Coral Special Topics 2019 Request for Proposals

Application Open Date: Tuesday, January 22 – September 1, 2019*

* This solicitation will support a rolling-application where projects will be individually reviewed as they are submitted. The application will remain open until September 1, 2019 or until all available funds have been awarded – whichever comes first.

OVERVIEW

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will award grants to improve the health of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems. Grants will be awarded to reduce land-based sources of pollution, advance coral reef fisheries management, support recovery and resiliency of coral reef systems and improve watershed management planning.

The Coral Reef Conservation Fund is a partnership with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and works to assist the agency in coral reef conservation. The Coral Special Topics solicitation expects to have up to $400,000 available for funding.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

Tropical coral reefs in Florida, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

The most competitive applications under this funding opportunity will target ‘shovel ready’ projects under the following general priorities and can complete their full scope of work by September 1, 2019.

Identifying Priority Reefs and Opportunities for Recovery: projects will conduct assessment and prioritization efforts in order to identify priority reef tracts for conservation action.

Reduce land-based pollution inputs to coral reef tracks: projects will implement proven strategies for reducing land based sources of pollution and have all required permits IN HAND – i.e. ‘shovel ready’ projects only.

Increase fish stocks with key functional roles along priority reef tracks: projects will support local managers and communities in reef fish management.

Increase Management Capacity for Coral Conservation: projects under this category will work to produce products or models that help address common coral reef threats in island jurisdictions. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

Efforts to modify existing mainland best management practices (BMPs) to address the unique needs of island environments and communities;

Projects that seek to recalibrate planning and management models to island environments; and

Guidelines to work within existing federal programs (such as those under the Farm Bill, FEMA or Clean Water Act) to generate opportunities and examples of successful application to benefit coral environments.

PROJECT METRICS

To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grants, a list of metrics is available in Easygrants. Applicants will choose from this list for future reporting. We ask that applicants select only the most relevant metrics from this list for their project (all possible program metrics are shown in the table below). If an applicable metric has not been provided, please contact Michelle Pico (pico@nfwf.org) to discuss acceptable alternatives.

Project Activity	Recommended Metric	Additional Guidance
Identifying Priority Reefs and Opportunities for Recovery	Research - # of research studies completed	If an assessment of a state/territory against criteria is being proposed then this would be one research study. If an assessment of the key threats to a watershed/reef complex is being proposed then it is one study per watershed/reef track.
Implementation of Management Plans	Management or Governance Planning - # plan activities implemented	Please reference the specific action and plan in the ‘Notes’ field that will be implemented during the period of performance.
Reduce land-based pollution inputs to coral reef tracks	BMP implementation for nutrient or sediment reduction - Acres with BMPs Lbs sediment avoided (annual) Lbs sediment avoided (annual)	Most proposals will have a combination of area (acres) of improved management and threat reduction metrics. Include necessary monitoring equipment and planning in the scope of work and budget to validate results. Please use the “Notes” section to define target pollutants and explain how acres and reduction are defined.
Increase fish stocks with key functional roles along priority reef tracks	Improved management practices - Acres under improved management Fishing effort - g/m2 of fish biomass	Most proposals will have a combination of capacity building and target fish stock response metrics. Include necessary monitoring and planning in the scope of work and budget to validate results. Please use the “Notes” section to define target species/guilds.
Increase Management Capacity for Coral Conservation	Tool development for decision making - # of tools developed	The tools metric should be used for projects that are creating a new tool or significantly recalibrating a BMP or model to meet an island setting.
	Research - # of research studies completed	For applied research projects, ONLY select this metric to measure the direct results of your project activities; do not select any other metrics. The “Notes” section should clearly state progress anticipated within the period of performance and what, if any management questions will be answered at the close of the grant.
International Networks for Coral Conservation	Management or Governance Planning - # plan activities implemented	Please reference the specific action and plan in the ‘Notes’ field that will be implemented during the period of performance.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible and Ineligible Entities

Eligible applicants include all persons and organizations, including parties within and outside of the United States.
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program staff are available and encouraged to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities; however, NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications or write letters of support for any application. If NOAA employees will be a collaborator on a project, they may provide a statement verifying that they are collaborating with the project applicant, confirming the degree and nature of the collaboration, and acknowledging the utility of the proposed work. NOAA employee activities, including travel and salaries, are not allowable costs.

Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used to support political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
NFWF funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements. However, grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline compliance efforts.

FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND MATCH

The Coral Special Topics is a one-time offering for a limited amount of time to expend up to $400,000 in available funding. Average grant awards will range from $40,000 to $300,000 for domestic projects and must be completed by September 1, 2019. Matching funds from non-U.S. Federal sources are strongly encouraged but not required.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be screened for relevance, accuracy, completeness and compliance with NFWF and funding source policies. Proposals will then be evaluated based on the extent to which they meet the following criteria.

