RC Foa_Content_of_F21AS00447 Final.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

FWS - Ecological Services

Recovery Challenge Fund Fiscal Year: 2021

F21AS00447

Due Date for Applications: 06/28/2021

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT:

OMB Control Number: 1018-0100, Expiration Date: 7/31/2021

We are collecting this information in accordance with the authorizing legislation identified above. Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We will use the information you provide to conduct a competitive review and select projects for funding and, if awarded, to evaluate performance. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. We estimate that it will take you on average about 40 hours to complete an initial application, about 3 hours to revise the terms of an award, and about 8 hours per report to prepare and submit financial and performance reports, including time to maintain records and gather information. Actual time for these activities will vary depending on program-specific requirements. You may send comments on the burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

Table of Contents A. Program Description

A1. Authority

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements

B. Federal Award Information

B1. Total Funding

B2. Expected Award Amount

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates

B4. Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching

C3. Other

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission

D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

D4. Submission Dates and Times

D5. Intergovernmental Review

D6. Funding Restrictions

D7. Other Submission Requirements

E. Application Review Information

E1. Criteria

E2. Review and Selection Process

E3. CFR – Regulatory Information

E4. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

F1. Federal Award Notices

F2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

F3. Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

G1. Program Technical Contact

G2. Program Administration

G3. Application System Technical Support

H. Other Information

A. Program Description

A1. Authority

Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §1531 et. seq.

15.657

A2. Background, Purpose and Program Requirements

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to conserve endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend, and to take appropriate steps to achieve the purposes of treaties and conventions set forth in the ESA. Section 2(a)(5) of the ESA authorizes the use of Federal financial assistance to encourage the States and other interested parties to develop and maintain conservation programs to safeguard the Nation’s heritage in fish, wildlife and plants for the benefit of all citizens. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Ecological Services Program provides Federal financial assistance on a competitive basis to states, other Federal agencies, landowners, educators, non-profit organizations, researchers, and other potential partners to secure information about endangered or threatened species, to aid in the recovery of these species under the ESA, and to help conserve the ecosystems upon which these species depend. The Recovery Challenge funding opportunity specifically provides a unique financial assistance opportunity for eligible, non-Federal longstanding and new partners working on high priority recovery actions as identified by the Service for ESA endangered and threatened species.

Recovery Challenge Congressional Appropriations Language The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260) authorizes funding for the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity. The overall goal of Recovery Challenge is to enhance and increase partnerships with agencies and organizations implementing high priority recovery actions, in particular for genetically-sound breeding, rearing, and reintroduction programs, as well as to develop or update recovery plans or develop recovery outlines. This opportunity also addresses the Presidential priority articulated in Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad by supporting biodiversity efforts.

Recovery Challenge matching grants must implement high priority recovery actions as prescribed in recovery plans, recovery outlines, or other public documents (see definition of other public documents below in Section C. Eligibility Information). Longstanding partner contributions cannot be less than their current amounts, and new partnerships require a 50:50 match. Matching funds may include in-kind services (see Section C. Eligibility Information)

B. Federal Award Information B1. Total Funding Estimated Total Funding $ 9,000,000

B2. Expected Award Amount Maximum Award $ 4,200,000 Minimum Award $ 1,000

B3. Expected Award Funding and Anticipated Dates Expected Award Funding $ 3,800,000 Expected Award Date October 28, 2021

Approximately $3.8 million of the FY2021 Recovery Challenge funds will be automatically allocated to awarded FY2020 projects that requested incremental funding (grant funds obligated in yearly monetary increments over the indicated project period). Approximately $1 million will be awarded to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, consistent with the appropriations language. The remaining funds will be awarded to new FY2021 award cycle projects to ensure the Service’s ability to fund new Recovery Challenge projects yearly while maintaining prior funding commitments for previously awarded incremental funding projects. The FY2021 distribution for new projects is anticipated as follows:

A maximum of $200,000 total to fund all projects proposing to develop or update a recovery plan or develop a recovery outline.

