Public-Private Partnership for Coral Reef Conservation and Marine Debris Programs
The purpose of this notice is to solicit proposals for a single cooperative agreement to implement the public-private partnership with both the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program as authorized in the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) as authorized in the Marine Debris Act (MDA) 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.). The public-private partnership provides a mechanism for NOAA to collaborate with a single external non-Federal partner in order to promote investment in coral reef and marine conservation efforts, marine debris prevention, and removal of derelict fishing gear, in the U.S. and abroad. The public-private partnership involves administration of grant awards made through multiple competitions including the Coral Reef Conservation Fund, which was established by statute to leverage NOAA CRCP resources with investments made by private donors, foundations and other Federal government agencies. Funding awarded through the partnership is intended to provide support for priority coral reef conservation projects, administration of the Fishing for Energy partnership, and marine debris prevention and removal of derelict fishing gear projects. Eligible applicants for this public-private partnership are limited to not for profit organizations with significant experience working in partnership with NOAA program offices. Funding for this program is subject to the availability of FY 2014 and future Congressional appropriations and other programmatic considerations and is expected to range between approximately $800,000 and approximately $2,000,000.
