Coral Reef Conservation Program Reviewer Comments

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce
Funding Opportunity Title: FY15 Coral Reef NGO Partnership
Announcement Type: Initial
Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2015-2004211
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.482, Coral Reef Conservation
Program
Dates: Complete applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov by 11:59
PM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 to be considered for funding. If
Grants.gov cannot be reasonably used, hard copy applications may be submitted by mail or
provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt prior to 11:59 PM EST on
Wednesday, November 19, 2014. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service
after that date and time will not be accepted. Applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service or
commercial courier service must have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not
acceptable. In any event, applications received more than 10 business days after the postmarked
closing date will not be accepted. All mailed applications must include hand signed and dated
Federal forms.
Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this notice is to invite Non-Governmental
Organizations with non-profit 501(c)(3) status and demonstrated expertise and experience in
supporting coral reef management in the United States to submit proposals to establish
partnerships with the NOAA CRCP to further the conservation of U.S. coral reefs. This
document describes the coral reef conservation partnership(s) that the NOAA Coral Reef
Conservation Program (CRCP) envisions, identifies the qualities that NOAA desires in a partner,
and describes criteria against which applications will be evaluated for funding consideration.
Partnerships selected through this notice will be implemented through a cooperative agreement
of 12- to 18-months in duration.
Pursuant to section 6403 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (CRCA) (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq),
and pending Congressional appropriations, CRCP funding of approximately $700,000 is
expected to be available for initiating partnership(s) with up to four non-governmental
organizations in FY 2015. CRCP will consider funding either a single proposal that includes
support for all seven coral reef states and territories or up to two proposals in the Pacific Islands
(benefitting Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and/or the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands) and up to two proposals in the Atlantic/Caribbean region (benefitting Florida,
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Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Applications must propose a 12- or 18-month work
plan, in conformance with the requirements of Section IV of this announcement, and may request
between $100,000 and $700,000 (approximately $100,000 per state or territory), depending on
how many of the seven coral states and territories will benefit from the proposed project(s). As
required by the CRCA, recipients are required to match NOAA's Federal contributions with nonFederal matching contributions at a minimum ratio of 1:1 unless the applicant is granted a waiver
to the matching requirement by the agency.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Program Objective
Coral reefs and associated seagrass and mangrove communities are among the most
complex and diverse ecosystems on earth. They support important fishing and tourism
industries, protect coasts from wave and storm damage, build tropical islands, contain an
array of potential pharmaceuticals, and provide local communities with a source of food,
materials and traditional activities.
As shallow-water, near shore communities, coral reef ecosystems are ecologically linked
to adjacent watersheds and are highly vulnerable to human activity. Stresses in the coral reef
environment include poor water quality from runoff and inadequate sewage treatment,
sedimentation, destructive fishing practices, recreational overuse and misuse, and impacts
from climate change, including changes in ocean chemistry.
To address these and other threats, Congress passed the Coral Reef Conservation Act of
2000 (CRCA), which established the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and
provided guidance for allocation of Federal funding toward efforts to conserve coral reef
ecosystems in the U.S. and internationally. As described in the Act, one of the primary
functions of the CRCP is to provide financial assistance to external partners for coral reef
conservation projects consistent with the Act and CRCP priorities. From 2002 to 2008,
CRCP efforts focused on priorities articulated in “A National Coral Reef Action Strategy”
(http://coris.noaa.gov/activities/actionstrategy), which outlined efforts needed to better
understand coral reef ecosystems and reduce impacts from thirteen key threats that had been
identified by NOAA in conjunction with the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force.
Coral Reef Conservation Program priorities were refined and redirected in 2009 to focus
program investments on three of the most pressing threats to coral reefs: land-based sources
of pollution, fishing impacts, and climate impacts. The CRCP’s approach for addressing
these threats is described in more detail in a number of documents, including:
*the CRCP Goals and Objectives 2010-2015
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf);
*the seven Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities documents
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities);
*the Jurisdictional Capacity Assessments, which evaluate each jurisdiction’s ability to
implement coral reef conservation measures and identify impediments to effective coral reef

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conservation and management
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/capacityassessments/);
*the CRCP International Strategy
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/intl_strategy.pdf).
These documents are relevant to CRCP grant programs, but some may be more or less
relevant to particular competitions. Please refer to the Program Priorities in Section I(B) for
details on which of the above documents are relevant to this funding announcement.
As required under the Act, NOAA published revised NOAA Coral Reef Conservation
Grant Program Implementation Guidelines on Thursday, August 12, 2010 in Federal
Register Vol. 75, No. 155, pages 48934-48939, which are available at:
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/workwithus/funding/grants/welcome.html.
All applications submitted in response to this Federal Funding Opportunity
announcement must be consistent with the requirements stated herein and the CRCP Grant
Program Implementation Guidelines. Funding is subject to the availability of Federal
appropriations.
In FY15, the CRCP intends to initiate new awards in the following 3 funding categories:
1. CRCP State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
2. CRCP Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants
3. CRCP NGO Partnership Cooperative Agreements
All of the following information in this funding opportunity pertains only to the CRCP
FY15 NGO Partnership Cooperative Agreements funding category.
B. Program Priorities
NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) developed overarching goals and
objectives to help guide the program’s funding investments over a 5-year horizon, and in
June of 2009 articulated those goals and objectives in a document entitled, CRCP Goals and
Objectives 2010-2015
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf). At the
same time, the CRCP sponsored priority-setting processes at the jurisdictional level to help
local coral reef managers articulate a set of common priority goals and objectives upon
which local coral reef management efforts would focus and identify priority locations for
conservation action; these Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities and the priority
coral reef watersheds identified during the process are captured in a series of documents that
were published in the spring of 2010
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(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities).
Subsequently, some jurisdictions developed additional action-oriented strategies, site-based
management plans and conservation action plans, and updated their coral reef Local Action
Strategies based on CRCP priorities. In the past few years, CRCP has also sponsored an
assessment of the capacity of each jurisdiction to help identify and eliminate bottlenecks and
impediments to coral reef conservation efforts in a number of categories. The resulting
Jurisdictional Capacity Assessment documents, which contain a variety of recommendations,
are available at:
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/capacityassessments/.
Together, these documents will be used to direct support toward the specific priority
conservation needs identified by the CRCP and jurisdictional partners, particularly in
instances where the priorities of both overlap. As such, CRCP expects that the majority of
projects proposed in applications to this competition will involve the development and
implementation of projects that address both the CRCP Goals and Objectives and
Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities, and that applications will focus effort
primarily in locations previously identified as priority sites for coral reef management.
Projects that do not specifically address these priorities or locations may be proposed, but are
likely to be less competitive.
Through this funding announcement the CRCP seeks to better support the needs of U.S.
coral reef managers by establishing up to four partnerships—one or two partnerships in the
Atlantic/Caribbean and one or two partnerships in the Pacific Islands—with NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) that have demonstrated expertise and experience in
implementing local coral reef conservation projects. Cooperative agreements between the
CRCP and NGO partners are expected to augment the technical support provided to the
governor-appointed natural resource management agencies in the seven U.S. States,
Territories, and Commonwealths that have primary management authority and responsibility
for conserving U.S. coral reef ecosystems: Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico,
Hawaii, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
It is anticipated that the following types of activities will be proposed in applications
submitted to this competition:
- Development of place-based management plans and strategies (e.g., watershed
management plans, conservation action plans, etc.) to address major threats to coral reefs,
and implementation of coral reef conservation projects identified in the plan or strategy;
- Development of resilient networks of marine protected areas based on established
scientific principles, including efforts to enhance collaboration and peer-learning among
locations within a network;

