NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants for Enhancing Educators’ Capacity in Global Change Understanding

NOAA offers grants to build the capacity of informal and formal educators in using NOAA data to help K-12 students and the public understand global change. Projects should engage in at least two U.S. states or territories, emphasizing topics like drought, severe weather, and climate change. Priorities include collaboration among U.S. institutions and non-profit aquariums, aiming to reach traditionally underserved groups and teens. Projects must align with NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan goals and be between two to five years in duration, with funding requests ranging from $500,000 to $1,000,000. Successful projects will increase educators’ effectiveness in promoting stewardship and informed decision-making. Application deadline: March 12, 2013.

Opportunity ID: 217034

Apply

General Information

Document Type::	Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number::	NOAA-SEC-OED-2013-2003614
Funding Opportunity Title::	Environmental Literacy Grants for Building Capacity of Informal and Formal Educators
Opportunity Category::	Discretionary
Opportunity Category Explanation::
Funding Instrument Type::
Category of Funding Activity::	Education
Category Explanation::
Expected Number of Awards::
Assistance Listings Number(s)::	11.008 — NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement::	No
Version::	Synopsis 1
Posted Date::	Jan 18, 2013
Last Updated Date::
Original Closing Date for Applications::	Mar 12, 2013
Current Closing Date for Applications::	Mar 12, 2013
Archive Date::	Apr 11, 2013
Estimated Total Program Funding::	$ 3,000,000
Award Ceiling::	$1,000,000
Award Floor::	$0

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants::

Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility::

Eligible applicants for Priority 1 are collaborative teams of two or more institutions in the United States. The following types of institutions may serve as applicants on a collaborative team for Priority 1: institutions of higher education; other nonprofits, including informal science-education institutions such as museums, zoos, and aquariums; K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; and state, local and Indian tribal governments in the United States. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply. Each individual applicant must submit an application to NOAA as part of the collaborative team. Applications to Priority 1 that do not meet these eligibility criteria will not be merit reviewed.
Eligible applicants for Priority 2 are collaborative teams that are exclusively composed of two or more 501(c)(3) non-profit aquariums in the United States. At least one applicant in each collaborative team must be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Each individual applicant must submit an application to NOAA as part of the collaborative team. Applications to Priority 2 that do not meet these eligibility criteria will not be merit reviewed.
For both Priority 1 and Priority 2, there are no eligibility restrictions on institutions that are serving as project partners but are not submitting an application. These partners can receive a portion of the funding through sub-awards or, for NOAA partners, through direct support from the Office of Education (see Section II.A. and Section IV.B.1(f)). Note: Although NOAA programs and offices can receive a small amount of support from the Office of Education to facilitate their involvement with the project, the principal benefit of the project cannot be to support NOAA.
An individual may apply only once as a Principal Investigator (PI) through this funding opportunity, and the same application may not be submitted to more than one priority. However, institutions may submit more than one distinct application and individuals may serve as co-PIs or key personnel on more than one application. Federal employees may not serve as PIs or co-PIs on any application, although they may be included as key personnel.

Additional Information

Agency Name::	Department of Commerce
Description::	The goal of this NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is to build the capacity of informal educators (including interpreters and docents) and/or formal educators (pre- or in-service) to use NOAA data and data access tools to help K-12 students and/or the public understand and respond to global change. Successful projects will enhance educators’ ability to use the wealth of scientific data, data visualizations, data access technologies, information products, and other assets available through NOAA (plus additional sources, if desired) to engage K-12 students and/or other members of the public in a minimum of two U.S. states or territories. Partnerships with NOAA entities and/or involvement of NOAA scientists to facilitate the use of such assets by educators are strongly encouraged. As an ultimate outcome, successful projects should aim to increase educators’ effectiveness in promoting stewardship and increasing informed decision making by a diverse pool of K-12 students and/or other members of the public. The impact of the proposed project on the target educators must be measurable during the award period. Projects are also encouraged to track outcomes among the public and/or K-12 audiences served by these educators. Project topics must relate to NOAA’s mission in the areas of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate sciences and stewardship and should focus on one or more of the goals of NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/goals/) healthy oceans; weather-ready nation; climate adaptation and mitigation; and resilient coastal communities and economies. Projects must specifically emphasize the theme of global environmental change, including (but not limited to) such topics as drought, severe weather, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and climate change. Where applicable, project design should be informed by projects previously funded by NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Grants Program (See “Awards” tab under www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html). Projects that specifically build capacity of educators to engage teens are of interest. Similarly, NOAA has an interest in projects that reach groups traditionally underserved and/or underrepresented in Earth System science. This funding opportunity identifies two priority categories of eligible applicants, both of equal importance. Both priorities have the same goal: to build the capacity of informal and/or formal educators to use NOAA data and data access tools to help K-12 students and/or the public understand and respond to global change. Eligible applicants for Priority 1 are collaborative teams of two or more U.S. institutions. Eligible applicants for Priority 2 are collaborative teams of two or more non-profit U.S. aquariums, of which at least one must be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Collaborative applicant teams in both Priority 1 and Priority 2 are strongly encouraged to include at least one applicant that has not previously received a grant from NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Grants program. Proposed projects in each priority must be between two and five years in duration and have combined federal requests of $500,000 – $1,000,000 for all years of the project. It is anticipated that awards under this announcement will be made by September 30, 2013 and that the projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2013. Note: Links to this announcement and other helpful information for applying are available at www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html under the “Funding” tab.
Link to Additional Information::
Grantor Contact Information::	If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:

Version History

Version	Modification Description	Updated Date
Synopsis 1

Package Status

Below are CLOSED Opportunity Package(s) no longer available for this Funding Opportunity:

Package No: 1

Assistance Listings:	11.008
Competition ID:	2415907
Competition Title:	Priority 1: Collaborative teams of two or more institutions
Opportunity Package ID:	PKG00163431
Opening Date:	Feb 05, 2013
Closing Date:	Mar 12, 2013
Agency Contact Information::	Sarah Schoedinger
Who Can Apply::	Organization Applicants
mendatory_forms	Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) [V2.1] Project Narrative Attachment Form [V1.1] CD511 Form [V1.1] Budget Narrative Attachment Form [V1.1] Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B) [V1.1] Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) [V1.0]
optional_forms	Other Attachments Form [V1.1] Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) [V1.1]

Package No: 2