FY2025 National Aquaculture Initiative: Strengthening U.S. Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Through Business Support is sponsored by NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. This competition fosters the expansion of a sustainable U. S.

ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes aquaculture sector by supporting the development of new aquaculture businesses and enhancing existing ones through research projects and programs.

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NOAA NOFO v6 Page 1 of 20 NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ......................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. 1 Full Text of Announcement ......................................................................................................

2 I. Funding Opportunity Description ....................................................................................... 2 II.

Award Information ............................................................................................................ 4 III. Eligibility Information .......................................................................................................

5 IV. Application and Submission Information ......................................................................... 5 V.

Application Review Information ...................................................................................... 13 VI. Award Administration Information .................................................................................

15 VII. Agency Contacts ........................................................................................................... 19 VIII.

Other Information ........................................................................................................

19 OAR National Sea Grant College Program (SG) # Funding Opportunity Title FY2025 National Aquaculture Initiative: Strengthening U.S. Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Through Business Support # Funding Opportunity Number # Assistance Listing Number(s) Deadline(s) : Letters of Intent are due December 4, 2024. Full proposal applications are due February 12, 2025.

Period of Performance: Projects must have a start date of September 1, 2025 and an end date of no later than August 31, 2028. Webinar: Potential applicants are encouraged to check Sea Grant's national website at https://seagrant. noaa.

gov/Funding for information about a webinar and FAQs related to this # Funding Opportunity Description The National Sea Grant College Program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966 (amended in 2020, Public Law 116-221) to support leveraged federal and state partnerships that harness the intellectual capacity of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and generate opportunities in coastal communities.

NOAA NOFO v6 Page 2 of 20 Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates that approximately $5,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs that will focus on strengthening U.S. coastal, marine, and Great Lakes aquaculture via support for the development of new aquaculture businesses, as well as enhancing existing aquaculture business output, efficiency, and profitability.

Federal funds ranging from $100,000-$1,000,000 may be requested per application. Successful proposals will address topical needs (described below) and integrate research and extension. Proposals are sought that will support broad, non- proprietary research with the goal of enhancing aquaculture businesses, and preferably include participation and involvement of Sea Grant extension personnel and industry stakeholders.

These investments are consistent with Sea Grant’s focus area of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA) and the Sea Grant Network’s 10-year Aquaculture Vision, both which support NOAA and Department of Commerce aquaculture goals.

This opportunity is open to: any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute, or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency, or officer thereof.

Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications.

Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used All projects must take place within the United States or territories or their respective Applicants must complete and maintain three registrations to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

These registrations include SAM. gov , Grants. gov, and eRA Commons .

All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. The complete registration process for all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible. If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission instructions.

NOAA has created a guide to aid applicants format application packages to eRA: Tips and Tricks for Successful eRA Submissions, linked here . Prior to registering with eRA Commons, applicants must first obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM. gov, if needed (refer to Section IV.

Applications and Submission Information, Section C). Applicants can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their full SAM and Grants. gov registrations; however, all registrations must be in place by time of application submission.

eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. This document sets out requirements for submitting to NOAA-OAR-SG-2025-28975. # Full Text of Announcement # I.

Funding Opportunity Description NOAA provides funding to Sea Grant institutions to increase the understanding, assessment, development, management, utilization, and conservation of the Nation’s ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources by providing assistance to promote a strong educational base, responsive research and training activities, broad and prompt dissemination of knowledge and techniques, and multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problems, in accordance with 33 USC 1121(b).

This opportunity is open to: any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute, or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency, or officer thereof.

NOAA NOFO v6 Page 3 of 20 The U.S. has a goal to sustainably increase production in aquaculture systems (ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes), while increasing the economic resilience and nutritional security of communities across the country.

Farming of finfish, shellfish, sea vegetables/algae, and other aquaculture provides great potential in the U.S. for increasing the supply of coastal, ocean and Great Lakes-sourced products while supporting and growing rural and coastal communities and economies.

This competition ("FY2025 National Aquaculture Initiative: Strengthening U.S. Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Through Business Support," (NOFO number: NOAA- OAR-SG-2025-28975) focuses on enhancing research and programs with the overall goal of strengthening U.S. coastal, marine, and Great Lakes aquaculture via supporting the development of new aquaculture businesses, as well as enhancing existing aquaculture business output, efficiency, and profitability.

Strong applications will address program priorities described below and will integrate research and extension. Proposals are sought that will encompass broad, non-proprietary research to address topics and issues relevant to the support of new and existing aquaculture businesses and make that information available to the U.S. aquaculture community.