Approximately 50% of the total remaining funds (after funding previous award cycle incremental funding projects and projects for developing/updating recovery plan or developing recovery outline) may be awarded to new projects implementing high priority recovery actions and requesting incremental funding.

Approximately 50% of the total remaining funds (after funding previous award cycle incremental funding projects and projects for developing/updating recovery plan or developing recovery outline) may be awarded to new projects implementing high priority recovery actions requesting upfront (full) funding (the total project amount to be awarded in FY2021) (see Section D2 for more information on incremental versus upfront full funding).

The amount of funding per Federal award in FY2020 ranged from $21,000 to $622,000, and the average award amount was approximately $185,000.

Requirements for New Projects Requesting Incremental Funding Any new (FY2021) projects requesting incremental funding (see Section D2 Content and Form of Application Submission for more information on incremental funding) must submit budgets where subsequent year funding (e.g., years 2-5) does not exceed (is either equal to or less than) the first year (FY2021) requested funding amount.

Incremental funding recipients, if selected, will receive a Notice of Award (NOA) with the period of performance as the duration of the entire project period, and discrete budget periods will be established (as appropriate for the project’s goals and objectives) for each year of incremental funding.

Requirements for Previous Award Cycle Incremental Funding Recipients Incremental funding recipients from prior award years (e.g., FY2020) do not need to apply to subsequent year Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) if seeking their project funds for the years specified in their original Notice of Award and do not have to compete (undergo the merit review process again) with new projects.

Incremental funding recipients must request the obligation of each subsequent year’s incremental funding annually. Each year, recipients must submit an amendment to their existing award as a supplemental revision request in GrantSolutions. When the amendment is approved, the money will be obligated for the award year. FY20 incremental funding recipients must submit their revision request for Year 2 project funds through GrantSolutions no later than June 1, 2022.

B4. Number of Awards Expected Number of Awards

B5. Type of Award Funding Instrument Type CA - Cooperative Agreement G - Grant

If funds are awarded through a cooperative agreement with the Service, the Service will be substantially involved in the project. Under cooperative agreements, substantial involvement by the Service should be expected and may include participating and collaborating jointly with the recipient or other personnel in carrying out the scope of work including training recipient personnel or detailing Federal personnel to work on the project effort; reviews and approves one stage of work before the next stage can begin; reviews and approves, prior to recipient action, proposed modifications or sub-awards; helps select project staff or trainees; directs or redirects the work because of interrelationships with other projects; has power to immediately halt an activity if detailed performance specifications are not met; and limits recipient discretion with respect to scope of work, organizational structure, staffing, mode of operations and other management processes, coupled with close monitoring or operational involvement during performance under the award. To submit a proposal for consideration as a cooperative agreement, provide a justification statement in the project proposal as to the type and duration of assistance requested by the Service and a rationale for why involvement of Service is needed to fulfill the project objectives.

C. Eligibility Information

C1. Eligible Applicants Eligible Applicants 99 – Unrestricted (i.e. open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in the text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" Additional Information on Eligibility Please see Section C3. Other for more information.

C2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement Yes Percentage of Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement

Percentage of Cost Sharing/Matching Requirement:

Longstanding partnership contributions must be equal to or greater than their annual current contribution average percent over the past 5 years.

New partnership contributions require at least a 50:50 cost share match.

Cost share estimates provided by applicants (both longstanding and new partnerships) may include costs estimates of in-kind services but may not include any federal funding sources as part of the partner match. A description of all matching funds and in-kind services must be described in the proposal. Any cost share sources from other non-federal partners should be clearly indicated within any applicable documentation including the completed SF424 and Budget Narrative.

C3. Other

Applicants are expected to have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the biology of the involved listed species and its ecosystem, including preferably having worked with the species in the past. In addition, they must demonstrate that:

1. The proposal does not include funding for the salary of a Service employee.

2. The proposal does not seek funding for land acquisition or conservation easements, even if such activities are identified as a high priority recovery action for the species.

3. The proposal does not seek funding for projects that serve to satisfy regulatory requirements of the ESA, including complying with a biological opinion under Section 7 of the Act or fulfilling commitments of a Habitat Conservation Plan under section 10 of the Act, or for projects that serve to satisfy other Federal regulatory requirements (e.g., mitigation for Federal permits).

