[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 136 (Friday, July 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41640-41683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17294]



[[Page 41639]]

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Part IV





Department of Commerce





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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration



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Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2011; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 75 , No. 136 / Friday, July 16, 2010 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 100630282-0282-01; I.D. GF001]
RIN 0648-ZC18


Availability of Grant Funds for Fiscal Year 2011

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes 
this notice to provide the general public with a consolidated source of 
program and application information related to its competitive grant 
and cooperative agreement award offerings for fiscal year (FY) 2011. 
This Omnibus notice is designed to replace the multiple Federal 
Register notices that traditionally advertised the availability of 
NOAA's discretionary funds for its various programs. It should be noted 
that additional program initiatives may be announced through subsequent 
Federal Register notices. All announcements will also be available 
through the Grants.gov Web site.

DATES: Proposals must be received by the date and time indicated under 
each program listing in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
notice.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to the addresses listed in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for each program. This 
Federal Register notice and the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) 
announcement for each program may be found on the Grants.gov Web site. 
The URL for Grants.gov is http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact the person listed 
within this notice as the information contact under each program.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Applicants must comply with all requirements 
contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity announcement for each of 
the programs listed in this omnibus notice. The FFO announcements are 
available at http://www.grants.gov.
    This notice describes the basic information and requirements for 
competitive grant/cooperative agreement programs offered by NOAA. These 
programs are open to any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria 
provided in each entry. To be considered for an award in a competitive 
grant/cooperative agreement program, an eligible applicant must submit 
a complete and responsive application to the appropriate program 
office. An award is made upon conclusion of the evaluation and 
selection process for the respective program.

Table of Contents

I. Background
II. NOAA Project Competitions Listed by NOAA Mission Goals
III. Electronic Access
IV. NOAA Project Competitions
    National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
    1. Coral Reef Conservation Program Fishery Management Council 
Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 Community-based Marine Debris Removal 
Project Grants
    3. Fiscal Year 2011 Open Rivers Initiative
    4. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (BWET)
    5. NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) 
Program
    6. Fiscal Year 2011 Monkfish Research Set-Aside
    7. Fiscal Year 2011 Scallop Research Set-Aside
    8. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant 
Program (Prescott Grant Program) for Fiscal Year 2011
    9. Protected Species Cooperative Conservation
    10. Bluefin Tuna Research Program
    11. Cooperative Research Program
    12. Fiscal Year 2011 Gulf of Mexico NOAA Bay Watershed Education 
and Training (B-WET) Program
    13. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN)
    National Ocean Service (NOS)
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 Coastal Resilience Networks Program
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Hawaii Program Bay Watershed Education 
and Training (B-WET)
    3. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    4. Coral Reef Conservation Program International Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    5. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) 
Concept of Operations for Models To Support Regional Coastal 
Ecosystem Management
    6. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) 
Pulley Ridge
    7. Harmful Algal Bloom Programs
    8. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and 
Training Program
    9. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed 
Education and Training (B-WET) Program
    10. Coral Reef Conservation Program Domestic Coral Reef 
Conservation Grants
    11. Coral Reef Conservation Program State and Territorial Coral 
Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    12. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research 
Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    13. National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land 
Acquisition and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    National Weather Service (NWS)
    1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research 
(CSTAR) Program
    2. Meteotsunami Warning Project
    Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 Climate Program Office
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS--Sea Grant Fellowships in Population 
Dynamics
    3. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John 
A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    4. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS--Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine 
Resource Economics
    5. Fiscal Year 2011 Small Grants for Marine Archaeological 
Exploration
    6. Fiscal Year 2011 Joint Hurricane Testbed
    Office of the Under Secretary (USEC)
    1. Environmental Literacy Grants for Formal K-12 Education
    2. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative 
Science Centers at Minority Serving Institutions
    National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service 
(NESDIS)
    1. Climate Data Record Program Office for Fiscal Year 2011

I. Background

    Each of the grant opportunities listed in this notice provides: A 
description of the program, funding availability, statutory authority, 
catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number, application 
deadline, address for submitting proposals, information contacts, 
eligibility requirements, cost sharing requirements, and 
intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372.

II. NOAA Project Competitions Listed by NOAA Mission Goals

    This section lists NOAA's mission goals, which are based on the 
NOAA Strategic Plan. All awards issued by NOAA must meet at least one 
of NOAA's mission goals. Below each mission goal statement, you will 
find a list of the fiscal year 2011 project competitions that address 
that mission goal.

A. Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources 
Through an Ecosystem Approach to Management

    Summary Description: NOAA's goal to protect, restore, and manage 
the use of living marine and coastal and ocean resources is critical to 
public health and the vitality of the U.S. economy. With its Exclusive 
Economic Zone of 3.4 million square miles, the United States manages 
the largest marine territory of

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any nation in the world. The value of the ocean economy to the United 
States is more than $138 billion. The value added annually to the 
national economy by the commercial and recreational fishing industry 
alone is over $47 billion. U.S. aquaculture sales total almost $1 
billion annually. To achieve balance among ecological, environmental, 
and social influences, NOAA has adopted an ecosystem approach to 
management, a concept that is central to the recommendations of the 
2004 report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the 
Administration's response to it, the U.S. Ocean Action Plan. NOAA's 
Ecosystems Goal responds to a specific mandate from Congress for NOAA 
to be a lead Federal agency in this conservation, management, and 
restoration effort. Recent statutory revisions (e.g., the Magnuson-
Stevens Reauthorization Act and the Marine Debris Research, Prevention 
and Reduction Act) and emerging legislative changes are broadening this 
mission for NOAA, opening a new chapter in NOAA's stewardship of the 
nation's living marine resources and management of the coasts.
    Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: A 
healthy and productive coastal and marine ecosystem that benefits 
society; and a well-informed public that acts as a steward of coastal 
and marine ecosystems.
    Program Names:
    1. Coral Reef Conservation Program Fishery Management Council Coral 
Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project 
Grants
    3. Fiscal Year 2011 Open Rivers Initiative
    4. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET)
    5. NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) 
Program
    6. Fiscal Year 2011 Monkfish Research Set-Aside
    7. Fiscal Year 2011 Scallop Research Set-Aside
    8. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program 
(Prescott Grant Program) for Fiscal Year 2011
    9. Protected Species Cooperative Conservation
    10. Fiscal Year 2011 Gulf of Mexico NOAA Bay Watershed Education 
and Training (B-WET) Program
    11. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN)
    12. Bluefin Tuna Research Program
    13. Cooperative Research Program
    14. Fiscal Year 2011 Coastal Resilience Networks Program
    15. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Hawaii Program Bay Watershed Education 
and Training (B-WET)
    16. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    17. Coral Reef Conservation Program International Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    18. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) 
Concept of Operations for Models to Support Regional Coastal Ecosystem 
Management
    19. Harmful Algal Bloom Programs
    20. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) 
Pulley Ridge
    21. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and 
Training Program
    22. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed Education 
and Training (B-WET) Program
    23. Coral Reef Conservation Program Domestic Coral Reef 
Conservation Grants
    24. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research 
Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    25. National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land 
Acquisition and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    26. Coral Reef Conservation Program State and Territorial Coral 
Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    27. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population 
Dynamics
    28. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource 
Economics
    29. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John 
A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    30. Fiscal Year 2011 Small Grants for Marine Archaeological 
Exploration
    31. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions

B. Understand Climate Variability and Change To Enhance Society's 
Ability To Plan and Respond

    Summary Description: Climate variability and change influence the 
well-being of society, the environment, and the economy. Numerous long-
term changes in climate already have been observed. The changes include 
those in arctic surface temperatures and sea ice, ocean salinity and 
carbonate chemistry, and frequency and intensity of extreme weather 
such as heat and cold waves, droughts, and floods. Decision makers are 
challenged with addressing major climatic events compounded by issues 
such as population growth, economic growth, public health concerns, 
changes in geographic distribution of marine species, loss of habitat, 
and changes in land-use practices. They require a new generation of 
climate services. Through legislation, executive orders, and 
international agreements, NOAA has a long-standing commitment to 
provide reliable and timely climate research and information. To meet 
the demand for expanded services, the Climate Goal will focus research 
to improve understanding of complex climate processes and to enhance 
the predictive capacity of the global climate system. The Climate 
Goal's priority is to focus on the development and delivery of climate 
information and services that assist decision makers with national and 
international policy decision making, and assessing risks to ecosystems 
and the U.S. economy in sectors and areas that are sensitive to impacts 
from climate variability and change.
    Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: A 
predictive understanding of the global climate system on time scales of 
weeks to decades to a century with quantified uncertainties sufficient 
for making informed and reasoned decisions; and use of NOAA's climate 
products by climate-sensitive sectors and the climate-literate public 
to support their plans and decisions.
    Program Names:
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 Coastal Resilience Networks Program
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Hawaii Program Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET)
    3. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    4. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship 
Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    5. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) 
Program
    6. Fiscal Year 2011 Climate Program Office
    7. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    8. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions
    9. Climate Data Record Program Office for Fiscal Year 2011

C. Serve Society's Needs for Weather and Water Information

    Summary Description: Floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, 
tsunamis, wildfires, and other severe weather events cause $11.4 
billion in damage each year in the United States. Weather is directly 
linked to public

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health and safety, and nearly one-third of the U.S. economy 
(approximately $4 trillion, in 2005 dollars) is sensitive to weather 
and climate. With so much at stake, NOAA's role in understanding, 
observing, forecasting, and warning of environmental events is 
expanding. NOAA will continue to collect and analyze environmental data 
and to issue forecasts and warnings that help protect health, life, and 
property and enhance the U.S. economy. Future needs can be better met 
by exploring new concepts and applications through robust weather and 
water research. A commitment to public benefits shapes NOAA's role 
within the U.S. weather enterprise, including its partners in the 
private sector, academia, and government. These partners add value to 
NOAA services and help disseminate critical environmental information. 
We will work more closely with our partners and will develop new 
partnerships so that the public understands and is satisfied with our 
information. Together, NOAA and its partners will continuously improve 
existing service and expand to support evolving national needs, 
including space weather, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, and air 
quality prediction services.
    Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: 
Reduced loss of life, injury, and damage to the economy; better, 
quicker, and more valuable weather and water information to support 
improved decisions; and increased customer satisfaction with weather 
and water information and services.
    Program Names:
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 Coastal Resilience Networks Program
    2. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Hawaii Program Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET)
    3. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    4. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship 
Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    5. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) 
Program
    6. Meteotsunami Warning Project
    7. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    8. Fiscal Year 2011 Joint Hurricane Testbed
    9. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions

D. Support the Nation's Commerce With Information for Safe, Efficient, 
and Environmentally Sound Transportation

    Summary Description: NOAA responds to the specific demands of air, 
sea, and surface transportation with consistent, timely, and accurate 
information to aid sound and routine operational decision making. All 
modes of transportation are affected by significant challenges as they 
operate in the elements of nature. The natural environment is, in turn, 
affected by our transportation systems. Safe, efficient, and 
environmentally sound transportation systems are crucial to the 
nation's commerce, and thus to the nation's economy. For example, more 
than 78 percent of U.S. overseas trade by weight and 38 percent by 
value comes and goes by ship. Nine million barrels of oil come through 
U.S. ports daily, and 8,000 foreign vessels make 50,000 port calls 
annually. Vessel traffic in the U.S. Marine Transportation System, 
which ships over 95 percent of foreign trade by tonnage, will double by 
2020 and contribute roughly $2 trillion annually to the U.S. economy. 
NOAA provides information products for transportation systems, 
including marine and surface weather forecasts, navigational charts, 
realtime oceanographic information, and Global Positioning System 
augmentation. NOAA works with the Federal Aviation Administration and 
industry to improve the weather resilience of aviation systems. NOAA 
also provides emergency response services to save lives and money and 
to protect the coastal environment, including hazardous material spill 
response and search and rescue functions. NOAA works with federal, 
state, and local partners to ensure the efficient and environmentally 
sound operation and development of ports.
    Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: Safe, 
secure, efficient, and seamless movement of goods and people in the 
U.S. transportation system; and environmentally sound development and 
use of the U.S. transportation system.
    Program Names:
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    2. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) 
Program
    3. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    4. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions

E. Provide Critical Support for NOAA's Mission

    Summary Description: SATELLITE SUBGOAL: Environmental satellites 
are a major component of NOAA's global efforts to better observe, 
understand, and predict various environmental phenomena. The backbone 
of the NOAA satellites includes the Geostationary Operational 
Environmental Satellite (GOES) and Polar-orbiting Operational 
Environmental Satellite (POES) programs. GOES and POES are operated to 
provide critical atmospheric, oceanic, climatic, solar, and space data 
to protect life and property across the United States. The satellites 
carry scientific instruments and communications equipment to support 
the delivery of weather information and aid search and rescue 
operations. NOAA is acquiring the next generation of each satellite 
system, including ground processing systems. In concert with the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), acquisition of 
the next-generation geostationary satellite (GOES-R) series is 
underway. The Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and NOAA are joined 
with industry partners to build the follow-on series of polar orbiting 
satellites, the National Polarorbiting Operational Environmental 
Satellite System. NOAA's satellite systems support other NOAA offices 
in the delivery of improved severe storm warnings, weather forecasts, 
climate predictions, oceanic and ecosystems research and analyses, and 
satellite-aided search and rescue services.
    Fleet Services Subgoal: NOAA operates a fleet of 20 ships and 10 
aircraft to ensure continuous observation of critical environmental 
conditions. The Fleet Services Subgoal manages these platforms to 
increase the number of ship operating days and aircraft flight hours to 
meet NOAA's data collection requirements. It provides ship and aircraft 
support for NOAA's four Mission Goals, upgrades NOAA's fleet of ships 
and aircraft, and partners with the programs to facilitate the 
development, demonstration, and deployment of new observation 
platforms, such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Unmanned Aerial 
Systems.
    Modeling and Observing Infrastructure (MObI) Subgoal: The MObI 
Subgoal's analyses and operational capabilities provide critical 
infrastructure and support for the integrated monitoring and improved 
understanding of the Earth's environment. The subgoal enables NOAA's 
operational forecast products

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and services and provides NOAA a strategic investment portfolio 
recommendation encompassing observing, modeling, and high-performance 
computing capabilities. NOAA's internal forecasting, assessment, and 
stewardship capabilities--as well as the capabilities of partners and 
customers--require integrated oceanic and atmospheric data. 
Furthermore, NOAA's operations require modeling support, high-
performance computing, observing system design and analysis, research 
and development of improved modeling and data assimilation, and 
guidance on the architecture of observation and data management 
systems. MObI also manages the integration of NOAA's observing systems 
and associated data with those of other federal agencies and nations 
under the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which is 
being built by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) on the basis of a 
10-Year Implementation Plan running from 2005 to 2015. GEOSS seeks to 
connect the producers of environmental data and decision-support tools 
with the end users of these products, with the aim of enhancing the 
relevance of Earth observations to global issues. The end result is to 
be a global public infrastructure that generates comprehensive, near-
real-time environmental data, information and analyses for a wide range 
of users.
    Leadership and Corporate Services Subgoal: The Leadership and 
Corporate Services Subgoal strives to produce cost-effective, value-
added solutions in the cross-cutting areas of Line Office and 
Headquarters management, workforce management, acquisition and grants, 
facilities, financial services, Homeland Security, IT, and 
administrative services. This is accomplished by effective and 
strategic leadership at corporate and Line Office levels that optimize 
agency performance and mission accomplishment through streamlined, 
results oriented processes. The development of long-range facility and 
IT modernization plans provides the investment framework to ensure that 
NOAA's facility and IT portfolio will continue to support a safe, 
secure, and state-of-the-art work environment. The development of 
streamlined acquisition and workforce management processes will enable 
NOAA to effectively fulfill its research and scope.
    Funded proposals should help achieve the following outcomes: A 
continuous stream of satellite data and information with the quality 
and accuracy to meet users requirements for spatial and temporal 
sampling and timeliness of delivery; adequate number of ship operating 
days and aircraft flight hours needed to meet NOAA's data collection 
requirements with high customer satisfaction; integrated observing 
system architectures, data management architectures, and computing and 
modeling capabilities to better enable NOAA's mission; a united NOAA 
working together--guided by a clear strategic vision for planning, 
programming, and execution--to achieve NOAA's goals; secure, reliable, 
and robust information flows within NOAA and out to the public; modern 
and sustainable facilities providing safe and effective work 
environment; efficient and effective financial, administrative, and 
acquisition management services; workforce management processes that 
support a diverse and competent workforce; and integrated Homeland 
Security and emergency response capabilities.
    Program Names:
    1. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET)
    2. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship 
Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    3. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    4. Environmental Literacy Grants for Formal K-12 Education
    5. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions

III. Electronic Access

    The full funding announcement for each program is available via the 
Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov. Electronic applications 
for the NOAA Programs listed in this announcement may be accessed, 
downloaded, and submitted to that Web site.
    The due dates and times for paper and electronic submissions are 
identical. NOAA strongly recommends that you do not wait until the 
application deadline to begin the application process through 
Grants.gov. Your application must be received and validated by 
Grants.gov no later than the due date and time. Please Note: Validation 
or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 
business days after your submission. Please consider the Grants.gov 
validation/rejection process in developing your application submission 
time line.

Grants.gov

    Getting started with Grants.gov is easy. Users should note that 
there are two key features on the Web site: Find Grant Opportunities 
and Apply for Grants. The site is designed to support these two 
features and your use of them.
    While you can begin searching for grant opportunities immediately, 
it is recommended that you complete the steps to Get Started (below) 
ahead of time. This will help ensure you are registered with Grants.gov 
and can submit your application when you find an opportunity for which 
you would like to apply.

Applications From Individuals

    In order for you to apply as an individual, the announcement must 
specify that the program is open to individuals and it must be 
published on the Grants.gov Web site. Individuals must register with 
the Credential Provider (see Grants.gov ``Get Started'') and with 
Grants.gov (see Grants.gov ``Get Started''). Individuals do not need a 
DUNS number to register (see Grants.gov ``Get Started'') and submit 
their applications. The system will generate a default value in that 
field.

Grants.gov Registration and Application Submission Procedures

    This section provides the registration and application submission 
instructions for NOAA program applications. Please read the following 
instructions carefully and completely.
    1. Electronic Delivery. NOAA is participating in the Grants.gov 
Initiative that provides the Grant Community a single site to find and 
apply for grant funding opportunities. NOAA encourages applicants to 
submit their applications electronically through: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp.
    2. Registration Process Using Grants.gov.
    The following provides some helpful tips for applicants when 
applying on-line using Grants.gov/Apply.
    a. Instructions. On the site, you will find step-by-step 
instructions which enable you to apply for NOAA funds. The Grants.gov/Apply feature includes a simple, unified application process that makes 
it possible for applicants to apply for grants online. There are six 
``Get Started'' steps to complete at Grants.gov. The information 
applicants need to understand and execute the steps can be found at: 
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. Applicants should 
read the Get Started steps carefully. The site also contains 
registration checklists to help you walk through the process. NOAA 
recommends that you download the checklists and prepare the information 
requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and

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assembling required information before beginning the registration 
process will make the process fast and smooth and save time.
    b. DUNS Requirement. All applicants (except individuals) applying 
for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Dun and Bradstreet 
Universal Data Numbering System (DUNS) number. The DUNS number must be 
included in the data entry field labeled ``Organizational Duns'' on the 
form SF-424. Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number can be found at 
the following Web site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.
    c. Central Contractor Registry. In addition to having a DUNS number 
(as applicable), all applicants applying electronically through 
Grants.gov must register with the Central Contractor Registry. The 
http://www.grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp provides step-by-step instructions for registering 
in the Central Contractor Registry. All applicants filing 
electronically must register with the Central Contractor Registry and 
receive User Name and password from Grants.gov in order to apply on 
line. Failure to register with the Central Contractor Registry will 
result in your application being rejected by the Grants.gov portal.
    The registration process is a separate process from submitting an 
application. Applicants are, therefore, encouraged to register early. 
The registration process can take approximately two weeks to be 
completed. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to 
ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required submission 
deadlines. You will be able to submit your application online anytime 
after you receive your User Name and password from Grants.gov.
    d. Electronic Signature. Applications submitted through Grants.gov 
constitute submission as electronically signed applications. The 
registration and e-authentication process establishes the Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR). When you submit the application 
through Grants.gov, the name of your authorized organization 
representative on file will be inserted into the signature line of the 
application. Applicants must register the individual who is able to 
make legally binding commitments for the applicant organization as the 
Authorized Organization Representative.
    3. Electronic Application Submission Instructions for Grants.gov/Apply:
    Grants.gov has a full set of instructions on how to apply for funds 
on its Web site at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp. The following provides simple guidance on what you will 
find on the Grants.gov/Apply site. Applicants are encouraged to read 
through the page entitled, ``Complete Application Package'' before 
getting started.
    Grants.gov allows applicants to download the application package, 
instructions and forms that are incorporated in the instructions, and 
work off line. In addition to forms that are part of the application 
instructions, there will be a series of electronic forms that are 
provided utilizing an Adobe Reader.


    Note for the Adobe Reader:  Grants.gov is only compatible with 
versions 8.1.1 and above. Please do not use lower versions of the 
Adobe Reader.


    a. Mandatory Fields on Adobe Reader Forms. In the Adobe Reader 
forms you will note fields that appear with a yellow background and red 
outline color. These fields are mandatory and must be completed to 
successfully submit your application.
    b. Completion of SF-424 Fields First. The Adobe Reader forms are 
designed to fill in common required fields such as the applicant name 
and address, DUNS number, etc., on all Adobe Reader electronic forms. 
To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 
information first. Once it is completed the information will transfer 
to the other forms.
    c. Customer Support. The Grants.gov Web site provides customer 
support via (800) 518-4726 (this is a toll-free number) or through e-
mail at [email protected]. The Contact Center is open from 7 a.m. to 9 
p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, to 
address Grants.gov technology issues. For technical assistance to 
program related questions, contact the number listed in the Program 
Section of the program you are applying for.
    4. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Submission.
    a. Electronic Submission. All applications must be received by 
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp by the time and 
due date established for each program. Proof of submission is 
automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic time stamp is 
generated within the system when the application is successfully 
received by Grants.gov. The applicant will receive an acknowledgment of 
receipt and a tracking number from Grants.gov with the successful 
transmission of their application. Applicants should print this receipt 
and save it, along with facsimile receipts for information provided by 
facsimile, as proof of submission. When NOAA successfully retrieves the 
application from Grants.gov, Grants.gov will provide an electronic 
acknowledgment of receipt to the e-mail address of the AOR. Proof of 
submission shall be the date and time that Grants.gov receives your 
application. Applications received by Grants.gov, after the established 
due date for the program will be considered late and will not be 
considered for funding by NOAA. Please Note: Validation or rejection of 
your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
your submission. Please consider the Grants.gov validation/rejection 
process in developing your application submission time line. The most 
common rejection of an application at Grants.gov is because the 
submitter was not authorized by their organization to submit the 
application.
    NOAA suggests that applicants submit their applications during the 
operating hours of the Grants.gov, so that if there are questions 
concerning transmission, operators will be available to walk you 
through the process. Submitting your application during the Contact 
Center hours will also ensure that you have sufficient time for the 
application to complete its transmission prior to the application 
deadline. Applicants using dial-up connections should be aware that 
transmission could take some time before Grants.gov receives it. 
Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received 
transmission message. Grants.gov reports that some applicants abort the 
transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the 
transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to 
process the application. Uploading and transmitting many files, 
particularly electronic forms with associated XML schemas, will take 
some time to be processed.

Evaluation Criteria and Selection Procedures

    NOAA has standardized the evaluation and selection process for its 
competitive assistance programs. There are two separate sets of 
evaluation criteria and selection procedures (see below), one for 
project proposals, and the other for fellowship, scholarship, and 
internship programs.
Project Proposals
    Review and Selection Process. Some project proposals may include a 
pre-application process or submission of

[[Page 41645]]

Letters of Intent that provides for feedback to interested applicants 
on their intended proposal; however, not all programs will include this 
requirement for a pre-application or Letter of Intent. If a program 
requires a pre-application or Letter of Intent, the deadline will be 
specified in the Application Deadline section.
    Upon receipt of a full application by NOAA, an initial 
administrative review will be conducted to determine compliance with 
requirements and completeness of the application. A merit review will 
also be conducted by one mail reviewer and at least three peer review 
panel reviewers to produce a rank order of the proposals. Each reviewer 
will individually evaluate and rank proposals using the Evaluation 
Criteria set forth in this notice.
    The NOAA Program Officer may review the ranking of the proposals 
and make recommendations to the Selecting Official based on the 
administrative and/or merit review(s) and selection factors listed 
below. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering the 
administrative and/or merit review(s) and recommendations of the 
Program Officer. In making the final selections, the Selecting Official 
will award in rank order unless the proposal is justified to be 
selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection 
factors below. The Program Officer and/or Selecting Official may 
negotiate the funding level of the proposal. The Selecting Official 
makes final award recommendations to the Grants Officer authorized to 
obligate the funds.
    Evaluation Criteria. The following criteria will be used to 
evaluate the proposals:
    1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of a proposed 
project to the program goals: This ascertains whether there is 
intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance to NOAA, (other 
than NOAA), regional, state, or local activities.
    2. Technical/scientific merit: This assesses whether the approach 
is technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, 
and whether there are clear project goals and objectives.
    3. Overall qualifications of applicants: This ascertains whether 
the applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training, 
facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project.
    4. Project costs: The project's budget is evaluated to determine if 
it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and timeframe.
    5. Outreach and education: NOAA assesses whether this project 
provides a focused and effective education and outreach strategy 
regarding its mission to protect the Nation's natural resources.
    Selection Factors. The merit review ratings will be used to provide 
a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding 
recommendations. A Program Officer may first make recommendations to 
the Selecting Official applying the selection factors listed below. The 
Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is 
justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of 
the following factors:
    1. Availability of funding.
    2. Balance/distribution of funds:
    a. Geographically,
    b. By type of institutions,
    c. By type of partners,
    d. By research areas, and
    e. By project types.
    3. Whether the project duplicates other projects funded or 
considered for funding by NOAA or other Federal agencies.
    4. Program priorities and policy factors.
    5. Applicant's prior award performance.
    6. Partnerships and/or participation of targeted groups.
    7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA to make a National 
Environmental Policy Act determination and draft necessary 
documentation before funding recommendations are made to the Grants 
Officer.
Fellowship, Scholarship and Internship Programs
    Review and Selection Process. Some fellowship, scholarship and 
internship programs may include a pre-application process that requires 
interested applicants to submit Letters of Intent or pre-proposals; 
however, not all programs will include this pre-application 
requirement. If a program has a pre-application process, the process 
will be described in the Summary Description section of the 
announcement and the deadline will be specified in the Application 
Deadline section.
    Upon receipt of a full application by NOAA, an initial 
administrative review will be conducted to determine compliance with 
requirements and completeness of the application. A merit review will 
also be conducted by one mail reviewer and at least three peer review 
panel reviewers to produce a rank order of the proposals. Each reviewer 
will individually evaluate and rank proposals using the Evaluation 
Criteria set forth in this notice.
    The NOAA Program Officer may review the ranking of the proposals 
and make recommendations to the Selecting Official based on the 
administrative and/or merit review(s) and selection factors listed 
below. The Selecting Official selects proposals after considering the 
administrative and/or merit review(s) and recommendations of the 
Program Officer. In making the final selections, the Selecting Official 
will award in rank order unless the proposal is justified to be 
selected out of rank order based upon one or more of the selection 
factors below. The Program Officer and/or Selecting Official may 
negotiate the funding level of the proposal. The Selecting Official 
makes final award recommendations to the Grants Officer authorized to 
obligate the funds.
    Evaluation Criteria. The following criteria will be used to 
evaluate the proposals:
    1. Academic record and statement of career goals and objectives of 
the student.
    2. Quality of project and applicability to program priorities.
    3. Recommendations and/or endorsements of the student.
    4. Additional relevant experience related to diversity of 
education; extra-curricular activities; honors and awards; and 
interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills.
    5. Financial need of the student.
    Selection Factors. The merit review ratings will be used to provide 
a rank order to the Selecting Official for final funding 
recommendations. A Program Officer may first make recommendations to 
the Selecting Official applying the selection factors listed below. The 
Selecting Official shall award in the rank order unless the proposal is 
justified to be selected out of rank order based upon one or more of 
the following factors:
    1. Availability of funds.
    2. Balance/distribution of funds:
    a. Across academic disciplines,
    b. By types of institutions, and
    c. Geographically.
    3. Program-specific objectives.
    4. Degree in scientific area and type of degree sought.