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- Evaluation of the effectiveness of existing coral reef management efforts using
established, regionally- or nationally-consistent protocols whenever possible;
- Provision of capacity building support and technical assistance, in the form of
trainings, site exchanges, workshops, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities that strengthen
local capacity to implement future coral reef conservation projects;
- Training managers to utilize existing tools that help them plan for and adapt to
impacts from climate change and ocean acidification.
Applicants must document their previous involvement in coral conservation efforts in
each jurisdiction in which they are proposing to work. If the applicant does not have
previous experience or existing staff in a particular jurisdiction, they must provide specific
information about how the applicant intends to fill such gaps through reassignment of
existing staff or through the establishment of agreements and/or subawards with other
partner organizations that have successfully worked in that location.
C. Program Authority
Authority for NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program is provided by Section 6403 of
the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq).
II. Award Information
A. Funding Availability
Pursuant to section 6403 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (CRCA) (16 U.S.C. 6401
et seq), and pending Congressional appropriations, CRCP funding of approximately
$700,000 is expected to be available for initiating partnership(s) with up to four nongovernmental organizations in FY 2015. CRCP will consider funding either a single
proposal that includes support for all seven coral reef states and territories or up to two
proposals in the Pacific Islands (benefitting Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and/or the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and up to two proposals in the
Atlantic/Caribbean region (benefitting Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Applications must propose a 12- or 18-month work plan, in conformance with the
requirements of Section IV of this announcement, and may request between $100,000 and
$700,000 (approximately $100,000 per state or territory), depending on how many of the
seven coral states and territories will benefit from the proposed project(s). As required by the
CRCA, recipients are required to match NOAA's Federal contributions with non-Federal
matching contributions at a minimum ratio of 1:1 unless the applicant is granted a waiver to
the matching requirement by the agency. The exact amount of funds to be awarded and the
specific tasks under each cooperative agreement will be determined in pre-award
negotiations between the applicant(s) and NOAA.
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Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to establish any specific
partnership or to obligate available funds for partnership activities. There is no guarantee that
funds will be available to make awards for this funding opportunity or that any proposal will
be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award
agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, they do so at their own risk of these costs
not being included in a subsequent award. In no event will NOAA or the Department of
Commerce be responsible for any proposal preparation costs. Recipients and sub-recipients
are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to
Federal financial assistance awards. Applicants must be in good standing with all existing
NOAA awards in order to receive funds under this announcement.
If no proposal is funded in the current fiscal period, a proposal may be considered for
funding in another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in
this announcement.
B. Project/Award Period
CRCP expects to initiate cooperative agreement award(s) with successful applicant(s)
beginning on September 1, 2015 or October 1, 2015, and extending for a period of 12- or 18months.
C. Type of Funding Instrument
Successful applicants will enter into a 12- or 18-month cooperative agreement with
NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program as described under the terms of this document.
Federal cooperative agreements are different from traditional grants in that they allow for
'substantial federal involvement' in the planning and implementation of funded projects.
Substantial involvement on the part of NOAA may include the participation of NOAA
Federal Program Officers, Coral Reef Management Liaisons, Coral Reef Fisheries Liaisons,
and other CRCP staff in project development, planning and implementation; technical
monitoring of award activities; and coordination of funded projects with other CRCP-funded
efforts as needed. Applications must be written as cooperative agreements and the proposal
must clearly identify this funding instrument in the proposal abstract and cover sheet. The
Federal government will be substantially involved in the project; applicants must clearly
articulate the anticipated Federal roles and responsibilities in their proposal.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are limited to Non-Governmental Organizations with non-profit
501(c)(3) status that have demonstrated expertise and experience in supporting coral reef
management in U. S. States and Territories. NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in
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the preparation of applications or write letters of support for any application. NOAA CRCP
staff is available to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives,
ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities. For
proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees
may provide a limited statement verifying the nature and extent of the collaboration and
confirming prior coordination activities. Letters of support from NOAA employees are not
allowable and will not be included among the application materials considered by merit
reviewers. Federal employee travel and salaries are not allowable costs under this funding
category. All questions about this competition, including application procedures and
materials and selection criteria, must be directed to the official Federal Program Officer
listed under Section VII. Agency Contacts.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement
All awards of financial assistance provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation
Grant Program (Grant Program) under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of
2000 (CRCA) are subject to the matching fund requirements described below. As per section
6403(b)(1) of the Act, Federal funds for any coral conservation award funded through this
announcement may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral
conservation project under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 contribution of non-Federal
matching funds. Matching funds 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. Federal
sources cannot be considered as matching funds, but can be described in the budget narrative
to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from
multiple non-federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match requirement, as long as such
contributions are not being used to match any Federal funds received under another award
and are available within the project period stated in the application.
Applicants must specify in their proposal the source(s) of match and may be asked to
provide letters of commitment to confirm stated match contributions. 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 must be
prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the number of volunteer or
community participation hours devoted to specific projects, and all other cash or in-kind
contributions.
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 following two requirements:
1. No reasonable means are available through which an applicant can meet the matching
requirement, and,
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2. The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such matching
requirement.
In the case of a waiver request, the applicant must provide a detailed justification
explaining the need for the waiver including attempts to obtain sources of matching funds,
how the benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in providing match, and any
other extenuating circumstances preventing the availability of match. Match waiver requests,
including the appropriate justification, must be submitted as part of the final application.
Please address the waiver request as described in Section IV(B)10 of this announcement.
Please Note: applicants who are eligible to claim the matching funds exemption
contained in 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d) must note the use of the waiver and the total amount of
funds requested to be waived in the matching funds section of their respective pre- and final
applications. Please contact the individual listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts for more
information about eligibility for this exemption.
C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility
Applicants are permitted to request indirect costs only if their organization has
established a valid Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement covering the period of the
award. Any indirect costs in excess of the federal share limits described in Section IV(B)11
may be counted toward the matching requirement. Proposals to this competition that limit
indirect costs to no more than 15% of direct costs will likely score higher on this criterion.
If an award recipient has not previously established an indirect cost rate with a Federal
agency, the negotiation and approval of a rate is subject to the procedures required by
NOAA and the Department of Commerce. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Financial
Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions require that within 90 days of the award start
date, recipients must submit documentation (indirect cost proposal, cost allocation plan, etc.)
necessary to perform the review to:
Lamar Revis, Grants Officer
NOAA Grants Management Division
1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
IV. Application and Submission Information
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A. Address to Request Application Package
The standard application package is available on www.grants.gov at
http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15. For Applicants without internet
access, an application package may be requested from Ms. Jenny Waddell, NOAA Coral
Reef Conservation Program, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, 10th floor, Silver Spring,
MD 20910, phone 301-713-3155, extension 150: or e-mail Jenny.Waddell@noaa.gov.
B. Content and Form of Application
The application process for this grant competition requires submission of a final and
complete application on or before the submission date and time listed in Section IV (C).
Applications submitted under this competition must include a 12- or 18-month award period.
All application materials must use a legible 11- or 12-point font with 1-inch margins on
all sides. The complete package must total no more than 50 pages, not including the title
page, a table of contents if one is included, necessary Federal forms, or any appendices.
Applications that exceed the 50-page limit will be shortened by removing pages at the end of
the proposal narrative (element 3 below) before it is forwarded to merit reviewers for
evaluation. Because pages excised from lengthy applications will not be reviewed, activities
described therein will not be eligible for funding consideration. Reviewers will be instructed
to deduct points from applications that are incomplete, unclear, or contain numerous
typographical errors, so applicants are advised to review their application materials closely
before they are submitted to the agency for consideration. Appendices must be limited to
materials that directly support the main body of the proposal (e.g., support letters, resumes,
references, lists of relevant work products or reports, data sources, etc.). Applicants must
paginate their proposal and any appendices.
All applications must contain the following thirteen components:
1. Title Page (Proposal Cover Sheet). Include proposal title; complete contact
information for the Principal Investigator and the organization’s Authorized Representative;
requested start date (either September 1, 2015 or October 1, 2015); duration of proposed
project (either 12- or 18-months); the Federal funding amount requested broken out by
jurisdiction; and the amount and source of non-Federal matching contributions to the project.
2. Proposal Summary. Provide a 3-5 page summary of the proposed partnership. The
summary must provide a description of the applicant's capabilities, overall project goals and
objectives, brief summaries of the projects that the applicant intends to complete over the
award period in each geographic area, and a brief summary of the anticipated products and
desired outcomes from the proposed activities. Please note that this information may be
utilized during Congressional notification and shared with the public.