4. The applicant has consulted with the affected State, unless the affected State is a partner on the project.

Additional Information on Eligibility To qualify for Recovery Challenge funds applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria in regards to (1) project types and (2) partnerships.

(1) Eligible project types are those that either:

1. Directly address high priority recovery actions for ESA listed species (under the trusteeship of the Service), specified by the Service as either:

High priority action(s) of an approved draft or final recovery plan, or activities in a Recovery Implementation Strategy (RIS) for the species tiered from an identified high priority recovery action.

o If the project addresses Priority 2 or 3 actions, you will need to explain why these actions are being addressed instead of any existing Priority 1 actions; OR

Recovery action(s) listed in a recovery outline, if the species has been listed for less than

2.5 years; OR

Actions specified in other public documents that contain specific, measurable, and prioritized actions. To qualify as an accepted other public document they must:

o Have been developed in coordination with the Service's lead for the targeted species;

o Undergone scientific peer and/or public review; and o Describe how the prioritized actions will address threats to the species and indicate appropriate entities to implement each action.

o In addition, projects must explain the relationship of the document to a species draft or final recovery plan or recovery outline, if one exists, and/or why this document is being used instead of the draft or final recovery plan or recovery outline.

2. Update an existing draft or final recovery plan where the species’ lead Service Field Office has prioritized the need for updating the current plan in a letter of concurrence as described below.

3. Develop a recovery plan for a species that does not have a draft or final recovery plan, where the species is currently on the national recovery plan workplan.

4. Develop a recovery outline for a species that does not have a recovery outline or draft or final recovery plan.

https://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/recovery-workplans.html

For projects that propose to update or develop a draft/final recovery plan or develop a recovery outline, there are additional eligibility requirements:

1. The proposal cannot request incremental funding (see Section D2 for the definition of incremental funding).

2. The period of performance must not exceed 1 year for developing recovery outlines or

2.5 years for developing or updating a recovery plan (where the draft recovery plan must be produced within 1 year of the start of the period of performance and the final recovery plan must be produced by the end of the period of performance).

3. The proposal must include a signed letter from the species’ lead Service Field Office, including:

a. A description of the applicant’s current role for the species, AND

b. Confirmation that developing a recovery plan for the species, updating the species’ current recovery plan, or developing the species’ recovery outline should be prioritized and why, AND

i. Confirmation of the applicant’s ability to develop or update a recovery plan and do so in compliance with the Service’s 3-Part Framework (this means developing an SSA if one is not already available and also develop/update a Recovery Implementation Strategy), OR

ii. The applicant’s ability to develop a recovery outline using the Service’s recovery outline template, AND

c. A commitment from the Service Field Office to enter into a cooperative agreement with the applicant if this proposal is selected, a clear outline of how and when the Service will be involved, and a commitment from the Field and Regional Office to finalize and post the final recovery plan or outline within six month after the end of the recipient’s period of performance

Please note that land acquisition and conservation easement activities are not eligible for funding through Recovery Challenge, even if such activities are identified as a high priority recovery action for the species.

(2) Eligible partnerships include one of the following:

A longstanding partnership, where:

o The partner has a history of working with the Service on recovery efforts for the species addressed in the proposal for at least the past 5 years;

o The partner provides a non-federal cost share for both the total and annual cost that is equal to or greater than their contribution percentages averaged over the past 5 years of direct funds or in-kind contributions; and Documentation is provided indicating:

Funding and in-kind contribution amounts and a brief description of the sources of these contributions for each of the previous 5 years, The yearly and total percentage partner contribution over the past 5 years, and

The ability and commitment to continuing to fund the percentage match each year over the duration of the project.

o If the partner submits multi-year project proposals, they can only have a project duration of up to five years (if applicable)

A new partnership, where:

o The partner has not yet worked with the Service on recovery efforts for the species addressed in the proposal; or the partner has worked with the Service on the species addressed in the proposal for less than 5 years;

o The partner provides at least a 50:50 non-federal cost share of direct funds or in-kind contributions; and Documentation is provided indicating:

Funding and in-kind contribution amounts and a brief description of the sources of these contributions, and

The ability and commitment to fund the 50:50 cost share each year over the duration of the project.

o If the partner submits multi-year project proposals, they can only have a project duration of up to three years (if applicable).

