# Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2010 > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3AE9-16810 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** July 16, 2009 - **Citation:** 74 FR 34642 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [Docket No. 0907081109-91109-01] RIN 0648-ZC10 Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2010 AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes this notice to provide the general public with a consolidated source of program and application information related to its competitive grant and cooperative agreement (CA) award offerings for fiscal year (FY) 2010. This Omnibus notice is designed to replace the multiple Federal Register notices that traditionally advertised the availability of NOAA's discretionary funds for its various programs. It should be noted that additional program initiatives unanticipated at the time of the publication of this notice may be announced through subsequent Federal Register notices. All announcements will also be available through the Grants.gov Web site. DATES: Proposals must be received by the date and time indicated under each program listing in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to the addresses listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for each program. The Federal Register and Full Funding Opportunity (FFO) notices may be found on the Grants.gov Web site. The URL for Grants.gov is http://www.grants.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact the person listed within this notice as the information contact under each program. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applicants must comply with all requirements contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity announcement for each of the programs listed in this omnibus notice. These Federal Funding Opportunities are available at http://www.grants.gov. The list of entries below describe the basic information and requirements for competitive grant/cooperative agreement programs offered by NOAA. These programs are open to any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria provided in each entry. To be considered for an award in a competitive grant/cooperative agreement program, an eligible applicant must submit a complete and responsive application to the appropriate program office. An award is made upon conclusion of the evaluation and selection process for the respective program. Table of Contents I. Background II. Electronic Access III. Evaluation Criteria and Selection Procedures IV. NOAA Project Competitions Listed by NOAA Mission Goals V. NOAA Project Competitions National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 1. 2010 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program 2. 2010 Open Rivers Initiative 3. 2010 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program 4. 2010 Atlantic Scallop Research Set-Aside Program 5. Cooperative Research Program 6. FY 2010 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 7. FY 2010 Community-Based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants 8. NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 9. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) 10. NOAA Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration National and Regional Partnership Grants 11. NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/General Coral Reef Conservation Grants 12. NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/Projects to Improve or Amend Coral Reef Fishery Management Plans 13. NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 14. 2010 Prescott Marine Mammal Stranding Grant Program 15. Protected Species Cooperative Conservation National Ocean Service (NOS) 1. 2010 NOAA Coral Reef Management Grant Program 2. 2010 NOAA Coral Reef Monitoring Grant Program 3. Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP) 4. FY 2010 Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Hawaii Program 5. FY 2010 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 6. Harmful Algal Bloom Program 7. 2010 NOAA International Coral Reef Grant Program 8. NOAA Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 9. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Program FY 2010 10. National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program FY 2010 11. Sea Level Rise—(SLR) 12. 2010 Integrated Ocean Observing System Implementation 13. NOAA's National Height Modernization Program National Weather Service (NWS) 1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Program 2. Remote Community Alert Systems Program 2010 Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) 1. 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource Economics 2. 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Population Dynamics 3. 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement 4. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 5. Climate Program Office for FY 2010 6. FY 2010 Ocean Exploration and Research Appropriation—Marine Archaeology National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) 1. Research in Satellite Data Assimilation for Numerical Weather, Climate and Environmental Forecast Systems 2. Student Opportunity for Learning VI. Non-Competitive Financial Assistance Project I. Background This notice provide the general public with a consolidated source of program and application information related to its competitive grant and cooperative agreement (CA) award offerings for fiscal year (FY) 2010. This notice provides information regarding the application submission process, and the evaluation criteria and selection procedures respectively for the grant opportunities. Each of the following grant opportunities provide: a description of the program, funding availability, statutory authority, catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number, application deadline, address for submitting proposals, information contacts, eligibility requirements, cost sharing requirements, and intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372. In addition, this notice announces information related to a non-competitive financial assistance project to be administered by NOAA. This project is titled “NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program—Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Grants”. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program announces that it is providing funding to the NOAA Undersea Research Program (NURP) Centers for: the Southeastern U.S., Florida, and Gulf of Mexico Region, the Southeast U.S. and Gulf of Mexico Center; and the Hawaii and Western Pacific Region, the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, to administer two external, competitive coral reef ecosystem research grants programs. To receive an award for this project, an eligible applicant must submit a complete and responsive application to the appropriate program office. An award is made upon conclusion of the evaluation process for the prospective project. II. Electronic Access The full funding announcement for each program is available via the Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov. Electronic applications for the NOAA Programs listed in this announcement may be accessed, downloaded, and submitted to that Web site. The due dates and times for paper and electronic submissions are identical. NOAA strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline to begin the application process through Grants.gov. Your application must be received and validated by Grants.gov no later than the due date and time. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after your submission. Please consider the Grants.gov validation/rejection process in developing your application submission time line. Grants.gov Getting started with Grants.gov is easy. Users should note that there are two key features on the Web site: Find Grant Opportunities and Apply for Grants. The site is designed to support these two features and your use of them. While you can begin searching for NOAA grant opportunities immediately, it is recommended that you complete the steps to Get Started (below) ahead of time. This will help ensure you are ready to go when you find an opportunity for which you would like to apply. Applications From Individuals In order for you to apply as an individual the announcement must specify that the program is open to individuals and it must be published on the Grants.gov Web site. Individuals must register with the Credential Provider ( see Step 3 below) and with Grants.gov ( see Step 4 below). Individuals do not need a DUNS number to register and submit their applications. The system will generate a default value in that field. Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures This section provides the application submission and receipt instructions for NOAA program applications. Please read the following instructions carefully and completely. 1. Electronic Delivery. NOAA is participating in the Grants.gov Initiative that provides the Grant Community a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. NOAA encourages applicants to submit their applications electronically through: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp . 2. The following describes what to expect when applying online using Grants.gov/Apply: a. Instructions. On the site, you will find step-by-step instructions which enable you to apply for NOAA funds. The Grants.gov/Apply feature includes a simple, unified application process that makes it possible for applicants to apply for grants online. There are six “Get Started” steps to complete at Grants.gov. The information applicants need to understand and execute the steps can be found at: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp . Applicants should read the Get Started steps carefully. The site also contains registration checklists to help you walk through the process. NOAA recommends that you download the checklists and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling required information before beginning the registration process will make the process fast and smooth and save time. b. DUNS Requirement. All applicants, except those filing as individuals, who are applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Data Numbering System (DUNS) number. The DUNS number must be included in the data entry field labeled “Organizational Duns” on the form SF-424. Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number can be found at the following Web site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp . c. Central Contractor Registry. In addition to having a DUNS number, all applicants applying electronically through Grants.gov must register with the Federal Central Contractor Registry and obtain a User Name and password. The Grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp provides step-by-step instructions for registering in the Central Contractor Registry. Failure to register with the Central Contractor Registry will result in your application being rejected by the Grants.gov portal. The registration process is a separate process from submitting an application. Applicants are, therefore, encouraged to register early. The registration process can take approximately two weeks to be completed. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission deadlines. You will be able to submit your application online anytime after you receive your e-authentication credentials. d. Electronic Signature. Applications submitted through Grants.gov constitute submission as electronically signed applications. The registration and e-authentication process establishes the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). The AOR is an individual who is able to make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization. When you submit the application through Grants.gov, the name of your AOR on file will be inserted into the signature line of the application. 