OpportunityTitle: Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY2012
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Any State or Territorial coastal zone management program that has been approved by NOAA pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1455) is eligible under this announcement if the requirements established at &#239;&#191;&#189; 923.121 are met. Applicants must have successfully completed an approved Assessment and Strategy which includes an approved strategy for one or more of the priority enhancement areas identified in Section I.B to be eligible for funding under this announcement. In addition to strategies approved as part of the Assessment and Strategy, approved strategies include added or substantially modified strategies that were approved by NOAA&apos;s Office and Coastal Resource Management prior to the start of the competition.  Strategies added or substantially modified after the date on which this notice was published are not approved strategies for the purposes of this competition.   The designated lead agency for implementing each approved CMP is eligible to submit projects for funding under this competition. For the purposes of this competition, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is an eligible applicant. Eligible applicants may submit a proposal on behalf of state agency partners within the approved state coastal zone management program network, if applicable. Local governments and nonprofits may participate as partners on the proposed projects; however, projects should be focused upon enhancing the approved coastal zone management program.
Description: The purpose of this document is to advise eligible applicants that NOAA is soliciting proposals for competitive funding under Coastal Zone Management Program Enhancement Projects of Special Merit. The program authority is Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act 16 U.S.C. 1456b. The objective of Section 309 assistance is to encourage each State or Territory with a federally-approved coastal management program (CMP) to continually improve its program in specified areas of national importance. The intent of Projects of Special Merit (PSM) funding is to offer CMPs the opportunity to develop innovative projects that further their approved enhancement area strategies and focus on the following national enhancement area priorities: Wetlands, Hazards, Cumulative and Secondary Impacts, and Ocean and Great Lakes Resources. Any CMP that has been approved by NOAA pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1455) and has an approved 2011-2016 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy that contains at least one or more strategies addressing the four priority enhancement areas is eligible to apply for this competition.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: For application download issues.
GrantorContactText: Steve Drescher &lt;br/&gt;Policy Advisor &lt;br/&gt;
CloseDateExplanation: Due to Hurricane Irene the closing date is being changed from September 2, 2011 to September 9, 2011 and that all other requirements and information remain the same.