Funding / Grant Links

Grant Links

Grant Links

Websites for award administration and planning

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year. The following section has a bearing on NOAA grants: Title 2 – Grants and Agreements.

Department of Commerce, Grants and Cooperative Agreements Manual
This grants manual is intended to provide a common understanding of the framework for the administration of grants and cooperative agreements within which Department of Commerce staff members and responsible recipient officials must operate.

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

Websites for applicants

Applying for a NOAA Grant – 6-Step Process
NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program details a 6-step process to apply for a NOAA grant. Steps 1, 4, and 5 provide uniform administrative guidance. Applicants should refer to the specific notice of funding opportunity for unique program requirements related to steps 2, 3, and 6.

Government Forms
Grant forms are posted on various Grants.gov, Department of Commerce, General Services Administration, and Office of Management and Budge websites.

Grants.gov
Visit the federal government's sole access point for finding and applying for grants.

Internal Revenue Service
Refer to these sites if you need a taxpayer identification number or an employee identification number (one of which is mandatory to complete your Sam.gov Registration information).

Internal Revenue Service information on Tribal structure and nonprofits
The IRS provides guidance on how Tribes are recognized or taxed. Tribal structure and recognition dictate whether a Tribe needs a taxpayer identification number (TIN) or an employer identification number (EIN). Here are IRS websites that provide information on Tribes and non-profits.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Guidance
Applicants must complete proposals according to environmental requirements noted in grant announcements or in requests for applications. Applicants must provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, locations, sites, species and habitat to be affected, possible construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist (e.g., the use and disposal of hazardous or toxic chemicals, introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and threatened species, aquaculture projects, and impacts to coral reef systems). After applications are submitted, NOAA may require additional information to fulfill NEPA requirements. If NOAA determines that an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement is required, applicants may be requested to assist in drafting the analysis. Applicants may also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying and implementing feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The White House Council on Environmental Quality regulations for NEPA implementation and the following websites provide more information on NEPA, including NOAA's NEPA compliance, and NOAA's Administrative Order on Environmental Review Procedures for Implementing NEPA:

NOAA's Environmental Data Management Policy Including Data Sharing Procedures and Information
All NOAA grantees must share data produced under NOAA grants and cooperative agreements in a timely fashion, except where limited by law, regulation, policy, or security requirements. Grantees must address this requirement formally by preparing a Data Sharing Plan as part of their grant project narrative.

NOAA's Geospatial Information System

Proposal and Logic Model Development
The University of Wisconsin provides instruction on logic model development, especially ways to measure and capture outcomes and impacts to show results of an activity (grant).

System for Award Management
The System for Award Management (SAM) is the primary vendor database for the U.S. federal government. SAM is maintained by the General Service Administration and is the official U.S. government system that consolidates the capabilities of the Central Contractor Registration, Excluded Parties List System, Assistance Listings (previously known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance), Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), and other government systems. The consolidation of numerous databases is used to track pre- and post-award information about entities that receive federal funding. SAM is used to validate applicant information and electronically share secure and encrypted data with federal agencies’ finance offices to facilitate paperless payments through electronic funds transfer (EFT). Other systems, including the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Subaward Reporting System (FSRS), Electronic Subcontracting Reporting System (ESRS), Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS), and Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) will be migrated into SAM in future deployments.

System for Award Management is supported by the General Service Administration's Federal Service Help Desk
Applicants can call or chat live with the Federal Service Help Desk for assistance with their Sam.gov registration or Unique Entity Identifier.
1-866-606-8220
Monday through Friday (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET)

Sam.gov
An entity registration checklist for financial assistance awards is available at:

System for Award Management registration status
The SAM.gov Status Tracker returns the registration status for publicly-searchable registration records. If you are a federal government user, sign into System for Award Management and use the Search link in the main navigation menu to view registrations or data that are not publicly available.

Other Sam.gov Resources

Websites for recipients

Department of Commerce, Grants Management Division
This site includes information on Department of Commerce grant policies, opportunities, agency contacts, and Grants Online.

Department of Commerce, NOAA Grants Management Division
This site includes information on grant policy, training, forms, and on-line resources related to award administration.