3. Instructions on how to submit an electronic application to NOAA via Grants.gov/Apply: Grants.gov has a full set of instructions on how to apply for funds on its Web site at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp . The following provides simple guidance on what you will find on the Grants.gov/Apply site. Applicants are encouraged to read through the page entitled, “Complete Application Package” before getting started. Grants.gov allows applicants to download the application package, instructions and forms that are incorporated in the instructions, and work off line. In addition to forms that are part of the application instructions, there will be a series of electronic forms that are provided utilizing an Adobe Reader. Note for the Adobe Reader: Grants.gov is only compatible with versions 8.1.1 and above. Please do not use lower versions of the Adobe Reader. Mandatory Fields on Adobe Reader Forms In the Adobe forms you will note fields that appear with a yellow background and red outline color. These fields are mandatory and must be completed to successfully submit your application. Completion of SF-424 Fields NOAA strongly recommends that applicants first complete the SF-424 fields in Grants.gov. The Adobe forms are designed to automatically fill in common required fields such as the applicant name and address, DUNS number, etc., on all Adobe electronic forms. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed the information will transfer to the other forms. Customer Support The Grants.gov Web site provides customer support via (800) 518-4726 (this is a toll-free number) or through e-mail at support@grants.gov . The Contact Center is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, to address Grants.gov technology issues. For assistance with program related questions, contact the number listed in the Program Section of the program you are applying for. 4. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission. a. Electronic Submission. All applications must be received by http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp by the Time on the due date established for each program. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant will receive an acknowledgment of receipt and a tracking number from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicants should print this receipt and save it, along with facsimile receipts for information provided by facsimile, as proof of timely submission. When NOAA successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt to the e-mail address of the AOR. Proof of timely submission shall be the date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by NOAA. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after your submission. Please consider the Grants.gov validation/rejection process in developing your application submission time line. NOAA suggests that applicants submit their applications during the operating hours of the Grants.gov, so that if there are questions concerning transmission, operators will be available to walk you through the process. Submitting your application during the Contact Center hours will also ensure that you have sufficient time for the application to complete its transmission prior to the application deadline. Applicants using dial-up connections should be aware that transmission of applications will take a longer time than when using high speed broadband before Grants.gov receives it. Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission message. Grants.gov reports that some applicants abort the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application. Uploading and transmitting many files, particularly electronic forms with associated XML schemas, will require more time to be processed. Important: All applicants, both electronic and paper, should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Electronic applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov is currently extremely heavy, and if Grants.gov is unable to accept applications electronically in a timely fashion, applicants are encouraged to exercise their option to submit applications in paper format. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their guarantees. III. Evaluation Criteria and Selection Procedures NOAA has standardized the evaluation and selection process for its competitive assistance programs. There are two separate sets of evaluation criteria and selection procedures ( see below), one for project proposals, and the other for fellowship, scholarship, and internship programs. Project Proposals Review and Selection Process Some project proposals may include a pre-application process that provides for feedback to applicants that responded to a call for letters of intent or pre-proposals; however, not all programs will include this pre-application. If a program has a pre-application process, it will be described in the Summary Description section of the announcement and the deadline will be specified in the Application Deadline section. Upon receipt of a full application by NOAA, an initial administrative review will be conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application. A merit review will also be conducted to produce a rank order of the proposals. The NOAA Program Officer may review the ranking of the proposals and make recommendations to the Selecting Official based on the administrative and/or merit review(s) and selection factors listed below. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering the administrative and/or merit review(s) and recommendations of the Program Officer. In making the final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection factors below. The Program Officer and/or Selecting Official may negotiate the funding level of the proposal. The Selecting Official makes final award recommendations to the Grants Officer authorized to obligate the funds. Evaluation Criteria Each reviewer (one mail and at least three peer review panel reviewers) will individually evaluate and rank proposals using the following evaluation criteria: 1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of a proposed project to the program goals: This ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, Federal (other than NOAA), regional, state, or local activities. 2. Technical/scientific merit: This assesses whether the approach is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. 3. Overall qualifications of applicants: This ascertains whether the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project. 4. Project costs: The project's budget is evaluated to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and timeframe. 5. Outreach and education: NOAA assesses whether this project provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy regarding its mission to protect the Nation's natural resources. Selection Factors The merit review ratings will be used to provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding recommendations. A Program Officer may first make recommendations to the Selecting Official applying the selection factors listed below. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the following factors: 1. Availability of funding. 2. Balance/distribution of funds: a. Geographically, b. By type of institutions, c. By type of partners, d. By research areas, and e. By project types. 3. Whether the project duplicates other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA or other federal agencies. 4. Program priorities and policy factors. 5. Applicant's prior award performance. 6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups. 7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA to make a National Environmental Policy Act determination and draft necessary documentation before funding recommendations are made to the Grants Officer. Fellowship, Scholarship and Internship Programs Review and Selection Process Some fellowship, scholarship and internship programs may include a pre-application process that provides for feedback to the applicants that have responded to a call for letters of intent or pre-proposals; however, not all programs will include this pre-application. If a program has a pre-application process, the process will be described in the Summary Description section of the announcement and the deadline will be specified in the Application Deadline section. Upon receipt of a full application by NOAA, an initial administrative review will be conducted to determine compliance with requirements and completeness of the application. A merit review will also be conducted to produce a rank order of the proposals. The NOAA Program Officer may review the ranking of the proposals and make recommendations to the Selecting Official based on the administrative and/or merit review(s) and selection factors listed below. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering the administrative and/or merit review(s) and recommendations of the Program Officer. In making the final selections, the Selecting Official will award in rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection factors below. The Program Officer and/or Selecting Official may negotiate the funding level of the proposal. The Selecting Official makes final award recommendations to the Grants Officer authorized to obligate the funds. Evaluation Criteria Each reviewer (one mail and at least three peer review panel reviewers) will individually evaluate and rank proposals using the following evaluation criteria. 1. Academic record and statement of career goals and objectives of the student. 2. Quality of project and applicability to program priorities. 3. Recommendations and/or endorsements of the student. 4. Additional relevant experience related to diversity of education; extra-curricular activities; honors and awards; and interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills. 5. Financial need of the student. Selection Factors The merit review ratings will be used to provide a rank order by the Selecting Official for final funding recommendations. A Program Officer may first make recommendations to the Selecting Official by applying the selection factors listed below. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the following factors: 1. Availability of funds. 2. Balance/distribution of funds: a. Across academic disciplines, b. By types of institutions, and c. Geographically. 3. Program-specific objectives. 4. Degree in scientific area and type of degree sought. IV. NOAA Project Competitions Listed by NOAA Mission Goals 1. Understand Climate Variability and Change To Enhance Society's Ability To Plan and Respond Summary Description: Climate shapes the environment, natural resources, economies, and social systems that people depend upon worldwide. While humanity has learned to contend with some aspects of climate's natural variability, major climatic events, combined with the stresses of population growth, economic growth, public health concerns, and land-use practices, can impose serious consequences on society. The 1997-98 El Nino, for example, had a $25 billion impact on the U.S. economy-property losses were $2.6 billion and crop losses approached $2 billion. Long-term drought leads to increased and competing demands for fresh water with related effects on terrestrial and marine ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and even the spread of infectious diseases. Decisions about mitigating climate change also can alter economic and social structures on a global scale. We can deliver reliable climate information in useful ways to help minimize risks and maximize opportunities for decisions in agriculture, public policy, natural resources, water and energy use, and public health. We continue to move toward developing a seamless suite of weather and climate products. The Goal addresses predictions on time scales of up to decades or longer. Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 1. A predictive understanding of the global climate system on time scales of weeks to decades with quantified uncertainties sufficient for making informed and reasoned decisions 2. Climate-sensitive sectors and the climate-literate public effectively incorporating NOAA's climate products into their plans and decisions Program Names: 1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Program 2. Climate Program Office for FY 2010 3. FY 2010 Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Hawaii Program 4. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 5. Research in Satellite Data Assimilation for Numerical Weather, Climate and Environmental Forecast Systems 6. 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement 7. 