications for intra- or inter-agency funds transfers through this competition. Non-NOAA Federal applicants will be required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they have specific legal authority to accept funds for this type of research.

(5) An eligible U.S. entity may propose Federal agency researchers as funded or unfunded collaborators. If Federal agency researchers are proposed as funded collaborators, the applicant should present the collaborator's funding request in the application in the same way documentation is provided for a subrecipient for purposes of project evaluation, even though intra- or inter-agency funding transfers will generally be used if the project is selected.

(6) NCCOS researchers may apply through an eligible U.S. entity as funded or unfunded collaborators, but cannot be the lead PI on the application. NOAA Federal salaries will not be paid.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

None.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

Each application must substantially comply with the 15 elements listed under Section IV.B(c) Content and Form of Application: Required Elements (1) - (15), or it will be returned to sender without further consideration. A checklist with the required and requested application elements can be found in Section VIII.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Proposal materials are available at http://www.grants.gov as part of the electronic proposal package. Please contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator should you have an issue accessing the materials (see section VII).

B. Content and Form of Application

(a) Example Application

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A sample application package and other guidance can be found under “Information for Applicants” located on the NCCOS website at:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/funding-opportunities/application-forms/.

(b) Collaborative Proposals If more than one institution is collaborating in a project awarded funds, the lead institution will be the only institution to directly receive funds from NOAA and will be responsible for distributing funds to the partner institutions with the exception of Federal agency partners.

Federal agencies will be funded with either intra- or inter-agency agreements initiated by NCCOS. Only one full proposal per project must be submitted via grants.gov. Collaborating institutions expected to receive funds must be budgeted as subawards or contracts in the submitted proposal and provide the lead institution with their documents for submission by the lead. Unfunded collaborators may also participate.

(c) Required Elements Each application must substantially comply with the following 15 elements to be forwarded for merit review. The Summary Title Page, Abstract, Project Description, References, Biographical Sketch, and Budget Narrative must be single spaced in 12-point font with one-inch margins. The Collaborators List must be an Excel spreadsheet. The 15 elements are as follows:

(1) Standard Form 424. The applicant must submit the Standard Form, SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance,” to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for the whole project period. This form is to be the cover page for the original application and is the first required form in the grants.gov application package.

(2) Summary Title Page. One-page maximum. The Summary Title Page identifies the project's title, starting with the acronym: RER 2021 and the PI’s name and affiliation, complete address, phone and email information. The requested funding amounts for each fiscal year should be included on the Summary Title Page. If this proposal is a resubmission from a previous NCCOS competition, indicate that information on the Summary Title Page.

(3) One-page Abstract/Project Summary. The summary (abstract) should appear on a separate single page, headed with the proposal title, institution(s), investigator(s), total proposed cost, and budget period. It should be written in the third person. The project summary should include an introduction of the problem, rationale, scientific objectives and/or hypotheses to be tested, and a brief summary of work to be completed. The summary is used to help compare proposals quickly and allows the respondents to summarize their key

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 37 points in their own words. Project summaries of applications that receive funding may be posted on program-related websites.

(4) Project Description. The description of the proposed project must include three narrative sections: the Proposed Research, its Application to Management, and a Data Management Plan. The proposal shall not exceed more than 20 pages for the description of the Proposed Research and Application to Management and two pages for the Data Management Plan. These three sections must include the information as described below.

a. Proposed Research

The Proposed Research narrative section should be thorough and explicitly indicate its relevance to the program goals and scientific priorities by:

i. Identifying the topic that is being addressed by the proposal;

ii. Describing the proposed scientific objectives and research activities in relation to the present state of knowledge in the field and in relation to previous and current work by the proposing PI(s);

iii. Discussing how the proposed project lends value to the program goals; and

iv. Identifying the function of each PI. The Lead PI will be responsible for communicating with the NCCOS/CRP Program Manager on all pertinent verbal or written information.

