Habitat Conservation

 

To provide grants and cooperative agreements for habitat conservation activities including coastal and marine habitat restoration and protection. Projects are funded to carry out public policy pertaining to protection and restoration of the Nation's wetlands, rivers, and other coastal habitats (including Great Lakes habitats), pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act as reauthorized in 2006; Endangered Species Act, Estuary Restoration Act; Marine Mammal Protection Act; Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987; Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA); Coral Reef Conservation Act; Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA); and other legislation. Research and management includes determining the effects of habitat modifications and contaminants on populations of living marine resources, restoring depleted stocks that have been adversely impacted by habitat modifications, determining if artificial or restored habitat fulfills essential habitat needs of living marine resources, and the removal of dams and other in-stream barriers to support passage for native migratory or sea-run fish, and quantifying contaminants and debris that pose a hazard to populations of these animals.

Active 11.463 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2022 NOAA programs use data to measure successful implementation and support evaluation. Information from included programs can be found in the Coastwide Reference and Monitoring System (https://www.lacoast.gov/CRMS/), Coral Reef Information System (https://www.coris.noaa.gov/), DIVER (https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/deepwater-horizon-nrda-data), and Restoration Atlas (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/restoration-atlas). Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956, 16 U.S.C. 661
National Marine Sanctuaries Act, 16 U.S.C. 1431
Marine Mammal Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 1382
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, 16 U.S.C. 1451
Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6403
Department of Commerce Appropriation Act of 1999
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a
Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, 16 U.S.C. 1901 et seq
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, 16 U.S.C. 3951 et seq
Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, 33 U.S.C. 1951
Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1535
IIJA, Title Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58, Public Law 117-58 Eligible applicants for assistance include State and local governments, including their universities and colleges; U.S. territorial agencies; federally and State-recognized Indian Tribal governments; private universities and colleges; private profit and nonprofit research and conservation organizations, and/or individuals. This program benefits Federal, State, and interstate marine resource conservation and management agencies; U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States; U.S. and foreign commercial and recreational fishing industries; conservation organizations, academic institutions; international and Indian Tribal treaties; private and public research groups; consumers; and the general public. Applicants are required to satisfy all DOC/NOAA standards and regulations, including routine and special terms and conditions, for financial assistance programs application and conduct. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Refer to program guidelines 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Proposals are submitted through Grants.Gov. Applicants will need to enter the Funding Opportunity Number and/or CFDA number to access the application package and instructions. Application package will then be submitted directly to the Office of Habitat Conservation, or NOAA Coral Conservation Program lead, as appropriate. Proposals are subject to the requirements of 15 CFR Parts 14 and 24, as applicable. Proposals are initially evaluated by the appropriate NMFS Office/Region/Science Center, or their component laboratories, and are subject to review for technical merit, soundness of design, competency of the applicant to perform the proposed work, potential contribution of the project to national or regional goals, and appropriateness and reasonableness of proposed costs. Projects approved for funding will be submitted to the NOAA Grants Management Division and the Department of Commerce's Office of Federal Assistance for review and approval. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Approval time is expected to range from 150-250 days, which includes processing of the award through NMFS and NOAA. Not applicable. Grants and cooperative agreements are approved on an annual basis, but may be continued beyond the first segment, subject to approved time frame and scope of work, satisfactory progress, and availability of funds. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the sole discretion of the Department. Applications are received and projects selected from several sources: Unsolicited proposals; responses to special solicitations in the Federal Register and Grants.gov; or congressionally directed projects. For CWPPRA, the projects to be funded are selected through an annual, publicly-vetted process and ultimately approved by a multi-agency Task Force. Applications submitted through competitions are reviewed based on NOAA's standard criteria which are weighted as announced in specific funding opportunities. These criteria include: Importance and Applicability; Technical/Scientific Merit; Overall Qualifications of Applicants; Project Costs; and Outreach and Education. Regardless of source, applications must undergo rigorous technical review and comply with all OMB, DOC, and NOAA grants policies and procedures. Any financial assistance announcements must be made in the Federal Register; announcement on Grants.gov only is not sufficient. Funds can be used by recipients to support a wide variety of habitat restoration, coral reef conservation, construction, management, projects to improve fish movement between habitats, public education activities, and research for marine