Eligible proposals must be submitted as described in Section D Application and Submission Information.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm that their project meets the eligibility criteria, described above, prior to submitting a proposal. The Service will not consider proposals that do not clearly meet eligibility requirements.

Identifying High Priority Recovery Actions

Eligible actions will vary by species, and may include, but are not limited to, genetically-sound breeding, rearing, and reintroduction actions, securing scientific information about endangered or threatened species and their habitat, implementing restoration actions that will lead to delisting or downlisting of a species, help prevent extinction of a species, or aid in the recovery of a species.

To identify high priority recovery actions, please review the approved species recovery documents available on the Ecological Services Program’s website at http://www.fws.gov/endangered. Enter a species name in the “Species Search” query box near the top of the page in the “Find Endangered Species” section, and then hit the search icon (shaped like a magnifying glass). If you enter a general name like the word “trout,” then a list of species names containing the word “trout” will appear. Click on the scientific name of the desired species to see the regulatory profile for that species.

Once you are in the species’ profile, look under Lead Region to find the Service Regional Office with lead for the species. Only threatened and endangered species for which the Service is lead are eligible for this funding opportunity. (Note: If NMFS is lead for the species, then the Lead Region will be “National Marine Fisheries Service, Region 11.” Projects for NMFS-managed species are not included in this funding opportunity.)

Next, scroll down to the Recovery section of the profile. Look under the Current Recovery Plans(s) heading to determine whether the species has an approved draft or final recovery plan or recovery outline (if the species has been listed for less than 2.5 years), and may therefore potentially be eligible to be considered for the funding opportunity. There are separate web links for the recovery plan, the plan’s implementation schedule, and its recovery outline, if available.

For species with approved draft or final recovery plans, click on the recovery plan title to see the recovery plan document and to determine whether the recovery plan lists recovery actions. As a reminder, only high priority recovery actions listed in the recovery plan are eligible for Recovery Challenge funding. Recovery actions are most commonly shown along with their priority ranking (i.e., Priority 1, 2, or 3) in the Implementation Schedule table in the species’ recovery plan. Please make a note of the exact text of the applicable priority recovery action(s) that apply to your proposal, as you will need to include this in information in your proposal description. If your project is focused on Priority 2 or 3 actions, you will need to explain why these actions are being addressed instead of Priority 1 actions.

For species listed for less than 2.5 years that has an approved recovery outline, click on the title of the recovery outline to see the document and to determine whether the recovery outline lists any recommended recovery actions. Please make a note of the exact text of the applicable recovery action in the recovery outline, as you will need to include this information in your proposal description. Note: If a species has both an approved recovery outline and a more recent approved draft or final recovery plan, the high priority actions for the species would be priority recovery actions listed in the approved draft or final recovery plan.

Foreign Entities or Projects:

This program may provide funding to foreign entities or for projects conducted outside the United States.

State Sponsors of Terrorism: This program will not fund projects in countries determined by the U.S. Department of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism and therefore are subject to sanctions restricting receipt of U.S. foreign assistance and other financial transactions.

Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions: This program will not fund projects in countries subject to comprehensive sanction programs administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control without proper licenses.

In-Country Licenses, Permits, or Approvals: Entities conducting activities outside the U.S.

are responsible for coordinating with appropriate U.S. and foreign government authorities as necessary to obtain all required licenses, permits, or approvals before undertaking project https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm https://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx activities. The Service does not assume responsibility for recipient compliance with the laws, regulations, policies, or procedures of the foreign country in which they are conducting work.

Excluded Parties: FWS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. The Bureau cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

D. Application and Submission Information

D1. Address to Request Application Package

Contact the Service to request a paper application package if you do not have access to the internet to download the application package forms (see G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)).