b. Application to Management The Applications to Management Narrative should establish the connection to relevant resource management needs by explicitly identifying the end user group(s) including evidence of the linkage between the scientific questions and management needs. The format and role of MTAG (see Section I.B.) should be included in this section. The narrative should provide the management justification for the research by:

i) Articulating the coordination with one or more end users.

ii) Discussing the expected significance of the project to management priorities and needs. Specific management targets, with proposed outputs and outcomes, should describe how this project will improve management capabilities. Outputs are defined as products (e.g., publications and models) or activities that lead to outcomes (changes in

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 37 management knowledge or action). Definitions and examples of outputs and outcomes can be accessed at https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/funding-opportunities/outputs-and-outcomes/. The timeline for achieving outcomes should be included in the Milestone Chart (below).

iii) Describing specific activities, such as workshops or development of outreach materials, that will enhance information transfer from project scientists to relevant management entities, other end-users, or the public.

iv) Describing the structure, size, and activities of the MTAG, particularly by including a plan for how the MTAG will engage with project PIs. Members of the MTAG should be named, when possible. Letters may be included, but are not required, to indicate that they have agreed to serve on the MTAG; these letters do not count against the page limits.

c. Data Management Plan

Proposals must provide a detailed Data Management Plan that describes how metadata and data collected as part of the project will be disseminated to the broader community, and plans for longer term archiving of these data. PIs that propose to collaborate with data centers or networks, except the National Center for Environmental Information, are advised to obtain letters of commitment that affirm the collaboration. Where possible, all PIs are strongly encouraged to use existing data centers and data portals to archive and disseminate their data. Costs associated with use of data centers, or data archiving, should be included in the application budget. See the section on the NOAA Data Reporting requirements in Section VI.C.

[Note: If the proposal is a resubmission from a previous competition, any concerns identified with the Project Description in the previous review process and provided to the applicant(s) should be addressed in the resubmitted proposal.]

(5) References cited. Reference information is required. Each reference should include the names of all authors in the same sequence they appear in the publications, the article title, the journal or book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications. While there is no established page limitation, this section should include bibliographic citations only and should not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the Project Description.

(6) Milestone chart. Provide timelines of major tasks covering the duration of the proposed project.

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(7) Biographical sketch. All PIs and co-PIs must provide summaries of up to two pages that include the following:

a. A listing of professional and academic credentials and mailing address; and

b. A list of up to five publications most closely related to the proposed project and five other significant publications.

(8) Current and Pending Support. Describe all current and pending Federal financial/funding support for all PIs and co-PIs. Continuing grants must also be included. A current and pending support form is available on the NCCOS website for your use:

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/application-forms. You should respond to this element whether or not you have any current and/or pending support, i.e., by indicating “not applicable.”

(9) A list of all known applicable permits that will be required to perform the proposed work. You should respond to this requirement element whether or not permits are required.

(10) Accomplishments from Prior Federal Support. If any PI or co-PI identified on the project has received Federal funding in the past five years for research on MPA effectiveness and/or connectivity, information on the award(s) is required. Each PI and co-PI who has received more than one award (excluding amendments) must report on the award most closely related to the proposal. This section should not exceed two pages (in total, NOT per investigator) in addition to the Project Description.

The following information on accomplishments should be provided:

a. the award number, amount, and period of support;

b. the title of the project;

c. a summary of the results of the completed work;

d. publications resulting from the award;

e. a brief description of outputs and outcomes; and

f. as appropriate, a description of the relation of the completed work to the proposed

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 37 work.

When applicable, this information will be considered by reviewers in the evaluation of overall qualifications of applicants. You should respond to this element even if the applicant has no accomplishments from prior Federal support on research on MPA effectiveness and/or connectivity by stating “no prior Federal research on research on MPA effectiveness and/or connectivity.”

(11) Budget Narrative. In order to allow reviewers to fully evaluate the appropriateness of costs, all applications must include a detailed budget narrative to support all proposed budget categories for each fiscal year. For additional budget guidance https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coasthome/funding/_pdf/forms/budget-narrative-guidance-for- NOAA-grants.pdf.

