ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY …

          ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

                               EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National
Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program (FY09)

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NMFS-FHQ-2009-2001464

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.427, Fisheries Dev and
Utilization Research and Dev Grants and Coop Agreements Program.

Dates: Applications must be received by 5:00 pm, Eastern Time on October 1,
2008. Applications received after the deadline will be rejected/returned to the sender
without further consideration. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be
accepted.


Funding Opportunity Description: The Saltonstall-Kennedy Act established a fund
(known as the S-K fund) that the Secretary of Commerce uses to provide grants or
cooperative agreements for fisheries research and development projects addressed to
any aspect of U.S. fisheries, including, but not limited to, harvesting, processing,
marketing, and associated infrastructures. U.S. fisheries include any fishery,
commercial or recreational, that is, or may be, engaged in by citizens or nationals of
the United States, or citizens of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), the Republic of
the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia.




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                           FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT


I. Funding Opportunity Description

       A. Program Objective

       The objectives of the S-K Grant Program, and, therefore, the funding priorities,
have changed over the years since the program began in 1980. The program has
evolved as Federal fishery management laws and policies, and research needs, have
evolved in response to changing circumstances.

The original focus of the program was to develop underutilized fisheries within the
U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, i.e., 3-200 miles (5.6-370.4 kilometers) off the
coast). This focus was driven in part by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Magnuson-Stevens Act,
originally passed in 1976, directed us to give the domestic fishing industry priority
access to the fishery resources in the EEZ. In 1980, the American Fisheries
Promotion Act amended the S-K Act to stimulate commercial and recreational fishing
efforts in underutilized fisheries. The competitive S-K Program, which initiated as a
result, included fisheries development and marketing as funding priorities.

In the following years, the efforts to Americanize the fisheries were successful to the
point that most nontraditional species were fully developed and some traditional
fisheries became overfished. Therefore, we changed the emphasis of the S-K Program
to address conservation and management issues and aquaculture.

In 1996, the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) (Public Law 104-297), was enacted. The
SFA amended the Magnuson-Stevens Act and supported further adjustment to the
S-K Program to address the current condition of fisheries.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act, as amended by the SFA, requires us to undertake efforts
to prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished fisheries, insure conservation, protect
essential fish habitats, and realize the full potential of U.S. fishery resources. It
further requires that we take into account the importance of fishery resources to
fishing communities; provide for the sustained participation of such communities;
and, to the extent possible, minimize the adverse economic impacts of conservation
and management measures on such communities. The Magnuson-Stevens Act defines
a "fishing community" as "a community which is substantially dependent on or
substantially engaged in the harvest or processing of fishery resources to meet social
and economic needs, and includes fishing vessel owners, operators, and crew and
United States fish processors that are based in such community." (16 U.S.C. 1802 (16)).

The NOAA Strategic Plan, updated in 2005, has also shaped the S-K Program.
NOAA's goal is to conserve, protect, manage, and restore living marine resources and


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coastal and ocean resources which are critical to public health and the vitality of the
U.S. economy. For the FY 2009 S-K Grant Program announced in this document, we
have attempted to address the most important needs of fishing communities in
terms of these Ecosystem Mission strategies.

The S-K Program is open to applicants from a variety of sectors, including industry,
academia, and state and local governments. We encourage applications that involve
collaboration between industry and the other sectors listed.


       B. Program Priorities

        Aquaculture - Studies which would further the understanding of aquaculture
through enhanced science. Proposals should be directed to all aspects of marine
aquaculture including hatchery and grow-out methods, disease diagnostics and
control, nutrition and socioeconomic effects, predator prevention and control, and
environmental protection and control.

Optimum Utilization of Harvested Resources under Federal or State Management -
Reduce or eliminate factors such as diseases, human health hazards, and quality
problems that limit the utilization of fish and their products in the United States and
abroad. Increase public knowledge of the safe handling and use of fish and their
products. Develop usable products from economic discards (defined in the
Magnuson-Stevens Act as "fish which are the target of a fishery, but which are not
retained because they are of an undesirable size, sex, or quality, or for other economic
reasons") and byproducts of processing. Facilitate industry cooperation and outreach
to promote and enhance marketability of regional U.S. fishery products. Collect data
on population dynamics, life histories, etc., of fish not currently under Federal FMPs,
for the Councils to determine the feasibility of a new federally managed fishery that
could provide additional fishing opportunity.