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3. Proposal Narrative. The proposal narrative description (15-25 pages) must describe
each of the discrete projects or tasks proposed in the application. Each task must be titled
and assigned a separate project or task number. Sufficient detail must be provided to enable
reviewers to evaluate the relevance and applicability of proposed work to program priorities
described in Section I(B) of this announcement; to determine the technical/scientific merit of
the proposed work; to adequately review the qualifications of the applicants; and to assess
whether the proposed scope of work raises any concerns with regard to Federal policy
considerations, such as those related to the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Endangered Species Act, the Historic Preservation Act, etc. Applicants must clearly describe
how each activity or project will directly benefit the coral reef management efforts of State
and Territorial Coral Reef Management agencies. Each task description in the proposal
narrative must include:
a. Introduction - Provide a brief summary of relevant background information that
justifies the need for the proposed project or task. Clearly describe or explain: the
relationship of the proposed project to previous efforts; how the project fits into the
jurisdictions' strategies for addressing the issue; how the project would complement coral
reef conservation activities of local governmental agencies, and, if applicable, other relevant
CRCP-sponsored coral conservation activities.
b. Task Description and Methodology - Provide a project description that describes the
scope and detail of the project and the work to be accomplished. Clearly describe or explain:
project goals and objectives, proposed activities, methods, procedures, any special
equipment that will be used in support of the project goals, and how project outcomes will
directly result in improved management of coral reef resources.
c. Task Outcomes or Products - Identify and describe the anticipated project products or
outcomes, explain how they will benefit local management of coral reef resources, and
describe performance measures that will be used to evaluate project success. The narrative
must include information on dissemination of the findings/results to resource managers, local
communities, and other stakeholders as appropriate. The project narrative also needs to
include information on how the project will be evaluated for success. If the work is one
component of a larger project (or the activity is a pilot project for a larger initiative), and
proposed activities will continue after the end of the grant period, describe future activities
and potential future funding sources (and other mechanisms) to continue the work. If the
goal of the project is to build capacity for improved conservation, describe proposed plans to
ensure the activities continue into the future.
d. Schedule - Indicate when each task or project is expected to begin (month and year)
and include a timeline for completing tasks in narrative or table format.