2010 Integrated Ocean Observing System Implementation 2. Serve Society's Needs for Weather and Water Information Summary Description: Floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, wildfires, and other severe weather events cause $11 billion in damages each year in the United States. Weather is directly linked to public health and safety, and nearly one-third of the U.S. economy (about $3 trillion) is sensitive to weather and climate. With so much at stake, NOAA's role in understanding, observing, forecasting, and warning of environmental events is expanding. With our partners, we seek to provide decision makers with key observations, analyses, predictions, and warnings for a range of weather and water conditions, including those related to water supply, air quality, space weather, and wildfires. Businesses, governments, and nongovernmental organizations are getting more sophisticated about how to use this weather and water information to improve operational efficiencies, to manage environmental resources, and to create a better quality of life. On average, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and other severe weather events cause $11 billion in damages per year. Weather, including space weather, is directly linked to public safety and about one-third of the U.S. economy (about $3 trillion) is weather sensitive. With so much at stake, NOAA's role in observing, forecasting, and warning of environmental events is expanding, while economic sectors and its public are becoming increasingly sophisticated at using NOAA's weather, air quality, and water information to improve their operational efficiencies and their management of environmental resources, and quality of life. Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 1. Reduced loss of life, injury, and damage to the economy 2. Better, quicker, and more valuable weather and water information to support improved decisions 3. Increased customer satisfaction with weather and water information and services Program Names: 1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Program 2. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 3. Research in Satellite Data Assimilation for Numerical Weather, Climate and Environmental Forecast Systems 4. 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement 5. Remote Community Alert Systems Program 2010 6. 2010 Integrated Ocean Observing System Implementation 3. Support the Nation's Commerce With Information for Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sound Transportation Summary Description: Safe and efficient transportation systems are crucial to the U.S. economy. The U.S. marine transportation system ships over 95 percent of the tonnage and more than 20 percent by value of foreign trade through U.S. ports, including 48 percent of the oil needed to meet America's energy demands. At least $4 billion is lost annually due to economic inefficiencies resulting from weather related air-traffic delays. Improved surface weather forecasts and specific user warnings would reduce the 7,000 weather related fatalities and 800,000 injuries that occur annually from crashes on roads and highways. The injuries, loss of life, and property damage from weather-related crashes cost an average of $42 billion annually. We provide information, services, and products for transportation safety and for increased commerce on roads, rails, and waterways. We will improve the accuracy of our information for marine, aviation, and surface weather forecasts, the availability of accurate and advanced electronic navigational charts, and the delivery of real-time oceanographic information. We seek to provide consistent, accurate, and timely positioning information that is critical for air, sea, and surface transportation. We will respond to hazardous material spills and provide search and rescue routinely to save lives and money and to protect the coastal environment. We will work with port and coastal communities and with Federal and state partners to ensure that port operations and development proceed efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner. We will work with the Federal Aviation Administration and the private sector to reduce the negative impacts of weather on aviation without compromising safety. Because of increased interest by the public and private sectors, we also will expand weather information for marine and surface transportation to enhance safety and efficiency. Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 1. Safe, secure, efficient, and seamless movement of goods and people in the U.S. transportation system 2. Environmentally sound development and use of the U.S. transportation system. Program Names: 1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Program 2. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 3. 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement 4. 2010 Integrated Ocean Observing System Implementation 4. Protect, Restore and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through Ecosystem-Based Management Summary Description: Coastal areas are among the most developed in the Nation. More than half the population lives on less than one-fifth of the land in the contiguous United States. Furthermore, employment in near shore areas is growing three times faster than population. Coastal and marine waters support over 28 million jobs and provide a tourism destination for nearly 90 million Americans a year. The value of the ocean economy to the United States is over $115 billion. The value added annually to the national economy by the commercial and recreational fishing industry alone is over $48 billion. U.S. aquaculture sales total almost $1 billion annually. With its Exclusive Economic Zone of 3.4 million square miles, the United States manages the largest marine territory of any nation in the world. Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 1. Healthy and productive coastal and marine ecosystems that benefit society 2. A well-informed public that acts as a steward of coastal and marine ecosystems Program Names: 1. Cooperative Research Program 2. FY 2010 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 3. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program 2010 4. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) 5. FY 2010 Hawaii Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 6. Coastal Hypoxia Research Program (CHRP) 7. Sea Level Rise—(SLR) 8. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 9. NOAA International Coral Reef Grant Program 10. NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 11. NOAA Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 12. 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Population Dynamics 13. 2010 NMFS—Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource Economics 14. NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program 15. FY 2010 California Bay Watershed Education and Training Program 16. Research in Satellite Data Assimilation for Numerical Weather, Climate and Environmental Forecast Systems 17. 2010 NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Grant Program 18. 2010 NOAA Coral Reef Management Grant Program 19. Protected Species Cooperative Conservation 20. NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/General Coral Reef Conservation Grants 21. NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/Projects to Improve or Amend Coral Reef Fishery Management Plans 22. 2010 Atlantic Scallop Research Set-Aside Program 23. 2010 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program 24. 2010 Sea Grant/Regional Team Climate Engagement 25. 2010 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program 26. Harmful Algal Blooms Program 27. FY 2010 Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants 29. FY 2010 Ocean Exploration and Research Appropriation—Marine Archaeology 30. 2010 Open Rivers Initiative 31. NOAA Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration National and Regional Partnership Grants 32. 2010 Integrated Ocean Observing System Implementation 5. Provide Critical Support for NOAA's Mission Summary Description: Strong, effective, and efficient support activities are necessary for us to achieve our Mission Goals. Our facilities, ships, aircraft, environmental satellites, data processing systems, computing and communication systems, and our approach to management provide the foundation of support for all of our programs. This critical foundation must adapt to evolving mission needs and, therefore, is an integral part of our strategic planning. It also must support U.S. homeland security by maintaining continuity of operations and by providing NOAA services, such as civil alert relays through NOAA Weather Radio and air dispersion forecasts, in response to National emergencies. NOAA ships, aircraft, and environmental satellites are the backbone of the global Earth observing system and provide many critical mission support services. To keep this capability strong and current with our Mission Goals, we will ensure that NOAA has adequate access to safe and efficient ships and aircraft through the use of both NOAA platforms and those of other agency, academic, and commercial partners. We will work with academia and partners in the public and private sectors to ensure that future satellite systems are designed, developed, and operated with the latest technology. Leadership development and program support are essential for achieving our Mission Goals. We must also commit to organizational excellence through management and leadership across a “corporate” NOAA. We must continue our Commitment to valuing NOAA's diverse workforce, including effective workforce planning strategies designed to attract, retain and develop competencies at all levels of our workforce. Through the use of business process re-engineering, we will strive for state-of-the-art, value-added financial and administrative processes. NOAA will ensure state-of-the-art and secure information technology and systems. By developing long-range, comprehensive facility planning processes, NOAA will be able to ensure right-sized, most-effective, and safe facilities. Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 1. A dynamic workforce with competencies that support NOAA's mission today and in the future. Program Names: 1. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship Program FY 2010 2. 2011 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship 3. National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program FY 2010 4. Student Opportunity for Learning V. NOAA Project Competitions National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 1. 2010 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program Summary Description: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is soliciting monkfish research proposals to utilize 500 Monkfish Days-at-Sea (DAS) that have been set-aside by the New England Fishery Management and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) to fund monkfish research endeavors through the 2010 Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program (May 1, 2010-April 30, 2011). No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification. Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of monkfish harvested during a set-aside DAS is used to fund research activities and compensate vessels that participate in research activities and/or harvest set-aside quota. Projects funded under the Monkfish RSA Program must enhance the knowledge of the monkfish fishery resource or contribute to the body of information on which monkfish management decisions are made. Priority will be given to monkfish research proposals that investigate research priorities identified by the Councils and which are detailed under the Program Priorities section of this announcement. Funding Availability: DAS will be awarded to successful applicants. No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification. Funds generated from landings harvested and sold under the Monkfish RSA Program shall be used to cover the cost of research activities, including vessel costs. For example, the funds may be used to pay for gear modifications, monitoring equipment, the salaries of research personnel, or vessel operation costs. The Federal Government is not liable for any costs incurred by the researcher or vessel owner should the sale of catch not fully reimburse the researcher or vessel owner for their expenses. Any additional funds generated through the sale of set-aside landings, above the cost of the research activities, shall be retained by the vessel owner as compensation for the use of his/her vessel. The Federal Government (i.e., NMFS) may issue an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), if needed, that may provide special fishing privileges in response to research proposals selected under this program. For example, in previous years, some successful applicants have requested, and were granted, exemption from monkfish DAS possession limits to make compensation fishing more efficient and cost effective. In such cases, applicants were authorized to harvest a maximum amount of monkfish by weight, or fish up to the number of awarded monkfish DAS, whichever came first. To obtain such an exemption, an EFP application must be submitted to the Northeast Regional Office, NMFS. Please be aware that EFP applications are reviewed on a case by case basis, and may be disapproved. For additional information, contact Ryan Silva, Cooperative Research Liaison, at 978-281-9326, or ryan.silva@noaa.gov . Statutory Authority: Statutory authority for this program is found under sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and 404(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 U.S.C. 1881a(e), and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c), respectively. The ability to set aside monkfish DAS for research purposes was established in the final rule implementing Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (70 FR 21927, April 28, 2005), codified at 50 CFR 648.92(c). