Funding Wizard

NOAA announces the availability of Federal funding, authorized pursuant to Public Law 116-69, Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, (11/21/2019) will be added upon approval), for necessary expenses associated with the restoration of Pacific salmon populations. The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) program makes such funding available to the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Alaska, and federally recognized tribes of the Columbia River and Pacific Coast (including Alaska) for projects necessary for the conservation of salmon and steelhead populations that are listed as threatened or endangered, or identified by a State as at-risk to be so-listed, for maintaining populations necessary for exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing, or for the conservation of Pacific coastal salmon and steelhead habitat. This announcement outlines the priorities and guidelines that will be used to award funding to eligible entities.

The Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grants is a tribute to the work and life of Dr. Ruth Gates and aims to build on her efforts to address the decline in coral reefs through innovative science and research. The work funded through this program is aimed at promoting long-term survival of corals by supporting the science needed to incorporate resilient corals into restoration activities and to enhance the efficiency of asexual and sexual coral restoration. The principal objectives of this grant program are to support innovative coral restoration research, to apply these innovative techniques to create resilient, genetically diverse, and reproductively viable populations of coral species, and to support the development of creative methods to improve coral outplanting efficiency and build resilient coral reef ecosystems. Projects funded through the Ruth Gates Restoration Innovation Grants will support: 1) research and development of interventions to improve coral resilience to environmental stressors, and 2) research, development, and field-testing of novel techniques to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of coral population enhancement. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be funded through cooperative agreements. One-year or multi-year awards up to three funding years will be considered. The funding for the second and/or third year (FY21 and/or FY22) will be estimated in the FY20 application, with final amounts determined in future years, pending future federal appropriations and progress towards project milestones. Proposals for multi-year funding should outline the costs expected for year two and/or year three in detail in this proposal (see Section IV.B for more details about the budget narrative for multi-year awards). NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $100,000-$250,000/year for a total $100,000 to $750,000 over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $100,000 or more than $1,000,000 total over three years. NOAA anticipates approximately $500,000 will be available under this Announcement in FY20. Funds will be administered by the Office of Habitat Conservation in conjunction with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). Funding may be divided among the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic regions to maintain the geographic balance of the CRCP FY20 portfolio overall, as required by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. NOAA anticipates an additional $500,000 to $1,500,000 may be available in the next two years (FY21 - FY22) to support selected awards. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds Congress makes available to NOAA in the FY20 - FY22 budgets.

The Ocean Acidification Program education mini-grant initiative, is a competitively based program that supports coastal and ocean acidification education programs that are responsive to the goals of the NOAA OA Education Implementation Plan. Priority goals include prioritizing and engaging target audiences for ocean acidification education and outreach, matching ocean acidification communication needs with existing research, education and outreach activities, while developing innovative approaches for community involvement.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (hereinafter, “NMFS”) is soliciting competitive applications for the fiscal year 2020 Recreational and Non-Commercial Fisheries Competition for the Pacific Islands Region (Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa). This competition seeks to support recreational and non-commercial fishing projects in the Pacific Island Region (PIR) that improve sustainable fishing opportunities, maintain stability of fish stocks, and protect cultural fishing traditions.

The goal of this funding opportunity is to expose high school students in the United States and its territories to the excitement of ocean sciences and related fields as well as careers in those fields through an academic competition and related activities. Proposed projects must address at least one of the goals of NOAA’s Education Strategic Plan listed in section I.A.1 and incorporate relevant NOAA assets. To achieve project goals, applicants should partner with NOAA offices and programs; academic institutions; other nonprofit organizations (including free-choice learning venues and nongovernmental organizations); state, local and Indian tribal governments in the United States; and other US federal agencies. Although it is expected that the project's focal point will be a tiered academic competition with regional and national-level events involving approximately 2000 students annually, it should also provide additional learning experiences for student participants, their peers, and their teachers, such as internships and field and/or laboratory research experiences. The project should also provide opportunities to connect students with scientists who can serve as mentors and introduce them to STEM careers, particularly in the ocean sciences. Projects must have an evaluation that monitors the quality of the experience for the participants (be they students, teachers, or volunteers) and measures the impact of the program on the participants during the award period. Proposed projects must be between three and five years in duration and have federal requests of $900,000 to $1,900,000 for all years of the project with annual federal requests of no more than $300,000 for Year 1 and $400,000 for all subsequent years. We intend to make one award under this funding announcement and anticipate it will be made by August 1, 2020. Under this scenario, the project funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than August 1, 2020.

