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Guía de la Solicitud de Subsidio (Español) - Guia de Solicitação (Português)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Division of Bird Habitat Conservation (DBHC) is responsible for managing the NMBCA grants program and administers all grants. Applicants submit project proposals to the DBHC during the program’s one funding cycle per year, and the proposals are reviewed for eligibility. A panel of FWS staff and outside experts reviews eligible project proposals and makes recommendations for funding to the FWS Director. The Director approves the projects for funding.
All organizations applying for a grant must follow the instructions given here. In addition, applicants should review the following guidelines before writing a proposal.
Important: Read these instructions carefully before submitting a proposal and use the format provided at the bottom of this page. Proposals that do not follow the instructions and format requirements are ineligible. Before contacting us with questions, please read the answers to common questions on this page and on the FAQ.
Who may apply?
- An individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, or other private entity;
- An officer, employee, agent, department, or instrumentality of the Federal Government, state, municipality, or political subdivision of a state, or of any foreign government;
- A state, municipality, or political subdivision of a state;
- Any other entity subject to the jurisdiction of the United States or of any foreign country; or
- An international organization.
Where may a project be located?
In the United States, Canada, or in any country or territory in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What kinds of projects are eligible?
- Protection and management of neotropical migratory bird populations;
- Maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of neotropical migratory bird habitat;
- Research and monitoring;
- Law enforcement; and
- Community outreach and education.
However, note that: 1) Proposals for habitat conservation located in wetlands in the United States and Canada should be directed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. See http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm. 2) Proposals involving NAWCA priority wetlands in Mexico should be submitted to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. See http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm. (Priority wetlands are described in the Application Instructions at http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/Standard/Mexico/instructionsSPA.shtm.)
Can project funds be used for environmental mitigation?
While eligible, a proposal for such work would likely be considered lower priority, unless there are broad benefits from the work. For example, research on avian mortality at communication towers can be applied to tower design in a wider region.
What is the duration of a project?
Projects may be up to two years in duration.
What is a neotropical migratory bird?
For the purposes of this program, a neotropical migratory bird is one that breeds in or migrates through the United States, at least to some extent, and spends the non-breeding season in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and/or South America. Birds from all taxa are included, so that proposals may benefit land birds, waterbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and others. Click here for a list of these birds.
What are the match requirements?
Federal funds (i.e., fund from the U.S. government) requested under the Act must be matched 3:1 by non-Federal funds. That is, for every Federal dollar, three non-Federal dollars are required. Match contributions must not have been used previously to match a U.S. Federal project!
- For projects in the United States and Canada, the non-Federal share must be in cash.
- For projects in Latin America and the Caribbean including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the non-Federal share may be cash or in-kind contributions.
Cash means the recipient's cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the recipient by third parties, to be expended after the date the proposal is submitted. Eligible in-kind contributions may have been expended up to two years prior to the date the proposal is submitted, however, contributions made after the proposal is submitted are preferred. Match contributions must be directly related to the proposed project and the types of activities eligible under the Act.
How much can I apply for?
The maximum award for 2009 will be US$250,000. The average award has been about US$96,000, with a range of US$9,000 to US$250,000. Requests under US$15,000 are discouraged; please contact us if you are planning such a proposal.
In what languages may I submit proposals?
English, Spanish, and Portuguese. However, all proposals must have an English summary.
May I send a pre-proposal?
Yes, applicants are encouraged, but not required, to send a pre-proposal (no more than 1 page in length) to the email address shown below for review prior to the deadline.
When is the deadline?
Project proposals must be sent no later than November 13, 2008.
Is there a specific proposal format?
Yes. Follow the document format shown below, “2009 NMBCA PROPOSAL FORMAT”. Do not send printed materials; submit a digital file in Microsoft Word. Do not include photos within the document. Do not send a file larger than 5 MB. The proposal must be no longer than 10 pages, including maps and the budget.
Where do I send the proposal?
We strongly recommend that you submit your proposal as an electronic mail attachment to neotropical@fws.gov. If that is not possible, send it on a computer disk (CD) to the address on the Contact page. Receipt of your proposal will be acknowledged by email.