and estuarine habitats, especially for species currently under, or proposed for, Federal or inter-jurisdictional management. Restoration includes, but is not limited to, activities that contribute to the return of degraded or altered marine, estuarine, coastal, and freshwater (diadromous fish) habitats to a close approximation of their function prior to disturbance or that increase the ability of fish to move freely between habitats they rely on for food, growth, reproduction, and other needs. Habitat restoration activities that produce significant ecological habitat features to create buffers or “green infrastructure” that serve to protect coastal communities from sea level rise, coastal storms and flooding, or that provide adaptation to climate change are also included. Projects funded under this CFDA primarily support NOAA’s mission to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Projects are expected to achieve measurable, sustainable, and lasting benefits. Applicants seeking funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act are expected to invest public dollars equitably, create good jobs with high labor standards, ensure goods and services are made in America, and build infrastructure that is resilient and helps combat the climate crisis. Not applicable. This program is not at "higher risk" for purposes of the Single Audit Act. There will be no dedicated guidance in Part IV of the OMB Single Audit Compliance Supplement. Recipients that are subject to the provisions of Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and that expend $750,000 or more in a year in Federal awards during their fiscal year must have an audit conducted for that year in accordance with the requirements contained in Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200. Unless otherwise specified in the terms and conditions of the award, entities that are not subject to Subpart F of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (e.g., for-profit entities, foreign public entities and foreign organizations) and that expend $750,000 or more in DOC funds during their fiscal year (including both as a recipient and a subrecipient) must submit to the Grants Officer either: (i) a financial related audit of each DOC award or subaward in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS); or (ii) a project specific audit for each award or subaward in accordance with the requirements contained in 2 C.F.R. ? 200.507. Generally, a recipient is required to retain records relating to a particular grant for three years from the date of submission of the final financial report. In cases where litigation, claim or an audit is initiated prior to expiration of the three-year period, records must be retained until the action and resolution of any issues associated with it are complete or until the end of the three-year retention period; whichever is latest. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. Statutory formulas, if any, are specific to programs that fall under this CFDA number. Project costs are funded at up to 100 percent. Grantee matching contributions vary by specific funding opportunity. CWPPRA projects require a 15 percent match by the State of Louisiana at this time. Under the Community-based Restoration Program guidelines, projects are encouraged to demonstrate a minimum nonfederal match of 50 percent of the total cost needed to complete the proposed project to be most competitive. A 1:1 match is required for the General and International Coral Reef Conservation Grant Programs and grants under the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, although the MDRPR Act allows the NOAA Administrator to waive all or part of the matching requirement in certain instances.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Awards are normally for 12-24 month periods, and vary by specific funding opportunity. Award funds must be spent in the indicated budget period and expended in accordance with DOC/NOAA finance and reporting procedures. Funds are released as needed through the automated treasury process (ASAP) or by reimbursement, as indicated in the Standard Terms and Conditions document required for each grant. See Appendix IV. Jeffrey Kulnis
Jeffrey Kulnis
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Habitat Conservation, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. CWPPRA: Ms. Cecelia Linder; Telephone (301)713-0174; Fax (301)713-0184; E-mail Cecelia.Linder@noaa.gov. Community-based Restoration Program (CRP) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA): Ms. Jessica Edwards; Telephone (301)427-8654; E-mail Jessica.Edwards@noaa.gov. General Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program: Ms. Jennifer Koss; Telephone (301) 713-4300; Fax (301) 713-1043; Email Jennifer.Koss@noaa.gov. International Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program: Scot Frew; 1315 East West Highway, 5th Floor, Room 5826, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Telephone (301) 713-3078; Fax 301-713-4263; E-mail Scot.Frew@noaa.gov.
Website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/habitat-conservation
Silver Spring, MD 20910 US
jeffrey.kulnis@noaa.gov
Phone: 301-427-8771 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/ecosystem/index.htm. 13-1450-0-1-306 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$46,082,851.00; FY 23 est $410,722,026.00; FY 24 est $410,722,026.00; FY 21$76,223,020.00; FY 20$69,293,655.00; FY 18 Estimate Not Available FY 17 est $75,194,939.00; FY 16$75,194,939.00; - The increase in funding from FY22 to FY23 was due to BIL/IRA funding. We are keeping the same estimate for FY24 in case of additional potential Congressional funding. $15,000 to $36,000,000. Typical award: $35,000 to $200,000; CWPPRA and IIJA awards are among the largest, typically in the millions. Cost will be determined in accordance with 2 CFR 200. For grants management administrative requirements, see 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 1327. All recipients will adhere to Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms and Conditions and NOAA Administrative Standard Award Conditions available at http://www.ago.noaa.gov/ago/grants/external_links.cfm. Not applicable.