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, Subaward Reporting System
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) is the reporting tool federal prime awardees (i.e., prime contractors and prime grants recipients) use to capture and report subaward and executive compensation data regarding their first-tier subawards to meet the FFATA reporting requirements. Prime contract awardees will report against subcontracts awarded, and prime grant awardees will report against subgrants awarded. The subaward information entered in FSRS will then be displayed on USASpending.gov associated with the prime award, furthering federal spending transparency. Specific FSRS requirements are provided in the Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Standard Terms Conditions. Under FFATA, recipients of financial assistance awards of $25,000 or more are required to report periodically on executive compensation and subawards.

Grants Online
This is a site for Department of Commerce grant officials and applicants who become grantees. This unified grant processing system has been used by NOAA program officers since 2005 and by NOAA recipients since 2006. Other Department of Commerce programs started using this site in 2008.

Grants Online, Program Management Office
This site provides training resources for grant recipients and federal management. A presentation on business rules for award action requests is included for recipients.

NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program
This site includes a wealth of information on ways recipients can manage grants, including:
A grantee welcome package (41 pages)
A new award checklist (1 page)
Guidance on ASAP.Gov enrollment and draw-down of funds (3 pages)
Instructions on how to manage award users (2 pages)
Information on the Disabilities Act and Section 508 compliance (11 pages)

U.S. Department of the Treasury, Automated Standard Application for Payments
This on-line site allows grantees to draw from accounts pre-authorized by federal agencies.

Websites with background information on grants and programs

Assistance Listings
The Assistance Listings, previously known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), provides a full listing of all federal programs available to state and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally recognized Indian tribal governments; territories (and possessions) of the U.S.; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals. The primary purpose is to assist potential applicants in identifying programs that meet their specific objectives and to provide general information on federal assistance programs.

Contractor Performance Assessment Reports System (CPARS)
This is a government website for people who make, receive, and manage federal awards. Government officials use multiple sources of information when making award decisions. Agencies are instructed to use the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) to create and measure the quality and timely reporting of performance information. Contractors and federal financial award recipients can review their active performance and integrity information which the government may use in making an award decision, and comment on the government’s evaluation and concur with or refute the overall performance evaluation. A Contractor Performance Assessment Report assesses a contractor's performance and provides a record, both positive and negative, on a given contractor during a specific period. Reports provide an individual evaluation of contractor performance, which includes a rating and a narrative in the following areas: quality, schedule, cost control, management, and regulatory compliance. CPARS is the contractor's final report card. The government’s Past Performance Information Retrieval System and its data were officially merged into the Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System in 2019.

Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)
FAPIIS is maintained by the General Service Administration and is the government’s information system that contains specific information on the integrity and performance of covered federal agency contractors and grantees. FAPIIS emphasizes accountability, transparency, and risk assessment. Federal agencies will use the system to report any finding that a nonfederal entity is not qualified to receive an award if the finding is based on criteria related to the nonfederal entity’s integrity or prior performance under a federal award. Federal awarding agencies must report information to FAPIIS and review FAPIIS before making a federal grant award (including cooperative agreements) to a nonfederal entity. As required under the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (section 872), information on FAPIIS is available to the public. A determination that a nonfederal entity is “not qualified” to receive a federal award is only applicable to the specific award under consideration; a “not qualified” determination does not preclude a nonfederal entity from receiving other federal awards. Federal awarding agencies must review FAPIIS before making an award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold ($150,000). Federal awarding agencies must still review the System for Award Management (SAM) Exclusion Extract before making any award.

Grants Policy Committee
The Chief Financial Officers Council (CFO) established the Grants Policy Committee (GPC). The CFO Council is made up of the CFOs and Deputy CFOs of the largest federal agencies and senior officials of Office of Management and Budget and Treasury who work collaboratively to improve financial management in the U.S. Government. The GPC is committed to serving the best interests of the grants community by continually identifying opportunities to improve Federal financial assistance.

USASpending.gov
USAspending.gov is the publicly accessible, searchable website mandated by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 and the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014. This site, launched in 2007, allows users to explore, search, and better understand how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. Legislation requires that federal contract, grant, loan, and other financial assistance awards of more than $25,000 be displayed.