Fisheries Socioeconomics - Improve the understanding of the socioeconomic aspects
of fisheries to increase the knowledge base for making decisions that affect
commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing. Examples could include, but are not
limited to ethnographic baseline data on specific fishing communities; cost-income
data; analyses of the socioeconomic impacts of specific management measures in
certain fisheries; analyses of factors influencing demand for recreational fishing trips
by anglers; and market analyses to determine factors that influence demand and supply
of specific seafood products, including imports.

Conservation Engineering - Reduce or eliminate adverse interactions between fishing
operations and non-targeted, protected, or prohibited species, including the
inadvertent take, capture, or destruction of such species. These include juvenile or
sublegal-sized fish and shellfish, females of certain crabs, fish listed under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), marine turtles, seabirds, or marine mammals. Improve


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the survivability of fish discarded or intentionally released and of protected species
released in fishing operations. Reduce or eliminate impacts of fishing activity on
essential fish habitat (EFH) that adversely affect the sustainability of the fishery.

Right Whale Gear Entanglement Mitigation Research - Studies which would
effectively reduce the serious injury and mortality of right whales in New England
commercial fixed gear fisheries, through the development of entanglement mitigation
gear.

       C. Program Authority

       Authority for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program is provided under the
Saltonstall-Kennedy Act (S-K Act), as amended (15 U.S.C. 713c-3).




II. Award Information

       A. Funding Availability

         Funding is contingent upon availability of Federal allocations. The S-K
program has sought funding for $5 million in grant awards. We anticipate awarding
20-25 grants of approximately $100,000 to $250,000 each. Applicants are hereby
given notice that funds have not yet been allocated for this program. In no event
will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be responsible for proposal preparation
costs if this program fails to receive funding or is cancelled because of other agency
priorities. Publication of this notice does not obligate NOAA to award any specific
project or to obligate any available funds. You should not initiate your project in
expectation of Federal funding until you receive a grant award document signed by an
authorized NOAA official. If one incurs any costs prior to receiving an award
agreement signed by an authorized NOAA official, one would do so solely at one's
own risk of these costs not being included under the award. Recipients and
subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency policies, regulations and
procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.


       B. Project/Award Period

        We will award grants or cooperative agreements for a maximum period of 24
months. If we select your application for funding and you wish to continue work on
the project beyond the funding period, you must submit another proposal to the
competitive process for consideration, and you will not receive preferential treatment.

Even though we are publishing this announcement, we are not required to award any

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specific grant or cooperative agreement, nor are we required to obligate any part or the
entire amount of funds available.


       C. Type of Funding Instrument

       The exact amount of funds, the scope of work, and terms and conditions of a
successful award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between you and
NOAA/NMFS representatives. The funding instrument (grant or cooperative
agreement) will be determined by NOAA Grants.



III. Eligibility Information

       A. Eligible Applicants

       You are eligible to apply for a grant or a cooperative agreement under the
Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program if:

1. You are a citizen or national of the United States;
2. You are a citizen of the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI), being an individual who
qualifies as such under section 8 of the Schedule on Transitional Matters attached to
the constitution of the NMI;
3. You are a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, or
the Federated States of Micronesia; or
4. You represent an entity that is a corporation, partnership, association, or other
non-Federal entity, non-profit or otherwise (including Indian tribes), if such entity is
a citizen of the United States or NMI, within the meaning of section 2 of the Shipping
Act, 1916, as amended (46 U.S.C. app. 802).

We support cultural and gender diversity in our programs and encourage women and
minority individuals and groups to submit applications. Furthermore, we recognize
the interest of the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior in defining appropriate
fisheries policies and programs that meet the needs of the U.S. insular areas, so we
also encourage applications from individuals, government entities, and businesses in
U.S. insular areas.

We are strongly committed to broadening the participation of Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs), which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities,
Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, in our programs,
including S-K. Therefore, we encourage all applicants to include meaningful
participation of MSIs.

We encourage applications from members of the fishing community, and applications

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that involve fishing community cooperation and participation. We will consider the
extent of fishing community involvement when evaluating the potential benefit of
funding a proposal.

You are not eligible to submit an application under this program if you are an
employee of any Federal agency; a Council; or an employee of a Council. However,
Council members who are not Federal employees can submit an application to the S-K
Program.


