National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2025 | NOAA NOS OCM 2025 29258

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2025 29258

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2025 is a NOAA funding opportunity designed to help existing National Estuarine Research Reserves protect important estuarine lands and waters and build or improve the facilities needed to support long-term research, monitoring, education, and stewardship. NERRS is a nationwide network of protected estuarine sites across the United States and its territories, and each reserve is selected to represent a distinct biogeographic region and a range of ecosystem types under the national classification framework described in 15 C.F.R. Part 921. By investing in strategic land acquisition and high-quality construction projects, NOAA aims to strengthen the long-term conservation value of these reserves while also improving their capacity to host scientific work, public education, and interpretation that depend on healthy, functioning estuarine ecosystems.

The program supports projects that expand reserve boundaries through carefully planned land acquisition and that develop, enhance, or modernize reserve infrastructure. This includes construction or renovation of facilities and exhibits, as well as improvements to in-situ monitoring infrastructure that directly supports reserve research and monitoring goals. The underlying rationale is that reserves are working landscapes for science and learning, not only conservation areas. They protect habitat for ecologically and commercially important species such as fish, shellfish, and birds, and they also sustain broader ecological, economic, recreational, and aesthetic benefits that rely on intact estuarine systems. As reserves grow or face new program demands, they may need additional protected acreage, upgraded laboratories or education centers, or better field monitoring systems to keep pace with long-term datasets and community engagement needs.

For FY 2025, NOAA anticipates making roughly $8.5 million available through this discretionary grant program (Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA NOS OCM 2025 29258; CFDA: 11.420). NOAA expects to fund approximately 5 to 20 total projects spanning construction, acquisition, and/or planning and design activities, depending on final appropriations and successful negotiations. The award ceiling is listed as $1,700,000 per award. Project periods are generally expected to run 12 to 36 months, with the option for longer timelines up to 60 months when justified by the project scope. As with most federal opportunities, final selections depend on funding availability and final award terms negotiated with NOAA.

Eligibility is limited to designated NERRS lead state agencies or universities that already receive NERRS operations funding through a Memorandum of Understanding with NOAA, located in eligible coastal states and territories. This includes areas across the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic Coast, and Great Lakes regions. Applicants are expected to meet the regulatory requirements for reserves described at 15 C.F.R. 921.32. Federal agencies and federal employees cannot receive funds under this announcement, but they are allowed to participate as project partners or collaborators. Importantly, federal in-kind services cannot be counted toward any required non-federal match or shared-cost contribution. If a proposal includes federal collaborators, the application is expected to clearly describe what those federal partners will do, such as serving in a review role or participating on task teams, working groups, or project leadership teams.

NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management also signals an expectation that applicants think intentionally about diversity and inclusion in both proposal development and project implementation. In this context, diversity is framed as the range of attributes and perspectives that help organizations meet their objectives, and inclusion is framed as building a culture where people are meaningfully connected to the organization and its work. NOAA’s stated view is that stronger diversity and inclusion practices support creativity, productivity, and the overall health of the research and climate-related communities that interact with OCM and the NERRS network.

Key administrative details include that the funding instrument is a grant, the opportunity category is discretionary, it is administered under the Department of Commerce through NOAA (NOS/OCM), and the original closing date is February 7, 2025 (with the opportunity created November 21, 2024).

• The DOC NOAA - ERA Production in the natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Land Acquisition and Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.420.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,700,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2025 29258

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