TWG NOFO FY 2019_Final.pdf

Tribal Wildlife Grants Program

Fiscal Year 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Notice Overview

Federal Agency Name U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Native American Programs and Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR)

Funding Opportunity Title Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 15.639

Announcement Type Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2019

Funding Opportunity Number

F19AS00175

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement We are collecting this information in accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law No. 116-6). Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit.

We will use the information you provide to evaluate your application for potential award of Federal funding through this program 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 about 40 hours to complete an initial application, three hours to revise the terms of an award, and eight hours to prepare and submit performance reports, including time to maintain records and gather information. 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.

OMB Control Number 1018-0100 (expires: 7/31/2021)

Submission Deadline and Other Information You must ensure that we receive your application no later than June 5, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

We recommend that you submit your application early enough to address any unforeseen technical complications and verify that all documents have been received by your Regional Native American Liaison or WSFR Regional Office before the deadline. We will not consider applications received after the deadline.

Contents Notice Overview 1

Federal Agency Name 1

Funding Opportunity Title 1

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 1

Announcement Type 1

Funding Opportunity Number 1

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement 1

OMB Control Number 1

Submission Deadline and Other Information 1

I. Description of Funding Opportunity 4

Background 4

Eligible Projects 5

II. Award Information 6

Competitive Grants 6

Funding Limitation 6

Funding Restrictions 6

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements 7

Eligible Applicants 7

DUNS Registration 8

Registration in SAM 8

Excluded Entities 8

Period of Availability 8

IV. Application Requirements 8

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Form 9

Cover Letter 9

Cover Page 9

Project Summary 9

Project Narrative 9

Budget Form or Budget Table 10

Budget Narrative 10

Required Indirect Cost Statement 10

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior 11

Single Audit Reporting Statements 12

Assurances 12

Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 12

Conflict of Interest Disclosures 12

Required Overlap/Duplication Statement 13

Tribal Resolution of Support 13

Response to Criteria 13

Application Checklist 13

V. Submission Instructions 14

Submission Deadline 14

Electronic Submission Instructions 14

Mail or Email Submission Instructions 15

Region 1 15

Region 2 16

Region 3 16

Region 4 17

Region 5 17

Region 6 17

Region 7 18

Region 8 18

VI. Application Review 19

Criteria 19

Resource Benefit 19

Performance Measures 19

Work Plan 19

Budget 20

Capacity Building 20

Outreach, Partnership and Data Sharing 20

Review and Selection Process 20

Regional Review and Ranking 20

Establishing Regional Review Teams 20

Receiving Applications 21

Screening and Accepting a Proposal for Consideration 21

Multiple Applications 21

Rejecting an Application 21

Regional Review Team 21

Regional Ranking 22

Tie Breakers 22

Top Tier Proposals 22

National Review and Ranking 22

Top Tier Proposals at the National Level 22

Merging Regional Ranked Lists 22

Identifying Proposals to be Selected for the National Panel 23

Director’s Selection of Proposals to be Funded 23

VII. Award Administration 23

Award Notices 23

Administrative and National Policy Requirements 23

Transmittal of Sensitive Data 24

Recipient Reporting Requirements 24

Other Mandatory Disclosures 25

VIII. Agency Contacts 25

I. Description of Funding Opportunity

Background The Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program was created to support the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat and species of Tribal cultural or traditional importance, including species that are not hunted or fished. The TWG Program is part of the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program which provides wildlife conservation grants to States, Commonwealths, and to the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, and Tribes under provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

TWG Program funding originates from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Pub. L. 107.63), when Congress first specified that the Service use a portion of the funds appropriated under the SWG Program to establish a competitive grant program available to federally recognized Tribes. This language allows the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, through the Director of the Service, to establish a separate competitive Tribal grant program which would not be subject to the provisions or other requirements of the SWG Program portion.

