Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS OHC 2025 29484
The FY25 Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grants - Fishery Management Council Cooperative Agreements (FMCCA) opportunity is a NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program funding solicitation designed specifically for the Regional Fishery Management Councils to carry out practical projects that conserve and improve management of coral reef fisheries. The program is authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6410) and is positioned as a targeted investment in the sustainability of shallow coral reef fisheries and the essential fish habitat that supports them. Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, meaning NOAA is expected to have an active partnership role during the project period rather than acting only as a pass-through funder.
Projects proposed under this opportunity must align with one or more of three core purposes. First, NOAA is looking for work that improves compliance with coral reef fisheries laws and with essential fish habitat (EFH) designations, which can include efforts that make regulations clearer, strengthen monitoring or outreach tied to compliance, or improve how EFH measures are understood and followed. Second, the solicitation prioritizes projects that generate or synthesize better scientific information to strengthen management decisions for shallow coral reef fisheries and their associated EFH; this can involve data collection, analyses that fill known information gaps, or approaches that make existing science more usable in a management context. Third, the opportunity supports advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management by applying existing datasets and fisheries management tools, emphasizing applied, decision-relevant work that connects fisheries management with broader reef ecosystem conditions.
Awards selected through this solicitation are expected to be implemented over a one-year period. Because this is a cooperative agreement, NOAA will collaborate with recipients to help identify high-value projects, strengthen project development and implementation, and support coordination with federal, state, territorial, or commonwealth management entities as well as different coral reef user groups. In other words, the program is built to encourage coordinated management outcomes rather than isolated research products.
For FY 2025, NOAA expects approximately 1,000,000 total to be available for FMCCA funding. Individual awards are anticipated to fall in the 125,000 to 300,000 range, and NOAA indicates it will not accept proposals requesting more than 350,000 in federal funds. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding action under CFDA 11.441, with the funding instrument type identified as a cooperative agreement and the activity area spanning environment, natural resources, and science and technology/research and development.
Eligibility is narrowly limited to four Regional Fishery Management Councils: the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. The application deadline listed is February 25, 2025. The opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number NOAA NMFS OHC 2025 29484 and was created on December 27, 2024.
The solicitation also draws firm boundaries around NOAA staff involvement in proposal preparation. NOAA employees are not allowed to help write or prepare applications, and letters of support from NOAA employees are explicitly not allowed and will not be considered by merit reviewers. At the same time, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program staff can provide general information about program goals, objectives, ongoing efforts, and regional funding priorities. If a proposal involves collaboration with existing NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited written statement confirming the nature and extent of the collaboration and that coordination has already occurred, but this is not treated as a support letter and is constrained to verification of coordination rather than endorsement.Apply for NOAA NMFS OHC 2025 29484
- The DOC NOAA - ERA Production in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grants - Fishery Management Council Cooperative Agreements" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.441.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-27.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-25. (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.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the FY25 Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grants - Fishery Management Council Cooperative Agreements (FMCCA) opportunity?
This opportunity is a NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program funding solicitation designed specifically for Regional Fishery Management Councils to carry out practical projects that conserve coral reef fisheries and improve how those fisheries are managed. The funding is awarded as a cooperative agreement, which means NOAA is expected to play an active partnership role during the project period.
What is the main goal of this funding opportunity?
The opportunity is positioned as a targeted investment in the sustainability of shallow coral reef fisheries and the essential fish habitat (EFH) that supports them, with an emphasis on coordinated management outcomes rather than isolated research products.
What law authorizes this grant program?
The program is authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6410).
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement. This indicates NOAA expects to collaborate with recipients during the project period, rather than acting only as a pass-through funder.
What does it mean that this award is a cooperative agreement?
In this solicitation, a cooperative agreement means NOAA will have an active partnership role. NOAA is expected to collaborate with recipients to help identify high-value projects, strengthen project development and implementation, and support coordination with relevant management entities and coral reef user groups.
What kinds of projects are supported under this solicitation?
