About
The National Marine Fisheries Service (hereinafter, "NMFS") is responsible for the stewardship, conservation, and management of pinniped species in Alaska, including the Steller sea lion, northern fur seal, ringed seal, bearded seal, spotted seal, ribbon seal, and harbor seal. Three of these pinnipeds are listed under the Endangered Species Act: the endangered western Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Steller sea lions, the threatened Arctic subspecies of ringed seals, and the threatened Beringia DPS of bearded seals. NMFS has the responsibility to foster the recovery of these ESA-listed species and research is necessary to support our recovery programs for these species. Pinniped species or populations in Alaska are listed as strategic stocks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and/or are important as a subsistence resource to Alaska Natives and co-managed by NMFS and Alaska Native partners. Research is also an important component to successful co-management of these animals.
Beginning in fiscal year (hereinafter, “FY”) 2015, certain priority pinniped research in Alaska has been administered through competitively-funded, merit-based grants programs. This program concerns only Alaskan pinnipeds for which NMFS bears responsibility; proposals focusing on marine mammals under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be considered for funding under this grant program. This document describes how to prepare and submit proposals for funding spanning FY 2019 – FY 2021 and how NMFS will determine which proposals will be funded.
Application Process
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants are individuals (U.S. citizens), institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, commercial organizations, state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or instrumentalities (including their employees and members) are not eligible to receive Federal assistance under this notice. Eligible applicants must be in "good standing" with NMFS. An applicant is considered to be in "good standing" if the entity meets the following criteria: 1) No pending enforcement actions under the MMPA or ESA. 2) Progress and financial reports on current Federal assistance awards are up-to-date and/or completed in a timely manner. 3) Satisfactory past performance. This includes completion of proposed projects in a timely manner or as stated in previous proposals. Unsatisfactory performance under prior or current Federal awards, including delinquency in submitting progress and financial reports and inability in meeting proposal objectives and tasks within the project period, may result in proposals not being considered for funding or affect the final funding recommendation under the 2019 Alaska Pinniped Research Program.
How to Apply
Application packages are available through the Grants.gov website. Delays may be experienced when registering with Grants.gov near the end of a solicitation period. Therefore, NMFS strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline to begin the registration/application process through the Grants.gov website.
If an applicant has problems with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at (800) 518-4726 or support@grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, application materials may be received by Shawn Carey, Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS; Mailing Address: PO Box 21668, Juneau Alaska 99802-1668 (USPS); 709 9th Street, Suite 323A, Juneau Alaska 99801 (FedEx/UPS), Phone: (907)586-7845, or email: Shawn.carey@noaa.gov.
For more information, see the full announcement on Grants.gov.
When to Apply
Applications or proposals must be received and validated by Grants.gov by 5:00 p.m., Alaska Standard Time (AST), March 08, 2019. Applications/proposals received after the established deadline will be rejected and returned to the sender without consideration. Applications submitted through Grants.gov are automatically stamped with the date and time of submission, which will be the basis for determining timeliness. The application must be validated by Grants.gov in order to be considered timely.
For more information, see the full announcement on Grants.gov.
Schedule
Please see the full announcement on Grants.gov.