Personnel costs should be broken out by named PI, number of months, and percentage of time requested per year per PI. Support for each PI should be commensurate with their stated involvement each year in the milestone chart (see Required Elements: (6) Milestone Chart).

Any unnamed personnel (graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) should be identified by their job title, and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs.

The contribution of any personnel to the project goals should be explained.

Travel costs should be broken out by number of people traveling, destination and purpose of travel, and projected costs per person.

Equipment costs should describe the equipment to be purchased, and its contribution to the achievement of the project goals.

Any ship time needs must be clearly identified in the proposed budget. The applicant is responsible for requesting ship time through appropriate channels and for meeting all requirements to ensure the availability of requested ship time. If any NOAA personnel will be present during ship operations, vessel safety clearances must be obtained through the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) in advance of the cruise.

Required information and procedures are detailed in a Charter Vessel Acquisition and Safety NOAA Administrative Order which can be accessed via the OMAO website at http://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/headquarters/safety-environmental-compliance/vessel-chartering-info.

If more than one institution is collaborating in a project awarded funds, the lead institution will be the only institution to directly receive funds from NOAA unless a Federal agency is a

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 37 funded collaborator. Federal agencies may be funded directly by NOAA. The lead institution is responsible for sending funds to their other subaward institutions. A separate budget narrative is required for each subaward (including Federal collaborators) and must be provided to the lead institution for submission. Signed approval from each identified subaward institution is required. For acquisition contracts, the purpose and cost or price must be fully justified and the contract must fully comply with 2 C.F.R. 200.317-.326.

Applications are permitted to include the costs of project-level data management, including:

coordinating, organizing, documenting, formatting, or otherwise preparing datasets for submission to NOAA or non-NOAA data facilities; establishing and maintaining data access tools and services and related metadata; managing non-digital data that are not required to be made publicly accessible, including laboratory notebooks, preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer review reports, communications with colleagues, or physical objects, such as laboratory specimens.

An applicant requesting funds for indirect costs in its proposal budget that has a current Federally approved rate should submit documentation of the indirect cost rate agreement as an attachment to its application submission. An applicant without a Federally approved rate should refer to Section IV.F. of this Announcement regarding options.

(12) CD-511. Certification Regarding Lobbying. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov CD-511 document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on documents from the submitting institution.

(13) Standard Form (SF) 424B. Assurances - Non-Construction Programs. Lead institutions can submit these forms through the grants.gov SF-424B document placeholder without a hard signature because electronic signatures are allowed on document from the submitting institutions.

(14) Standard Form 424A. All applicants are required to provide a SF-424A Budget Form that identifies the budget for each fiscal year of the proposal. Place each fiscal year in separate columns in Section B of page one on the SF-424A by filling in the fiscal years 1-5 in Section A Budget Summary - Grant Program Function or Activity column. (Note that this revised SF-424A Section B format is a NOAA requirement that is not reflected in the Instructions for the SF-424A). The budget figures must correspond with the descriptions contained in the Budget Narrative.

Each subaward should provide a SF-424A listing each year of funding being requested. List total subaward costs under line item 6.h. Other category and contractor costs under line item

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6.f. Contractual category on the SF-424A. Signed approval from the institution of each identified subaward and contractor should be provided.

All ship costs belong in the “other” category and are not subject to indirect costs.

(15) List of Collaborators. Provide one list that includes all (U.S. and Foreign) collaborators, advisors, and advisees for each investigator (PI, co-PIs, post-docs, and subawardees), complete with corresponding institutions. This list must include the names of each PI and co- PI. Submit only one, combined and alphabetized list per application in an Excel spreadsheet using First Name, Last Name, and Institution for the column headings. Collaborators are individuals who have participated in a project or publication within the last 48 months with any investigator, including co-authors on publications in the resumes. Collaborators also include those persons with which the investigators may have ongoing collaboration negotiations. Advisees and Advisors do not have a time limit. Advisees are persons with whom the individual investigator has had an association as thesis advisor or postdoctoral sponsor. Advisors include an individual’s own graduate and postgraduate advisors.

