![]() National Park Trust The National Park Service Chesapeake Office (NPS Chesapeake) is proud to announce a new competitive grant opportunity to advance the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 within the full 41-million-acre Chesapeake Bay watershed! The information below is intended to help potential grantees prepare and submit their proposal for grant funding through this effort. Details Regarding Network GrantsNPS Chesapeake is advancing a bold new strategy to strengthen the Chesapeake Gateways Network; gather and share the full diversity of Chesapeake stories; expand land conservation; provide equitable access to recreation, history and nature; support local and working economies at a community level; and engage an inclusive and deep Chesapeake stewardship and resiliency movement benefitting all. Specifically, NPS Chesapeake Gateways welcomes grant proposals purposely focused on advancing equity, inclusion, accessibility, and community engagement across two strategic themes: Advance a Major Inclusive Interpretive Initiative with an Equity Lens and Promote Resilient Communities & Landscapes Through Tourism, Sustainability, Conservation & Local Economies. This grant opportunity includes a broad list of eligible entities, no match requirement, two levels of funding (small and large grants), and a long application period with grant training workshops to ensure equitable access to apply for the funds and to distribute the funds across varying project types, locations, sizes and scopes. The NPS Chesapeake Office will be holding trainings on the network grants to assist in understanding the components of the application and submission process. NPS Chesapeake provided an overview of the scope and focus of the Chesapeake Gateways Network Grants. See the link below to view the recorded sessions on YouTube. (Register here.) Thursday 15 November. 4:00 – 5:30pm OR (Register here.) Thursday 17 November. 4:00 – 5:30pm NPS Chesapeake will provide an overview of the Chesapeake Gateways Network Grants application process and guidance on how to develop an effective grant proposal. This session will delve into priorities and review the administrative details of the application process, including SAM and Grants.gov. NPS Chesapeake is seeking grant proposals that address at least one of the two targeted strategic themes listed below. Samples of associated actions and initiatives are provided as impact examples.
Sample Actions and Initiatives
Promote Resilient Communities & Landscapes Through Tourism, Sustainability, Conservation & Local Economies
Sample Actions and Initiatives
Estimated Total Funding: approximately $1,000,000. The amount of funding available per award will be determined once final fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations have been made. Expected Award Amount: An estimated range of $25,000 to $150,000 of funding is anticipated for each award. The amount of funding available per award will be determined as part of the application review process based on applications received and funding made available through appropriations. Anticipated Award Date: Summer of 2023 Anticipated Term of the Agreement: Agreement terms for periods of performance for funded projects may range between one to two years, depending on the complexity and negotiated project statement of work. Agreements are not effective until fully executed with signature from the NPS Financial Assistance Awarding Officer. Estimated Number of Grants to be Awarded: Small Grants: $25K-$50K: approximately 10-12 grants expected Large Grants: $51K-$150K: approximately 3-4 grants expected Proposals may include more than one action or activity, but the maximum award for any proposal is $150,000. Applicants from outside the Chesapeake watershed may apply, but only projects and programs conducted within the watershed will be considered. 00 – State governments PLEASE NOTE: While applicants can be from outside the Chesapeake watershed, only projects that take place in the watershed will be considered. Projects that take place outside the watershed will not be considered. The NPS Chesapeake Office seeks to make this effort as accessible as possible to all eligible applicants. There are no cost share or match requirements for these grants as authorized under Section 502(a) of The Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998. You must complete the mandatory standard forms and any applicable optional forms, in accordance with the instructions provided, as required by the Notice on www.grants.gov. Do not include any proprietary or personally identifiable information.
Optional Requirements: A complete listing of optional requirements is included in the Notice posted on www.grants.gov and as part of the application package. Proposal Submission FormatThe project narrative is an opportunity to describe and provide details on the proposal that specifically address at least one of the strategic themes (see above) and each of the review criteria (see below). The proposal text must be no longer than 8 pages, no smaller than font size 11, and have 1-inch margins. The 8-page limit includes all text, figures, and references. (Project team resumes, Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, and the statement of indirect charges are not counted as part of the 8-page limit). Only information that is pertinent to the proposal should be included in the narrative. Extra information will not be considered. Project Overview
Strategic Intent
Organization/Applicant Overview
Optional Narrative Components (Do not count towards 8-page limit.):
Applicants are held responsible for their proposals being submitted to the National Park Service. Applications must be received by January 30, 2023, 11:59pm Eastern. Review CriteriaAll proposals will be screened by NPS staff for relevance, accuracy, completeness, and compliance with the instructions included in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Proposals will then be evaluated by a review committee representing technical experts with backgrounds in one or more of the strategic themes. Through these grants, NPS Chesapeake seeks to advance innovation in equity, inclusion, accessibility and engagement by Chesapeake Gateway Network partners and communities. Chesapeake Gateways is about treasured resources and important stories, and about the people of the Chesapeake watershed, in all their splendid diversity. The Chesapeake Gateways Strategic Plan is structured into four strategic themes, representing a collective aspiration for near- and long-term impact across the watershed. Chesapeake Gateways is a network of people, places, programs, and stories providing opportunities to enjoy, learn about, and help conserve the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Included in the network are assorted natural, cultural, historical, and recreational sites, trails, museums, parks, refuges, and interpretive and orientation facilities. The NPS Chesapeake strategic plan stems from a recognition that the benefits of the watershed have not been equally shared by all people or all communities. The vision for Chesapeake Gateways is a network that welcomes people to the Chesapeake watershed’s outstanding benefits and provides inclusive experiences that inspire a robust stewardship ethic. Innovative research, planning, programming, and projects in equitable public access, conservation, community engagement, education, and recreation are critical parts of the work to restore and protect the nation’s largest and most productive estuary. Innovations will be essential to expand storytelling to be inclusive of untold stories or under told stories. Innovation in community engagement will be essential to include all communities in project planning and implementation. Projects need to have well defined objectives, activities, costs, deliverables, and expected outcomes. A well-crafted budget and project narrative of your scope of work must clearly convey to reviewers your intent and your plan for accomplishing your objectives. Uncertainty about your fiscal and operational approach will undermine your proposal. Chesapeake Gateways depends on a network of people and partners to conserve and steward the special places in the watershed important to communities, visitors, and the nation, for this and future generations. Success of each project will depend on the capacity of each proposing organization and the team of volunteers, staff, partners and/or consultants assembled to plan and implement the project. SelectionMerit review recommendations will be forwarded to the NPS Chesapeake Superintendent for review and consideration. The NPS Superintendent may also consider geographic distribution within the Chesapeake watershed, diversity of awardees, thematic distribution, and the amount of funds available to make final recommendations of the applications to be forwarded for funding. The final recommendations will be forwarded to the NPS Financial Assistance Selection Official for final selection. Applicant Toolkit
|
Last updated: January 31, 2023