The TWG Program provides opportunities for federally recognized Tribes to engage in fish and wildlife conservation efforts on their lands, many of which are located adjacent to DOI-managed lands. Many of the TWG-funded project activities increase fish and wildlife populations, allowing for hunting and fishing opportunities on and off Tribal lands. Additionally, the TWG Program also funds project activities that align and assist the Service with Endangered Species Act (ESA) activities supporting downlisting, delisting, and preventing species listing under the ESA. Specifically, TWG Program awards assist and help fulfill the following DOI priorities:

1) Creating a Conservation Stewardship Legacy Second Only to Teddy Roosevelt

2) Utilizing Our Natural Resources

3) Restoring Trust With Our Local Communities

4) Ensuring Sovereignty Means Something

Eligible Projects Eligible projects include those that initiate, develop or implement activities or programs that benefit wildlife and their habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished. Activities may include, but are not limited to:

● Planning for conservation of fish and wildlife, and their habitats

● Conservation management actions for fish and wildlife, and their habitats

● Field and laboratory research related to fish and wildlife resources

● Natural history studies

● Fish passage

● Habitat mapping or evaluation

● Field surveys and population monitoring

● Restoration of habitat

● Management of invasive species

● Public education relevant to the proposed project

Applicants are encouraged to work with Service staff in developing proposal applications and addressing all scoring criteria listed below in section VI.

Additional information about the Tribal Wildlife Grants Program is on the web at:

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

Since its inception in 2003, the competitive TWG Program has awarded more than $82 million to Native American Tribes, providing support for more than 456 conservation projects. In FY 2017, 74 proposals were received and 25 awards were issued; in FY 2018, 102 proposals were received and 28 awards issued; and, in FY 2019, an estimated 110-130 proposals are expected to be received and about 20-30 awards are expected to be issued.

If you do not have access to the Internet and would like to receive information by mail, contact the Service point of contact identified in the Agency Contacts section below.

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

II. Award Information

Competitive Grants The TWG Program is funded through annual appropriations of Congress. There is no assurance that it will be funded this year or in subsequent years. Congress has appropriated approximately $4 million for the FY 2019 TWG Program to be awarded through competitive grants to eligible federally-recognized Tribes.

Funding Limitation The Service will award grants up to a maximum of $200,000 for a single project. There is no grant award minimum.

Funding Restrictions

a. Under certain conditions, TWG Program funds may be used to fund public education and law enforcement activities. In order for an education or law enforcement objective to be eligible for TWG Program funding, these activities must constitute a minor portion of a project, and must be critical to the project’s success. “Minor” is considered no more than 10 percent of Federal TWG Program funds requested.

b. TWG Program funds may be used to conduct environmental reviews, habitat evaluations, permit reviews related to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and other environmental compliance activities only when they are directly related to the proposed project and are indicated in the proposal application.

c. Generally, only expenses incurred and budgeted during the grant period are reimbursable. The grant period begins with the effective date established at the time the grant is approved. However, a Tribe may request reimbursement for pre-award costs for certain necessary expenses detailed in the grant. Pre-award costs are those incurred prior to the effective date of the award where such costs are necessary to comply with the proposed delivery schedule or period of performance. Such costs are allowable only if the grant is awarded and only to the extent that they would have been allowable if incurred after the date of the award and only with the written approval of the Service (2 CFR 200.458).

d. TWG Program funds cannot be used to conduct activities to comply with a Biological Opinion or for mitigating fish or wildlife habitat losses, where the obligation to mitigate is incurred by the Service, another Federal agency, Tribe, State agency, or private entity, nor may the value of property purchased be used for similar purposes, with only one exception. Only activities to mitigate or compensate for TWG Program-funded activities, or that are necessary to secure permits or approval of those activities, are allowable.

Contact your WSFR Regional Office if you have specific questions related to eligibility of mitigation-related costs. TWG Program funds can be used to implement conservation recommendations.

e. Projects may be proposed on lands other than those that are held in Tribal trust status.

For projects that propose to conduct work off of trust lands, the Service requires assurance that, if awarded, the recipient has permission to conduct the activities proposed through a contract with the landowner. A contract would not be required where a Tribe retains treaty rights so long as the proposed activities are pursuant to http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl those treaty rights.

f. Projects that include partnerships may score higher in the ranking process. Any partners providing support (i.e., technical, outreach, data sharing) must be listed in the proposal with a letter of support and/or commitment from each.

g. Proposals should be written for the shortest duration needed to accomplish project objectives. Grant performance periods may be extended if necessary. A project application that is a part of a longer-term initiative will be considered but the objectives, benefits, and tasks of the proposed project must stand on their own merits, as there are no assurances that additional funding will be awarded in future years for associated or complementary projects.

h. TWG Program funds cannot be used for acquisition of land or conservation easements.

