Fishermen's Contingency Fund

The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administers the Fishermen's Contingency Fund (CFDA 11.408) to compensate U.S. commercial fishermen for damage or loss of fishing gear and 50 percent of resulting economic loss caused by oil and gas related activities on the Outer Continental Shelf, with no stated application deadline in the current source material.

The program operates without renewal cycles; approved projects may be extended through amendment requests rather than reapplication. The National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Program Office reviews applications, and the NOAA Grants Management Division processes awards. The agency targets a review timeline of within 180 calendar days from receipt of a complete and acceptable application, though the source acknowledges this timeline may be exceeded depending on review complexity. If an application is deemed unacceptable, NOAA fully states the reasons to the applicant; applicants may resubmit revised applications in response to recommended changes, but no formal appeal procedure exists.

The source does not include a grant award portfolio block, recent award examples, or open grant opportunities. Consequently, no information is available regarding recent funding activity, award cadence, assistance-type distribution, award magnitudes, or current solicitation status. The source material is limited to program rules, eligibility scope, and administrative procedures.

Applicants must comply with 2 CFR Subpart F audit requirements. Recipients are required to retain records for three years from the date of submission of the final financial report, or longer if litigation, claims, or audits are initiated during the retention period. The program guidelines and criteria for proposals are located in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).