Monitoring and Synthesis to Inform Offshore Development and Marine Ecosystem Management in California: 2027 Request for Proposals

Monitoring and Synthesis to Inform Offshore Development and Marine Ecosystem Management in California: 2027 Request for Proposals is sponsored by California Ocean Protection Council & California Sea Grant. This funding opportunity seeks applied research proposals to strengthen California's ability to detect, understand, and manage ecological change in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) as offshore development, including offshore wind energy, is considered.

Monitoring and Synthesis to Inform Offshore Development and Marine Ecosystem Management in California: 2027 Request for Proposals | California Sea Grant Monitoring and Synthesis to Inform Offshore Development and Marine Ecosystem Management in California: 2027 Request for Proposals Healthy Coastal Ecosystems September 9, 2026, 9:00 - 10:00AM PT: Optional Informational Webinar October 9, 2026, 5:00PM PT : Letter of intent due in eSeaGrant November 17, 2026, 5:00PM PT: Full proposals due in eSeaGrant [Only applicants who submitted a letter of intent may submit a full proposal] 9/3/2026 - Changes made to the eligibility section 9/9/2026 - Informational webinar recording and slides PDF added 9/10/2026 - Changes made to the Track 1 priority topics section 9/28/2026 - Changes made to the eligibility section California's ocean waters are among the most closely monitored in the world, with numerous independent programs tracking biological and physical variables across a range of spatial and temporal scales.

These programs support fisheries management, protected-species recovery, marine protected area management, and ecosystem assessment. Baseline monitoring data is critical as California’s offshore areas are being considered for offshore development, including for ocean energy.

Such development introduces additional potential drivers of disturbance to the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), and their potential effects on the surrounding environment will need to be considered.

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and California Sea Grant College Program (CASG) are soliciting proposals for applied research that will strengthen the state's ability to detect and understand ecological change and disturbance in the CCLME as offshore development opportunities continue to be considered.

This solicitation supports two complementary tracks to assess baseline conditions for current and/or future offshore development in California, including offshore energy: Track 1 addresses whether existing monitoring can detect disturbance against natural and/or climate-driven variability, and Track 2 supports the collection of targeted new field data where monitoring is absent or out of date.

Proposals may combine elements of both tracks; hybrid proposals are evaluated on the same criteria as single-track proposals and receive no preference for combining tracks. Note: This request for proposals (RFP) may be subject to change to reflect updated timelines, clarifications, etc. All significant changes will be highlighted at the top of the webpage.

We recommend bookmarking and referring to this webpage rather than downloading this RFP as a static document. California Ocean Protection Council The California Sea Grant College Program is a federal and state partnership that draws on the expertise of the nation’s universities and research institutions to solve problems and create opportunities with coastal communities and partners.

The mission of California Sea Grant is to provide the information, tools, training and relationships needed to help California conserve and sustainably prosper from our coastal and marine environments. California Sea Grant accomplishes this by collaborating with a range of local, state, regional, national and international partners to further the co-production and application of relevant evidence-based knowledge.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administers California Sea Grant and the national Sea Grant network. A total of $2,700,000 is available for funding: Ocean Protection Council will contribute $2,300,000 of state funds and California Sea Grant will contribute $400,000 of NOAA federal funds, contingent upon availability of funds from the Ocean Protection Council and NOAA.

Total project budgets must be a minimum of $50,000 and may not exceed $750,000 (to include indirect costs, if any). It is anticipated that 3 to 5 projects will be awarded. The amount of funding requested should be appropriate for the scope of work proposed; this will be assessed in proposals as part of the evaluation criteria.

Projects are expected to begin on or after June 1, 2027 and may be up to 30 months (2. 5 years) in duration. No-cost extensions can not be granted based on the funding source; all projects must be able to be completed by November 30, 2029.

California Sea Grant will lead grant administration for this solicitation on behalf of OPC. All research funded by this opportunity must be in compliance with federal policies, including active executive orders . If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an official award agreement, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award.

Ocean Protection Council and California Sea Grant will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding. No matching funds will be required for this funding opportunity. However, PIs are encouraged to articulate related research and collaborations that would complement the submitted proposal.

OPC and CASG will prioritize coordinated work that builds on existing programs and produces lasting value to the management of California's ocean and coastal resources. These investments are intended to support multiple management applications. Each proposal must identify how its proposed data, analyses, or assessments will improve existing ocean and species management, as well as inform the management of future offshore development.