Program Website Link

D2. Content and Form of Application Submission SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Applicants must submit the appropriate Standard Form (SF)-424, Application for Federal Assistance. Individuals applying as a private citizen (i.e., unrelated to any business or nonprofit organization you may own or operate in your name), must complete the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance-Individual form. All other applicants must complete the standard SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The required application forms are available with this announcement on Grants.gov. The SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance must be complete, and signed and dated. Please note: Enter only the amount requested from this Federal program in the “Federal” funding box on the SF-424 Application form. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the “Other” box and provide details on those Federal source(s) and funding amount(s) in the required Budget Narrative (see the “Budget Narrative” section below).

SF 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs

Individuals applying for and receiving funds separate from a business or non-profit organization he/she may own or operate and any entity waived from the SAM.gov registration requirements by the funding bureau or office must submit the signed and dated SF-424B, Assurances for Non- Construction Programs form. The SF-424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs are available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html

Project Summary

All Recovery Challenge proposals must include the following sections (or documents) to be considered a full proposal. Proposals will be evaluated and scored based on the merit review criteria provided in Section E. Application Review Information, E1. Criteria.

Project Synopsis (250 word max) A brief project summary (similar to a scientific abstract) including applicant/partners, species, general location, project goals and objectives, and how they relate to Service identified high priority recovery actions for the species.

Project Summary (2 page max) Project proposals must include a project summary succinctly outlining:

Project title Applicant name Benefited Specie(s) (common and scientific name(s)) Partnership Type (longstanding or new) o Longstanding partners must provide a table of in-kind partner contributions for the past 5 years (see example table below). Partner % match is calculated by: ($ partner match)/(total project cost)*100%

Fiscal Year

Total Project Cost

Partner Cost Share Funding Amount

Partner % Match

FY 2020 $900,000 $600,000 67%

FY 2019 $950,000 $500,000 53%

FY 2018 $595,000 $475,000 80%

FY 2017 $125,000 $75,000 60%

FY 2016 $565,000 $350,000 62%

Totals $3,135,000 $2,000,000 64%

Based on this example, the partner must contribute at least 64% of the total project cost for each year of their proposed project.

Project Duration (clearly indicate how many years it will take for the project to be completed)

Type of Funding Request (incremental or upfront (full) project funding) o Incremental funding – Project funded in yearly monetary increments obligated over the indicated project period.

Please be aware that subsequent year funding for incremental funding projects (2-5 for longstanding partnerships, or 2-3 for new partnerships) is dependent on the availability of funding designated through future, yearly congressional appropriations. However, if successfully funded, incremental funding recipients would not need to apply to subsequent year NOFOs to receive future years’ funding.

o Upfront (full) funding – Total project amount funded within the fiscal year applied.

Recovery Actions Addressed

Include a concise list of the high priority recovery action(s) to be addressed by the project per species, referencing the Service or other public document they were taken from and their priority number, if applicable (e.g., priority 1, priority 2, or priority 3, see hypothetical example below).

The following Priority 1 and Priority 2 recovery actions listed in the third revision of the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan (1996) for the California condor are addressed in this project:

112 Operate existing breeding facilities according to management protocols (Priority 1) 12 Manage the captive flock (Priority 1) 221 Develop criteria for selecting release sites (Priority 2) 222 Select release sites (Priority 1) 23 Conduct releases in California of California condors into selected habitats (Priority 1)

Budget Overview Table (see example below) o Longstanding partners must demonstrate how each fiscal year they will be meeting their cost share requirement of equal to or greater than their contribution percentages averaged over the past 5 years.

o New partners must demonstrate how each fiscal year they will be meeting their 50% cost share requirement.

Fiscal Year

Recovery Challenge Amount Requested

Partner Cost Share Funding Amount

Partner % Match

FY 2021 $300,000 $575,000 66%

FY 2022 $290,000 $510,000 64%

FY 2023 $295,000 $525,000 64%

FY 2024 $62,000 $125,000 67%

FY 2025 $250,000 $450,000 64%

Totals $1,197,000 $2,185,000 65%

In this example, this table is the same longstanding partner as above, and they show that they have committed to a partner match of at least 64% per year.