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, Unallied Management Projects Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA Federal funding opportunity, please go to http://www.grants.gov , and use the following funding opportunity #NMFS-NEFSC-2010-2001980. Applicants without Internet access may contact Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, by phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail cheryl.corbett@noaa.gov . Information Contacts: Information may be obtained from Paul Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), by phone 978-465-0492, or by fax 978-465-3116; Philip Haring, Senior Fishery Analyst, NEFMC, by phone 978-465-0492, or by e-mail at pharing@nefmc.org ; or Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail cheryl.corbett@noaa.gov , or from Ryan Silva, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, Cooperative Research Liaison, phone (978) 281-9326, fax (978) 281-9326, e-mail ryan.silva@noaa.gov . Eligibility: 1. Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, hospitals, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, state, local, and Native American tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. Additionally, employees of any Federal agency or Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) are ineligible to submit an application under this program. However, Council members who are not Federal employees may submit an application. 2. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the RSA program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions. 3. DOC/NOAA encourages applications from members of the fishing community and applications that involve fishing community cooperation and participation. Cost Sharing Requirements: None required. Intergovernmental Review: Applicants will need to determine if their State participates in the intergovernmental review process. This information can be found at the following Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . This information will assist applicants in providing either a Yes or No response to Item 16 of the Application Form, SF-424, entitled “Application for Federal Assistance.” 2. 2010 Open Rivers Initiative Summary Description: The NOAA Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) provides funding and technical assistance to catalyze the implementation of locally-driven projects to remove dams and other river barriers, in order to benefit living marine and coastal resources, particularly diadromous fish. Projects funded through the Open Rivers Initiative must feature strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that foster economic, educational, and social benefits for citizens and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative agreement. Funding of up to $6,000,000 is expected to be available for ORI Project Grants in FY 2010. The NOAA Restoration Center within the Office of Habitat Conservation will administer this grant initiative, and anticipates that typical awards will range from $200,000 to $750,000. Although a select few may fall outside of this range, project proposals requesting less than $100,000 or greater than $3,000,000 will not be accepted or reviewed. Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that funding of up to $6,000,000 is expected to be available for Open Rivers Initiative Project Grants in FY 2010. Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon Fiscal Year 2010 Congressional appropriations. NOAA anticipates that typical project awards will range from $200,000 to $750,000; proposals requesting less than $100,000 or more than $3,000,000 will not be accepted under this solicitation. NOAA does not guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all proposals. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested by the applicants, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and the amount of funds made available to the ORI by Congress. NOAA anticipates that between 10 and 15 awards will be made as a result of this solicitation. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this document does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or obligate all or any parts of any available funds. Statutory Authority: The Secretary of Commerce is authorized under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, to provide grants or cooperative agreements for fisheries habitat restoration. The Secretary of Commerce is also authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 5946) to provide funding and technical expertise for fisheries and coastal habitat restoration and to promote significant community support and volunteer participation in such activities. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 EST on November 16, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants may submit their applications through Grants.gov. If Grants.gov cannot reasonably be used, a hard copy application with the SF424 signed in ink (blue ink is preferred) must be postmarked or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt by November 16, 2009 and sent to: NOAA Restoration Center (F/HC3) Office of Habitat Conservation, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, Rm. 15749, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Attn: Open Rivers Initiative Project Applications. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service after November 16, 2009 will not be considered for funding. Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, applications received later than 15 business days following the postmark closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Paper applications should be printed on one side only, on 8.5″ x 11″ paper, and should not be bound in any manner. Information Contacts: For further information contact Tisa Shostik ( Tisa.Shostik@noaa.gov ) at (301) 713-0174 x184 or Cathy Bozek ( Cathy.Bozek@noaa.gov ) at (301) 713-0174 x150. Potential applicants are invited to contact NOAA Restoration Center staff before submitting an application to discuss the applicability of project ideas to the goals and objectives of ORI. Additional information on the ORI can be found on http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration . Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profits, industry and commercial (for profit) organizations, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, international organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments whose projects have the potential to benefit NOAA trust resources. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations, national service clubs or youth corps organizations and others that are eligible to apply. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in under-served areas. The ORI encourages proposals from or involving any of the above institutions. Cost Sharing Requirements: A major goal of the ORI is to provide seed money for projects that leverage funds and other contributions from a broad public and private sector to implement locally important barrier removals to benefit living marine and coastal resources. To this end, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate a 1:1 non-federal match for ORI funds requested to conduct the proposed project. Applicants with less than 1:1 match will not be disqualified, however, applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in Evaluation Criterion #4 “Project Costs” (Section V.A.4. of the Full Funding Opportunity). Match to NOAA funds can come from a variety of public and private sources and can include in-kind goods and services and volunteer labor. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from non-federal partners, as long as such contributions are not being used to match any other federal funds and are available within the project period stated in the application. Federal sources cannot be considered for matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are also permitted to apply federally negotiated indirect costs in excess of federal share limits as described in Section IV.E.2 of the Full Funding Opportunity, “Indirect Costs.” Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the overall number of volunteers and in-kind participation hours devoted to individual barrier removal projects. Letters of commitment for any secured resources that will be used as match for an award under this solicitation should be submitted as an attachment to the application, see Section IV.B of the Full Funding Opportunity. Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this initiative are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed on the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 3. 2010 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program Summary Description: The Saltonstall-Kennedy Act established a fund (known as the S-K fund) that the Secretary of Commerce uses to provide grants or cooperative agreements for fisheries research and development projects addressed to any aspect of U.S. fisheries, including, but not limited to, harvesting, processing, marketing, and associated infrastructures. U.S. fisheries include any fishery, commercial or recreational, that is, or may be, engaged in by citizens or nationals of the United States, or citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Funding Availability: Funding is contingent upon availability of Federal appropriations. The S-K program has sought funding for $5 million in grant awards. We anticipate awarding 20-25 grants of approximately $100,000 to $250,000 each. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been allocated for this program. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if this program fails to receive funding or is cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of this notice does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. You should not initiate your project in expectation of Federal funding until you receive a grant award document signed by an authorized NOAA official. If one incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, one would do so solely at one's own risk of these costs not being included under the award. Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. Statutory Authority: Authority for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program is provided under the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act (S-K Act), as amended (15 U.S.C. 713c-3). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.427, Fisheries Dev and Utilization Research and Dev Grants and Coop Agreements Program. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EDT on September 1, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted and the date recorded when they are received in the program office. Hard copy applications must be received by the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program Office by 5 p.m. EDT on September 1, 2009. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications submitted in response to this announcement must be submitted electronically through the Federal grants portal— http://www.grants.gov . Electronic access to the full funding announcement for this program is also available through this Web site. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard copy proposals (with original signatures) will be accepted and should be sent to the attention of: Mr. Daniel A. Namur, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS (F/MB); 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13358; Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282. Information Contacts: The point of contact is: Daniel A. Namur, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS (F/MB); 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13358; Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282; or by Phone at (301) 713-1365 ext. 118, or fax at (301) 713-1464, or via e-mail at Dan.Namur@noaa.gov . Eligibility: You are eligible to apply for a grant or a cooperative agreement under the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program if: 1. You are a citizen or national of the United States; 2. You are a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), being an individual who qualifies as such under section 8 of the Schedule on Transitional Matters attached to the constitution of the NMI; 3. You are a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, or the Federated States of Micronesia; or 4. You represent an entity that is a corporation, partnership, association, or other non-Federal entity, non-profit or otherwise (including Indian tribes), if such entity is a citizen of the United States or NMI, within the meaning of section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended (46 U.S.C. app. 802). We support cultural and gender diversity in our programs and encourage women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications. Furthermore, we recognize the interest of the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior in defining appropriate fisheries policies and programs that meet the needs of the U.S. insular areas, so we also encourage applications from individuals, government entities, and businesses in U.S. insular areas. We are strongly committed to broadening the participation of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, in our programs, including S-K. Therefore, we encourage all applicants to include meaningful participation of MSIs. We encourage applications from members of the fishing community, and applications that involve fishing community cooperation and participation. We will consider the extent of fishing community involvement when evaluating the potential benefit of funding a proposal. You are not eligible to submit an application under this program if you are an employee of any Federal agency; a Council; or an employee of a Council. However, Council members who are not Federal employees can submit an application to the S-K Program. Cost Sharing Requirements: We are requiring cost sharing in order to leverage the limited funds available for this program and to encourage partnerships among government, industry, and academia to address the needs of fishing communities. You must provide a minimum cost share of 10 percent of total project costs, but your cost share must not exceed 50 percent of total costs. You may find this formula useful: 1. Total Project Cost (Federal and non-Federal cost share combined) × .9 = Maximum Federal Share. 2. Total Cost − Federal share = Applicant Share. For example, if the proposed total budget for your project is $100,000, the maximum Federal funding you can apply for is $90,000 ($100,000 × .9). Your cost share in this case would be $10,000 ($100,000 − $90,000). For a total project cost of $100,000, you must contribute at least $10,000, but no more than $50,000 (10-50 percent of total project cost). Accordingly, the Federal share you apply for would range from $50,000 to $90,000. If your application does not comply with these cost share requirements, we will return it to you and will not consider it for funding. The funds you provide as cost sharing may include funds from private sources or from state or local governments, or the value of in-kind contributions. You may not use Federal funds to meet the cost sharing requirement except as provided by Federal statute. In-kind contributions are non-cash contributions provided to you by non-Federal third parties. In-kind contributions may include, but are not limited to, personal services volunteered to perform tasks in the project, and permission to use, at no cost, real or personal property owned by others. We will determine the appropriateness of all cost sharing proposals, including the valuation of in-kind contributions, on the basis of guidance provided in 15 CFR parts 14 and 24. In general, the value of in-kind services or property you use to fulfill your cost share will be the fair market value of the services or property. Thus, the value is equivalent to the cost for you to obtain such services or property if they had not been donated. You must document the in-kind services or property you will use to fulfill your cost share. If we decide to fund your application, we will require you to account for the total amount of cost share included in the award document. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 4. 2010 Atlantic Scallop Research Set-Aside Program Summary Description: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is soliciting Atlantic Sea Scallop (scallop) research proposals to utilize scallop Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Days-at-Sea (DAS) that have been set-aside by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) to fund scallop research endeavors through the 2010 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program (March 1, 2010-February 28, 2011). No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification. Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of scallops harvested under a set-aside quota are used to fund research activities and compensate vessels that participate in research activities and/or harvest set-aside quota. Projects funded under the Scallop RSA Program must enhance the knowledge of the scallop fishery resource or contribute to the body of information on which scallop management decisions are made. Priority will be given to scallop research proposals that investigate research priorities identified by the Council, which are detailed under the Program Priorities section of this announcement. Funding Availability: Previous Scallop RSA Program announcements required applicants to specify which TAC and/or DAS set-aside they were requesting. In addition, applicants were required to use scallop price and catch rate estimates provided by NMFS when developing their budget. Several issues resulted from this process, including persistent grant delays, and dated price and catch rate estimates that were published in the FFO. These issues resulted primarily from a disconnect between the timelines for Scallop FMP frameworks, which establish set aside quotas and price and catch rate estimates (among other things), and the Scallop RSA annual solicitation. Therefore, application requirements are being adjusted for the 2010 Scallop RSA Program in an attempt to rectify these issues. TAC and DAS set-asides and scallop price and catch rate estimates will no longer be published in the FFO. Accordingly, applicants will no longer base their budget on available RSA quota or price and catch rate estimates published in the FFO. Instead, applicants must submit a budget that is based solely on monetary needs, which includes funds necessary to execute the research plan and funds necessary to compensate vessel owners harvesting set-aside quota. To facilitate the submission of relevant and timely access area research proposals, it is anticipated that the Elephant Trunk and Delmarva Access Areas will be open in the Mid-Atlantic, and the Nantucket Lightship and/or Closed Area I Access Areas will be open on Georges Bank for the 2010 scallop fishing year. This access area schedule is preliminary and subject to change. The final schedule will be established by Framework 21 to the Scallop FMP, which is currently under development. Upon project selection, NMFS will negotiate with successful applicants on the specific TAC and/or DAS award. Priority will be given primarily to the higher technically ranked proposal, although additional factors such as individual project needs and cost effectiveness may be considered during negotiations. NMFS will establish a common DAS catch rate and scallop price estimate, based on the best and most recent data available, to determine the amount of set-aside necessary to cover research and compensation fishing expenses. If a desired set-aside quota has been fully utilized by another applicant, TAC and/or DAS will be awarded from a different set-aside quota. Once all the TAC and/or DAS set-aside quotas have been awarded, or all qualified proposals have been funded, whichever comes first, the selection process will end. It is anticipated that these changes will facilitate timely grant awards and improve scallop price and catch rate estimates used to establish TAC and DAS set-aside values. No Federal funds are provided for research under this notification. Funds generated from landings harvested and sold under the Scallop RSA Program shall be used to cover the cost of research activities, including vessel costs. For example, the funds may be used to pay for gear modifications, monitoring equipment, the salaries of research personnel, or vessel operation costs. The Federal Government is not liable for any costs incurred by the researcher or vessel owner should the sale of catch not fully reimburse the researcher or vessel owner for their expenses. Any additional funds generated through the sale of set-aside landings, above the cost of the research activities, shall be retained by the vessel owner as compensation for the use of his/her vessel. The Federal government (i.e., NMFS) will issue Letters of Authorization (LOAs) to eligible vessels identified by the Project Coordinator, which authorize such vessels to take access area and DAS compensation fishing trips, and exceed the vessel's normal scallop possession limit. Statutory Authority: Statutory authority for this program is provided under sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and 404(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 U.S.C. 1881a(e), and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c), respectively. The ability to set aside scallop TAC and DAS is authorized through the scallop FMP published in the Federal Register on June 23, 2004 (69 FR 35193). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, Unallied Management Projects. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EST on August 31, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted, and date recorded when they are received in the program office. Electronic or hard copies received after the deadline will not be considered, and hard copy applications will be returned to the sender. Mark hard copy proposals “Attention—2010 Atlantic Scallop Research Set Aside Program.” Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA Federal funding opportunity, please go to http://www.grants.gov , and use the following funding opportunity #NMFS-NEFSC-2010-2001979. Applicants without Internet access may contact Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, by phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail cheryl.corbett@noaa.gov . Information Contacts: Information may be obtained from Deirdre Boelke, New England Fishery Management Council, phone (978) 465-0492, fax (978) 465-3116, or e-mail dboelke@nefmc.org , from Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail ccorbett@noaa.gov , or from Ryan Silva, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, phone (978) 281-9326, fax (978) 281-9135, e-mail ryan.silva@noaa.gov . Eligibility: 1. Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, hospitals, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, state, local, and Native American tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. Additionally, employees of any Federal agency or Regional Fishery Management Council are ineligible to submit an application under this program. However, Council members who are not Federal employees may submit an application. 2. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the RSA program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions. 3. DOC/NOAA encourages applications from members of the fishing community and applications that involve fishing community cooperation and participation. Cost Sharing Requirements: None Required. Intergovernmental Review: Applicants will need to determine if their state participates in the intergovernmental review process. This information can be found at the following Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . This information will assist applicants in providing either a Yes or No response to Item 16 of the Application Form, SF-424, entitled “Application for Federal Assistance.” 