FY 2025-2029 Reef Research Coordinating Institute Designation and Cooperative Agreements

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) invites applications for the establishment of two Reef Research Coordination Institutes (RRCIs) through cooperative agreements to support the research, restoration, and management of shallow-water coral reef ecosystems within the U.S. states and territories. The two RRCIs will be to be known as the “Atlantic Reef Research Coordination Institute'' and the “Pacific Reef Research Coordination Institute'' and will hold this designation for an initial five (5) year period of performance and may be renewed for up to another five (5) years without competition. Applicants must be previously designated as a Coral Reef Research Center by the CRCP in 2024.

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Eligible applicants are limited to the following institutes of higher education and nonprofits designated as coral reef research centers under the Coral Reef Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. § 6411(b)): American Samoa Community College Arizona State University Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science Caribbean Coral Reef Institute Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico Coral Restoration Foundation Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative Florida Atlantic University Florida Institute of Oceanography at Key Marine Laboratory Florida Institute of Technology Florida International University Hawaii Marine Education Research Center Hawaii Sea Grant Institute of Socio Ecological Research Mote Marine Laboratory National Coral Reef Institute at Nova Southeastern University Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science Plant A Million Corals Foundation The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii and Palmyra The Nature Conservancy, Puerto Rico Program The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy, USVI Coral Innovation Hub University of Florida Sea Grant University of Florida University of Guam Marine Laboratory University of Hawaii at Hilo Department of Marine Science University of Hawaii at Hilo, Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis (MEGA) Lab University of Hawaii Systems University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science University of Puerto Rico, Department of Marine Sciences University of Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus Marine Biology Program University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez University of the Virgin Islands The Pacific Reef Research Coordinating Institute must be located within American Samoa, Guam, or Hawaii. The Atlantic Reef Research Coordinating Institute must be located within Florida, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only one CRRC in each basin will receive a RRCI designation and financial assistance award. In the event that a consortium of CRRCs submits a single application, the designation and award will reside with the submitting CRRC and that CRRC will be solely responsible for the award’s administration. To be eligible to apply or receive an award, applicant organizations must complete and maintain three registrations: SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. For each, the complete registration process can take 4 to 6 weeks. For more information on how to meet these registration and application submission requirements without errors, we advise all to carefully review relevant Applicant and Grantee Training modules: https://www.commerce.gov/ocio/programs/gems/applicant-and-grantee-training. Additionally, we advise that all carefully read ‘Additional Application Package Forms’ within the ‘Full Proposal Required Elements’ section below. NOAA employees are not permitted to assist in the preparation of applications. NOAA CRCP staff are available to provide general information on programmatic goals and objectives, ongoing coral reef conservation programs/activities, and regional funding priorities. For proposals that involve collaboration with current NOAA projects or staff, NOAA employees may provide a limited statement verifying the nature and extent of the collaboration and confirming prior coordination activities. Letters of support from NOAA employees are not allowable and will not be included among the application materials considered by merit reviewers. Federal agencies and employees are not allowed to receive funds under this announcement, but may serve as collaborative project partners. If federal agencies are collaborators, applicants are expected to provide detail on the planned level of federal engagement in the application. Examples may include, but are not limited to, partnership services, serving in a review capacity, or participating in priority task teams, working groups, or leadership teams. DOC/NOAA supports cultural and gender diversity and encourages women and minority individuals and group

For administrative or technical questions regarding this announcement, contact the competition manager: Craig Reid NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Grant Coordinator 1305 East-West Highway, SSMC4, 10th floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone 202-240-7382‬, or email . Applicants with questions about the All Islands Committee Executive Director position may contact Craig Reid, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Grant Coordinator . Applicants with questions about the Susan L. Williams Coral Reef Management Fellowship program may contact the NOAA National Coral Reef Fellowship Coordinator, John Tomczuk .