Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Cycle Notice

FLORIDA’S STATE WILDLIFE GRANTS PROGRAM

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FLORIDA’S STATE WILDLIFE GRANTS CYCLE         May 28, 2019

 

 

TO:                  Conservation Partners

 

FROM:           Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

 

SUBJECT:      Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Cycle Notice

 

Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative is pleased to invite you to submit applications for Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program. Applications are due by 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time July 12, 2019. Applications should be prepared in accordance with Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program Guidelines and instructions in this document. Applicants will be notified about selected projects by February 1, 2020. Selected projects will start no earlier than July 1, 2020.

 

Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative has identified the relevance, need, and objectives of the following project and is seeking applications. Applicants are requested to develop the best approach to achieve the objectives of the project. Additional detail about the project is available below.

 

• Project: Mangrove Habitat Enhancement ($200,000 available. See below for details.)

This project is being developed to address the Marine & Estuarine Enhancement Implementation Goal of Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative. Applicants are asked to submit project proposals that detail the approach best suited to meet the stated objective.

To be considered, please follow the application process detailed below.

Should you have any questions regarding the grant cycle or application requirements, please contact Andrea Alden, the State Wildlife Grants Coordinator, at Andrea.Alden@MyFWC.com or Robyn McDole, the Assistant State Wildlife Grants Coordinator, at Robyn.McDole@MyFWC.com.  

cc: Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative Grants Committee 

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Project Criteria: ­ Mangrove Habitat Enhancement

 

Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative has identified the relevance, need, objective, and expected benefits for the following project. Applicants are asked to develop an approach that is best suited to achieve the objective. To be considered, applicants must submit a completed State Wildlife Grants application form, fully developed scope of work, budget, NICRA, and match commitment letter(s) that specifically relate to the needs and objective of this project. All documents should be prepared in accordance with the Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program Guidelines.

 

Partnerships

Applicants should identify partnerships in accordance with project needs. Strong applications will greatly encourage involvement from partners, such as federal, state and local government agencies; corporations; non-profit organizations; conservation organizations; sporting organizations; and private landowners. Please identify all partners and how they are involved with the project.

 

Relevance

Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative recently revised Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan (Action Plan; FWC 2012). Upon completion of the revised Action Plan, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission worked with partners to set new goals for implementing the plan from 2018-2022. The new goals include a marine goal focused on restoring or creating salt marsh, mangrove, oyster reef, and upland buffer habitats. Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative seeks to fund restoration projects in mangrove habitats, therefore fulfilling implementation of this objective. Mangrove swamps are critical habitats for many SGCN, including federally listed species and state-listed species. Proposals should contribute to Objective 1 of the Marine and Estuarine Habitat Enhancement Goal, Complete at least 4 acres of high priority coastal habitat improvement by creating or restoring habitat in each of oyster reef, mangrove, salt marsh, and upland buffer. This objective addresses threats to these habitats listed in the Action Plan by creating or restoring high quality habitat that may be utilized by SGCN. Note that this objective seeks to restore a total of 4 acres over five grant cycles. Each project should contribute at least 0.1 acres to this goal.

 

Need

Mangrove habitats have been lost by direct conversion to upland habitats for the purpose of coastal development and have been deliberately altered by processes such as dredging and channelization for navigation and impounding or ditching of wetlands for mosquito control. Factors including non-point and point source pollution related to terrestrial land-use, vessel impacts, storm damage, and altered hydrology for flood control, irrigation, and drinking water have also contributed to the degradation and loss of mangrove habitats.

 

This project will address restoration needs of at least 0.1 acres of mangrove habitat.

 

Objective

By 2022, create or restore a minimum of 0.1 acres of mangrove habitat for the purpose of estuarine habitat enhancement to benefit Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

 

Expected Benefits

Many Species of Greatest Conservation Need rely on mangrove habitats and populations will benefit from the restoration or creation of these habitats and the resources and ecosystem services that they provide. Additional benefits may be realized by terrestrial SGCN that occupy coastal areas and rely on mangrove habitats as a buffer from open water environments, especially in the face of sea level rise.

 

Additional Project Considerations

Objective 1 of the Marine and Estuarine Habitat Enhancement Implementation Goal aims to achieve a minimum of 4 acres of estuarine habitat restoration or creation over the five grant cycle length of the Goal. Individual projects must contribute at least 0.1 acres towards this goal. Projects may involve creating new habitat or restoring existing, degraded habitat (e.g. hydrological restoration, invasive plant management, etc.). Acreage restored/created and cost effectiveness will be considered when weighing projects against each other. Competitive projects will include a focus on restoration of a location that is documented to provide vital resources to a specific SGCN or suite of SGCN and include monitoring to document the impact of the project on the target SGCN.

 

Consideration will be given to projects requesting less than the maximum available federal funds, as well as the full amount available. Multiple projects may be selected if several proposals are received with requests that are less than the maximum available federal funds.

 

Expected Project Period

Projects cannot start prior to July 1, 2020 and cannot exceed three years. Justification should be offered in the scope of work if the time frame included in the approach differs from the suggested time period below.

 

Start Date: July 1, 2020

Suggested End Date: June 30, 2023

 

Expected Project Location

Locations may include any estuarine water body in Florida. Exact locations for study are to be identified by the applicant.

 

Target Species & Habitats

All habitats and Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) that will be studied in the project must be listed, threats that are addressed should be explicitly stated in the full Scope of Work, and references with page numbers should be made to Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan 2012.