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e. Project Management/Personnel - Identify the project manager or PI. Identify other
individual(s) responsible for completing the projects and tasks proposed in the application.
Describe how the project will be organized and managed, and include the qualifications of
the principal investigator(s) by providing curricula vitae or resumes. The principal
investigator may or may not be the applicant. However, if the applicant is not the principal
investigator, there must be an explanation of the relationship between the applicant and
principal investigator (e.g., the applicant may be responsible for managing the grant funds
and the principal investigator will be responsible for completing the work). Please also
include information about the specific responsibilities of other personnel funded through the
proposal, including the technical and administrative points of contact as appropriate.
4. Budget Narrative and Justification
In order to allow reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of all costs, applications must
include a detailed budget narrative and a budget justification. The budget narrative submitted
with the final application must match the dollar amounts included on all required forms and
clearly link to the project narrative. Please explain each calculation and provide a narrative
justification to explain expenditures for each budget category. The budget narrative must
describe, by category of expenditure, the total funding needed to accomplish the objectives
described in the project narrative for the entire award period. Please explain how categorical
costs are derived in sufficient detail to enable reviewers to determine if costs are 'allowable
and reasonable' according to the cost principles referenced in Section IV(E)2. Budget
narrative categories must correspond to the following object class categories listed in Section
B of the SF-424A:
a. Personnel costs, including salary and wages, must be broken out by named Principal
Investigator (PI) and number of weeks or months of salary (as a percentage of their normal
salary), or number of hours multiplied by the PI’s normal hourly rate. Support for each PI
must be commensurate with their stated involvement in the project. Any unnamed personnel
(graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, technicians) may be identified by their job title,
and their personnel costs explained similar to PI personnel costs. Fringe benefit costs must
be identified separately from salary and wages, and rates must be applied consistently and
equally to both Federal and non-Federal (matching) funds.
b. Travel costs must be broken out by traveler name/position, destination, purpose of
travel, and projected costs per person. Briefly describe each travel request and explain how
the proposed travel is necessary for successful completion of the project. If travel details of a
particular trip are unknown, explain the basis for estimating the proposed costs (i.e.,
historical costs) instead of providing a lump sum estimate. Please be aware of the provisions
of the 'Fly America Act' and the requirement for recipients to utilize U.S. airlines for
transport, unless a specific waiver has been secured from NOAA in advance.

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c. "Equipment" is non-expendable, tangible personal property with a unit cost of $5,000
or more and a useful life of more than one year. Items that do not meet the equipment
definition may be included under supplies. Each piece of equipment must be described
separately and reference the type/model to be purchased and its contribution to the
achievement of project goals. General use equipment (i.e., computers, printers, etc.) must be
used 100% for the proposed project if charged directly to the award. Equipment must be
inventoried periodically and accounted for in progress reports; recipients must also
document dispensation of equipment through submission of SF-428/429 forms as required
by NOAA. Equipment purchase is not a priority under this funding announcement.
d. Supplies must be itemized to the level of detail known or may be based on established
historical costs. Examples of items that typically fall into the ‘supplies’ category include
office supplies, snorkel and/or dive gear, monitoring supplies, fuel for vessels, basic
computer hardware and software, cameras, and outreach materials.
e. Contractual costs must be itemized separately, according to standard budget categories
that appear in the SF-424A; all types of contractual costs must be aggregated in the
Contractual line on the SF-424A and explained in detail in the budget narrative. Applicants
must indicate the basis for each contract's cost estimate and specify the products or services
to be obtained through all contracts. As required by the Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act of 2006, all subawards of $25,000 or greater, whether in the form of a
subcontract or subgrant, must be documented per the Federal Subaward Reporting System
(FSRS; www.FSRS.gov); a separate SF-424A must also be submitted for each proposed
subaward of $25,000 or greater.
f. Other costs must be listed by nature of expense and broken down by quantity and cost
per unit if applicable. A description of allowable costs can be found in the document listed
under Section IV(E)2 'Cost Principles.' Examples of costs that are typically included in the
‘other’ category include stipends, honoraria, publication costs, and printing or workshop
costs not included under the contractual category. Limited publication costs will only be
considered if the resulting journal publication will be made available to the public free of
charge.
g. Indirect costs may be requested if the applicant has negotiated an indirect cost rate
with the Federal government during the award period. Indirect costs are essentially overhead
costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, and insurance) that are incurred for
common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically within a
particular project.
For this solicitation, the Federal share of the indirect costs awarded may not exceed the
lesser of either the indirect costs that the applicant would be entitled to if the negotiated
Federal indirect cost rate were used or 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed. For
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those situations in which the use of the established indirect cost rate would result in indirect
costs greater than 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed, the difference may be
counted as part of the non-Federal matching share. A copy of the current, approved
negotiated indirect cost agreement with the Federal Government must be included with the
final application package. If the applicant does not have a current negotiated rate and plans
to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, documentation necessary to establish a rate must be
submitted within 90 days of receiving an award. See Section III(C) of this announcement for
more information on establishing a new indirect cost rate with the Department of Commerce.
5. Standard Form 424
Applicants requesting Federal funding must submit a copy of Standard Form SF-424,
'Application for Federal Assistance' to indicate the total amount of funding proposed for their
institution for the entire project period. If a hard copy final application is submitted, it must
be signed and dated by the organization's authorized representative, and used as the cover
page for the final application. An electronic signature and date stamp will automatically be
included on SF-424 forms submitted via Grants.gov.
6. Standard Form 424A
Applicants are required to submit a SF-424A Budget Form to summarize the budget for
the proposed scope of work. The first column of sections A and B shows the Federal funds
requested, while the second column of sections A and B shows the non-Federal matching
funds provided for the project. Total award funding is shown in the final column of section
B. Non- federal funding is broken out by source in section C. Forecasted cash needs in
Section D must be inclusive of all funding for the project; in the case of an 18-month project,
each 'quarter' represents 4.5 months. Both Federal and non- Federal funds must be expended
at a similar rate throughout the course of the project. Section E may be left blank. Section F
summarizes the direct charges in line 21 and lists the indirect charges requested; please show
the rate used in line 22. Please note that completion of the SF-424A form as described above
represents NOAA's preference and may not be consistent with the instructions that
accompany the SF-424A form. All budget figures must match the funding requested on the
application cover sheet and correspond with the descriptions contained in the project and
budget narratives.
As required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA;
https://www.fsrs.gov/), all subawards or subcontracts of $25,000 or more must also be
accompanied by a separate SF-424A form to fully document the proposed subaward budget.
7. Standard Form 424B
Applicants are required to submit a signed SF-424B, 'Assurances for Non-Construction
Programs'.
14

8. Standard Form CD-511
Applicants must include a completed form CD-511, 'Certifications Regarding
Debarment, Suspension, and other Responsibility Matters: Drug Free Workplace
Environment.'
9. Permits
Applicants must provide a list of all permits that will be required to perform the
proposed work and an indication of the status of any permits needed (e.g., not yet applied,
permit application submitted/pending, permit granted, etc.) or a statement indicating that no
permits are necessary. You must include this required element even if permits are not
required.
10. Match waiver request (if applicable)
Preference under this competition will be given to applicants who provide a 1:1 or
greater ratio of matching funds to Federal funds in accordance with the provisions of the
Coral Reef Conservation Act. If the proposal lacks sufficient matching funds, the applicant
may include a separate document in which the applicant requests a waiver to the matching
funds requirement as described in section 6403(b)(2) of the Act. Although the CRCP will
consider these requests, in most cases, waivers of matching funds will not be provided for
applicants to this competition. Please address all waiver requests to John Christensen, CRCP
Manager, NOAA National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, SSMC4,
N/ORM, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and provide a detailed justification explaining the need
for the waiver, the total amount of matching funds requested to be waived, attempts to obtain
sources of matching funds, how the benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in
providing match, and any other circumstances preventing the availability of match. For more
details see Section III(B).
11. Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)
The proposed budget may include an amount for indirect costs if the applicant has an
established indirect cost rate with the Federal government. Indirect costs are essentially
overhead costs for basic operational functions (e.g., utilities, rent, and insurance) that are
incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified specifically
within a particular project.
For this solicitation, the Federal share of the indirect costs awarded may not exceed the
lesser of either the indirect costs that the applicant would be entitled to if the negotiated
Federal indirect cost rate were used or 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed. For
those situations in which the use of the established indirect cost rate would result in indirect
costs greater than 25 percent of the Federal direct costs proposed, the difference may be
15

