NOAA Coastal Grant Programs Announced

NOAA has released details on several grant programs:

Habitat Restoration – Due Sept. 30
NOAA delivers funding and technical expertise to restore coastal and marine habitats. These habitats support valuable fisheries and protected resources, improve the quality of our water, provide recreational opportunities for the public’s use and enjoyment and buffer our coastal communities from the impacts of storms and sea level rise. Partnerships funded through NOAA have strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that provide social and economic benefits in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements that benefit NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation, NOAA seeks to openly compete funding available for multi-year national and regional habitat restoration Partnerships. Partnerships will result in implementation of a wide-range of individual habitat restoration projects, from locally-driven, grass-roots projects that emphasize stewardship and hands-on restoration, to mid-scale, watershed level projects that yield significant ecological and socio-economic benefits. NOAA envisions working jointly on such Partnerships through its Community-based Restoration Program (CRP) to identify, evaluate, fund, and administer projects that offer this range of ecological, socio- economic and stewardship benefits to coastal watershed communities. This document describes the types of habitat restoration Partnerships that NOAA envisions establishing, portrays the qualities that NOAA deems desirable in such Partnerships, and describes criteria under which applications will be evaluated for funding consideration. Partnership applications selected through this announcement will be implemented through a multi-year cooperative agreement, and will ultimately involve joint selection of multiple community-based habitat restoration projects funded as sub-awards made through the Partner organization. Funding of approximately $10 million is expected to be available to establish habitat restoration Partnerships in 2010, with annual funding anticipated to maintain them for up to 3 years duration. Requests for funding to establish Partnerships typically exceed the funds available for this purpose and the selection process will be highly competitive. Typical Partnership awards will range from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year. Funds will be administered by the NOAA Restoration Center within NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. This is not a request for individual community-based habitat restoration project proposals so municipalities will want to contact current CRPs to request assistance.

Marine Debris Removal Project – Due Oct 31
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), authorized in the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPR Act, 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.), provides funding to catalyze the implementation of locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention, assessment and removal projects that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Projects funded through the MDP have strong on-the-ground habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear, as well as activities that provide social benefits for people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation the MDP identifies marine debris removal projects, strengthens the development and implementation of habitat restoration through the removal of marine debris within communities, and fosters awareness of the effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living marine resource habitats across a wide geographic area. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative agreement. Funding of up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants in FY 2010.

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NOAA Coastal Grant Programs Announced