Coastal Services Center

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Archive Info | Grants Links | Other Grants Information

NOAA issues an Omnibus describing competitive funding opportunities for special projects typically around every June and December.  The Center usually includes a notice in the June announcement and sometimes in the December announcement.  The official Omnibus is published in the “Federal Register” and all detailed federal funding opportunities are posted on Grants.gov.

Grants.gov allows organizations to find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is the single access point for more than $460 billion in federal grants approximately 1,000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that has had an unparalleled impact on the grant community.

The Center’s open competitive grant opportunities can be found on Grants.gov by searching under the Center’s Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number (CFDA # 11.473).

What Announcements are Presently Open?

The application deadlines (time and date) for submitting proposals are listed in Table 1.0.  A proposal submitted through Grants.gov after the closing date or time will not be considered.

Table 1.0: Open or Recent NOAA Grant Announcements

NOAA Coastal Services Center Grant Opportunities	Omnibus Notice Full Text of the Center's Funding Announcements	Dates of Interest
		Letters Of Intent Due	Proposal Deadline	Earliest Start Date
Pacific Services Center Amendment #1 issued 08.11.2008	FY 2009 By Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program, Hawaii (PDF)	N/A	5:59 p.m. Hawaii time / 11:59 p.m. ET, August 29, 2008	June 1, 2009
NOAA-wide announcement This announcement relates to all NOAA line agencies and may be of interest to Center partners who work with NOAA grant programs.	NOAA's Broad Area Announcement (PDF, 48KB) The notice requests proposals for special projects and programs associated with NOAA's strategic plan and mission goals. This BAA is a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through NOAA competitive discretionary programs. It is not a mechanism for awarding Congressionally directed funds. Funds have not yet been appropriated for any proposed activities in this notice. Refer to Section V, Part B (page 11), in the announcement for detailed information on the Review and Selection Process.	N/A	5:00 p.m. ET, September 30, 2009	If found meritorious, generally 3 to 6 months after submission.

View previous grants and cooperative agreement announcements.

What is the Difference Between a Grant and a Cooperative Agreement Grant?

A grant is defined as the legal instrument reflecting a relationship between NOAA and a recipient whenever: (a) the principal purpose of the relationship is to transfer money, property, services, or anything of value in order to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by Federal statute and (b) no substantial involvement is anticipated between NOAA and the recipient during the performance of the contemplated activity.  A cooperative agreement grant has substantial involvement (e.g., collaboration, participation, or intervention by NOAA in the management of the project) is anticipated between NOAA and the recipient during performance of the contemplated activity. Cooperative agreements are subject to the same OMB, Treasury, and other Federal laws and policies as grants. See 31 U.S.C. 6305.  Federal funding opportunity announcements will specify whether applications are requested for grant or cooperative agreement grant projects.  Some announcements may be open ended and applicants will be requested to state the kind of project that is proposed (i.e., grants or cooperative agreement grants).

Do Center Grant Competitions include a Letter of Intent (LOI) Process?

Center competitions sometime include an LOI process.  The Letter of Intent (LOI) process is intended to provide potential funding applicants with information regarding the relevance of their project idea to the program objectives in advance of preparing a full proposal.  If the Center conducts a merit review of LOIs, the Center can choose to accept only applications that have been invited through the LOI process for further consideration in the application selection and review process.

How Do I Apply For Funding?

Grant applications should be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. Applicants without Internet access may submit hard copy application packages according to the directions stated in the federal funding opportunity announcement.

What Should I Know Before Applying for Funding through Grants.gov?

For applicants who have never used Grants.gov, there are several one-time steps you must take before applying through Grants.gov.  It may take up to three weeks to complete these one-time steps, therefore, applicants should begin the Grants.gov process at least three weeks prior to proposal submission deadlines.  As soon as you know that you might be competing for federal grants, go ahead and complete the Grants.gov registration process to prevent delays associated with the registration process.  If you are from a university, contact your Office of Sponsored Programs to determine if your organization is already registered to use Grants.gov and if other mandatory information for the use of Grants.gov has been established, such as your organization’s DUNS # (see step one below).  Other organizations should check with their business or financial office to determine if their organization is already registered to use Grants.gov.  Applicants who have already registered with Grants.gov may skip the preliminary Grants.gov registration steps listed below.

Do I Need to Register to Submit an Application through Grants.gov?

All first time users must go through a one-time registration process before submitting an application through Grants.gov.  Each person planning to submit grant applications for your organization should register as an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR).  Registration is not required if you do not plan to submit applications.  There is no limit on the number of people who can register from an institution to use Grants.gov.  Anyone can explore Grants.gov and download grant applications without being registered, but they will not be able to submit an application until they complete their Grants.gov registration and gain authorization from their organization's e-business point of contact.