       B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

         We are requiring cost sharing in order to leverage the limited funds available
for this program and to encourage partnerships among government, industry, and
academia to address the needs of fishing communities. You must provide a minimum
cost share of 10 percent of total project costs, but your cost share must not exceed 50
percent of total costs.


       C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

       Not applicable.



IV. Application and Submission Information

       A. Address to Request Application Package

       The standard application package is available at http://www.grants.gov. For
applicants without internet access, an application package may be received by
contacting Steve Aguzin, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS (F/MB5); 1315
East-West Highway, Room 13134, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282, Phone:
(301)713-2358, ext. 215, e-Mail: Stephen.Aguzin@noaa.gov.


       B. Content and Form of Application

       You must follow the instructions in this document in order to apply for a grant
or cooperative agreement under the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program. Your
application must be complete and must follow the format described here.


       C. Submission Dates and Times


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        Applications should be submitted electronically through the Federal grants
portal - http://www.grants.gov. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard
copy proposals will be accepted and the date recorded when they are received in the
program office. Both electronic and hard copy applications must be received by the
Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program Office by 5 p.m. EST on October 1, 2008.
Electronic or hard copy submissions received after the deadline will not be considered,
and any hard copy applications received in the program office after the deadline will
be returned. Facsimile transmission and electronic mail (e-mail) submission of
applications will not be accepted.


       D. Intergovernmental Review

         Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs." Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to
complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact
(SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372. To find out about and comply with a
State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of
participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page
at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html.


       E. Funding Restrictions

         The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of
February 11, 2008 (73 FR 7696), are applicable to this solicitation. Funding beyond
the first year will be dependent upon satisfactory performance and the continued
availability of funds.


       F. Other Submission Requirements

        Applications submitted in response to this announcement must be submitted
electronically through the Federal grants portal - http://www.grants.gov.
Electronic access to the full funding announcement for this program is also available
through this Web Site. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard copy
proposals (with original signatures) will be accepted and should be sent to the
attention of: Mr. Steve Aguzin, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS (F/MB5); 1315
East-West Highway, Room 13134; Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.

NOAA employees (whether full-time, part-time, or intermittent) are not allowed to
assist in the preparation of an application or proposal, except that S-K Program staff

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may provide you with information on program goals, funding priorities, application
procedures, and completion of application forms. Because this is a competitive
program, NMFS and NOAA employees will not provide assistance in
conceptualizing, developing, or structuring proposals, or write letters of support for
an application or proposal.

In the event that an application contains information or data that the applicant does
not want disclosed prior to award for purposes other than the evaluation of the
application, the applicant should mark each page containing such information or data
with the words "Privileged, Confidential, Commercial, or Financial Information -
Limited Use" at the top of the page to assist NOAA in making disclosure
determinations. DOC regulations implementing the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) are found at 15 CFR part 4, "Public Information," which sets forth rules for
DOC to make requested materials, information, and records publicly available under
FOIA. The contents of applications may be subject to requests for release under the
FOIA. Based on the information provided by the applicant, the confidentiality of the
content of applications will be maintained to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Applications submitted in response to this announcement smust be submitted
electronically through the Federal grants portal - http://www.grants.gov.
Electronic access to the full funding announcement for this program is also available
through this Web Site. If an applicant does not have internet access, hard copy
proposals (with original signatures) will be accepted and should be sent to the
attention of: Mr. Steve Aguzin, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS (F/MB5); 1315
East-West Highway, Room 13134; Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.




V. Application Review Information

       A. Evaluation Criteria

       1. Technical Evaluation

After the initial screening, NMFS will solicit written technical evaluations from three
or more appropriate private and public sector experts (e.g. industry, academia, or
governmental experts) to determine the technical merit of the proposal and to provide
a rank score of the project based on the criteria described below. These reviewers
will be required to certify that they do not have a conflict of interest concerning the
application(s) they are reviewing and no consensus advice will be given. They will
assign scores up to the maximum point value indicated for each of the following criteria:

a. Importance/relevance and applicability of proposed projects to the program goals.


