FY 2020 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2020 2006306

FAQs: FY 2020 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants (NOAA NMFS)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is the FY 2020 Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants opportunity run by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It supports coastal and marine habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach and produce measurable benefits for species and fisheries under NOAA's jurisdiction.

What is the main purpose of the program?

The program is built around the idea that restoring the right habitats in the right places can remove bottlenecks that limit species recovery, strengthen fish populations, and improve the overall health and functioning of coastal and marine ecosystems.

What types of benefits does NOAA NMFS expect projects to deliver?

Projects are expected to go beyond general environmental benefits and show a clear, evidence-based connection between habitat restoration actions and outcomes for priority species and fisheries. The emphasis is on measurable ecological outcomes and species or fishery benefits.

What kinds of outcomes are considered most competitive?

The strongest proposals clearly connect restoration actions to one or more of these outcomes:

• Supporting recovery of threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including NMFS "Species in the Spotlight"
• Sustaining or helping rebuild fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
• Contributing to sustaining saltwater recreational fisheries

What does "ecosystem-based approach" mean in the context of this program?

Based on the solicitation description, it means planning and implementing restoration in a way that improves ecosystem function and habitat conditions, with a direct and defensible link to the needs of specific species and fisheries (for example, improving habitat used for spawning, nursery rearing, foraging, migration, or refuge).

How are projects judged or evaluated?

Projects are primarily judged on how clearly they connect proposed restoration actions to outcomes for priority species and fisheries. Competitive proposals show a logical chain of impact supported by credible evidence, explaining how habitat actions translate into species recovery, fish stock rebuilding, or improved recreational fisheries.

What does it mean to tie habitat improvements to "specific species or stock needs"?

It means describing how the restoration improves habitat features or conditions that a target species or stock depends on. Examples mentioned include habitat for spawning, nursery rearing, foraging, migration corridors, refuge from predation, and water quality conditions required for survival and reproduction.

What is an example of a habitat-based limiting factor this program wants applicants to address?

The opportunity highlights several examples of problems that can limit recovery or sustainability, such as degraded wetlands, blocked fish passage, simplified estuarine structure, loss of submerged aquatic vegetation, impaired water quality, altered hydrology, or shoreline hardening that reduces habitat complexity.

What does NOAA consider a "competitive application" to include?

The solicitation emphasizes three core elements:

1. Identify a specific habitat-based problem that is limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more target species
2. Clearly describe the restoration approach in enough detail to demonstrate feasibility and credibility (what will be built or removed, where work will occur, what methods will be used, and how it addresses the limiting factor)
3. Define expected outcomes and measurable impacts, including how success will be tracked and how improvements translate into benefits for target species and ecosystems

Does the program require monitoring and metrics?

Yes. The opportunity emphasizes "measurable impact" and notes that monitoring and performance metrics are important, especially metrics that reflect ecological function and species response rather than only construction outputs.

Are planning-only projects allowed, or is this only for construction?

The solicitation allows a range of project phases. Proposals may focus on feasibility work and/or design, on-the-ground implementation activities, or a combination of planning and implementation.

What does NOAA mean by "feasibility" and "design" work under this opportunity?

Feasibility and design work refers to early-phase activities needed to develop well-engineered, permittable restoration designs. The opportunity indicates this flexibility is intended to support communities that need resources to create shovel-ready design packages.

What does NOAA mean by "implementation" under this opportunity?

Implementation refers to on-the-ground activities, including construction and habitat improvement actions that deliver implemented habitat gains that can be quantified and linked to species recovery or fishery sustainability goals.

What is meant by "restoring the right habitats in the right places"?

Within this program description, it refers to focusing restoration on habitat types and locations that remove key ecological bottlenecks and directly support priority species and fisheries outcomes, rather than doing restoration that is only generally beneficial.

What type of award instrument is used?

Awards are made through cooperative agreements.

What is a cooperative agreement, and what should applicants expect?

The opportunity states that cooperative agreements involve meaningful federal involvement during the project period. Applicants should expect NOAA involvement such as coordination, technical input, or oversight, consistent with NOAA's role.

Which federal agency and department offer this funding?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA NMFS.

What is the opportunity number?

The opportunity number is NOAA NMFS HCPO 2020 2006306.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 11.463.

What program or topic areas does this opportunity fall under?

The funding activity category spans environment, natural resources, and science and technology and other research and development. This reflects that projects can include applied science and monitoring alongside restoration.

How many awards did NOAA anticipate making?

NOAA anticipated making about 20 awards.

What is the maximum award size (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is up to $3,000,000 per award.

When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on November 8, 2019.

What was the original application closing date?

The original closing date for applications was April 9, 2020.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with further clarification referenced in the opportunity's additional eligibility information. The description notes that opportunities of this type often attract partnerships that may include local and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, universities, and community-based groups working with state and federal resource managers, but applicants should rely on the specific eligibility language in the full announcement.

Is the program aimed at single organizations or partnerships?

The provided description indicates that applications often come from partnerships that may include governments, nonprofits, universities, and community-based groups, though the official eligibility requirements are referenced as being in the full announcement.

What is NOAA looking for in the way applicants describe project impacts?

NOAA is looking for a credible, logical chain of impact that links the habitat action to measurable improvements and then to species recovery, fish stock rebuilding, or recreational fishery sustainability. The solicitation stresses outcomes-driven proposals rather than descriptions focused only on general ecological uplift or construction tasks.

Can projects include research or applied science?

Yes. The funding activity category includes science and technology and other research and development, and the opportunity notes that projects can include applied science and monitoring alongside restoration.

What is the overall focus of the program?

Overall, the program aims to fund well-justified, outcomes-driven habitat restoration projects that can demonstrate a direct line from habitat action to species recovery, fish stock rebuilding, or improved recreational fisheries in coastal and marine environments.