Program Goals and Priorities – Project contributes to the Fund’s overall habitat and species conservation goals, and has specific, quantifiable performance metrics to evaluate project success. Project addresses one or more of the program priorities.

Technical Merit – Project is technically sound and feasible, and the proposal sets forth a clear, logical and achievable work plan and timeline. Project engages appropriate technical experts throughout project planning, design and implementation to ensure activities are technically-sound and feasible.

Transferability – Project has potential and plan to transfer lessons learned to other communities and/or to be integrated into government programs and policies.

Conservation Plan and Context – The project advances an existing conservation plan or strategy.

Monitoring – Project includes a plan for monitoring progress during and after the proposed project period to track project success and adaptively address new challenges and opportunities as they arise.

Long-term Sustainability – Project will be maintained to ensure benefits are achieved and sustained over time. This should include how future funding will be secured to implement necessary long-term monitoring and maintenance activities.

Past Success – Applicant has a proven track record of success in implementing conservation practices with specific, measurable results.

Partnership – An appropriate partnership exists to implement the project and the project is supported by a strong local partnership that leverages additional funds and will sustain it after the life of the grant. Identify proposed partners, if known (including potential or contemplated subawards to third party subrecipients of the applicant), the roles they will play in implementing the project, and how this project will build new or enhance existing partnerships. (Note: a project partner is any local community, non-profit organization, tribe, and/or local, state, and federal government agency that contributes to the project in a substantial way and is closely involved in the completion of the project.)

OTHER

Budget – Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF’s Budget Instructions cost categories. Federally-funded projects must be in compliance with OMB Uniform Guidance as applicable.

Matching Contributions – Matching Contributions consist of cash, contributed goods and services, volunteer hours, and/or property raised and spent for the Project during the Period of Performance. Larger match ratios and matching fund contributions from a diversity of partners are encouraged and will be more competitive during application review.

Procurement – If the applicant chooses to specifically identify proposed Contractor(s) for Services, an award by NFWF to the applicant does not constitute NFWF’s express written authorization for the applicant to procure such specific services noncompetitively. When procuring goods and services, NFWF recipients must follow documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable laws and regulations.

Publicity and Acknowledgement of Support – Award recipients will be required to grant NFWF the right and authority to publicize the project and NFWF’s financial support for the grant in press releases, publications and other public communications. Recipients may also be asked by NFWF to provide high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) photographs depicting the project.

Receiving Award Funds – Award payments are primarily reimbursable. Projects may request funds for reimbursement at any time after completing a signed agreement with NFWF. A request of an advance of funds must be due to an imminent need of expenditure and must detail how the funds will be used and provide justification and a timeline for expected disbursement of these funds.

Compliance Requirements – Projects selected may be subject to requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act (state and federal), and National Historic Preservation Act. Documentation of compliance with these regulations must be approved prior to initiating activities that disturb or alter habitat or other features of the project site(s). Applicants should budget time and resources to obtain the needed approvals. As may be applicable, successful applicants may be required to comply with additional Federal, state or local requirements and obtain all necessary permits and clearances.

Permits – Successful applicants will be required to provide sufficient documentation that the project has received all necessary permits and clearances to comply with any Federal, state or local requirements.

Federal Funding – The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon the federal appropriations process. Funding decisions will be made based on level of funding and timing of when it is received by NFWF.

TIMELINE

Dates of activities are subject to change. Please check the program page of the NFWF website for the most current dates and information (Coral Special Topics).

Application Open Date	January 22, 2019
Application Closure Date	On or before September 1, 2019
Review Period	January – August, 2019
Awards Announced	January – August, 2019

HOW TO APPLY

All application materials must be submitted online through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Easygrants system.

Go to easygrants.nfwf.org to register in our Easygrants online system. New users to the system will be prompted to register before starting the application (if you already are a registered user, use your existing login). Enter your applicant information. Please disable the pop-up blocker on your internet browser prior to beginning the application process.
Once on your homepage, click the “Apply for Funding” button and select this RFP’s “Funding Opportunity” from the list of options.
Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your application. Once an application has been started, it may be saved and returned to at a later time for completion and submission.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

A PDF version of this RFP can be downloaded here.

A Tip Sheet is available for quick reference while you are working through your application. This document can be downloaded here.

Additional information to support the application process can be accessed on the NFWF website’s Applicant Information page.

For more information or questions about this RFP, please contact:

Michelle Pico, pico@nfwf.org

For issues or assistance with our online Easygrants system, please contact:

Easygrants Helpdesk
Email: Easygrants@nfwf.org
Voicemail: 202-595-2497
Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET, Monday-Friday.
Include: your name, proposal ID #, e-mail address, phone number, program you are applying to, and a description of the issue.

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