III. Basic Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants Participation is limited to federally recognized Tribal governments listed in the current Federal Register Notice of Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. This is the official listing of all federally recognized tribes in the United States pursuant to Section 104 under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-454; 108 Stat. 4791-4792). The most recent Notice was published in the Federal Register, 81 FR 5019 (January 29, 2016). Tribal organizations and other entities may participate as sub-grantees or contractors to federally recognized Tribes. This information is available here under the heading Tribal Leaders Directory.

Applicant Tribes must bring all administrative and fiscal reporting for open TWG Program grants up to date in order to be eligible to apply for new funds. Applicants will be notified within five business days upon receiving proposals noting any outstanding reporting issues that need to be addressed. Tribes will then have thirty days to bring these grants into compliance. Proposals from Tribes that have not brought past due reports (e.g., interim or final performance reports, or interim or final financial status reports) up to date in this 30-day period will be found ineligible and excluded from further consideration in the FY 2019 TWG Program cycle.

When an applicant is carrying two or more active TWG projects while applying for another, the Service has an administrative obligation to verify that there are no correctable problems in implementing the existing awards. The Service will review the reasons why those grants are still open before proceeding with further consideration. Tribes that demonstrate their effective use of TWG Program funds will not be affected. Tribes that have taken no significant action on any one of their two or more preexisting awards will not be considered eligible to apply for new TWG Program funds until the problem is resolved. Possible resolutions might be for the Tribe to demonstrate progress in the agreed-upon activities of an inactive grant, demonstrate that the assertion of “no action” is incorrect, or the Tribe may cancel the grant so that the obligated funds may be recovered and made available to other Tribes in the next grant cycle.

http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/

Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a valid Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). See 2 CFR 25 for more information.

DUNS Registration Request a DUNS number at Dun & Bradstreet Registration. If you have technical difficulties, contact Dun & Bradstreet by email at: govt@dnb.com, or by calling the Government Customer Resource Center at voice phone: 866-705-5711 or TTY line: 877-807-1679 (hearing impaired customers only). Obtaining a DUNS number is free for all entities doing business with the Federal government. Once assigned a DUNS number, entities are responsible for maintaining up-to-date information with Dun & Bradstreet.

Registration in SAM Register in SAM online at the SAM website. Effective June 2017, you can no longer access SAM using Internet Explorer Versions older than IE11. You either need to upgrade to an Internet Explorer version of IE11 or higher, or access SAM with another supported browser type (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.). Once registered in SAM, you must renew and revalidate your SAM registration at least every 12 months from the date previously registered. You are strongly urged to revalidate your registration as often as needed to ensure that your information is up-to-date and consistent with changes that may have been made to DUNS and Internal Revenue Service information. The official U.S. government website address for SAM is https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. There is no cost to register in or access SAM. Some third-party vendors charge a fee in exchange for registering entities in SAM; please be aware that you can register to do business with the U.S. government for free directly at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/.

Excluded Entities If you or your key project personnel are identified in the SAM Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding. We conduct a review of the SAM Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award.

Period of Availability TWG Program grants made in FY 2019, if any, are available for obligation, after being appropriated by Congress and approved by the President.

IV. Application Requirements

You can download the application package for the TWG Program here, by entering Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00175. You can also download application forms through the WSFR toolkit under “Forms.” To be considered for funding under this opportunity, an application must contain:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr25_main_02.tpl http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform mailto:govt@dnb.com https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms_apps_idx.html http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Form Submit a completed, signed and dated Application for Federal Assistance form (Standard Form (SF)-424). Do not include other Federal sources of funding, requested or approved, in the total entered in the “Federal” funding box on the SF-424. Enter only the amount being requested under the SWG Program in the “Federal” funding box. Include any other Federal sources of funding in the total funding entered in the “Other” box.

Cover Letter The cover letter transmits the project proposal and briefly states its main features.

Cover Page Include the following information in the upper right corner of the cover page: Name of Tribe, Project Title, Federal (TWG Program) Funds Requested, Project Start Date, Project End Date, Project Contact’s Name and Job Title, Project Contact’s Phone Number, Project Contact’s E-mail Address, and Date. It also may include the Tribal logo, seal and/or photo.

Project Summary The project summary describes the main project objectives, deliverables and type and duration of activity that will take place if the Service funds the project and should not be longer than one-half page.