What criteria will be used in selecting projects? (These are not in order of importance, nor are they of equal weight.)
- Is the project located in important breeding and non-breeding areas for neotropical migrants? Example: A Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network International Site.
- Does the project address neotropical migrants identified as a conservation priority by a government agency or conservation initiative? Example: Birds of Conservation Concern 2002 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
- Are natural resources in the project area under threat? Example: Timber is being harvested in an unsustainable manner in the project area, reducing its value to neotropical migrants.
- What is the conservation value of the project to neotropical migrants? When the project is completed, how will the birds benefit? More competitive proposals usually focus on on-the-ground activities. Example: Residents of communities near neotropical migrants' habitats are informed about the value of the birds, and take actions to conserve them.
- How will conservation activities continue after the project has been completed? Example: After land acquisition, neotropical migrant habitat will be managed for conservation as part of a private reserve network.
- Is the project coordinated with an international bird conservation plan? Example: Partners in Flight.
- Does the proposal represent a partnership or is it coordinated among public, private and/or other organizations? Example: Prairie Pothole Joint Venture.
- Is the proposal well written, with clear objectives? Does it follow the correct format?
- Is the budget accurate, with reasonable requests for overhead and personnel? Does the project provide good benefits for the costs? Example: The budget clearly lays out budget items and costs in enough detail and with enough explanation/justification to determine what actions are being taken to achieve the project goals and that they are reasonably priced.
- Does the project satisfy other important national or local objectives, in addition to neotropical migratory bird conservation? Example: biodiversity conservation.
Who selects the projects for funding?
The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When will funding be available?
Projects will likely be approved by May 2009, and funds for these projects should be available by June 2009.
What reporting requirements are there?
At a minimum, each grant recipient is required to submit annual and final reports, including annual and final financial reports, that describe in detail the success of meeting objectives as stated in the proposal and that explain any differences between the proposed activities and the actual achievements. Additional requirements may apply to specific projects.
Whom do I contact for further information?
Contact information is available on the Contacts page.
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2009 NMBCA PROPOSAL FORMAT
- Cover Page (1 page maximum; provide all information listed below)
a. Project Title (limit to 10 words)
b. Project Location (State/Province, Country). (This refers to the location of the work, not the applicant’s office nor the range of a species.)
c. Latitude/Longitude of On-the-ground Activities (Give the approximate project location’s centroid; if possible, use Degrees/Minutes/Seconds; if you use UTM, include the zone, easting, and northing.)
d. Ecoregion (see nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/terrestrial.html)
e. Name of Person who is Responsible for Project (no more than one)
f. Name of Responsible Organization (no more than one)
g. Type of Organization (Non-U.S. federal government, U.S. federal government, State/Provincial government, Non-government, University, Private, Other)
h. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number (to obtain a DUNS number, see “Smart Link” )
i. Mailing Address of Responsible Organization
j. Street (Physical) Address, State/Province, Postal Code, Country
k. Telephone Numbers of Person Responsible (office phone, cell phone)
l. Fax Number
m. E-mail Address
n. Duration of this proposal (up to 2 years)
o. For projects in the United States only: County and Congressional District
p. For projects in North America only: Bird Conservation Region(s) (see http://www.nabci-us.org/map.html) and Joint Venture in which the project is located.
q. Project Summary (in English)
r. List which of the following eligible activities (i – v) are included:
(i) “protection or management of bird populations”
(ii) “maintenance, management, protection, or restoration of bird habitat” (give the number of hectares or acres directly impacted by each of these 4 sub-activities) (Note that “protection” in NMBCA means only the legal protection of a piece of land, for example, acquisition, easement, “servidumbre”)
(iii) “research, monitoring”
(iv) “law enforcement”
(v) “community outreach, education”
s. Total Funding Requested and Total Matching Funds (in U.S. Dollars)
t. List of all partners contributing match; include the full name of each partner (no acronyms), organization type (conservation NGO, U.S. federal government, local government, aboriginal organization/tribal government, other, private, corporation/business, school/college/university, state/provincial government) and contribution amount in dollars (both match and non-match)
- Qualifications of Individuals Conducting the Project (1 page maximum)
- Project Description
a. Demonstrate that the project will enhance the conservation of Neotropical migratory bird species in the United States, Canada, Latin America, or the Caribbean.