IV. NOAA Project Competitions

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

1. Coral Reef Conservation Program Fishery Management Council Coral 
Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    Summary Description: The CRCP Fishery Management Council Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements (FMCCRCCA) provides funding to the

[[Page 41646]]

Regional Fishery Management Councils for projects to conserve and 
manage coral reef fisheries, as authorized under the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000. Projects funded through the FMCCRCCA 
competition are for activities that (1) Provide better scientific 
information on the status of coral reef fisheries resources, critical 
habitats of importance to coral reef fishes, and the impacts of fishing 
on these species and habitats; (2) identify new management approaches 
that protect coral reef biodiversity and ecosystem function through 
regulation of fishing and other extractive uses; and (3) incorporate 
conservation and sustainable management measures into existing or new 
fishery management plans for coral reef species. Proposals selected for 
funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a multi-
year cooperative agreement. The role of NOAA in these cooperative 
agreements is to help identify potential projects that reduce impacts 
of fishing on coral reef ecosystems, strengthen the development and 
implementation of the projects, and assist in coordination of these 
efforts with state, territory or commonwealth management authorities 
and various coral reef user groups. Approximately $1,500,000 is 
expected to be available for FMCCRCCA in fiscal year 2011. The NOAA 
Coral Reef Conservation Program anticipates that awards for this 
competition will range from $125,000-$700,000 per a year.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that 
approximately $1,500,000 is expected to be available for cooperative 
agreements in support coral reef conservation activities for the 
FMCCRCCA competition in fiscal year 2011. Actual funding availability 
for this program is contingent upon fiscal year 2011 Congressional 
appropriations. Annual funding is anticipated to maintain the 
cooperative agreements for up to 3 years duration, but this is 
dependent upon the level of funding made available by Congress. The 
CRCP anticipates that typical awards will range from about $125,000 to 
$700,000 for each year; NOAA will not accept proposals for over 
$700,000/year under this solicitation. Each Council may fund one full 
time staff member working exclusively on coral reef conservation for up 
to $125,000/year. Funds for applications approved by NOAA will be 
awarded as new cooperative agreements through the NMFS Office of 
Habitat Conservation (HC). The amount of funding for each award will 
depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of 
funds requested for each project, the merit and ranking of the 
proposals, and the amount of funds made available to the CRCP by 
Congress. The funds have not yet been appropriated for this program, 
and there is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to 
make awards for all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does 
not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any 
available funds.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation 
Grant Program is provided by Section 6403 (Coral Reef Conservation 
Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et 
seq).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.441, 
Regional Fishery Management Councils
    Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted to http://www.grants.gov by 5 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2010 to be considered for 
funding. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time 
receipt indication is included and will be the basis of determining 
timeliness. If Grants.gov cannot be reasonably used due to the 
unavailability of internet access, applications must be postmarked, or 
provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt by 
November 1, 2010. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery 
service after that time will not be accepted for funding. Applications 
submitted via U.S. Postal Service must have an official postmark; 
private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, 
applications received later than 15 business days following the 
postmarked closing date will not be accepted. Please address 
applications sent by mail to: Jennifer Koss, NOAA Coral Reef 
Conservation Program, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Habitat Conservation 
(F/HC), 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. ATTN: Coral 
Reef Conservation Applications. Applicants submitted by mail are 
required to include original signed copies of the financial assistance 
forms. Electronic copies of the project narrative and budget narrative 
are requested with the submission of a paper application. Please submit 
these to [email protected]. There will be no extensions beyond 
these dates. If an application is not submitted through the process 
described above, it will not be reviewed or considered for FY 2011 
funding. All applicants, both electronic and paper, should be aware 
that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for 
delivery of the application. Please Note: Validation or rejection of 
your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper 
application will be received on time, taking into account that 
guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their 
guarantees.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications should be submitted 
via http://www.grants.gov. If Grants.gov cannot be reasonably used, 
applications must postmarked by November 1, 2010. Send to: Jennifer 
Koss, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA Fisheries, Office of 
Habitat Conservation (F/HC), 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910. ATTN: Coral Reef Conservation Applications.
    Information Contacts: Technical point of contact for CRCP Fishery 
Management Council Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements is 
Jennifer Koss, 301-713-4300 or e-mail at [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to the Caribbean 
Fishery Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Western 
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant 
Program (under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (Act) 
of 2000) is subject to the matching fund requirements described below. 
As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Act, funds for any coral conservation 
project funded under this Grant Program may not exceed 50 percent of 
the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral conservation project 
under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 contribution of matching funds. 
As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 
the NOAA Administrator may waive all or part of the matching 
requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the 
following two requirements: 1. No reasonable means are available 
through which an applicant can meet the matching requirement, and 2. 
The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in 
such matching requirement. The CRCP recognizes that the Councils have 
no viable means of meeting the matching requirement 6403(b)(1) as the 
Fishery Management Councils' budgets are composed of entirely federal 
funds. Therefore, the CRCP will waive the matching requirement as per 
section 6403(b)(2).
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this Grant Program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372,

[[Page 41647]]

Intergovernmental Review of Programs. Any applicant submitting an 
application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact established as 
a result of EO 12372. For more information, please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
2. Fiscal Year 2011 Community-Based Marine Debris Removal Project 
Grants
    Summary Description: The NOAA Marine Debris Program, authorized in 
the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPR Act, 
33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.), provides funding to catalyze the 
implementation of locally driven, community-based marine debris 
prevention, assessment and removal projects that will benefit coastal 
habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Funding for this purpose 
comes through the NOAA Marine Debris Program as appropriations to the 
Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service. The funding 
is, in part, administered through a grant competition with the NOAA 
Restoration Center's Community-based Restoration Program. Projects 
awarded through this grant competition have strong on-the-ground 
habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict 
fishing gear, as well as activities that provide social benefits for 
people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological 
habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Through this 
solicitation NOAA identifies marine debris removal projects, 
strengthens the development and implementation of habitat restoration 
through community-based marine debris removal, and fosters awareness of 
the effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living 
marine resource habitats. Successful proposals through this 
solicitation will be funded through a cooperative agreement. Funding of 
up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine 
Debris Removal Project Grants in FY2011. Typical awards will range from 
$15,000 to $150,000.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that funding of 
up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine 
Removal Project Grants in FY2011. Actual funding availability for this 
program is contingent upon Fiscal Year 2011 Congressional 
appropriations. Typical project awards will range from $15,000 to 
$150,000; NOAA will not accept proposals for less than $15,000 or 
proposals for more than $250,000 under this solicitation. There is no 
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for 
all proposals. The number of awards to be made as a result of this 
solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications 
received, the amount of funds requested for initiating marine debris 
removal projects by the applicants, the merit and ranking of the 
proposals, and the amount of funds made available to NOAA by Congress. 
NOAA anticipates that between 10 and 15 awards will be made as a result 
of this solicitation. In FY 2009, the latest year for which information 
is available, 13 applications were funded, ranging from $35,500 to 
$170,000. The total grant funding level was nearly $1 million, which 
was matched by over $1.5 million. The exact amount of funds that may be 
awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the 
applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this document does 
not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or obligate all or any 
part of any available funds.
    Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, 
Habitat Conservation.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or 
before 11:59 p.m. EDT, November 1, 2010. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery 
service after that time will not be considered for funding. 
Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an 
official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any 
event, applications received later than 15 business days following the 
postmark closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic 
mail applications will be accepted. Applications that are aligned with 
Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants that have been 
submitted directly to other NOAA grants programs or as part of another 
NOAA grant may be considered under this solicitation.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA funding 
opportunity, please submit an electronic application to http://www.grants.gov. If the applicant does not have Internet access, a hard 
copy application with the SF-424 bearing an original, ink signature 
(blue ink preferred) must be postmarked, or provided to a delivery 
service and documented with a receipt, by 11:59 p.m. EDT, November 1, 
2010, and sent to: Tom Barry, NOAA Restoration Center (F/HC3), ATTN: 
MDP Project Applications, 1315 East West Highway, Rm. 15864, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: For further information contact Tom Barry 
([email protected], 301-713-0174) or David Landsman or 
([email protected], 301-713-0174).
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, non-profit organizations, commercial (for profit) 
organizations, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign 
governments, international organizations, and state, local and Indian 
tribal governments whose projects have the potential to benefit NOAA 
trust resources. Applications from Federal agencies or employees of 
Federal agencies will not be considered. Interested federal agencies 
are strongly encouraged to work with states, non-governmental 
organizations, national service clubs or youth corps organizations and 
others that are eligible to apply. The Department of Commerce/National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed 
to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and 
universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and 
universities, and institutions that work in under-served areas. NOAA 
encourages proposals involving any of the above institutions.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: A major goal of the NOAA Marine Debris 
Program is to provide seed money to projects that leverage funds and 
other contributions from a broad public and private sector to implement 
locally important marine debris removal activities to benefit living 
marine resources. To this end, the MDRPR Act requires applicants to 
provide a minimum 1:1 ratio of matching contributions to NOAA funds 
requested to conduct the proposed project. In addition to formal match, 
NOAA strongly encourages applicants to leverage as much additional 
investment as possible. Match can come from a variety of public and 
private sources and can include in-kind goods and services such as 
private boat use and volunteer labor. To meet the 1:1 match 
requirement, applicants are permitted to combine contributions from 
non-Federal partners, as long as such contributions are not being used 
to match any other funds and are available within the project period 
stated in the application. Federal sources cannot be considered for 
matching funds, but can be

[[Page 41648]]

described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. 
Applicants are also permitted to apply federally negotiated indirect 
costs in excess of federal share limits as described in Section IV.E.2. 
``Indirect Costs'' for the FFO announcement. However, if the match 
requirement cannot be met, the MDRPR Act allows the Administrator to 
waive all or part of the matching requirement if the applicant can 
demonstrate that: (1) No reasonable means are available through which 
applicants can meet the matching requirement, and, (2) the probable 
benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in such matching 
requirement. To request this match waiver, the applicant must provide a 
match waiver request and detailed justification at the time the 
proposal is submitted explaining the need for the waiver. This 
explanation must include descriptions of attempts to obtain sources of 
matching funds, how the benefit of the project outweighs the public 
interest in providing match, and any other extenuating circumstances 
preventing the incorporation or local availability of match. The MDRPR 
Act also allows the Administrator to authorize, as appropriate, the 
non-federal share of the cost of a project to include money paid 
pursuant to, or the value of any in-kind service performed under, an 
administrative order on consent or judicial consent decree that will 
remove or prevent marine debris. In addition, under 48 U.S.C. 
10.1469a(d), any department or agency may waive any requirement for 
matching funds otherwise required by law to be provided by an Insular 
Area (defined here as the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Notwithstanding 
any other provisions herein, and in accordance with 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d), 
the Marine Debris Program may waive any requirement for local matching 
funds to Insular Areas. Eligible applicants choosing to apply the 
waiver in 48 U.S.C. 1469a(d) must include a letter requesting a waiver 
that demonstrates that their project meets the requirements of 48 
U.S.C. 1469a(d). However, if available, the inclusion of matching 
contributions is encouraged. All applicants should note that cost 
sharing is an element considered in Evaluation Criterion 4, 
``Project Costs.'' Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding 
will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award 
document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Successful applicants 
should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, 
including the names of participating volunteers and the overall number 
of volunteer or community participation hours devoted to individual 
marine debris removal projects. Letters of commitment for any secured 
resources expected to be used as match for an award should be submitted 
as an attachment to the application.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Programs.'' Any state or local government 
submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 
on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact 
(SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and 
comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and 
phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of 
Management and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
3. Fiscal Year 2011 Open Rivers Initiative
    Summary Description: The NOAA Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) provides 
funding and technical assistance to catalyze the implementation of 
locally-driven projects to remove dams and other river barriers, in 
order to benefit living marine and coastal resources, particularly 
diadromous fish. Projects funded through the Open Rivers Initiative 
must feature strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that 
foster economic, educational, and social benefits for citizens and 
their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat 
improvements for NOAA trust resources. Proposals selected for funding 
through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative 
agreement. Funding of up to $6,000,000 is expected to be available for 
ORI Project Grants in FY 2011. The NOAA Restoration Center within the 
Office of Habitat Conservation will administer this grant initiative, 
and anticipates that typical awards will range from $200,000 to 
$750,000. Although a select few may fall outside of this range, project 
proposals requesting less than $100,000 or greater than $3,000,000 will 
not be accepted or reviewed.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that funding of 
up to $6,000,000 is expected to be available for Open Rivers Initiative 
Project Grants in FY 2011. Actual funding availability for this program 
is contingent upon Fiscal Year 2011 Congressional appropriations. NOAA 
anticipates that typical project awards will range from $200,000 to 
$750,000; proposals requesting less than $100,000 or more than 
$3,000,000 will not be accepted under this solicitation. NOAA does not 
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for 
all proposals. The number of awards to be made as a result of this 
solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications 
received, the amount of funds requested by the applicants, the merit 
and ranking of the proposals, and the amount of funds made available to 
the ORI by Congress. NOAA anticipates that between 10 and 15 awards 
will be made as a result of this solicitation. The exact amount of 
funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations 
between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this 
document does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project or 
obligate all or any parts of any available funds.
    Statutory Authority: The Secretary of Commerce is authorized under 
the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by 
the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, to provide grants or cooperative 
agreements for fisheries habitat restoration. The Secretary of Commerce 
is also authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 5946) to provide funding 
and technical expertise for fisheries and coastal habitat restoration 
and to promote significant community support and volunteer 
participation in such activities.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, 
Habitat Conservation.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11:59 
p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 17, 2010. Note: It may 
take http://www.grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or 
reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your 
submission timeline. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must 
be documented with a receipt. Applications received later than 15 
business days following the postmark closing date will not be accepted. 
No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. See 
Section IV.F. ``Other Submission Requirements'' of the FFO announcement 
for complete mailing information.

[[Page 41649]]

    Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA funding 
opportunity, please submit an electronic application to http://www.grants.gov. If Grants.gov cannot be used, a hard copy application 
with the SF424 signed in ink (blue ink is preferred) must be postmarked 
or provided to a delivery service and documented with a receipt by 
November 17, 2010 and sent to: NOAA Restoration Center (F/HC3), Office 
of Habitat Conservation, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, Rm. 
15749, Silver Spring, MD 20910, ATTN: Open Rivers Initiative Project 
Applications. Applications postmarked or provided to a delivery service 
after November 17, 2010 will not be considered for funding. 
Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must have an 
official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any 
event, applications received later than 15 business days following the 
postmark closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic 
mail applications will be accepted. Paper applications should be 
printed on one side only, on 8.5'' x 11'' paper, and should not be 
bound in any manner.
    Information Contacts: For further information contact Tisa Shostik 
([email protected]) at (301) 713-0174 x184 or Cathy Bozek 
([email protected]) at (301) 713-0174 x150. Potential applicants are 
invited to contact NOAA Restoration Center staff before submitting an 
application to discuss the applicability of project ideas to the goals 
and objectives of ORI. Additional information on the ORI can be found 
on http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, non-profits, industry and commercial (for profit) 
organizations, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign 
governments, international organizations, and state, local and Indian 
tribal governments whose projects have the potential to benefit NOAA 
trust resources. Applications from Federal agencies or employees of 
Federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly 
encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations, 
national service clubs or youth corps organizations and others entities 
that are eligible to apply. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to 
broadening the participation of historically black colleges and 
universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and 
universities, and institutions that work in under-served areas. The ORI 
encourages proposals from or involving any of the above institutions.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: A major goal of the ORI is to provide 
seed money for projects that leverage funds and other contributions 
from a broad public and private sector to implement locally important 
barrier removals to benefit living marine and coastal resources. To 
this end, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate a 1:1 non-federal 
match for ORI funds requested to conduct the proposed project. 
Applicants with less than 1:1 match will not be disqualified, however, 
applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in 
Evaluation Criterion 4 ``Project Costs'' (Section V.A.4. 
located in the FFO announcement). Match to NOAA funds can come from a 
variety of public and private sources and can include in-kind goods and 
services and volunteer labor. Applicants are permitted to combine 
contributions from non-federal partners, as long as such contributions 
are not being used to match any other federal funds and are available 
within the project period stated in the application. Those sources 
cannot be considered for matching funds, but can be described in the 
budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are 
also permitted to apply federally negotiated indirect costs in excess 
of Federal share limits as described in Section IV.E.2.''Indirect 
Costs'' in the FFO announcement. Applicants whose proposals are 
selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing 
reflected in the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. 
Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching 
contributions, including the overall number of volunteers and in-kind 
participation hours devoted to individual barrier removal projects. 
Letters of commitment for any secured resources that will be used as 
match for an award under this solicitation should be submitted as an 
attachment to the application, see Section IV.B. of the FFO 
announcement.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this initiative are 
subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental 
Review of Programs.'' Any applicant submitting an application for 
funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance 
by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of 
E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply with a State's process under 
E.O. 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating 
SPOC's are listed on the Office of Management and Budget's home page 
at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
4. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (BWET)
    Summary Description: B-WET Chesapeake is a competitive grant 
program that supports existing, high quality environmental education 
programs, fosters the growth of new, innovative programs, and 
encourages capacity building and partnership development for 
environmental education programs throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay 
watershed. Successful projects advance the goals of the NOAA Education 
Strategic Plan and Citizen Stewardship components of Chesapeake Bay 
Executive Order by providing hands-on environmental education about 
issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed for students, related 
professional development for teachers, and/or capacity building for 
watershed education. These Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences 
(MWEEs) integrate field experiences with classroom activities and 
instruction in NOAA-related content.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that 
approximately $3.5M may be available in FY 2011 in award amounts to be 
determined by the proposals and available funds. Funding is anticipated 
to maintain partnerships for up to 3 years duration, but is dependent 
on funding made available annually by Congress. The NCBO anticipates 
that typical awards for B-WET will range from $50,000 to $200,000 
annually. Applications with budgets in which the total share requested 
from NOAA for all years of the project is more than $675,000 or less 
than $150,000 for the direct and indirect costs of the proposed project 
will not be considered for review. Projects requesting less than 
$50,000 annually or more than $225,000 annually will not be considered 
for review. No single organization (as determined by tax identification 
number) is eligible to receive more than 10% of the funds awarded in 
any given year. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be 
available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount 
of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award 
negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. 
Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific 
project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any 
costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not 
being reimbursed by the government.

[[Page 41650]]

Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award 
costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when 
the award is made. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have 
not yet been appropriated for this program.
    Statutory Authority: Under 33 U.S.C. 893a(a), the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to 
conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal 
educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and 
understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science 
and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, 
including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and 
policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall 
build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.457, 
Chesapeake Bay Studies
    Application Deadline: Proposals must be received and validated by 
Grants.gov on or before 11:59 p.m. EDT or received (not postmarked) by 
mail or in person by 5 p.m. EDT on October 15, 2010. Hard copies and 
electronic submissions received after the deadline will not be 
considered for funding. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your 
application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA funding 
opportunity, please submit an electronic application to http://www.grants.gov. If the applicant does not have Internet access, a hard 
copy may be submitted to: NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; 410 Severn 
Avenue, Suite 107A, Annapolis, MD 21403.
    Information Contacts: Please visit the B-WET Web site for further 
information at: http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/b-wet.html or contact 
Kevin Schabow, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office; 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 
107A, Annapolis, MD 21403, or by phone at 410-295-3145, or fax to 410-
267-5666, or via internet at [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent 
schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, 
community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government 
agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments in the 
Chesapeake Bay watershed. For-profit organizations, foreign 
institutions, foreign organizations and foreign government agencies are 
not eligible to apply. Federal agencies are not eligible to receive 
assistance under this announcement, but may be project partners. The 
Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of 
historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving 
institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that 
work in underserved areas. The NCBO encourages proposals involving any 
of the above institutions.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program, however, the NCBO strongly encourages applicants to match 
federal funds with at least 25% in non-federal funds. Funds from other 
sources may not be considered matching funds. The nature of the 
contribution (cash versus in-kind) and the amount of matching funds 
will be taken into consideration in the review process with preference 
given to proposals that have a cash match.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
5. NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) 
Program
    Summary Description: NOAA B-WET is an environmental education 
program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-
12 environment. A funded project provides meaningful watershed 
educational experiences for students, related professional development 
for teachers, and helps to support regional education and environmental 
priorities in New England.
    Funding Availability: It is anticipated that approximately $300,000 
will be available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 for new awards. NOAA 
anticipates making approximately 2 to 5 new awards during FY 2011. NOAA 
will consider only projects with duration of 1 to 3 years. The total 
amount that may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed $80,000 per 
year and $240,000 for all years of the proposed project. The minimum 
amount that must be requested from NOAA for one year is $10,000 and for 
all years is $30,000. Applications requesting support from NOAA of less 
than $10,000 for one year or more than $80,000 per year and $240,000 
total for the duration of the project will not be considered for 
funding. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available 
to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds 
that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations 
between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this 
notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to 
obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an 
award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed 
by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may 
have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover 
pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the 
terms when the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: Under 33 U.S.C. 893a(a), the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to 
conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal 
educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and 
understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science 
and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, 
including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and 
policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall 
build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.469, 
Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects
    Application Deadline: The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), October 8, 2010. Applications submitted 
through Grants.gov will produce an automated receipt that provides the 
date and time of submission. Hard copy applications will be hand 
stamped with time and date when received in the NOAA Fisheries, 
Northeast Regional Office (Attn: New England B-WET Program). Note that 
late-arriving hard copy applications provided to a delivery service on 
or before 5 p.m., EDT October 8, 2010 will be accepted for review if 
the applicant can document that the application was provided to the 
guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time, and 
if the proposals are received NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Regional Office 
by 5 p.m., EDT, no later than 3 business days following the closing 
date. Applicants are recommended to send hard copies via expedited 
shipping methods (e.g., Airborne Express, DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.). No e-
mail and/or facsimile pre-proposals and/or full applications will be 
accepted. Applications that are late or are received