Projects must align with one or more of three core purposes: (1) improving compliance with coral reef fisheries laws and essential fish habitat (EFH) designations, (2) generating or synthesizing scientific information to strengthen management decisions for shallow coral reef fisheries and associated EFH, and/or (3) advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management using existing datasets and fisheries management tools, with an emphasis on applied, decision-relevant work.
What are the three core purposes applicants can propose under?
The three core purposes are: improving compliance (including with EFH designations), improving scientific information for management decisions, and advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management using existing datasets and tools.
What does NOAA mean by projects that improve compliance?
The solicitation describes compliance-focused work as efforts that improve compliance with coral reef fisheries laws and EFH designations. Examples mentioned include making regulations clearer, strengthening monitoring or outreach tied to compliance, or improving how EFH measures are understood and followed.
What does NOAA mean by improving scientific information for management?
This purpose includes projects that generate or synthesize better scientific information to strengthen management decisions for shallow coral reef fisheries and their associated EFH. The solicitation notes this could involve data collection, analyses that fill known information gaps, or approaches that make existing science more usable in a management context.
What does NOAA mean by advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management?
The solicitation describes this as advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management by applying existing datasets and fisheries management tools, emphasizing applied, decision-relevant work that connects fisheries management with broader reef ecosystem conditions.
How long are selected projects expected to run?
Awards selected through this solicitation are expected to be implemented over a one-year period.
How much total funding does NOAA expect to make available for FY 2025?
For FY 2025, NOAA expects approximately $1,000,000 total to be available for FMCCA funding.
What is the expected size of individual awards?
Individual awards are anticipated to fall in the $125,000 to $300,000 range.
Is there a maximum amount of federal funding that can be requested?
Yes. NOAA indicates it will not accept proposals requesting more than $350,000 in federal funds.
Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?
Eligibility is limited to four Regional Fishery Management Councils: the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
Can organizations other than the four named Regional Fishery Management Councils apply?
No. The solicitation states eligibility is narrowly limited to those four Regional Fishery Management Councils.
What is the application deadline?
The listed application deadline is February 25, 2025.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NOAA NMFS OHC 2025 29484.
When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on December 27, 2024.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 11.441.
How is this funding action categorized?
The opportunity is identified as a discretionary funding action.
What activity areas does this opportunity cover?
The solicitation lists the activity area as spanning environment, natural resources, and science and technology/research and development.
What role will NOAA play during the project?
NOAA is expected to collaborate with recipients during the project period, including helping identify high-value projects, strengthening project development and implementation, and supporting coordination with federal, state, territorial, or commonwealth management entities and coral reef user groups.
Does NOAA want projects that produce coordinated management outcomes?
Yes. The solicitation explains that the program is built to encourage coordinated management outcomes rather than isolated research products.
Can NOAA staff help write or prepare an application?
No. NOAA employees are not allowed to help write or prepare applications.
Are letters of support from NOAA employees allowed?
No. Letters of support from NOAA employees are explicitly not allowed and will not be considered by merit reviewers.
What kind of help can NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program staff provide to applicants?
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program staff can provide general information about program goals, objectives, ongoing efforts, and regional funding priorities.
If a proposal involves collaboration with existing NOAA projects or staff, can NOAA provide anything in writing?
Yes, with limits. If a proposal involves collaboration with existing NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited written statement confirming the nature and extent of the collaboration and that coordination has already occurred. The solicitation emphasizes this is not treated as a support letter and is constrained to verification of coordination rather than endorsement.
Is a NOAA collaboration confirmation the same as a letter of support?
No. The solicitation distinguishes a limited written statement verifying coordination from a letter of support. Support letters from NOAA employees are not allowed, while a verification statement is limited to confirming coordination details and does not serve as an endorsement.
What management entities and groups does NOAA expect projects to coordinate with?
The solicitation notes NOAA will support coordination with federal, state, territorial, or commonwealth management entities, as well as different coral reef user groups.
Does the solicitation focus on shallow coral reef fisheries specifically?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a targeted investment in the sustainability of shallow coral reef fisheries and the essential fish habitat that supports them.
Does the opportunity explicitly reference essential fish habitat (EFH)?
Yes. EFH is referenced throughout, including compliance with EFH designations and improving science and management related to fisheries and their associated EFH.
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