[Coral-List] 2017 Domestic (US) Coral Reef Conservation Grant competition

[Liz Fairey - NOAA Federal]

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program announces the Domestic (United
States) Coral Reef Conservation Grants competition for Fiscal Year 2017.



Who: This competitive program provides funding to institutions of higher
education, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, and local
and Indian tribal government agencies to
support coral reef conservation projects in the United States, as
authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. §§
6401-6409).



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:  Priorities are listed by jurisdiction under these four
major categories: 1) Fishing Impacts; 2) Land-Based Sources of Pollution;
3) Climate Change; and 4) Local and Emerging Management Issues (coral
disease, invasive species, endangered species, restoration, and recreation
use). 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/conservation/resources/3threats_go.pdf;
still current).



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 should 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 11, 2017. If submitted via mail, applications must
include an official postmark or a delivery service that provides a tracking
number and receipt, documenting that the application was mailed prior to
the January 11, 2017 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-OCM-2017-2005011) 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