Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA SEC OED 2013 2003614
Apply for NOAA SEC OED 2013 2003614
- The Department of Commerce in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Environmental Literacy Grants for Building Capacity of Informal and Formal Educators" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.008 NOAA Mission Related Education Awards.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 18, 2013 and posted on Jan 18, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 12, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $3,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) opportunity, titled "Environmental Literacy Grants for Building Capacity of Informal and Formal Educators," is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Commerce that focuses on strengthening how educators use real NOAA science and data to teach the public and K-12 students about global environmental change. The central idea is capacity building: rather than only producing new classroom materials, projects are expected to measurably improve the ability of informal educators (such as museum or aquarium interpreters, docents, and other public-facing educators) and/or formal educators (pre-service or in-service teachers) to work confidently with NOAA datasets, data tools, and data visualizations. In practice, that means training and supporting educators so they can access, interpret, and teach with NOAA resources in ways that help learners understand environmental change and make more informed decisions about stewardship and resilience.
Funded projects are expected to leverage NOAA assets, including scientific datasets, visualizations, data access technologies, and related information products, while allowing applicants to incorporate additional non-NOAA sources if it strengthens the work. A key requirement is geographic reach: projects must engage educators who will, in turn, reach K-12 students and/or public audiences in at least two U.S. states or territories. NOAA also strongly encourages meaningful partnerships with NOAA offices, programs, and personnel, including involvement of NOAA scientists, to help ensure the work is grounded in authentic data use and current science. Even with NOAA collaboration, projects must be designed so that the primary benefit flows to educator and public learning outcomes rather than serving as general support for NOAA itself.
The program is tightly aligned with NOAA's mission areas and strategic priorities. Proposed topics must relate to ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate science and stewardship, and should support one or more goals from NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan: Healthy Oceans, Weather-Ready Nation, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, and Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies. Every project must emphasize global environmental change as an explicit theme, with example focus areas including drought, severe weather, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and climate change. Applicants are encouraged to draw lessons from previously funded ELG projects, using the existing portfolio to inform design choices, professional learning models, and evaluation strategies.
In terms of intended impact, NOAA is looking for projects that can demonstrate measurable changes in educator capacity during the grant period. This could include documented improvements in educators' skills using NOAA data tools, their confidence interpreting datasets, the quality and frequency of data-driven learning experiences they deliver, or their ability to facilitate public understanding of environmental change. While the core requirement is measuring outcomes for the educators being served, projects are also encouraged to track downstream outcomes for the K-12 students and public audiences those educators ultimately reach. NOAA signals special interest in projects that build educator capacity specifically to engage teens, and in efforts that broaden participation by reaching communities and groups that have traditionally been underserved and/or underrepresented in Earth system science.
Eligibility is structured around two equal-priority categories, both of which share the same overall goal but differ in who can apply. Priority 1 is for collaborative teams of two or more U.S. institutions, and eligible institution types include colleges and universities, other nonprofits (including informal science education organizations such as museums, zoos, and aquariums), K-12 public or independent schools and school systems, and state, local, and federally recognized tribal governments. Priority 2 is reserved for collaborative teams made up exclusively of two or more U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit aquariums, with the additional requirement that at least one aquarium on the team is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). For both priorities, NOAA strongly encourages teams to include at least one applicant organization that has not previously received funding through NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants program. Each organization that is part of the applying collaborative team must submit an application as part of that team structure, and applications that do not meet the eligibility rules for the chosen priority are not sent forward for merit review.
Several important restrictions and participation rules apply. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply. Federal employees may not serve as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI, though they may be included as key personnel. An individual may serve as PI on only one application under this opportunity, and the same application cannot be submitted to both priorities. However, institutions can submit more than one distinct application, and individuals may participate as co-PIs or key personnel on multiple applications. Project partners who are not submitting as applicants are not restricted by the same eligibility rules and can still be involved through partnerships; they may receive funds via subawards, and NOAA partners may receive limited support from the NOAA Office of Education to facilitate their role, so long as the main project benefit is not to support NOAA operations.
Funding levels and timelines are clearly defined. Awards are grants under CFDA 11.008 (NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards), with no cost sharing or matching requirement. Projects must run between two and five years, and the combined federal request for the full project period must fall between $500,000 and $1,000,000. The estimated total funding available for the competition is $3,000,000, and the maximum award size (ceiling) is $1,000,000. For the specific 2013 cycle described, applications were posted January 18, 2013, due March 12, 2013, with anticipated awards by September 30, 2013 and project start dates no earlier than October 1, 2013. Applicants were directed to NOAA's Office of Education website for the full announcement and supporting resources, with program contacts available via oed.grants@noaa.gov and a listed phone number for assistance.
NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG): Frequently Asked Questions
What is this grant opportunity?
The NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) opportunity, titled "Environmental Literacy Grants for Building Capacity of Informal and Formal Educators," is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It focuses on strengthening how educators use real NOAA science and data to teach K-12 students and public audiences about global environmental change.
What is the main goal of these grants?
The central goal is capacity building. Projects are expected to measurably improve the ability of informal and/or formal educators to confidently access, interpret, and teach with NOAA datasets, data tools, and data visualizations, rather than focusing only on producing new classroom materials.
Who are the educators this program is trying to support?
The opportunity supports both informal educators (such as museum or aquarium interpreters, docents, and other public-facing educators) and formal educators (pre-service or in-service teachers).
Who are the intended audiences ultimately reached by the projects?