Project Narrative Note: Project Narrative should not exceed 10 pages. The project narrative clearly identifies the problems that the proposal will correct or help solve for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, including species of Tribal cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished. It must articulate the following information:

a. Need: The need for the proposed project(s) within the purpose of the Program;

b. Objectives: Identification of clear, discrete, quantifiable goals and performance measures, deliverables and verifiable objectives to be accomplished during a specific time period (include proposed timeline chart or table). Objectives are the specific outcomes to be accomplished in order to reach the stated goal(s).

The project objectives should be specific, measurable, and realistic (attainable within the project’s proposed project period);

c. Results: Expected results or benefits from accomplishing the objectives;

d. Methodology: The methodology/approach or activities to be used in meeting the objectives, including specific procedures, methods, schedules, key personnel, and cooperators or partners;

e. Monitoring Plan: A description of the monitoring activities and how the project results will be collected and assessed;

f. If applicable, indicate the number of impacted acres and/or miles of stream or shore line;

g. Environmental Compliance: A description of the activity in sufficient detail is needed so Service staff are able to evaluate compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (NOTE: this is a https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms?preview=/5931154/22118420/SF-424_Core_OMB_4040-0004_06122015.pdf https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms?preview=/5931154/22118420/SF-424_Core_OMB_4040-0004_06122015.pdf new requirement.);

h. Project Location: Maps or other geographic aids may be attached. Please include

GPS Coordinates in degrees, minutes, seconds, if available;

i. Partnership: Describe partnerships with other Tribes, organizations, or agencies.

Budget Form or Budget Table Complete the Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) form, Budget Information for Construction Programs (SF-424C) form, or submit the equivalent or greater level of information in your own budget format. You may use the SF-424A if your project does not include construction and the SF-424C if your project includes construction or land acquisition. The budget forms are available here. When developing your budget, keep in mind that financial assistance awards and sub-awards are subject to the Federal cost principles in 2 CFR 200, Subpart E. If the project budget includes multiple Federal funding sources, you must show the funds being requested from the TWG Program separately from any other requested/secured Federal sources of funding on the budget form. For example, enter the funds being requested from the TWG Program in the first row of the Budget Summary section of the form and then enter funding related to other Federal programs in the subsequent row(s).

Be sure to enter each Federal program’s CFDA number in the corresponding fields on the form.

The CFDA number for the TWG Program is 15.639.

Budget Narrative In a separate narrative titled “Budget Narrative,” explain and justify all requested budget items/costs. Detail how the SF-424 Budget Object Class Category totals were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between costs and the proposed project activities. For personnel salary costs, include the baseline salary figures and the estimates of time (as percentages) to be directly charged to the project. Describe any item that under the applicable Federal Cost Principles requires the Service’s approval and estimate its cost. Include a list of all Federally-funded equipment and indicate why it is necessary for achieving the goals and objectives of the project. Various activities or components of each project should be broken down by cost and by cooperator. In discussing match (including cash or in-kind), include the source, the amount, and the valuation methodology used to arrive at the total. If there will be any program income, include the source, amount, and the requested method of crediting the program income. Any partners providing funds or in-kind services must be identified in the grant proposal with a letter of commitment and support from each.

Required Indirect Cost Statement If you do not have an approved indirect cost rate you cannot charge indirect costs to your Federal award. You must include in the budget narrative one of the following statements and attach to your application any required documentation identified in the applicable statement.

“We are:

1. A Tribal government entity receiving more than $35 million in direct Federal funding each year with an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We submit our indirect cost rate proposals to our cognizant agency. A copy of our most recently approved rate agreement/certification is attached.

2. A Tribal government entity receiving less than $35 million in direct Federal funding with https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=2:1.1.2.2.1.5&rgn=div6 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=2:1.1.2.2.1.5&rgn=div6 an indirect cost rate of [insert rate]. We are required to prepare and retain for audit an indirect cost rate proposal and related documentation to support those costs.

3. A Tribal government entity that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. In the event an award is made, we will submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after the award is made.

4. A Tribal government entity that has never submitted an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency. Our indirect cost rate is [insert rate]. However, in the event an award is made, we will not be able to meet the requirement to submit an indirect cost rate proposal to our cognizant agency within 90 calendar days after award. We request as a condition of award to charge a flat de minimus indirect cost rate of 10% of modified total direct costs as defined in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, section 200.68. We understand that the 10% de minimus rate will apply for the life of the award, including any future extensions for time, and that the rate cannot be changed even if we do establish an approved rate with our cognizant agency at any point during the award period.”

