Frequent Questions: Prescott Grant Program

Eligibility Questions

What is a Prescott Letter of Eligibility?

All applicants must submit a Prescott Letter of Eligibility with the application in order to be considered for an award. The Prescott Letter of Eligibility states that you and/or your organization are either a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network participant in good standing, or collaborating with a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network member.  In addition, the Letter of Eligibility must state whether you are a new applicant who has never had a Prescott application accepted and reviewed during the technical review process of a previous Prescott competition.

Applicants with stranding operations, entanglement, training, and outreach proposals may request a letter from their NOAA Fisheries Regional Stranding Coordinator.

Applicants with research, service, and diagnostic laboratory proposals should request a letter from the Prescott Grant Program Manager. In addition, when requesting a Prescott Letter of Eligibility, service organizations should submit examples of their capabilities, services proposed, and their turn-around time (if applicable).

Am I eligible to apply for Prescott Grant funding?

All eligible applicants must currently be active, authorized participants or researchers in the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Applicants must also be one of the following: 

1. Stranding Agreement holders or their designee organizations recognized by the applicable NOAA Fisheries region 
2. Co-Investigators (CI) authorized to conduct marine mammal entanglement response under the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program’s Marine Mammal Protection Act/Endangered Species Act scientific research and enhancement permit 
3. Holders of researcher authorization letters issued by a NOAA Fisheries regional administrator and/or an MMPA and/or Endangered Species Act scientific research or enhancement permit (when applicable), including co-investigator authorization
4. Eligible federal, state, or local government personnel or tribal personnel—pursuant to Section 109(h) of the MMPA, 16 U.S.C. 1379(h) 
5. Diagnostic or service organizations performing services for the stranding network. 

Employees of federal agencies in the United States are not eligible to apply for or receive a Prescott award. 

What if I am a new applicant?

New stranding or entanglement response applicants should contact their NOAA Fisheries Regional Stranding Coordinator to get additional guidance and answer any questions they may have. New research, service and diagnostic laboratory applicants should contact the Prescott Grant Program Manager to get additional guidance and answer any questions they may have.

What if I am not a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network member, government agency, or Tribe?

Individuals or groups that are not currently authorized as a Stranding Network member, government agency (federal, state, local), or Tribe should plan to collaborate with a current Stranding Network member. For more information on current members of the Stranding Network, see our Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Mammal page. For workshops/training or outreach proposals, the applicant does not need to be a Stranding or Entanglement Response Network participant, but must provide a letter of collaboration from one or more participants in good standing who will work with them on the proposed activities.

What if I am a Stranding Agreement holder participant or Stranding Agreement designee participant?

Stranding Agreement participants must hold an active Stranding Agreement for marine mammal stranding response and/or rehabilitation from a NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator or Assistant Administrator. 

Stranding Agreement designee participants must hold an active letter of designation from an NOAA Fisheries Stranding Agreement holder authorized by NOAA Fisheries. Designees cannot request authorization for activities beyond the scope of what is authorized by the Stranding Agreement to the agreement holder.

What if I am an authorized member of the Entanglement Response Network and hold a co-investigator letter from the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program?

Co-Investigators authorized to conduct marine mammal entanglement response under the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program’s MMPA/ESA scientific research and enhancement permit are eligible to apply.

What if I am a local, state, federal government employee or Tribal participant?

Local, state, federal, and Tribal government officials or employees may apply pursuant to Section 109(h) of the MMPA, 16 U.S.C. 1379(h). They are also required to fulfill semi-annual reporting obligations as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

What if I am a lab that provides diagnostic or other services to the Stranding and Entanglement Response Networks?

Diagnostic laboratories that perform analyses for Stranding Network members are eligible to apply and do not need authorization from NOAA Fisheries to receive and possess diagnostic samples or specimens from stranded marine mammals. Organizations working with carcasses or live stranded animals in coordination with a Stranding Network member should check with the Prescott Grant Program Manager to see if they require additional authorization depending upon the service. 

All diagnostic and service laboratories must provide a Letter of Eligibility from the Prescott Grant Program Manager. When requesting a Prescott Letter of Eligibility, service organizations should submit examples of their capabilities, services proposed, and their turn-around time (if applicable) to the Prescott Grant Program Manager.

The following applies for diagnostic laboratory proposals:

• For diagnostic specimens from a dead animal - A "diagnostic specimen" from a marine mammal carcass is a biological substance or other physical evidence, part, or sample (including blood and its components, bone, hair, tissue, and tissue fluids, etc.). It must be obtained from a dead animal for the sole purpose of identifying, determining, or attempting to determine, the cause or manner of death, injury, or disease for that individual animal.
• For diagnostic specimens from a live animal - A "diagnostic specimen" from a live marine mammal is a biological substance or other physical evidence, part, or sample (including blood and its components, bone, hair, tissue, tissue fluids, etc.). It must be obtained during a medical examination for the sole purpose of identifying, determining, or attempting to determine the presence or absence of an illness, injury, or causative agent affecting the health of that individual animal for the purpose of determining a course of medical treatment or the development of a prognosis for survival of that individual animal.