counted as part of the non-Federal matching share. A copy of the current, approved
negotiated indirect cost agreement with the Federal Government must be included with the
final application package. If the applicant does not have a current negotiated rate and plans
to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, documentation necessary to establish a rate must be
submitted within 90 days of receiving an award. See Section III(C) for more information on
establishing a new indirect cost rate with the Department of Commerce.
12. Data/Information Sharing Plan
Environmental data and information collected and/or created under NOAA grants or
cooperative agreements must be made visible, accessible, and independently understandable
to general users, free of charge or at minimal cost, in a timely manner (typically no later than
two years after the data are collected or created), except where limited by law, regulation,
policy or by security requirements. To comply with NOAA Administrative Order 212-15, a
Data/Information Sharing Plan of no more than two pages is required as part of the Project
Narrative, and must include:
a. descriptions of the types of environmental data and information to be created during
the course of the project [environmental data includes recorded and derived observations and
measurements of the physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical properties
and conditions of the oceans and atmosphere, as well as correlative data, such as socioeconomic data and media (recordings, photos, videos etc.)];
b. the tentative date by which data will be shared (typically no later than two years after
the data are collected or created);
c. the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content (NOAA has endorsed
the use of ISO Standards for documenting environmental data and information);
d. policies addressing data stewardship and preservation;
e. procedures for providing access, data, and security (all data products must be archived
in multiple locations and provided to NOAA for long-term storage); and
f. where possible, prior experience in publishing such data.
The Data/Information Sharing Plan will be reviewed as part of the evaluation criteria
described in Section V(A). The Data/Information Sharing Plan (and any subsequent
revisions or updates) will be made available publicly at time of award and will be posted
with the published data. The Data Sharing Plan provided in the final application will be
made available by NOAA on behalf of the recipient at the start of the award period. Failure
to share environmental data and information in accordance with the submitted
Data/Information Sharing Plan may lead to disallowed costs and be considered by NOAA

16

when making future award decisions. PIs must indicate how and when they have made their
data accessible and usable by the community in the past.
Information on NOAA's Environmental Data Management Policy is available under:
http://www.corporateservices.noaa.gov/ames/administrative_orders/chapter_212/212-15.pdf
13. National Environmental Policy Act
As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), NOAA must analyze
the potential environmental impacts of Federally funded awards. Detailed information on
NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following websites:
http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/; NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA
(http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/procedures.html); and Council on Environmental Quality
implementation regulations (http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm).
Consequently, as part of the application package, applicants are required to provide detailed
information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitats that may
be affected, construction activities, and all other environmental concerns that may exist (e.g.,
use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species,
impacts to endangered and threatened species, etc.).
Applicants proposing coral reef conservation activities that cannot be categorically
excluded from further NEPA analysis or that are not covered by the Programmatic
Environmental Assessment for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (PEA;
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/workwithus/funding/grants/resources/coral_pea_final_05
.pdf) will be notified after the peer review stage and may be requested to assist in the
preparation of an environmental assessment prior to offer of an award. Applicants are
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any
potential adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be
grounds for rejection of an application. In some cases, if additional information is required
after an application is selected, funds may be withheld by the NOAA Grants Officer under a
special award condition to require the recipient to submit additional environmental
compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts
that a project may have on the environment.
The applicant must complete the following sections of the Environmental Compliance
Questionnaire for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federal Financial
Assistance Applicants (OMB Approval No.: 0648-0538) to provide detailed information on
the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and
disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to
endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems).

17

Question C1. Is the proposed activity going to be conducted in partnership with NOAA
or would the proposed activity require NOAA's direct involvement, activity, or oversight? If
yes, describe NOAA's involvement, activity, or oversight, including the name of the office or
program that is involved.
Question C2. Would the proposed activity involve any other Federal agency(ies)
partnership, direct involvement, activity, or oversight? If yes, provide the name(s) of the
agency(ies) and describe its involvement, activity, or oversight.
Question D1. Provide a brief description of the location of the proposed activity.
Question E1. List any Federal, state, or local permits, authorizations, or waivers that
would be required to complete the proposed activity. Provide the date the permit,
authorization, or waiver was obtained or will be obtained. Provide copies of the permit,
authorization, or waiver as appropriate. Was a NEPA analysis prepared for the permit,
authorization, or waiver? If yes, state the title of the NEPA analysis and provide copies of
the NEPA analysis.
Question F1. Is there the potential for the proposed activity to cause changes that would
be different from normal ambient conditions (for example, temperature, light, turbidity,
noise, other human activity levels, etc.)? If yes, describe the changes and the circumstances
that would cause these changes.
After the application is submitted, NOAA may require additional information to fulfill
NEPA requirements. If NOAA determines that an environmental assessment is required,
applicants may also be requested to assist in drafting the assessment. Applicants may also be
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to
reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The failure
to do so shall be grounds for the denial of an application. In some cases if additional
information is required after an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants
Officer under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit additional
environmental compliance information sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on
any impacts that a project may have on the environment.
Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the following
NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/ including NOAA Administrative Order
216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6.pdf and the Council on
Environmental Quality implementation regulations
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/ceq_regulations/regulations.html or
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/funding/_pdf/CEQ%20Regulations%20for%20Implementing%20t
he%20Procedural%20Provisions%20of%20NEPA.pdf