Project Narrative

Project Narrative (20 page max) Project proposals must also include a project narrative providing additional detail on the following:

Project Title Description of organizations/entities undertaking the project, providing a brief description of the applicant organization and all other participating entities and/or individuals. Identify which of the proposed activities each agency, organization, group, or individual is responsible for conducting or managing.

Information on key project personnel per organization/entity, including the principle investigator or recipient project lead. Provide complete contact information for the individual within the organization that will oversee/manage the project activities on a day-to-day basis.

Project Duration, explicitly indicating on how many years it will take to complete the project.

Project Location, including a description of where the project work will be conducted and a map of the project area. The map should clearly delineate the project area, be large enough to be legible, include approximate GPS coordinates of where work will be conducted, and label any sites referenced in the project narrative (if applicable).

o Submitting a GIS shapefile of the project area is encouraged but not required.

Statement of Need, clearly identifying the conservation issue that will be addressed, providing evidence to demonstrate that the need for the project is real and not perceived, and including the negative consequences if this project is not selected for funding. It should be clear why this project is necessary (significance/value) for species recovery, how it fulfills the purposes of the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity and provides supporting information. The statement of need should also articulate how the project will contribute to achieve any of the species’ recovery criteria and/or contribute to down or delisting of the species.

o If the applicant has received previous funding (from the Service or any other entity) for this specific project work or site, provide a summary of the funding, associated activities and products/outcomes.

o If the proposal includes a continuation of previous or ongoing work funded through this program, a justification describing the importance of the continuation of the work must be included in the project description in order to receive full consideration. The justification must describe if the proposal will address new aspects of the task, how it will be additive to or different from previous work and indicate if the task will be completed with this funding. While proposals for ongoing work may be selected for funding, it will be awarded as a new grant with discrete deliverables.

Goal(s) and objectives, stating the long-term, overarching goal(s) of the project (what it hopes to achieve) and the objective(s) (specific, measurable, and realistic steps or strategies) to be implemented to attain the goal(s) within the proposed project period.

Proposals should include clearly identify (directly reference) the specific high priority recovery actions that the project will achieve and reference the Service document they are captured in.

o If the project is focused on a priority 2 or 3 actions, applicant should provide a brief explanation of why priority 1 tasks are not being addressed.

o The proposal should be able to articulate how the project will contribute to species recovery without Service reviewers needing to directly reference the species’ draft or final Recovery Plan, RIS, Recovery Outline (if species has been listed for < 2.5 years), or other public document.

o If the proposed project can achieve any species’ recovery criteria for down or delisting, the proposal should specifically state which criteria will be met following successful project implementation and how the project will achieve that criteria.

Activities and Methods/Approach, list the proposed project activities and describe how they relate to the stated project objectives. Activities are the specific actions to be undertaken to fulfill the project objectives and reach the project goal(s). In addition, applicants should provide a detailed description of the method(s) to be used to carry out each activity.

Timetable and milestones, provide a timetable indicating roughly when activities or project milestones are to be accomplished. Include any resulting tables, spreadsheets or flow charts (such as a Gantt chart) within the body of the project narrative (do not include as separate attachments). The timetable should not propose specific dates but instead group activities by month over the entire proposed project period. See example timetable in Attachment A.

Required project monitoring and evaluation plan, including an adaptive management plan if applicable, and description of assessment tools to be used. Detail the monitoring and evaluation plan for the project. Building on the stated project objectives, which must be specific and measurable, identify what you will measure (i.e., quantitative/quantifiable indicators) and how you will measure (e.g., methods, sample size, survey tools).

Reference the stated project timetable (i.e., process indicators) and budget information (i.e., input indicators). Identify the products/services to be delivered and how/to whom they will be delivered (i.e., output indicators). Detail the expected direct effect(s) of the project on beneficiaries (i.e., outcome indicators). Include any available questionnaires, surveys, curricula, exams/tests or other assessment tools to be used for project evaluation.

