FY26 Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grants - Fishery Management

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program provides financial assistance through the Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grants - Fishery Management competition for projects to sustainably manage coral reef fisheries, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. § 6410. Projects funded through this competition are for activities that: 1) Develop or update sustainable coral reef fisheries management plans; 2) Address science/information gaps that help advance sustainable management of coral reef fisheries stocks; 3) Advance ecosystem-based fisheries management by modernizing analysis of existing data and application of fisheries management tools. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through one- to three-year grants or cooperative agreements. Approximately $1,000,000 is expected to be available for this competition. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program anticipates that awards will range from $50,000-$200,000. NOAA will not accept proposals requesting less than $50,000. Funds will be administered by the Office of Habitat Conservation in conjunction with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. Funding may be divided among the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic regions to maintain the geographic balance of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program grant portfolio, as required by the Coral Reef Conservation Act. Please see the National Marine Fisheries Service website on the Grant Application Process. You will need to pay close attention to the submission checks section and the common error section. There are common errors that prevent successful application submission and receipt in eRA Commons. Grants.gov may allow you to apply, but eRA Commons will not accept the application if it includes these errors, and therefore NOAA will not receive it. When you apply to this competition, you will receive notification of submission validation from Grants.gov and eRA Commons. Only validated applications are sent to NOAA to review. To ensure successful submission of an application, we strongly recommend that you submit a final and complete application at least two business days prior to the submission deadline. In addition to the Grants.gov automated notification messages, once an electronic application is accepted in eRA Commons, you will receive an automated...

Eligible applicants are regional fishery management councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), nongovernmental organizations or research institutions that have demonstrated expertise in coral reef conservation or restoration and/or scientific research; designated coral reef research centers, U.S. states, territories, or local governments with authority over coral reefs; and Native entities with interests in a coral reef ecosystem.

Proposals are subject to office evaluations, technical reviews, administrative reviews, panel reviews, and external reviews, if applicable. Recommendations for funding to the selecting official take into consideration factors such as scientific/technical merit, applicability to the goals of NOAA CRCP and jurisdictional partners, direct benefit to coral reef resources and ecosystems, past performance of the recipient, cost-effectiveness, adequacy of the project implementation plan, and availability of matching funds, as described in annual Federal Funding Opportunity notices for each competition.

Match: none required (federal program listing). Statutory Formula: Title Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Uniform Guidance, Part 200, Subpart C,Public Law P.L. 95-405 (Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977)

Fiscal year 2016: Projects in FY15 will continue to support the Coral Reef Conservation Program�s Goals and Objectives and International Strategy as outlined at: http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals/. Funded projects are expected to focus on key threats to coral reef ecosystems and the specific local coral reef management priorities identified in collaboration with state and territorial partners. For information about these priorities, please see: http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/reprioritization/managementpriorities/. Fiscal year 2017: Funded projects will support continued implementation of the Coral Reef Conservation Program�s Goals and Objectives and International Strategy outlined at: http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/currentgoals and address established local coral reef management priorities identified in collaboration with state and territorial partners. Fiscal year 2025: Block grants to the governments of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; The Coral Reef Stewardship Fund to support coral reef stewardship activities; The Coral Reef...