FY 2018 Species Recovery Grants to Tribes | NOAA NMFS PRPO 2018 2005302

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2018 2005302

The FY 2018 Species Recovery Grants to Tribes opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program run by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA). Its purpose is to provide financial assistance to tribal nations for conserving and recovering marine and anadromous species that fall under NMFS jurisdiction, especially species protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The program is built around NMFS recognition that many protected species have unique cultural, subsistence, and ecological importance to tribes, and that tribes often play a central role in long-term conservation work across coastal and river systems.

Funding can support a wide range of conservation and recovery efforts for ESA-listed endangered and threatened species, as well as candidate or proposed species, and it may also be used for post-delisting monitoring once a species has recovered and is removed from the ESA list. NMFS highlights that proposals should be tied to on-the-ground recovery needs, meaning projects are expected to align with priority actions already identified in an official ESA Recovery Plan or respond to a NMFS-identified regional priority or conservation need. In practice, this points applicants toward projects that are clearly connected to established recovery strategies rather than general environmental programming.

For FY 2018, NMFS signals specific priority attention for proposals that directly address the recovery of certain critically endangered species. The agency encourages applications focused on Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon, white abalone, Cook Inlet beluga whales, Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, and southern resident killer whales. While other eligible species may still be supported, proposals addressing these named species are explicitly described as a funding priority for the year.

The types of activities NMFS indicates as fundable include development and implementation of management plans, scientific research activities, and public education or outreach. That can cover work like designing or updating species management frameworks, conducting monitoring and data collection to fill key knowledge gaps, supporting assessments that guide recovery actions, and building community awareness and participation through education and outreach that is relevant to recovery goals. The common thread is that proposed work should be practical, targeted, and connected to measurable conservation outcomes.

Eligibility is narrowly defined. Only federally recognized tribes are eligible, as recognized under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act (Public Law 103-454) or by presidential executive order. In addition, organizations of federally recognized tribes, such as the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, may apply if they have delegated authority to represent one or more federally recognized tribes on matters related to ESA-listed, candidate, or proposed species. Those tribal organizations must provide documentation showing that the delegation exists, that it comes from appropriate tribal officials, and that it covers the specific type of activity being proposed in the application. Applicants who do not meet these criteria are not considered for funding.

The announcement also contains clear boundaries and conflict-of-interest safeguards. Federal agencies and institutions are not eligible to receive assistance under this notice. NOAA and NMFS employees are not allowed to help write applications, provide letters of support in a way that would advantage an applicant, or otherwise give unfair assistance. At the same time, the program allows and even anticipates collaboration with existing NMFS programs; NMFS staff may provide letters that simply verify a willingness to collaborate on a project if it is funded, which can help demonstrate coordination without crossing into application-writing support.

One notable exclusion is that projects focused on ESA-listed, candidate, or proposed Pacific salmon or steelhead are not eligible under this specific tribal recovery grant program. NMFS directs those kinds of proposals to a different funding stream, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, indicating that salmon and steelhead recovery is handled through a separate, specialized program rather than this solicitation.

From the source data provided, the opportunity is listed as NOAA NMFS PRPO 2018 2005302, associated with CFDA 11.472, and categorized under environment, natural resources, and research and development-related activity areas. The application closing date shown is November 1, 2017, reflecting that it is a FY 2018 funding cycle solicitation. The listed award ceiling is $100,000. The notice emphasizes that application instructions and evaluation details are contained in the full document, and it warns applicants that some requirements changed from earlier years, so applicants were expected to read the full announcement closely before submitting.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2018 Species Recovery Grants to Tribes" 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 2017-08-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-11-01. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2018 2005302

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