Federal agencies are required to report the name of the entity receiving the award, the amount of the award, the recipient’s location, the location of the award activity, and other information. This site displays certain federal contracts of more than $3,000. In 2008, FFATA was amended by the Government Funding Transparency Act to require prime recipients to report details on their first-tier sub-recipients for awards made as of October 1, 2010. In February 2014, the Office of Management and Budget designated the Department of the Treasury to be responsible for operating and supporting USAspending.gov. Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service administers this responsibility on behalf of the department.

Websites of other NOAA grant programs and federal grant community members

Enviromental Protection Agency provides grants management training for applicants and recipients including competitive processes, helpful resources, an overview of grant processes, and how to develop a budget.

Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
The site identifies Fish and Wildlife Service natural resource assistance grant programs available to governmental, public, and private organizations, as well as groups and individuals.

Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
This site identifies USGS grant programs, such as the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and Water Resources Research National Competitive Grant Program, and provides information on open announcements, agency policies, submission of unsolicited proposals, and grants management.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW)
This site includes information on EPA grant programs and opportunities relevant to watershed protection and restoration. Proposal development and grants management training for applicants and recipients is provided by the EPA.

Environment Canada
Environment Canada's Green Source Funding database is designed to help Canadian communities identify sources and resources to fund environmental projects that will benefit its natural environment.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA's Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) provides information on preparing and submitting a proposal, a guidebook for proposers responding to an announcement, guidance for the preparation and submission of unsolicited proposals, lists of past and present opportunities, a frequently asked questions page on awards and contracts, and other information.

NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES)
NASA NSPIRES is a Web-based system that supports the entire lifecycle of NASA research solicitation and selection, from the release of solicitation announcements through the proposal submission, peer review, and decision processes. Users may search for closed, past, and future NASA research announcements.

National Science Foundation
This site highlights recent awards, allows users to search for past awards, provides guidance on award policies, addresses the agency's merit review process, and contains standard terms and conditions for research grants, including agency-specific research terms and conditions (e.g., the Department of Commerce). Agency guides are included on proposal preparation, the application process, and award administration.

NOAA Climate Program Office
This site provides an overview of the Climate Program Office and identifies specific grant programs with ongoing or open climate grant announcements.

NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Office of Habitat Conservation
This site identifies past projects funded by the Restoration Center; and funding opportunities available from the NOAA Restoration Center, other NOAA offices, other federal organizations, and nonfederal organizations.

NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center, Office of Protected Resources, John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program
This site highlights open Restoration Center grant announcements, past grant competitions, other federal grant programs, and grants management information—including a frequently asked questions page for applicants.

NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR)
This site provides grants management information for applicants and recipients. Agency and program application requirements, an archive of funding announcements, and a frequently asked questions document for applicant and recipient guidance are included.

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office
This site provides information on how to create and manage grant proposals, including links to checklists, terms, how-to guides, polices, Grants.gov, Sam.gov, and grant writing resources.

NOAA Office of Education
This site focuses on informal education grant projects that engage the public and professional audiences in activities that increase ocean or climate literacy and the adoption of a stewardship ethic. The Office of Education has Bay Watershed and Education programs in the following regions: California, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Hawai'i, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. Funding opportunities are highlighted, and there are frequently asked questions for Spherical Display Systems and on a variety of grant management topics.

NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, Marine Debris Program
This site provides proposal submission guidance for Grants.gov and Sam.gov, as well as budget and terms and conditions guidance.

NOAA Pacific Region Grants Cooperative
The NOAA Pacific Region Grants Cooperative (PRGC) is an initiative of Federal Program Officers and grant administration staff representing the various NOAA line offices within the Pacific Islands Region. The site provides information on the PRGC including its annual report, contacts, funding, and grant resources.

NOAA Sea Grant Program
This site provides suggestions for Grants.gov submissions, grant forms, and requests for proposals, and addresses other sources of funding, primarily through state Sea Grant programs.

Office of Management and Budget
Working cooperatively with the grantmaking agencies and the grantee community, the Office of Management and Budget leads development of government-wide policy to assure that grants are managed properly and that Federal dollars are spent in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of General Counsel, Federal Assistance Law Division
The Federal Assistance Law Division assists the Commerce Department with all legal services associated with federal assistance.

Funding Links