All funded projects must provide long-term benefit to the state. Applicants should not assume funding beyond the grant period itself. Priority marine mammal and sea turtle, seabird, and fish and invertebrate species addressed by both tracks are identified in Table 1 .

The geographic scope of this solicitation comprises the Humboldt and Morro Bay wind energy areas (WEAs), adjacent waters and Humboldt Bay, together with the nearshore and state waters where priority species' movements or relevant oceanographic processes demonstrably connect to these areas. Projects with a larger geographic scope (e.g. statewide) can be considered as appropriate.

Proposals limited to evaluating potential onshore cable landings are excluded, as their routes have not yet been determined. Track 1: Synthesis of Existing Data and Information The distribution and abundance of priority taxa in the CCLME vary on multiple timescales: seasonally, with the timing and intensity of coastal upwelling, and interannually to decadally, with basin-scale climate patterns.

Substantial long-term monitoring already exists across the CCLME, but coverage is uneven, and individual programs are typically organized around a single taxon or environmental variable and operate at differing spatial and temporal scales. This track supports the state's ability to track ecological change over time by supporting synthesis, modeling, and statistical power-analysis of existing data and information.

Specifically, projects should examine existing time series to determine whether current monitoring can detect a disturbance (e.g. offshore development, other human pressures) of specified magnitude against the envelope of natural and/or climate-driven variability. Analyses under this track should test whether existing long-term monitoring is able to detect a disturbance from offshore development against background variability.

Climate change may be considered as a stand-alone disturbance or assessed alongside natural variability in evaluating disturbances associated with offshore development. Background variability may consist of natural variability alone, or a combination of natural variability with climate-driven change.

Projects should focus on one or more of the following priority taxa, or for select species within a taxon group: Marine mammals and sea turtles: density, distribution, and/or habitat-use metrics, and/or, movement and acoustic-presence metrics. Seabirds: at-sea density and distribution, colony abundance, and/or demographic rates where long-term colony data exist.

Fish and invertebrates: species composition, abundance, and/or distribution from fisheries-independent and/or long-term ecosystem programs. Where existing time series cannot detect disturbance at the specified magnitude, the analysis should identify the changes in sampling frequency, spatial extent, and/or duration required for detection.

These recommendations, and the assessments underlying them, strengthen the state's ongoing ocean and coastal management. Specific time series data proposed for use in Track 1 must be identified in the proposal and must be publicly accessible. While recently collected data may not be immediately available publicly, all data sets proposed for use should be available at the time of proposal submission.

Track 2: Targeted Field Data Collection This track supports new field data collection to increase the state's ability to manage priority species. Due to the limited availability of funds, researchers are highly encouraged to collaborate on proposals as appropriate.

Specifically, projects should: Extend existing marine mammal and sea turtle monitoring through targeted augmentations, for example additional instruments, seasons, or locations for an existing survey, or a movement or behavioral measurement not currently collected.

Collect data on the at-sea density, flight height and behavior of seabirds over the WEAs and adjacent shelf approaches, for example digital high-resolution aerial imagery and vessel-based strip-transect surveys for density, altitude distributions resolved to the rotor-swept zone to support collision-exposure and macro-avoidance estimates, and, where feasible, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tracking of foraging movements.

Extend existing monitoring of fish and invertebrate assemblages where existing spatial extent or temporal scale is insufficient or out of date; where appropriate, this may include calibrating an emerging survey method against an established one to quantify comparability and extend the reach of existing programs. Table 1. Priority taxa considered for Tracks 1 and 2.

Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle High Priority Species Harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) Harbor seal ( Phoca vitulina ) Sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) Resident (Nearshore and Offshore) Baird’s beaked whale ( Berardius bairdii ) Blainville’s beaked whale ( Mesoplodon densirostris ) Cuvier’s/goose beaked whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ) Gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) Blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ) Killer whale ( Orcinus orca ) Leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea ) Loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ) Olive Ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys olivacea ) Fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus ) Seabird High Priority Species Red Phalarope ( Phalaropus fulicarius ) Red-necked Phalarope ( Phalaropus lobatus ) Scripps’s Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus scrippsi ) Guadalupe Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus hypoleucus ) Craveri’s Murrelet ( Synthliboramphus craveri ) Cassin’s Auklet ( Ptychoramphus aleuticus ) Short-tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria albatrus ) Ashy Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates homochroa ) Leach’s Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates leucorhous ) Townsend’s Storm-Petrel ( Hydrobates socorroensis ) Hawaiian Petrel ( Pterodroma sandwichensis ) Pink-footed Shearwater ( Ardenna creatopus ) Fish and Invertebrate High Priority Species Demersal and Benthic Fishes Deepwater slope specialists, Demersal groundfish, Elasmobranchs, Flatfishes, Rockfishes Highly Migratory Pelagics and Forage Species Coastal pelagic & forage fishes (including Northern Anchovy, Pacific Sardine, and Pacific Herring) Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ), Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ), Coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) Eulachon ( Thaleichthys pacificus ) Green sturgeon ( Acipenser medirostris ) Market squid ( Doryteuthis opalescens ) Pacific Herring ( Clupea pallasii ) Steelhead trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) Demersal and Benthic Invertebrates Benthic grazers & scavengers Bivalves & sessile invertebrates For additional background regarding these priority topics, visit the Ocean Protection Council webpage for the following resources related to offshore energy: California Offshore Wind Monitoring Framework Blueprint for Building a West Coast Science Collaborative California Offshore Wind Energy Modeling Platform Data catalogs for the Humboldt Wind Energy Area and Morro Bay Wind Energy Area Updated Report: Identifying Wind Energy Areas Off the California Coast Eligible applicants for this competitive grant program include public agencies, California Native American tribes and tribally-led entities, public or private universities, private entities, or nonprofit corporations subject to Public Resources Code Section 35650 .

Projects must benefit the state of California, relatedly, California applicants will be highly prioritized. International entities are not eligible. Recipients cannot generate a profit from awarded funds.

All submitting institutions will need to be able to receive state or federal funds, and be able to fulfill associated award conditions to be eligible to apply. California Sea Grant is the final arbiter of decisions regarding eligibility. Project leads (i.e., principal investigators) must have principal investigator (or equivalent) status at their institution.

Applicants may submit more than one letter of intent/full proposal. However, if more than one proposal is selected for funding, funds will be distributed through a single subaward to the Principal Investigator’s institution. In addition, PIs may be listed as co-PIs on other projects even if they are lead PI on their own project.

Only applicants who have submitted a letter of intent may submit a full proposal. Technical assistance webinar and office hour times are subject to change. All changes will be posted to this request for proposals and registered attendees will be contacted directly.

California Sea Grant hosted an informational webinar to answer questions about the solicitation and proposal process on September 9, 2026, from 9:00 - 10:00 AM PT . The recording and PDF of the slides are below. Proposal Preparation Video - How To & Helpful Tips We encourage applicants to review this video describing how to navigate our application portal, proposal preparation tips and common mistakes.

California Sea Grant will host informal office hours at the following times to answer questions about the proposal process: September 21, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00AM PT ( Register here ) October 26, 2026, 4:00 - 5:00PM PT ( Register here ) November 3, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30PM PT ( Register here ) Resources and Guidance Documents General Budget Narrative Guidance Example Budget Justification Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants Frequently Asked Questions Guidance for Developing Effective Community Engagement and Outreach September 9, 2026, 9:00 - 10:00AM PT - Informational webinar and Q&A October 9, 2026, by 5:00PM PT - Letter of intent due in eSeaGrant November 17, 2026, by 5:00PM PT - Full proposals due in eSeaGrant Nov 2026 - Jan 2027 - Technical panel review of full proposals Jan - Feb 2027 - Selection and potential proposal revisions Mar 2027 - Applicants notified of recommendations to fund projects June 1, 2027 - Projects expected to begin (start dates are subject to availability of OPC and NOAA funding) Letters of intent should be submitted in eSeaGrant by 5:00PM PT on October 9, 2026 .

Full proposals are required to be submitted using eSeaGrant by 5:00PM PT on November 17, 2026 . We use the eSeaGrant online system ( https://eseagrant2. ucsd.

edu/ ) for submission of letters of intent and full proposals. If applicants have not registered in eSeaGrant, you will need to register via the online submission “portal”. Once you login, you can change your password if you would like.

To change your password, click on your name in the upper-right corner of the screen, and select “My Profile”. To start a proposal, or revisit/edit an existing proposal, click on “Current Tasks” in the left hand menu. To start a new proposal, click on “Add Proposal” under “Monitoring and Synthesis to Inform Offshore Development and Marine Ecosystem Management in California: 2027 Request for Proposal”.