[[Page 41651]]

by fax or e-mail will not be considered for review. Please Note: 
Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up 
to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. Paper applicants should allow 
adequate time to ensure a paper application will be received on time, 
taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always 
able to fulfill their guarantees.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Submissions of electronic 
applications are strongly encouraged and should be submitted to: http://www.grants.gov/. If the applicant does not have Internet access, paper 
applications may be submitted to: New England B-WET Program, NOAA 
Fisheries, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2276.
    Paper application packages are available on the NOAA Grants 
Management Web site at: http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/grants/forms.cfm. 
If the applicant has difficulty accessing Grants.gov or downloading the 
required forms from the NOAA Web site, the applicant should contact: 
Kathi Rodrigues, New England B-WET Program Manager, by phone at 978-
281-9324 or e-mail at: [email protected].
    Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system prior to 
submitting an application. This registration process can take several 
weeks and involves multiple steps. In order to allow sufficient time 
for this process, you should register as soon as you decide to apply, 
even if you are not yet ready to submit your proposal. If an applicant 
has problems downloading the application forms from Grants.gov, contact 
Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or [email protected]. 
For non-Windows computer systems, please see http://www.grants.gov/MacSupport for information on how to download and submit an application 
through Grants.gov.
    Information Contacts: Kathi Rodrigues, New England B-WET Program 
Manager, NOAA, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2276, or 
via e-mail at [email protected]. Questions about this 
opportunity may also be directed to Bronwen Rice, B-WET National 
Coordinator, by phone at 202-482-6797 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent 
schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, 
community-based and non-profit organizations, state or local government 
agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. The 
Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of 
underrepresented groups such as historically black colleges and 
universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and 
universities, and institutions that service underserved areas. 
Participation by these groups and institutions will be taken into 
consideration during review. While applicants do not need to be from 
the targeted geographical region specified in the program objectives 
(i.e., the New England states), they work with target audiences in 
these areas.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program, however, the NOAA B-WET Program strongly encourages applicants 
include a 25% or higher match. Funds from other awards may not be 
considered matching funds. The nature of the contribution (cash vs. in-
kind) and the amount of matching funds will be taken into consideration 
during the review process. Priority selection is given to proposals 
that propose cash rather than in-kind services.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''
6. Fiscal Year 2011 Monkfish Research Set-Aside
    Summary Description: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NMFS) is soliciting monkfish research proposals to utilize 500 
Monkfish Days-at-Sea (DAS) that have been set-aside by the New England 
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) to fund 
monkfish research endeavors through the 2011 Monkfish Research Set-
Aside (RSA) Program. No funds are provided for research under this 
notification. Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of monkfish 
harvested during a set-aside DAS is used to fund research activities 
and compensate vessels that participate in research activities and/or 
harvest set-aside quota. Projects funded under the Monkfish RSA Program 
must enhance the knowledge of the monkfish fishery resource or 
contribute to the body of information on which monkfish management 
decisions are made. Priority will be given to monkfish research 
proposals that investigate research priorities identified by the 
Councils and detailed under the Program Priorities section of the FFO 
announcement.
    Funding Availability: DAS will be awarded to successful applicants. 
No funds are provided for research under this notification. Funds 
generated from landings harvested and sold under the Monkfish RSA 
Program shall be used to cover the cost of research activities, 
including vessel costs. For example, the funds may be used to pay for 
gear modifications, monitoring equipment, the salaries of research 
personnel, or vessel operation costs. The Government is not liable for 
any costs incurred by the researcher or vessel owner should the sale of 
catch not fully reimburse the researcher or vessel owner for their 
expenses. Any additional funds generated through the sale of set-aside 
landings, above the cost of the research activities, shall be retained 
by the vessel owner as compensation for the use of his/her vessel. The 
Government (i.e., NMFS) may issue an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP), if 
needed, that may provide special fishing privileges in response to 
research proposals selected under this program. For example, in 
previous years, some successful applicants have requested, and were 
granted, exemption from monkfish DAS possession limits to make 
compensation fishing more efficient and cost effective. In such cases, 
applicants were authorized to harvest a maximum amount of monkfish by 
weight, or fish up to the number of awarded monkfish DAS, whichever 
came first. To obtain such an exemption, an EFP application must be 
submitted to the Northeast Regional Office, NMFS. Please be aware that 
EFP applications are reviewed on a case by case basis, and may be 
disapproved. For additional information contact Ryan Silva, Cooperative 
Research Liaison, at 978-281-9326, or [email protected]. Projects may 
not have more than 50 vessels authorized to conduct compensation 
fishing at any given time, unless sufficient rationale can demonstrate 
that more than 50 vessels are needed. In addition, principal 
investigators and project coordinators should be aware that it may take 
NMFS up to 4 weeks to process requests to revise the list of vessels 
that are authorized to conduct compensation fishing.
    Statutory Authority: Statutory authority for this program is found 
under sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and 404(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 
U.S.C. 1881a(e), and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c), respectively. The ability to 
set aside monkfish DAS for research purposes was established in the 
final rule implementing Amendment 2 to the Monkfish FMP, (70 FR 21927,

[[Page 41652]]

April 28, 2005), codified at 50 CFR 648.92(c).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, 
Unallied Management Projects.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EST on August 30, 2010. Please Note: 
Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up 
to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted, and date 
recorded when they are received in the program office. Electronic or 
hard copies received after the deadline will not be considered, and 
hard copy applications will be returned to the sender. Mark hard copy 
proposals ``Attention-2011 Monkfish Research Set Aside Program.''
    Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA funding 
opportunity, please submit an electronic application at http://www.grants.gov, and use the following funding opportunity 
NMFS-NEFSC-2010-2001980. Applicants without Internet access 
may submit paper applications to: Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, by 
phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail 
[email protected].
    Information Contacts: Information may be obtained from Paul Howard, 
Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), by 
phone 978-465-0492, or by fax 978-465-3116; Philip Haring, Senior 
Fishery Analyst, NEFMC, by phone 978-465-0492, or by e-mail at 
[email protected]; or Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science 
Center, phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail 
[email protected], or from Ryan Silva, NMFS, Northeast Regional 
Office, Cooperative Research Liaison, phone (978) 281-9326, fax (978) 
281-9326, e-mail [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, 
institutions of higher education, hospitals, other nonprofits, 
commercial organizations, individuals, state, local, and Native 
American tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are not 
eligible to receive assistance under this notice. Additionally, 
employees of any agency or Regional Fishery Management Council 
(Council) are ineligible to submit an application under this program. 
However, Council members who are not employees may submit an 
application. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and 
encourages women and minority individuals and groups to submit 
applications to the RSA program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly 
committed to broadening the participation of historically black 
colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal 
colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved 
areas. DOC/NOAA encourages proposals involving any of the above 
institutions. DOC/NOAA encourages applications from members of the 
fishing community and applications that involve fishing community 
cooperation and participation.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None required.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applicants will need to determine if 
their State participates in the intergovernmental review process. This 
information can be found at the following Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. This information will assist 
applicants in providing either a Yes or No response to Item 16 of the 
Application Form, SF-424, entitled ``Application for Assistance.''
7. Fiscal Year 2011 Scallop Research Set-Aside
    Summary Description: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NMFS) is soliciting Atlantic Sea Scallop (scallop) research proposals 
to utilize scallop Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and Days-at-Sea (DAS) 
that have been set-aside by the New England Fishery Management Council 
(Council) to fund scallop research endeavors through the 2011 Atlantic 
Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program (March 1, 2011-February 
29, 2012). No funds are provided for research under this notification. 
Rather, proceeds generated from the sale of scallops harvested under a 
set-aside quota are used to fund research activities and compensate 
vessels that participate in research activities and/or harvest set-
aside quota. Projects funded under the Scallop RSA Program must enhance 
the knowledge of the scallop fishery resource or contribute to the body 
of information on which scallop management decisions are made. Priority 
will be given to scallop research proposals that investigate research 
priorities identified by the Council, which are detailed under the 
Program Priorities section of this announcement.
    Funding Availability: Applicants must submit a budget that is based 
solely on monetary needs, which includes funds necessary to execute the 
research plan and funds necessary to compensate vessel owners 
harvesting set-aside quota. Upon project selection, NMFS will negotiate 
with successful applicants on the specific TAC and/or DAS award. 
Priority will be given primarily to the higher technically ranked 
proposal, although additional factors such as individual project needs 
and cost effectiveness may be considered during negotiations. NMFS will 
establish a common DAS catch rate and scallop price estimate, based on 
the best and most recent data available, to determine the amount of 
set-aside necessary to cover research and compensation fishing 
expenses. If a desired set-aside quota has been fully utilized by 
another applicant, TAC and/or DAS will be awarded from a different set-
aside quota. Once all the TAC and/or DAS set-aside quotas have been 
awarded, or all qualified proposals have been funded, whichever occurs 
first, the selection process will end. No funds are provided for 
research under this notification. Funds generated from landings 
harvested and sold under the Scallop RSA Program shall be used to cover 
the cost of research activities, including vessel costs. For example, 
the funds may be used to pay for gear modifications, monitoring 
equipment, the salaries of research personnel, or vessel operation 
costs. The Government is not liable for any costs incurred by the 
researcher or vessel owner should the sale of catch not fully reimburse 
the researcher or vessel owner for their expenses. Any additional funds 
generated through the sale of set-aside landings, above the cost of the 
research activities, shall be retained by the vessel owner as 
compensation for the use of his/her vessel. The government (i.e., NMFS) 
will issue Letters of Authorization to eligible vessels identified by 
the Project Coordinator, which authorize such vessels to take access 
area and DAS compensation fishing trips, and exceed the vessels' normal 
scallop possession limit. Projects may not have more than 50 vessels 
authorized to conduct compensation fishing at any given time, unless 
sufficient rationale can demonstrate that more than 50 vessels are 
needed. In addition, principal investigators and project coordinators 
should be aware that it may take NMFS up to 4 weeks to process requests 
to revise the list of vessels that are authorized to conduct 
compensation fishing.
    Statutory Authority: Statutory authority for this program is 
provided under sections 303(b)(11), 402(e), and 404(c) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16

[[Page 41653]]

U.S.C. 1853(b)(11), 16 U.S.C. 1881a(e), and 16 U.S.C. 1881(c), 
respectively. The ability to set aside scallop TAC and DAS is 
authorized through the scallop FMP 69FR 35193 (June 23, 2004) and 
implementing regulations at 50 CFR part 648 subpart D.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, 
Unallied Management Projects
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EST on August 30, 2010. Please Note: 
Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up 
to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted, and date 
recorded when they are received in the program office. Electronic or 
hard copies received after the deadline will not be considered, and 
hard copy applications will be returned to the sender. Mark hard copy 
proposals ``Attention-2011 Scallop Research Set Aside Program.''
    Address for Submitting Proposals: To apply for this NOAA funding 
opportunity, please submit an electronic application at http://www.grants.gov, and use the following funding opportunity 
NMFS-NEFSC-2011-2002691. Applicants without Internet access 
may submit paper applications to: Cheryl Corbett, NMFS, Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, by 
phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-495-2004, or e-mail 
[email protected].
    Information Contacts: Information may be obtained from Deirdre 
Boelke, New England Fishery Management Council, phone (978) 465-0492, 
fax (978) 465-3116, or e-mail [email protected], from Cheryl Corbett, 
NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, phone 508-495-2070, fax 508-
495-2004, or e-mail [email protected], or from Ryan Silva, NMFS, 
Northeast Regional Office, phone (978) 281-9326, fax (978) 281-9135, e-
mail [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, 
institutions of higher education, hospitals, other nonprofits, 
commercial organizations, individuals, state, local, and Native 
American tribal governments. Federal agencies and institutions are not 
eligible to receive assistance under this notice. Additionally, 
employees of any agency or Regional Fishery Management (RFM) Council 
are ineligible to submit an application under this program. However, 
RFM Council members who are not employees may submit an application. 
DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women 
and minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the RSA 
program. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the 
participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic 
serving institutions, tribal colleges, and universities, and 
institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages 
proposals involving any of the above institutions. DOC/NOAA encourages 
applications from members of the fishing community and applications 
that involve fishing community cooperation and participation.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None required.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applicants will need to determine if 
their State participates in the intergovernmental review process. This 
information can be found at the following Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. This information will assist 
applicants in providing either a Yes or No response to Item 16 of the 
Application Form, SF-424, entitled ``Application for Assistance.''
8. John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program 
(Prescott Grant Program) for Fiscal Year 2011
    Summary Description: The NMFS Marine Mammal Health and Stranding 
Response Program is charged under the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
(MMPA) with facilitating the collection and dissemination of reference 
data on stranded marine mammals and health trends of marine mammal 
populations in the wild. The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue 
Assistance Grant Program is conducted by NOAA to provide assistance to 
eligible members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network to: 
(1) Support basic needs of organizations for response, treatment, and 
data collection from living and dead stranded marine mammals, (2) fund 
scientific research objectives designed to answer questions about 
marine mammal strandings, health, or rehabilitation techniques 
utilizing data from living and dead stranded marine mammals, and (3) 
support facility operations directly related to the recovery, 
treatment, and data collection from living and dead stranded marine 
mammals. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in 
fiscal year (FY) 2011 and how NMFS will determine which proposals will 
be funded. This document should be read in its entirety, as some 
information has changed from the previous year.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that 
approximately $4,000,000 may be available for distribution under the FY 
2011 annual competitive Prescott Grant Program. Applicants are hereby 
given notice that these funds have not yet been appropriated for this 
program. Therefore, exact dollar amounts cannot be given. There is no 
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for 
all qualified projects. The maximum award for each grant cannot exceed 
$100,000, as is stated in the legislative language (16 U.S.C. 1421f-1). 
Funds may be set aside from the annual appropriation to provide for 
emergency assistance awards to eligible stranding network participants. 
These emergency funds will be available until expended. There is no 
limit on the number of proposals that can be submitted by the same 
stranding network participant during the FY2011 competitive grant 
cycle. However, stranding network participants will receive no more 
than two awards per year as part of the competitive program. The two 
awards must be for completely independent projects that are clearly 
separate in their objectives, goals, and budget requests and must be 
successful in the competitive review process. Eligible researchers 
applying as Principal Investigators, but not independently authorized 
under MMPA Section 112(c), MMPA Section 109(h) (50 CFR 216.22), or the 
National Contingency Plan for Response to Marine Mammal Unusual 
Mortality Events, can only receive one award per year as part of the 
competitive cycle. Authorized stranding network participants and 
researchers may be identified as Co-Investigators or collaborators on 
as many proposals as needed as long as no more than 100 percent of 
their time is funded through the Prescott Grant Program. In addition, 
Department of Commerce (DOC) and Department of Interior (DOI) employees 
may act as collaborators if they are responsible for performing 
analyses on data or samples collected under a Prescott award. See 
section I.F. of the FFO announcement for more information on 
Eligibility requirements. Publication of this notice does not oblige 
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. 
If an application for a financial assistance award is selected for 
funding, NOAA/NMFS has no obligation to provide any additional funding 
in connection with that award in subsequent years beyond the award

[[Page 41654]]

period. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award 
agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, the applicant would do 
so solely at their own risk of these costs not being included under the 
award. Notwithstanding any verbal or written assurance that applicants 
have received, pre-award costs are not allowed under the award unless 
the Grants Officer approves them in accordance with 15 CFR 14.28.
    Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1421 f-1.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.439, 
Marine Mammal Data Program.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or 
before 11:59 p.m. EDT, October 5, 2010. Applications submitted through 
Grants.gov are automatically stamped with the date and time of 
submission and will be the basis of determining timeliness. For 
applications submitted through Grants.gov, there will be two automated 
e-mail receipts sent to the application submitter with the date and 
time of submission. The first e-mail confirms receipt of the 
application. The second e-mail confirms that there are no errors with 
the application submission and that it has been forwarded to NOAA for 
further processing. If both e-mail confirmation receipts are not 
provided within two (2) days of application submission, contact the 
Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726 and Sarah Howlett, at 
[email protected]. Please Note: It may take Grants.gov up to two 
(2) business days to validate or reject the application. Please 
consider this process in developing your submission timeline. 
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all required elements have 
been appropriately submitted. Applications received after the deadline 
will be rejected without further consideration. Use of U.S. mail or 
another delivery service for hard copy applications must be documented 
with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be 
accepted.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Electronic applications must be 
submitted to Grants.gov. If the applicant does not have Internet 
access, paper applications may be submitted to: Prescott Grant Program, 
NOAA/NMFS/Office of Protected Resources (F/PR), 1315 East-West Highway, 
Room 13620, Silver Spring, MD 20910
    Information Contacts: The points of contact are: Michelle Ordono 
and Sarah Howlett, Prescott Grant Program, NOAA/NMFS/Office of 
Protected Resources (F/PR), 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13620, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910; Phone: (301) 713-2322; or e-mail at 
[email protected] or [email protected].
    Eligibility: All eligible applicants must currently be an active, 
authorized participant or researcher in the National Marine Mammal 
Stranding Network. Eligible applicants must be: (1) Stranding Agreement 
(SA) holders or their designee organizations; (2) holders of researcher 
authorization letters issued by a NMFS Regional Administrator; or (3) 
an eligible state, or local government personnel or tribal personnel 
(pursuant to MMPA Section 109(h) (16 U.S.C. 1379(h)). An applicant 
cannot be a current full- or part-time employee or contractor of DOC or 
DOI.
    In Good Standing Criteria. All eligible applicants must meet the 
following in good standing criteria: a. If the applicant is a 
designated Principal Investigator of an MMPA and/or Endangered Species 
Act (ESA) scientific research or enhancement permit holder, the 
applicant must have fulfilled all permit requirements. The applicant 
must not have any pending or outstanding enforcement actions under the 
MMPA or ESA. b. The applicant must have complied with the terms and 
responsibilities of the appropriate SA, MMPA Section 109(h) 
authorization, or researcher authorization letter. This includes, but 
is not limited to: (1) Completion of all reporting requirements; (2) 
cooperation with state, local, and officials; (3) cooperation with 
state and local officials in the disposition of stranded marine 
mammals; and (4) cooperation with other stranding network participants. 
c. The applicant must have cooperated in a timely manner with NMFS in 
collecting and submitting Level B and Level C data and samples, when 
requested. d. The applicant must not have any current enforcement 
investigation for the take of marine mammals contrary to MMPA/ESA 
regulations. e. The applicant must not have any pending NMFS notice of 
violation(s) regarding the policies governing the goals and operations 
of the Stranding Network and SA, if applicable (e.g., probation, 
suspension, or termination).
    Category Specific Criteria. All eligibility criteria specified for 
the participant's category must be met in order for a proposal to be 
considered for funding. Organizations and individuals must meet the 
following eligibility criteria specific to their category of 
participation:
    a. SA Holder Participant or SA Designee Participant: SA 
participants must be holding a current, active SA for stranding 
response and/or rehabilitation from a NMFS Regional Administrator or 
the Assistant Administrator. SA Designee participants must be holding a 
current, active letter of designation from a NMFS SA holder. Designees 
cannot request authorization for activities beyond the scope of what is 
authorized by the SA to the agreement holder.
    b. Researcher Participant: Researcher participants must be holding 
a current, active authorizing letter for the proposed award period from 
the appropriate NMFS Regional Administrator or the Assistant 
Administrator to salvage stranded marine mammal specimens and parts or 
samples there for the purpose of utilization in scientific research (50 
CFR 216.22). Persons authorized to salvage dead marine mammal specimens 
under this section must register the salvage with the appropriate NMFS 
Regional Office within 30 days after the taking occurs. Researchers who 
are authorized under an MMPA/ESA Scientific Research Permit must still 
obtain an authorizing letter from the Regional Stranding Coordinator in 
order to use parts or specimens from stranded animals. Researcher 
participants that would not require an authorizing letter from the NMFS 
Regional Administrator (i.e., they will be working with data only and 
not possessing samples or specimens) must still provide a letter of 
eligibility from the Regional Stranding Coordinator (see IV.B.8 of the 
FFO announcement). Researcher participants must also have designated 
Co-Investigator(s) that are active NMFS authorized stranding network 
participants in good standing, and provide documentation to this 
effect.
    c. State, Local, Government Employees or Tribal Participants: State 
and local government officials or employees participating pursuant to 
MMPA Section 109(h) (16 U.S.C. 1379(h)) for marine mammal species not 
listed under the ESA must fulfill reporting obligations outlined in 50 
CFR 216.22. Government officials must be involved in areas of 
geographic need (i.e., municipality or larger region with no existing 
SA holder).
    Letter of Eligibility. All applicants must submit a letter of 
eligibility issued by the appropriate NMFS Regional Stranding 
Coordinator (or NMFS Regional Office). This letter is required in order 
to be considered for an award in this funding cycle. The letter of 
eligibility states that you are: (1) An eligible stranding network 
participant or researcher at the time of the application submission and 
during the award period; (2) in good standing; (3) have a

[[Page 41655]]

history of participation in/with the stranding network or that your 
organization is from a local area with no pre-existing stranding 
response and/or rehabilitation capabilities. A copy of your SA or 
research authorization will not be considered as proof of eligibility. 
Any proposal that does not provide a letter from the NMFS Regional 
Stranding Coordinator will not be considered eligible and will not be 
considered for further review. Contact information for the NMFS 
Regional Stranding Coordinators to request this letter is available on 
the following Web site: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/coordinators.htm, or you may contact the Program Office at the address 
in the Agency Contacts, Section VII of the FFO announcement.
    We support cultural and gender diversity in our programs and 
encourage eligible women and minority individuals and groups to submit 
proposals. Furthermore, we recognize the interest of the Secretaries of 
Commerce and Interior in defining appropriate marine management 
policies and programs that meet the needs of the U.S. insular areas. We 
encourage proposals from eligible individuals, government entities, 
universities, colleges, and businesses in U.S. insular areas as defined 
by the MMPA (Section 3(14), 16 U.S.C. 1362). This includes the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, 
Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We are 
strongly committed to broadening the participation of Minority Serving 
Institutions (MSIs), which include Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and 
Universities, and institutions that work in undeserved areas in our 
programs. The DOC/NOAA/NMFS vision, mission, and goals are: to achieve 
full participation by MSIs; to advance the development of human 
potential; to strengthen the Nation's capacity to provide high-quality 
education; and to increase opportunities for MSIs to participate in, 
and benefit from, financial assistance programs. The Prescott Grant 
Program encourages all eligible applicants to include meaningful 
participation of MSIs whenever practicable. Applicants are not eligible 
to submit a proposal under this program if they are an employee of the 
DOC or DOI. Unsatisfactory performance under prior or current awards, 
including delinquency in submitting progress and financial reports, may 
result in proposals not being considered for funding under the Fiscal 
Year 2011 Prescott Grant Program.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: All proposals submitted must provide a 
minimum cost share of 25 percent of the total budget (i.e., .25 x total 
project costs = total share). Therefore, the total share will be 75 
percent or less of the total budget. For a proposed total share of 
$100,000, the minimum share is $33,334 (total budget of $133,334; .25 x 
$133, 334 = $33,334). For a proposed total share of $80,000, the 
minimum share is $26,667 (total budget of $106,667; .25 x $106,667 = 
$80,000). Cost share must be an integer, so please round up. The 
applicant can include a cost share for more than 25 percent of the 
total budget, but this obligation will be binding. In order to reduce 
calculation error when determining the correct cost share amounts, we 
urge all applicants to use the cost share calculator on the Prescott 
Program webpage (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/prescott/proposals/costshare.htm). Legislation under which the Prescott Grant Program 
operates requires this cost sharing, or match, to leverage the limited 
funds available for this program and to encourage partnerships among 
government, private organizations, non-profit organizations, the 
stranding network, and academia to address the needs of marine mammal 
health and stranding response. If a proposal does not comply with these 
cost share requirements, the proposal will not be returned to the 
applicant and it will not be considered in this annual funding cycle. 
Pursuant to 48 U.S.C. 1469a, match may be waived for applicants that 
are residents in the U.S. insular areas (Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). 
The Program Officer will determine the appropriateness of all cost 
sharing proposals, including the valuation of in-kind contributions, 
according to the regulations in 15 CFR 14.23 and 24.24. An in-kind 
contribution is a non-cash contribution, donated or loaned, by a third 
party to the applicant. In general, the value of in-kind services or 
property used to fulfill a cost share will be the fair market value of 
the services or property. The fair market value is the cost of 
obtaining such services or property, had they not been donated, or of 
obtaining such services or property for the period of a loan. The 
applicant must document the in-kind services or property used to 
fulfill the cost share. If we decide to fund a proposal, we will 
require strict accounting of the in-kind contributions within the total 
cost share included in the award document. The Grants Officer is the 
DOC official responsible for all business management and administrative 
aspects of a grant and with delegated authority to award, amend, 
administer, close out, suspend, and/or terminate awards. The Grants 
Officer is the final approving authority for the award, including the 
budget and any cost-sharing proposals.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted under this program 
are subject to the provisions of Executive Order (EO) 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Programs.'' Any applicant submitting an 
application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
established as a result of EO 12372. For my information on a State's 
process under EO 12372, please visit the Office of Management and 
Budget's Web site at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
9. Protected Species Cooperative Conservation
    Summary Description: States play an essential role in the 
conservation and recovery of endangered and threatened species. 
Protected species under the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) 
jurisdiction may spend all or a part of their life-cycles in state 
waters, and success in conserving these species will depend in large 
part on working cooperatively with state agencies. NMFS is authorized 
to provide assistance to eligible States to support the development of 
conservation programs for marine and anadromous species that reside 
within that State. This assistance, provided in the form of grants 
through the Protected Species Cooperative Conservation program, can be 
used to support conservation of endangered, threatened, and proposed 
species, as well as monitoring of candidate and delisted species. 
Funded activities may include development and implementation of 
management plans, scientific research, and public education and 
outreach; proposals should address priority actions identified in an 
ESA Recovery Plan, a State's ESA Section 6 Program, a State Wildlife 
Action Plan, or address a NMFS-identified regional priority or need. 
Any State agency that has entered into or applied for an agreement with 
NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA is eligible to apply under 
this solicitation. Proposals focusing on listed Pacific salmonids will 
not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects 
may be considered through the NMFS Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery 
Fund. This document describes how to submit

[[Page 41656]]

proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and how NMFS will 
determine which proposals will be funded; this document should be read 
in its entirety, as some information has changed from the previous 
year.
    Funding Availability: NOAA anticipates that up to $15 million may 
be available for distribution under the FY 2011 PSCC program for new 
awards; awards are expected to range between about $500,000 and 
$1,000,000 in federal funding per year. Applications requesting less 
than $200,000 in federal funding per year may receive lower priority. 
The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined during 
pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. 
Funds have not yet been appropriated for this program, and there is no 
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for 
all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA 
to award any specific grant proposal or to obligate any available 
funds. In addition to this opportunity, the President's FY2011 Budget 
requested $10.364M specifically to support larger scale habitat 
restoration to support recovery of threatened and endangered species 
through habitat conservation actions. If these funds are made available 
by Congress, the NOAA Restoration Center within NMFS Office of Habitat 
Conservation may provide funding for applications selected through this 
competition, thereby increasing the amount of funds available through 
this program. NOAA will consider funding more than one project under a 
single application. Applicants that bundle projects into a single 
application should ensure that there is sufficient detail for each 
project as per the guidelines and information requirements listed in 
this document if an application is to be competitive. Applications 
should provide clear indications of how each project is related to the 
overall goals and objectives described in the application. To allow for 
appropriate review of proposals, bundled projects should address the 
same or related species (e.g. shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon). There 
is no limit on the number of applications that can be submitted by the 
same Principal Investigator, agency, or State. Multiple applications 
submitted by the same applicant must, however, clearly identify 
distinct projects. If an application for a financial assistance award 
is selected for funding, NOAA has no obligation to provide any 
additional funding in connection with that award in subsequent years. 
Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been 
received, pre-award costs are not allowed under the award unless 
approved by the Grants Officer in accordance with 2 CFR part 225.
    Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1535.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.472, 
Unallied Science Program.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be postmarked, provided to 
a delivery service, or received by http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time October 4, 2010. Applications submitted by U.S. 
Postal Service must have an official postmark; private metered 
postmarks are not acceptable. Use of a delivery service other than U.S. 
mail must be documented with a receipt. Proposals submitted after the 
deadline cannot be considered for funding. Please Note: It may take 
Grants.gov up to two business days to validate or reject an 
application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission 
timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications should be submitted 
electronically through the Grants.gov Web site at http://www.grants.gov. NOAA strongly recommends that applicants do not wait 
until the application deadline to begin the application process through 
Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov, applicants must have a DUNS number and 
register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). Applicants should 
allow at least 5 business days to complete the CCR registration; 
registration is only required once. Also, it may take Grants.gov up to 
two business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep 
this in mind when developing your submission timeline. Following 
submission of applications through Grants.gov, applicants should 
receive two automated responses from Grants.gov: one confirms receipt 
of the application; the other confirms that the application has been 
forwarded to NOAA. If both confirmation messages from Grants.gov are 
not received, applicants should contact both the Grants.gov Helpdesk 
and the NMFS Office of Protected Resources to confirm the application 
has been transmitted and received by NOAA. For applicants lacking 
internet access, hard copies may be submitted (by postal mail or 
commercial delivery) to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources, Attn: 
Lisa Manning, 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC3, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 
Applications submitted by U.S. Postal Service must have an official 
postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Use of a 
delivery service other than U.S. mail must be documented with a 
receipt. Paper applications should be printed on one side only, on 8.5 
x 11 inch paper, and not be bound in any manner. A signed (in ink) SF-
424 must be included. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will 
be accepted.
    Information Contacts: If you have any questions regarding this 
proposal solicitation, please contact Lisa Manning or Sean Ledwin at 
the NOAA/NMFS/Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species 
Division, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, by phone at 
301-713-1401, or by e-mail at [email protected] or 
[email protected]. You may also contact one of the following NMFS 
regional office contacts for further guidance: Amanda Johnson, 
Northeast Regional Office ([email protected], 978-282-8463); 
Karla Reece, Southeast Regional Office ([email protected], 727-824-
5348); Eric Murray, Northwest Regional Office ([email protected], 
503-231-2378); Scott Hill, Southwest Regional Office 
([email protected], 562-980-4026); Kaja Brix, Alaska Regional Office 
([email protected], 907-586-7824); Krista Graham, Pacific Islands 
Regional Office, ([email protected], 808-944-2238).
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are state agencies that have 
entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the 
ESA. The terms ``state'' and ``state agency'' are used as defined in 
section 3 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1532). Currently eligible state 
agencies are listed here: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/conservation/states/. Any state agency that enters into a section 6(c) agreement 
with NMFS within 45 days following the grant application deadline is 
also eligible to apply. State agencies may apply for funding to conduct 
work on federally listed species that are included in their ESA section 
6 agreement and any species that has become a candidate or a proposed 
species by the grant application deadline. State agencies may not apply 
for funding to conduct work on federally listed species that are not 
covered in their ESA section 6 agreement unless said species is added 
to the agreement within 45 days following the grant application 
deadline. Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive 
assistance under this notice. In addition, NOAA and NMFS employees 
shall not provide assistance in writing applications, write letters of 
support for any application, or otherwise confer any unfair advantage 
on a particular application. However, for activities