b. Describe all project activities, including those funded with matching contributions. Specifically (and separately for each of the five “eligible activities” listed under “r.” above) describe your project activities.
c. If your project includes habitat protection, state that only host country organizations will acquire any land rights with grant funds.
d. If your project includes research and monitoring, describe how the information will be used for conservation, and by whom.
e. If there were previous phases of your project, add a description of the results of the previous phases.
- Local Participation
a. Describe the mechanisms included to ensure adequate local public participation in project development and implementation.
- Agency Consultation
a. Clearly state that the project will be implemented in consultation with relevant wildlife management authorities and other appropriate government officials with jurisdiction over the resources addressed by the project. For land acquisition projects outside of the United States, the applicant will be asked to provide documentation of this consultation.
- Historical and Cultural Resources
a. Demonstrate how the project is sensitive to local historic and cultural resources and complies with applicable laws.
b. State whether the project affects a property that is on the World Heritage List or a national register of historic places.
- Sustainability
a. Describe how the project will promote sustainable, effective, long-term programs to conserve Neotropical migratory birds. Explain how the organizations involved will continue project-related activities after the NMBCA funding ends.
- Other Information
a. Provide any other information that you think will be helpful in evaluating the proposal. You may want to address any of the 10 criteria shown in the Application Instructions, above, under “What criteria will be used in selecting projects?”
- Evaluation
a. Describe how the project activities will be evaluated. What outcomes will be measured? How will you determine whether your project was successful?
- Budget
a. Include an itemized budget table within the text of the proposal (not in a separate file), having one column for NMBCA funding and an additional column for each partner’s contribution. The budget should clearly lay out budget items and costs in enough detail and with enough explanation to determine what is needed to achieve the project goals and show that they are reasonably priced. You can use footnotes to explain items. Organize budget items under subheadings for each of the “eligible activities” (see section 1.r. above) and give the subtotals for each “eligible activity”. Prepare the budget in U.S. dollars, and round all figures to the nearest dollar (do not use cents). A good budget format shown here.
b. All activities taking place in the United States and Canada must clearly have at least a 3:1 (match:grant) match in cash represented in the budget to be eligible for funding. Please see the definition of cash match in the instructions above. Funds from U.S. Federal sources, which are not eligible as match, may be listed in a separate column.
c. Partner contributions (“match”) must exceed the amount requested by at least 3:1. Indicate whether the contributions are cash or in-kind.
d. More competitive proposals generally request overhead or administrative costs of less than 20%. These costs must be directly attributable to the project. If your organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement with a US federal cognizant agency you may use your indirect rate, but having an indirect cost rate that is lower than the negotiated cost rate may make your proposal more competitive.
e. Applicants may be asked to submit letters confirming the commitment of matching funds from each contributing partner. Please wait for us to contact you before submitting these letters.
- Map
a. Include a map of the project area, along with a map showing the location within the country. Place these within the text of the proposal, not in a separate file.
- Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424, only for applicants located in the United States)
a. Applicants located in the United States, regardless of where the project activities are located, may be asked to submit the "Application for Federal Assistance", Standard Forms 424, 424B, and/or 424D (see http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15). Please wait for instructions before submitting these forms.
- For Proposals with Activities Located in the United States
a. Address the following additional questions in your proposal application:
(i) How does the project contribute to the conservation of priority bird species assemblages that depend on upland habitat (see http://www.blm.gov/wildlife/pifplans.htm)?
(ii) How does the project contribute to the goals, objectives, and recommendations in the appropriate Bird Conservation Plans (see http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Plans/index.shtm)?
/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/InstructionsENG.shtm was last updated 04/14/09 05:03:48