PACIFIC GRASSROOTS SALMONID INITIATIVE 2007

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

An ecosystem restoration and conservation partnership

2007 will mark the ninth year of the Pacific Grassroots Salmonid Initiative. This Initiative (PGSI) is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (the Foundation). PGSI seeks to benefit native anadromous fishes and their habitats along the Pacific Coast of the United States.

Proposal deadline: December 19, 2007. (To receive the link to the Full Proposal Application form, it is recommended that you contact the Foundation by November 15, 2007 – details below).

A broad range of activities are eligible for funding:

Estuary and stream restoration, salmonid habitat conservation planning, applied research, and public education and outreach (see Proposal Criteria section below).

The most competitive projects are those that:

take place in priority estuaries or watersheds and target key salmon and steelhead populations and essential fish habitat as identified in federal, state, or local conservation management plans; have support from a variety of stakeholders; take a holistic approach; and use science-based, technically defensible methods.

Grant funds may not be used for:

political advocacy or litigation, general administrative overhead, shortfalls in agency budgets, or basic research. Administrative costs directly related to the project may be included.

For-profit businesses and federal agencies are not eligible for funding; all other entities (e.g. non-governmental organizations, tribes, local and state agencies) are eligible.

Awards will be focused on Alaska, Oregon, and California. (Funding is available for projects located within Washington State under the Foundation’s Community Salmon Fund. Information can be found at: http://www.nfwf.org/programs/grant_apply.htm). For projects in San Francisco Bay, please note funding associated with the San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund is now available as part of PGSI. Special criteria for grants under this source of funding appear below in the section entitled, “SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY.”

Most grants range from $25,000 to $75,000 in Foundation federal funds, and have a project period between 12 to 18 months.

Grantees must raise a minimum of one dollar of matching funds for the project for every dollar of Foundation federal grant funds. However, preference will be given to proposals with two dollars of matching funds to every dollar of Foundation federal grant funds.

PROPOSAL CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria.

• Clearly written, concise proposal which honestly and accurately describes the project setting.

• Long‑term, on‑the‑ground benefits to native anadromous salmonid populations, especially in estuaries and watersheds where salmon and steelhead restoration needs have been identified by resource agencies.

• Monitoring and reporting plans

• Documented grassroots, community‑based support for the project shown through volunteer efforts, local funding sources, local involvement in project development, letters of support from community leaders, et cetera.

• Multiple partners, non‑traditional partnerships, and highly leveraged funding (e.g., non‑federal: federal funding ratios of at least 1:1; preference given to 2:1 or better).

• Creative approaches to tough problems and resource use conflicts.

• Conducting well‑designed programs and actions on private lands that protect and conserve salmon and steelhead.

• Public information/educational value.

• Complements or enhances the effectiveness of other ongoing or new public programs aimed at anadromous fish or riparian restoration.

• Qualifications of staff and organization, and track record of organization.

• Documentation that project expects to receive or has received all necessary permits and clearances (e.g., NEPA, ESA, Cultural and Historic Resources, or other legal requirements).

TYPES OF PROJECTS FUNDED

This list is intended to provide project examples to help applicants focus their priorities, and is not meant to be an exclusive list of eligible project types:

• Estuary Habitat Restoration - restoration of estuarine, tidal and diked slough habitats, dendritic drainage networks, and diked and tidal wetland habitats. Project types may include: breaching or removing levees; improving wetlands and nearshore aquatic plant communities in tidal areas; reestablishing flow patterns that have been altered by causeways, pile dikes, and tide gates; restoring shallow channels in inter-tidal areas; restoring and enhancing connections between lakes, sloughs, side channels, the floodplain, and the main channel; removing “derelict” fishing gear or marine debris

• Barrier removal - providing access to historically accessible habitat through removal of barriers to fish passage, or creating inventories of barriers such as unmaintained culverts, seasonal dams, et cetera.

• Freshwater Habitat Restoration - restoring quality habitats for anadromous fish through riparian planting, streambank stabilization, "natural" instream structure installation, water conservation and water rights, and other forms of restoration. (Projects involving water rights will require close coordination with local partners who may be affected by the work.)

• Coalition- building -Pulling together stakeholders and/or community members to address and reduce a resource problem or limiting factor(s) which may be hampering the habitat potential of a particular watershed for anadromous fish.
• Watershed planning - Implementing the recommendations of a watershed restoration plan, or working to develop site‑specific restoration priorities in a watershed.
• Steelhead recovery in central and southern California - Projects south of San Francisco Bay which benefit steelhead.

GRANT CONDITIONS

The Foundation is mandated by Congress to ensure that each federal dollar awarded is leveraged with a non‑federal dollar or equivalent goods and services. The Foundation refers to these funds as “Matching Funds.” As a policy for the overall program, the Foundation seeks to achieve at least a 2:1 ratio on the Federal funds it awards ‑‑ $2 raised in Matching funds to each $1 awarded in Federal funds.

To be eligible, Matching funds must be:

• Non‑federal in origin (federally appropriated or managed funds are ineligible; e.g., Pittman‑Robertson, Dingell‑Johnson, Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act);
• Raised and dedicated specifically for the project;
• Voluntary in nature (mitigation, restitution, or other permit or court‑ordered settlements are generally ineligible);
• Applied only to the Foundation grant and not to any other federal matching programs;
• Expended during the project period.

The match requirements may be achieved in the following ways (or by a combination therof):

a) Cash contributions specifically earmarked for the project (i.e. state contracts, foundation grants, private donations);

b) Contributed Goods and/or Services (i.e. materials, volunteer labor) specifically earmarked for the project.

**SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY**

Funding associated with the San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund is now available as part of PGSI. Initial funds for the San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund were provided by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as part of mitigation for impacts to steelhead and Chinook salmon from pile driving and other activities undertaken during construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge East Span Seismic Safety Project.

In collaboration with NOAA Fisheries and The California Department of Transportation, the Foundation will be awarding grants from this Fund for projects in San Francisco Bay and its tributary watersheds (Bay), south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and east of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Additional information on the San Francisco Bay Salmonid Habitat Restoration Fund:

- The maximum amount available for any one project will be $500,000, and most awards will be between $10,000 and $150,000.

- All project types from the overall PGSI are eligible (see above), plus conservation easements

- This Fund will be directed to projects that will preferably be completed by 2008.

- Matching contributions for projects in San Francisco Bay under this funding source are optional, but encouraged.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application for funding is made online. Pre-proposals are not required. The deadline for proposal submissions is December 19, 2007. Notice of awards will be made during the first week of April 2008.

To receive the link to the Full Proposal Application form and your user name and password, please send the information listed below to barrett.bohnengel@nfwf.org. To allow for ample time to complete your application which includes a new Evaluation component, it is recommended that you send this information by November 15, 2007.

Name

Project Name

Organization

Address

Telephone Number

Email Address

CONTACTS:

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:

Primary: Claire Thorp; (415) 778‑0999 x223; claire.thorp@nfwf.org

Program Administration: Barrett Bohnengel; (503) 417-8700 x23; barrett.bohnengel@nfwf.org

NOAA Restoration Center:

Alaska: Erika Ammann; (907) 271-5118; erika.ammann@noaa.gov

Oregon: Megan Callahan-Grant; (503) 231-2213; megan.callahan-grant@noaa.gov

California: Kit Crump; (707) 575-6080; kit.crump@noaa.gov

Request For Proposal - PGSI (Microsoft Word Document)