Projects should be focused on supporting businesses that will be or are now involved with aquatic species currently being produced on a commercial scale in the U.S. Proposals are not being considered that involve new or emerging aquatic species, new or novel production methods, improving production of species, or restoration projects.

Proposals will preferably include participation and involvement of Sea Grant extension personnel and industry stakeholders (contact information for Sea Grant Programs can be found at: https://seagrant. noaa. gov/About ).

If further assistance is needed in identifying Sea Grant extension personnel to partner with, please contact one of the Sea Grant Aquaculture Managers listed below. Principal investigators and/or project team members of proposals selected for funding will be required to participate in a National Sea Grant Aquaculture Symposium to be held at a future aquaculture meeting venue to share project results.

This competition is seeking proposals that focus on supporting the development of new U.S. coastal, marine, and Great Lakes aquaculture businesses, as well as enhancing the output, efficiency, and profitability of existing aquaculture businesses.

Projects must be focused on supporting businesses that will be or are now involved with aquatic species currently being produced on a commercial scale in the U.S. Proposals should address one or more topical areas of research including (but not limited to): • Development of new aquaculture businesses, including siting and/or scoping efforts • Aquaculture business planning and development, including economic analyses and • Assistance of aquaculture businesses regarding regulatory compliance • Market research and development, including work focused on consumer behavior and • Workforce development of aquaculture businesses • Consumer education focused on enhancing aquaculture market development • Social license issues relevant to aquaculture businesses • Improvement of post-production aspects of aquaculture businesses, including: o Processing technologies o Product quality and safety o Methods involving mitigation of potential product toxins and contaminants o Product forms and value-added products Successful proposals will: • Demonstrate a clear understanding of current limitations and research needs regarding development of new aquaculture businesses and support of existing aquaculture businesses NOAA NOFO v6 Page 4 of 20 • Increase the knowledge base of various aspects of enhancing output, efficiency, and profitability of aquaculture businesses • Involve Sea Grant extension personnel and relevant activities (e.g., education, outreach,transfer of technology and results) to build on past research and inform industry stakeholders and others involved in U.S. aquaculture, including funding (federal or match), as appropriate.

Contact information for Sea Grant Programs can be found at: https://seagrant. noaa. gov/About .

If further assistance is needed in identifying Sea Grant extension personnel to partner with please contact one of the Sea Grant Aquaculture Managers listed below in Section VII. Agency Contacts. • Involve industry stakeholder participation.

• Engage with and support investigators and/or students through partnerships with Minority Serving Institutions (encouraged). • Engage underserved audiences and communities (encouraged).

The above criteria should lead to the selection of proposals that: 1) enhance the development of new aquaculture businesses and the support of existing aquaculture businesses towards improved output, efficiency, risk management, and profitability; and 2) demonstrate a plan to extend the results of work to industry stakeholders and others involved in U.S. aquaculture.

Webinar: Potential applicants are encouraged to check Sea Grant's national website at https://seagrant. noaa. gov/Funding for information about a webinar and FAQs related to this Statutory authority for this program is provided under the National Sea Grant College Program Act of 1966, as amended (33 USC 1121 et seq.)

# A. Funding Availability Subject to the availability of funding, this announcement describes how eligible applicants should apply for this funding opportunity entitled “FY2025 National Aquaculture Initiative: Strengthening U.S. Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Through Business Support.

” The National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) anticipates that approximately $5,000,000 in FY2025 and FY2026 federal funds will be available in order to support projects that address the program priorities of this competition. Each award can request between Applications require the standard 50 percent non-federal match for Sea Grant projects.

The cumulative match at the end of each year of the grant must not fall below 50 percent of the cumulative federal request up to that point. There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any application will be selected for funding.

If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. NOAA and DOC will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding. # B.

Project/Award Period Projects must have a start date no earlier than September 1, 2025 and an end date of no later than August 31, 2028. # C. Type of Funding Instrument NOAA NOFO v6 Page 5 of 20 The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement to an eligible applicant.

A cooperative agreement is used when substantial involvement of the federal government during performance of the proposed work is anticipated.

The nature of the substantial involvement includes strategic engagement with the National Sea Grant Aquaculture Team, support from National Sea Grant communication efforts and requires that award recipients follow reporting requirements and participate in a future Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Symposium. # III.

Eligibility Information The following entities are eligible and encouraged to participate in this funding opportunity: any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute, or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency, or officer thereof.

Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive federal funding under this competition; however, federal scientists and other employees can serve as uncompensated partners or co-Principal Investigators on applications.