The National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) was enacted by U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2008, Public Law 110-394) to support leveraged Federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities. Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates approximately $5,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs that will significantly advance the understanding of the economics of aquaculture businesses in the U.S. and address gaps regarding important market information. The overall goal is to advance business management towards development of a sustainable marine and Great Lakes aquaculture industry in the U.S. Successful proposals will address geographic and/or topical needs and will fully integrate research, extension, and education. Proposals that will support broad, non-proprietary research to address critical gaps with respect to aquaculture economics and market needs; make that information available to U.S. aquaculture businesses and management agencies; and build the capacity of Sea Grant and its partners, including Sea Grant aquaculture extension personnel and industry stakeholders, are preferred. These investments are consistent with Sea Grant’s focus area of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA) and the Sea Grant Network’s 10-year Aquaculture Vision, both which support NOAA and Department of Commerce aquaculture goals. All proposals to this competition must be submitted by a Sea Grant program. Other interested entities must submit proposals in partnership with and through a relevant Sea Grant Program. A complete list of Sea Grant programs with email contacts can be found at https://seagrant.noaa.gov/ Proposals must also include funding (Federal or match) for Sea Grant extension personnel as collaborators. Industry stakeholder participation/involvement in projects is strongly encouraged. This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2020-2006331. Additional guidance and tips on how best to prepare an application are provided in the Sea Grant General Application Guide available at (https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Portals/1/Guidance/SeaGrantGeneralApplication…). Potential applicants are encouraged to check Sea Grant's national website at - https://seagrant.noaa.gov/Funding - for information about a webinar and FAQs related to this announcement.

States play an essential role in conserving and recovering species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1535. Listed species under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) jurisdiction may spend all or part of their lifecycles in state waters, and success in conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with the States. NMFS is authorized to provide Federal assistance to eligible State agencies to support the development and implementation of conservation programs for listed marine and anadromous species that reside within that State. This assistance, provided in the form of grants or cooperative agreements through the Species Recovery Grants to States Program, can be used to support conservation activities for any endangered or threatened species, as well as monitoring of candidate species, recently delisted species, and species proposed for listing under the ESA. Proposals that address the recovery of one of the following endangered species are also encouraged as part of the agency’s Species in the Spotlight initiative: Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS) of Atlantic salmon, white abalone, Cook Inlet DPS of beluga whales, Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, North Atlantic right whales, and southern resident DPS of killer whales. Funded activities may include development and implementation of management efforts, scientific research, and public education and outreach. Any State agency that has entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA or enters into such an agreement within 30 days of the application deadline is eligible to apply under this solicitation. Proposals focusing on Pacific salmonids will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be considered through the NMFS Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2021 and how NMFS will evaluate and select proposals for funding. This document should be read in its entirety; some information has changed from the previous year.