[[Page 41657]]

involving collaboration with current NMFS programs, NMFS employees can 
write a letter verifying that they are collaborating with the project.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: In accordance with section 6(d) of the 
ESA, proposals must include a minimum cost share of 25 percent of the 
total budget if the proposal involves a single state. If a proposal 
involves collaboration of two or more states, the minimum cost share 
decreases to 10 percent of the total project budget. The project 
proposal and budget should reflect the work and responsibilities to be 
carried out by each of the cooperating states. The cost share should be 
identified in the project budget (and on the SF-424A) and may include 
in-kind contributions according to the regulations at 15 CFR part 24. 
Match requirements of section 6(d) of the ESA do not apply to insular 
areas covered by the Omnibus Insular Areas Act of 1977 (48 U.S.C. 
1469a) including Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''
10. Bluefin Tuna Research Program
    Summary Description: The Bluefin Tuna Research Program (BTRP) 
provides opportunity to compete for financial assistance for projects 
which seek to increase and improve the working relationship between 
fisheries researchers from the NMFS, state fishery agencies, 
universities, other research institutions and U.S. fishery interests 
(recreational and commercial) focusing on northern bluefin tuna in the 
Atlantic Ocean. The program is a means of advancing research objectives 
to address the information needs to improve the science-based fishery 
management for Atlantic bluefin. This program addresses NOAA's mission 
goal to ``Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean 
Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management.''
    Funding Availability: Approximately $600,000 may be available in 
fiscal year (FY) 2011 for projects. Actual funding availability for 
this program is contingent upon FY 2011 Congressional appropriations. 
The NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center estimates awarding 
approximately 5 projects that will range from $25,000 to $300,000. The 
expected average award is $125,000. Publication of this notice does not 
obligate NMFS to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or 
any of the available funds.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the BTRP is provided by the 
following: 16 U.S.C. 661.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.472, 
Unallied Science Program.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received by 5 p.m., 
Eastern Time on September 14, 2010 to be considered for funding. Hard 
copy applications arriving after the closing date given above will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
prior to the specified closing date and time; in any event, hard copy 
applications received by NMFS later than two business days following 
the closing date will not be accepted. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue South, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application 
process, you may contact: Dax Ruiz, Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, or 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher 
education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, and 
state, local, and Indian tribal governments, agencies or institutions 
are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the 
jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations 
are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of 
the BTRP is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. 
marine fishery resources.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order (E.O.) 
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. Any applicant submitting 
an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
established as a result of E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply 
with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone 
numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management 
and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
11. Cooperative Research Program
    Summary Description: The CRP program provides opportunity to 
compete for financial assistance for projects which seek to increase 
and improve the working relationship between fisheries researchers from 
the NMFS, state fishery agencies, universities, and the U.S. fishing 
(recreational and commercial) in the Gulf of Mexico (FL, AL, MS, LA, 
TX), South Atlantic (FL, NC, SC, GA) and Caribbean (USVI and Puerto 
Rico). The program is a means of involving commercial and recreational 
fishermen in the collection of fundamental fisheries information in 
support of management and regulatory options. This program addresses 
NOAA's mission goal to ``Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of 
Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to 
Management.''
    Funding Availability: Approximately $2.0 million may be available 
in fiscal year (FY) 2011 for projects. Actual funding availability for 
this program is contingent upon FY 2011 Congressional appropriations. 
The NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center estimates awarding 
approximately eight projects that will range from $25,000 to $300,000. 
The average award is $150,000. Publication of this notice does not 
obligate NMFS to award any specific grant or cooperative agreement or 
any of the available funds.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the CRP is provided by the 
following: 16 U.S.C. 661.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.454, 
Unallied Management Projects.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received by 5 p.m., 
Eastern Time on Applications must be received by 5 p.m., Eastern Time 
on September 14, 2010 to be considered for funding. Hard copy 
applications arriving after the closing date given above will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
prior to the specified closing date and time; in any event, hard copy 
applications received by NMFS later than two business days following 
the closing date will not be accepted. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline.

[[Page 41658]]

    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue, South, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application 
process, you may contact: Dax Ruiz, Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, or 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher 
education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, and 
state, local, and Indian tribal governments, agencies or institutions 
are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the 
jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations 
are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of 
the CRP is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. 
marine fishery resources. Applicants who are not commercial or 
recreational fisherman must have commercial or recreational fishermen 
participating in their project. There must be a written agreement with 
a fisherman describing the involvement in the project activity and the 
estimated dollar amount to be provided to that fisherman in 
compensation for their involvement.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of executive Order 12372, 
Intergovernmental Review of Programs. Any applicant submitting an 
application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with 
a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone 
numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management 
and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
12. Fiscal Year 2011 Gulf of Mexico NOAA Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET) Program
    Summary Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 
Southeast Region, is seeking proposals under the Gulf of Mexico B-WET 
Program. The B-WET program is an environmental education program that 
promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 
environment. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational 
experiences for students, related professional development for 
teachers, and help to support regional education and environmental 
priorities in the Gulf of Mexico. This program addresses NOAA's mission 
goal to ``Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean 
Resources Through an Ecosystem Approach to Management.''
    Funding Availability: It is anticipated that approximately $700,000 
will be available in FY2011 for new awards. NOAA anticipates making 
approximately 3 to 5 new awards during FY 2011. The total amount that 
may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed $100,000. The minimum 
amount that must be requested from NOAA is $25,000. Applications 
requesting support from NOAA for more than $100,000 will not be 
considered for funding. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds 
will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact 
amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award 
negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. 
Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific 
project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any 
costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not 
being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written 
assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the 
part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants 
Officer as part of the terms when the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the Bay Watershed Education and 
Training Program is provided by the following: 33 U.S.C. 893a(a) 
America Competes Act.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.463, 
Habitat Conservation.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received by 5 p.m., 
Eastern Time on October 14, 2010 to be considered for funding. Please 
Note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may 
take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this 
process in developing your submission timeline. Applications received 
after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender without 
further consideration. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a 
date and time receipt indication is generated by the system and will be 
the basis of determining timeliness. Hard copy submissions will be 
dated and time stamped when they are received in the NMFS office. Hard 
copy applications arriving after the closing dates given above will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
prior to the specified closing date and time; in any event, hard copy 
applications received by NMFS later than two business days following 
the closing date will not be accepted. Faxed or e-mailed copies of 
applications will not be accepted.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue, South, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application 
process, you may contact: Jeff Brown, Liaison Branch, (727) 824-5324, 
or [email protected]
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent 
schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, 
community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government 
agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of executive Order 12372, 
Intergovernmental Review of Programs. Any applicant submitting an 
application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with 
a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone 
numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management 
and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
13. Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN)
    Summary Description: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 
Southeast Region, is seeking proposals under the Marine Fisheries 
Initiative Program (MARFIN), for research and development projects that 
optimize the use of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and off the South 
Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida 
involving the U.S. fishing industry (recreational and commercial),

[[Page 41659]]

including projects exploring fishery biology, resource assessment, 
socioeconomic assessment, fishery management and conservation, selected 
harvesting methods, and fish handling and processing practices. This 
program addresses NOAA's mission goal to ``Protect, Restore, and Manage 
the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources Through an Ecosystem Approach to 
Management.''
    Funding Availability: Approximately $2.0 million may be available 
in fiscal year (FY) 2011 for projects. This amount includes possible 
in-house projects. Actual funding availability for this program is 
contingent upon Fiscal Year 2011 Congressional appropriations. The NMFS 
Southeast Regional Office anticipates awarding approximately ten 
projects that will range from $25,000 to $175,000 per year (not to 
exceed $175,000 per year). The total amount that may be requested shall 
not exceed $175,000 for a one year project, $350,000 for a two year 
project, and $525,000 for a three year project. Applications exceeding 
these amounts will be rejected/returned without further consideration. 
Publication of this notice does not obligate NMFS to award any specific 
grant or cooperative agreement or any of the available funds. Project 
proposals accepted for funding with a project period over one year do 
not have to compete for the additional years of funding. However, 
funding for the additional years is contingent upon the availability of 
funds and satisfactory performance and is at the sole discretion of the 
agency.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the Marine Fisheries Initiative 
Program is provided by the following: 16 U.S.C. 753a.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.433, 
Marine Fisheries Initiative.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received by 5 p.m., 
Eastern Time on August 16, 2010 to be considered for funding. Hard copy 
applications arriving after the closing date given above will be 
accepted for review only if the applicant can document that the 
application was provided to a delivery service that guaranteed delivery 
prior to the specified closing date and time; in any event, hard copy 
applications received by NMFS later than two business days following 
the closing date will not be accepted. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Liaison Branch, 263 13th Avenue, South, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding the application 
process, you may contact: Robert Sadler, (727) 824-5324, or 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher 
education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, state, 
local and Indian tribal governments, agencies or institutions are not 
eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of 
foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded for 
purposes of this solicitation since the objective of the MARFIN program 
is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine 
fishery resources.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required for this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted by state and local 
governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order (E.O.) 
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. Any applicant submitting 
an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 
regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) 
established as a result of E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply 
with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone 
numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management 
and Budget's home page at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

National Ocean Service (NOS)

1. Fiscal Year 2011 Coastal Resilience Networks Program
    Summary Description: The purpose of this notice is to solicit grant 
proposals from eligible organizations to implement activities that 
enhance resilience of coastal communities to natural hazard and climate 
risks. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement should 
provide beneficial public outcomes for coastal communities to address 
existing and potential future risks to coastal infrastructure, local 
economies, vulnerable populations, and the natural environment. 
Eligible funding applicants are regional authorities, nonprofit 
organizations, institutions of higher education, and state, 
territorial, and county/local governments from the U.S. Flag Pacific 
Islands (Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands), Gulf Coast (Alabama, Gulf Coast of Florida, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) and West Coast (California, Oregon, 
and Washington).
    Funding Availability: Total anticipated funding for all awards is 
approximately $1,000,000 and is subject to the availability of fiscal 
year (FY) 2011 appropriations. The anticipated Federal funding per 
award (min-max) is approximately $100,000 to $350,000 per year. Multi-
year proposals will be considered but limited to three years. The 
anticipated number of awards ranges from three (3) to six (6), 
approximately, and will be adjusted based on available funding.
    Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1456c.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.473, 
Coastal Services Center.
    Application Deadline: Letters of Intent (LOIs). To be considered 
for funding, all applicants must submit an LOI. The deadline for 
receipt of LOIs is 5:59 p.m. Hawaii Time on August 2, 2010. For LOIs 
submitted by e-mail, the date and time indication of the receiving 
server will be the basis of determining timeliness. Note that receipt 
may be delayed if e-mail servers are not functioning efficiently. 
Applicants submitting multiple LOIs must use a unique project title for 
each LOI and may send all LOIs in one e-mail or in multiple e-mails. 
For hard copy submission of LOIs, they will be date and time stamped 
when they are received. LOIs may not be considered if received by the 
Pacific Services Center after 5:59 p.m. Hawaii Time on August 2, 2010.
    Full Proposals. Full proposals must be received no later than 5:59 
p.m. Hawaii Time, September 15, 2010. For proposals submitted through 
Grants.gov, a date and time receipt indication by Grants.gov will be 
the basis of determining timeliness. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, one set of originals (signed) and one electronic copy 
on CD of the proposals and related forms should be mailed to NOAA 
Pacific Services Center, Stephanie Bennett, Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St., 
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813. Hard copy applications will be date and time 
stamped when they are received. Full proposals received after the 
submission deadline will not be reviewed or considered. Applicants may 
not submit full proposals unless they submitted an LOI. The final 
decision to submit a full proposal will be made by the principle

[[Page 41660]]

investigator. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application 
by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please 
consider this process in developing your submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Letters of intent (LOI) may be 
sent via e-mail to [email protected]. Insert FY 2011 Adapting to 
Coastal Risks as the subject line of the e-mail. If hard copy LOIs are 
submitted, an original and electronic copy on CD should be sent to NOAA 
Pacific Services Center, Stephanie Bennett, Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St, 
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813. Full proposal application packages, including 
any letters of support, should be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY. 
If an applicant does not have Internet access, one set of originals 
(signed) and one electronic copy on CD of the proposals and related 
forms should be mailed to NOAA Pacific Services Center, Stephanie 
Bennett, Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St., Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813.
    Information Contacts: For administrative questions, contact 
Stephanie Bennett, NOAA Pacific Services Center: Suite 1550, 737 Bishop 
St., Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813; or contact her at 808-532-3200 or via e-
mail at [email protected] . For technical questions regarding 
this announcement, contact Adam Stein, NOAA Pacific Services Center: 
Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St., Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, or by phone at 
808-532-3962 or by fax 808-532-3224, or via e-mail at 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible funding applicants are, regional authorities, 
nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, Indian 
Tribal governments, and state, territorial, and county/local 
governments from the U.S. Flag Pacific Islands (Hawaii, American Samoa, 
Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Gulf Coast 
(Alabama, Gulf Coast of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) and 
West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington). The following types of 
organizations are encouraged to either submit proposals or participate 
in proposal development and provide in-kind services: land use 
authorities, port authorities, housing authorities, public works 
authorities, transportation authorities, critical facility authorities, 
emergency management authorities, community service organizations, 
stewardship organizations, and conservation organizations. Federal 
agencies are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement but 
may serve as collaborative project partners and may contribute services 
in kind.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing or matching is required 
under this program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Funding applications under the Center are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
It is the state agency's responsibility to contact their state's Single 
Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the state's 
process under EO 12372. To assist the applicant, the names and 
addresses of the SPOCs are listed on the Office of Management and 
Budget's Web site http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
2. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Hawaii Program Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET)
    Summary Description: This Federal funding opportunity meets NOAA's 
mission goal to protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and 
ocean resources through ecosystem-based management. The purpose for 
this financial assistance is to support NOAA's mission goal by 
developing a well-informed citizenry involved in decision-making that 
positively impacts our coastal, marine, and watershed ecosystems in the 
State of Hawaii. This opportunity is a competitively based grant that 
provides funding to assist in the development of new programs, 
encourage innovative partnerships among environmental education 
programs, and support geographically targeted programs to advance 
environmental education efforts that complement national and state 
school requirements. The B-WET Hawaii Program is an environmental 
education program that promotes locally relevant experiential learning 
in the K-12 environment on priority topics, such as understanding 
climate change, earth sciences, and community resilience to hazards. 
Funded projects provide meaningful watershed educational experiences 
for students and related professional development for teachers, and 
support regional education and environmental priorities.
    Funding Availability: Total anticipated funding for all awards is 
approximately $1,000,000 and is subject to the availability of fiscal 
year 2011 appropriations. Multiple awards are anticipated from this 
announcement. The minimum federal assistance request is $10, 000 and 
maximum request is $100,000. The anticipated number of awards ranges 
from five (5) to fifteen (15) and will be adjusted based on available 
funding. Applications requesting federal support from NOAA of more than 
$100,000 will not be considered for review or funding. Applicants are 
hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for this 
program. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available 
to make awards for all qualified projects. Notwithstanding verbal or 
written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation 
on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the 
Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1540; 33 U.S.C. 893a(a).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.473, 
Coastal Services Center.
    Application Deadline: Letters of Intent (LOIs). To be considered 
for funding, all applicants must submit an LOI. The deadline for 
receipt of LOIs is 5:59 p.m. Hawaii Time on August 2, 2010. For LOIs 
submitted by e-mail, the date and time indication of the receiving 
server will be the basis of determining timeliness. Note that receipt 
may be delayed if e-mail servers are not functioning efficiently. 
Applicants submitting multiple LOIs must use a unique project title for 
each LOI and may send all LOIs in one e-mail or in multiple e-mails. 
For hard copy submission of LOIs, they will be date and time stamped 
when they are received. LOIs may not be considered if received by the 
Pacific Services Center after 5:59 p.m. Hawaii Time on August 2, 2010.
    Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, 
postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5:59 Hawaii Time on 
August 2, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be 
documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail applications 
will be accepted. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your 
application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. Applicants may not submit full proposals unless they 
submitted an LOI.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Letters of intent (LOI) may be 
sent via e-mail to [email protected]. Insert FY 2011 B-WET 
Hawaii as the subject line of the e-mail. If hard copy LOIs is 
submitted, an original and electronic copy on CD should be sent to NOAA 
Pacific Services Center, Stephanie Bennett, Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St., 
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813. Full proposal application packages, including 
any letters of support, should be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY. 
If an applicant does not have Internet access, one set of originals 
(signed) and one electronic copy on CD

[[Page 41661]]

of the proposals and related forms should be mailed to NOAA Pacific 
Services Center, Stephanie Bennett, Suite 1550, 737 Bishop St., 
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813.
    Information Contacts: For administrative and technical questions, 
contact Stephanie Bennett, Program Officer at NOAA Pacific Services 
Center, 737 Bishop Street, Suite 1550, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 or by 
phone at (808) 522-7481, or via e-mail at [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent 
schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, 
commercial and nonprofit organizations, state or local government 
agencies, and Indian tribal governments. Individual applicants and 
federal agencies are not eligible. Federal agencies are not allowed to 
receive funds under this announcement but may serve as collaborative 
project partners. The Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to 
broadening the participation of historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and 
universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, and 
institutions that service underserved areas.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program, however, the NOAA Pacific Services Center strongly encourages 
applicants to share as much of the costs of the award as possible. 
Funds from other sources may not be considered matching funds. The 
nature of the contribution (cash versus in-kind) and the amount of 
matching funds will be taken into consideration in the review process.
    Intergovernmental Review: Funding applications under the Center are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
It is the state agency's responsibility to contact their state's Single 
Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the state's 
process under EO 12372. To assist the applicant, the names and 
addresses of the SPOCs are listed on the Office of Management and 
Budget's Web site http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
3. Fiscal Year 2011 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean 
Observing System (IOOS)
    Summary Description: On behalf of the National Oceanographic 
Partnership Program (NOPP), NOAA and its partner agencies--the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Office of Naval 
Research (ONR), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)--are requesting 
proposals for coordinated regional efforts that further the U.S. 
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). In addition, the agencies 
have identified several related topic areas for which they are 
requesting proposals, to include verification and validation of 
observing technologies for studying and monitoring coastal and ocean 
environments; improved and routine production, stewardship, and coastal 
application of the Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature 
(GHRSST) data; and study of marine animal interactions with offshore 
renewable energy devices. Applicants are invited to submit proposals 
for one or more of these topic areas, which are described in detail in 
the FFO announcement. It is recommended that applicants to multiple 
topic areas submit a separate application for each, and that each 
application list other topic areas for which the applicant is making a 
submission. For single topic proposals or if multiple topics are 
included in a single proposal, ensure that the topic areas are clearly 
identified and that all required information is presented such that 
merit reviewers can associate proposal elements (project description, 
partners, budgets) with specific topic areas. Multiple awards are 
anticipated, subject to the availability of funds, in amounts ranging 
from $200,000 to $4,000,000 per year for up to five years.
    Funding Availability: Total anticipated funding for all awards is 
subject to the availability of appropriations. NOPP, through its 
partner agencies, expects to fund multiple awards (anywhere from 10 to 
21 awards), in multiple topic areas, in amounts ranging from $200,000 
to $4,000,000 per year, contingent on availability of funds each year.
    Statutory Authority: Statutory authority for this program is 
provided under the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act 
of 2009, 33 U.S.C 3601-3610.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.012, 
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).
    Application Deadline: Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5 p.m. 
(EDT) on October 1, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service 
must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail 
applications will be accepted. Please Note: Validation or rejection of 
your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. Applications received after that time will not be reviewed or 
considered.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Full proposal application 
packages should be submitted through Grants.gov. The standard NOAA 
funding application package is available at http://www.grants.gov. 
Please be advised that potential funding applicants must register with 
Grants.gov before any application materials can be submitted. An 
organization's one time registration process may take up to three weeks 
to complete so please allow sufficient time to ensure applications are 
submitted before the closing date. The Grants.gov site contains 
directions for submitting an application, the application package 
(forms), and is also where the completed application is submitted. If 
an applicant does not have Internet access, the applicant must submit 
through surface mail one set of originals (signed) and two copies of 
the proposals and related forms to the NOAA IOOS Program at the 
following address: NOAA IOOS; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver 
Spring, Maryland 20910. Attention Regina Evans. No e-mail or fax copies 
will be accepted.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding this announcement, 
contact: Regina Evans, NOAA IOOS; 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver 
Spring, Maryland 20910; or by phone at 301-427-2422, or by fax 301-427-
2073, or via e-mail at [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible funding applicants for this competition are 
institutions of higher education, non-profit and for-profit 
organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal 
agencies or institutions and foreign governments are not allowed to be 
the primary recipient of awards under this announcement, but are 
encouraged to partner with applicants when appropriate. If requesting 
funds under this award, federal partners must identify the relevant 
statutory authorities that will allow for the receipt of funds. For all 
NOPP-funded activities, team efforts are required among at least two of 
the following three sectors: Academia, industry (including Non-
Governmental Organizations or NGOs), and government (including State 
and Local). If applicants have partners who would receive funds, the 
lead grantee will be expected to provide funds using subcontracts or 
other appropriate mechanisms to the project partners. If a Federal 
partner is a NOAA office, the funds will be transferred internally. If 
the partner is a Federal agency other than NOAA, the grantee and the 
Federal

[[Page 41662]]

partner must use interagency agreements or otherwise take steps 
relevant to their organizations to ensure that funds can be transferred 
by the primary grantee and received by the Federal partner. Before non-
NOAA applicants may be funded, they must demonstrate that they have 
legal authority to accept funds in excess of their appropriation. 
Because of the nature of this competition, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 
1535) is not an appropriate authority. Applicants should note that 
federal agencies are generally barred from accepting funds from a 
recipient to pay transportation, travel, or other expenses for any 
employee unless specifically approved in the terms of the award. A 
Special Award Condition will be required if invitational travel for 
employees is included in a proposal.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: There is no requirement for cost 
sharing. NOPP appreciates that applicants may seek additional support 
(in-kind or cash) for development of regional coastal ocean observing 
systems under the umbrella of IOOS. While a cost share of funding is 
not required, applicants are requested to provide a description of 
complementary funding and in-kind contributions from project partners. 
In general, the IOOS Program will support the use of IOOS funds and 
activities towards meeting the shared goals of IOOS and state and local 
partners over the course of a funded project. This support is based on 
the assumption that the work plan for which the Federal funds were 
awarded remains unchanged.
    Intergovernmental Review: Funding applications that include State 
agencies as funded partners are subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Programs'', which relies on State and 
local processes for the coordination and review of proposed financial 
assistance and direct development. It is the state agency's 
responsibility to contact their state's Single Point of Contact (SPCO) 
to find out about and comply with the state's process under EO 12372. 
To assist the applicant, the names and addresses of the SPOCs are 
listed on the Office of Management and Budget Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
4. Coral Reef Conservation Program International Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    Summary Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program 
(Grant Program), as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000, provides matching grants of financial assistance for 
international coral reef conservation cooperative agreements. The Grant 
Program solicits proposals that will support the newly published NOAA 
Coral Reef Conservation Program International Strategy 2010-2015 
(International Strategy). This constitutes a major strategic shift from 
support provided in previous years. The International Strategy focuses 
on supporting existing regional efforts in four priority regions based 
on their interconnections with U.S. reef ecosystems and existing 
initiatives and partnerships. Three of these four priority regions will 
be considered under this Funding Opportunity: the Wider Caribbean, 
Micronesia, and the Southwest Pacific.
    Applicants should have a working relationship and demonstrated 
experience working with the local government authorities that manage 
the marine areas addressed. Applicants for this funding opportunity 
must have experience conducting regional coordination work in two or 
more countries (except independent Samoa--see Section I.B of the FFO 
announcement) within a priority region (as described below) with other 
local partners and the local/regional/national government(s) with 
jurisdiction over the marine sites listed in the pre- and final 
applications. Priority will be considered for those competitive pre- 
and final applications that propose working effectively in more than 
two countries (except independent Samoa--see Section I.B of the FFO 
announcement). Applicants must describe their past experience in the 
selected sites or countries and whether there are any environmental 
conservation agreements in place with the local partners and government 
authorities. Pre- and final applications that propose work across 
multiple regions (for ex., Micronesia and the Southwest Pacific) are 
eligible to apply; in these instances, the application must demonstrate 
that the two or more countries in which work is proposed can be grouped 
legitimately based on existing regional networks, agreements, and/or 
existing coral reef conservation activities. Specific country 
eligibility is limited to: 1. The Non-US countries and territories of 
the Wider Caribbean as defined by the Cartagena Convention: Antigua & 
Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, 
Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, 
Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. 
Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, France 
Caribbean Territories, Netherlands Caribbean Territories and United 
Kingdom Caribbean Territories 2. The Non-US Micronesia region including 
independent countries under compacts of free association with the 
United States: the Republic of the Marshall Islands; the Republic of 
Palau; and the Federated States of Micronesia as well as the 
independent nations of Kiribati and Nauru. 3. The Southwest Pacific: 
independent Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and Tuvalu.
    Funding Availability: NOAA announces the availability of 
approximately $1,000,000 in FY 2011 to support International Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements under the Grant Program. 
Distribution of awards may be in the following approximate ranges 
according to funding availability: Approximately $400,000 for the first 
year of one 36-month cooperative agreement in Micronesia. Approximately 
$200,000 for one 12-month cooperative agreement in the Wider Caribbean. 
Approximately $200,000 for one 12-month cooperative agreement in 
independent Samoa and Southwest Pacific. These funds will be used to 
support financial assistance awards that meet the criteria listed in 
section I. B. Program Priorities of the FFO announcement. Applicants 
that are invited to submit a final application may be requested to 
revise award objectives, work plans, or budgets prior to submittal of 
the final application. The amount of funds to be awarded and the final 
scope of activities will be determined in pre-award negotiations among 
the applicant, NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD) and relevant NOAA 
CRCP staff. Funding will be subject to the availability of Federal 
appropriations. Applicants should not begin a project in expectation of 
funds under this Grant Program.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation 
Grant Program is provided by Section 6403 (Coral Reef Conservation 
Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et 
seq).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.482, 
Habitat Conservation.
    Application Deadline: Pre-applications must be received or 
postmarked by 5 p.m., U.S. Eastern Standard Time, on Monday, November 
8, 2010. Final applications are by invitation only and must be received 
through http://www.grants.gov or postmarked by 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern 
Standard Time, on Monday, February 21, 2011. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business

