Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program) | NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007503

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007503

The Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program) is a federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce, administered through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), that supports state-led work to conserve and recover species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The basic premise is that many NMFS-trust species, especially marine and anadromous species, spend all or part of their lives in state waters, and long-term recovery depends on coordinated state and federal action. Through this program, NMFS provides financial assistance so states can build, improve, and carry out conservation programs for ESA-listed species occurring within their boundaries.

Funding is offered as either grants or cooperative agreements under a discretionary solicitation (CFDA 11.472). The program is intended to back on-the-ground and programmatic recovery actions, and it can support a broad range of conservation needs. That includes direct conservation and recovery activities for any ESA-listed endangered or threatened species under NMFS jurisdiction, as well as monitoring and related efforts for candidate species, species proposed for listing, and species that have been recently delisted but still need tracking to ensure they remain stable.

NMFS specifically encourages proposals that advance recovery for a set of high-priority endangered species highlighted under the agency's Species in the Spotlight initiative. The solicitation calls out the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment (DPS) of Atlantic salmon, Cook Inlet DPS of beluga whales, North Atlantic right whales, the southern resident DPS of killer whales, Hawaiian monk seals, white abalone, and the Pacific leatherback sea turtle. While projects are not limited to these species, proposals addressing them are expressly encouraged, signaling that NMFS wants to see strong, actionable work plans that contribute to measurable recovery progress for these particularly imperiled species.

Supported activities can include developing and implementing management measures, conducting scientific research that fills key recovery knowledge gaps, and delivering public education and outreach that helps reduce threats or builds support for conservation actions. In practice, that could cover items like improved monitoring strategies, threat reduction planning, habitat and species management actions, evaluations of conservation effectiveness, or outreach campaigns aimed at compliance and community engagement, as long as the work ties back to ESA recovery needs and NMFS priorities.

Eligibility is limited to state agencies that have an active agreement with NMFS under ESA section 6(c), or that will enter into such an agreement within 30 days of the application deadline. This requirement is central to the program because Section 6 is built around federal-state cooperation, and the agreement functions as the formal mechanism that allows NMFS to provide this type of assistance for state-administered conservation programs.

A key restriction in the notice is that proposals focused on Pacific salmonids will not be considered under this opportunity. NMFS directs applicants with Pacific salmonid projects to the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund instead, indicating that salmonid recovery in that region is handled through a separate, dedicated funding stream. Applicants therefore need to ensure their proposal does not fall into that excluded category if they want to be competitive and eligible under this solicitation.

For the FY 2023 competition described in the notice, the opportunity number is NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007503. The posting lists an expected total of about 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award. The opportunity originally opened August 1, 2022, and had an original closing date of October 31, 2022. NMFS indicates the document explains how to apply and how proposals will be evaluated and selected, and it also notes that some information changed from the prior year, so applicants are expected to read the full solicitation carefully to ensure compliance with updated requirements and review criteria.

• The Department of Commerce in the 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 01, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2022. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007503

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: