Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2016 2004800

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2016 2004800

The Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants opportunity, offered by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) through the NOAA Restoration Center, is designed to fund on-the-ground coastal and marine habitat restoration projects that directly improve fish habitat and, as a result, support healthier fish populations and more resilient ecosystems and coastal communities. The program emphasizes an ecosystem-based restoration approach, meaning projects should address habitat needs in a way that reflects how species interact with their environment and with each other, rather than focusing on a single narrow action with limited ecological context.

A central priority for this funding is measurable benefit to species that NOAA is responsible for managing and recovering. Proposals are primarily judged on how convincingly they show that the restoration work will help recover threatened or endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including those highlighted by NMFS as "Species in the Spotlight," and how the work will sustain, rebuild, or otherwise support fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. In practice, a competitive application needs to clearly connect the proposed habitat improvements to concrete biological outcomes for one or more targeted species that fall within NOAA's management scope.

To be successful, proposals are expected to do three things well. First, they must identify a specific habitat-based problem that is limiting recovery or long-term sustainability for the target species (for example, degraded spawning habitat, blocked fish passage, loss of nursery habitat, altered hydrology, poor water quality, or reduced coastal complexity). Second, they must describe the actual restoration actions in detail, focusing on practical, implementable work that will occur on the ground. Third, they must define clear outcome goals and include measurable indicators of impact, showing how the project will improve conditions for the target species and contribute to broader ecosystem function. The overall theme is accountability: the project should not only be well intentioned, but also well designed, well justified, and capable of demonstrating results.

Awards under this solicitation are made as cooperative agreements, which typically means NOAA expects to have substantial involvement in the project through coordination, oversight, or technical engagement rather than issuing a hands-off grant. The program will consider both one-year projects and multi-year projects, with an award period of up to three years. The notice also indicates that additional funding increments could be released to support selected projects through FY18 without requiring another competition, though that depends on future appropriations.

In terms of funding size, NOAA indicates that typical federal awards are expected to range from $300,000 to $2 million total over one to three years. However, there are firm minimum and maximum request limits: NOAA will not accept applications requesting less than $100,000 in federal funds, and it will not accept requests above $5 million total over three years. For FY16, NOAA anticipated up to $9 million available under this funding opportunity, with an expected total of about 15 awards, although the actual number and size of awards depend on what Congress appropriates to NOAA in the FY16 through FY18 budgets.

Eligibility is broad across the public, nonprofit, academic, and private sectors, as long as the applicant is not a federal agency. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, for-profit (commercial) organizations, U.S. territories, and state, local, and Native American tribal governments. Federal agencies and federal employees cannot apply directly, but they are encouraged to participate as partners by working with eligible entities such as states, local governments, or nonprofits. Projects must be located in geographic areas that benefit species with a clear nexus to NOAA management, with the specific geographic and species linkage requirements referenced in the opportunity's eligibility section.

Key administrative details from the notice include that the opportunity is a discretionary program from the Department of Commerce (CFDA 11.463), using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, and it originally listed an application closing date of April 6, 2016. The award ceiling is $5,000,000, aligning with the stated maximum request cap over three years.

• 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 "Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.463.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-02-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-04-06. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2016 2004800

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