If you have already started a proposal and wish to edit it, click on the hyperlink for that proposal instead. Note: The project lead/lead PI should be the individual to create the proposal in their eSeaGrant account. Only applicants who have submitted a letter of intent will receive an invitation to eSeaGrant to submit their full proposals.

In order to submit a proposal, you must work down the sequence of sections (“Start Here” through “Submission Preview”) listed on the left side of the proposal window. eSeaGrant provides sections to input or upload all application components. Files to upload must be converted to PDFs before uploading to eSeaGrant.

We recommend that eSeaGrant users access the system, make an account, review submission requirements within it, and start to upload necessary documents well in advance of the submission deadline. This will give users the opportunity to obtain any necessary clarification or assistance before the deadline ( sgproposal@ucsd. edu ).

The submission deadline will not be extended. Templates are provided for components of the letter of intent and full proposal narrative. The letter of intent and narrative templates must not be altered other than to add the requested information--do not modify or delete any headings .

All sections of the letter of intent and proposal that are uploaded as PDFs should be formatted using 11-point Arial font, with single-spaced lines. Page margins must be 1 inch (top, bottom, left, and right sides of each page). Adherence to the proposal format requirements is mandatory, and ensures fairness across all applications.

Applications not meeting the format requirements may be rejected without review. Several proposal elements have specific page limits and excess pages will not be reviewed. Only the requested materials should be submitted; additional documents (e.g., appendices, etc.) will not be reviewed.

Listed below are the requirements for a complete proposal package. Letters of Intent are due October 9, 2026 by 5:00PM PT , submitted through eSeaGrant. Letters of Intent (2-page limit) will not be evaluated but will provide OPC and California Sea Grant with information to identify appropriate technical experts for review and ensure proposed projects are consistent with the priorities of this competitive solicitation.

The letter of intent submission must provide the following basic information: Name of project team lead (i.e., lead PI), affiliation, and contact information (name of lead PI must not change from LOI to proposal submission). Name of co-PI(s) with affiliation(s) and emails, if applicable.

Approximate funding amount to be requested and a list of all the collaborating entities who will receive funds as part of the award, if applicable Brief discussion of the proposed research topic and approach, including: Track and priority topics the project will address Potential or known end-users of the project outcomes If not part of the project team, describe the California Native American tribe(s) and/or community partners that you have engaged and/or plan to contact as part of the proposed project, if applicable Applicants will be asked to provide names and contact information for at least five potential (non-conflicted) reviewers.

You may also provide names of anyone that you do not want to review your proposal or who might have a conflict of interest with your proposal. Applicants are also asked to voluntarily provide demographics information to better understand the applicant pool. This questionnaire will be separated from the application and will not be used in any review decisions.

A response acknowledging receipt of the letter of intent will be sent. No feedback will be provided, unless a letter of intent appears to fall outside the scope of the request of proposals. Anyone who submits a letter of intent is eligible to submit a full proposal.

Full proposals are due November 17, 2026 by 5:00PM PT , submitted through eSeaGrant. Only those who submitted a letter of intent are eligible to submit a full proposal. For assistance with specific application requirements, please attend office hours (see technical assistance section above) or reach out to sgproposal@ucsd.

edu. A complete full proposal must include the following: Signed Institutional Cover Page : This cover page provides basic summary information regarding the project and demonstrates support of the proposal from the applicants’ institution. Applicants should download and use the fillable Cover Page Template, enter this information, and upload this document as a PDF back into eSeaGrant.

Please provide all requested information and obtain the required institutional signatures (e.g., from your sponsored projects office or equivalent). Summary budget information must match that requested in 90-4 budget forms. The lead and each subaward institution must submit a signed institutional cover page.

Project Summary (each section should not exceed 1000 characters): The Project Summary is a fillable on-line form in eSeaGrant. Applicants will need to prepare separate sections for objectives, methodology, rationale. The project summary provides a concise description of the proposed project in a form useful to a variety of readers not requiring detailed information.

Instructions are available in eSeaGrant to help applicants accurately complete the form. Please follow these instructions carefully - the project summary is the most widely consulted description of your project. Project Narrative (must not exceed 10 pages): The project narrative template must not be altered other than to add the requested information--do not modify or delete any headings.

The full proposal narrative page limit applies to tables, figures and images, but not references. Proposals exceeding this page limit may be redacted or rejected without review. Rationale – Summarize the problem or important opportunity that will be addressed and its relation to this solicitation’s priorities.