Please take note of the following:

● If you do not have an approved indirect cost rate you are prohibited from charging indirect costs to your Federal award. Accepting a flat de minimis rate as a condition of award is an approved rate.

● Failure to establish an approved rate during the award period renders all costs otherwise allocable as indirect costs unallowable under the award.

● You may not charge to your Service award any indirect costs calculated against the portion of total direct costs paid by any other Federal funding source or non-Federal partner.

● You must have prior written approval from us to transfer unallowable indirect costs to amounts budgeted for direct costs or to satisfy cost-sharing or matching requirements under your award.

● You are prohibited from shifting unallowable indirect costs to another Federal award unless specifically authorized to do so by legislation.

For more information on indirect cost rates, see our Indirect Costs and Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements guidance document.

Negotiating an Indirect Cost Rate with the Department of the Interior If you do not have a NICRA you must first have an open, active Federal award before you can submit an indirect cost rate proposal to your cognizant agency. The Federal awarding agency providing you the largest amount of direct funding is your cognizant agency, unless otherwise assigned by OMB. If the Department of the Interior is your cognizant agency, your indirect cost rate is negotiated by the Interior Business Center. For more information:

Indirect Cost Services Acquisition Services Directorate, Interior Business Center U.S. Department of the Interior https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6e4b7133777f0fd537a5f22c4167855e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_168 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6e4b7133777f0fd537a5f22c4167855e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_168 https://www.fws.gov/grants/atc.html https://www.fws.gov/grants/atc.html

650 Capitol Mall, Suite 7-400 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-930-3803 Email: Through this email web form.

Internet address: Link to Indirect Cost Services Webpage.

Single Audit Reporting Statements As required in 2 CFR 200, Subpart F, all Tribes expending $750,000 or more in Federal award funds in a fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System. You must provide a statement regarding whether were or were not required to submit a Single Audit report for your most recently closed fiscal year and, if so, state if that report is available on the Federal Audit Clearinghouse Single Audit Database website and provide the EIN under which that report was submitted. Include these statements at the end of the project statement in a section titled “Single Audit Reporting Statements.”

Assurances Include the appropriate signed and dated Assurances form, which is available here. Use the Assurances for Construction Programs form (SF-424D) for construction and land acquisition projects and use the Assurances for Non-Construction Programs form (SF-424B) for all other projects. The form includes a statement that some of the assurances may not be applicable to your organization and/or your project or program. Signing this form does not make you or your organization subject to laws that are otherwise not applicable to you. Changing, crossing out, or making notations on the form before signing has no impact on the applicability of law. You are encouraged to submit a copy of the Assurances form annually to your WSFR Regional Office.

Note: Effective February 2, 2019, recipients may now submit and certify their Assurances form when creating, updating, or renewing their SAM registration.

Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities You must not use any federally appropriated funds (both annually appropriated and continuing appropriations) or matching funds under a grant or cooperative agreement award to pay any person for lobbying in connection with your award (Title 31 U.S.C., Section 1352). Lobbying is defined as influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the award. Submission of an application also represents your certification of the statements in 43 CFR 18, Appendix A- Certification Regarding Lobbying. If you have made or agree to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection with this proposal and the Federal share of the award exceeds $100,000, complete and submit the SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form available in Grants.gov or WSFR’s Financial Assistance Wiki Forms Page. See 43 CFR 18.100 for more information on when additional submission of this form may be required.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures You must notify us in writing of any conflicts of interest that arise during the life of this award, including those reported to you by any sub-recipient under the award. You must notify us in https://www.doi.gov/ibc/contactus/ibcfeedback https://www.doi.gov/ibc/services/finance/indirect-cost-services http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=79c08964cb7d085db2981d7e7b306fff&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=79c08964cb7d085db2981d7e7b306fff&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://harvester.census.gov/facweb/ https://harvester.census.gov/facweb/ https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2011-title31/pdf/USCODE-2011-title31-subtitleII-chap13-subchapIII-sec1352.pdf http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=683823273fc0da6a1060883eda593fb8&mc=true&node=pt43.1.18&rgn=div5 https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms https://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Forms http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title43/43cfr18_main_02.tpl writing if any employees, including sub-recipient and contractor personnel, are related to, married to, or have a close personal relationship with any Federal employee C-SWG Program or who otherwise may have been involved in the review and selection of the award. The term employee means any individual engaged in the performance of work pursuant to the Federal award. You may not have a former Federal employee as a key project official, or in any other substantial role in the proposed project, whose participation puts them out of compliance with the legal authorities addressing post-Government employment restrictions. See the U.S. Office of Government Ethic’s website for more information on these restrictions. We will examine each conflict of interest disclosure based on its particular facts and the nature of the proposed project and will determine whether a significant potential conflict exists and, if so, if there are any possible actions you may take to reduce or resolve the conflict. Failure to disclose and resolve conflicts of interest in a manner satisfactory to us may result in any of the remedies described in 2 CFR 200.338 Remedies for Noncompliance, including termination of the award.