5. Cooperative Research Program Summary Description: The Cooperative Research Program (CRP) provides opportunity to compete for financial assistance for projects which seek to increase and improve the working relationship between fisheries researchers from NMFS, state fishery agencies, universities, and the U.S. fishing community (recreational and commercial) in the Gulf of Mexico (FL, AL, MS, LA, TX), South Atlantic (NC, SC, GA) and Caribbean (USVI and Puerto Rico). The program is a means of involving commercial and recreational fishermen in the collection of fundamental fisheries information in support of management and regulatory options. This program addresses NOAA's mission goal to “Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management.” Funding Availability: Approximately $2.0 million may be available in fiscal year (FY) 2010 for projects. Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon FY 2010 Congressional appropriations. The NMFS Southeast Regional Office estimates awarding approximately eight projects that will range from $25,000 to $300,000. The average award is $150,000. Publication of this notice does not obligate NMFS to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or any of the available funds. Statutory Authority: Authority for the CRP is provided by the following: 15 U.S.C. 713c-3(d). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, Unallied Management Projects. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 4 p.m. ET, September 14, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have Internet access. In that case, hard copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine Fisheries Service, State/Federal Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application process, you may contact: Dax Ruiz, State/Federal Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, or Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov . Eligibility: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of the CRP is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine fishery resources. Applicants who are not commercial or recreational fisherman must have commercial or recreational fishermen participating in their project. There must be a written agreement with a fisherman describing the involvement in the project activity. Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this program. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 6. FY 2010 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program Summary Description: The Chesapeake B-WET grant program is a competitively based program that supports existing environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new programs, and encourages the development of partnerships among environmental education programs throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funded projects assist in meeting the Stewardship and Community Engagement goals of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. Projects support organizations that provide students meaningful watershed educational experiences and teachers related professional development opportunities and resources related to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that approximately $3.5M may be available in FY 2010 in award amounts to be determined by the proposals and available funds. Funding is anticipated to maintain partnerships for up to 3 years duration, but is dependent on funding made available annually by Congress. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for this program. 1. About $2.5M will be for exemplary programs that successfully integrate teacher professional development on the Chesapeake Bay watershed with in-depth classroom study and outdoor experiences for their students. 2. About $500K will be for proposals that incorporate the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS) into meaningful watershed educational experiences for students or related professional development for teachers. 3. About $250K will be for proposals that provide opportunities either for students to participate in Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs-related to Chesapeake Bay or related Professional Development for teachers. 4. About $250K will be for capacity building proposals that address larger, systematic needs and/or provide resources to the educational community related to MWEES. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (CBO) anticipates that typical awards for B-WET Exemplary Programs that successfully integrate teacher professional development with in-depth classroom student and outdoor experiences for their students will range from $50,000 to $200,000. Projects focusing on the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy system will range from $25,000 to $200,000. Projects that represent either meaningful watershed educational experiences for students or teacher professional development in watershed education will range from $25,000 to $75,000. Projects addressing the capacity building needs of organizations will range from $15,000 to $75,000. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made. Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 893a(a), the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.457, Chesapeake Bay Studies. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EDT on October 16, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically through http://www.grants.gov . Hard copies may be submitted by postal mail, commercial delivery service, or hand-delivery. Proposals being submitted hard copy must be received by: NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; Education Coordinator; 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 107A, Annapolis, Maryland 21403. Facsimile transmissions and e-mail submission of proposals will not be accepted. You may access the electronic grant application for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education & Training Program (B-WET) at http://www.grants.gov . Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site as well as the hours of operation. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov, applicants must have a DUNS number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You should allow a minimum of 5 days to complete the CCR registration. After electronic submission of the application, applicants will receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. Electronic application packages are strongly encouraged and are available at: http://www.grants.gov/ . Paper applications may be mailed to: Shannon Sprague, B-WET Program Manager NOAA, Chesapeake Bay Office, 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 107A, Annapolis, MD 21403. Information Contacts: Please visit the B-WET Web site for further information at: http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net/educationgrants.aspx or contact the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 107A, Annapolis, MD 21403, or by phone at 410-267-5660. B-WET contacts are as follows: Virginia/West Virginia: Ann Marie Chapman ( annmarie.chapman@noaa.gov ); Maryland's Eastern Shore/Delaware: Doug Levin ( doug.levin@noaa.gov ); Maryland/Washington, DC: Kevin Schabow ( kevin.schabow@noaa.gov ); and Pennsylvania/Other: Shannon Sprague ( shannon.sprague@noaa.gov ). Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-through-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. The NCBO encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions. Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this program, however, the NCBO strongly encourages applicants applying for either area of interest to share as much of the costs of the award as possible. Funds from other Federal awards may not be considered matching funds. The nature of the contribution (cash versus in-kind) and the amount of matching funds will be taken into consideration in the review process. Priority selection will be given to proposals that propose cash rather than in-kind contributions. Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. 7. FY 2010 Community-Based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants Summary Description: The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), authorized in the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPR Act, 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq. ), provides funding to catalyze the implementation of locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention, assessment and removal projects that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Projects funded through the MDP have strong on-the-ground habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear, as well as activities that provide social benefits for people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation the MDP identifies marine debris removal projects, strengthens the development and implementation of habitat restoration through the removal of marine debris within communities, and fosters awareness of the effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living marine resource habitats across a wide geographic area. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative agreement. Funding of up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants in FY 2010. The NOAA MDP anticipates that typical awards will range from $15,000 to $150,000. Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that funding of up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine Removal Project Grants in FY 2010. Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon Fiscal Year 2010 Congressional appropriations. The NOAA Restoration Center anticipates that typical project awards will range from $15,000 to $150,000; NOAA will not accept proposals for under $15,000 or proposals for over $250,000 under this solicitation. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all proposals. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for initiating marine debris removal projects by the applicants, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and the amount of funds made available to the MDP by Congress. The NOAA Restoration Center anticipates that between 10 and 25 awards will be made as a result of this solicitation. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this document does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or obligate all or any part of any available funds. In FY 2008, 10 applications were recommended for funding ranging from $39,000 to $175,000, for a total grant competition funding level of approximately $900,000. This is the fourth year of the Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants, a grant partnership between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and NOAA Restoration Center. These grants are funded through the NOAA Marine Debris Program with appropriations to the Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service for this purpose. The NOAA Restoration Center will administer this grants program in the same manner that the Community-based Restoration Program is conducted. Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: If the applicant does not have Internet access, a hard copy application with the SF424 bearing an original, ink signature (blue ink preferred) must be postmarked, or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt, by 11:59 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2009, and sent to: David Landsman, NOAA Restoration Center (F/HC3), Attn: MDP Project Applications, 1315 East West Highway, Rm. 14727, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service after that date will not be considered for funding. Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, applications received later than 15 business days following the postmark closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Paper applications should be printed on one side only, on 8.5″ x 11″ paper, and should not be bound in any manner. Information Contacts: For further information contact David Landsman at 301-713-0174 or by e-mail at David.Landsman@noaa.gov . Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, other non-profits, commercial (for profit) organizations, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, international organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments whose projects have the potential to benefit NOAA trust resources. Applications from federal agencies or employees of Federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, on-governmental organizations, national service clubs or youth corps organizations and others that are eligible to apply. