Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS GARFO 2014 2004167
Apply for NOAA NMFS GARFO 2014 2004167
- The Department of Commerce in the education environment natural resources science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2015 NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.469 Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 8, 2014 and posted on Aug 8, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $470,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Special district governments County governments City or township governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Independent school districts.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Fiscal Year 2015 NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program is a competitive federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA) designed to expand high-quality, outdoor, hands-on environmental education for K-12 students across New England. The program is rooted in the idea that students build lasting knowledge and a real sense of stewardship when they learn through firsthand experiences that are connected to their own communities, cultures, and local environments. In practice, NOAA is looking to fund place-based projects that are tightly linked to academic learning standards, strengthen student achievement, and help students understand how their actions relate to the health of their watershed and the larger coastal and marine environment. A central emphasis is also on encouraging interest in STEM fields by getting students outside to investigate real questions and problems using authentic methods and tools.
This opportunity supports projects in the six New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Funded work is expected to use the Atlantic Ocean, its bays, and connected tidal and non-tidal rivers and tributaries as living laboratories, giving students direct exposure to the relationships between land, water, and human activity. The grant focuses on K-12 environmental education programs that deliver Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEEs) for students and also provide professional development and practical support for in-service educators, including teachers and administrators. In other words, successful proposals typically do not just run a one-off field trip; they build educator capacity and provide the materials, training, and structure that allow these experiences to be integrated into instruction and sustained over time.
NOAA provides a fairly specific definition of what counts as a MWEE, and that definition drives what competitive projects should look like. Experiences must be investigative or project-oriented, structured around questions, problems, or issues that students explore through observation, data collection, and hands-on activities. They should build critical thinking and problem-solving skills and help students gain confidence in doing real inquiry. Where it makes sense for the age group, NOAA encourages the use of technology such as water quality probes, tablets, and GPS tools. At the same time, NOAA is clear that passive activities by themselves (like tours, simple nature walks, demonstrations, simulations, or gallery visits) may be helpful supplements but do not meet the standard of a MWEE on their own.
A strong MWEE must also be integrated into classroom instruction rather than operating as an add-on. The outdoor experience should fit into the instructional sequence, be aligned with academic standards, and connect directly to what students are learning concurrently in school. NOAA also encourages interdisciplinary learning: while watersheds and water quality are central, projects can blend science with topics like maritime heritage, local history, economics, civics, math, language arts, art, and the cultural importance of natural resources. The goal is an integrated approach that helps students see the watershed as a system with ecological, social, and economic dimensions, not just a science topic in isolation.
Another key requirement is that MWEEs are sustained learning experiences with three phases: preparation, action, and reflection. The preparation phase should introduce and frame the guiding question or issue, building background knowledge and student engagement. The action phase should include multiple outdoor experiences that provide enough time and repetition for students to investigate, collect data, and carry out the project in a meaningful way. NOAA strongly encourages action phases that combine investigation with restoration or stewardship activities that tangibly improve the environment, reinforcing the idea that learning can lead to responsible action. The reflection phase should bring students back to the original question, guide them through analyzing results and drawing conclusions, and include evaluating what was learned and communicating outcomes to others. Importantly, even if a key outdoor event happens on a single day, the overall experience is expected to involve significant instructional time before and after so that students are not just doing an activity, but learning through a full cycle of inquiry and reflection.
Projects must connect watershed learning to the marine or estuarine environment. While activities do not have to take place on the water, they must intentionally tie land-based actions to water quality and coastal/marine impacts. NOAA gives examples of acceptable watershed-related work that may happen on land, such as erosion control, creating buffers, protecting groundwater, and monitoring or preventing pollution, as long as the connection to the broader watershed system and downstream coastal environment is explicit.
NOAA also emphasizes that funded projects should incorporate NOAA assets to strengthen impact. This can include using NOAA data to supplement or contextualize student-collected information, leveraging NOAA educational products and services, or involving NOAA scientists and professionals to add technical expertise, enrich classroom learning, and serve as role models for students considering STEM careers. This NOAA connection is presented not only as a way to improve project quality, but also as a way to increase awareness of NOAA resources and mission.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant/cooperative agreement opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-GARFO-2014-2004167) with an estimated total funding pool of $470,000 and an expectation of about six awards. Individual awards are anticipated to range from $25,000 (floor) to $80,000 (ceiling), and the opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants are broad and include nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) types), K-12 school districts, state and local governments, special district governments, institutions of higher education (public and private), tribal governments and tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations (including small businesses), reflecting an intent to support partnerships and a variety of delivery models.
Key dates in the announcement include a posted date of August 8, 2014, and an application deadline (closing date) of October 31, 2014, with an archive date of November 30, 2014. The CFDA number listed is 11.469. The federal contact provided for access issues with the full announcement is Deirdre Kimball, New England B-WET Federal Program Officer, at 978-281-9290.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): FY 2015 NOAA New England B-WET Program
1) What is this grant opportunity?
This is the Fiscal Year 2015 NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program, a competitive federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA). It is designed to expand high-quality, outdoor, hands-on environmental education for K-12 students across New England, with an emphasis on place-based learning tied to local watersheds and the coastal/marine environment.
2) What is the main goal of the New England B-WET Program?
