


Find answers to frequent questions about the FY2022 Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grants
The deadline for proposals is February 23, 2022.
No. There is no pre-proposal requirement for this funding opportunity.
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program financial assistance awards are subject to statutory and regulatory matching fund policies. Federal funds for any coral conservation project under 16 U.S.C. § 6403(b) may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the award. Therefore, projects funded under this grant opportunity require a 1:1 contribution of non-federal matching funds.
Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education; non-profit organizations; commercial (for-profit) organizations; U.S. territories, and state, local, and Native American tribal governments. All in-water work must be conducted within the U.S. coral jurisdictions. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, tribes, non-governmental organizations, municipal and county governments, and others that are eligible to apply.
No, we do not plan to hold an applicant webinar. Applicants may reach out directly to the federal program officer to have one on one conversations about the application process. Applicants may also request feedback about how to improve an application after the competitive process is complete.
NOAA will accept proposals with a NOAA federal funding request of between $100,000 or and $1 million over a 3-year award period.
September 1, 2022, is the earliest potential start date for awards.
Yes, a complete list is in Section III.C of the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Some examples include activities that:
No. There is no limit on the number of proposals from any one applicant, geographic area, or region.
No, a letter from your state or territory governor is not required. However, applicants who propose in-water pilot testing of coral intervention/restoration methods are requested to provide evidence of project support or collaboration with relevant representatives of states or government authorities who manage the areas where the work takes place.
The NOAA Selecting Official will recommend applications for funding in rank order unless there is justification to select out of rank order based upon standard selection factors outlined in the funding opportunity, including the availability of funding and balanced distribution of funds according to geography, type of institution, type of partner, research/focus area, and project type.
NOAA is not expecting to have a new funding announcement in FY23. Availability of funds for future competitions is based on the annual federal appropriations process and the final budget. Depending on the level of funding made available by Congress, NOAA anticipates an additional $500,000 to $1,500,000 may be available over the next 2 years (FY23 - FY24) to support selected awards.