[[Page 41663]]

days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to 
ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into 
account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to 
fulfill their guarantees.
    Address for Submitting Proposals:
    Pre-application Submission Information: Pre-applications may be 
submitted by surface mail, fax or e-mail. If submitting by e-mail, 
please send pre-applications to [email protected]. Acceptable 
electronic formats for narratives, attachments, and images are limited 
to Adobe Acrobat (.PDF), or Microsoft Word files. The fax number for 
pre-applications only is: 301-713-4263. If submitting by surface mail, 
a paper pre-application must be submitted to: Scot Frew, NOAA/NOS 
International Program Office, 1315 East West Highway, 5th Floor, N/IP, 
Room 5826, Silver Spring, MD 20910. All pre-applications submitted by 
surface mail must include a CD that contains an electronic copy of the 
pre-application. Financial assistance forms are not required to be 
submitted with the pre-application.
    Please note that late pre-applications cannot be considered under 
any circumstances including e-mail transmission malfunctions. 
Electronic files of pre-applications must arrive without viruses. If 
attachments cannot be opened due to a virus or they arrive with a 
virus, the pre-applications will be disqualified. You may call us at 
301-713-3078 x218 before the deadline to ensure that your pre-
application arrived.
    Final Application Submission Information: Final applications will 
be accepted only from those applicants who are invited to submit a 
final application. Applicants may be required to make modifications or 
revisions to the project and budget narratives and must submit these 
narratives with a financial assistance award application package 
(federal forms described below). Only applicants who submitted pre-
applications by the deadline will be eligible to be considered for 
invitations to submit a final application by 5 p.m., U.S. Eastern 
Standard Time, on February 21, 2011. The applicant must submit the 
final application (narratives, federal forms, and supporting 
documentation) through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does 
not have internet access. If an applicant does not have internet 
access, hard copies with original signatures and scanned copies on a CD 
must be postmarked by 5 p.m., U.S. Eastern Standard Time, on February 
21, 2011 and sent to: Scot Frew, NOAA/NOS International Program Office, 
1315 East West Highway, 5th Floor, N/IP, Room 5826, Silver Spring, MD 
20910. Late final applications by any method cannot be accepted under 
any circumstances.
    Information Contacts: Technical point of contact for International 
Coral Reef Conservation is Scot Frew, NOAA/NOS International Program 
Office, 301-713-3078, extension 220, e-mail at [email protected] or 
address at: NOAA/NOS/IPO, 1315 East West Highway, Room 5826, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are limited to the following 
categories: institutions of higher education, U.S. and international 
non-profit organizations, non-US government authorities, and commercial 
organizations. Individuals and U.S. federal agencies are not eligible.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: All awards of financial assistance 
provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (Grant 
Program) under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (Act) 
of 2000 are subject to the matching fund requirements described below. 
As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Act, funds for any coral conservation 
project funded under this Grant Program may not exceed 50 percent of 
the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral conservation project 
under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 contribution of matching funds. 
Matching funds can come from a variety of public and private sources 
and can include in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and 
volunteer labor. sources cannot be considered as matching funds, but 
can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate additional 
leverage. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from 
multiple non-federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match 
requirement, as long as such contributions are not being used to match 
any funds received under another award. Applicants must specify in 
their proposal the source(s) of match and may be asked to provide 
letters of commitment to confirm stated match contributions. Applicants 
whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the 
percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by 
the NOAA Grants Officer. Applicants should be prepared to carefully 
document matching contributions for each project selected for funding. 
As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 
the NOAA Administrator may waive all or part of the matching 
requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the 
following two requirements: 1. No reasonable means are available 
through which an applicant can meet the matching requirement, and, 2. 
The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in 
such matching requirement. In the case of a waiver request, the 
applicant must provide a detailed justification explaining the need for 
the waiver including attempts to obtain sources of matching funds, how 
the benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in providing 
match, and any other extenuating circumstances preventing the 
availability of match. Match waiver requests including the appropriate 
justification should be submitted as part of the final application 
package. Please Note: Eligible applicants choosing to apply 48 U.S.C. 
1469a(d) should note the use of the waiver and the total amount of 
funds requested to be waived in the matching funds section of their 
respective pre- and final applications.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under the International 
Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements are not subject to 
Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
5. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) 
Concept of Operations for Models to Support Regional Coastal Ecosystem 
Management
    Summary Description: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Centers 
(NCCOS)/Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) is 
soliciting proposals for a project of 2 years in duration to develop a 
concept of operations for scenario-type forecasts used for ecosystem-
based management of coastal ecosystems. Note that for this opportunity, 
the term coastal includes Great Lakes systems. Funding is contingent 
upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations. It is 
anticipated that final recommendations for funding under this 
announcement will be made by early Calendar Year 2011, and that any 
project funded under this announcement will have an August 1, 2011 
start date. One project is expected to be supported for 2 years, with 
an annual budget less than $250K. Electronic Access: Background 
information about the NCCOS/CSCOR efforts can be found at http://www.cop.noaa.gov. Proposals should be submitted through Grants.gov 
(http://www.grants.gov.)
    Funding Availability: Funding is contingent upon availability of 
appropriations. NOAA is committed to continual improvement of the 
grants process and accelerating the award of

[[Page 41664]]

financial assistance to qualified recipients in accordance with the 
recommendations of the Business Process Reengineering Team. In order to 
fulfill these responsibilities, this solicitation announces that award 
amounts will be determined by the proposals and available funds. Award 
amounts will not exceed $250,000 per project per year with project 
durations of 2 years. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds 
have not yet been appropriated for this program. In no event will NOAA 
or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation 
costs if this program fails to receive funding or is cancelled because 
of other agency priorities. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds 
will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. 
Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific 
project or to obligate any available funds. If one incurs any costs 
prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA 
official, one would do so solely at one's own risk of these costs not 
being included under the award. Publication of this notice does not 
obligate any agency to any specific award or to obligate any part of 
the entire amount of funds available. Recipients and subrecipients are 
subject to all laws and agency policies, regulations and procedures 
applicable to financial assistance awards.
    Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1456c.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, 
Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research--Coastal Ocean Program.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov on or before 3 p.m. EST on October 21, 2010. Please Note: 
Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up 
to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted, and date 
recorded when they are received in the NCCOS/CSCOR program office. 
Electronic or hard copies received after the deadline will not be 
considered, and hard copy applications will be returned to the sender. 
Note that late-arriving hard copy applications will be accepted for 
review only if the applicant can document that: (1) The application was 
provided to a delivery service with delivery to the National Oceanic & 
Atmospheric Administration, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, Mail Station 
8240 8th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3282; (2) delivery was 
guaranteed by 3 p.m., Eastern Time on the specified closing date; and, 
(3) the proposal was received in the NCCOS/CSCOR office by 3 p.m., 
Eastern Time no later than 2 business days following the closing date. 
Investigators submitting proposals electronically are advised to submit 
well in advance of the deadline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does not have 
Internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: Laurie Golden National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1305 East West Highway Mail 
Station 8240, Silver Spring, MD 20910
    Information Contacts: Technical Information: Beth Turner, NCCOS/
CSCOR Program Manager, 603/862-4680; e-mail [email protected] 
Business Management Information: Laurie Golden, NCCOS/CSCOR Grants 
Administrator, 301-713-3338/ext 151, e-mail: [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, 
commercial organizations U.S. Territories and agencies that possess the 
statutory authority to receive financial assistance. DOC/NOAA supports 
cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority 
individuals and groups to submit applications to the CSCOR programs. In 
addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the 
participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic 
serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and 
institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages 
proposals involving any of the above institutions Please note that 
NCCOS/CSCOR will not fund any Full Time Employee (FTE) salaries, but 
will fund travel, equipment, supplies, and contractual personnel costs 
associated with the proposed work. Researchers must be employees of an 
eligible entity listed above; and proposals must be submitted through 
that entity. researchers should comply with their institutional 
requirements for proposal submission. Non-NOAA applicants will be 
required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they 
have specific legal authority to receive funds from the Department of 
Commerce (DOC) for this research. Foreign researchers may apply as 
subawards through an eligible US entity. Researchers affiliated with 
NOAA-University Cooperative/Joint Institutes should comply with joint 
institutional requirements; they will be funded through grants either 
to their institutions or to joint institutes.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
It has been determined that this notice is not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a) (2), an 
opportunity for public notice and comment is not required for this 
notice relating to grants, benefits and contracts. Because this notice 
is exempt from the notice and comment provisions of the Administrative 
Procedure Act, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required, and 
none has been prepared. It has been determined that this notice does 
not contain policies with implications as that term is defined in 
Executive Order 13132.
6. Fiscal Year 2011 Regional Ecosystem Prediction Program (REPP) Pulley 
Ridge
    Summary Description: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Centers 
(NCCOS)/Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR), in 
partnership with the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Office 
of Ocean Exploration and Research, National Marine Fisheries Service 
Southeast Regional Office, and Gulf of Mexico Regional Collaboration 
Team, is soliciting proposals under the Regional Ecosystem Prediction 
Program for a project of up to 5 years in duration to conduct research 
to improve the understanding of population connectivity of key species 
between the southernmost portion of Pulley Ridge on the West Florida 
continental shelf, and downstream to the coral ecosystems of the 
Florida Keys. Coral ecosystems upstream of Pulley Ridge can be 
considered if directly relevant to population connectivity or to 
provide context to the overall study. This information will be used to 
improve the ability of Gulf of Mexico resource managers to proactively 
develop strategies to manage and protect poorly understood mesophotic 
coral ecosystems, including coastal and marine spatial planning and the 
siting of marine protected areas and marine protected area networks for 
shallow and mesophotic coral ecosystems. Funding is contingent upon the 
availability of Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations. It is anticipated that 
final recommendations for funding under this announcement will be made 
by early Calendar Year 2011, and that any project funded under this 
announcement will have a September 1, 2011 start date. One project is 
expected to be supported for

[[Page 41665]]

up to 5 years, with an annual budget up to $1,000,000. Electronic 
Access: Background information about the NCCOS/CSCOR efforts can be 
found at http://www.cop.noaa.gov. Proposals should be submitted through 
Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov.)
    Funding Availability: Funding is contingent upon availability of 
appropriations. NOAA is committed to continual improvement of the 
grants process and accelerating the award of financial assistance to 
qualified recipients in accordance with the recommendations of the 
Business Process Reengineering Team. The award amount will not exceed 
$1,000,000 per year of up to 5 years. Applicants are hereby given 
notice that funds for this announcement and the use of the MolaMola 
Automated Underwater Vessel (AUV) have not yet been appropriated for 
this program. In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be 
responsible for proposal preparation costs if this program fails to 
receive funding or is cancelled because of other agency priorities. 
There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make 
awards for all qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not 
oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available 
funds. If one incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement 
signed by an authorized NOAA official, one would do so solely at one's 
own risk of these costs not being included under the award. Publication 
of this notice does not obligate any agency to any specific award or to 
obligate any part of the entire amount of funds available. Recipients 
and subrecipients are subject to all laws and agency policies, 
regulations and procedures applicable to financial assistance awards.
    Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1442.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, 
Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research--Coastal Ocean Program.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov on or before 3 p.m. EST on October 21, 2010. Please Note: 
Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up 
to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, hard copy proposals will be accepted, and date 
recorded when they are received in the NCCOS/CSCOR program office. 
Electronic or hard copies received after the deadline will not be 
considered, and hard copy applications will be returned to the sender. 
Note that late-arriving hard copy applications will be accepted for 
review only if the applicant can document that: (1) The application was 
provided to a delivery service with delivery to the National Oceanic & 
Atmospheric Administration, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, Mail Station 
8240 8th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3282; (2) delivery was 
guaranteed by 3 p.m., Eastern Time on the specified closing date; and, 
(3) the proposal was received in the NCCOS/CSCOR office by 3 p.m., 
Eastern Time no later than 2 business days following the closing date. 
Investigators submitting proposals electronically are advised to submit 
well in advance of the deadline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: Laura J. Golden 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Sponsored 
Coastal Ocean Research 1305 East West Highway Routing Code: N/SCI2 
Building SSMC4, Room 8240 Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: Technical Information. Kimberly Puglise, 
NCCOS/CSCOR Program Manager, 301-713-3338/ext 140, internet: 
[email protected]. Business Management Information. Laurie 
Golden, NCCOS/CSCOR Grants Administrator, 301-713-3338/ext 151, 
Internet: [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, 
commercial organizations, U.S. Territories, and agencies that possess 
the statutory authority to receive financial assistance. DOC/NOAA 
supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and 
minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the CSCOR 
programs. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the 
participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic 
serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and 
institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages 
proposals involving any of the above institutions Please note that 
NCCOS/CSCOR will not fund any Full Time Employee (FTE) salaries, but 
will fund travel, equipment, supplies, and contractual personnel costs 
associated with the proposed work. Researchers must be employees of an 
eligible entity listed above; and proposals must be submitted through 
that entity. researchers should comply with their institutional 
requirements for proposal submission. Non-NOAA applicants will be 
required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they 
have specific legal authority to receive funds from the Department of 
Commerce (DOC) for this research. Foreign researchers may apply as 
subawards through an eligible U.S. entity. Researchers affiliated with 
NOAA-University Cooperative/Joint Institutes should comply with joint 
institutional requirements; they will be funded through grants either 
to their institutions or to joint institutes.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None required.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
It has been determined that this notice is not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a) (2), an 
opportunity for public notice and comment is not required for this 
notice relating to grants, benefits and contracts. Because this notice 
is exempt from the notice and comment provisions of the Administrative 
Procedure Act, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required, and 
none has been prepared. It has been determined that this notice does 
not contain policies with implications as that term is defined in 
Executive Order 13132.
7. Harmful Algal Bloom Programs
    Summary Description: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Centers 
(NCCOS)/Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) is 
soliciting proposals for the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal 
Blooms Program, the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal 
Blooms Program and the Prevention, Control and Mitigation of Harmful 
Algal Blooms Program. Background information about the NCCOS/CSCOR 
efforts can be found at http://www.cop.noaa.gov. Proposals should be 
submitted through Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/.
    Funding Availability: Funding is contingent upon availability of 
appropriations. NOAA is committed to continual improvement of the 
grants process and accelerating the award of financial assistance to 
qualified recipients in accordance with the recommendations of the 
Business Process Reengineering Team. In order to fulfill these 
responsibilities, this solicitation announces that award amounts will 
be determined by the proposals and available funds. The following 
program-specific guidelines for budget requests are provided: (1) 
Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful

[[Page 41666]]

Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) Targeted: $100,000-$250,000/yr not including ship 
time; (2) Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms 
(MERHAB) Targeted: $100,000-$250,000/yr not including ship time; (3) 
ECOHAB Regional: $1,000,000/yr, not including ship time; (4) MERHAB 
Regional: $600,000/yr, not including ship time; and (5) Prevention, 
Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms (PCM HAB): $100,000-
$500,000/yr, not including ship time. Budget requests that exceed the 
guidelines will need to be specifically justified. Project periods may 
be modified after review due to the availability of appropriations. It 
is anticipated that up to 1 or 2 regional-scale projects and up to 8 
targeted projects will be funded. Applicants are hereby given notice 
that funds have not yet been appropriated for this program. In no event 
will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal 
preparation costs if this program fails to receive funding or is 
cancelled because of other agency priorities. There is no guarantee 
that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all 
qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to 
award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If one 
incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an 
authorized NOAA official, one would do so solely at one's own risk of 
these costs not being included under the award. Publication of this 
notice does not obligate any agency to any specific award or to 
obligate any part of the entire amount of funds available. Recipients 
and subrecipients are subject to all laws and agency policies, 
regulations and procedures applicable to financial assistance awards.
    Statutory Authority: 1. ECOHAB: 16 U.S.C. 1456C; 33 U.S.C. 883d; 33 
U.S.C. 1442; 15 U.S.C. 1540; and/or Pub. L. 105-383, as amended by 108-
456. 2. MERHAB: 16 U.S.C. 1456C; 33 U.S.C. 883d; 33 U.S.C. 1442; 15 
U.S.C. 1540; and/or Pub. L. 105-383, as amended by 108-456. 3. PCM HAB: 
16 U.S.C. 1456C; 33 U.S.C. 883d; 33 U.S.C. 1442; 15 U.S.C. 1540; and/or 
Pub. L. 105-383, as amended by 108-456.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, 
Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research--Coastal Ocean Program.
    Application Deadline: LOIs for all programs must be received at the 
CSCOR Program Office by 5 p.m. Eastern Time, August 16, 2010. 
Applicants who have not received a response to their LOI within three 
weeks should contact Mary Payne at [email protected]. Applicants may 
not submit full applications if they do not submit a LOI. The deadline 
for receipt of full proposals for all programs at the NCCOS/CSCOR 
office is 3 p.m., Eastern Time on October 14, 2010. These deadlines are 
for hand delivered or electronically submitted proposals. Note that 
late-arriving hard copy applications will be accepted for review only 
if the applicant can document that: (1) The application was provided to 
a delivery service with delivery to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric 
Administration, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, Mail Station 8240, 8th 
Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3282; (2) delivery was guaranteed 
by 3 p.m., Eastern Time on the specified closing date; and, (3) the 
proposal was received in the NCCOS/CSCOR office by 3 p.m., Eastern Time 
no later than 2 business days following the closing date. Investigators 
submitting proposals electronically are advised to submit well in 
advance of the deadline. Important: All applicants, both electronic and 
paper, should be aware that adequate time must be factored into 
applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to 
ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into 
account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to 
fulfill their guarantees.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does not have 
Internet access. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean 
Research, 1305 East-West Highway, Mail Station 8240, 8th Floor, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: Technical Information: Quay Dortch, ECOHAB 
Coordinator, 301-713-3338 extension 157, e-mail: [email protected]. 
Marc Suddleson, MERHAB Program Manager, 301-713-3338 extension 162, e-
mail: [email protected]. Quay Dortch, PCM Acting Program Manager, 
301-713-3338 extension 157, e-mail: [email protected]. Business 
Management Information: Laurie Golden, NCCOS/CSCOR Grants 
Administrator, 301-713-3338 extension 151, e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other non-profits, state, local, Indian Tribal Governments, 
commercial organizations, U.S. Territories and agencies that possess 
the statutory authority to receive financial assistance. DOC/NOAA 
supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and 
minority individuals and groups to submit applications to the CSCOR 
programs. In addition, DOC/NOAA is strongly committed to broadening the 
participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic 
serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and 
institutions that work in underserved areas. DOC/NOAA encourages 
proposals involving any of the above institutions. Please note that 
NCCOS/CSCOR will not fund any Full Time Employee (FTE) salaries, but 
will fund travel, equipment, supplies, and contractual personnel costs 
associated with the proposed work. Researchers must be employees of an 
eligible entity listed above; and proposals must be submitted through 
that entity. Researchers should comply with their institutional 
requirements for proposal submission. Non-NOAA applicants will be 
required to submit certifications or documentation showing that they 
have specific legal authority to receive funds from the Department of 
Commerce (DOC) for this research. Foreign researchers may apply as 
subawards through an eligible U.S. entity. Researchers affiliated with 
NOAA-University Cooperative/Joint Institutes should comply with joint 
institutional requirements; they will be funded through grants either 
to their institutions or to joint institutes.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
It has been determined that this notice is not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2), an 
opportunity for public notice and comment is not required for this 
notice relating to grants, benefits and contracts. Because this notice 
is exempt from the notice and comment provisions of the Administrative 
Procedure Act, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required, and 
none has been prepared. It has been determined that this notice does 
not contain policies with implications as that term is defined in 
Executive Order 13132.
8. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA California Bay Watershed Education and 
Training Program
    Summary Description: The California B-WET grant program is a 
competitively based program that supports existing

[[Page 41667]]

environmental education programs, fosters the growth of new programs, 
and encourages the development of partnerships among environmental 
education programs throughout the San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, and 
Santa Barbara Channel watersheds. Projects support organizations that 
provide students ``meaningful'' watershed educational experiences and 
teachers professional development opportunities in the area of 
environmental education.
    Funding Availability: This solicitation announces that 
approximately $2,000,000 may be available in FY 2011 in award amounts 
to be determined by the proposals and available funds. About $850,000 
will be made available to the San Francisco Bay area, about $700,000 
will be made available to the Monterey Bay area, and about $450,000 
will be made available to the Santa Barbara area. The NOAA Office of 
National Marine Sanctuaries anticipates that approximately 35 grants 
will be awarded with these funds. The NOAA Office of National Marine 
Sanctuaries anticipates that typical project awards for the identified 
priority areas will range from $30,000 to $60,000. Proposals will be 
considered for funds greater than the specified ranges if there is 
sufficient demonstration that the project requires additional funds 
and/or if the proposal includes multiple partners. There is no 
guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for 
all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded 
will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and 
NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA 
to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If 
applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at 
their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. 
Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been 
received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award 
costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when 
the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: Under 33 U.S.C. 893a(a), the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to 
conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal 
educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and 
understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science 
and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, 
including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and 
policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall 
build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.429, 
Marine Sanctuary Program.
    Application Deadline: Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5 p.m. 
Pacific Standard Time on October 5, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another 
delivery service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or 
electronic mail applications will be accepted. Please Note: Validation 
or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 
business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. Both hard copy and electronic 
proposals received after that time will not be considered for funding 
and will be returned to the applicant.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does not have 
Internet access. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: Office of National 
Marine Sanctuaries, CA B-WET Program, Attention Seaberry Nachbar, 299 
Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940.
    Information Contacts: Please visit the National Marine Sanctuaries 
CA B-WET Web site at: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/bwet/welcome.html) or contact Seaberry Nachbar, Monterey Bay National Marine 
Sanctuary office; 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940, or by phone at 
831-647-4201, or fax to 831-647-4250, or via Internet at 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-through-12 public and 
independent schools and school systems, institutions of higher 
education, nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, 
and Indian tribal governments. The Department of Commerce/National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed 
to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and 
universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and 
universities, and institutions that service undeserved areas. The NOAA 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries encourages proposals involving 
any of the above institutions.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program; however, the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries 
strongly encourages applicants applying for either area of interest to 
share as much of the costs of the award as possible. Funds from other 
awards may not be considered matching funds. The nature of the 
contribution (cash versus in-kind) and the amount of matching funds 
will be taken into consideration in the review process with cash being 
the preferred method of contribution.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
9. Fiscal Year 2011 NOAA Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed Education and 
Training (B-WET) Program
    Summary Description: NOAA B-WET is an environmental education 
program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-
12 environment. Funded projects provide meaningful watershed 
educational experiences for students, related professional development 
for teachers, and helps to support regional education and environmental 
priorities in the Pacific Northwest.
    Funding Availability: It is anticipated that up to approximately 
$1,000,000 will be available in FY2011 for all Pacific Northwest 
projects. NOAA anticipates making up to approximately 13 new awards 
during FY 2011. NOAA will consider only projects with duration of one 
year. The total amount that may be requested from NOAA shall not exceed 
$60,000 per year. The minimum amount that must be requested from NOAA 
for all years is $25,000. Applications requesting support from NOAA of 
less than $25,000 total or more than $60,000 per year will not be 
considered for funding. Proposals may be considered eligible for 
renewal beyond the first project period. However, funds will be made 
available for only a 12-month award period and any renewal of the award 
period will depend on submission of a successful proposal subject to 
panel reviews, adequate progress on previous award(s), and available 
funding to renew the award. No assurance for funding renewal exists; 
funding will be at the complete discretion of NOAA. Projects that plan 
on renewal must include in their first-year submission a full 
description of the activities and budget for the first year as 
described in this announcement, and a summary description of the 
proposed work and estimated budget for each subsequent year. If 
selected for funding, the applicant will be required to submit a full 
proposal each subsequent year by the deadline announced in the 
following competitive cycle. In addition