Projects are designed to engage educators who will, in turn, reach K-12 students and/or public audiences with learning experiences about environmental change, stewardship, and resilience.
Is producing new educational materials required?
No. The emphasis is on building educator capacity to use NOAA science and data. Projects may develop resources, but they are expected to focus on measurable improvements in educator skill, confidence, and practice using authentic datasets and data tools.
What kinds of NOAA resources are expected to be used?
Funded projects are expected to leverage NOAA assets such as scientific datasets, visualizations, data access technologies, and related information products.
Can applicants use non-NOAA data or resources?
Yes. Applicants may incorporate additional non-NOAA sources if it strengthens the project, while still leveraging NOAA assets as a core component.
What geographic reach is required?
Projects must engage educators who will reach K-12 students and/or public audiences in at least two U.S. states or territories.
Are partnerships with NOAA encouraged or required?
NOAA strongly encourages meaningful partnerships with NOAA offices, programs, and personnel, including involvement of NOAA scientists, to help ensure the work is grounded in authentic data use and current science.
Can a project be designed mainly to support NOAA operations?
No. Even with NOAA collaboration, projects must be designed so that the primary benefit flows to educator and public learning outcomes rather than serving as general support for NOAA itself.
What topic areas must proposals address?
Proposed topics must relate to ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, weather, and climate science and stewardship, and should support one or more goals from NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan: Healthy Oceans, Weather-Ready Nation, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, and Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies.
Is "global environmental change" required as a theme?
Yes. Every project must emphasize global environmental change as an explicit theme.
What are examples of environmental change focus areas mentioned in the opportunity?
Examples include drought, severe weather, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and climate change.
What outcomes does NOAA want projects to measure?
NOAA is looking for measurable changes in educator capacity during the grant period. Examples include improved educator skill using NOAA data tools, increased confidence interpreting datasets, improvements in the quality and frequency of data-driven learning experiences they deliver, and enhanced ability to facilitate public understanding of environmental change.
Do projects have to measure outcomes for students or public audiences too?
The core requirement is measuring outcomes for the educators served. Projects are also encouraged to track downstream outcomes for the K-12 students and public audiences those educators reach.
Does NOAA express special interest in certain audiences or equity goals?
Yes. NOAA signals special interest in projects that build educator capacity specifically to engage teens, and in efforts that broaden participation by reaching communities and groups that have traditionally been underserved and/or underrepresented in Earth system science.
What are the two priority categories for eligibility?
There are two equal-priority categories, each requiring collaborative teams of two or more U.S. institutions, but differing in who can apply.
Who can apply under Priority 1?
Priority 1 is for collaborative teams of two or more U.S. institutions. Eligible institution types include colleges and universities, other nonprofits (including informal science education organizations such as museums, zoos, and aquariums), K-12 public or independent schools and school systems, and state, local, and federally recognized tribal governments.
Who can apply under Priority 2?
Priority 2 is reserved for collaborative teams made up exclusively of two or more U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit aquariums, with the additional requirement that at least one aquarium on the team is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Can the same application be submitted to both Priority 1 and Priority 2?
No. The same application cannot be submitted to both priorities.
What happens if an application does not meet the eligibility rules for the chosen priority?
Applications that do not meet the eligibility rules for the chosen priority are not sent forward for merit review.
Does NOAA encourage new organizations to apply?
Yes. NOAA strongly encourages teams to include at least one applicant organization that has not previously received funding through NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants program.
How does the collaborative team application work?
Each organization that is part of the applying collaborative team must submit an application as part of that team structure.
Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
No. For-profit organizations are not eligible to apply under this opportunity.
Are foreign institutions eligible to apply?
No. Foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
Can an individual apply directly?
No. Individuals are not eligible to apply.
Can federal employees serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI?
No. Federal employees may not serve as PI or co-PI, though they may be included as key personnel.
How many applications can one person lead as PI?
An individual may serve as PI on only one application under this opportunity.
Can institutions submit more than one application?
Yes. Institutions can submit more than one distinct application.
Can someone participate on multiple applications if they are not the PI?
Yes. Individuals may participate as co-PIs or key personnel on multiple applications.
Can partners who are not applicants still participate?
Yes. Project partners who are not submitting as applicants are not restricted by the same eligibility rules and can still be involved through partnerships.
Can non-applicant partners receive funding?
Yes. They may receive funds via subawards.
Can NOAA partners receive funding to participate?
NOAA partners may receive limited support from the NOAA Office of Education to facilitate their role, as long as the main project benefit is not to support NOAA operations.
What is the funding range per award?
The combined federal request for the full project period must fall between $500,000 and $1,000,000, with a maximum award ceiling of $1,000,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How long can projects run?
Projects must run between two and five years.
How much total funding is available in the competition?
The estimated total funding available for the competition is $3,000,000.
What type of award is this and what CFDA number is listed?
Awards are grants under CFDA 11.008 (NOAA Mission-Related Education Awards).
What were the key dates for the 2013 cycle described?
For the 2013 cycle described: applications were posted January 18, 2013; applications were due March 12, 2013; awards were anticipated by September 30, 2013; and project start dates were no earlier than October 1, 2013.
Where were applicants directed to find the full announcement and resources?
Applicants were directed to NOAA's Office of Education website for the full announcement and supporting resources.
How can applicants contact the program for assistance?
Program contacts were available via email at oed.grants@noaa.gov, and a phone number was listed for assistance in the announcement.
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