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This criterion ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or
relevance to NOAA, Federal, regional, state, or local activities. (20 points)

b. Technical/scientific merit. This criterion assesses whether the approach is
technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether
there are clear project goals and objectives. Proposals should provide a clear definition
of the approach to be used, including descriptions of field work, theoretical studies,
and laboratory analysis to support the proposed research. (45 points)

c. Overall qualifications of the project. This criterion assesses whether the
applicant, and team members, possess the necessary education, experience, training,
facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project. Applications that
include consultants and contractors will be reviewed to determine if their
involvement, as the primary applicant, is necessary to the conduct of the project and
the accomplishment of its objectives. (20 points)

d. Project costs. This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it is realistic and
commensurate with the project needs and time frame. Cost effectiveness of the
project is considered. (15 points)

e. Outreach and education. This criterion assesses whether the project provides a
focused and effective education and outreach strategy regarding NOAA's mission to
protect the Nation's natural resources. This criterion is not used by the S-K program.
(No points)

Following the technical review, we will determine the weighted score for each
individual review and average the individual technical review scores to determine the
final technical score for each application. Then, we will rank applications in
descending order by their final technical scores and determine a "cutoff" score that is
based on the amount of funds available for grants. We will eliminate from further
consideration those applications that scored below the cutoff.

2. Constituent Panel(s)

For those applications at or above the cutoff technical evaluation score, we will solicit
individual comments and evaluations from a panel or panels of three or more
representatives selected by the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA.
Panel members will be chosen from the fishing industry, state government,
non-government organizations, and others, as appropriate. We will provide panelists
with a summary of the technical evaluations, and, for applications to continue a
previously funded project, information on progress on the funded work to date.

Each panelist will evaluate the applications in terms of the significance of the problem
or opportunity being addressed, the degree to which the project involves
collaboration with fishing community members and other appropriate collaborators,
proposed means to disseminate project results, and the merits of funding each

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project. Each panelist will provide a rating from 0-4 (poor to excellent) for each
project, and provide comments if they wish. Panelists will not reach consensus on
recommendations or scores. Panel members will be required to certify that they do not
have a conflict of interest and that they will maintain confidentiality of the panel
deliberations.

Following the Constituent Panel meeting, we will average the individual ratings for
each project. We will then develop a ranking of projects based on the individual ranks
within each of the priority areas.


       B. Review and Selection Process

        After projects have been evaluated and ranked, we will use this information,
along with input from the NMFS Regional Administrators (RAs) and Office
Directors (ODs), to develop recommendations for project funding. RAs/ODs will
prepare a written justification for any recommendations for funding that fall outside
the ranking order, or for any cost adjustments.

The AA will review the funding recommendations and comments of the RAs/ODs
and determine the projects to be funded. In making the final selections, the AA may
consider costs, geographical distribution, and duplication with other federally funded
projects. Awards are not necessarily made to the highest ranked applications.

We will notify you in writing whether your application is selected or not. Successful
applications will be incorporated into the award document.

The exact amount of funds, the scope of work, and terms and conditions of a
successful award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between you and
NOAA/NMFS representatives. The funding instrument (grant or cooperative
agreement) will be determined by NOAA Grants. You should not initiate your project
in expectation of Federal funding until you receive a grant award document signed by
an authorized NOAA official.


       C. Selection Factors

       The merit review ratings shall provide a rank order to the Selecting Official for
final funding recommendations. The Selecting Official shall award in the rank order
unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more
of the following factors:


1. Availability of funding


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2. Balance and distribution of funds:


a. By research area
b. By project type
c. By type of institutions
d. By type of partners
e. Geographically


3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by NOAA/federal
agencies.


4. Program priorities (found within Section I. (B) of this Full Announcement Text)
and policy factors (found at http://oam.ocs.doc.gov/GMD_grantsPolicy.html).


5. Applicant's prior award performance.


6. Partnerships with/Participation of targeted groups.


7. Adequacy of information necessary for NOAA staff to make a National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination and draft necessary documentation
before recommendations for funding are made to the NOAA Grants Officer.


       D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

         Subject to the availability of funds, review of proposals will occur during the
fall of 2008, and funding is expected to begin during March of 2009 for most
approved projects. March 1, 2009, is to be used as the earliest proposed start date
on proposals, unless otherwise directed by the NOAA Program Officer.



VI. Award Administration Information




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A. Award Notices

        Successful applicants will receive notification that the application has been
recommended for funding to the NOAA Grants Management Division. This
notification is not an authorization to begin performance of the project. Official
notification of funding, signed by the NOAA grants Officer, is the authorizing
document that allows the project to begin. Notification will be issued to the
Authorizing Official and the PI of the project either electronically or in hard copy.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified that their proposals were not selected for
recommendation.

