Strengthening the Public’s and/or K-12 Students’ Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience toExtreme Weather Events and Environmental Changes

of the ocean, modifications of growing seasons, changes in storm frequency and intensity, alterations in species ranges and migration patterns, earlier snowmelt, increased drought, and altered river flow volumes (NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan, 2010; The Third National Climate Assessment, 2014). Communities must increase their resilience now and build a long-term foundation for resilience in the future. Projects should build the environmental literacy necessary for community resilience by focusing on geographic awareness and an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community’s location. In order for communities to become more resilient, their members must have the ability to reason about the ways that human and natural systems function and interact; to understand the scientific process and uncertainty; to reason about the ways that people and places are connected to each other across time and space; and to weigh the potential impacts of their decisions systematically. Projects will be based on the latest science about the threats and vulnerabilities facing communities and consider socio-economic and ecological factors. NOAA will consider funding a wide range of project types, but all projects must actively engage participants in learning about and addressing real-world issues. Projects must utilize NOAA’s vast scientific data, data access tools, data visualizations, and/or other physical and intellectual assets available on these topics. In order to facilitate the use of NOAA’s assets, projects are strongly encouraged to involve partnerships with relevant NOAA entities (offices, programs, etc.) and/or NOAA employees and affiliates. NOAA's education website (www.education.noaa.gov) and an additional list of relevant assets (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/NOAA_assets.html) provide links to NOAA datasets, potential NOAA partners, and other resources connected with many of these topics. 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. Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to institutions of higher education; other nonprofits, including informal 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. Eligible applicants may submit an individual application or submit as part of a collaborative team of two or more eligible institutions. Proposed projects must be between 2 and 5 years in duration and have total federal requests of $250,000 to $500,000 for all years of the project. It is anticipated that awards funded under this announcement this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2015 and that the projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2015. Note: Links to this announcement and other helpful information for applying are available at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/grants/elg.html#page=funding.