FY19-20 CRCP State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements | NOAA NOS OCM 2019 2005750

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2019 2005750

The FY19-20 CRCP State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements opportunity is a NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) funding announcement authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. It is designed to provide matching financial assistance to the primary, governor-appointed natural resource management agencies responsible for coral reef conservation in seven U.S. jurisdictions: American Samoa, Florida, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Rather than being a typical grant with minimal federal involvement, these awards are issued as cooperative agreements, which means NOAA is expected to be actively involved in planning and implementing the funded work alongside the recipient.

The central purpose of the program is to strengthen and expand coral reef management and monitoring programs, as well as on-the-ground conservation projects, with the overall goal of improving the condition of coral reef ecosystems in the eligible jurisdictions. Funding is intended to support priority coral reef management activities identified in the Federal Funding Opportunity (specifically referenced as Section I.B.), emphasizing efforts that are directly tied to management needs and measurable conservation outcomes. The program’s structure reflects NOAA’s intent to support sustained, jurisdiction-led reef conservation capacity, while ensuring alignment with national and regional coral reef priorities.

Financially, NOAA anticipated total program funding in FY 2019 to fall roughly between $3.5 million and $4.5 million, subject to congressional appropriations. Individual applicants were expected to request between $300,000 and $900,000 per year depending on their capability to carry out the proposed work, with an average annual award projected at about $500,000 and an award ceiling of $900,000. Continued funding into FY 2020 was not guaranteed; it depended on future appropriations, the recipient’s demonstrated ability to manage federal funds, and performance during the first year of the award as well as performance on prior awards.

Eligibility is tightly restricted. Only the designated state, territorial, or commonwealth natural resource management agencies appointed by their governors as the primary coral reef point-of-contact may apply. That designated agency must serve as the lead applicant and carries responsibility for oversight and compliance, including ensuring that any funds passed to eligible sub-recipients are used appropriately and in a way that matches the program’s purpose and requirements. This reinforces the idea that NOAA is funding the jurisdiction’s official coral reef management lead, not a broad pool of nonprofits, universities, or local governments applying independently.

The announcement also includes important rules about NOAA and other federal participation. NOAA employees and NOAA-affiliated contract staff are prohibited from assisting with application preparation and cannot write letters of support. NOAA CRCP staff may still provide general guidance about program goals, ongoing initiatives, and regional priorities, but this support must remain informational rather than application-writing assistance. If a proposal involves collaboration with NOAA projects or staff, NOAA personnel may provide a limited statement confirming the nature and scope of that collaboration and confirming coordination, but not an endorsement letter; such letters of support from NOAA staff are explicitly not allowed and would not be considered in merit review.

Federal agencies and federal employees cannot receive funding through this opportunity, although they may participate as project partners. In addition, any in-kind services provided by federal partners cannot be counted toward the applicant’s required match. If federal entities are involved as collaborators, applicants are expected to clearly describe what that federal engagement will look like, such as participating on review panels, task teams, working groups, or leadership teams, or providing other partnership services that support the project without receiving funds.

Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of Commerce (NOAA), using the cooperative agreement funding instrument, categorized under environment, natural resources, science and technology, and related research and development. The opportunity was listed under CFDA 11.482, posted with Funding Opportunity Number NOAA NOS OCM 2019 2005750, created on July 26, 2018, with an original closing date of February 28, 2019.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY19-20 CRCP State and Territorial Coral Reef Conservation Cooperative Agreements" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.482.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-07-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-02-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $900,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2019 2005750

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