18

In addition to the thirteen (13) required elements described above, applicants may
upload additional supporting documentation, such as letters of support or statements of
collaboration, by using the 'Optional Form' box under 'Other Attachments' in Grants.gov
during the application submission process.
For applications submitted in electronic format, acceptable formats are limited to Adobe
Acrobat (.PDF) or Microsoft Word files. All applications must meet the information and
formatting requirements specified in this FFO. The required Federal financial assistance
forms, which include SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, and if applicable, SF-LLL, can
be obtained from the NOAA grants Website at:
http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15 or requested by mail, email or
telephone (see Section IV(A) 'Address to Request Application Package').
C. Submission Dates and Times
Partnership applications for funding in fiscal year 2015 must be received and validated
by Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 19, 2014. PLEASE
NOTE: It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject the
application. Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline. For
applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication by Grants.gov
will be the basis of determining timeliness.
If for any reason applicants are unable to submit their application through Grants.gov or
are concerned about possible problems associated with the Grants.gov system, they may
provide a paper copy of their full application by mail. Applications submitted by mail must
include all relevant application elements described above, must include a SF-424 form with
original ink signature and date from an authorized recipient representative, and must be
stamped with an official U.S. Postal Service postmark on or before 11:59 pm EST on
Wednesday, November 19, 2014; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Please
address all hard-copy mailed applications to: ATTN: Jenny Waddell, NOAA Coral Reef
Conservation Program, 1305 East West Highway, SSMC4, 10th floor, Silver Spring, MD
20910.
Important: All applicants, both electronic and paper, should be aware that adequate time
must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. We recommend
allowing no less than 48 hours for the application to be accepted and validated in Grants.gov.
Electronic applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be 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 as described
above. Applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper application will be
postmarked and received on time, taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are
not always able to fulfill their guarantees.
19

D. Intergovernmental Review
Applications under this competition are subject to Executive Order 12372,
intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for
funding is required to complete item 19 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single
Point of Contact established as a result of EO 12372. The following states and territories
have elected to require review of applications by a Single Point of Contact: American
Samoa, CNMI, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands. This list is not meant to be exhaustive and only includes the locations where
most coral reef projects occur; applicants proposing work in alternate locations are advised
to establish whether their application is subject to the EO 12372 prior to submission by
reviewing the list of contacts provided at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc.
E. Funding Restrictions
1. Ineligible projects:
The following projects will not be eligible for funding: (1) Activities that constitute
legally required mitigation for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise
governed by state or Federal law; (2) Activities that constitute mitigation for natural resource
damages under Federal or state law; and (3) Activities that are required by a separate consent
decree, court order, statute or regulation.
2. Cost Principles:
Funds awarded cannot necessarily pay for all the costs that the recipient might incur in
the course of carrying out the proposed work. Allowable costs are determined by reference
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. By January, 2015 current OMB
Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122 will have been replaced by OMB Circulars 2 CFR, Part
220, "Cost Principles for Educational Institutions"; 2 CFR, Part 225, "Cost Principles for
State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments”; and 2 CFR, Part 230 "Cost Principles for
Nonprofit Organizations", respectively. Recipients will be subject to these new OMB
Circulars and as well as any Department of Commerce implementing regulation that may be
in effect. Generally, costs that are allowable include salaries, fringe benefits, travel,
equipment, supplies, and training, as long as the costs are determined to be necessary,
reasonable, and allocable to the award.
3. Permits and Approvals
It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain all necessary Federal, state, and local
government permits and approvals for the proposed work. For work within National Marine
Sanctuaries, National Parks, National Seashores, and other Federally-designated managed
areas, it is the responsibility of the applicant to request and obtain any necessary permits or
20

letters of agreement from the appropriate government agencies prior to commencement of an
award. For applicants who intend to conduct research or monitoring activities on any coral
species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, you will likely need
a ESA Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit, for more information see:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/corals.htm. Even though the agency's determination on
whether to list additional coral species under ESA had not been made prior to the publication
of this announcement, it is beneficial for applicants to prepare to start the permit application
process as soon as possible after finalization of any new listing since the permitting process
may take up to a year to complete.
Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize potential adverse
impact on the environment. If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of
environmental permits must be included in the proposal package. Applications will be
reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program
staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis or whether an environmental assessment is
necessary to conform to the requirements of NEPA. For those applications needing an
environmental assessment, applicants will be informed after the peer review stage and will
be requested to assist in the preparation of the assessment. Final approval of the award and
authorization for expenditure of funds are dependent on the applicant obtaining the necessary
permits and approval of the NEPA analysis by NOAA. Applicants are encouraged to review
the Coral Program's Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) to confirm that
proposed activities fall within the scope of the PEA in advance of formal NEPA review and
approval; the Coral Program PEA is available at:
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/workwithus/funding/grants/resources/coral_pea_final_05
.pdf.
Failure to apply for and/or obtain Federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of
agreement, or failure to provide environmental analyses where necessary (i.e., NEPA
environmental assessment) will delay or prevent the award of funds for projects that have
been preliminarily selected for funding.
4. Other:
Expenditures on large equipment and/or infrastructure are not a priority for funding
under this program. Equipment purchases proposed as part of an application to this program
will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
F. Other Submission Requirements
None.

21

Please address applications to Jenny Waddell at the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation
Program, 1305 East West Highway, SSMC4, 10th floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
V. Application Review Information
A. Evaluation Criteria
An initial administrative review is conducted on each application to determine
compliance with application requirements and completeness of the application materials.
Applications that meet the minimum requirements will be peer-reviewed by a minimum of 3
individuals with coral reef and fisheries management experience. Their evaluation will be
based solely on the information included in the application, and their ratings will be used to
produce a rank order of the proposals. Each reviewer will individually evaluate and rank
proposals using the following weighted evaluation criteria:
1) Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed project to the CRCP goals
(25%): This ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and relevance to
the goals and priorities of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, and/or Federal,
regional, state, or local goals and priorities, and whether the proposed work will result in
direct benefit to coral reef resources and ecosystems. Proposals will be evaluated based on
the potential of the project(s) to meet goals and objectives stated in section 6403(g) of the
Coral Reef Conservation Act. In addition, the proposal must demonstrate that the proposed
coral reef management activities are part of a comprehensive and integrated approach to
address established coral reef conservation goals of the jurisdiction and/or national program.
2) Technical/scientific merit and adequacy of implementation plan (30%): This assesses
whether the approach is technically sound and feasible, if the methods are appropriate, and
whether there are clear project goals and objectives for each task or activity. Project
proposals must: (a) Incorporate an assessment of project success in terms of meeting the
proposed objectives; (b) Demonstrate that the conservation activity will be sustainable and
long-lasting; and (c) Provide assurance that implementation of the project will meet state and
local environmental laws and Federal consistency requirements by obtaining all necessary
permits and consultations.
3) Overall qualifications of applicants (25%): This criterion ascertains whether, based on
the information contained in the application, the applicant possesses the necessary education,
experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project and
administer the award. For this competition, the proposal must also demonstrate coordination
with applicable ongoing coral reef management activities.
4) Project costs (15%): The Budget is evaluated to determine if it is realistic and
commensurate with the project needs and time-frame. The budget must reflect the applicant’s
22