Proposed research must be driven by clear research questions and generate new, solutions-based knowledge that address an offshore development management need and other targeted ocean and species management needs, if applicable. Explain how the data collected will be applicable to the problem or opportunity, identify potential users of the results of your research, and how they might use them.

Objectives – Provide a list of clearly defined research questions and associated objectives. Objectives should lead to measurable outcomes at project completion.

Research Methods/Approach – Present the scientific/technical approach, including experimental design(s) and/or research protocols fully and clearly, as well as special equipment, procedures, assays or publicly-available data, etc. that may be used to accomplish your goals/objectives. Be concise, but specific enough to satisfy reviewers that your methods have been validated and will enable you to achieve your goals.

Identify pitfalls and limitations in your approach and methodology and how you will address them. Applicants must demonstrate that the project team has the experience, facilities, materials, equipment and the capacity to successfully perform the proposed tasks within the term of the project. Discuss any relevant prior projects, prior publications or examples of productivity, or previous collaborations that the work leverages.

Please make clear what other sources of support (fiscal, personnel or logistical), if any, will be used to help support the work proposed. If working with tribes or community partners, explain their involvement. Outcomes and Deliverables – Project outcomes and deliverables should be clearly related to the project objectives and should be clearly described.

Describe why these outcomes and deliverables are important for specific potential end-users in California and what benefits or broader impacts will result. Outline how end-users will be engaged throughout the research process and what indicators of success will be used to ensure the project outcomes are benefitting those end-users.

Project Timeline – Provide a timeline for accomplishing the proposed work, which covers the entire duration of the project. Include approximate dates for key milestones related to the proposed work, including the accomplishment of anticipated outcomes and release of deliverables. References – List all included references alphabetically.

The list of references does NOT count toward the 10-page limit of the narrative but must be included in the narrative PDF file. Curriculum Vitae(s): Provide CVs (maximum 2 pages for each person) of all key personnel (PIs, co-PIs, Associate PIs). If a CV longer than 2 pages is submitted, reviewers will only be provided with the first 2 pages of the CV for each PI and co-PI.

Upload a single PDF of all CVs in eSeaGrant. Do not submit CVs for non-key personnel; you may describe expertise and roles of non-key personnel in the proposal narrative where appropriate. Current and Pending Support: List all current and pending sources of support associated with key personnel (PIs, co-PIs, Associate PIs).

Applicants may use the direct entry form in eSeaGrant or upload a PDF with the same information. Do not submit current and pending support for non-key personnel. Letter(s) of Support (maximum of 2 pages each): Support letters, from community partner(s) or other entities, are optional but encouraged.

The letter should explain the relevance or value of research results as well as any role they will play in the proposed project, if applicable. Community partner involvement can range in what is reasonable based on capacity and need, and should be tailored to the specific project proposed. If letters of support are included in the application, please consolidate all letters into one PDF for uploading to eSeaGrant.

For proposals that include partnership with one or more California Native American Tribes, a letter signed by the partnering Tribe(s)’ chairperson or leadership council, or signed tribal council resolution authorizing and consenting to partnership with the project applicant for the purpose of pursuing the project proposal is required.

Alternatively, a letter from tribal staff describing the Tribe’s intended partnership in the project with the date in which this proposal is being presented to tribal council for consideration and approval of the Tribe’s role in the project, will be accepted if tribal council is unable to make a final determination prior to the submission deadline.

Budgets and Budget Justification: The Budget Narrative must include both the Excel 90-4 Budget Form and accompanying Budget Justification. Guidance on budget justification is located in the General Budget Guidance Document . The FAQ for this solicitation also contains budget and budget justification questions.

Sea Grant 90-4 Budget Forms are required to provide budget breakdowns and budget justifications by year and institution for the proposal. A completed 90-4 Budget should include a breakdown of costs for each project year (i.e., Year 1 and Year 2) and should be submitted for each institution receiving funds (i.e. lead institution and any subaward institutions).

Be prepared to enter any salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for all personnel associated with the project. Also, if applicable, indicate expected costs for equipment, expendable supplies, publication costs, and travel. The Sea Grant 90-4 form can be downloaded from eSeaGrant.

The downloaded Excel file should be used in the creation of the 90-4 and should then be turned into a PDF, combined with the budget justification into a single PDF. This Excel file uses macros and will not work properly in Google Sheets. An example 90-4 budget can be found here .