Describe the resources and organizational structure available for gathering, analyzing and reporting monitoring and evaluation data. If applicable, describe how project participants and beneficiaries will participate in monitoring and evaluation activities. Describe how findings will be fed back into decision making and project activities throughout the project period.

Description of stakeholder coordination or involvement, describing, as applicable, how you/your organization has coordinated with and involved other relevant organizations or individuals in planning the project, and details of if and how they will be involved in implementing project activities, disseminating project results and/or incorporating your results/products into their activities.

Description of coordination with Service staff on the proposal, including contact information and dates contacted.

o Applicants are highly encouraged to coordinate with Service Field Offices and Regional Offices prior to submitting a proposal for consideration to ensure their project proposals adequately support high priority recovery actions for listed species or that the Service has prioritized the target species for the development, and this is required for projects proposing to update or develop a recovery plan or develop a recovery outline (see Section G for Regional Recovery Challenge Coordinator contacts).

Documentation of consultation with the affected State, or confirmation that the affected State is a partner on the project.

Information to support environmental compliance review requirements – the Service has the responsibility for making the final determination regarding compliance with Federal laws.

o National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with NEPA.

o Endangered Species Act (ESA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with the ESA.

o National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) – provide any information that may be relevant to compliance with NHPA, such as locations of historic or cultural properties.

o Other Permits – list and provide the current status of any other required Federal permits

Sustainability: As applicable, describe which project activities will continue beyond the proposed project period, who will continue the work or act on the results achieved, and how and at what level you expect these future activities will be funded.

Literature Cited

SF-424, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

Applicants must submit the appropriate SF-424 Budget Information form and Budget Narrative.

For non-construction programs or projects, applicants must complete and submit the SF-424A, “Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs” form. All of the required application forms are available with this announcement on Grants.gov. Federal award recipients and subrecipients are subject to Federal award cost principles in 2 CFR 200. Applicants must show funds requested from this Federal program separately from any other Federal sources of funding.

In the “Budget Summary” section of the appropriate SF-424 budget form, use the first row for funding requested from this Federal program. Use subsequent row(s) for funding requested from this Federal program. Use subsequent row(s) for other Federal funding. Enter each Federal program’s CFDA number(s) in the corresponding fields on the form. The CFDA number(s) for this program appears on the first page of this announcement.

Budget Narrative Describe and justify requested budget items and costs. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category totals were determined. For personnel salary costs, include the baseline salary figures and the estimates of time. Describe any item of cost that requires prior approval under the Federal cost principles. See 2 CFR 200.407 “Prior written approval (prior approval)” for more information. If equipment purchased previously with Federal funds is available for the project, provide a list of that equipment and identify the Federal funding source. Identify any cash or in-kind contributions that a partner or other entity will contribute to the project and describe how the contributions directly and substantively benefit completion of the project. For in-kind contributions, include the source, the amount, and the valuation methodology used to determine the total value. See 2 CFR 200.306 “Cost sharing or matching” for more information.

Budget narratives should be 1-4 pages and clearly articulate how the project is cost effective.

This includes demonstrating a clear connection between the project activities (identified in the about:blank

Project Narrative) and their proposed implementation costs. The applicant must include a clear description of the amount of Recovery Challenge funding they are requesting per year (if a multi-year project) and demonstrate they are meeting the appropriate yearly partner cost share requirement dependent on their partnership type (see Eligibility Requirements). Applicants must also clearly indicate sources of their cost share funds and ensure they meet eligibility requirements. Lastly, Budget Narratives must directly match the totals submitted on the SF-424 Budget Information, Object Class Category form, as SF-424 form numbers will be used for allocation.

It is highly encouraged to provide Budget Narrative information in tables (when appropriate) for clear dissemination to reviewers. See attachment A for sample budget tables.

Additional eligibility criteria required for Recovery Challenge proposals:

Multi-year Project Criteria Applicants must be explicit in their project summary and narrative whether their project is to be considered multi-year (period of performance > 1 year) or single year (period of performance = 1 year). Budget submissions (SF-424 and Budget Narratives) for multi-year projects must clearly indicate total project costs in addition to a yearly break down of the Recovery Challenge funds requested per calendar year and yearly cost share amounts (and corresponding percentages) over the indicated project duration.