Federal labs and offices can also make available specialized expertise, facilities or equipment to applicants but cannot be compensated under this competition for their use, nor can the value of such assets be used To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicants must complete and maintain three registrations; SAM. gov , Grants. gov , and eRA Commons .

For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks, so applicants should begin this activity as soon as possible and well before the proposal due date. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www. commerce.

gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training . Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below. The National Sea Grant College Program champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by recruiting, retaining and preparing a diverse workforce, and proactively engaging and serving the diverse populations of coastal communities.

Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication and education programs that serve people with unique backgrounds, circumstances, needs, perspectives and ways of thinking.

We encourage applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, education levels, job classifications, veteran status types, income, and socioeconomic status types to apply for this opportunity. # B.

Cost Share or Matching Requirement Non-federal matching funds equal to at least 50 percent of the federal funding request must be provided unless a waiver justified by statute is granted, such as the waiver for insular areas granted by the Department of Commerce pursuant to 48 U.S.C. 1469a. If you believe your application may qualify for a waiver, please contact the National Sea Grant Office before submission to discuss it.

The cumulative match at the end of each year of the grant must not fall below 50 percent of the cumulative federal request up to that point. In-kind contributions directly supporting this application may count towards this matching # C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent to the Program Managers (oar.

hq. sg. aquaculture@noaa.

gov ) by the deadline (by 5:00 pm local time of lead submitting entity on December 4, 2024) to be eligible to submit a full proposal application. # IV. Application and Submission Information # A.

Address to Request Application Package NOAA NOFO v6 Page 6 of 20 Application packages are available online and can be downloaded from www. grants. gov under opportunity NOAA-OAR-SG-2025-28975.

If an eligible applicant does not have access to the internet, please contact the Agency Contacts listed in Section VII for submission # B. Content and Form of Application This section provides an overview of the required proposal elements (and where to locate them). Applications must adhere to the provisions under "Required Elements" below.

Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of the noncompliance. The submitting applicant(s) must redact all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the application materials prior to final submission to grants.

gov. PII that must be redacted from the application includes, but is not limited to, social security number, date of birth, student identification number (from transcripts) or other information which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This proposal package will be using a different set of forms than used by applicants in the past. Instead of the “SF424 NOAA Standard Non-Construction Application Package” of forms, this application will include the “SF424 NOAA Research & Related (R&R) Forms Package. ” While many of the forms may be familiar, please pay special attention to the headings and instructions in this section.

NOAA has created a guide to aid applicants format application packages to eRA: Tips and Tricks for Successful eRA Submissions, linked here . Recent applicants have encountered rejected applications for formatting issues, especially: • All attachments must be in PDF form. • Do not use “bundling” or “portfolio” features to combine PDFs into a single document.

Everything must be visible in the PDF. • Descriptive filenames may only be 50 characters or less (including spaces). • Keep attachment file size to 100 MB or less.

• eRA won’t accept any pages larger than the U.S. standard letter paper size (8. 5” x We strongly recommend that applicants attempt to submit their full proposals at least a few days prior to the due date in case these or other issues impact your submission, as they are not reasons we can extend the deadline. If you have issues during the submission process, please contact the eRA Service Desk .

Applications must include the following elements. Failure to adhere to these provisions may result in a delay in award processing or rejection of the application, based on the extent of Letter of Intent Requirements Letters of Intent (LOI) are required and will allow the National Sea Grant Office to gauge interest and topics that may be submitted.

Please note that LOIs will not be used to decide whether or not a full proposal should be encouraged. All applicants submitting a LOI will be eligible to submit a full proposal.

The LOI (please limit to two pages) must include the following: • Tentative Project Title • Lead submitting entity and project point of contact name and email address • Potential Co-PIs and other existing or potential project partners • Estimate of federal funds requested by year NOAA NOFO v6 Page 7 of 20 To be eligible to submit a full proposal, a letter of intent must be received via email by the Program Managers ( oar. hq. sg.

aquaculture@noaa. gov ) by 5:00 pm (local time of lead submitting entity) on December 4, 2024. Please only use this email address to submit an Full Proposal Required Elements (please also see VIII.

Other Information for additional post-application required elements for submission): 1. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form (Grants. gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001) This form must be completed and include a profile for the Principal Investigator and any co- PI(s).

CVs and RELEVANT Current and Pending Support for each person’s profile will also be attached to this form. The biosketch/CV for Senior/Key Persons listed should not exceed five pages. The first listed PD/PI on the application must include their eRA Commons ID in the “Credential, e.g., agency login” field of form.

Failure to register in eRA Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the Applicant Identifier field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application. eRA Commons registration can take 2-3 weeks to be approved, so it is encouraged to start the registration process as soon as possible. NOAA is not involved with eRA registration.

