Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program) | NOAA NMFS PRPO 2019 2005747

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2019 2005747

The Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity run by the Department of Commerce through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It is built around Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and is designed to strengthen the role that state agencies play in recovering species listed as endangered or threatened, especially marine and anadromous species that spend all or part of their life cycles in state waters. The program recognizes that long-term recovery of these species depends heavily on close cooperation between NMFS and states, since many important conservation actions, monitoring activities, and on-the-ground management measures occur within state jurisdictions.

Funding is intended to help eligible state agencies develop and carry out conservation programs for ESA-listed species under NMFS jurisdiction. The scope is fairly broad: proposals can support direct conservation and recovery actions for endangered and threatened species, as well as monitoring work for species that are candidates for listing, species proposed for listing, and species that have been recently delisted. In practice, this means the program can fund both proactive efforts (like gathering data on species that may need ESA protection) and recovery-focused work (like improving survival, habitat conditions, or management compliance for species already listed). Funded projects may include management planning and implementation, scientific research that informs recovery actions, and public education and outreach efforts that improve awareness and support for conservation measures.

NMFS specifically encourages proposals that help recover certain "Species in the Spotlight" that the agency considers critically endangered. For this funding cycle, those highlighted species include the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS) of Atlantic salmon, white abalone, the Cook Inlet DPS of beluga whales, the Hawaiian monk seal, the Pacific leatherback sea turtle, and the southern resident DPS of killer whales. While proposals do not have to focus on these species to be eligible, NMFS signals that work supporting recovery of these particularly imperiled populations is a priority area within the broader program.

Eligibility is limited to state agencies, but with an important condition: the applicant must have an agreement in place with NMFS under ESA Section 6(c), or must enter into such an agreement within 30 days of the application deadline. This requirement reflects the cooperative structure of the Section 6 program, where states and the federal government formalize roles, responsibilities, and standards for implementing conservation and recovery activities. The listed eligible applicant type is described as "Others" in the opportunity metadata, but the narrative makes clear that the intended eligible applicants are state agencies meeting the Section 6(c) agreement requirement.

There is also a key funding limitation related to Pacific salmonids. Proposals focused on Pacific salmonids will not be considered under this solicitation, because those efforts are generally routed to a different NMFS funding source, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Applicants working on salmonid recovery in the Pacific region are therefore directed away from this grant program to the more appropriate funding stream.

For the FY 2019 competition described in the notice, the opportunity number is NOAA NMFS PRPO 2019 2005747 and the CFDA number is 11.472. Applications were due November 1, 2018, with the opportunity first posted on August 2, 2018. NMFS anticipated making about 15 awards, with an award ceiling of $300,000 per award. Overall, the program functions as a way to move federal resources to states so they can carry out practical, science-based recovery and conservation actions that align with ESA recovery goals for marine and anadromous species under NMFS authority, while also building consistent state-federal collaboration through the Section 6 cooperative agreement framework.

• 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 "Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.472.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 02, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 01, 2018. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2019 2005747

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