Shell Marine Habitat Program – Alaska
Request for Pre-Proposals
Purpose
The Shell Marine Habitat Program (SMHP) - Alaska is a partnership
between Shell Oil Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(NFWF). The purpose of the partnership is to provide grant funds
to catalyze conservation and restoration projects that benefit marine
and coastal habitats in Alaska.
Geographic Focus
The Shell Marine Habitat Program-Alaska will initially focus on
the coastal and marine habitat of North Aleutian Basin, North Slope
Borough, and Northwest Arctic Borough areas.
Project
Area Focus
Funding may be
awarded to projects that identify a measurable conservation outcome
linked to project activities and achieve at least one of the
following:
• Conduct habitat and species
studies identified as priority research needs that
will inform management decisions (e.g., ESA listing or recovery
decisions; the identification of important areas for protection or
restoration; answering key questions that hamper resource management).
Conservation need, cooperation with groups and agencies performing
complementary work, dissemination of results to on-the-ground
practitioners, and the proposed application of the research results to
further habitat and species protection must be addressed.
• Benefit species of special
concern, including polar bears, walrus, beluga whales,
seals, eiders, and all other federal or state listed threatened or
endangered species and other declining or at risk species for which
evidence of significant threat can be demonstrated.
• Protect or restore coastal watersheds,
estuarine, and nearshore marine habitats (note: land
acquisition projects will not be considered).
• Provide benefit for multiple species,
both resident and migratory.
• Offer opportunities for hands-on
volunteer or local citizen-based participation.
• Provide education or action
programs intended to minimize harm from marine
debris.
Funding Availability
Approximately
$600,000 is available for 2009.
Eligible Applicants
Local, state, federal, and tribal governments; 501(c)3
registered non-profit conservation organizations; and educational
institutions.
Restrictions
Grant funds cannot be used for political
advocacy, fundraising, lobbying or litigation activities or to support
projects resulting from legally mandated mitigation
projects.
Grant Size
Grant awards will range
in size from $25,000 - $100,000. (Grants greater than $100,000
will be considered on a case-by-case basis.)
Match
A minimum 1:1 match of
cash or in-kind/contributed goods and services is required for projects
to be eligible for consideration. The ratio of matching funds offered by
the applicant is one criterion considered during the review process. All
potential sources, including Federal sources, and amounts of match
should be listed on the application for consideration during the review
process.
To be eligible, matching contributions must be:
• Raised and dedicated specifically towards the project;
• Voluntary in nature (mitigation, restitution, or other
permit or court-ordered settlements are ineligible for use as match);
and
• The cost of recent land acquisitions may also qualify as
match for a project involving work at that site. Applicants may also
include an easement put on the land, if this occurs during the award
period.
Additional guidance regarding eligible sources of match is provided
on the Foundation's website.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
***PLEASE NOTE: Applications for the Shell Marine Habitat
Program-Alaska are being accepted through the Alaska Fish and Wildlife
Fund. Additional details can be found at http://www.nfwf.org/afwf. Applicants
do NOT have to submit a separate application directly to the Shell
Marine Habitat Program-Alaska. Funding decisions will be made by the
Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund committee.***
Applicants should log onto the
Foundation’s website: www.nfwf.org , go to “Grant
Programs,” click on “Funding Opportunities,” select
the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund opportunity,
and use the online process to submit a pre-proposal. (The Alaska
Fish and Wildlife Fund program webpage can also be found at http://www.nfwf.org/afwf.)
Once a pre-proposal is submitted and approved, successful applicants
will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Highest priority will be given
to projects that build new or enhance existing partnerships with local
communities, non-profits, and local, state and federal government
agencies and tribes, and that address conservation needs of species
characteristic of Alaskan coastal watersheds, estuarine, and nearshore
marine areas. Proposal narratives should identify how the proposed
activities meet the goals of relevant regional strategic conservation
plans, including, but not limited to, Alaska’s Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Plan, which is available for review at: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/ngplan/NG_outline.cfm.
Additional Submission
Content Required for Habitat Restoration, Protection and Management
Projects
When preparing the proposal narrative for habitat projects, please
include the following information in detail in the pre-proposal:
• Background information that establishes that the habitat to
be restored, protected, or managed exists or existed at the site, the
extent to which the site is currently degraded, and the degrading
factors and how those factors will be addressed through the project.
• Describe the benefit to the resource and the estimated
extent of area to be protected/restored (e.g., acreage, square footage,
or river miles or other appropriate measure of project success).
• Details on long-term maintenance and monitoring of the
project.
• List of applicable permits, estimated timeframe for permit
processing (e.g., 1 year from submission date), and status (e.g., in
preparation, submitted or approved).
If a full proposal is
invited, the following information will be required for habitat projects
in the full proposal:
• Maps and, if available, photographs of the site. Maps
should identify the project area.
• If available, please provide for construction projects a
scaled plan view and elevations.
Additional
Submission Content Required for Species Conservation/Recovery
Projects
When preparing the proposal narrative for species projects, please
include the following information in detail in the
pre-proposal:
• Recovery of species as listed in appropriate recovery and
management plans.
• Specific priority actions listed in the plans that will be
implemented through the project.
• Measurable outcomes predicted for the project (e.g.,
increase in # of individuals, % increase in population, etc.) and the
extent to which this reaches recovery goals for the species.
PRE-PROPOSAL
DEADLINE
Pre-proposals must be submitted by November 13,
2009 by 5:00 PM Alaska time. Late applications will not
be accepted. Only electronic pre-proposals submitted through the
Foundation’s online application system (EasyGrants) will be
considered.
TIMELINE
The anticipated timeline for this grant round is as
follows:
October 5, 2009: RFP released
November 13, 2009: Pre-proposals due
Late December, 2009: Full proposals invited
January 29, 2010: Full proposals due
May 2010: Grants announced
QUESTIONS
Please direct any questions to Suzanne Sessine, Assistant
Director, Eastern Partnership Office, 202-857-0166 or suzanne.sessine@nfwf.org, or
Cara Rose, Assistant Director, Western Partnership Office, 503-417-8700
x6008 or cara.rose@nfwf.org.
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