The Budget Justification is required for each year of the project and for each institution receiving funding (i.e., lead institution and subaward institutions). Download and use this budget justification template . Each budget justification should explain the budget items in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested.

Sample budget justification can be found here. Indirect Costs (IDC) , if applicable. For lead institutions, OPC does not pay more than 15% IDC on approved costs with an exception for UC/CSUs (or other laboratories as approved) in which OPC will pay no more than 25% IDC (allowances are subject to grant guidelines for bond funds).

OPC does not control or regulate the IDC charged between lead and subaward institutions. It is possible that your project may be selected for funding by California Sea Grant using federal funds. In that event, California Sea Grant will ask you to revise your project with a federally negotiated IDC rate.

Entities that do not have a current indirect cost rate agreement with the federal government (with a few exceptions) can elect to charge a de minimis rate of 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). Award Amount: Total project budgets must be a minimum of $50,000 and may not exceed $750,000, to include direct costs plus indirect costs on modified total direct costs (MTDC).

If recommended for funding, California Sea Grant may ask you to work with our staff to revise your budget to make sure that the project budget, indirect costs, match, etc., is correct. Graduate Trainee Support: For any graduate students involved in the project, the graduate trainee’s expenses will be administered by the university, college or research institution with which the graduate trainee and research advisor are affiliated.

The portion of the award provided to each graduate trainee for tuition (unless waived), health insurance, and other university fees will be determined by each university in accordance with its guidelines. Please note that graduate trainee tuition support is NOT subject to indirect costs, aligning with Uniform Guidance 2 CFR Part 200 policy.

The amount requested for a trainee stipend or salary must conform to your institution’s normal cost for a half-time graduate student at their level of experience. Subawards: All subaward institutions must submit via eSeaGrant: a signed institutional cover page (see template), a 90-4 subaward budget form with budget justification, and a brief scope of work (no more than 1 page).

Lead PI(s) can provide access to their proposal on eSeaGrant to subaward collaborators using the "Manage Collaborators" feature. Collaborators must have an account on eSeaGrant in order to be added. Data Management Plan (should not exceed 2 pages): All applications must include a Data Management Plan that is compliant with NOAA’s Public Access to Research Results Plan .

The Data Management Plan should include descriptions of the types of metadata and data expected to be created during the course of the project, policies addressing data stewardship and preservation, plans for disseminating the metadata and data to the broader community, and plans for long-term archiving of the metadata and data.

If proposed activities will not generate any environmental data, please include the following statement as a substitute for your plan: “Because this project will not generate environmental data, a Data Management Plan is not required. ” OPC’s DataONE platform will serve as the formal vehicle for delivery of all data associated with projects funded through this solicitation.

Projects should also submit data to additional public data repositories as appropriate, and articulate these repositories in the Data Management Plan. If the applicant will require financial support to address data deliverable requirements, this service should be included in the budget of the project. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance: The CEQA summary is a fillable online form in eSeaGrant.

Please include information on the project’s CEQA compliance. The Ocean Protection Council must determine whether the project is in compliance with CEQA prior to the issuance of funding awards. Please note that OPC cannot serve as a lead agency for CEQA.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify a lead agency and ensure compliance under CEQA. If you believe the project to be exempt from CEQA, please identify which exemption the project falls under. The definition of activities that are “projects” under CEQA is available here ( https://codes.

findlaw. com/ca/public-resources-code/prc-sect-21065/ ), and the list of activities that are categorically exempt from CEQA is available here ( https://govt. westlaw.

com/calregs/Browse/Home/California/CaliforniaCodeofRegulations? guid=I8CB00CC35B4D11EC976B000D3A7C4BC3&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=Default&co(sc. Default) ).

If the project requires environmental review under CEQA, please provide the following information: Lead Agency Representative, Title What type of CEQA document has been, or is being prepared: Mitigated Negative Declaration/Negative Declaration or Environmental Impact Report. Please upload the CEQA document (draft is acceptable if the final is not available).

If CEQA is in progress, please provide an estimated date by which the lead agency will approve the CEQA document. If permits are required to conduct the proposed project, please fill out this Permit Approval Status Form ( https://www. opc.

ca. gov/webmaster/_media_library/2020/03/Prop_68PermitApprovalForm. docx ) and upload the PDF