What if I am a researcher who conducts research on marine mammal parts or samples obtained from the Stranding and Entanglement Response Network?

Researchers may apply and must hold an active authorization letter for the proposed award period from the appropriate NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator or Assistant Administrator to salvage stranded marine mammal specimens, parts, and samples for the purpose of utilization in scientific research. 

Researchers who are authorized under a MMPA/ESA scientific research or enhancement permit that does not allow for research on parts taken from stranded/entangled animals must modify their permit or obtain an authorization letter from the Regional Stranding Coordinator in order to use parts or specimens from stranded animals. Researcher participants that would not require an authorization letter from the NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator (i.e. they will be working with data only and not possessing samples or specimens) must still provide a Prescott Letter of Eligibility from the Prescot Grant Manager.

For proposals requiring stranded animal sample collection, researchers must also include stranding network partners who are in good standing, as collaborators on their proposal. You may confirm the network partner is in good standing by contacting the Prescott Grant Manager.  In your application, please remember to include a letter of collaboration from the network partner, which confirms their participation. The Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal website provides a list of authorized stranding responders for each region.

Organizations without an existing Stranding Agreement that are receiving parts from the Stranding Network to perform analyses that are not diagnostic analyses must have a valid transfer authorization letter issued by the applicable NOAA Fisheries Region. Organizations working with carcasses or live stranded animals in coordination with a Stranding Network member should check with the Prescott Grant Program Manager to see if they require additional authorization depending upon the research or service. 

The following definition applies for research specimens:

Research specimen—A biological substance or other physical evidence, part, or sample (including blood and its components, bone, hair, tissue, and tissue fluids, etc.). It must be obtained in a manner consistent with a systematic sampling protocol, by collection, or transfer for comparison with other similar specimens. It must also aid in a scientific research investigation to discover or revise facts or theories that may be related to, but not limited to, epidemiology, genetics, population health, life history, trends in health, etc. Residual diagnostic specimens may be used for research as described above and considered a "research specimen" only by facilities or individuals approved pursuant to 50 C.F.R. 216.22 and/or 50 C.F.R. 216.37.

What if my organization is a federal agency?

Federal employees are not eligible to apply to receive Federal assistance under this notice. For activities involving collaboration with current government programs, federal employees can write a letter verifying that they are collaborating with the project.

What are the criteria for “in good standing”?

All eligible applicants must meet the following "in good standing" criteria:

a) If the applicant is a designated Principal Investigator on an Marine Mammal Protection Act and/or Endangered Species Act scientific research or enhancement permit or a Co-Investigator on the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program's MMPA/ESA scientific research and enhancement permit (permit no. 24359), the applicant must have fulfilled all permit requirements. The applicant must not have any pending or outstanding enforcement actions under the MMPA or ESA.

b) The applicant must have complied with the terms and responsibilities of the appropriate Stranding Agreement, MMPA Section 109(h) authorization, Co-Investigator letter, or researcher authorization letter. This authorization includes, but is not limited to: 

• Completion of all reporting requirements (e.g., Level A data, annual permit reporting). 
• Cooperation with state, local, tribal, and federal officials.
• Cooperation with tribal, state and local officials in the disposition of stranded marine mammals.
• Cooperation with stranding network participants.

c) The applicant must have cooperated in a timely manner with NOAA Fisheries in collecting and submitting Level B and Level C data and samples when requested.

d) The applicant must not have any current enforcement investigations for the take of marine mammals contrary to MMPA or ESA regulations.

e) The applicant must not have any pending NOAA Fisheries notice of violation(s) regarding the policies governing the goals and operations of the Stranding Network and Stranding Agreement, if applicable (e.g., probation, suspension, or termination).

Proposal Questions

How early can I submit my Prescott Grant proposal? If I submit my proposal early, can you review it to ensure that I have provided all the information required? 

You can submit your Prescott Grant proposal any time after the federal funding opportunity has been published on Grants.gov. We cannot guarantee a review before the deadline date; therefore, you should ensure that your proposal meets all the federal funding opportunity requirements. 

How many proposals can I submit? How many awards can I receive?

There is no limit on the number of proposals (single or multi-year) that can be submitted by the same Stranding or Entanglement Response Network, local/state agencies/tribal governments, service lab or researcher participant during the FY 2025 competitive grant cycle. However, Stranding or Entanglement Response Network state, or tribe participants will receive no more than two awards (any combination of single or multi year) per year as part of the competitive program. All proposals submitted by the same applicant must be for completely independent projects that are clearly separate in their objectives, goals, and budget requests and must be successful in the competitive review process.