Incremental vs. Upfront (Full) Funding Criteria for Multi-year Projects Applicants submitting multi-year projects can either request:

Incremental funding - Project funded in yearly monetary increments obligated over the indicated project period, or

Upfront (full) funding - Total project amount funded within the fiscal year applied.

If incremental funding is selected by the applicant, please be aware that Recovery Challenge funding will only provide year one funds during the current (FY2021) award cycle, with subsequent year funding (2-5 for longstanding partnerships, or 2-3 for new partnerships) being awarded in subsequent award cycles and dependent on the availability of funding designated through future, yearly congressional appropriations. Projects requesting incremental funding also cannot request funding amounts in subsequent years (e.g., years 2-5) that are higher than the funding amount requested in year 1 (FY2021).

Cost Share and Partnership Documentation Applicants must describe matching funding amounts, specifying dollar amounts and value of any in-kind services, their source(s), and a brief statement indicating the status of any commitments towards the match from other partners (e.g., letter of commitment received).

Longstanding partner cost share documentation: Describe previous work with the Service on recovery activities for the listed species addressed in the proposal; this work must have occurred for at least the past 5 years AND proposed contributions must at least be equal to or greater than the average of past contributions to qualify. Note: work on a different species’ recovery activities, or for less than 5 years on recovery activities for the species addressed by the proposal does not count towards meeting the criteria for the Longstanding Partnership. Include the following in your documentation:

List the annual funding and in-kind partner contributions (and other non-federal partners, as applicable) for each of those years; and

Calculate the 5-year percentage from past partner contributions.

Justification of partnership type must also be provided demonstrating how partnership eligibility qualifications are met (see Eligibility Requirements section above)

New partner cost share documentation: Demonstrate that the proposed funding and in-kind partner contributions would be at least a 50:50 match (i.e., the partner will contribute as much or more funding/in-kind contributions to the project than they are requesting in Recovery Challenge funds).

Incremental funding project cost share documentation: For project proposals requesting incremental funding, each yearly non-Federal cost-share must be at or above the 5-year average match (for longstanding partners) or at the 50:50 match (for new partners). For example, if the average non-Federal cost share has been 25%, each year of a 3-year proposal must include a commitment to at least 25% non-Federal cost share per year. The proposal would be ineligible if they propose less than 25% in any project year.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation (FAIR), 2 CFR §1402.112, applicants must state in their application if any actual or potential conflict of interest exists at the time of submission.

(a) Applicability.

(1) 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.

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

(b) Notification.

(1) 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.

(2) 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 sub recipients.

(c) Restrictions on lobbying. Non-Federal entities are strictly prohibited from using funds under a grant or cooperative agreement for lobbying activities and must provide the required certifications and disclosures pursuant to 43 CFR part 18 and 31 U.S.C. 1352.

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(d) 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.

(e) 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).

Single Audit Reporting Statement All U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and non-profit organizations expending $750,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribal government, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

Certification Regarding Lobbying Applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funding must certify to the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A-Certification Regarding Lobbying. If this application requests more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Official’s signature on the appropriate SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance form also represents the entity’s certification of the statements in 43 CFR Part 18, Appendix A.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Applicants and recipients must not use any federally appropriated funds (annually appropriated or continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a Federal award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with the award. Lobbying is influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any U.S. agency, a Member of the U.S. Congress, an officer or employee of the U.S. Congress, or an employee of a Member of the U.S. Congress connection with the award. Applicants and recipients must complete and submit the SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” form if the Federal share of the proposal or award is more than $100,000 and the applicant or recipient has made or has agreed to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with the application or award. The SF-LLL form is available with this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. See 43 CFR, Subpart 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form is required.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement

Applicants must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regards to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/post-award-reporting-forms.html overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regards to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel”.

If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regards to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision. When overlap exists, your statement must end with “We understand that if at any time we receive funding from another source that is duplicative of the funding we are requesting from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in this application, we will immediately notify the U.S.