Required Overlap/Duplication Statement You must provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regard to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If no such overlap or duplication exists, state, “There are no overlaps or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including in regard 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 regard 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. Fish and Wildlife Service point of contact identified in this Funding Opportunity in writing.”

Tribal Resolution of Support A signed Tribal resolution of support should be included in the proposal application from the appropriate Tribal governing body, or an official signed letter from an individual with delegated Tribal authority stating their support for the proposal application will be accepted. The designation letter to sign grant reporting documents does not extend to providing support for proposal applications. If a signed Tribal resolution of support is not included in the proposal application, one will be required should the proposal be successfully awarded.

Response to Criteria Submit a summary table or response to the scoring criteria.

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

https://oge.gov/ https://oge.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=4c57b6ab635c4b861f153e3cd79cf1c6&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5

□ A complete, signed and dated SF 424, SF 424-Mandatory, or SF 424-Individual form.

□ Cover Letter

□ Cover Page

□ Project Summary

□ Project Narrative

□ Submit statements regarding applicability of and compliance with Single Audit Reporting requirements (2 CFR 200.501)

□ A complete SF-424A or SF-424C Budget Information form.

□ Budget Narrative

□ When applicable, a copy of the Tribe’s current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement should be included in the proposal application.

□ Signed and dated SF-424B or SF-424D Assurances form.

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

□ If applicable, a Conflict of Interest Disclosure.

□ Statement regarding Overlap/Duplication

□ A signed Tribal resolution of support and / or official signed letter from an individual with delegated Tribal authority stating their support for the proposal application. A summarized table or response to the scoring criteria.

□ Responses to criteria

Failure to provide complete information may cause delays, postponement, or rejection of the application. You are encouraged to work with Service staff in developing proposal applications.

Make sure you should address all scoring criteria listed below in your application.

V. Submission Instructions

Submission Deadline Grant application packages for FY 2019 must be e-mailed (or uploaded to Grants.gov), postmarked on or before June 5, 2019, and submitted to the appropriate Regional Office (below for contact information).

Electronic Submission Instructions For electronic submissions, download the Application Package linked to this Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov to begin the application process. Using the “Search Grants” tab, enter Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00175. Downloading and saving the Application Package to your computer makes the required Government-wide standard forms fillable and printable. The project narrative and budget narrative must be attachments in the following formats: Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, or Microsoft Excel. To submit the application, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.grants.gov.

2. Click the “Apply for Grants” tab and read the instructions provided by Grants.gov.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=788241a31dbe4156aa17ec9893ffc55e&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5%20-%20sp2.1.200.f http://www.grants.gov/

3. The following are items that need to be done before a grant application package can be submitted electronically through Grants.gov:

● You must register as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and have a user ID and password. You can register on the web here;

● You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view files on the web. You can download

Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

4. Standard forms such as the SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-424C, and SF-424D are fillable forms on Grants.gov.

5. All forms and attachments mentioned above must be submitted with the grant application package.

6. Important note on Grants.gov application attachment file names: Please do not assign application attachments file names longer than 20 characters, including spaces.

Assigning file names longer than 20 characters may create problems in the automatic interface between Grants.gov and the Service’s financial assistance management system.

Mail or Email Submission Instructions

1. Applicants can obtain forms, in fillable PDF format, from the WSFR Toolkit here.

2. The required SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance and Assurances forms and any other required standard forms must be signed by your organization’s authorized official.

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

3. The completed grant application package must be mailed or emailed to the appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office. We prefer that you submit your proposal electronically as a single document in PDF format. To ensure timely submission in the event there are issues / problems with Grants.gov, we encourage you to email a single PDF document of your entire proposal to the appropriate Service contact below.