Preliminary Steps for First Time Users – Completing the Registration Process

1. ALL applicants for federal funding must have a Dun and Bradstreet or DUNS number to complete their application package.  A DUNS number is a unique nine digit identification number issued by Dun & Bradstreet.
   This number is issued free of charge and many organizations already have one.  You are encouraged to check with your organization’s business or financial office to find out if your organization already has a DUNS #.  To check if your organization has a DUNS number, or to get one, contact Dun and Bradstreet (866) 705-5711 or refer to www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html.   If your organization does not have a DUNS number, the estimated time to complete this step is an hour.
2. Your organization must register with Central Contractor Registry (CCR) on-line at www.ccr.gov.
   Be sure to complete the Marketing Partner ID (MPIN) and Electronic Business Primary Point of Contact fields during the CCR registration process. These are mandatory fields required when submitting grant applications through Grants.gov.
   You will not be able to access Grants.gov until you receive your user name and password, which should arrive with your CCR registration in 7 to 10 business days.
   Organizations must have a taxpayer identification number or an employee identification number in order to complete the CCR registration.  Refer to the Internal Revenue Service Web sites identified in the list of Grant Sites on this Web page for information on how to get one of these numbers.
   The total estimated time for completing this step could take up to three weeks, especially, if your organization does not already have a taxpayer identification number or an employee identification number
   
3. Operational Research Consultants is the Credential Provider for Grants.gov. You must register here: http://apply.grants.gov/OrcRegister, which will enable you to securely submit your grant application on-line.  Once registered, you will receive a user name and password.  The estimated time for completing this step is two days.
4. Finally, you must register with grants.gov, www.grants.gov/GetStartedRegister?type=individual , to submit grant applications on-line.  After you have completed the registration process, you will receive an e-mail confirming that you are able to submit applications.  The estimated time for completing this step is one hour.
5. Grants.gov supports and accepts Adobe forms in application packages. PureEdge based application forms were accepted through September 30, 2007, however, PureEdge forms are no longer accepted.
   

What Are the Steps for Applying for Funds through Grants.gov?

1. Find the grant opportunity you are interested in by using the Grants.gov search interface at http://www.grants.gov/search/basic.do .  You can conduct a basic or advanced search.  In a basic search, you can search for information on available grant opportunities using a keyword, funding opportunity number, or a catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number.  Advanced searches allow you to search by funding opportunity dates, funding activity category, funding instrument type, eligibility, agency name, and any of the basic search parameters.  Grants.gov also allows anyone to register to receive e-mail updates as new grant opportunities are added.  Anyone can also signup to receive e-mail notices of any changes to any specific grant application packages or federal funding opportunity announcements.
2. Apply for the grant you are interested in by using the Apply for Grants tab. The Apply for Grants feature enables users to apply for competitive federal grant opportunities through a single, unified process.
3. Download the Grant Application Package and application instructions for the grant you wish to apply for.  You will need to enter the Funding Opportunity or the CFDA number to access the application package and instructions.  The Center’s CDFA number is 11.473.
4. Complete the Selected Grant Application Package.  Once it has been downloaded, you can complete the application off-line.
5. Submit the completed Grant Application Package on-line.  Once Grants.gov has received your submission, within the next 24 to 48 hours, you should receive two e-mail messages from Grants.gov updating you on the progress of your application.  The first e-mail will confirm receipt of your application by the Grants.gov system, and the second will indicate that the application has either been successfully validated by the system prior to transmission to the grantor agency or has been rejected due to errors.  After the application has been validated, you will receive another e-mail when the application has been downloaded by the federal agency.  If the federal agency assigns an agency-specific tracking number, then you will also receive an email about this application.

What Forms Are Required to Apply for Funding?

All proposals submitted to the Center under NOAA's Omnibus Notice must include completed forms.  Most forms will be provided on Grants.gov, however, some forms are relevant to only certain organizations.  Refer to the section below on how to complete forms and especially the forms checklist for guidance on which forms your organization must complete.  Forms will be provided in the downloadable “grants application package” found on Grants.gov.  The following list of forms is provided as a reference, however, if you find that there are newer or modified forms a part of the application package on Grants.gov, use those forms versus the versions of the forms referenced below:

• SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (PDF)
• SF-424 – Instructions for Completing the SF-424 (PDF)
• SF-424A – Budget Information (PDF) (Version posted on Grants.gov)
• SF-424A – Budget Information (PDF) (OMB version with instructions - content is same as Grants.gov form)
• SF-424B – Assurances (PDF)
• CD-511 – Certifications required by the Department of Commerce (PDF)
• SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activity (PDF) – Please remember to submit this form with your proposal ONLY IF your organization is engaged in lobbying activities.
• CD-346 – Applicant for Funding Assistance (PDF) (required only from nonprofit or for profit organizations; universities and state/local government agencies are not required to complete this form).

How Do I Fill Out These Forms?

Helpful Guidance

• To help you complete the grants and cooperative agreement application package, we have provided a forms checklist (PDF) that you can refer to as you work on Grants.gov.
• Grant forms can be confusing. This guidance (PDF) will help answer frequently asked questions, address common mistakes made on certain forms, and explain terminology used for budget preparation.
• It is important that the budget information you provide on the SF-424 and SF-424A be consistent with the brief budget information presented in the project narrative and with detailed budget information provided in a budget appendix. Detailed budget information presented in an appendix should, at a minimum, restate and further explain the information presented on form SF-424A.
  • Here is guidance on how to prepare detailed budget justification.
  • Here is a detailed budget justification template.
• Form CD-346 is not available on Grants.gov as a mandatory form, however, based on the above guidance (i.e., see section on forms required for funding above) if your organization is required to submit this form, upload the form into Grants.gov in the optional documents section.

Instructions are provided to help you complete forms SF-424 and SF-424A below.  Specific guidance will be found in federal funding opportunity announcements, especially for things such as start dates (which must be the first day of the month) and funding amounts.

Form SF-424

• Instructions Specific to the Coastal Services Center

Form SF-424A

• Instructions Specific to the Coastal Services Center

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