[[Page 41668]]

to the requirements for new proposals, renewed projects should include 
the accomplishments to date on the previous year's grant in their 
subsequent grant submissions. No proposal will be considered for 
renewal more than two times. There is no guarantee that sufficient 
funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The 
exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-
award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. 
Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific 
project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any 
costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not 
being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written 
assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the 
part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants 
Officer as part of the terms when the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: Under 33 U.S.C. 893 a(a), the Administrator of 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to 
conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and informal 
educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and 
understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science 
and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, 
including underrepresented groups in ocean and atmospheric science and 
policy careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall 
build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.429, 
Marine Sanctuary Program.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals must be received and validated 
by Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service on or 
before 5 p.m. PDT, October 8, 2010. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to two business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline. Applications received after the deadline will be 
rejected/returned to the sender without further consideration. Use of 
U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a 
receipt. No e-mail and/or facsimile pre-proposals and/or full 
applications will be accepted. Applications that are late or are 
received by fax or e-mail will deemed to not fulfill minimum 
requirements and will not be considered for review. Applications 
submitted through Grants.gov will be accompanied by an automated 
receipt of the date and time of submission. Hard copy applications will 
be hand stamped with time and date when received in the office of 
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 115 E. Railroad Ave., Suite 
301, Port Angeles, WA, 98362. (Note that late-arriving hard copy 
applications provided to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m., 
Pacific Time, October 8, 2010 will be accepted for review if the 
applicant can document that the application was provided to the 
guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time, and 
if the proposals are received before 5 p.m., Pacific Time, no later 
than two business days following the closing date. Applicants are 
recommended to send hard copies via expedited shipping methods (e.g, 
Airborne Express, DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.).
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted to 
http://www.grants.gov to be considered for funding. If an applicant 
does not have Internet access, the applicant may submit proposals in 
hard copy to: Robert Steelquist, B-WET Pacific Northwest Manager, 
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 115 East Railroad Avenue, 
Suite 301, Port Angeles, WA 98362; telephone 360/457-6622, extension 
19. Applicants are advised to send hard copies via expedited shipping 
methods (e.g., Airborne Express, DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.).
    Information Contacts: Pacific Northwest B-WET: please contact 
Robert Steelquist, NOAA B-WET PNW Manager, 115 E. Railroad Ave., Suite 
301, Port Angeles, WA, 98362; 360/457-6622 ext.19 or by e-mail at: 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are K-12 public and independent 
schools and school systems, institutions of higher education, 
community-based and nonprofit organizations, state or local government 
agencies, interstate agencies, and Indian tribal governments. The 
Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of 
historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving 
institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that 
service underserved areas. While applicants do not need to be from the 
targeted geographical regions specified in the program objectives, they 
must be working with target audiences in these areas.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program, however, the NOAA B-WET Program strongly encourages applicants 
include a 25 percent or higher match. Funds from other awards may not 
be considered matching funds. The nature of the contribution (cash vs. 
in-kind) and the amount of matching funds will be taken into 
consideration during the review process. Priority selection is given to 
proposals that propose cash rather than in-kind services.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''
10. Coral Reef Conservation Program Domestic Coral Reef Conservation 
Grants
    Summary Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant 
Program, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 
provides matching grants of financial assistance to institutions of 
higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, 
and local and Indian tribal government agencies under the Domestic 
Coral Reef Conservation Grant program. These awards are intended to 
support coral reef conservation projects in shallow water coral reef 
ecosystems, including mesophotic depths, in American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, 
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Proposals submitted to this 
competition must address at least one of the following four categories: 
(1) Fishing Impacts; (2) Land-Based Sources of Pollution; (3) Climate 
Change; and (4) Local and Emerging Management Issues. All proposed work 
should be consistent with the CRCP 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). Proposals selected for 
funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a grant 
and will require a 1:1 match of funds. Approximately $500,000 is 
expected to be available for this competition in FY 2011. Funding will 
be divided among the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic regions to maintain the 
geographic balance of the Grant Program overall, as required by the 
Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. NOAA will not accept proposals 
with a budget under $30,000 or over $125,000 under this solicitation. 
It is expected that the average award size will be $65,000.
    Funding Availability: Total anticipated funding for all grants is

[[Page 41669]]

approximately $500,000 and is subject to the availability of FY 2011 
appropriations. NOAA will not accept proposals with a budget under 
$30,000 or over $125,000 under this solicitation. It is expected that 
the average award size will be $65,000. There is no limit on the number 
of applications that can be submitted by the same applicant during the 
FY 2011 competitive grant cycle. However, multiple applications 
submitted by the same applicant must clearly identify different 
projects and must be successful in the competitive review process. The 
number of awards made as a result of this solicitation will depend on 
the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds 
requested for each project, the merit and ranking of the proposals, and 
the amount of funds made available to the Coral Reef Conservation 
Program by Congress. In addition, funding will be divided between the 
U.S. Pacific and U.S. Atlantic to meet requirements for geographic 
distribution of funds, as described in the Coral Reef Conservation Act. 
Attempts will also be made to fund one or more projects in each 
jurisdiction, provided that the project addresses priorities outlined 
above, it is identified as having sufficient merit, and it meets all 
other requirements as stipulated in this solicitation. The funds have 
not yet been appropriated for this program, and there is no guarantee 
that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all 
qualified projects. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to 
award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation 
Grant Program is provided by Section 6403 (Coral Reef Conservation 
Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et 
seq).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.482, 
Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards.
    Application Deadline: Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5 p.m. 
(EDT) on November 1, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service 
must be documented with a receipt. Applications postmarked or provided 
to a delivery service after that time will not be accepted for funding. 
Applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service must have an official 
postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In any event, 
applications received later than 15 business days following the 
postmarked closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or 
electronic mail applications will be accepted. Please Note: Validation 
or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 
business days after submission. Please consider this process in 
developing your submission timeline. There will be no extensions beyond 
these dates. If an application is not submitted through Grants.gov or 
postmarked by the deadline listed above, it will not be reviewed or 
considered for FY 2011 funding.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted to 
http://www.grants.gov by 5 p.m. EDT on November 1, 2010 to be 
considered for funding. If Grants.gov cannot be reasonably used, 
applications must be postmarked, or provided to a delivery service and 
documented with a receipt by November 1, 2010. Applications postmarked 
or provided to a delivery service after that time will not be accepted 
for funding. Applications submitted via U.S. Postal Service must have 
an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. In 
any event, applications received later than 15 business days following 
the postmarked closing date will not be accepted. There will be no 
extensions beyond these dates. If an application is not submitted 
through Grants.gov or postmarked by the deadline listed above, it will 
not be reviewed or considered for FY 2011 funding. If internet access 
is unavailable, hard copies can be submitted to: ATTN: CRCP Domestic 
Grant Applications, Jenny Waddell, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, 
N/ORM1, Silver Spring, MD 20910, Phone: 301-713-3155 extension 150; or 
e-mail: [email protected]. Applicants submitted by mail are 
required to include original signed and dated copies of the financial 
assistance forms. Electronic copies of the project narrative and budget 
narrative are requested with the submission of a paper application. 
Please submit these to [email protected].
    Information Contacts: The technical point of contact for CRCP 
Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants is Jenny Waddell. She can be 
reached at 301-713-3155, extension 150 or by e-mail at 
[email protected]. Fax: 301-713-4367. Her mailing address is OCRM/
NOAA, N/-ORM, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910.
    Eligibility: Institutions of higher education, non-profit 
organizations, commercial organizations, local and Indian tribal 
government agencies can apply for funding under the DCRCG. U.S. 
Federal, State, territory, and commonwealth governments and Regional 
Fishery Management Councils are not eligible under this category. NOAA 
employees are not allowed to help in the preparation of applications or 
write letters of support for any application. NOAA staff is available 
to provide information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing 
coral reef conservation programs/activities, regional funding 
priorities, and, along with other Program Officers, can provide 
information on application procedures and completion of required 
federal forms. For activities that involve collaboration with current 
NOAA programs or staff, NOAA employees must provide a letter verifying 
that they are collaborating with the project. Employee travel and 
salaries are not allowable costs under this program.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: All awards of financial assistance 
provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (Grant 
Program) under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (Act) 
of 2000 are subject to the matching fund requirements described below.
    As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Act, funds for any coral 
conservation project funded under this Grant Program may not exceed 50 
percent of the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral 
conservation project under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 
contribution of matching funds. Matching funds can come from a variety 
of public and private sources and can include in-kind goods and 
services such as private boat use and volunteer labor. Federal sources 
cannot be considered as matching funds, but can be described in the 
budget narrative to demonstrate additional leverage. Applicants are 
permitted to combine contributions from multiple non-federal partners 
in order to meet the 1:1 match requirement, as long as such 
contributions are not being used to match any funds received under 
another award. Applicants must specify in their proposal the source(s) 
of match and may be asked to provide letters of commitment to confirm 
stated match contributions. Applicants whose proposals are selected for 
funding will be bound by the percentage of cost sharing reflected in 
the award document signed by the NOAA Grants Officer. Applicants should 
be prepared to carefully document matching contributions for each 
project selected for funding. As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral 
Reef Conservation Act of 2000, the NOAA Administrator may waive all or 
part of the matching requirement if the Administrator determines that 
the project meets the following two requirements: 1. No reasonable 
means

[[Page 41670]]

are available through which an applicant can meet the matching 
requirement, and, 2. The probable benefit of such project outweighs the 
public interest in such matching requirement. In the case of a waiver 
request, the applicant must provide a detailed justification explaining 
the need for the waiver including attempts to obtain sources of 
matching funds, how the benefit of the project outweighs the public 
interest in providing match, and any other extenuating circumstances 
preventing the availability of match. Match waiver requests including 
the appropriate justification should be submitted as part of the final 
application package. Please Note: eligible applicants choosing to apply 
48 U.S.C. 1469a(d) should note the use of the waiver and the total 
amount of funds requested to be waived in the matching funds section of 
their respective pre- and final applications.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this competition are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs. 
Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to 
complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single 
Point of Contact established as a result of EO 12372: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
11. Coral Reef Conservation Program State and Territorial Coral Reef 
Conservation Cooperative Agreements
    Summary Description: The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, as 
authorized by the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, provides 
matching grants of financial assistance to State, Territorial and 
Commonwealth resource management agencies that were appointed by their 
respective Governors to serve as the primary point of contact agencies 
for coral reef conservation activities in each of the jurisdictions of 
American Samoa, Florida, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 
awards are administered as cooperative agreements to enable the 
collaboration and involvement of NOAA in the planning and 
implementation of the work. The objective of these Cooperative 
Agreements is to support coral reef management and monitoring programs 
and conservation projects that seek to improve the condition of coral 
reef ecosystem resources located in these seven U.S. States, 
Territories and Commonwealths.
    Funding Availability: Funding of about approximately $4,500,000 is 
expected to be available from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program 
for cooperative agreements to support priority coral reef management 
activities as described in section I(B) of the FFO announcement. There 
is no appropriation of funds at this time and the final funding amount 
will be subject to the availability of federal appropriations. Support 
in out-years following FY2011 is likewise contingent upon the 
availability of future funding and the requirements of the agency 
supporting the project. Each eligible jurisdiction can apply for a 
maximum of $750,000 per year. In certain instances, when requested by 
the applicant and agreed upon by NOAA, NOAA may hold back a portion of 
any awarded funds in order to provide specific coral reef conservation 
technical assistance in the form of contractual or other services. This 
will only be allowed where such priority technical assistance and/or 
the lack of sufficient means to deliver it are unavailable at the local 
level. Such requests proposed herein will be reviewed on a case by case 
basis with respect to the specific management objectives of this and 
the local coral reef program. NOAA will work with each jurisdiction to 
ensure the greatest degree of success in meeting local, state, 
territorial and national coral reef management needs.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation 
Grant Program is provided by Section 6403 (Coral Reef Conservation 
Program) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et 
seq).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.482, 
Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards.
    Application Deadline: Project Lists, which are comprised of a 
simple table of proposed project titles and one-paragraph descriptions 
of proposed projects, must be submitted to [email protected] or 
postmarked by October 1, 2011. Project Lists are optional but strongly 
encouraged. Pre-applications must be received by NOAA at 
[email protected] or postmarked by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on 
Friday, November 12, 2010. Applicants should submit an electronic copy 
of their pre-applications via e-mail and provide a copy to their NOAA 
Coral Reef Management Liaison as appropriate. Final Applications must 
be received by Grants.gov or postmarked by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 
on Friday, March 4, 2011. For applications submitted through 
Grants.gov, a date and time receipt is generated by the system and will 
be the basis of determining timeliness. Hard copy applications must be 
received by NOAA by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the dates 
specified; any late-arriving hard copy applications will be accepted 
for review only if the applicant can document that: (1) The application 
was provided to a delivery service with delivery to Jenny Waddell, NOAA 
Coral Reef Conservation Program, 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, N/ORM1 
10th Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; (2) delivery was guaranteed 
by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the specified closing date; and, (3) 
the application was received in the program office by 5 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time no later than 2 business days following the closing date. 
Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov 
may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this 
process in developing your submission timeline. All applicants, both 
electronic and paper, should be aware that adequate time must be 
factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. 
Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper 
application will be received on time, taking into account that 
guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their 
guarantees.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants must submit an 
electronic copy of their Project List by e-mail to 
[email protected]. Applicants must submit an electronic copy of 
their pre-applications via e-mail to [email protected]. Final 
applications must be submitted via Grants.gov. If Internet access is 
not available to the applicant, a hard copy of the Project List, pre-
application and final application may be submitted via surface mail to: 
Jenny Waddell, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, N/ORM1, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: The technical point of contact for CRCP State 
and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements is Jenny 
Waddell. She can be reached at 301-713-3155, extension 150 or by e-mail 
at [email protected]. Fax: 301-713-4367. Her mailing address is 
OCRM/NOAA, N/-ORM, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are the State, Territorial and 
Commonwealth resource management agencies that were appointed by their 
respective Governors to serve as the primary point of contact agencies 
for coral reef conservation activities in each of the jurisdictions of 
American Samoa, Florida, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

[[Page 41671]]

    Cost-Sharing Requirements: All awards of financial assistance 
provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (Grant 
Program) under the authority of the Coral Reef Conservation Act (Act) 
of 2000 are subject to the matching fund requirements described below. 
As per section 6403(b)(1) of the Act, funds for any coral conservation 
project funded under this Grant Program may not exceed 50 percent of 
the total cost of the award. Therefore, any coral conservation project 
under this Grant Program requires a 1:1 contribution of matching funds. 
Matching funds can come from a variety of public and private sources 
and can include in-kind goods and services such as private boat use and 
volunteer labor. Federal sources cannot be considered as matching 
funds, but can be described in the budget narrative to demonstrate 
additional leverage. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions 
from multiple non-Federal partners in order to meet the 1:1 match 
requirement, as long as such contributions are not being used to match 
any funds received under another award. Applicants must specify in 
their proposal the source(s) of match and may be asked to provide 
letters of commitment to confirm stated match contributions. Applicants 
whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the 
percentage of cost sharing reflected in the award document signed by 
the NOAA Grants Officer. Applicants should be prepared to carefully 
document matching contributions for each project selected for funding. 
As per section 6403(b)(2) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 
the NOAA Administrator may waive all or part of the matching 
requirement if the Administrator determines that the project meets the 
following two requirements:(1) No reasonable means are available 
through which an applicant can meet the matching requirement and, (2) 
The probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in 
such matching requirement. In the case of a waiver request, the 
applicant must provide a detailed justification explaining the need for 
the waiver including attempts to obtain sources of matching funds, how 
the benefit of the project outweighs the public interest in providing 
match, and any other extenuating circumstances preventing the 
availability of match. Match waiver requests including the appropriate 
justification should be submitted as part of the final application 
package. Please Note: eligible applicants choosing to apply 48 U.S.C. 
1469a(d) should note the use of the waiver and the total amount of 
funds requested to be waived in the matching funds section of their 
respective pre- and final applications.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''
12. National Estuarine Research Reserve Graduate Research Fellowship 
Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    Summary Description: The National Estuarine Research Reserve System 
(NERRS) consists of estuarine areas of the United States and its 
territories which are designated and managed for research and 
educational purposes. Each Reserve within the system is chosen to 
reflect regional differences and to include a variety of ecosystem 
types in accordance with the classification scheme of the national 
program as presented in 15 CFR part 921. Each Reserve supports a wide 
range of beneficial uses of ecological, economic, recreational, and 
aesthetic values which are dependent upon the maintenance of a healthy 
ecosystem. The sites provide habitats for a wide range of ecologically 
and commercially important species of fish, shellfish, birds, and other 
aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Each Reserve has been designed to 
ensure its effectiveness as a conservation unit and as a site for long-
term research and monitoring. As part of a national system, the 
Reserves collectively provide an excellent opportunity to address 
research questions and estuarine management issues of national 
significance. For detailed descriptions of the sites, refer to the 
NERRS Web site at http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov or contact the site staff 
listed in Appendix I.
    Funding Availability: The total project cost for a one-year 
Graduate Research Fellowship award is $28,572. The Federal funding 
amount of the fellowship is $20,000, and at least 30% of the total 
project cost is required as non-Federal match. To illustrate how the 
total project cost of $28,572 is calculated-$20,000 of this amount is 
supplied by the Federal government as 70%, with a minimum of 30% non-
Federal match ($8,572) of the total funding provided by the student's 
eligible institution.
    Statutory Authority: Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act 
of 1972, as amended CZMA, 16 U.S.C. 1461, establishes the National 
Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). 16 U.S.C. 1461 (e)(1)(B) 
authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants to any coastal 
state or public or private person for purposes of supporting research 
and monitoring within a National Estuarine Research Reserve that are 
consistent with the research guidelines developed under subsection (c).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.420, 
Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves.
    Application Deadline: Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 11 
p.m. (EST) on November 1, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery 
service must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic 
mail applications will be accepted. Please Note: Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications submitted in 
response to this announcement are strongly encouraged to be submitted 
through the http://www.grants.gov Web site no later than November 1, 
2010 at 11 p.m. (EST). Electronic access to the full funding 
announcement for this program is available via the http://www.grants.gov Web site. The announcement will also be available by 
contacting Alison Krepp with the Estuarine Reserves Division at 
[email protected] or 301-713-3155 x 105. If an applicant does not 
have access to the Internet, paper applications (a signed original and 
two copies) may be submitted to the Estuarine Reserves Division at the 
following address, and must be postmarked by November 1, 2010: Attn: 
Alison Krepp, NOAA/Estuarine Reserves Division, 1305 East West Highway, 
Room 10503, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
    Information Contacts: For questions regarding the program and 
application process, please contact Alison Krepp (301-713-3155 ext. 
105) at NOAA/Estuarine Reserves Division, 1305 East-West Highway, N/
ORM5, SSMC4, Station 10503, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or via e-mail at 
[email protected], or fax at 301-713-4012. The program Web site can 
be accessed at http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/Fellowship.aspx . If the Web 
page does not provide sufficient information and Alison Krepp is 
unavailable, please contact Erica Seiden at (301) 713-3155 ext. 172 or 
[email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other non-profits, State and local governments. Eligible 
applicants must

[[Page 41672]]

apply on behalf of a graduate student who has been admitted to or is 
enrolled in a full-time master's or doctoral program at a U.S. 
accredited university. Students should have completed a majority of 
their graduate course work at the beginning of their fellowship and 
have an approved thesis research program to be conducted at a Reserve. 
Minority students are encouraged to apply. All awards are normally made 
to the fellow's graduate institution through the use of a grant. 
Therefore, students must work with an authorized representative from 
their institution's Office of Sponsored Research, or equivalent office, 
to complete the following required standard Federal forms--SF 424, CD-
511, and SF 424B. Reserve staff are ineligible to submit an application 
for a fellowship under this announcement.
    Cost-Sharing Requirements: Requested Federal funds must be matched 
by at least 30 percent of the TOTAL cost of the project, not only the 
$20,000 Federal share. The total project cost for a one year Graduate 
Research Fellowship is $28,572. To illustrate, $20,000 or 70% of this 
funding is supplied by the federal government, with a minimum 30% non-
Federal match of $8,572 supplied by the student's eligible applicant 
institution. Cash or in-kind contributions directly benefitting the 
research project may be used to satisfy the matching requirements. 
Waived overhead costs may also be used as match. Funds from other 
Federal agencies and Reserve staff salaries supported by Federal funds 
may not be used as match. Requested overhead costs as well as 
institutional fees that do not qualify as direct costs under fellowship 
awards are limited to 10% of the Federal amount.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.'' Applicants should contact their State Single Point of 
Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State's process 
under EO12372. The names and addresses of the SPOCs are listed in the 
Office of Management and Budget's Web site at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
13. National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition 
and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2011
    Summary Description: The National Estuarine Research Reserve System 
consists of estuarine areas of the United States and its territories 
which are designated and managed for research and educational purposes. 
Each reserve within the system is chosen to represent a different bio-
geographic region and to include a variety of ecosystem types in 
accordance with the classification scheme of the national program as 
presented in 15 CFR part 921. By funding designated reserve agencies 
and universities to conduct land acquisition and construction projects 
that support the NERRS purpose, NOAA will strengthen protection of key 
land and water areas, enhance long-term protection of the area for 
research and education, and provide for facility and exhibit 
construction that meet the highest sustainable design standards 
possible.
    Funding Availability: This funding opportunity announces that 
approximately $3.89 million is available to designated reserve agencies 
or universities for construction and acquisition projects in fiscal 
year 2011. It is anticipated that 5 to 20 total projects may be funded. 
Awards will be issued as competitive grants. It is anticipated that the 
awards will run for up to three years. In the past, funding for land 
acquisition and construction awards has ranged in amount from 
approximately $20,000 to $3 million.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the NERR program is provided by 
16 U.S.C. 1461 (e)(1)(A)(i),(ii), and (iii).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.420, 
Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves.
    Application Deadline: Complete grant applications must be submitted 
or postmarked by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, November 30, 2010. 
Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov 
may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this 
process in developing your submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov, unless an applicant does not have 
internet access. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: NOS/OCRM/ERD Nina 
Garfield 1305 East West Highway, room 10505 Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: Administrative and Technical questions 
regarding the program and application process, please contact Nina 
Garfield, program coordinator, at NOAA/Estuarine Reserves Division, 
1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM5, SSMC4, Station 10505, Silver Spring, MD 
20910 or via phone: 301-563-1171 ext. 171, e-mail: contact 
[email protected], or fax: 301-713-4363. The program Web site can 
be accessed at http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/nerr.html. Other questions 
should be directed to Nina Garfield of ERD at 301-563-1171 ext. 171, or 
fax 301-713-4012, or via internet at [email protected] or Laurie 
McGilvray at (301) 713-3155 ext. 158, [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are NERR lead state agencies or 
universities in coastal states. Eligible applicants should have 
completed all requirements as stated in the NERRS regulations at 15 CFR 
part 921, http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Background_Regulations.html.
    Cost-Sharing Requirements: The amount of Federal funds requested 
must be matched by the applicant: 30 percent total project match for 
construction awards and 50 percent total project match for land 
acquisition awards. Cash or in-kind contributions directly benefiting 
the project may be used to satisfy the matching requirements. If using 
Reserve land acquisition banked match, a list of the banked match, 
indicating when the land was banked, must be included with the 
application. Applicants must identify all match sources and amounts 
equal to that requested above. Projects without match or with highly 
speculative match will not be considered.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.'' Applicants should contact their State Single Point of 
Contact to find out about and comply with the State processes under 
EO12372. The names and addresses of the Single Points of Contact are 
listed in the Office of Management and Budget Web site http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.