Additional personnel included on the form do not need to include this information, however eRA will create a warning recommending those personnel also have valid eRA Commons IDs. Again - it is not required that those additional personnel include valid eRA Commons IDs regardless of the warnings created by the eRA system. 2.

Research and Related Budget Form The Research and Related Budget is a form that must be completed covering the entire award by each yearly budget period following the instructions from Grants. gov (e.g., if an award is two years, there needs to be a Budget Period 1 and Budget Period 2 filled out). At the end of the Research and Related Budget form, “Section L” provides space for one attachment titled, “Budget Justification.

” The budget narrative for the project must be attached there. The budget narrative should explain the budget items by object class category and year (for both federal and non-federal/match) in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested.

For the budget narrative, you must closely follow the budget narrative guidance found at: NOAA Grants Management Division's Budget Narrative Guidance Dollar amounts in this form and narrative must be in whole dollars. Please ensure the numbers in the forms and narrative match.

IMPORTANT : Non-federal matching funds equal to at least 50 percent of the federal funding request must be provided unless a waiver justified by statute is granted and the cumulative match at the end of each year of the grant must not fall below 50 percent of the cumulative federal request up to that point. 3. Research & Related Other Project Information Form (Grants.

gov, OMB Control No. 4040-0001) This form must be completed for the application, and should also be used to attach the Project Abstract, the Project Narrative, Bibliography & References Cited (if applicable), and any other relevant forms or information as applicable. See form-specific instructions available on Grants. gov for additional instructions as needed.

a. Project Summary/Abstract Attachment NOAA NOFO v6 Page 8 of 20 This attachment should contain the Project Abstract. Using 4,000 characters or less, the Project Abstract should provide an overview of the application.

Ensure the Project Abstract succinctly describes the project in plain language that the public can understand and use without the full proposal. It should be a self-contained description of the application and should contain a general statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a technically literate lay reader.

Do not include personally identifiable, sensitive or proprietary/confidential information. This project abstract information (as submitted) will be made available on public websites and/or databases including USAspending. gov .

Project Abstract Elements Use the following format: • Activities to be performed • Subrecipient Activities Please note that grant processors must enter information using the above format and any deviation is STRONGLY discouraged. • Keep the project abstract short. In most cases, each element above should be a couple of sentences to a paragraph in length.

• DO NOT repeat the Proposal Title. The Proposal Title is always presented with the Project Description, so including it in the abstract is not necessary. • Include a high quality description that includes specificity regarding the purpose of the project.

Characteristics of strong abstracts include a plain language description of the purpose for the project (which may include specific performance goals, indicators, milestones, or expected outcomes of the project), activities to be performed, deliverables and expected outcomes, intended beneficiary or recipient. • Keep it simple. Do not use abbreviations, acronyms, technical terminology, or agency-specific terms.

The intended audience is Congress and the general public, not specific interested parties and/or federal employees. b. Project Narrative Attachment The project proposal narrative should clearly lay out the topical nature of the proposal, how it responds to the priorities of the competition, and how it will lay the foundation for future work.

The proposal should also identify appropriate end user groups and demonstrate their involvement throughout the project. Applicants should budget travel to attend and participate in a National Sea Grant Aquaculture Symposium to be held at a future aquaculture meeting venue to share results of work conducted. Dates and location for the symposium will be announced annually by the National Sea Grant Office.

The project proposal narrative should be not more than 15 pages using 12-pt font with 1” margins, inclusive of footnotes, tables, figures, and appendices. Reviewers will not be responsible for reviewing more than 15 pages of the project proposal narrative. Please note that the 15 page limit excludes the cover page, letters of support, and bibliography attachment.

Applicants do not need to use the entire 15 page maximum for the project Project Narrative Elements (application must include): 1. Cover page (not included in 15-page limit) including: • Listing of all project investigators and their affiliations with email addresses • Listing of collaborators/partners • Estimated budget by year of federal funds requested with matching funds 2.

Project Narrative Summary (no more than 300 words summarizing elements 3, 4, 6, and 7 below) NOAA NOFO v6 Page 9 of 20 3. Introduction/background/justification including a description of need(s) to be addressed • Provide a list of clearly defined project objectives • For each objective, provide a concise statement explaining how it is aligned with the goals and priorities of this funding opportunity 5.

Work plan/methodology for each objective including a timeline chart or bulleted list illustrating project activities and milestones 6.

Anticipated outcomes and deliverables including: • A description of how the project will support the development of new coastal, marine, or Great Lakes region aquaculture businesses or enhance the output, efficiency, and profitability of existing aquaculture businesses • A clear description of project outcomes and deliverables 7.