Service labs or researchers providing services or conducting research that are not independently authorized under Sections 112(c) or 109(h) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1382(c) and 1379(h), respectively, can only receive one award per year as part of the competitive grant cycle.

If a multi-year proposal is awarded, the primary collaborating entities may not apply for another Prescott grant in the first year of their project.

Can I submit a similar proposal to last year's awarded proposal as long as it doesn't overlap with the award period of the existing award? 

If the pre-existing award was a 1-year award, then a similar proposal can be submitted the following year.

Recipients of multi-year awards may not apply for another Prescott grant in the first year of their project (e.g., if multi-year award funds are received from the FY 2025 competition you could not apply for the FY 2026 competition, but could apply in the FY 2027 competition).

How are funds equitably distributed among the NOAA Fisheries regions?

Funds will be equitably distributed among regions based on the program review panel’s recommendations. The program review panel—consisting of at least three national and regional Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program staff consulting with the Marine Mammal Commission, if possible—will evaluate technical review comments and scores, application materials, stranding statistics by region, stranding network effort or coverage per region, and previous Prescott award performance (if applicable). Equitable distribution will be determined using the best available data on average annual strandings and mortalities, sizes of marine mammal populations within each region, and unusual mortality events.

Permit Questions

Do I need an additional permit for activities directly related to a stranded, individual animal’s health assessment, standard diagnostics, treatment, approved post-release monitoring, or release? 

These activities are separately authorized by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Stranding Agreement for Stranding Network participants and do not require an additional permit. 

Do I need Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval?

As required by the Animal Welfare Act, if the proposed activities fall under the jurisdiction of a facility’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the applicant must have requested or obtained approval from their IACUC prior to applying for funding.

What if the proposed project involves invasive activities or goes beyond standard stranding response and rehabilitation or entanglement response activities?

If the proposed data collection may involve intrusive research or if animals may be held after rehabilitation has been completed (prevented from release), the applicant may need to be issued a Marine Mammal Protection Act (and Endangered Species Act, if applicable) scientific research and enhancement permit prior to award funding. A permit is not required as part of the application, but given the timelines usually involved in processing these types of permits, submitting a permit application before submitting a Prescott Grant application is highly encouraged.

What if the proposed project is in a protected area?

If activities are proposed within National Marine Sanctuaries, National Parks, National Seashores, State Parks, and other Federal or state-designated protected areas, the applicant must request and obtain all necessary authorizations to conduct the proposed activity, prior to the award being issued.  A permit is not required as part of the application, but given the application timelines usually involved in processing these types of permits, submitting a permit application before submitting a Prescott Grant application is highly encouraged. For further information on permit requirements and application procedures for Federal natural resource permits, contact the Prescott Grant Program Manager. 

How do I apply for a research permit?

If you may need a research permit contact the Prescott Grant Program Manager. You may apply through the NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Permit Program.

Budget Questions

What is the maximum amount of federal funds that can be awarded for any one Prescott grant? How much must the applicant include in matching funds?

The maximum award amount for a 1-year award (12-month period)  is $150,000. However, most awards issued are less than the maximum amount. 

Multi-year awards are for two years, and may be considered for a maximum total award amount of up to $200,000, with no more than $100,000 in incremental funding provided for each of two, consecutive, 12-month periods.

To reduce calculation errors when determining the match, we recommend using the Prescott Grant Cost-Share Calculator. The match amount must be a whole number, so please round up. 

Below is a manual calculation example for a federal award of $125,000: 

• Federal = $125,000 (75% of Total = 0.75 x $166,667 = $125,000)

• Match = $41,667 (25% of Total = 0.25 x $166,667 = $41,667)

• Total = $166,667 

The match may be > 25% of the total budget. However, please keep in mind if awarded the match amount is binding and must be fulfilled.

The match requirement does not apply to the U.S. insular areas (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).

What costs are allowed as part of the non-federal match?

By definition, all contributions are cash because they represent direct costs to the applicant. "In-kind" contributions are non-cash contributions from third parties (i.e., anyone other than the applicant). Non-federal contributions toward the match, including cash and third-party in-kind, are acceptable when such contributions are:

• Verifiable from the applicant's records (e.g., a log of volunteer hours, copies of donation receipts).
• Not included as non-federal matching contributions for any other federally-assisted project or program (including other Prescott awards).
• Necessary and reasonable for accomplishing project objectives.
• Allowable under the federal grants administrative requirements and federal cost principles. For further explanation of the federal grants requirements and cost principles, please refer to 2 C.F.R. § 200.306.
• Not paid by the federal government under another award, except where authorized.

