Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund Request for Proposals 2015 Pre-proposal Due Date: Full proposal Due Date: June 11, 2015 11:59 PM Eastern time August 06, 2015 11:59 PM Eastern time OVERVIEW The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is requesting proposals to further conservation of species and habitats in Alaska. Our conservation strategy for Alaska follows NFWF s institutional outcome focused approach to species conservation, and includes three focal geographies: The Arctic- Bering Sea, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region, and Cook Inlet/Matanuska-Susitna watershed. Projects outside of these three focal areas that support sustainable fisheries or anadromous fish conservation in Alaska will also be considered. We expect that a significant portion of program funds will be dedicated to filling key information gaps through assessments and strategic monitoring. In addition, the request for proposals includes several funding priorities to help Alaskan communities adapt to changing distributions and pulses in wildlife resources, as well as to mitigate against future threats to species populations. Support for this program is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Shell, Donlin Gold LLC, Novagold Resources, and applicable community service payments from federal court settlements. Grants may be awarded using one or more of these sources of funding. PROGRAM FUNDING PRIORITIES The Arctic & Bering Sea Focal species include bearded seals, ringed seals, bowhead whale, polar bear, walrus, caribou, McKay s Bunting, Steller s and Spectacled Eiders, seabirds and Arctic breeding shorebirds. Funding emphasis is on mitigating direct threats to species populations, filling key knowledge gaps, and building capacity that will allow people and species to adapt to a changing environment.
Priority areas for funding include: Support polar bear deterrence programs to minimize threats to villages, eliminate unnecessary mortality to bears, and help implement a successful co-management program. Provide support to communities to expand or establish education and outreach programs that may help avoid mortality in walrus populations. Reduce risk of vessel disturbance, oil spill contamination, and/or lethal strikes for human hunters, marine mammals, seabirds, and fish. Facilitate improved communication and collaboration between public land managers and local villages. Support conservation planning efforts and fill key information gaps on species populations that will result in improved monitoring and management, particularly for focal species likely to be impacted by increased industrial development in the Arctic. Population and threat assessments for McKay s bunting and Priblof rock sandpiper on St. Matthew and Hall Islands. Develop population assessment for spectacled eiders; support predator control and public education programs to increase Steller s eider nest success around Barrow. Identify and (where possible) mitigate colony based and sea-threats for breeding and non-breeding priority seabirds in the region (see region7 USFWS priority seabirds). Yukon-Kuskokwim Region The overall goal of the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) focal geography is to conserve the salmon, waterfowl, and shorebirds sustaining the rich and diverse ecological landscape and the people who live there. Focal species for this geography are Chinook salmon, Steller s eider, and breeding shorebirds. NFWF seeks to support communities on the Y-K to find solutions that mitigate threats to resources and improve capacity for sustainable fish and wildlife management. Current priorities for funding include: Facilitate acquisition of improved hydrologic information essential to identify, monitor, and conserve key salmon resources in response to climate change and other factors by partnering with state and federal agencies to update the National Hydrography dataset Contribute to understanding of various development scenarios that may be designed or implemented to minimize impacts to natural resources. Develop education and outreach programs that integrate Alaskan Natives into natural resource management programs, species conservation efforts, and monitoring needs. Support efforts that will increase monitoring and enhance escapement models for Chinook salmon. Facilitate productive relationships among managers, local users, and commercial interests to find mutually agreeable alternatives for filling subsistence needs during times when Chinook runs are insufficient, in order to better protect those runs from becoming unsustainable. Develop and implement a survey for breeding shorebirds. Assess threats and status of shorebirds nesting in the Y-K Delta region. Initiate a comprehensive survey of delta communities on subsistence use and take of shorebirds. Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund Request for Proposals 2015 Page 2
Assess feasibility of Steller s eider reintroduction on the delta by conducting habitat suitability mapping, re-assessment of lead and contaminants and other potential threats, and assessing eiderhabitat associations. Cook Inlet NFWF seeks to develop an estuary-wide approach to conservation planning for the Inlet and its watershed. NFWF seeks to support the following near-term actions while building a more comprehensive watershed management approach: Studies to monitor eulachon populations in Cook Inlet and in their freshwater tributary spawning areas. Assess threats to shorebird staging and non-breeding habitat. Documenting patterns relating beluga distribution to the distribution and availability of their prey, as well as predation by orca whales. Facilitate acquisition of improved hydrologic information essential to identify, monitor, and conserve key salmon resources in response to climate change and other factors by partnering with state and federal agencies to update the National Hydrography dataset. Conduct surveys and assessments using tools such as NetMap to increase miles monitored for the Anadromous Fish Catalog and reserve water for key stream reaches. Thematic Areas of Interest Pacific salmon protection, enhancement and restoration: initiatives through the Alaska Fish Habitat Partnerships and/or in partnership with USFS, BLM, and NOAA are a priority. Supporting sustainable marine fisheries: gear