Grants.gov

*** Due to Government funds availability, Letters of Intent and/or Proposals are currently NOT being accepted. Should funds become available, the FOA will be updated to accept Letter of Intent and/or Proposals. If you have questions, please contacted by the Grants and Agreements Officer or Contracting Specialists.***The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is seeking innovative applications for Future Scholars under Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workforce Development Programs. AFRL intends to award multiple grants and cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds.This is a five year open Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) accepting proposals from the date of publication for award of grants and cooperative agreements, subject to the availability of funds. Once the FOA has reached the five year period and/or funds are no longer available, the announcement will be modified to reflect the announcement as closed. This FOA will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure awards are pertinent to the Government’s needs and ceiling values.Proposals may be submitted any time from the FOA issue date, until the final submission deadline for proposals and will be evaluated as they are received. Prior to submitting a proposal, Recipients are required to submit a Letter of Intent to the Points of Contact (POCs) listed in Section VII - Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s).This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. This announcement encourages programs or projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and teachers, and prepare the 21st century STEM workforce. AFRL’s Workforce Development programs or projects include, but are not limited to:Internships (High School through Doctoral)Fellowship Apprentice/Residency ProgramsCollege or University project-based learning programsFormal or informal workforce development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and DOD STEM MissionBefore submitting an application, Recipients are highly encouraged to read the Federal STEM Education Strategy and the DoD STEM’s Mission.AFRL anticipates a total of $50,000,000.00 of Federal funding for multiple awards under this FOA. Proposed efforts may range in size, complexity and periods of performance. The Government reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to the FOA. Using the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2192, AFRL will select proposed efforts that meet the anticipated FOA’s Funding Opportunity Description and clearly address the goals and objectives as stated in the FOA.Questions concerning this FOA may be emailed to:Sara Telano, Contracting Officer, sara.telano@us.af.milLauren Rice, Contracting Specialist, lauren.rice.3@us.af.milEmail Subject: FOA-20-AFRL/RVKE-0001 QuestionsPlease note, Questions and Answers related to this FOA have been posted and are available for review in Grants.gov.Recipients are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number (including the plus 4 extension, if applicable) at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.Register in Grants.gov to receive automatic updates when Amendments to a FOA are posted. Please note that applications will ONLY be accepted through Grants.gov. http://www.grants.gov/.Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov/. To be eligible for an award, the Recipient must (1) be registered in the SAM before submitting its application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.Recipients who are not registered with SAM.gov and/or Grants.gov should allow sufficient time to complete these requirements. It is suggested that the process be started as soon as possible. Questions relating to the registration process, system requirements, how an application form works, or the submital process must be directed to Grants.gov at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Questions relating to the SAM registration process must be directed to Federal Service Desk Contact Information at 1-866-606-8220 or at www.fsd.gov. AFRL representatives cannot answer Grants.gov or SAM registration questions.Recipients wishing to receive additional information on this FOA, including future amendments, should register in Grant.gov as soon as possible. Recipients will only receive an email when an amendment is posted on Grants.gov, if the Recipient is register for email notifications for the FOA in Grants.gov. The Government recommends email registration as soon as possible after the release of the FOA to ensure notice of any amendments or other FOA information.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving a broad range of proposals for augmenting existing and/or developing innovative solutions that directly maintain, and/or cultivate a diverse, world-class Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce to maintain the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ technological superiority. The goal of proposed efforts must provide solutions that establish, build, and/or maintain STEM educational pathways of U.S. citizens directly relevant to the needs of Department of Navy’s (DON) current and future workforce. As the capacity of the DON Science and Technology (S&T) workforce is interconnected with the STEM education system, DON recognizes the need to support efforts that can jointly improve STEM student outcomes and align educational and outreach efforts with Naval S&T current and future workforce needs. This announcement explicitly encourages programs that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students of all ages and the naval related workforce. Programs must aim to increase engagement in naval relevant STEM, and enhance the corresponding skills, knowledge, and abilities of participants. ONR encourages applicants to utilize current STEM educational research for informing program design and advancing STEM careers and opportunities of naval relevance.

The Everglade snail kite is a federally listed endangered species. The principal threat to the snail kite is the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of wetlands in central and southern Florida resulting from urbanized and agricultural development and alterations to wetland hydrology through ditching, impoundment, and water level management. The Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Project, which was originally designed and constructed to serve flood control and water supply purposes, has disrupted the volume, timing, direction, and velocity of freshwater flow and has resulted in habitat loss and degradation in the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) and other portions of the historic Everglades. Drainage of Florida’s interior wetlands has reduced the extent and quality of habitat for both the apple snail and the snail kite. The fragmentation or loss of wetland habitat significantly limits the snail kites’ ability to be resilient to disturbance events such as various climatic events. As wetland habitats become more fragmented, either through destruction or as the result of hydrologic management, their dispersal distances become greater, putting increased stress on dispersing kites that may not be able to replenish energy supplies. This agreement represents an opportunity to enter into a cooperative agreement for monitoring juvenile snail kite movement and survival patterns on Lake Okeechobee. Monitoring will focus on Lake Okeechobee, because this is a critical wetland habitat for snail kites and helps link populations in the Kissimmee Chain-of-Lakes to the population in the Everglades. The purpose of this research is to understand how current water management operational plans for lake stage and releases at structures and resulting changes in hydrology affect snail kite reproductive success, survival, demography, and population. This project is being conducted to meet a requirement of a Biological Opinion (BO) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in association with the current regulation schedule for Lake Okeechobee (e.g. 2008 LORS and the anticipated Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM)) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Monitoring and reporting requirements of the BO identify the need to tag up to twenty near fledgling aged snail kites (i.e., 24 days old) with the best proven tags (radio, satellite, or cell) and monitor for up to five months, depending on survival. This period coincides with the lowest survival rates for fledglings as they learn to forage for themselves and begin moving beyond their nest area. Tagging is to commence during the spring recession season. The mechanism for water management effects on juvenile snail kite survival is primarily related to foraging habitat and food availability (but can also include increased predation). For example, rapidly receding water levels or low lake levels in general that occur during the first months of a juvenile fledging the nest can affect food availability through reductions in foraging habitat. These effects may be detectable through fledgling movement patterns or decreased survival if a large enough database is established for comparison. This project will play a critical role in building the knowledge base on juvenile movement and survival patterns under a variety of conditions.