ability to complete the work within the constraints of the funding and time period proposed
in the application. Projects will also be reviewed in terms of their need for funding and the
ability of NOAA funds to act as a catalyst to implement projects and precipitate partnerships
and other sources of funding to achieve conservation objectives. Proposals will also be
evaluated on their ability to demonstrate that significant benefit will be generated for the
most reasonable cost.
5) Outreach and education (5%): NOAA assesses whether this project provides an
effective education and outreach component that supports NOAA's mission to protect the
Nation's natural resources. Because awards made under this competition are intended to
benefit the state and territorial government agencies with primary responsibility for
managing U.S. coral reef ecosystems, applicants must describe how proposed activities and
project results will be disseminated to the local coral reef management community and how
data and information will be transmitted in accordance with the application’s Data and
Information Sharing Plan, which is described in Section IV(B)12.
B. Review and Selection Process
An initial administrative review is conducted on each application to determine
compliance with application requirements and completeness of application materials.
Applications that meet the minimum requirements will be reviewed by at least three
independent peer reviewers with coral reef and/or fisheries management experience during a
merit-based review and ranking process. Appropriate mechanisms will be implemented to
avoid potential conflicts of interest during the proposal review process. Each reviewer will
be asked to individually evaluate and rank proposals using the weighted evaluation criteria
above. Proposal evaluations will be based exclusively on information included in the
application. Merit reviewer ratings will be used to produce a rank order of the proposals.
Once the peer review process has been completed, a committee of CRCP representatives
will meet to discuss the pre-applications, pursuant to the criteria described above and in
Section X of the Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program Implementation Guidelines
(http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/workwithus/funding/grants/welcome.html). The
committee will consider the proposal rankings and the comments of the merit reviewers, as
well as other available information about the applicant's past performance, quality of work,
and success under previous awards. Based on this review and the merit review evaluations,
the committee will assign a preliminary funding recommendation for each application and
forward the top ranked proposal(s) to the Selecting Official for final recommendation. The
Selecting Official or their designee may negotiate the funding level or other major aspects of
the proposal, and the Selecting Official will make the final recommendation for award to the
Grants Officer, who is authorized to obligate Federal funding.
C. Selection Factors
23

The review and selection process shall provide a rank order of proposals that will be
presented to the Selecting Official for final funding recommendations. The CRCP
competition manager may make recommendations to the Selecting Official applying the
selection factors below. The Selecting Official shall award in rank order unless there is
justification for selecting a proposal 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;
e. By project types;
3. Whether this project duplicates other projects funded or considered for funding by
NOAA or other federal agencies;
4. Program priorities and policy factors as stated in Sections I A and B of this funding
opportunity;
5. Applicant's prior award performance;
6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups; and
7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA to make a NEPA determination and
draft necessary documentation before recommendations for funding are made to the NOAA
Grants Officer.
D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
The anticipated start date for awards made under this competition is either September 1,
2015 or October 1, 2015.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
The NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) will contact the selected applicant by
sending an email to the applicant organization’s authorized representative to confirm that
their application has been preliminarily selected for funding. Applicants may be requested to
24

modify activities, budgets or other components of the project, and possibly incorporate
reduced funding levels as recommended through the review process, and submit a revised
application before final funding decisions are made. The exact amount of funds to be
awarded, the final scope of activities, the project duration, and other relevant application
details will be determined in pre-award negotiations among the applicant, NOAA GMD, and
CRCP staff. The earliest start date for projects will be September 1, 2015, dependent upon
availability of Federal funding as provided by Congress, acceptable completion of all
NOAA/applicant negotiations including NEPA analysis and permit requirements, and the
provision of other supporting documentation as requested.
Projects may not be initiated in expectation of Federal funding until the applicant has
received official notice of an award from the NOAA Grants Officer and has reviewed and
accepted the terms of the award. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet
been appropriated for the competition described in this notice and are advised that the
competition described herein may be subject to cancellation due to unavailability of funding
or revision of agency priorities. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be
responsible for proposal preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not oblige
NOAA to award funding for specific projects or obligate available funds.
Award documents provided by NOAA may contain special award conditions limiting
the use of funds for activities that have outstanding environmental compliance requirements.
These special award conditions may also include other compliance requirements for the
award and will be applied on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are strongly encouraged to
review award documents carefully before accepting a Federal award to ensure they are fully
aware of the relevant Standard Terms and Conditions as well as any Special Award
Conditions that have been placed on the award.
Once an application has been selected for funding and an award has been extended to the
applicant, application materials may be considered public documents and may be released to
individuals outside the agency pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. The CRCP
reserves the right to share application materials with relevant individuals and organizations
for the purposes of improved coordination and collaboration.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by e-mail that their application was not
recommended for funding after the final section package has been approved by NOAA
GMD. Unsuccessful applications submitted to this competition will be retained for a period
of up to 12 months and then destroyed.
If no proposal is funded in the current fiscal period, a proposal may be considered for
funding in another fiscal period without NOAA repeating the competitive process outlined in
this announcement.

25

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1. Indirect Costs:
Please see Section III(C) for more information on indirect costs and the process for
establishing a new indirect cost rate with the Department of Commerce.
2. System for Award Management. To enable the use of a universal identifier and to
enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, to the extent applicable, any applicant
awarded in response to this announcement will be required to use the System for Award
Management (SAM) at: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.
3. Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System. Applicants are required to use the
Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System and are subject to reporting requirements
identified in OMB guidance published at 2 CFR Part 25 (http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr25_main_02.tpl).
4. Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements. The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register
notice of December 17, 2012 (77 FR 74634) are applicable to this solicitation. A copy of the
notice may be obtained at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
5. Limitation of Liability. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be
responsible for application preparation costs. Publication of this announcement does not
oblige NOAA to award any specific project.
6. Award Standard Terms and Conditions. Successful applicants that accept an award
under this solicitation will be bound by Department of Commerce, Financial Assistance
Standard Terms and Conditions, which may be found at:
http://www.osec.doc.gov/oam/grants_management/policy/documents/DOC_Standard_Terms
_and_Conditions_01_10_2013.pdf.
7. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Please review the NEPA information
and respond to the specific questions contained in Section IV(B)13 of this announcement.
8. Unpaid or delinquent tax liability. In accordance with current Federal appropriations
law, NOAA requires than an authorized representative of the applicant organization certify
that the organization has no Federally-assessed unpaid or delinquent tax liability or felony
criminal convictions under any Federal law.
9. Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