The Service administers the TWG Program. For project- and Region-specific information and application information, contact your Regional Native American Liaison and/or your WSFR Regional Office TWG Program lead:

Region 1 American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Native American Liaison:

Nathan Dexter

(503) 736-4774 Nathan_Dexter@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Karla Drewsen

(503) 231-2389 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/ http://fawiki.fws.gov/display/WTK/Toolkit+Homepage mailto:Nathan_Detxter@fws.gov karla_drewsen@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program Eastside Federal Complex 911 NE 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97232-4181 r1fa_grants@fws.gov

Region 2 Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

Native American Liaison:

Joseph Early

(503) 248-6602 Joe_Early@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Ramon Martin

(503) 248-7476 Ramon_Martin@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison P.O. Box 1306 500 Gold Avenue, SW Albuquerque, NM 87103 fw2fa@fws.gov

Region 3 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin Native American Liaison:

Chuck Traxler

(612) 713-5313 Charles_Traxler@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Nick Palaia

(612) 248-7476 Nick_Palaia@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990 Bloomington, MN 55437-1458 R3fedaid@fws.gov mailto:karla_drewsen@fws.gov mailto:r1fa_grants@fws.gov mailto:Joe_Early@fws.gov mailto:Ramon_Martin@fws.gov mailto:fw2fa@fws.gov mailto:Charles_Traxler@fws.gov mailto:R3fedaid@fws.gov

Region 4 Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Native American Liaison:

Tim Binzen

(413) 253-8731 Timothy_Binzen@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Scott White

(404) 679-7113 Scott_White@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 240 Atlanta, GA 30345 r4federalassistance@fws.gov

Region 5 Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia

Native American Liaison (Acting):

Tim Binzen

(413) 253-8731 Timothy_Binzen@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Richard Zane

(413) 253-8731 Richard_Zane@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley, MA 01035 fw5fareports@fws.gov

Region 6 Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

Native American Liaison:

Anna Munoz mailto:Timothy_Binzen@fws.gov mailto:r4federalassistance@fws.gov mailto:Timothy_Binzen@fws.gov mailto:fw5fareports@fws.gov

(303) 236-4510 Anna_Munoz@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Denise Sanchez

(303) 236-2985 Denise_Sanchez@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Native American Liaison 134 Union Blvd., P.O. Box 25486 Denver, Colorado 80225 303-236-5420 fw6_fagrants@fws.gov

Region 7 Alaska

Native American Liaison:

Crystal Leonetti

(907) 786-3868 Crystal_Leonetti@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Kyle James

(907) 786-3696 Kyle_James@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Native Affairs Specialist 1011 East Tudor Road MS-261 Anchorage, AK 99503 AK_TWG@fws.gov

Region 8 California and Nevada and Klamath Basin

Native American Liaison:

Richard Adkins

(916) 978-5025 Richard_Adkins@fws.gov

WSFR TWG Program Lead:

Damion Ciotti

(530) 889-2327 mailto:fw6_fagrants@fws.gov mailto:Crystal_Leonetti@fws.gov mailto:Kyle_James@fws.gov mailto:AK_TWG@fws.gov mailto:Richard_Adkins@fws.gov

Damion_Ciotti@fws.gov

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Restoration Division 2800 Cottage Way, W-1729 Sacramento, CA 95825 R8fa_grants@fws.gov

VI. Application Review

Criteria The following scoring criteria will be used to evaluate and rank each proposal on a scale of 0-

100. Applicants should address as many of these criteria in their proposal applications as possible.

Resource Benefit A maximum of 30 points may be awarded.

What are the expected benefits to Tribal fish and wildlife and their habitat, including species that are of cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished if this program is successfully completed?

a. Extent to which the project will reduce or restore losses to fish, wildlife, and plant species or their habitats.

b. Extent to which the project will carry out research or monitoring needed to restore or manage fish, wildlife and plant species or their habitats.

c. Extent to which the project addresses a fish and wildlife resources priority identified by a Tribe or other entity in a management or recovery plans.

d. Duration for which the project protects or manages a fish and wildlife resource priority.

Performance Measures A maximum of 18 points may be awarded.

