# Presentation: 353492

## Key Steps to Finding NOAA Funding Opportunities and Developing Successful Grant Proposals

***Coastal Zone 2007***
***July 26, 2007***
***Portland, Oregon ***

**Key Steps to Finding NOAA Funding Opportunities and Developing Successful Grant Proposals**

***James Lewis Free***
*Program Officer and Grants Coordinator*
*NOAA Coastal Services Center*

## Slide 2

## Questions Addressed Today

**Questions Addressed Today**

- Which programs in the federal government provide grants?
- How can you get detailed information on grant programs that have a coastal focus?
- What are key ways to increase chances of submitting a successful proposal?

## Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

- An index of all programs and their Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance numbers are at:
_*www.cfda.gov*_

**Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance**

## Main Catalog Web Site

**Main Catalog Web Site**

## Catalog Search Page

**Catalog Search Page**

## Entire Catalog List

**Entire Catalog List**

## Catalog Keyword Search

**Catalog Keyword Search**

## Coastal Keyword Search Results (76 Total Listings)

**Coastal Keyword Search Results (76 Total Listings)**

## Catalog search for Coastal Services Center

**11.473 Coastal Services Center **
- FEDERAL AGENCIES
- 	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- 	National Ocean Service (NOS)
- 	Department of Commerce (DOC)
- AUTHORIZATION
- 	16 U.S.C. 1456C
- 	15 U.S.C. 1540
- 	33 U.S.C.1442, 883 a-d
- TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:  Project grants (cooperative agreements).

**Catalog search for Coastal Services Center**

## Catalog search for Coastal Services Center (cont.)

- OBJECTIVES:  To support projects aimed at developing a science-based, multi-dimensional approach that will allow for the maintenance or improvement of environmental quality while at the same time allowing for economic growth.
- USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:  The Geographic Information Systems Integration and Development Program (GIS I&D) program will provide relevant, easily accessible spatial data, tools, and support services to the **coastal resource management community** by working with nationally networked organizations on geospatial solutions to issues related to **coastal hazards**.

**Catalog search for Coastal Services Center (cont.)**

## Department of Commerce

**Department of ****Commerce**

**A sample of grant programs listed from 11.417 through 11.478 (40 NOAA programs in this range provide grants):**
-     11.419  Coastal Zone Management Administration Awards
-     11.426  Financial Assistance for National Centers for 		      Coastal Ocean Science
-     11.455  Cooperative Science and Education Program.
-     11.473  Coastal Services Center
-     11.478  Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research     	      Coastal Ocean Program

## Department of Interior

**Sample programs which provide financial assistance through grants:**
- 15.231  Fish, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Resource Management
- 15.421  Alaska Coastal Marine Institute
- 15.422  Louisiana State University (LSU) Coastal Marine Institute (CMI)
- 15.614  Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act
- 15.630  Coastal Program

**Department of Interior**

## Grants.gov Background

**Grants.gov Background**

- Grants.gov is a single government-wide source for information about grant programs
- One of 24 E-government initiatives
- Includes >1,000 grant programs from 26 federal grant-making agencies
- $460 billion in annual awards
- Administered by Department of Health and Human Services

## Origins and Purpose

**Origins and Purpose**

- Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, also known as Public Law 106-107
**Goals**
- Improve effectiveness and performance of Federal financial assistance programs
- Simplify Federal assistance application and reporting requirements
- Improve the delivery of services
- Facilitate greater coordination among those delivering services

## Benefits of Grants.gov

**Benefits of Grants.gov**

**Grants.gov delivers value to grant applicants**
- Single source for Federal competitive grant opportunities
- Standardized manner saves time and money
- Simplifies the grant application process and reduces paperwork
- It is easier for applicants to use to one Federal system
- Enables consolidation and use of best practices within agencies

## User Roles

**User Roles**

- The **e-business point of contact (POC)** determines who is allowed to submit grant application packages on behalf of an organization.
- The **authorized organization representative (AOR)** has the ability to submit applications on behalf of an organization.
- The a**pplication author (AA) **prepares grant application packages but does not have signature authority to submit the applications.

## Trends 

**Trends **

- 60% of agencies were posting and receiving packages after year one
- Between 2005-2007, registered users increased from 18,000 to ~ 52,000
- During federal year 2006, submissions increased by 400% from 2005 (86,321 total submissions)
- As of the start of 2007, the largest number of submissions to-date on one day was 2,099 received on December 1, 2006
- Grant funds announced on Grants.gov
- 	2004   $360 billion (approximately)
- 	2005   $400 billion
- 	2006   $460 billion

## Contact Center Support

**Last year the Grants.gov Help Desk provided the following:**
- - Number of customers serviced:  104,307
- - E-mailed responses to questions:  43,508
- Monday – Friday
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
- 1-(800) 518-4726
*support@grants.gov*

**Contact Center Support**

## Finding Grant Opportunities

- Basic search
- Browse by category
- Browse by agency
- Advanced search
- E-mail alert notification service

**Finding Grant Opportunities**

## Search Screen

**Search Screen**

## Basic Search 

**Basic searches use:**
- Keywords
- Funding opportunity numbers
- Catalog of federal domestic assistance numbers

**Basic Search **

## Basic Search

**Basic Search**

## Basic Search 

- Computer Mapping – 42			GIS and mapping – 9
- Coastal Hazards – 4			GPS – 1
- Environmental – 130+ 			Mapping – 5
- Geographic – 20			NOAA – 22
- Geospatial – 8 				Remote sensing – 13
- GIS – 4					Surveying – 12