National Weather Service (NWS)

1. Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) 
Program
    Summary Description: The CSTAR Program represents an NOAA/NWS 
effort to create a cost-effective transition from basic and applied 
research to operations and services through collaborative research 
between operational forecasters and academic institutions which have 
expertise in the environmental sciences. These activities will engage 
researchers and students in applied research of interest to the 
operational meteorological community and will improve the accuracy of 
forecasts and warnings of environmental hazards by applying scientific 
knowledge and information to operational products and services. The 
NOAA CSTAR Program is a contributing

[[Page 41673]]

element of the U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP). NOAA's program is 
designed to complement other agency contributions to that national 
effort. The CSTAR Program addresses NOAA's Mission Goal 3--Serve 
society's needs for weather and water information.
    Funding Availability: The total funding amount available for 
proposals is anticipated to be approximately $250,000. However, there 
is no appropriation of funds at this time and no guarantee that there 
will be in the next fiscal year. Individual annual awards in the form 
of cooperative agreements are limited to a maximum of $125,000 per year 
for no more than three years. We anticipate making 1-3 awards.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the CSTAR program is provided by 
the following: 15 U.S.C. 313; 49 U.S.C. 44720 (b); 33 U.S.C. 883d; 15 
U.S.C. 2904; 15 U.S.C. 2934.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.468, 
Applied Meteorological Research.
    Application Deadline: Full Proposals must be received by http://www.grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5 p.m. 
(EDT) on October 15, 2010. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service 
must be documented with a receipt. No facsimile or electronic mail 
applications will be accepted. Please Note: Validation or rejection of 
your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. Proposals received after the deadline will be rejected/
returned to the sender without further consideration.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Proposals should be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov. For those organizations without Internet 
access, proposals may be sent to Sam Contorno, CSTAR Program Manager, 
NOAA/NWS, 1325 East-West Highway, Room 15330, Silver Spring, Maryland 
20910.
    Information Contacts: The point of contact is Sam Contorno, NOAA/
NWS; 1325 East-West Highway, Room 15330; Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-
3283, or by phone at 301-713-3557 ext. 150, by fax to 301-713-1253, or 
via e-mail at [email protected]. Questions concerning this 
announcement must be made via e-mail to [email protected]. 
Questions and NOAA responses will be made public via the Web at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ost/cstar.htm.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education and federally funded educational institutions such as the 
Naval Postgraduate School. This restriction is needed because the 
results of the collaboration are to be incorporated in academic 
processes which ensure academic multidisciplinary peer review as well 
as review of scientific validity for use in operations.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
2. Meteotsunami Warning Project
    Summary Description: NOAA's Tsunami Program's mission is to provide 
reliable tsunami forecasts and warnings and to promote community 
resilience. The Tsunami Warning System is designed to warn coastal 
residents of tsunamis generated by impulsive displacement of the sea 
floor through earthquakes and/or sub-sea landslides triggered by 
earthquakes. Approximately 85% of tsunamis are triggered by 
earthquakes. However, in some locations of the country 
meteorologically-generated waves with the same characteristics as 
tsunamis (or, `meteotsunamis') have historically posed a greater threat 
than the well-known earthquake-generated tsunami. Presently, no system 
is in place in the U.S. which monitors for the phenomena and alerts 
coastal residents to the threat. The NOAA Tsunami Program recognizes 
the need to research the possibility of developing a meteotsunami 
warning capability. This RFA requests research to address four primary 
objectives: Identify the causative forces and pre cursor environmental 
conditions which have generated meteotsunamis historically; define the 
observational systems, communications, and processing systems necessary 
to evaluate meteotsunami formation prior to impact along a coast; 
develop a protocol for issuing meteotsunami warnings along the U.S. 
coast; and define an overall Concept of Operations to distribute 
meteotsunami alerts from existing NWS facilities.
    Funding Availability: The total funding amount available to the 
applicants over the course of the project is anticipated to be 
$400,000.00. It is anticipated there will be one recipient of this 
award. Individual annual awards are limited to a maximum of $200,000 
per year for no more than two years.
    Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 3205.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.467, 
Meteorologic and Hydrologic Modernization Development.
    Application Deadline: Applications must be received on or before 5 
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, August 31, 2010. For applications submitted 
through Grants.gov, timeliness will be determined by the time and date 
stamp generated by Grants.gov. Please Note: Validation or rejection of 
your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. Hard copy applications will be date and time stamped when 
they are received to determine timeliness.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov unless an applicant does not have 
Internet access. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard 
copies with original signatures may be sent to: Jenifer Rhoades, NOAA/
NWS, 1325 East West Highway, Room 13118, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, 
Phone: 301-713-1677 x102, e-mail: [email protected]. E-mail and 
fax submissions will not be accepted.
    Information Contacts: Lewis Kozlosky, NOAA/NWS, 1325 East West 
Highway, Room 13123, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, Phone: 301-713-1677 
x108, e-mail: [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, state, local and 
Indian tribal governments.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)

1. Fiscal Year 2011 Climate Program Office
    Summary Description: Changing climate confronts society with 
significant economic, health, safety, and national security challenges. 
NOAA has important responsibilities in conducting observations, 
research, prediction, and information management for the purpose of 
understanding and responding to climate and global change. The NOAA 
Climate Program Office (CPO) manages the competitive research programs 
in which NOAA funds high-priority climate science to advance 
understanding of Earth's climate system and its atmospheric, oceanic, 
land, and snow and ice components. This science contributes to 
knowledge about how climate variability and change affect our health,

[[Page 41674]]

economy, and well-being. The CPO supports research that is conducted in 
regions across the United States, at national and international scales, 
and globally. The CPO also provides strategic guidance and oversight 
for the agency's climate science and services programs. In this 
connection, the CPO is helping lead the development of a proposed NOAA 
Climate Service; details about the proposed Service can be found at 
(http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html). The CPO is in the process of 
restructuring its grants programs that will go into effect with this 
announcement of opportunity. The grants activities are now organized 
within four Programs: Climate Observations and Monitoring, Earth System 
Science, Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections, and Climate 
and Societal Interactions. In addition, the CPO announces an 
opportunity in FY 2011 that cuts across these four Programs to deal 
with Improving NOAA's Climate Services for the Coastal Zone. In FY 
2011, approximately $21 million will be available for new awards 
pending budget appropriations. It is anticipated that most awards will 
be at a funding level between $50,000 and $300,000 per year, with some 
exceptions for larger awards ($600K-$700K). Investigators are highly 
encouraged to visit the CPO Web site (http://www.climate.noaa.gov) for 
general program information prior to submitting applications.
    Funding Availability: In FY 2011, approximately $21 million will be 
available for new awards pending budget appropriations. It is 
anticipated that most awards will be at a funding level between $50,000 
and $200,000 per year, with some exceptions for larger awards ($600K-
$700K). Funding for FY 2012 may be used to fund some awards submitted 
under this competition. Current or previous grantees are eligible to 
apply for a new award that builds on, but does not replicate, 
activities covered in the current or previous award. Current grantees 
should not apply for supplementary funding through this announcement. 
Funding will be divided among the following five categories of 
projects: 1. Climate Observations and Monitoring: It is anticipated 
that $1.5 million will be available in FY11 for new projects. Projects 
should be primarily in the $50,000-$175,000/year range. 2. Earth System 
Science: It is anticipated that $4 million will be available in FY11 
for new projects. Projects should be primarily in the $75,000-$175,000/
year range. See the ESS information sheet for areas of exception. 3. 
Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections: It is anticipated 
that $3 million will be available in FY11 for new projects. Projects 
should be primarily in the $75,000-$200,000/year range. See the MAPP 
information sheet for areas of exception. 4. Climate and Societal 
Interactions: It is anticipated that $13.1 million will be available in 
FY11 for new projects. Projects should be primarily in the $50,000-
$700,000/year range. For more detail on funding availability, please 
see the information sheet available for the individual program 
elements. 5. Coastal Zone Special Competition: It is anticipated that 
$1.0 million will be available in FY11 for new projects. Projects 
should be primarily in the $500,000/year (up to $1.5 million over the 
project lifetime).
    Statutory Authority: 49 U.S.C. 47720(b), 15 U.S.C. 2904, 15 U.S.C. 
2931-2934.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.431, 
Climate and Atmospheric Research.
    Application Deadline: Full proposals for all competitions must be 
postmarked, or received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. 
EDT on September 10, 2010. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your 
application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline. If an applicant does not have Internet access, hard copy 
proposals will be accepted, and date recorded when they are received in 
the program office. Electronic or hard copies received after the 
deadline will not be considered, and hard copy applications will be 
returned to the sender.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through http://www.grants.gov. If an applicant does not have Internet 
access, hard copy applications may be submitted to the CPO Grants 
Manager Diane Brown at NOAA Climate Program Office (R/CP1), SSMC3, Room 
12112, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: Please visit the CPO Web site for further 
information http://www.climate.noaa.gov/ or contact the CPO Grants 
Manager, Diane Brown by mail (see address above). Please allow up to 
two weeks after receipt for a response.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, international 
organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal 
agencies or institutions are not eligible to receive assistance under 
this notice.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: None.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
programs.
2. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population Dynamics
    Summary Description: The Graduate Fellowship Program awards at 
least two new PhD fellowships each year to students who are interested 
in careers related to the population dynamics of living marine 
resources and the development and implementation of quantitative 
methods for assessing their status. Fellows will work on thesis 
problems of public interest and relevance to NMFS under the guidance of 
NMFS mentors at participating NMFS Science Centers or Laboratories. The 
NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Population Dynamics meets NOAA's Mission 
goal of Protect, Restore and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean 
Resources Through Ecosystem-Based Management.
    Funding Availability: The Graduate Fellowship Program awards at 
least two new PhD fellowships each year to students who are interested 
in careers related to the population dynamics of living marine 
resources and the development and implementation of quantitative 
methods for assessing their status. The award for each Fellowship, 
contingent upon the availability of funds, will be a multi-year 
cooperative agreement in the amount of $38,500 per year for up to three 
years. This involvement includes serving for 10-20 days aboard a 
research or commercial vessel during a scientific survey or 
experimental activity. Additionally, the Fellow may work on his/her 
thesis research or related activity at a participating NMFS facility. 
The Fellow's work will be overseen by a NMFS mentor who will provide 
advice and guidance.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the Population Dynamics Graduate 
Fellowship Program is provided by the following: 33 U.S.C. 1127(a).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.417, Sea 
Grant Support.
    Application Deadline: Applications are due to the appropriate State 
Sea Grant Program by 11:59 p.m. local on January 21, 2011. If your 
state does not have a Sea Grant Program, please check Section VII. 
Agency Contacts of the FFO announcement and http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov for information on contacting a State Sea Grant 
program. The State Sea Grant Program must transmit all applications via 
http://www.grants.gov so that it is received by

[[Page 41675]]

4 p.m., Eastern Time February 18, 2011, by the National Sea Grant 
Office (NSGO). A date and time receipt indication will be generated by 
the system and will be the basis of determining timeliness. Facsimile 
transmission and electronic submission of applications will not be 
accepted. Applications received after the deadline will not be 
reviewed.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants must submit their 
applications to the applicable State Sea Grant Office. Please go to 
http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov for instructions on contacting a State Sea 
Grant program office. State Sea Grant programs must submit selected 
applications through http://www.Grants.gov.
    Information Contacts: Contact Terry Smith, National Sea Grant 
College Program, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; tel: 
(301) 734-1084; e-mail: [email protected].
    Eligibility: Prospective Fellows must be United States citizens. At 
the time of application, prospective Population Dynamics Fellows must 
be admitted to a PhD degree program in population dynamics or a related 
field such as applied mathematics, statistics, or quantitative ecology, 
at an institution of higher education in the United States or its 
territories, or submit a signed letter from the institution indicating 
provisional acceptance to a PhD degree program conditional on obtaining 
financial support such as this fellowship. Applications must come from 
Sea Grant programs and should be submitted through http://
www.Grants.gov.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Of the $38,500 award, 50 percent 
($19,250) will be contributed by NMFS, 33\1/3\ percent ($12,833) by the 
National Sea Grant Office (NSGO), and 16\2/3\ percent ($6,417) by the 
institution of higher education as the required 50 percent match of 
NSGO funds.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
3. Fiscal Year 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
    Summary Description: This notice announces that applications may be 
submitted for the National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. 
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship (Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program). 
The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship Program is a program initiated by the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea 
Grant College Program, in fulfilling its broad educational 
responsibilities and legislative mandate of the Sea Grant Act, to 
provide an educational experience in the policies and processes of the 
Legislative and Executive Branches of the Government to graduate 
students in marine and aquatic-related fields. The Sea Grant Knauss 
Fellowship Program meets NOAA's Mission goal of ``Protect, Restore and 
Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources Through Ecosystem-Based 
Management.''
    Funding Availability: The state SGCP receives and administers the 
overall cooperative agreement of $49,000 per student on behalf of each 
fellow selected from their program. Of this amount, the state SGCP 
provides $38,000 to each Fellow for stipend and living expenses (per 
diem). Of the total cooperative agreement amount, the state SGCP 
provides $9,000 to cover mandatory health insurance for the fellow and 
moving expenses. Any remaining funds of the $9,000 shall be used for 
the fellow during the fellowship year, first to satisfy academic 
degree-related activities, and second for fellowship-related 
activities. Finally, up to $2,000 from the total $49,000 can be used to 
cover placement week costs. Indirect costs are not allowable from the 
federal funds either for the fellowships or for any costs associated 
with the fellowships, including the $2,000 budgeted for placement week. 
During the fellowship, the host may provide supplemental funds for 
work-related travel by the fellow. Not less than 30 applicants will be 
selected, of which only 10 of the selected applicants may be assigned 
to the Legislative branch.
    Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1123(c) 4(F) and 33 U.S.C. 1127 (b).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.417, Sea 
Grant Support.
    Application Deadline: Eligible applicants must submit application 
materials to the State Sea Grant College Programs (SGCP) by 5 p.m. 
local time February 18, 2011. The sponsoring state SGCP must submit all 
selected applications through Grants.gov by 5 p.m. EDT on April 1, 
2011. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by 
Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please 
consider this process in developing your submission timeline. 
Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to 
the sender without further consideration. No facsimile or electronic 
mail applications will be accepted. For state SGCP applications 
submitted through Grants.gov, a date and time receipt will be generated 
by the system and will be the basis of determining timeliness.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: The sponsoring state SGCP must 
submit all selected applications through Grants.gov. Application 
information may be obtained directly from Grants.gov. It may also be 
obtained from the state SGCP directors. The addresses of the state SGCP 
directors may be found on Sea Grant's World Wide Web (http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/other/programsdirectors.html).
    Information Contacts: Contact Miguel Lugo, Sea Grant Knauss 
Fellowship Program Manager, National Sea Grant College Program, 1315 
East-West Highway, R/SG, Room 11828, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Tel: 
(301) 734-1077 ext 1075.
    Eligibility: An eligible applicant is any student, regardless of 
citizenship, who, on February 18, 2011, is enrolled towards a degree, 
in a graduate or professional program in a marine or aquatic-related 
field. The graduate degree needs to be awarded through a United States 
accredited institution of higher education in the United States or U.S. 
Territories. Each eligible applicant will need to submit the 
application information to the state where their institution of higher 
education is located. Only state SGCPs are eligible to submit 
applications to the National Sea Grant College Program. Applicants that 
have participated in the fellowship in past years will not be eligible 
to submit an application. This is a onetime fellowship opportunity. 
Applicants from states not served by a state SGCP should contact the 
National Sea Grant College Program; subsequently, the applicant will be 
referred to the appropriate state SGCP. All applicants should consult 
the state SGCP before submitting an application.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: N/A.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
4. Fiscal Year 2011 NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource 
Economics
    Summary Description: The Graduate Fellowship Program generally 
awards two new PhD fellowships each year to students who are interested 
in careers related to the development and implementation of 
quantitative methods for assessing the economics of the conservation 
and management of living marine resources. Fellows will work on thesis 
problems of public interest and relevance to NMFS under the guidance of 
NMFS mentors at participating NMFS Science Centers or Laboratories. The 
NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowships in Marine Resource Economics meets NOAA's

[[Page 41676]]

Mission goal of Protect, Restore and Manage the Use of Coastal and 
Ocean Resources Through Ecosystem-Based Management.
    Funding Availability: The NMFS--Sea Grant Joint Graduate Fellowship 
Program in Marine Resource Economics expects to support two new 
fellowships for up to 2 years for each fellowship.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for the Resource Economics Graduate 
Fellowship Program is provided by the following: 33 U.S.C. 1127(a).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.417, Sea 
Grant Support
    Application Deadline: Applications are due to the appropriate State 
Sea Grant Program by 11:59 p.m. local time on January 21, 2011. If your 
state does not have a Sea Grant Program, please check VII, Agency 
Contacts located in the FFO announcement and http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov for information on contacting a Sea Grant 
program. The Sea Grant Program must transmit the application via http://www.grants.gov so that it is received by the National Sea Grant Office 
(NSGO) by 4 p.m., Eastern Time February 18, 2011. A date and time 
receipt generated by the system and will be the basis of determining 
timeliness. Facsimile transmission and electronic submission of 
applications will not be accepted. Please Note: Validation or rejection 
of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants must submit their 
applications to the applicable State Sea Grant Office. Please go to 
http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov for instructions on contacting a State Sea 
Grant program office. Applications must come from State Sea Grant 
programs and must be submitted through http://www.Grants.gov.
    Information Contacts: Contact Terry Smith, National Sea Grant 
College Program, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; tel: 
(301) 734-1084; e-mail: [email protected].
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education in the United States or its territories. Eligible applicants 
must apply on behalf of a prospective fellow who has been admitted or 
received provisional acceptance conditioned on obtaining financial 
support such as this fellowship, to a PhD degree program in natural 
resource economics or a related field at an institution of higher 
education in the United States or its territories. Prospective fellows 
must submit a signed letter from the institution indicating the 
provisional acceptance. Prospective Fellows must be United States 
citizens. Applications must come from Sea Grant programs and must be 
submitted through http://www.Grants.gov.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Of the $38,500 award, 50 percent 
($19,250) will be contributed by NMFS, 33\1/3\ percent ($12,833) by the 
National Sea Grant Office (NSGO), and 16\2/3\ percent ($6,417) by the 
institution of higher education as the required 50 percent match of 
NSGO funds.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Programs.
5. Fiscal Year 2011 Small Grants for Marine Archaeological Exploration
    Summary Description: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research 
(OER) is seeking pre-proposals and full proposals to support its 
mission, consistent with NOAA's Strategic Plan (http://www.nrc.noaa.gov), to discover significant or potentially significant 
maritime heritage sites. Small Grants for Marine Archaeological 
Exploration is a new type of funding program from OER. The program will 
provide a researcher with the opportunity to assess the feasibility of 
a potentially larger marine archaeology exploration project. Proposals 
should examine new ideas or new opportunities with potential to make 
significant discoveries of maritime cultural resources. OER anticipates 
a total of approximately $100,000 will be available through this 
announcement for small grants ($25K or less). Applicants are encouraged 
to visit the Ocean Explorer Web site (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov) to 
familiarize themselves with past and present OER-funded activities. All 
applicants are required to submit pre-proposals in order to be 
considered for funding for this program. Background on how to apply and 
the required Pre-Proposal Application Form and required Proposal Cover 
Sheet are accessible through the OER Office Web site at http://explore.noaa.gov. The office priorities for this opportunity support 
NOAA's mission support goal of: Ecosystems--Protect, Restore, and 
Manage Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through Ecosystem-Based 
Management.
    Funding Availability: In anticipation of the FY 11 President's 
Budget, OER anticipates a total of approximately $100,000 will be 
available through this announcement for Small Grants for Marine 
Archaeological Exploration. OER anticipates supporting four awards 
through this solicitation, not to exceed $25,000. The OER Director may 
hold-over select proposals submitted for 2011 funding for consideration 
in 2012. The amount of funding available through this announcement is 
subject to the final FY11 appropriation for Ocean Exploration and 
Research. Publication of this announcement does not obligate NOAA to 
fund any specific project or to obligate all or any part of available 
funds. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to 
initiate or continue research activities where funding has been 
recommended by OER. The exact amount of funds that OER may recommend be 
granted will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the 
applicant and NOAA representatives. Future opportunities for submitting 
proposals may be available and will depend on OER funding levels.
    Statutory Authority: 33 U.S.C. 3403(a)(4).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.011, Ocean 
Exploration.
    Application Deadline: Completed pre-proposals are required and must 
be received by 5 p.m. (EDT) on August 16, 2010. If the application is 
submitted before 5 p.m. (EDT), an auto-reply message will notify 
applicants that their e-mail with pre-proposal material was received. 
If the application is submitted after 5 p.m. (EDT), an auto-reply 
message will notify applicant that their e-mail with pre-proposal 
material submission is late and will not be considered. A complete pre-
proposal is a prerequisite for submission of a full proposal. 
Applicants will receive an e-mail encouraging or discouraging a full 
proposal submission by August 25, 2010. If you have not received a 
reply by September 1, 2010 contact OER ([email protected]) as soon as 
possible. Full proposals must be received by 5 p.m. (EDT) on October 
12, 2010. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, a date and 
time receipt generated by the system and will be the basis of 
determining timeliness. Hard copy, proposals will be date and time 
stamped when they are received in the Program Office. For applicants 
without internet access, hard copies of the Proposal Cover Sheet and 
the application package can be obtained via mail at NOAA Office of 
Ocean Exploration and Research, 1315 East West Highway, SSMC 3, 10th 
Floor, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, or requested by phone at (301) 
734-1015 as well. Pre-proposals and Full-Proposals submitted after 
their respective cutoff date and time will not be considered. Please 
Note: Applicants may have to register or renew their central contractor 
registration prior to submitting to Grants.gov. Grants.gov will not 
accept

[[Page 41677]]

submissions if the applicant has not been authorized or if credentials 
are incorrect. Authorizations and credential corrections can take 
several days to establish. Please plan your time accordingly to avoid 
late submissions. For further information please visit the Central 
Contractor Registration Web site (http://www.ccr.gov/). Validation or 
rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business 
days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your 
submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Pre-proposal submissions can be 
either by e-mail, which is the preferred submission method to 
[email protected], or by hard-copy (send one copy to the mailing 
address below). If by e-mail, please put your last name in the subject 
heading along with the words OER Pre-proposal, e.g., ``Smith OER Pre-
proposal.'' Adobe PDF format is preferred. No facsimile pre-proposals 
will be accepted. Full proposal submissions must be submitted through 
Grants.gov. Applicants without internet access may submit hard-copies 
to the address below. Please refer to important information in 
submission dates and times above to help ensure your application is 
received on time. No e-mail or facsimile full proposal submissions will 
be accepted. Address for Hard-Copy Submissions: ATTN: Dr. Nicolas 
Alvarado, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration & Research, SSMC III, 10th 
Floor, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Hard copy 
applications should be binder-clipped together (not bound or stapled) 
and printed on one-side only. One signed, hard copy original is 
required (use blue/black ink). Since reviewers will require access to 
an electronic copy, applicants submitting hard copies are highly 
encouraged to also submit a digital version in one Adobe PDF file on 
CD-ROM.
    Information Contacts: For further information contact the NOAA 
Office of Ocean Exploration and Research at (301) 734-1015 or submit 
inquiries via e-mail to the Frequently Asked Questions address: 
[email protected]. E-mail inquiries should include the Principal 
Investigator's name in the subject heading. Inquiries can be mailed to 
ATTN: Dr. Nicolas Alvarado (Proposal Manager) NOAA Office of Ocean 
Exploration 1315 East West Highway SSMC3, 10th Floor, Silver Spring, 
Maryland 20910
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education; other nonprofits; commercial organizations; state, local and 
Indian tribal governments.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost-sharing is not required.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.'' Applicants must contact their State's Single Point of 
Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State's process 
under EO 12372. The names and addresses of the SPOC's are listed in the 
Office of Management and Budget's Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.
6. Fiscal Year 2011 Joint Hurricane Testbed
    Summary Description: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 
(OAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is 
soliciting Letters of Intent (LOIs) under the United States Weather 
Research Program (USWRP), as administrated by the USWRP Joint Hurricane 
Testbed (JHT). This notice also provides guidelines for the submission 
of full proposals. This notice describes opportunities and application 
procedures for the transfer of relevant research and technology 
advances into tropical cyclone analysis and forecast operations. This 
notice calls for researchers to submit proposals to test and evaluate, 
and modify if necessary, in a quasi-operational environment, their own 
scientific and technological research applications. Projects satisfying 
metrics for success and operational constraints may be selected for 
operational implementation by the operational center(s) after the 
completion of the JHT-funded work. The period of the award is from one 
to two years.
    Funding Availability: The estimate for total JHT funding that will 
be available in FY 2011 is $1,250,000, which will likely be used to 
fund 10-15 new projects. Award amounts for previous JHT grants have 
been mostly between $50,000 and $200,000 per year. A similar range is 
expected for this announcement. Initial and renewal funding of any JHT 
proposals is contingent upon availability of these funds. In no event 
will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal 
preparation costs.
    Statutory Authority: The program authority is 49 U.S.C. 44720(b), 
33 U.S.C. 883d.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.431, 
Climate and Atmospheric Research.
    Application Deadline: LOIs submitted must be received no later than 
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 30 July 2010. TPC/NHC determines 
whether an LOI has been submitted before the deadline by the date and 
time indication on the e-mail or by date and time stamp imprinted on 
the applications as they are physically received in the NHC office. 
LOIs received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Although LOIs 
are strongly recommended, they are not required in order to submit a 
full application. Full proposal packages must be submitted no later 
than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 29 October 2010. A date and 
time receipt on the submission to Grants.gov will be the basis of 
determining timeliness. For those without Internet access, hard copy 
proposals will be date and time stamped when they are received in the 
program office. Applications received after that time will not be 
reviewed. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your application by 
Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please 
consider this process in developing your submission timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: LOIs may be submitted via e-mail 
or hard copy to the JHT Director Dr. Jiann-Gwo Jiing via e-mail: [email protected], DOC/NOAA, Office of Weather & Air Quality Research, 
Routing Code R/WA, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 11209, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910.
    Federal applications must submit their full proposals to the JHT 
Director Dr. Jiann-Gwo Jiing via e-mail: [email protected]. If a 
non-federal co-Principal Investigator is seeking funds under a Federal 
Principal Investigator proposal, the non-federal Principal Investigator 
will need to submit the full proposal package via http://grants.gov/Apply Web site. For non-Federal Principal Investigator(s), full 
proposal packages should be submitted through the http://grants.gov/Apply Web site. For those without Internet access, hard copy proposals 
should be addressed to Dorothy Fryar, DOC/NOAA, Office of Weather & Air 
Quality Research, Routing Code R/WA, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 
11209, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Information Contacts: Please visit the Joint Hurricane Testbed Web 
site for further information at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/jht/index.shtml or contact Dr. Jiann-Gwo Jiing, Director, Joint Hurricane 
Testbed, Tropical Prediction Center, 11691 SW. 17th Street, Miami, FL 
33165, phone (305) 229-4443, or via e-mail at [email protected]. 
Any technical questions addressed by Dr. Jiing (or his

[[Page 41678]]

authorized representative) about this JHT funding opportunity and the 
answers will be posted on the JHT Web site (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/jht).
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education; other nonprofits; commercial organizations; foreign 
governments; organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign 
governments; international organizations; state, local and Indian 
tribal governments; and agencies. Applications will be competed against 
each other. Proposals selected for funding from applicants will be 
funded through a cooperative agreement as described in section II. C. 
of the FFO announcement. Proposals from NOAA scientists selected for 
funding shall be effected by an intra-agency fund transfer. Proposals 
from a non-NOAA agency selected for funding will be funded through an 
inter-agency transfer. Please Note: Before non-NOAA applicants may be 
funded, they must demonstrate that they have legal authority to receive 
funds from another agency in excess of their appropriation. The only 
exception to this is governmental research facilities for awards issued 
under the authority of 49 U.S.C. 44720(b). Because this announcement is 
not proposing to procure goods or services from applicants, the Economy 
Act (31 U.S.C. 1535) is not an appropriate legal basis.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: No cost sharing is required under this 
program.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372,''Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''

Office of the Under Secretary (USEC)