 

Target Species: Mangrove Long-horned Beetle, Goliath Grouper, Mangrove Rivulus, Mangrove Gambusia, Atlantic Saltmarsh Watersnake, Diamondback Terrapin, American Crocodile, Florida Prairie Warbler, Black-whiskered Vireo, Reddish Egret, Brown Pelican, Wood Stork, Mangrove Clapper Rail, Mangrove Cuckoo, White-crowned Pigeon, Sanibel Island Marsh Rice Rat

 

Target Habitats: Mangrove Swamp

 

Cost

Available federal funds:     $ 200,000

Applicant-supplied match: $ 107,693 (minimum)

Total cost:                        $ 307,693

 

Applicants are required to match thirty-five percent of the total project cost and to meet the project objective within the allotted funds. Match must come from non-federal sources, and can include salaries and wages, indirect costs, volunteers, equipment, materials and supplies. Strong applications will include documentation of match support in the application package. Resources requested for funding must be necessary, reasonable and allowable to meet the project’s objective.

 

 

 

 

 

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Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program

Application Process

 

Background Information

Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative creates a strategic approach for conserving all of Florida’s wildlife, including fish and invertebrates, with the aim of averting future declines and keeping common species common. The three main components of the Initiative are: 1) Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a strategy for managing all wildlife in Florida; 2) partnership development, through which resources are pooled to address wildlife conservation across the state of Florida; and 3) Florida's State Wildlife Grants Program, to support partnership building and Wildlife Action Plan implementation by providing funding opportunities.  For more information, please visit Florida’s Wildlife Legacy Initiative.

 

The U.S. Congress appropriated over $50 million for the State Wildlife Grants Program nationwide in federal fiscal year 2019. The funds are distributed to the states based on a formula that includes land area and population. No state may receive more than five percent or less than one percent of the available funds.

 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Role

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is the designated state agency that receives and manages State Wildlife Grants Program funds. Funds are to be used in accordance with Congressional intent and Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program Guidelines.

 

 

Submittal Guidelines

To be considered, applications must address the project detailed in this document and must be prepared in accordance with the Florida’s State Wildlife Grants Program Guidelines.

 

Applications should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Office Word, Excel or Adobe to Andrea Alden and Robyn McDole, the State Wildlife Grants Coordinators, at Andrea.Alden@MyFWC.com and Robyn.McDole@MyFWC.com by 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time July 12, 2019. Applications also must be copied to the authorizing official from the applicant’s organization via carbon copy in the email application submission.

 

These five documents comprise an application:

• State Wildlife Grant Application Form available at http://www.myfwc.com/conservation/special-initiatives/fwli/grant/apply/

• Scope of Work, to include a public description, introduction, project objectives, methods and schedule; biographical sketches for the Principal Investigator and other key project personnel; budget narrative; and appendices, if needed.
• Budget, to include three spreadsheets, available at http://www.myfwc.com/conservation/special-initiatives/fwli/grant/apply/
• copy of the agency or entity’s NICRA
• match commitment letter(s)

 

Please use the following naming convention for electronic files, using the last name of the Principal Investigator:

• Application Form: Lastname_Application.doc, Lastname_Application.docx or Lastname_Application.pdf
• Scope of Work: Lastname_Scope.doc, or Lastname_Scope.docx
• Budget sheet: Lastname_Budget.xls or Lastname_Budget.xlsx
• NICRA: Lastname_NICRA.pdf
• Match Commitment Letter(s): Lastname_MatchLetter.pdf

 

Evaluation

In general, applications will be evaluated based on how well the project criteria are addressed, on the applicant’s qualifications, on the technical merit of the proposed approach, on the appropriate use of funds, and verifiable deliverables. Example evaluation forms will also be available from Florida’s State Wildlife Grants.

 

Schedule

 

May 28, 2019:                          Grant cycle opens

Noon on July 12, 2019:            Grant cycle closes

February 1, 2020:                     Announcement of recommended applications 

No earlier than July 1, 2020:    Projects begin

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who may apply?

State agencies, local government entities, educational facilities, organizations and individuals can apply. Applications may be submitted from other states and countries as long as the proposed projects involve or are germane to populations of wildlife that inhabit Florida.

 

What is the minimum and maximum amount of money I can request in my application?

Each project has a maximum amount of money that can be requested to address the project’s objective(s). Applicants can request less money, but they must still achieve all project objectives.

 

Which projects are eligible?

Projects must meet the criteria specified in the Announcement of Florida’s State Wildlife Grant Cycle 2019.

 

Can Florida's State Wildlife Grants Program fund projects associated with wildlife education or wildlife law enforcement activities?

No, unless the law enforcement or education component is a minor or incidental activity – less than ten percent of total project costs – that is considered critical to the success of a project, directly contributes to the conservation of wildlife species and their habitats with the greatest conservation need, and is consistent with the development or implementation of Florida’s Wildlife Action Plan.

 

Can Florida State Wildlife Grants be used for projects associated with wildlife recreation?

No.

 

Are matching funds required?

Yes. A non-federal match requirement assures local ownership and leverages funds to support added conservation. For the 2019 Cycle, applicants must provide a non-federal match of at least thirty-five percent of the total project costs. To calculate the total project cost, divide the federal request by 0.65. For example, an application requesting $100,000 in federal funds must provide $53,846 of secure match for a total project cost equaling $153,846 ($153,846 = $100,000 / 0.65).

 

If I am awarded a grant, do I get all the money right away?

No. You will be reimbursed on an invoice schedule for the money spent on achieving the project objectives. For more information, see the Program Guidelines.

 

What are the reporting requirements if I am awarded a grant?

Typically, no more than three progress reports and one annual report will be required during each fiscal year. Grantees will be provided a copy of the Report Guidelines as guidance for the preparation of progress, annual and final reports.

 

What are the scoring criteria for submitted applications?

Submitted applications are evaluated on a variety of criteria, including relevance to Florida’s State Wildlife Action Plan, partner involvement, and sound methods and approaches. To see example evaluation forms, visit Florida’s State Wildlife Grants.