Unfunded participants in the proposed study should also be listed (but not their collaborators). This information is critical for identifying potential conflicts of interests and avoiding bias in the selection of reviewers.

d. Application Format and Assembly.

Workspace is the standard way for organizations or individuals to apply for Federal grants in Grants.gov. Workspace allows a grant team to simultaneously access and edit different forms within an application. Plus, the forms can be filled out online or offline—your choice.

Grants.gov Workspace also allows applicants and organizations to tailor their application workflow. Please refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html to determine which of the three approaches your institution should take when completing a Workspace application. This page also contains resources to aid in setting up the Workspace and the application submission process.

If you experience submission problems that may result in your application being late, send an e-mail to support@grants.gov and call the Grants.gov help desk (800-518-4726). The NCCOS/CRP Program Manager for this Announcement will use programmatic discretion in accepting applications due to documented electronic submission problems. NOTE: If more than one submission of an application is performed, the last application submitted before the due date and time will be the official version.

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In addition to the 15 required elements, applicants may provide the following:

(1) A list of potential peer reviewers on a page after the Summary Title Page.

(2) Letters from unfunded collaborators, verifying their contribution to the project.

These elements can be uploaded into the Optional Form box under Other Attachments in Grants.gov.

Applications containing known subawards must provide an SF-424A, Budget Narrative, and Current and Pending Support for each subaward. Signed approval from the institution of each subaward and contractor should be provided. We also request submission of the indirect rate agreement for subawards, if applicable. Applicants may provide additional information similar to that requested in this section for an acquisition contract if it may help NOAA assure compliance of the contract with 2 C.F.R. 200.317-.326.

Permits, accomplishments, biographical sketches and the collaborators lists should be supplied to the lead institution in order for them to be combined within the lead application information. It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain all necessary Federal, state, and local government permits and approvals where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted.

Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize potential adverse impacts on the environment. If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of environmental permits should be received by the NCCOS/CRP Program Manager prior to funding. Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, or whether an Environmental Assessment is necessary in conformance with requirements of NEPA. For those applications needing an Environmental Assessment, affected applicants will be informed after the peer review stage, and will be requested to assist in the preparation of a draft assessment (prior to award). Failure to apply for and/or obtain Federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analysis where necessary (e.g., NEPA Environmental Assessment) may delay the award of funds if a project is selected for funding.

Applicants to be recommended for funding will be required to answer relevant questions from the "Environmental Compliance Questionnaire for NOAA Federal Financial Assistance Applicants:" https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants-Questionnaire-final.pdf. The

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NCCOS/CRP Program Manager will determine which questions are relevant to each specific proposal. Answers must be provided before the application can be submitted for final funding approval.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

To enable the use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, to the extent applicable, any proposal awarded in response to this Announcement will be required to use SAM, which may be accessed online at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. Applicants are also required to use the Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System, as identified in OMB guidance published at 2 C.F.R. Part 25, which may be accessed at https://go.usa.gov/xPTZg.

Applicants and recipients are required to 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. The Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicants.

See Section IV.G. of this Announcement for more information.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Full applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 14, 2021. Full applications should be submitted electronically to Grants.gov and must be received and validated by Grants.gov by the deadline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected and returned to the sender without further consideration.

Important: All applicants should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov is currently extremely heavy, and if use of Grants.gov is not feasible, contact the NCCOS Grants Administrator (see section VII for contact information) as soon as possible and no later than a week before the due date to assess whether alternative arrangements can be made.

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E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." It has been determined that this notice is not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a) (2), an opportunity for public notice and comment is not required for this notice relating to grants, benefits and contracts. Because this notice is exempt from the notice and comment provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required, and none has been prepared.