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in under-served areas. The MDP encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions. Cost Sharing Requirements: A major goal of the MDP is to provide seed money to projects that leverage funds and other contributions from a broad public and private sector to implement locally important marine debris removal activities to benefit living marine resources. To this end, the MDRPR Act requires applicants to demonstrate a minimum 1:1 non-Federal match for MDP funds requested to conduct the proposed project. In addition to formal match, NOAA strongly encourages applicants to leverage as much investment as possible. However, the MDRPR Act allows the Administrator to waive all or part of the matching requirement if the applicant can demonstrate that: (1) No reasonable means are available through which applicants can meet the matching requirement, and; (2) the probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such matching requirement. In addition, the MDP shall waive any requirement for matching funds to an Insular Area (Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Government of the Northern Mariana Islands). Under 48 U.S.C. 10.1469a(d), any department or agency may waive any requirement for matching funds otherwise required by law to be provided by the Insular Area involved. All applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in Evaluation Criterion #4. “Project Costs.” Match can come from a variety of public and private sources and can include in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and volunteer labor. To meet the 1:1 match requirement, applicants are permitted to combine contributions from non-federal partners, as long as such contributions are not being used to match any other funds and are available within the project period stated in the application. Federal sources cannot be considered for matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are also permitted to apply federally negotiated indirect costs in excess of federal share limits as described in Section IV.E.2. “Indirect Costs” of the Full Funding Opportunity announcement. The MDRPR Act allows the Administrator to authorize, as appropriate, the non-Federal share of the cost of a project to include money paid pursuant to, or the value of any in-kind service performed under, an administrative order on consent or judicial consent decree that will remove or prevent marine debris. Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the names of participating volunteers and the overall number of volunteer or community participation hours devoted to individual marine debris removal projects. Letters of commitment for any secured resources expected to be used as match for an award should be submitted as an attachment to the application. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 8. Gulf of Mexico NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program Summary Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Region, is seeking proposals under the Gulf of Mexico B-WET Program. The B-WET program is an environmental education program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational experiences for students, related professional development for teachers, and helps to support regional education and environmental priorities in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This program addresses NOAA's mission goal to “Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management.” Funding Availability: It is anticipated that approximately $700,000 will be available in FY 2010 for new awards. NOAA anticipates making approximately 3 to 5 new awards during FY 2010. The total Federal amount that may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed $100,000. The minimum Federal amount that must be requested from NOAA is $25,000. Applications requesting Federal support from NOAA for more than $100,000 per year will not be considered for funding. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made. Statutory Authority: Authority for the Marine Fisheries Initiative Program is provided by the following: 16 U.S.C. 661. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. ET on November 13, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have Internet access. In that case, hard copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine Fisheries Service, State/Federal Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application process, you may contact: Ellie Francisco Roche, Chief, State/Federal Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, or Ellie.Roche@noaa.gov. Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this program. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 9. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) Summary Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Region, is seeking proposals under the Marine Fisheries Initiative Program (MARFIN), for research and development projects that optimize the use of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and off the South Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida involving the U.S. fishing industry (recreational and commercial), including fishery biology, resource assessment, socioeconomic assessment, management and conservation, selected harvesting methods, and fish handling and processing. This program addresses NOAA's mission goal to “Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources Through an Ecosystem Approach to Management.” Funding Availability: Approximately $2.0 million may be available in fiscal year (FY) 2010 for projects. This amount includes possible in-house projects. Actual funding availability for this program is contingent upon Fiscal Year 2010 Congressional appropriations. The NMFS Southeast Regional Office anticipates awarding approximately ten projects that will range from $25,000 to $175,000 per year. The total Federal amount that may be requested shall not exceed $350,000 for a two year project, and $525,000 for a three year project. Publication of this notice does not obligate NMFS to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or any of the available funds. Project proposals accepted for funding with a project period over one year do not have to compete for the additional years of funding. However, funding for the additional years is contingent upon the availability of funds and satisfactory performance and is at the sole discretion of the agency. Statutory Authority: Authority for the Marine Fisheries Initiative Program is provided by the following: 15 U.S.C. 713c-3(d). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.433, Marine Fisheries Initiative. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EDT on August 17, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have Internet access. In that case, hard copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine Fisheries Service, State/Federal Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application process, you may contact: Ellie Francisco Roche, Chief, State/Federal Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, or Ellie.Roche@noaa.gov . Eligibility: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of the MARFIN program is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine fishery resources. Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this program. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 10. NOAA Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration National and Regional Partnership Grants Summary Description: NOAA delivers funding and technical expertise to restore coastal and marine habitats. These habitats support valuable fisheries and protected resources, improve the quality of our water, provide recreational opportunities for the public's use and enjoyment and buffer our coastal communities from the impacts of storms and sea level rise. Partnerships funded through NOAA have strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that provide social and economic benefits in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements that benefit NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation, NOAA seeks to openly compete funding available for multi-year national and regional habitat restoration Partnerships. Partnerships will result in implementation of a wide-range of individual habitat restoration projects, from locally-driven, grass-roots projects that emphasize stewardship and hands-on restoration, to mid-scale, watershed level projects that yield significant ecological and socio-economic benefits. NOAA envisions working jointly on such Partnerships through its Community-based Restoration Program (CRP) to identify, evaluate, fund, and administer projects that offer this range of ecological, socio-economic and stewardship benefits to coastal watershed communities. This document describes the types of habitat restoration Partnerships that NOAA envisions establishing, portrays the qualities that NOAA deems desirable in such Partnerships, and describes criteria under which applications will be evaluated for funding consideration. Partnership applications selected through this announcement will be implemented through a multi-year cooperative agreement, and will ultimately involve joint selection of multiple community-based habitat restoration projects funded as sub-awards made through the Partner organization. Funding of approximately $10 million is expected to be available to establish habitat restoration Partnerships in 2010, with annual funding anticipated to maintain them for up to 3 years duration. Requests for funding to establish Partnerships typically exceed the funds available for this purpose and the selection process will be highly competitive. Typical Partnership awards will range from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year. Funds will be administered by the NOAA Restoration Center within NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. This is not a request for individual community-based habitat restoration project proposals. Funding Availability: NOAA anticipates that approximately $10 million may be available in FY 2010 to establish national and regional Partnerships that will implement coastal and marine habitat restoration through sub awards. Funding is expected to be provided on an annual basis to maintain Partnerships for up to 3 years duration, and is dependent upon the level of funding made available by Congress. NOAA anticipates that typical awards for the initial year of restoration Partnerships will range from $500,000 to $1,000,000. NOAA will not accept proposals with a first year budget under $250,000 or over $5,000,000 under this solicitation. Applicants can request increases to continue scaling up Partnership activities in subsequent budget periods to a limit of $7,500,000 in FY 2011, and to $10,000,000 in FY 2012. Annual funding levels and any increases over FY 2010 levels for successful applicants will be at the discretion of the NOAA Restoration Center Chief (Chief). The Chief will make annual funding determinations for each Partner, in consultation with NOAA technical staff, based on Partnership performance, capacity of the Partner organization to generate quality projects with respect to funding potentially available to them under an award, the amount of prior year funding remaining to be expended, regional and Administration priorities, and other factors deemed important to the annual allocation process. For reference, in FY 2007 the NOAA Restoration Center established and funded 17 multi-year Partnerships for a total of $8.8 million in their first year, $7.1 million in FY 2008, and $9.8 million in FY 2009. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all Partnership applications. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for establishing national and regional habitat restoration Partnerships by the applicants, the merit and ranking of the applications, and the amount of funds made available by Congress. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives, and multi-year funding requests are expected to be funded incrementally on an annual basis. Publication of this document does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or obligate all or any parts of any available funds. Statutory Authority: The Secretary of Commerce is authorized under the following statutes to provide grants and cooperative agreements for habitat restoration: Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970; Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 30, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Use of a delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants may submit their applications through Grants.gov. If an applicant does not have Internet access, a hard copy application must be postmarked, or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt, by September 30, 2009 and sent to: NOAA Restoration Center, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, Rm. 14853, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Attn: Restoration Partnership Applications. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service after that time will not be considered for funding. Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, applications received later than 7 business days following the postmark closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. Paper applications should be printed on one side only, on 8.5″ × 11″ paper, and should not be bound in any manner. Applicants submitting paper applications must also include a full copy of the application as a single PDF file, including Federal forms, on a compact disc (CD). Information Contact s: For further information contact Robin Bruckner or Melanie Gange at (301) 713-0174, or by e-mail at Robin.Bruckner@noaa.gov or Melanie.Gange@noaa.gov . Prospective applicants are invited to contact NOAA staff before submitting an application to discuss their partnership ideas. Additional information on habitat restoration can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration . Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial (for profit) organizations, U.S. Territories, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. Applications from Federal agencies or employees of Federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations, municipal and county governments, conservation corps organizations and others that are eligible to apply. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in under-served areas. NOAA encourages applications involving any of the above institutions. Cost Sharing Requirements: The overall focus of the CRP is to implement coastal and marine habitat restoration that leverages funds and other contributions from the public and private sector to accomplish broad yet locally important habitat benefits. To this end, applicants seeking national and regional Partnerships with NOAA are encouraged to demonstrate a 1:1 non-Federal match overall for federal funds requested. Additionally, those Partnerships that propose to provide cash match toward project implementation funds at the national/regional level (before local, project-specific contributions are included) will be likely to score higher in the evaluation of project costs. While this is not a requirement, NOAA strongly advises applicants to leverage as much investment as possible. Applicants with less than 1:1 match and those that do not have cash match for project implementation funds at the national/regional level will not be disqualified, however applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in evaluation criteria #4. “Project Costs” (Section V.A.4 of the Full Funding Opportunity announcement). Similarly, proposals that limit administrative costs to 20% at the national or regional level also will be likely to score higher on this criterion. The match can come from a variety of public and private sources and can include in-kind goods and services. Federal funds may not be considered matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are permitted to combine non-federal contributions from additional Partners in order to meet the 1:1 match expected to establish a Partnership, as long as the matching funds are not already being used to match other funding sources and are available within the project period stated in the application. Applicants are also permitted to apply federally negotiated indirect costs in excess of federal share limits as described in Section IV.E. “Funding Restrictions” in the Full Funding Opportunity announcement. Applicants whose proposals are selected for habitat restoration Partnership funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Successful applicants must be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the number of volunteer or community participation hours devoted to individual habitat restoration projects. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.” Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html . 11. NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/General Coral Reef Conservation Grants Summary Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program/General Coral Reef Conservation Grants (GCRCGP) provides funding to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, Freely Associated State government agencies, and local and Indian tribal governments to support coral reef conservation projects in the United States and the Freely Associated States in the Pacific, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. Projects funded through the GCRCGP support on-the ground efforts that: (1) Help preserve, sustain and restore the condition of coral reef ecosystems, (2) promote the wise management and sustainable use of coral reef resources, (3) increase public knowledge and awareness of coral reef ecosystems and issues regarding their conservation, and (4) develop sound scientific information on the condition of coral reef ecosystems and the threats to such ecosystems. Projects should complement and fill gaps in state, territorial and commonwealth coral reef programs, emphasize community-based conservation, or address local action strategy priorities. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation require a 1:1 match and will be implemented through a grant. Funding of up to $600,000 is expected to be available for GCRCGP in FY 2010. These funds will be divided approximately equally among the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic to maintain geographic balance, as outlined in the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. Awards will range from $15,000-$50,000. Funding Availability: NOAA announces the availability of up to $600,000 of Federal assistance may be available in FY 2010 for the GCRCGP to support financial assistance awards for coral conservation activities. Proposals can be submitted for a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $50,000; NOAA will not accept proposals requesting over $50,000 of Federal funds. There is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the same applicant during the 2010 competitive grant cycle. However, multiple applications submitted by the same applicant must clearly identify different projects and must be successful in the competitive review process. The number of awards made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for each project, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and the amount of funds made available to the Program by Congress. In addition, funding will be divided between the U.S. Pacific and U.S. Atlantic to meet requirements for geographic distribution of funds, as described in the Coral Reef Conservation Act. Attempts will also be made to fund one or more projects in each jurisdiction, provided that the project addresses priorities outlined above, it is identified as having sufficient merit, and it meets all other requirements as stipulated in this solicitation. The funds have not yet been appropriated for this program, and there is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. Statutory Authority: Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program is provided by Section 6403 (Coral Reef Conservation Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq. ). Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation. Application Deadline: Applications must be received and validated by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT on November 2, 2009. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline. Use of a delivery service must be documented with a receipt. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service after that time will not be accepted for funding. Applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, applications received later than 15 business days following the postmarked closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. There will be no extensions beyond these dates. If an application is not submitted through grants.gov or postmarked by the deadline listed above, it will not be reviewed or considered for FY 2010 funding. Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants may submit their applications through Grants.gov. If Internet access is unavailable, hard copies can be submitted to: Jennifer Koss, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Habitat Conservation (F/HC), 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Attn: CRCGP Project Applications. Applicants submitted by mail are required to include original signed and dated copies of the Federal financial assistance forms. Electronic copies of the project narrative and budget narrative are requested with the submission of a paper application. Please submit these to Jennifer.Koss@noaa.gov . All applicants, both electronic and paper, should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Electronic applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov is currently extremely heavy, and if Grants.gov is unable to accept applications electronically in a timely fashion, applicants are encouraged to exercise their option to submit applications in paper format. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their guarantees. Information Contacts: Technical point of contact for NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program/General Grants is Jennifer Koss, 301-713-4300 extension 165 or e-mail at Jennifer.Koss@noaa.gov . Eligibility: Institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, local and Indian tribal governments and Freely Associated State Government Agencies can apply for funding under the GCRCGP. U.S. federal, state, territory, and commonwealth governments and Regional Fishery Management Councils are not eligible under this category. NOAA employees are not allowed to help in the preparation of applications or write letters of support for any application. NOAA staff are available to provide information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs, Regional funding priorities, and, along with other Federal Program Officers, can provide information on application procedures and completion of required forms. For activities that involve collaboration with current NOAA programs or staff, NOAA employees must provide a letter verifying that they are collaborating with the project. Federal employee travel and salaries are not allowable costs under this program. Cost Sharing Requirements: As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, Federal funds for any coral conservation project funded under this Program may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project. All GCRCGP projects submitted to this program require a 1:1 match obtained from non-Federal sources. Applicants must specify in their proposal the source of the match and provide letters of commitment to confirm stated match contributions. The match can include in-kind contributions and other non-cash support. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from additional non-Federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match expected, as long as such contributions are not being used to match any other funds. Federal funds may not be used as matching funds. The nature of the contribution (cash versus in-kind) and the amount of matching funds will be taken into consideration in the review process, with cash being the preferred method of contribution. Applicants with less than 1:1 match will not be disqualified, if they provide justification for a lower amount of matching funds, however, applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in IV.E. Evaluation Criterion, 4. Project Costs in the Full Funding Opportunity. As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, the NOAA Administrator may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the follo [Text truncated at 120,000 characters. The full text is on the page linked above.] --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3AE9-16810. Public record. Not legal advice.