**A basic search on February 8, 2007 yielded the following for these specific geospatial related keywords:**

**Basic Search **

## Category Search

**Category Search**

## 23 Categorical Search Options_x000b_

- _[All Categories of Funding Activity](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=*)__ _
- _[Agriculture](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=AG)__ _
- Arts (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
- _[Business and Commerce](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=BC)__ _
- _[Community Development](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=CD)__ _
- _[Consumer Protection](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=CP)__ _
- _[Disaster Prevention and Relief](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=DPR)__ _
- _[Education](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=ED)__ _
- _[Employment, Labor and Training](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=ELT)__ _
- _[Energy](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=EN)__ _
- _[Environment](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=ENV)__ _
- _[Food and Nutrition](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=FN)_

**23 Categorical Search Options**_**[_x000b_](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=*)**_

## 23 Categorical Search Options

- Health
- _[Housing](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=HO)__ _
- _[Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=HU)__ _
- _[Information and Statistics](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=IS)__ _
- _[Income Security and Social Services](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=ISS)__ _
- _[Law, Justice and Legal Services](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=LJL)__ _
- _[Natural Resources](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=NR)__ _
- _[Other (see text field entitled "Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity" for clarification)](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=O)__ _
- _[Regional Development](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=RD)__ _
- _[Science and Technology and other Research and Development](http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=CATSEARCH&fundActivity=ST)__ _
- Transportation

**23 Categorical Search Options**

## Categorical Selections with Possible Coastal Connections

**Categorical Selections with Possible Coastal Connections**
- Environment
- Natural resources
- Science and technology and other R&D
- Disaster prevention and relief

## Other Possible Categories

**Other Possible Categories**
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Regional development

## Advanced Searches

**Includes**
- Flexibility to search on numerous criteria
- Active and archived documents
- Funding opportunity number
- Dates and time frames
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number
- Funding activity category
- Funding instrument type
- Agency

**Advanced Searches**

## E-mail Subscription Service

**To receive notification of funding opportunities, you need**
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number
- Agency
- Category of activity
- Instrument type
- Eligibility

**E-mail Subscription Service**

## Sample E-mail Notification about a Coastal Related Opportunity

**Sample E-mail Notification about a Coastal Related Opportunity**
- -------- Original Message --------
**Subject: **Grants.gov Opportunities Posting Update
**Date: **Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:35:45 -0500 (EST)
**From: **notifier@grants.gov
**To: **James.L.Free@noaa.gov
- DOI
- Department of the Interior U. S. Geological Survey 2007 National Spatial
- Data Infrastructure Cooperative Agreement Program Category 4 Extension
- Modification 1
- http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=12487

## Grant Opportunity Announcement Screen Contains Three Buttons:

- Synopsis
- Full announcement
- How to apply

**Grant Opportunity Announcement Screen Contains Three Buttons:**

## Full Announcement Format

- I.    Funding opportunity description
- II.   Award information
- III.  Eligibility information
- IV.  Application and submission information
- Application package instructions
- Content and form of application
- Submission dates and times
- Intergovernmental review
- Funding restrictions

**Full Announcement Format**

## Full Announcement Format (cont.)

- V.  Application review information
- VI. Award administration information
- Notice of award
- Administrative and national policy requirements
- Reporting requirements
- Government participation
- VII.  Agency contacts
- VIII. Other information
*All federal agencies are required to follow this format.*

**Full Announcement Format (cont.)**

## NOAA Standard Evaluation Criteria

- 1. 		Importance and/or relevance and applicability of 	proposed project to the program goals (40 points)
- 2. 		Technical/scientific merit (30 points)
- 3. 		Overall qualifications of applicants (15 points)
- 4. 		Project costs (10 points)
- 5. 		Outreach and education (5 points)

**NOAA Standard Evaluation Criteria**

## Find Grant Opportunities Feature

**Function allows users to**
- Search for available grant opportunities
- Register to receive notification of grant opportunities
- Receive e-mail updates on any changes to application guidance

**Find Grant Opportunities Feature**

## Apply Feature

**Allows users to**
- Download application packages based on Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number, Funding Opportunity Number, or Competition Number.
- Complete application packages off-line
- Submit application packages
- Track the status of submitted applications
- Receive updates on application package changes

**Apply Feature**

## Increase Your Chances of a Successful Grant Proposal

- Anticipate federal announcements of major competitions
- NOAA typically announces every June and December
- Follow and address submission guidance stated in announcements
- Pay close attention to FFO Sections IV and V:
- 		- Section IV content and form of application
- 		- Section V application review information
-                   *(used verbatim by merit review panel)*

**Increase Your Chances of a Successful Grant Proposal**

## Increase Your Chances of a Successful Proposal (cont.)

- Provide sufficient and consistent budget information
- Clearly state the resulting impact of your project and products
- Maintain Grants.gov registration
- Study on-line grant writing resources (_*Grants.gov*_* *and _*www.cfda.gov*_)
- Look into technical assistance/grants writing from Congressional offices, non-profits, etc

**Increase Your Chances of a Successful Proposal (cont.)**

## Grant Writing Resources

- Proposal development
*www.grants.gov/resources/relatedlinks.jsp*
*http://12.46.245.173/cfda/CFDA_Static/grant_proposal.html*
- Logic model development (outcomes & impacts)
*www.uwex.edu/ces/lmcourse/#*

**Grant Writing Resources**

## Successful Grants Management

**Successful Grants Management**