Successful applicants may be asked to modify objectives, work plans, or budgets
prior to final approval of an award. The exact amount of funds to be awarded, the
final scope of activities, the project duration, and specific NOAA cooperative
involvement with the activities of each project will be determined in pre-award
negotiations among the applicant, the NOAA Grants Office, and NOAA program
staff. Projects should not be initiated in expectation of federal funding until an
official notice of award document is received from the NOAA Grants Office.


       B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

        National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - NOAA must analyze the
potential environmental impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), for applicant projects or proposals which are seeking NOAA federal
funding opportunities. Detailed information on NOAA compliance with NEPA can be
found at the following NOAA NEPA website: http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/, including
our NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 for NEPA,
http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/NAO216_6_TOC.pdf and the Council on Environmental
Quality implementation regulations, http://ceq.eh.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq/toc_ceq.htm.

Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under their description of their
program activities, applicants are required to 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). In addition to providing specific information that will serve as the
basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be requested to assist
NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment, if NOAA determines an
assessment is required. Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in
identifying feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified adverse environmental
impacts of their proposal. The failure to do so shall be grounds for not selecting an
application. In some cases if additional information is required after an application is
selected, funds can be withheld by the Grants Officer under a special award condition


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requiring the recipient to submit additional environmental compliance information
sufficient to enable NOAA to make an assessment on any impacts that a project may
have on the environment.

Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements - The
Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register notice of February 11,
2008 (73 FR 7696) are applicable to this solicitation.

Limitation of Liability - In no event will NOAA or the Department of Commerce be
responsible for proposal preparation costs if these programs fail to receive funding or
are cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of this announcement
does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available
funds. Recipients and sub-recipients are subject to all Federal laws and agency
policies, regulations and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards.

Paperwork Reduction Act - This notification involves collection-of-information
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The use of Standard Forms
424, 424A, 424B, and SFLLL and CD-346 has been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) under control numbers 0348-0043, 0348-0044,
0348-0040, 0348-0046 and 0605-0001. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for
failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the
PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control
number.

Executive Order 12866 - It has been determined that this notice is not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism) - It has been determined that this notice does
not contain policies with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive
Order 13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/Regulatory Flexibility Act - Prior notice and an
opportunity for public comment are not required by the Administrative procedure
Act or any other law for rules concerning public property, loans, grants, benefits, and
contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because notice and opportunity for comments are not
required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a
regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared, and none has been prepared. It
has been determined that this notice does not contain policies with Federalism
implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 13132.


       C. Reporting



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       Recipients will be required to submit the following financial and performance
(technical) reports. These reports shall be submitted electronically through the
Grants Online system, unless the recipient does not have Internet access, in which
case hard copy submissions will be accepted.

Financial Status Reports (SF-269 and SF-272) are required to be submitted to the
Grants Officer semi-annually.

Performance or progress reports are required to be submitted to the NOAA Program
Officer semi-annually. These reports will be due no later than 30 days following the
end of each 6-month period from the start date of an award. The final report is due 90
days after the award expiration.

The format of the final report may vary, but must contain:
1. A brief summary of the completion report (200-word or less abstract);
2. A description of the issue/problem that was addressed;
3. A detailed description of methods of data collection and analyses;
4. A discussion of results and any relevant conclusions presented in a format that is
understandable to a non-technical audience. This should include benefits and/or
contributions to management decision-making;
5. A list of entities, firms, or organizations that actually performed the work, and a
description of how the work was accomplished;
6. Data from research projects must be submitted in electronic format with
appropriate documentation to NMFS as requested.



VII. Agency Contacts

       The point of contact is: Steve Aguzin, S-K Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS
(F/MB5); 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13134; Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282;
or by Phone at (301) 713-2358 ext. 215, or fax at (301) 713-1306, or via e-mail at
Stephen.Aguzin@noaa.gov

VIII. Other Information

        To use http://www.grants.gov, applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the Central
Contractor Registry (CCR). Allow a minimum of five days to complete the CCR
registration. [Note: Your organization's Employer Identification Number (EIN) will be
needed on the application form.] Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait
until the application deadline date to begin the application process through
http://www.grants.gov.




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