The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is soliciting grant proposals for the following priority River Herring research and conservation strategies:
1. Promote sustainable river herring fisheries along the Eastern seaboard. Proposals that will be considered for this funding opportunity are those which seek to:
Fill gaps in information needed for states to update their sustainable fishing plans for river herring that are submitted to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Activities may include, but aren’t limited to: identifying sites where harvesting is a problem, determining appropriate harvest rates, estimating reproduction rates in key spawning grounds, estimating run counts at harvested versus unharvested sites/rivers, constructing counting facilities, and/or fishing plan improvement and/or implementation.
Proposals submitted jointly by partner entities including, but not limited to, the fishing industry, scientists (academic, state, and/or federal), state managers, etc, and that have written letters of support from relevant stakeholders will be most competitive.
2. Develop restoration strategies for the Mid-Atlantic region. Proposals that will be considered for this funding opportunity are those which seek to:
Convene river herring experts in the mid-Atlantic region to prioritize, plan and strategize rive herring restoration needs. NFWF has made a number of restoration investments in the New England region, and staff would like to develop a plan for similar efforts in NFWF’s priority rivers located throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. These include:
RI – Gilbert-Stuart River
CT – Connecticut River
Chesapeake Bay – Lower Susquehanna River, Upper Eastern Shore, Middle Shore, Lower Eastern Shore, Lower Potomac River, Middle Neck, Lower James River
SC – Santee/Cooper River
* Note that NFWF’s criteria for selecting priority rivers included (1) rivers where historic run count information was available from which population success could be measured [RI, CT, SC] or (2) rivers within a NFWF focal geography [Chesapeake Bay estuary] where a nexus with other NFWF focal species occurred [brook trout, shellfish].
Applications outside of these priority areas will be considered for funding provided they can demonstrate the project is designed to address management needs for river herring identified in the Shad and River Herring Fisheries Management Plan of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. NOTE: Proposals must focus on alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and/or blueback herring, A. aestivalis.
Eligibility
All persons, organizations, and agencies (excluding U.S. Federal Government) working on projects to reverse declines and create sustainable populations of river herring.
Applications for funding for land or easement acquisition, political advocacy, lobbying, or litigation will not be considered.
Grant Size
The majority of awards under this program will fall in the range of $50,000 to $300,000. However upper or lower limits to award size are not specified.
Grant Period
Projects may extend from one to two years. Additional year funds are not guaranteed to be available in future years to supplement awards made as a result of this review.
Application Guidelines
The following guidelines will be used by an advisory team of experts to evaluate applications requesting support from the River Herring Conservation Initiative:
Pre-Proposal
All applicants are required to submit an on-line Pre-proposal application form for review. As part of your on-line application you will be asked to submit a Pre-proposal Narrative in addition to general applicant information. No additional supporting materials will be accepted during this phase of the review. Failure to follow the length and formatting guidelines will result in disqualification of the pre-proposal.
Pre-proposal Narrative
Applicants will be asked to submit a brief proposal narrative that describes the outcomes, activities and monitoring plan of the proposed project. The document should not exceed 2 pages in length, single-spaced with 12-point type. – Downloadable template will be provided.
For additional information on fields required in the Pre-proposal please go to: http://www.nfwf.org/applicantinfo
Full Proposal (by invitation only)
A limited number of pre-proposal applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal to elaborate on their work for a second stage of review. The following additional information will be required at that time.
Expanded Proposal Narrative – Full Proposal Only
Applicants will be asked to submit an expanded proposal narrative that provides all relevant detail on background, objectives, methodology, results, etc. The document should not exceed 6 pages in length, single-spaced with 12-point type.
Budget and Timeline – Full Proposal Only
A budget form will be provided to help the applicant outline in sufficient detail the costs by general category, including salaries, travel, vessel charters, major equipment and supplies, publication costs, and sub-contracts.
For multi-year or multi-stage projects, include a timetable for completion of each phase as a means of gauging progress toward completion of the full proposed effort in the “other” category of the “uploads” section of the online application.
Short Biography, Research Team Qualifications – Full Proposal Only
Applications should also include a short biography of no more than one page each for key members of the proposal team. Key members are those individuals whose unique background and experience are essential to completion of the project.
Supporting Materials and Letters of Support – Full Proposal Only
If the applicant is invited to submit a full proposal, additional supporting materials such as maps will be required and can be included in the “uploads” section of the submission. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to attach letters of support to their full proposal. These can be particularly relevant in cases of multi-jurisdictional, political, or institutional projects when the proposed work will rely on the data or actions of a third party. However, supplemental materials should be limited to information absolutely essential to understanding the significance, approach, and context of the proposed work.
If relevant, applicants asked to submit full proposals will be required to provide proof of all necessary permits and clearances to comply with the U.S. National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and any other relevant state or local ordinances.
For additional information fields required in the Full Proposal please go to: http://www.nfwf.org/applicantinfo
Application Process
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation launched an on-line application program in March of 2008. Applicants can find information about the grant applications, including templates and orientation webinars if needed, at http://www.nfwf.org/applicantinfo. New applicants are strongly encouraged to view the Easygrants Help Video - Short Version, which details the Easygrants site and outlines the registration and pre-proposal submission process.
Organizations interested in applying should submit a pre-proposal using NFWF’s online Easygrants system:
1. Applicants should visit http://www.nfwf.org/easygrants and register as a new user (unless you have previously applied to NFWF in the Easygrants system under a different funding opportunity) and then follow the instructions below.
2. Under “Apply for a New Grant”, click the “Start a New Application” link. Select the “Marine Keystone - River Herring Conservation – Spring 2013” funding opportunity.
3. Follow the instructions to complete an eligibility quiz and, if deemed eligible, a pre-proposal.
Pre-proposals must be submitted via the Foundation's online system, in English, and received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on November 1, 2012. Upon receipt and competitive evaluation of the pre-proposal, the Foundation will invite successful applicants to submit a full proposal. Full proposals must be submitted and received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on January 7, 2013 (no exceptions). Awards for this program are expected to be announced in the spring of 2013.
For further information on the program or completing the application, please contact Mary Beth Charles (202-595-2445 or MaryBeth.Charles@nfwf.org), or Anthony Chatwin (202-857-0166 or Anthony.Chatwin@nfwf.org).