The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is soliciting conservation grant proposals for sea turtle research and conservation.
Eligibility
All persons, organizations, and agencies (excluding U.S. Federal Government) working on projects to increase the populations of North Atlantic leatherbacks and loggerheads, Caribbean hawksbills, East Pacific leatherbacks, hawksbills and loggerheads. Applications for funding for land or easement acquisition, political advocacy, lobbying, or litigation will not be considered.
Proposal Topics
The most competitive projects under the Spring 2013 cycle of the Sea Turtle Conservation Fund will directly implement projects under the following priority topic areas. Projects outside of these priority areas or that indirectly influence these topics are still eligible for funding provided they support the goals and objectives as outlined in the Sea Turtle Conservation Business Plan or the 2011 Summer Strategy Updates for each Regional Management Unit.
Northwest Atlantic Loggerhead Bycatch Mitigation: The objective for this priority is to reduce the incidental capture and mortality of loggerheads from the NW Atlantic Regional Management Unit from domestic trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and international longline fisheries in the Eastern Atlantic. Pre-proposals submitted under this priority should demonstrate the current state of knowledge on the rate of bycatch for the target fishery, the estimated number of fishers in the fishery and the anticipated impact of the project to reduce this rate or reach this target audience if funded. Priority geographies: Gulf of Mexico for trawl fisheries and the Eastern Atlantic for longline fisheries.
Caribbean Hawksbill Bycatch Assessment and Mitigation: The objectives for this priority are to provide a quantitative assessment of bycatch from set nets in the recently identified bycatch hotspots and to begin to reduce bycatch from set nets at these locations. Competitive projects will combine mitigation efforts with research and assessment efforts to avoid delays in addressing the problem while research is conducted. Priority geography: Jaragua and Saona Islands, Dominican Republic.
EP Leatherback Bycatch Mitigation: The objective for this priority is to reduce the incidental capture and mortality of leatherbacks in the Eastern Pacific fisheries off Ecuador and Peru. Pre-proposals submitted under this priority should demonstrate the current state of knowledge on the rate of bycatch for the target fishery, the estimated number of fishers in the fishery and the anticipated impact of the project to reduce this rate or reach this target audience if funded. Priority geographies: Santa Rosa and Manta, Ecuador and Salaverry and Pisco, Peru.
EP Leatherback Bycatch Rapid Assessment: The objective of this priority is to continue the rapid assessment of bycatch rates through port-surveys that were started in Chile, Peru and Ecuador and continue the assessment to other known habitats of the population’s range. Competitive pre-proposals will build on the methods established for port surveys from Pro Delphinus, Duke University and UNEP so that results can be compared (examples available upon request). Limited funding may also be provided for tagging in-water turtles to help identify new priority areas for assessment and protection. Priority geographies: Fisheries in waters near nesting beaches or known leatherback feeding areas in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Caribbean Hawksbill Nesting Productivity Assessment: The objective of this priority is to quantify key threats on the top producing nesting beaches for the Caribbean hawksbill population. Applicants interested in this priority are encouraged to contact the Foundation for more information. Priority geographies: High producing beaches in Mexico and Barbados.
Grant Size
The majority of awards under this program will fall in the range of $25,000 to $150,000. However upper or lower limits to award size are not specified. A minimum of a 1:1 match of cash or in-kind services is required.
Grant Period
Projects may extend from one to three years. Additional year funds are not guaranteed to be available in future years to supplement awards made as a result of this review.
Other Considerations
Selected projects may be required to submit data funded by this program to global databases and/or present their results through NFWF sponsored forums.
Application Guidelines
The following guidelines will be used by an advisory team of experts to evaluate applications requesting support from the Sea Turtle Conservation Fund.
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 Project Location Characterization Form and 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.
Project Location Characterization Form
Applicants will be asked to submit information about their project site including relevant information on the project site, the methods in relation to the needs at this location, the history of work at the location, biological information on the target species, and site specific barriers to conservation. Nesting projects will also be asked to characterize their methods using the SWOT approved data standards classification www.nfwf.org/seaturtles/MDS . The document should not exceed 2 pages in length, single-spaced with 12-point type. – Downloadable template will be provided.
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 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.
Application Process
Organizations interested in applying should submit a pre-proposal using NFWF’s online Easygrants system:
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) and then follow the instructions below.
Applicants are encouraged to watch a recording on how to submit a pre-proposal, including tips and requirements at this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/154149864
Under “Apply for a New Grant”, click the “Start a New Application” link. Select the ‘Sea Turtle Conservation Keystone Fund – Spring 2013’ funding opportunity.
Follow the instructions to complete an eligibility quiz and, if deemed eligible, a pre-proposal link will appear on the left-hand side under “To Do – Application” task bar for you to enter and complete a pre-proposal application.
Attend a webinar to learn about the 2012 priorities. The Webinar will be held on October 10, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET. After completing an overview of the priorities, NFWF staff will answer any questions you may still have about how to fill out a pre-proposal. To reserve a spot, follow this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/826184673
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. Pre-proposal applicants will be notified in December as to the status of their submission in time for full proposals (by invitation only) to be submitted by January 7, 2013. Awards for this program are scheduled to be announced in early April, 2013.
For further information on the program or completing the application, please contact Michelle Pico (at 262-567-0601 or pico@nfwf.org).