The program aims to support place-based projects that are tightly linked to academic learning standards, strengthen student achievement, and help students understand how their actions relate to watershed health and the larger coastal and marine environment. A central emphasis is also encouraging interest in STEM fields through real-world investigations using authentic methods and tools.
3) Which states are eligible for project activities?
Projects are supported in the six New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
4) Who can apply for this funding?
Eligible applicants include nonprofits (501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) types), K-12 school districts, state and local governments, special district governments, institutions of higher education (public and private), tribal governments and tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations (including small businesses).
5) How much funding is available overall, and how many awards are expected?
The estimated total funding pool is $470,000, and the opportunity anticipates about six awards.
6) What is the expected size of an individual award?
Individual awards are anticipated to range from $25,000 (floor) to $80,000 (ceiling).
7) Is matching funding (cost share) required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
8) What types of projects does NOAA want to fund?
NOAA is looking for high-quality K-12 environmental education programs that deliver Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences (MWEEs) for students and provide professional development and practical support for in-service educators (including teachers and administrators). Successful projects are typically designed to be integrated into instruction and sustained over time, rather than being one-off events.
9) What is a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE)?
NOAA describes a MWEE as an investigative or project-oriented learning experience structured around questions, problems, or issues that students explore through observation, data collection, and hands-on activities. A MWEE is intended to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills and help students gain confidence in conducting real inquiry.
10) What activities do not qualify as a MWEE by themselves?
Passive activities alone do not meet NOAA's MWEE standard. Examples listed include tours, simple nature walks, demonstrations, simulations, or gallery visits. These may be useful supplements, but a competitive proposal should not rely on them as the primary experience.
11) Do projects need to be connected to classroom instruction and academic standards?
Yes. NOAA emphasizes that a strong MWEE is integrated into classroom instruction rather than operating as an add-on. The outdoor experience should fit into the instructional sequence, align with academic standards, and connect directly to what students are learning in school.
12) Does NOAA encourage interdisciplinary learning?
Yes. While watersheds and water quality are central, NOAA encourages projects that blend science with other subjects such as maritime heritage, local history, economics, civics, math, language arts, art, and the cultural importance of natural resources. The goal is to help students see the watershed as a system with ecological, social, and economic dimensions.
13) What are the required phases of a sustained MWEE?
MWEEs are expected to be sustained learning experiences with three phases: preparation, action, and reflection.
- Preparation: Introduces and frames the guiding question or issue, building background knowledge and engagement.
- Action: Includes multiple outdoor experiences so students have enough time and repetition to investigate, collect data, and carry out meaningful project work.
- Reflection: Returns to the original question, supports analysis and conclusions, and includes evaluation and communication of outcomes.
14) Does the action phase need to include more than one outdoor experience?
Yes. NOAA indicates the action phase should include multiple outdoor experiences that provide sufficient time and repetition for investigation and data collection.
15) If the main field experience happens on a single day, can it still qualify?
Potentially, but NOAA emphasizes that even if a key outdoor event happens on a single day, the overall experience is expected to include significant instructional time before and after. The intent is a full cycle of inquiry and reflection, not a standalone activity.
16) Are restoration or stewardship activities encouraged?
Yes. NOAA strongly encourages action phases that combine investigation with restoration or stewardship activities that tangibly improve the environment. This reinforces the idea that learning can lead to responsible action.
17) Do project activities need to take place on the water?
No. Activities do not have to take place on the water, but they must connect watershed learning to the marine or estuarine environment and intentionally tie land-based actions to water quality and coastal/marine impacts.
18) What kinds of land-based activities can be acceptable?
NOAA provides examples of acceptable watershed-related work that may happen on land, such as erosion control, creating buffers, protecting groundwater, and monitoring or preventing pollution, as long as the connection to the broader watershed system and downstream coastal environment is explicit.
19) What does it mean to use the watershed as a "living laboratory"?
Funded work is expected to use the Atlantic Ocean, its bays, and connected tidal and non-tidal rivers and tributaries as living laboratories. In practice, this means giving students direct exposure to how land, water, and human activity interact within their watershed and how those interactions affect coastal and marine systems.
20) Are technology tools encouraged in MWEEs?
Yes. Where appropriate for the age group, NOAA encourages the use of technology such as water quality probes, tablets, and GPS tools.
21) What is NOAA looking for regarding educator support and professional development?
The opportunity prioritizes projects that provide professional development and practical support for in-service educators, including teachers and administrators. The intent is to build educator capacity and provide materials, training, and structure so MWEEs can be integrated into instruction and sustained over time.
22) Does NOAA expect projects to incorporate NOAA assets?
Yes. NOAA emphasizes incorporating NOAA assets to strengthen impact, such as using NOAA data to supplement or contextualize student-collected data, leveraging NOAA educational products and services, or involving NOAA scientists and professionals to add technical expertise and serve as STEM role models.
23) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NOAA-NMFS-GARFO-2014-2004167.
24) What is the CFDA number listed for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 11.469.
25) What type of federal funding mechanism is this?
This is described as a discretionary grant/cooperative agreement opportunity.
26) When was the opportunity posted and when was it due?
The posted date is August 8, 2014, and the application deadline (closing date) is October 31, 2014. The archive date is November 30, 2014.
27) Who is the federal contact for access issues with the full announcement?
The federal contact listed for access issues is Deirdre Kimball, New England B-WET Federal Program Officer, at 978-281-9290.
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