Eligible Applicants: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility: The following entities, located within USVI or CNMI, are eligible and encouraged to participate in this funding opportunity: Institutions of higher education, or any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency or officer thereof. Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications. Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used as match. To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations; SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants must begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training. Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below. The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities. Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives and ways of thinking. We encourage applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status types to apply for this opportunity.

Agency Name: Sandra Casseus Grantor

Description:

The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) supports the development of Sea Grant projects and programs in the remaining geographic areas that are eligible for Sea Grant College Program designation in accordance with the National Sea Grant College Program Act, as amended in 2020 (Sea Grant Act) (33 U.S.C. 1121 et seq.) and the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (15 CFR 917 and 15 CFR 918), which set forth the eligibility, qualifications, and responsibilities for Sea Grant programs. 

Approximately $2,400,000 of federal funds may be available, pending future federal appropriations, to support two awards in order to develop a new Sea Grant project in each of the following geographic areas: U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI). Awards will be made for no more than $1,200,000 in federal funds per four year project, not to exceed $300,000/year.

There is a required 50% non-federal match for all Sea Grant federal funding. Waivers to non-federal match will be considered during the federal financial assistance application process, where applicable.

Applications to this opportunity should propose projects that:

• have a topical focus relevant to the national focus areas outlined in the National Sea Grant College Program Strategic Plan,
• be executed through one or more of the Sea Grant functional areas of research, extension, or education, as defined in the Strategic Plan
• and explore capabilities and needs in the proposed geographic area.

All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective waterways.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. These registrations include SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicant organizations must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov, if needed (refer to Section IV. Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants.gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.

This document sets out requirements for submitting to [NOAA-OAR-SG-2024-27643] 

Grantor Contact Information: The National Sea Grant Office mailing address is: NOAA Sea Grant 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 sg.grants@noaa.gov