1. Environmental Literacy Grants for Formal K-12 Education
    Summary Description: The goal of this funding opportunity is to 
support K-12 education projects that advance inquiry-based Earth System 
Science learning and stewardship directly tied to the school 
curriculum, with a particular interest in increasing climate literacy. 
To address this goal, this solicitation will support service-learning 
and professional development projects related to NOAA's mission in the 
areas of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather and climate sciences and 
stewardship. A successful project will catalyze change in K-12 
education at the state, regional and national level through development 
of new programs and/or revision of existing programs to improve the 
environmental literacy of K-12 teachers and their students. A 
successful project will also leverage NOAA assets, although use of non-
NOAA assets is also encouraged. The target audiences for this funding 
opportunity are K-12 students, pre- and in-service teachers, and 
providers of pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher 
professional development. There is a special interest in projects that 
address reaching groups traditionally underserved and/or 
underrepresented in Earth System science. One group that has been 
identified as underserved is elementary level teachers and students. 
This funding opportunity has two priorities, which are equal in their 
importance for funding. Priority 1 is for innovative proof-of-concept 
projects that are one to two years in duration, for a total minimum 
request of $200,000 and a total maximum request of $500,000. Priority 2 
is for full-scale implementation of educational projects that are three 
to five years in duration, for a total minimum request of $500,001 and 
a total maximum request of $1,500,000. This opportunity meets NOAA's 
Mission Support goal to provide critical support for NOAA's mission. It 
is anticipated that awards under this announcement will be made by June 
30, 2011 and that projects funded under this announcement will have a 
start date no earlier than July 1, 2011. Note: a PDF version of this 
announcement is available at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html.
    Funding Availability: NOAA anticipates the availability of 
approximately $8,000,000 of total financial assistance in FY 2011 for 
this solicitation. Approximately 5 to 10 awards total among both 
priorities in the form of grants or cooperative agreements will be 
made. For Priority 1, the total amount that may be requested from NOAA 
shall not exceed $500,000 for all years including direct and indirect 
costs. The minimum amount that must be requested from NOAA for all 
years for the direct and indirect costs for this priority is $200,000. 
Applications requesting support from NOAA of less than $200,000 or more 
than $500,000 total for all years will not be considered for funding. 
For Priority 2, the total amount that may be requested from NOAA shall 
not exceed $1,500,000 for all years including direct and indirect 
costs. The minimum amount that must be requested from NOAA for all 
years for the direct and indirect costs for this priority is $500,001. 
Applications requesting support from NOAA of more than $1,500,000 or 
less than $500,001 total for all years will not be considered for 
funding. The amount of funding available through this announcement will 
be dependent upon final FY11 appropriations. Publication of this notice 
does not oblige DOC/NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate 
any available funds. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to 
receiving an award agreement from an authorized NOAA Grants Officer, 
the applicant would do so solely at one's own risk of such costs not 
being included under the award. The exact amount of funds that may be 
awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the 
applicant and NOAA representatives.
    Statutory Authority: Authority for this program is provided by the 
following 33 U.S.C. 893a(a), the America COMPETES Act.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.008, NOAA 
Mission-Related Education Awards
    Application Deadline: An informational teleconference with the 
program officers will occur on July 28 2010, 3 to 5 p.m. EDT. 
Interested applicants should register by contacting 
[email protected], including in the Subject line of the e-mail: 
``Interested in FFO Teleconference--Need Details''. Please provide the 
interested parties' name, institution and telephone number in the body 
of the e-mail. Whenever possible, people from the same institution 
should try to call in through the same phone line.
    Pre-proposal Submission Dates and Times: Pre-proposals are required 
for all applications and must be received by 5 p.m., EDT, September 8, 
2010. Late pre-proposals will not be merit reviewed. Pre-proposals 
should be submitted via http://www.Grants.gov. Pre-proposals submitted 
through Grants.gov will generate an automated receipt indicating the 
date and time of submission. For pre-proposals submitted through 
Grants.gov, there will be two automated e-mail receipts sent to the 
application submitter with the date and time of submission (the first 
e-mail confirms receipt, the second e-mail confirms that there are no 
errors with your pre-proposal submission and it has been forwarded to 
NOAA for further processing). If both e-mail confirmation receipts are 
not provided within two (2) days of pre-proposal submission, contact 
the Grants.gov Help Desk and [email protected]. Please Note: It may 
take Grants.gov up to 48 hours to validate or reject the pre-proposal. 
Please keep this in mind in developing your submission timeline. 
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all required elements have 
been appropriately submitted. Additional instructions for Grants.gov 
can be found

[[Page 41679]]

at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/elg/elg_faqs.html.
    Hard copy pre-proposals will be hand stamped with the time and date 
when received in the Office of Education. (Note that late-arriving hard 
copy pre-proposals provided to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m., 
EDT September 8, 2010 will be accepted for review if the applicant can 
document that the pre-proposal was provided to the guaranteed delivery 
service by the specified closing date and time and if the applications 
are received in the Office of Education no later than 5 p.m. EDT two 
business days following the closing date.) Please Note: hard copy 
applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service can take up to 4 
weeks to reach this office; therefore applicants are advised to send 
hard copy applications via expedited shipping methods (e.g., Airborne 
Express, DHL, Fed Ex, UPS). If you have submitted a hard-copy 
application, you must either call Stacey Rudolph at 202-482-3739 or 
send an e-mail to [email protected] indicating that you have 
submitted a hard copy full application within 24 hours after the 
deadline. The submitter will receive a response from the program office 
acknowledging receipt of the phone call or e-mail and including an 
update on the receipt of the application. If you do not receive this 
response within 72 hours of the deadline, then call Stacey Rudolph: 
202-482-3739 to confirm that your application has been received. Pre-
proposals are a prerequisite for submission of a full application. 
Applicants who submit a pre-proposal by 5 p.m. EDT, September 8, 2010 
will receive notification authorizing or not authorizing a full 
application on or about November 19, 2010. Please contact Stacey 
Rudolph at 202-482-3739 or [email protected] if you have not received 
this notification by Nov 23, 2010.
    Full Application Submission Dates and Times: The deadline for full 
applications is 5 p.m., EST on January 12, 2011. Full applications 
should be submitted via http://www.grants.gov. Late applications will 
not be merit reviewed. Full applications submitted through Grants.gov 
will generate an automated receipt indicating the date and time of 
submission. For applications submitted through Grants.gov, there will 
be two automated e-mail receipts sent to the application submitter with 
the date and time of submission (the first e-mail confirms receipt, the 
second e-mail confirms that there are no errors with your application 
submission and it has been forwarded to NOAA for further processing). 
If both e-mail confirmation receipts are not provided within two (2) 
days of application submission, contact the Grants.gov Help Desk and 
[email protected]. Please Note: It may take Grants.gov up to 48 hours 
to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in 
developing your submission timeline. Applicants are responsible for 
ensuring that all required elements have been appropriately submitted. 
Additional instructions for Grants.gov can be found at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/elg/elg_faqs.html.
    Hard copy applications will be hand stamped with time and date when 
received in the Office of Education. (Note that late-arriving hard copy 
applications provided to a delivery service on or before 5 p.m., EST 
January 12, 2011 will be accepted for review if the applicant can 
provide official proof that their application was provided to the 
guaranteed delivery service by the specified closing date and time and 
if the application is received in the Office of Education no later than 
5 p.m. EST two business days following the closing date.) Please Note: 
hard copy applications submitted via the US Postal Service can take up 
to 4 weeks to reach this office; therefore applicants are advised to 
send hard copy applications via expedited shipping methods (e.g., 
Airborne Express, DHL, Fed Ex, UPS). If you have submitted a hard-copy 
application, you must either call Stacey Rudolph at 202-482-3739 or 
send an e-mail to [email protected] indicating that you have 
submitted a hard copy full application within 24 hours after the 
deadline. The submitter will receive a response from the program office 
acknowledging receipt of the phone call or e-mail and including an 
update on the receipt of the application. If you do not receive this 
response within 72 hours of the deadline, then call Stacey Rudolph: 
202-482-3739 to confirm that your application has been received. See 
Section F of the full funding opportunity for additional guidance.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Pre-proposals and full 
applications must be submitted through Grants.gov APPLY (http://www.grants.gov.) However, if an applicant does not have Internet access 
or if technical issues prohibit submission through Grants.gov, hard 
copy pre-proposals or full applications will be accepted. Hard copy 
pre-proposals and full applications should be delivered to: Stacey 
Rudolph, Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Office of Education, 1401 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., HCHB 6863, Washington, DC 20230; Telephone: 202-482-3739. 
Please Note: hard copy applications submitted via the US Postal Service 
can take up to 4 weeks to reach this office; therefore applicants are 
advised to send hard copy applications via expedited shipping methods 
(e.g., Airborne Express, DHL, Fed Ex, UPS) and to retain proof of their 
submission to the expedited shipping company.
    Information Contacts: Please visit the OEd Web site for further 
information at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html or contact 
the Program Officers: Carrie McDougall at 202-482-0875; or Sarah 
Schoedinger at 704-370-3528; or John McLaughlin at 202-482-2893; or by 
e-mailing any of them at [email protected]. For those applicants 
without Internet access, hard copies of referenced documents may be 
requested from NOAA's Office of Education by contacting Stacey Rudolph 
at 202-482-3739 or sending a letter to: Stacey Rudolph, Dept. of 
Commerce, NOAA Office of Education, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., HCHB 
6863, Washington, DC 20230; Telephone: 202-482-3739.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education, other nonprofits, K-12 public and independent schools and 
school systems, and state, local and Indian tribal governments in the 
United States. U.S. federal agencies, for-profit organizations, foreign 
organizations and foreign government agencies are not eligible to apply 
as the lead institution. The following types of organizations may be 
partners on an application submitted by an eligible applicant: NOAA 
programs and offices, other Agencies, Funded Research and Development 
Centers, for-profit companies, non-U.S. organizations and institutions. 
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers conduct research for 
the United States Government. They are administered in accordance with 
U.S Code of Federal Regulations, Title 48, Part 35, Section 35.017 by 
universities and corporations. For the most up to date master list of 
every FFRDC, please view the following Web site: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/start.cfm. NOAA will consider applications that 
request a portion of the funding be used to support these types of 
partners. Please Note: although NOAA programs and offices can receive a 
small portion of funds associated with a project, the principal benefit 
of the project cannot be to support NOAA. Home-school organizations are 
eligible to apply. However, individuals are not eligible to apply. The 
Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to increasing the participation of 
Minority

[[Page 41680]]

Serving Institutions (MSIs), i.e., Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal colleges and 
universities, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, and 
institutions that work in underserved communities. Applications are 
encouraged that involve any of the above types of institutions. An 
individual may apply only once as principal investigator (PI) through 
this funding opportunity. However institutions may submit more than one 
application and individuals may serve as co-PIs or key personnel on 
more than one application.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: There is no cost share requirement.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted to this funding 
opportunity are not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental 
Review of Programs.
2. Financial Assistance to Establish Five NOAA Cooperative Science 
Centers at Minority Serving Institutions
    Summary Description: NOAA's Office of Education (OEd), Educational 
Partnership Program (EPP) with Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) 
solicits applications from accredited postsecondary MSIs to establish 
five NOAA Cooperative Science Centers (CSCs). These five CSCs are 
designed to create collaborative partnerships among MSIs and NOAA's 
Line Offices. NOAA's mission as stated in the FY2009-2014 NOAA 
Strategic Plan, is ``[t]o understand and predict changes in Earth's 
environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to 
meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs.'' The 
Uniform Resource Locator for NOAA Strategic Planning is http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/strategic_planning.html. Additional information about 
NOAA may be found on the Web site: http://www.noaa.gov. Each NOAA 
Cooperative Science Center must conduct education and research that 
directly supports NOAA's mission. The purpose of these CSCs at MSIs is 
to: (1) Educate students in science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics (STEM) fields related to the CSCs' research areas to 
increase the number and diversity of NOAA's and the nation's STEM 
workforce; (2) conduct research in collaboration with NOAA scientists 
and engineers to better understand the significance of changes in the 
Earth's oceans, coasts, Great Lakes, weather and climate; and, (3) 
build capacity and sustainability in NOAA-relevant STEM areas at all 
center institutions. The CSCs are to leverage existing education and 
research program capabilities to train and graduate students in NOAA-
mission STEM fields including broader disciplines (e.g., economics and 
social sciences). The CSCs are to build sustainable capacity, 
maintaining newly established curricula, as well as upgraded research 
facilities that will enhance their ability to conduct NOAA education 
and research that contributes to a pipeline of students trained in STEM 
fields. The EPP is designed to enhance capacity at MSIs that educate, 
train, and graduate students in STEM fields and to increase 
environmental literacy by establishing partnerships with academia, the 
private sector, and other state, tribal and local agencies. Additional 
program details may be found on the Web site: http://www.epp.noaa.gov. 
Interested applicants should be responsive to both the notice in the 
Federal Register and the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) 
announcement. A PDF version of both the Federal Register Notice and the 
FFO are available at http://www.epp.noaa.gov/.
    Funding Availability: All funding is contingent upon availability 
of appropriations. NOAA anticipates that up to $3 million will be 
available annually for each Cooperative Science Center. Five awards 
will be made to five successful applicants; total funds of 
approximately $75 million are available to support the proposed five 
(5) Cooperative Science Centers for a period of five years, subject to 
appropriations. NOAA will not accept applications requesting more than 
$15 million under this solicitation. Subject to Congressional 
appropriations, NOAA anticipates making awards in the summer 2011. 
Awards will be funded incrementally on an annual basis for a five-year 
period and are subject to the availability of funds and acceptable 
performance. There is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-
award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms 
when the award is made.
    Statutory Authority: The applicable statutory authorities follow: 
15 U.S.C. 1540; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as 
amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970; Cooperative research 
and training programs for fish and wildlife resources, 16 U.S.C. 
753(a); National Marine Sanctuaries Act, 16 U.S.C. 1431; Coastal Zone 
Management Act of 1972, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.; Magnuson-
Stevenson Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 
2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a; 33 U.S.C.--US Code--Title 33: Navigation and 
Navigable Waters (January 2003) Sec. 883a. Surveys and other 
activities, and, Sec. 883d. Improvement of methods, instruments, and 
equipments; investigations and research; Sec. 1442. Research program 
respecting possible long-range effects of pollution, overfishing, and 
man-induced changes of ocean ecosystems; Meteorological Services, 49 
U.S.C. 44720; White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for 
Hispanic Americans Commission, Executive Orders 13230; White House 
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Executive 
Order 13256; White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and 
Universities, Executive Order 13270; American Indian and Alaska Native 
Education, Executive Order 13336; Increasing Economic Opportunity and 
Business Participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 
Executive Order 13339; and, America Competes Act H.R. 2272.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.481, 
Educational Partnership Program.
    Application Deadline: Informational teleconferences with the 
Program Officer are scheduled for Wednesday, July 21, 2010 and 
Wednesday, August 25, 2010, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on both days. 
Interested applicants should register by contacting [email protected]. 
The e-mail should include in the Subject line of the e-mail: 
``Interested in FFO Teleconference--Need Details'' and provide the 
interested parties name, institution, telephone number, and selected 
information teleconference date in the body of the e-mail no later than 
two weeks prior to the scheduled informational teleconference. Where 
possible, individuals from the same institution should try to call in 
using one telephone line. Full applications must be submitted through 
http://www.grants.gov no later than November 15, 2010. Applicants must 
comply with all requirements contained in this notice in the Federal 
Register and the FFO announcement. For those applicants without 
Internet access, paper applications (a signed original and two copies) 
and a flash drive with the application in MS Word and/or PDF format may 
be submitted to the Office of Education: NOAA Office of Education, 
Educational Partnership Program, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 10600, 
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Paper applications must be received or 
postmarked no later than November 15, 2010. Facsimile transmissions and 
electronic mail submission of full applications will not be accepted. 
Please Note: Hard copy applications submitted via the U.S. Postal 
Service may take up to four (4) weeks to reach NOAA's Office of

[[Page 41681]]

Education; therefore applicants are advised to send hard copy 
applications via expedited shipping methods (e.g. Fed Ex, UPS). Use of 
U.S. Postal Service or another delivery service must be documented with 
a receipt. Please Note: It may take Grants.gov up to two (2) business 
days to validate or reject the application. Please keep this in mind in 
developing your submission timeline. Applications postmarked or 
provided to a delivery service after that time will not be considered 
for funding. Applications submitted via the U.S. Postal Service must 
have an official postmark; private metered postmarks are not 
acceptable. In any event, applications received later than five (5) 
business days following the postmark closing date will not be accepted.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applicants must comply with all 
requirements contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity announcement. 
If Internet access is unavailable, paper applications (a signed 
original and two copies) and a flash drive with the application in MS 
Word and/or PDF format may be submitted to the Office of Education, 
Educational Partnership Program at the following address: NOAA Office 
of Education, Educational Partnership Program, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Room 10700, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Facsimile transmissions and 
electronic mail submission of full applications will not be accepted.
    Information Contacts: For further information please contact Audrey 
Trotman (Federal Program Officer) for administrative and technical 
questions, telephone 301-713-9437 ext. 155, fax 301-713-9465, or e-mail 
[email protected]. The alternative technical contact is Meka 
Laster, telephone 301-713-9437 ext. 147 or e-mail [email protected].
    Eligibility: For the purpose of this program Minority Serving 
Institutions: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-
Serving Institutions, Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and 
Universities, Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, and Native Hawaiian-
Serving Institutions, as identified on the 2007 United States 
Department of Education, Accredited Postsecondary Minority Institution 
list (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html 
and http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst-list-tab.html) are eligible to apply. A proposed center's principal academic 
institution must be an accredited MSI with a PhD degree-granting 
program in a STEM field that supports NOAA's mission. Applications will 
not be accepted from non-profit organizations (except organizations 
that are classified as Institutions of Higher Education), foundations 
(except foundations that represent Institutions of Higher Education), 
auxiliary services or any other entity submitted on behalf of MSIs. 
Private and/or public sector and community college partnerships are 
encouraged. Partnerships with community colleges may be considered as a 
mechanism to build the undergraduate pipeline of four-year academic 
institutions. A Cooperative Science Center may partner with one or more 
institutions that have demonstrated education and research performance 
in NOAA-related sciences. While the center will be established at an 
MSI, consortia with non-minority serving institutions partners will not 
be restricted. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a consortium of 
institutions, the consortium must propose a governance structure that 
includes a single director and one award. Where multi-institutional 
applications between majority and MSIs are submitted, no less than 
eighty percent (80%) of the total funds shall be awarded to the MSI(s). 
The MSI lead cannot issue sub-awards for more than twenty percent (20%) 
of the total project costs to majority institutions.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: There is no statutory matching 
requirement for this funding.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are not 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''

National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS)

1. Climate Data Record Program Office for Fiscal Year 2011
    Summary Description: The Climate Data Record Program (CDRP) seeks 
to support the development and stewardship of Climate Data Records 
(CDRs) for the atmosphere, cryosphere, oceans, and land surface. The 
Program follows the National Research Council's 2004 distinction 
between Fundamental and Thematic Climate Data Records, and is initially 
focused on Fundamental CDRs and Thematic CDRs related to Earth's water 
and energy cycles and sea level. The Program seeks CDRs that will 
provide demonstrable benefit to end users and society. The CDRP is 
managed by NOAA, but is informed by other government agencies such that 
its results represent a government-wide contribution to climate change 
detection, assessment, understanding, adaptation and/or mitigation.
    Funding Availability: In FY 2007, the first year of SDS grants, the 
Project made eight awards totaling approximately $800K. In FY 2008, the 
Project expanded total funding to nearly $1,000K, which included 
funding for three new starts. In FY 2009, funding increased to $2.6M, 
with seven proposals being funded. In FY 2010, four additional 
proposals, totaling $1.2M, from the FY 2009 competition were funded. 
The grant selection abstracts for FY2007 through 2010 may be found at: 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sds/sds-opportunities.html For the present 
grants competition, the CDR Program expects to select proposals over a 
two year period (FY 2011 and FY 2012) for funding. The total 
anticipated Federal funding in FY 2011 is $2.5M for new awards. The 
anticipated number of new awards, pending adequate proposals of merit, 
is from 5- to 15. The CDR Program anticipates new funding availability 
in FY 2012 for additional awards from the present grants competition. 
The total anticipated Federal funding in FY 2012 and the number of 
additional awards will be dependent on the enacted budget. Please be 
advised that actual funding levels will depend upon the final FY 2011 
and FY 2012 budget appropriations. Current plans assume that 100% of 
the total resources provided through the present FY 2011 CDRP 
Announcement will support extramural efforts that include the broad 
academic, non-profit, Federal and commercial communities. Past or 
current grantees funded under this announcement are eligible to apply 
for a new award, which builds on previous activities or areas of 
research not covered in the previous award. Current grantees should not 
request supplementary funding for ongoing research through this 
announcement. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be 
determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA 
representatives.
    Statutory Authority: 49 U.S.C. 44720(b) and 33 U.S.C. 883d.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.440, 
Environmental Sciences, Applications, Data, and Education.
    Application Deadline: Letters of Intent (LOI) should be received at 
the CDRP Office no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time, September 15, 2010. 
Applicants who have not received a response to their LOI within four 
weeks should contact the CDRP Grants Manager. Applicants are 
encouraged, but not required, to submit LOIs. Full proposals must be 
received no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time, November 10, 2010.

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Proposals received after that time will not be considered for funding. 
For applications submitted through Grants.gov, the system will generate 
a date time receipt that will be the basis of determining timeliness 
for applications. Hard copy applications will be date and time stamped 
when they are received. Please Note: Validation or rejection of your 
application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after 
submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission 
timeline.
    Address for Submitting Proposals: Applications must be submitted 
through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov,) unless an applicant does 
not have Internet access or is a agency. If an applicant does not have 
Internet access, please contact the CDRP Grants Manager, Linda S. 
Statler, for hard copy instructions (see Section VII of the FFO 
announcement for contact information). Federal agencies must submit 
applications by E-mail to the CDRP Grants Manager, Linda S. Statler 
(see Section VII below for E-mail address). In cases where a proposal 
includes both and personnel in the budget, the respective personnel 
should submit duplicate proposal narratives, but unique budget sheets, 
through the respective submission channels. The overall Team leader, as 
well as the submitting investigator for each piece or should be clearly 
identified on the cover sheet of each submission. The overall Team 
leader submission should itemize the lead's budget including any 
subcontract costs, but also state the overall Team cost that includes 
the costs of all and team members.
    Information Contacts: CDRP Grants Manager: Linda S. Statler, NOAA 
Climate Data Record Program Office, 151 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 
28801; Phone: 828-271-4657; E-mail: Linda.S.Statler-at-noaa.gov. CDRP 
Program Manager: Jeff Privette, NOAA Climate Data Record Program 
Office, 151 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28801; Phone: 828-271-4331; E-
mail: Jeff.Privette-at-noaa.gov.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants are institutions of higher 
education; other nonprofits; for profits; commercial organizations; 
international organizations; state, local and Indian tribal 
governments; and agencies. Applications from and applicants will be 
competed against each other. Please Note: Before non-NOAA applicants 
may be funded, they must demonstrate that they have legal authority to 
receive funds from another agency in excess of their appropriation. The 
only exception to this is governmental research facilities for awards 
issued under the authority of 49 U.S.C. 44720(b). Because this 
announcement is not proposing to procure goods or services from 
applicants, the Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535) is not an appropriate 
legal basis.
    Cost Sharing Requirements: This competition does not have Cost 
Sharing requirements. However, applicants are welcome to describe 
applicable cost-sharing when relevant.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under the CDR Program are 
not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Programs.''

Limitation of Liability

    Funding for programs listed in this notice is contingent upon the 
availability of Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations. Applicants are hereby 
given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for the programs 
listed in this notice. In no event will NOAA or the Department of 
Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation costs if these 
programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other 
agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige 
NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds.

Universal Identifier

    Applicants should be aware that they are required to provide a Dun 
and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number during the 
application process. See the October 30, 2002 Federal Register (67 FR 
66177) for additional information. Organizations can receive a DUNS 
number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number 
request line at 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet http://www.dunandbradstreet.com.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required 
by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applicant projects 
or proposals which are seeking NOAA Federal funding opportunities. 
Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be found at the 
following NOAA NEPA Web site: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including our 
NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216-6-TOC.pdf, NEPA Questionnaire, http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/questionnaire.pdf, and the Council on Environmental Quality 
implementation regulations, http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc-ceq.htm . Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under 
their description of their program activities, applicants are required 
to provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, 
locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible 
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist 
(e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, 
introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and 
threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef 
systems). In addition to providing specific information that will serve 
as the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be 
requested to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if 
NOAA determines an assessment is required. Applicants will also be 
required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying feasible measures to 
reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their 
proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an 
application. In some cases, if additional information is required after 
an application is selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer 
under a special award condition requiring the recipient to submit 
additional environmental compliance information sufficient to enable 
NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may have on 
the environment.

Compliance With Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security 
Export Administration Regulations

    (a) This clause applies to the extent that this financial 
assistance award involves access to export-controlled information or 
technology.
    (b) In performing this financial assistance award, the recipient 
may gain access to export-controlled information or technology. The 
recipient is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws and 
regulations regarding export-controlled information and technology, 
including deemed exports. The recipient shall establish and maintain 
throughout performance of the financial assistance award effective 
export compliance procedures at non-NOAA facilities. At a minimum, 
these export compliance procedures must include adequate controls of 
physical, verbal, visual, and electronic access to export-controlled 
information and technology.
    (c) Definitions.
    (1) Deemed export. The Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 
define a deemed export as any release of technology or source code 
subject to the EAR to a foreign national, both in the United States and 
abroad. Such

[[Page 41683]]

release is ``deemed' to be an export to the home country of the foreign 
national. 15 CFR 734.2(b)(2)(ii).
    (2) Export-controlled information and technology. Export-controlled 
information and technology is information and technology subject to the 
EAR (15 CFR parts 730 et seq.), implemented by the DOC Bureau of 
Industry and Security, or the International Traffic I Arms Regulations 
(ITAR) (22 CFR parts 120-130), implemented by the Department of State, 
respectively. This includes, but is not limited to, dual-use items, 
defense articles and any related assistance, services, software or 
technical data as defined in the EAR and ITAR.
    (d) The recipient shall control access to all export-controlled 
information and technology that it possesses or that comes into its 
possession in performance of a financial assistance award, to ensure 
that access is restricted, or licensed, as required by applicable laws, 
Executive Orders, and/or regulations.
    (e) Nothing in the terms of this financial assistance award is 
intended to change, supersede, or waive any of the requirements of 
applicable laws, Executive Orders or regulations.
    (f) The recipient shall include this clause, including this 
paragraph (f), in all lower tier transactions (subawards, contracts, 
and subcontracts) under the financial assistance award that may involve 
access to export-controlled information technology.

NOAA Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive--12

    If the performance of a financial assistance award, if approved by 
NOAA, requires recipients to have physical access to premises for more 
than 180 days or access to an information system, any items or services 
delivered under a financial assistance award shall comply with the 
Department of Commerce personal identity verification procedures that 
implement Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12, FIPS PUB 201, 
and the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-05-24. The 
recipient shall insert this clause in all subawards or contracts when 
the subaward recipient or contractor is required to have physical 
access to a controlled facility or access to an information system.

The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements

    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
notice of February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696) are applicable to this 
solicitation.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This document contains collection-of-information requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Standard Forms 
424 and 424A, 424B, 424C, 424D, and SF-LLL has been approved by OMB 
under the respective control numbers 4040-0004, 0348-0044, 4040-0007, 
0348-0041, 4040-0009, and 0348-0046. Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any 
person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection 
of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that 
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control 
number.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comment are not required 
by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for rules 
concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, and contracts (5 
U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comment are not 
required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical 
requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) 
are inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not 
been prepared.

    Dated: July 12, 2010.
Tammy Journet,
Deputy Director, Acquisition and Grants Office, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
[FR Doc. 2010-17294 Filed 7-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-12-P