improvements, filling key knowledge gaps, and understanding fisheries interactions on marine mammal and seabird populations are a priority. Develop comprehensive understanding of population trends, threats and actions for priority birds in Alaska. CRITERIA FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS Competitive proposals will include the following information that should be summarized in the preproposal and detailed in the full proposal: Project Need: Describe the species and/or habitats at risk or potentially at risk, a description of its historic and current range, and its importance as part of the greater ecosystem, as well as the factors that have caused a decline in the species population(s) or habitat. Discuss how the project complements or advances the goals of relevant regional strategic conservation plans, including, but not limited to, Alaska s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan, the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and strategic plans prepared by Alaska-based Fish Habitat Partnerships, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Alaska Coastal Impact Assistance Program, Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund, USFWS Coastal and Partners for Fish and Wildlife strategic plans and USFWS priority species plans. Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund Request for Proposals 2015 Page 3
Long Term Conservation Outcome(s): Discuss the quantifiable/measurable long-term outcome(s) for species and/or habitats that will be achieved, including how the project will restore resistance or resilience to climate change in species populations (if applicable). Identify how the outcome(s) are consistent with the goals of the relevant strategic conservation plans. Activities: Elaborate on the primary activities that will be conducted through the proposed project. Explain how these activities address conservation challenges, what new opportunities will arise from the activities and how they will lead to desired conservation outcome(s) described above. Describe how these activities relate to relevant regional strategic conservation plans and conservation needs. Discuss how this project either initiates or fits into larger efforts in the watershed, or, if this is a stand-alone project, how it will succeed in and of itself in restoring, protecting, or enhancing the species population(s). Methodology: Describe how each activity will be implemented and the anticipated timeline. Evaluation/Monitoring: Describe the strategy for monitoring and evaluating project results, including specifics on how success will be defined and measured. Please note any challenges or limitations you anticipate in interpreting anticipated results. Describe the monitoring plan, including those activities that will take place after completion of this grant. If possible, identify how post-grant monitoring will be funded. If this project is a continuation or expansion of an existing project, describe the status and results/outcomes achieved to date. Proposed Partnerships: Identify any proposed partners, the roles that they will play in implementing the project, and how this project will build new or enhance existing partnerships. If the project has any nexus with BLM, USFS, and/or USFWS lands, priority or other trust resources, discuss the agency s involvement in the project. FUNDING AVAILABLE Approximately $1,000,000 in grant funds is available. Grant awards generally range in size from $50,000 to $200,000, although grants greater than $200,000 can be considered on a case by case basis. FUNDING POLICIES Eligible applicants include: local, state, federal, and tribal governments and agencies (e.g., townships, cities, boroughs), special districts (e.g., conservation districts, planning districts, utility districts), nonprofit 501(c) organizations, schools and universities. Non-federal matching funds or in-kind/contributed goods and services is encouraged, but not required, for all proposals. All potential sources, including federal sources, and amounts of match should be listed in the application for consideration during the review process. No part of the grant funds or the non-federal match may be used to: Support political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, or litigation activities Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund Request for Proposals 2015 Page 4
Support legally-mandated mitigation projects Cover permanent federal employee salary expenses Supplement shortfalls in government agency budgets Additional information on funding policies, including financial documents required from applicants, types of eligible matching contributions, and NFWF s policy on indirect costs, can be found on NFWF s website at: http://www.nfwf.org/whatwedo/grants/applicants DEADLINES AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE Pre-proposals are due on June 11, 2015 Full proposals are due on August 06, 2015 Awards will be announced by December 20, 2015 All application materials must be submitted online through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation s Easygrants system. Hard-copy applications will not be considered for funding. To submit a proposal, please follow the following steps: 1. Go to http://www.nfwf.org/easygrants to register in our Easygrants online system. Enter your applicant information. (If you already are a registered user, use your existing login.) 2. On your Easygrants homepage, click the Apply for Funding button and select the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund 2015 funding opportunity. 3. Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your proposal. Applications may be saved and returned to at a later time for completion and submission, up until the application deadline. It is imperative for Easygrants users to disable their browser s pop-up blocker prior to beginning the application process. The following link contains access to other useful information for applicants: http://www.nfwf.org/whatwedo/grants/applicants. For more information or questions on program priorities, please contact: Carly Vynne, PhD Director, Wildlife & Habitat Conservation (202) 595-2464 Carly.Vynne@nfwf.org For technical assistance with your application, please send an e-mail message to: easygrants@nfwf.org. Alaska Fish and Wildlife Fund Request for Proposals 2015 Page 5