26

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average three
hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
suggestions for reducing this burden to Steve Kokkinakis, NOAA Office of Program
Planning and Integration, SSMC 3, Room 15723, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring,
MD 20910. The information collection does not request any proprietary or confidential
information. No confidentiality is provided.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor
shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of
information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. NOAA's OMB
Approval No.:0648-0538.
10. Public Access to Award Documents and Products
Applications that are supported with Federal funds may be provided to members of the
public under certain circumstances. Products resulting from Federally-funded projects may
be made available by NOAA as described previously and in the next section. Data generated
by award recipients will be shared according to the specific provisions included in the
award's data sharing plan described in Section IV(B)12.
C. Reporting
All performance and financial reports shall be submitted through the recipient's NOAA
Grants Online account in accordance with the Department of Commerce, Financial
Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions. Progress on each award is communicated to
NOAA in the form of performance progress reports, which are outlined in 15 CFR Part 14:
Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of
Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations or 15 CFR Part 24: Grants
and Cooperative Agreements with State and Local Governments. Performance reports must
be submitted on a semi-annual schedule no later than 30 days following the end of each 6month period from the start date of the award. Financial reports must be submitted every 6
months by the end of April and October during the period of the award in accordance with
the Department of Commerce, Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions.
Instructions for submitting financial and progress reports will be provided by NOAA upon
request.
A comprehensive final report is due 90 days after the award expiration date along with
copies of all products developed under the award. Copies of all materials (including but not
limited to brochures, posters, videos, DVDs, publications, reports, management plans, public
27

service announcements, workshop proceedings, etc.) produced through the award, along with
copies of any reports submitted by subcontractors as part of the award, must be provided to
the program office within 90 days of the end of the award. All products must be of
publishable quality, and include a citation and appropriate acknowledgement of the support
provided by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program as described at:
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/whoweare/graphic/. Because products may be made
available to the public via the Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS, http://coris.noaa.gov),
it is the recipient's responsibility to ensure that products are professionally written and
edited; they do not contain sensitive financial information; and that media products are 508
compliant (http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsSum). Except where
limited by law, regulation, policy or security, recipients are requested to include a statement
on the front page of all products to indicate the material is "Approved for pubic release;
distribution is unlimited." If the applicant has requested publication costs, resulting journal
publications must be made available to the public free of charge.
Successful applicants will be requested to ensure that all interim progress reports
indicate whether financial reports have been submitted to NOAA's Grants Management
Division and are up-to-date. In their final progress report, applicants will be asked to a)
clearly state the resulting impact of their project with respect to coral reef conservation; and
b) certify that "Final financial reports have been submitted to NOAA's Grants Management
Division and a final funding draw-down has been made through the Automated Standard
Application for Payments (ASAP)."
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 includes a
requirement for awardees of applicable Federal grants to report information about first-tier
subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY 2011
or later. All awardees of applicable grants and cooperative agreements are required to report
to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.FSRS.gov on all
subawards over $25,000.
If equipment or tangible property is purchased with grant funds, applicants shall submit
an inventory in accordance with 15 CFR 14.34(f)(3), 15 CFR 24.32(b), or 15 CFR
24.32(d)(2) by submitting the applicable SF-428 forms annually and in the final progress
report. SF-428 forms may be attached as an appendix to progress reports. The program office
recommends that if the equipment is no longer needed, recipients are encouraged to request
disposition instructions for equipment approximately 150 days before the project period ends
to allow sufficient time to have equipment disposition requests addressed before a project
ends. Equipment disposition instructions typically require that recipients complete an "other"
award action request in Grants Online. NOAA will provide instructions for disposition in
accordance with 15 CFR 14.34(g and h) and 15 CFR 24.32(g)(2) upon request.
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VII. Agency Contacts
The Federal Program Officer and technical point of contact for the FY15 Coral Reef
NGO Partnership Competition is Jenny Waddell. She can be reached by phone at 301-7133155, extension 150 or by email at Jenny.Waddell@noaa.gov. Her mailing address is: Jenny
Waddell, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, 1305 East West Highway, SSMC4, 10th
floor, Silver Spring, MD, 20910.
VIII. Other Information
Potential funding applicants must register with Grants.gov before application materials
can be submitted. An organization's one time registration process may take up to three weeks
to complete so please allow sufficient time to ensure applications are submitted before the
closing date. To use Grants.gov, applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the System for Award Management
(SAM), which may be found at: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. Please allow a
minimum of five days to complete the SAM registration. (Note: Your organization's
Employer Identification Number (EIN) will be needed on the application.)
The Grants.gov site contains directions for submitting an application and the application
package (forms); it is also where the completed application is submitted. Applicants using
Grants.gov must locate the downloadable application package for this solicitation by the
Funding Opportunity Number (NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2015-2004211) or the CFDA number
(11.482). Applicants 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.
Within 24 to 48 hours after electronic submission of the application, the person
submitting the application will receive two e-mail messages from Grants.gov updating them
on the progress of their application. The first e-mail will confirm receipt of the application
by the Grants.gov system, and the second will indicate that the application has either been
successfully validated by the system prior to transmission to the grantor agency or has been
rejected due to errors. After the application has been validated, this same person will receive
another e-mail to indicate that the application has been downloaded by the Federal agency.
There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards for this Federal
funding opportunity or that any proposal will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs
any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official,
they do so at their own risk of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. In no
event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for any proposal
preparation costs. In addition, NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for proposal or
project costs if this program fails to receive funding. Recipients and sub-recipients are
subject to all federal laws and agency policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to
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federal financial assistance awards. Applicants must be in good standing with all existing
NOAA grants and/or cooperative funding agreements in order to receive funds under this
announcement.
The NOAA program office reserves the right to immediately halt activity under the
award if the recipient fails to fulfill the requirements of the project as described in the final
negotiated application submitted to the agency. Non-compliance may result in termination of
the award.
NOAA will not release the names of applicants submitting proposals unless ordered by a
court or requested to do so by an appropriate NOAA official and administrative protocol.
Applicants may use a public search feature to access information about NOAA awards:
https://grantsonline.rdc.noaa.gov/flows/publicSearch/begin.do or go through the Freedom of
Information Act process. More information about the NOAA FOI process is available online
at: http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~foia/.

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