• Provided in the approved budget.

   

Volunteer services furnished by professional and technical personnel, consultants, and other skilled and unskilled labor may be counted as non-federal match if the service is an integral and necessary part of an approved project. Rates for volunteer services shall be consistent with those paid for similar work in the recipient's organization (documentation of consistent salaries is helpful and may be necessary).

What types of "construction costs" can be included in a Prescott Grant proposal?

For the Prescott Grant Program, allowable costs for construction include build-outs, alterations, upgrades, and renovations to facilities. If construction costs are included, the proposal must allow the program office to determine whether the proposed costs are allowable, reasonable, and necessary. This includes any contractual arrangements that will be used to fulfill all or part of the construction work.

What are indirect costs?

Indirect costs are overhead costs for the basic operational functions of a facility, organization, or business (e.g., lights, rent, water, and insurance). Indirect costs may be included in the budget. Applicants proposing to use an approved negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) must submit a copy of the signed NICRA with the application package. Applicants that have not previously established an indirect cost rate with a federal agency may choose to use the de minimis indirect cost rate of 15 percent of modified total direct costs (as allowable under 2 C.F.R. §200.414). If an applicant has not previously established an indirect cost rate with a federal agency, the applicant may choose to negotiate a rate with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The negotiation and approval of a rate are subject to the procedures required by NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce Standard Terms and Conditions, Section B.06.

What are modified total direct costs?

Modified total direct costs means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $50,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). 

These costs exclude equipment, capital expenditures charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $50,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs.

What is a cognizant agency for indirect costs?

The cognizant agency for non-profit organizations is determined by calculating which federal agency provides the most direct federal grant funding. Once established, a change of cognizant agency will not be addressed unless there is a major long-term shift in the dollar volume of federal awards to the organization. 

How can I get a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement if NOAA is my cognizant agency?

The negotiation process is very detailed and can easily take 3–6 months. NOAA will review the indirect cost proposals submitted by grantee organizations and, based on these reviews, will negotiate appropriate indirect cost rates with the organizations. If additional information or an audit is deemed necessary, NOAA or an auditor working for the agency will notify the organization of the specific requirements necessary to complete the review of the grantee’s submission.

The results of each negotiation will be formalized by an indirect cost rate agreement signed by the appropriate NOAA official and an authorized representative of the grantee organization. Each rate agreement will include the following provisions:

• The agreed upon rate(s) and information directly related to the use of the rate(s) (e.g., type of rate, effective period, direct cost base, etc.)

• The treatment of fringe benefits as either direct or indirect costs

• General terms and conditions of the agreement

• Special terms and conditions of the agreement (if any)*

• Additional information (if necessary) that may be needed by the users of the agreement (e.g., the direct charging of a type of cost that is normally treated as indirect by other grantees)*

* This information will normally be included in the "Special Remarks" subsection of the agreement.

Please talk to your Federal Program Officer for more information if you would like to negotiate an indirect cost rate with NOAA. Indirect cost rate proposals can be sent via e-mail or mail to: Jennifer Jackson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring MD 20910, or jennifer.jackson@noaa.gov.

How are equipment and supplies defined?

Equipment is defined as an article of tangible personal property that has a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-Federal entity for financial statement purposes, or $10,000. While supplies have a per-unit cost which is less than $10,000.

The applicant must provide justification for the use of each item and relate them to specific program objectives. Provide both the annual (for multi-year awards) and total for equipment. A recipient organization may classify equipment at a lower dollar value, but cannot classify it higher than $10,000. For example, a state may classify their equipment at $1,000 with a useful life of a year.

It is recommended that internal policies for equipment are provided in this section in order to avoid requests by NOAA for closeout documents and delays during the closeout period.

Provide objective-related justification for all equipment items after the detailed budget. The source for determining the budget price for each unit of equipment should be included in the justification.

Form and Document Questions

Are there examples of the information that I need to submit as part of my grant application?

Yes, examples are provided here:

• Standard Form 424-A (Budget Information: Non-Construction Project) (PDF, 3 pages)
• Project Title Page (PDF, 1 page)
• Budget Table (PDF, 1 page)
• Organizational Summary (PDF, 1 page)
• Pre-Submission Checklist

On Standard Form 424, is the application still considered "new" if it is continuing activities from a previous Prescott award?

All Prescott awards are considered "new," even if the project continues previously funded work.

On Standard Form 424, do the project start and end dates have to be exactly 1 calendar year (12 months) and fall on certain days of the month?

You should select a start date no earlier than August 1. The start date must be on the first day of the month and the end date must be the last day of the month. For example, a 1-year proposal period could be from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026. Similarly, a 2-year proposal period could be from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2027.