Outreach and technology transfer plan • Describe how project results will be disseminated/transferred to the aquaculture industry and aquaculture stakeholders, including underserved groups and • Describe how Sea Grant extension personnel will be involved in the outreach and 8.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) - if applicable • Applicants submitting proposals that involve the use of human test subjects should state so clearly in their application. These proposed research activities require approval of the applicant’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) before such research can proceed.

Applicants are responsible for obtaining IRB approval from their institution or appropriate entity and providing that documentation to NOAA once the approval is obtained and prior to any NOAA-funded human subject testing. Proposals intending to use human test subjects should specify clearly in the timeline approximately when IRB approval will be obtained and when the testing is expected to occur.

• NSGO recognizes it has a particular and unique opportunity to support NOAA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking an intentional step that encourages applicants to consider diversity and inclusion as part of their scientific projects. This action has the potential to make an impact on not only the diversity and inclusion in science at NOAA, but also in the equity of services provided by NOAA.

In this section, describe how the proposed activity incorporates the input of underrepresented groups and how these groups benefit from its outcomes (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender identities, sexual orientation, disability, geography, etc.) and how they benefit from its outcomes.

Applicants are encouraged to review the resources and best practices compiled by NSGO related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section found here: https://seagrant. noaa. gov/funding/ .

10. Letters of support confirming partnerships as listed in the proposal (does not count 11. Other letters of support (as relevant; if included, they do not count against the page Bibliography & References Cited Attachment (if applicable, does not count against the page limit) If applicable, provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project Narrative.

Each reference should include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Include only bibliographic citations. Applicants should be especially careful to follow scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the application.

d. Other Required Attachments NOAA NOFO v6 Page 10 of 20 A separate NEPA Questionnaire (OMB Control No 0648-0538) or NEPA Statement must be completed/filled out for each individual project in the application. NEPA Questionnaire (OMB Control No. 0648-0538) 1.

Applicants must ensure that the questionnaire is completed in full and includes detailed information regarding project location, methodology; and permits, authorizations, or approvals. Copies of all permits/authorizations/approvals required for project activities should be included with application materials. If a permit/authorization/approval is pending or planned, please provide this information.

o A separate questionnaire must be completed for each relevant action/project o The questionnaire can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section under the NEPA tab here: https://seagrant. noaa. gov/funding/ .

o Guidance on how to complete the questionnaire, including how to describe work that will not involve any environmental impact, can be found in the Resources for Applicants & Reviewers section under the NEPA tab here: https://seagrant. noaa. gov/funding/ .

Examples of questionnaires can also be found by following that link. The NEPA Questionnaire is required for ALL research projects even if the project is fully lab- based or relies on social science.

The NEPA Questionnaire is also required for any project that meets the following criteria: • Social science projects and programs, including economic, political science, human geography, demography, and sociology studies, including information collection activities in support of studies.

• Biological, chemical, food production, ecological or toxicological research • Environmental permits, authorizations or waivers • Biological take and/or release • Hazardous or toxic substances and waste • Permanent or temporary environmental effects • Endangered or threatened species and/or protected areas • Known or unknown risks to human health or the environment • Controversial environmental subject matter Projects or actions that fall into the below categories do not need a questionnaire.

If a program believes that a project in the application meets one of the exceptions, the program should include the following NEPA Statement directly after the relevant project narrative.

Please use the following format for the NEPA Statement: “This project’s activities are exclusively comprised of [choose applicable activities from the bulleted list below] and therefore no NEPA Questionnaire is being submitted, as allowed by NSGO guidance. ” NOAA has final responsibility to determine whether a project or action requires environmental compliance review.

If NOAA determines that a project or action needs an environmental review, the NEPA Statement is not sufficient, staff may request completion of a NEPA Questionnaire.

Some examples of projects that can use the NEPA Statement are: • Activities that are educational, informational, or advisory to other agencies, public and private entities, visitors, individuals, or the general public, including training exercises and simulations • Routine administrative actions • Program or institutional management activities NOAA NOFO v6 Page 11 of 20 • Placeholder projects (e.g., "Future Competed Projects"; these projects will have a Specific Award Condition on the grant and undergo environmental compliance review when the program submits an award action request to satisfy that specific award condition) • Workshops or conferences that do not involve the above list of actions in the previous section • Communication activities that do not involve the above list of actions in the previous section • Purely administrative actions (e.g., purchase of office supplies) 4.

Additional Application Package Forms In addition to the forms required above, standard federal forms and assurances are required and can be found with the application package on