Climate variability and change present society with significant economic, health, safety, and security challenges. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses these climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners. Through this announcement, CPO is seeking applications for 6 individual competitions in FY21. Several of these competitions are relevant to high-priority climate risk areas CPO is organizing some of its activities around to improve science understanding and/or capabilities that result in user-driven outcomes in four initial risk areas: Coastal Inundation, Marine Ecosystems, Water Resources and Extreme Heat https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/ArtMID/7875/ArticleID/1945/NOAA%E2%80%99s-Cli…. NOAA, OAR, and CPO encourage applicants and awardees to support the principles of diversity and inclusion when writing their proposals and performing their work. Diversity is defined as a collection of individual attributes that together help organizations achieve objectives. Inclusion is defined as a culture that connects each employee to the organization. Promoting diversity and inclusion improves creativity, productivity, and the vitality of the climate research community in which CPO engages.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) invites small businesses to submit research proposals under this NOFO. Firms with the capability to conduct research and development (R&D) in any of the topic areas listed in Section 9 of this announcement and to commercialize the results of that R&D are encouraged to participate. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program is not a substitute for existing unsolicited proposal mechanisms. Unsolicited proposals are not accepted under the SBIR program.Only FY 2021 Phase I applications may be submitted in response to this NOFO. Phase II applications are not being accepted at this time. NOAA will publish a Phase II NOFO approximately 30 days prior to the end of the previous year’s Phase I period of performance to request Phase II applications. That NOFO will provide instructions for Phase I awardees to prepare a Phase II application and the closing date for submission of applications; only the previous year’s Phase I awardees are eligible to submit a Phase II application.The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program was originally established in 1982 by the Small Business Innovation Development Act (P.L. 97-219), codified at 15U.S.C. § 638. It was then expanded and extended by the Small Business Research and Development (R&D) Enhancement Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-564), and received subsequent reauthorization and extensions, the most recent of which extends the SBIR program through 2022. (P.L. 114-328).Eleven federal agencies set aside a portion of their extramural R&D budget each year to fund research proposals from small science and technology-based firms. The objectives of the SBIR program are to: stimulate technological innovation in the private sector; strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal R&D needs; foster and encourage participation by businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged persons and women-owned small business concerns in technological innovation; and increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development funding. The NOAA SBIR Program identifies and solicits proposals in topics that fall within NOAA’s mission.NOAA is not obligated to make any awards under this NOFO, and all awards are subject to the availability of funds. NOAA is not responsible for any costs expended by the applicant in the development of the proposal and prior to award of any finance assistance award.

1. PROJECT LISTS must be submitted via email to the appropriate NOAA Coral Reef Management Liaison (see Section VII. of this announcement) and Craig.A.Reid@noaa.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 27, 2020. 2. PRE-APPLICATIONS are due to NOAA no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, October 8, 2020. Applicants must submit an electronic copy of their PRE-APPLICATION (application elements 1-3) via email to coral.grants@noaa.gov with a copy to their NOAA Coral Reef Management Liaison (see Section VII. of this announcement). Federal financial assistance forms are not required to be submitted with the PRE-APPLICATIONS. 3. FINAL APPLICATIONS are due to NOAA no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, February 11, 2021 via http://www.grants.gov. FFO description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, as authorized by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, provides matching awards of financial assistance to State, Territorial and Commonwealth resource management agencies appointed by their respective Governors to serve as the primary point of contact agencies for coral reef conservation activities in each of the jurisdictions of American Samoa, Florida, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The awards are administered as cooperative agreements to enable the collaboration and involvement of NOAA in the planning and implementation of the work. The objective of these Cooperative Agreements is to support coral reef management and monitoring programs and conservation projects that seek to improve the condition of coral reef ecosystem resources located in these seven U.S. States, Territories and Commonwealths. Funding for this program is subject to the availability of Congressional appropriations and is expected to range between approximately $3,500,000 and $4,500,000 in FY 2021. Funding made available from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program is intended to support priority coral reef management activities as described in Section I.B. of this Federal Funding Opportunity announcement. Continued support in FY 2022 is contingent upon the availability of future funding; the recipient's ability to administer Federal funds provided by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program; and the performance of the recipient during the initial year of the award and past awards. NOAA expects that each eligible applicant will request Federal funding at a funding level between $300,000 and $900,000 per year, depending on the existing capabilities of the applicant agency to implement the proposed work. The average annual award size is expected to be approximately $575,000 per year.