Summary of Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2021-2006590
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.451, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology

Purpose of Funding Opportunity:
To invite proposals that request funding to create a partnership between researches and natural resource managers to scope and design a research project that informs a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision.

Background of RESTORE Science Program:
The NOAA RESTORE Science Program conducts research, observation, and monitoring to support the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem, fish stocks, fish habitat, and the recreational, commercial, and charter-fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico.

In developing proposals for this Announcement, applicants should keep in mind the Science Program’s long-term outcomes. The first outcome is an integrated understanding of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. This means focusing on the connections among species, habitats, and ecosystem processes and the cause-and-effect relationships that govern the strength of those connections. The second outcome is using this integrated understanding of the ecosystem to guide natural resource management, including restoration. Natural resource managers and natural resource management bodies are individuals or groups of individuals with authority to make decisions regarding the human use of or interaction with natural resources. Natural resource management takes many forms, including wildlife and fishery management, state and federal rulemaking and permitting, conservation practices by public or private landowners, place-based management, and restoration planning.

Key Information

Letter of Intent:          Required[1]
Project Duration:        12 months
Award Amount:          $25,000 (minimum) to $125,000 (maximum)
Cost Sharing:               Not Required; Not Explicitly Encouraged or Considered in Merit Review. UM Policy is to not commit voluntary cost share under these conditions.
F&A/Indirect Costs:    Allowed at our federally negotiated ratee
Submission Portal:      grants.gov
Anticipated Awards:   20 (approximately, depending on federal appropriations
LOI Limits:                   no limits for institution, PIs, co-PIs
Application Limits:      no limits for institution, PIs, co-PIs
Website:                     with Full Announcement, FAQs and Webinars Info:
https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/funding-opportunities/ffo-2021

Key Dates

ASAP:               Notify your designated ORSP pre-award research administrator
(in ORSP or local unit) if you are considering submitting an LOI[2]

08/20/2020:     Webinar (10 AM CT)
08/21/2020:     Webinar (1 PM CT)
08/25/2020:     Webinar (4 PM CT)
09/15/2020:     Target date for submitting LOI transmittal[3]
09/22/2020:     Deadline for Internal completion and ORSP approval of UM Transmittal for LOI
09/29/2020:     Deadline for submitting LOI to sponsor (10:59 p.m. CST)
10/30/2020:     Anticipated date by which encourage/discourage e-mails will be received
12/01/2020:     Target date for submitting proposal/application transmittal
12/08/2020:     Deadline for Internal completion and ORSP approval of UM Transmittal for proposal
12/15/2020:     Deadline for submitting application to sponsor (10:59 p.m. CST)
May 2021:        Anticipate date awards will be announced or made
09/01/2021:     Anticipated project start date
08/30/2022:     Anticipated project end date

Letter of Intent (LOI) (Required)

-       Full proposals will be encouraged only for LOIs deemed relevant; however, the final decision to submit a full proposal is made by the investigator
-       The LOI should provide a concise description of the proposed work and its relevance to this competition.
-       The LOI should be no more than one page in length, single spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and must include, in order, the components listed below:

1.     Tentative project title;
2.     Names, institutions, and roles (briefly) of all investigators, including the natural resource manager(s) from the management body responsible for the management decision;
3.     A brief description of the specific natural resource management decision to be made in the future that your project will address, including its context and related uncertainties that could be reduced by additional research;
4.     The approximate timeline for when the management decision is expected to be made and how additional research findings could inform the decision;
5.     A brief description of the activities and steps your team is proposing to take to scope and design the research project; and
6.     The approximate cost of the project, including a brief overview of its budget

The Science Program will conduct a review of each LOI to determine whether it is responsive to the program priority. Emails to encourage or discourage a full proposal will be sent to the lead investigator for each LOI within approximately 4 weeks after the LOI due date