[Coral-List] Reef Plate Grants-RFP

[Dave Vaughan]

Dear Listers,
Attached is the announcement of the Mote Marine Lab, Protect Our Reef 
(POR) Plate Grants,Program  funded by Florida POR, License plate funds 
that are collected in 2010.  These grants fund projects concerning the 
Florida reefs in research, conservation and education and outreach.  The 
full announcement, RFP and guidelines for submitting, and lists of 
previous awards can be found on the Mote website at:

http://www.mote.org/4reef

This will be the sixth year of the Protect Our Reefs Grants Program. 
During the
first five years, we have received and reviewed more than 200 proposals. 
Grants
have been awarded to 77 projects for a total of over $1,900,000. When 
matching
funds are included, the total is well over $3,000,000 for reef related 
research,
conservation, and education.
Scope
The focus of the Grants funding will primarily be directed towards the 
major reef
tract that extends from Miami to the Dry Tortugas. However research, 
education
and conservation proposals that are focused on coral reefs off the coast and
throughout the State of Florida will also be considered.
The Grants Program funding will encompass each of the elements of the
coral reef ecosystem and will not be limited to stony corals alone:
- Coral Reef: Reefs or shoals composed primarily of corals
- Coral Reef Ecosystem: Corals and other species and communities of
reef organisms (including reef plants) associated with coral reefs and
the environmental factors that directly affect coral reefs (that together
function as an ecological unit in nature).
Eligibility
Eligible organizations shall be based in Florida and engaged in reef 
research,
education or conservation. Applicants must be a public agency, educational
institution or non-profit entity as designated by the IRS.

Funding Availability
The current funding cycle will represent approximately twelve months of Reef
Plate revenue and will total approximately $300,000. As sales and renewals
increase, it is anticipated that future funding levels will increase. As 
a general
guideline, last year 13 projects were selected. The grants totaled 
$340,000 and
ranged in value from $5,000 to $60,000.
Proposal Deadline
In order to be considered, proposals must be submitted as single PDF 
files to the
following address by 5:00 P.M. (ET) on January 14, 2011: bfrerer at mote.org.
Please include the words "POR Proposal" in the subject line of the 
e-mail. Award
notification is projected for April 15, 2011 and funds will be available 
as early as
April 29, 2011.
Priorities
Protect Our Reefs Grant priorities are similar to those outlined by the 
Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary Science Plan, the NOAA-Coral Reef
Conservation Program, the Water Quality Protection Program, and the National
Undersea Research Program descriptions of coral reef research priorities and
other existing coral reef program priorities. In addition, this year 
there is special
interest in projects related to the reefs and oil spills.

David E. Vaughan, PhD.
Director
Mote Tropical Research Lab
Center For Coral Reef Research
Florida Keys

DVaughan at Mote.org