To what extent does the proposal identify obtainable and quantifiable performance measures and a means to monitor, evaluate, and report on these measures compared to an initial baseline? The measures should be specific, clear and provide demonstrable benefits to the target species.

a. Extent to which the project produces measurable results for habitat and/or species.

b. Extent to which the project identifies a baseline and identifies anticipated measurable post-project accomplishments.

c. Extent to which the project implements high priority items and is part of a comprehensive management approach.

Work Plan A maximum of 10 points may be awarded.

Are the program activities and objectives well-designed and achievable?

a. Extent to which the project tasks and work products are clearly established and mailto:Damion_Ciotti@fws.gov mailto:Laura_valoppi@fws.gov support Tribal goals/objectives.

b. Extent to which the project schedule is achievable.

c. Extent to which the proposal clearly defines and establishes accountability of the applicant.

Budget A maximum of 10 points may be awarded.

Are all major budget items justified in relation to the program objectives and clearly explained in the narrative description?

a. Extent to which all parts of the Budget Narrative and Budget Tables are clear, concise, and complete.

b. Extent to which the Budget Narrative and associated Budget Table(s) accurately reflect all costs.

Capacity Building A maximum of 20 points may be awarded.

To what extent does the program increase the grantee’s capacity to provide for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat?

a. Extent to which the project contributes to Tribal self-sufficiency in fish and wildlife resource management.

b. Extent to which the project results in the creation or improvement of Tribal wildlife ordinances and/or enforcement.

c. Extent to which the project improves fish and wildlife management capabilities through infrastructure development and training.

Outreach, Partnership and Data Sharing A maximum of 12 points may be awarded.

To what extent does the applicant display commitment to the project through outreach, partnerships and data sharing?

a. Extent to which the project clearly demonstrates outreach actions within the proposal.

b. Extent the project involves partnerships with other Tribes, organizations, or agencies.

c. Extent the project builds data or information in a format that is sharable with other data systems, Tribes, organizations, or agencies.

Review and Selection Process The following information provides detailed information on how the Service reviews and selects TWG proposals using a two-step process at the regional and national level.

Regional Review and Ranking

Establishing Regional Review Teams Each Service Region will establish a team to score proposals, consisting of at least four knowledgeable and qualified individuals from the Service or another federal agency. Prior to participating in any review or evaluation process, all staff and peer reviewers, evaluators, panel members, and advisors must sign and return to the program office point of contact the “Department of the Interior Conflict of Interest Certification” form. For a copy of this form, contact the appropriate regional Service point of contact identified above.

Receiving Applications TWG Program grant applications are either submitted by mail to the office of the Regional Director, by email to appropriate regional contact above, or submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Upon physical receipt, proposals should be date-stamped and delivered to the appropriate regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact. Proposal applications must be postmarked on or before the closing date for acceptance as identified in the announcement. No facsimile copies of the proposal application will be processed or accepted.

Screening and Accepting a Proposal for Consideration Prior to accepting an application for consideration the regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact will determine if it is complete and meets the requirements of the authorizing legislation. The regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact will ensure the proposal application is complete and addresses the information in the Application Checklist above. If an application package is incomplete, the regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact may inform an applicant of any required information that is missing so that the applicant may provide the missing information by the closing date or resubmit for the next Notice of Funding Opportunity. The regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact determines whether the applicant Tribe is in compliance on previously awarded grants. Tribes not in compliance with existing grants may be ineligible to apply for new grants.

Multiple Applications Tribes may submit multiple applications under the TWG Program. However, no single Tribe may be funded for multiple projects within a given fiscal year that exceed the maximum allowable amount of $200,000. If multiple applications exceed this amount, the highest scoring will be accepted and the other(s) will be ruled ineligible.

Rejecting an Application Applications that do not meet all eligibility requirements may be rejected and applicants will be notified by the regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact in a letter that explains why the proposal was rejected. The regional Native American Liaison or TWG contact will retain copies of all submitted proposals in their respective Regional Office.

Regional Review Team The regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact will prepare copies of the applications that pass the screening process and are recommended for evaluation for use by the Regional Review Team (Team). The regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact will coordinate activities of the Team, but will not score applications at the Regional level. Applications will be scored independently by Team members and according to the established criteria values published in this notice of funding opportunity. Individuals evaluating each proposal will sign and date the completed Scoring Sheet and return it to the NAL.

Regional Ranking Once all applications have been evaluated, the regional Native American Liaison or WSFR TWG Program contact will ensure that all…