OpportunityTitle: FY 2020-2021 Coral Reef Conservation Program Non-Governmental Organization Partnership Cooperative Agreements
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to non-profit non-governmental organizations 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 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 agencies and employees cannot receive funds under this announcement but may serve as collaborative project partners. If Federal agencies are collaborators, applicants are expected to provide detail on the planned level of Federal engagement in the application. Examples might include, but are not limited to partnership services; serving in a review capacity; or participating in priority task teams, working groups, or leadership teams.
Description: The purpose of this notice is to invite Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with demonstrated expertise and experience in supporting coral reef management in the United States to submit proposals to establish partnerships with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) to further the conservation of U.S. coral reefs. This funding announcement describes the coral reef conservation partnership(s) that the NOAA 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 up to 24-months (2 years) in duration.Pursuant to Section 6403 of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (CRCA), 16 U.S.C. 6401-6409, and pending Congressional appropriations, CRCP funding of approximately $900,000 is expected to be available for initiating partnership(s) with up to ten non-governmental organizations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. CRCP will consider funding a single proposal that includes support for all seven coral reef states and territories and/or several proposals in the Pacific Islands (benefitting Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and/or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and in the Atlantic/Caribbean region (benefitting Florida, Puerto Rico, and/or the U.S. Virgin Islands). Some international work may be proposed using non-federal matching funds provided the scope is similar to domestic activities, but will not be prioritized. It is expected that a minimum of one project, but not more than two projects, will be selected to benefit each jurisdiction in any combination of proposals. Applications may propose work plans of up to 24 months, in conformance with the requirements of Section IV of this announcement, and may at most request between $100,000 and $700,000 per year (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&apos;s Federal contributions with non-federal matching contributions at a minimum ratio of 1:1, unless the applicant requests and is granted a waiver to the matching requirement by the agency. Funding after the first year generally depends on future Congressional appropriations, NOAA/CRCP priorities, and recipient performance in the first year(s) of the award.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Work
GrantorContactText: Craig  Reid (240) 533-0783 &lt;br/&gt;1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910