The purpose of this notice is to invite organizations with demonstrated expertise and experience in supporting coral reef management in the United States to submit proposals that establish partnerships with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and local management agencies 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 federal appropriations, CRCP funding of approximately $1,000,000 is expected to be available for initiating partnership(s) with up to ten organizations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. 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), the Atlantic/Caribbean region (benefitting Florida, Puerto Rico, and/or the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the national priorities, or any combination thereof. Some international work may be proposed using non-federal matching funds provided the scope is similar to domestic activities and clearly linked, 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 $90,000 per state or territory, depending on how many of the seven coral states and territories will benefit from the proposed project(s), and up to $150,000 for a national capacity-building project. Based on the number of projects proposed, applications are expected to be within the range of $50,000 to $750,000. 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 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 of the award.
Letters of Intent (LOIs) are optional but strongly recommended, and should be submitted no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Friday, December 10, 2021 by email . LOIs submitted after this date will not be reviewed by the relevant agency for feedback.
Deadline: Feb. 12, 2022
Eligible applicants include non-profit and non-governmental organizations, institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations that have demonstrated expertise and experience in supporting coral reef management in U.S. states and territories.
Under 16 U.S.C. 6401-6409 and pending federal appropriations in FY 2022 and 2023, CRCP funding of approximately $1,000,000 per year is expected to be available for initiating partnership(s) with up to ten organizations in FY 2022.