[Coral-List] U.S. Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program - Funding Announcement

[Liz Fairey - NOAA Federal]

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program announces the Domestic (United
States) Coral Reef Conservation Grants competition for Fiscal Year 2015.


Who: This competitive program provides funding to institutions of higher
education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, and local
and Indian tribal governments to support coral reef  conservation projects
in the United States, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act
of 2000.


Where: These awards are intended to support coral reef conservation
projects in shallow water coral reef ecosystems, including reefs at
mesophotic depths, in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and coral-dominated banks in U.S. portions of the Gulf of Mexico.
Projects may be proposed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the U.S.
Pacific Remote Islands, but these locations are not considered geographic
priorities under this announcement.


Program Priorities: 1) Fishing Impacts; 2) Land-Based Sources of Pollution;
3) Climate Change; and 4) Local and Emerging Management Issues (coral
disease, invasive species, ornamental trade, and endangered species). These
categories are described in more detail in the full Federal Funding
Opportunity announcement.  All proposed work should be consistent with the
Coral Reef Conservation Program National Goals and Objectives 2010-2015

(http://coralreef.noaa
..gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/resources/3threats_go.pdf) and/or the
relevant Jurisdictional Coral Reef Management Priorities

(http://coralreef.noaa
..gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities) developed
for each of the seven states and territories.


Funding Amount: Applicants may propose projects that include a Federal
funding amount between $30,000 and $80,000; the average Federal funding
amount for successful projects will be approximately $50,000. Applicants
must provide a 1:1 match of non-Federal funds or must submit a request to
NOAA to waive the matching requirement if the applicant can demonstrate: 1)
no reasonable means are available through which an applicant can meet the
matching requirement, and 2) the probable benefit of the project outweighs
the public interest in such matching requirement.


How: Applicants should apply through www.grants.gov; however, applicants
unable to use www.grants.gov may mail a complete application package
including the required Federal forms, which must be signed by hand and
dated. All applications must follow the specific application requirements
described in the full Federal funding opportunity announcement.



When: Applications must be submitted via www.grants.gov by 11:59 PM Eastern
Standard Time on January 7, 2015. If submitted via mail, applications must
include an official postmark documenting that the application was mailed
prior to the January 7, 2015 deadline; private metered postmarks are not
acceptable. In any event, mailed applications received more than 10
business days following the closing date will not be accepted.


Interested applicants may obtain the full Federal Funding Opportunity
announcement by visiting www.grants.gov, clicking on the “Search Grants,
tab” and searching by funding opportunity number (NOAA-NOS-OCRM-2015-2004207)
or by CFDA number (11.482).


If you need further information please contact me (liz.fairey at noaa.gov).


-- 
Liz Fairey
NMFS Office of Habitat Conservation
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
1315 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-427-8632