GLRI State Projects from 2017 Asian Carp Action Plan | F17AS00293

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00293

The GLRI State Projects from the 2017 Asian Carp Action Plan (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00293) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding notice tied to Fiscal Year 2017 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative appropriations. The purpose of the funding is to support on-the-ground and programmatic work identified in the 2017 Asian Carp Action Plan, a coordinated regional strategy aimed at preventing the spread of invasive Asian carp and reducing their impacts in the Great Lakes basin and connected waterways. The opportunity sits within the environment and natural resources space, with a research and development component where applicable, and is associated with CFDA 15.662.

This notice is not a typical competitive grant solicitation. Instead, it is a notice of intent to make single source (non-competitive) grant awards. The Fish and Wildlife Service states there is no application process for this opportunity because the agency plans to directly enter into grant agreements with four specific entities: the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Great Lakes Commission. The rationale is based on federal single source justification authority cited as 505 DM 2.14.B. items 2 and 4, which generally cover situations where only certain entities can meet the program needs and where maintaining continuity of ongoing work is critical.

The central justification for avoiding competition is practicality and continuity. The work to be funded is described as a continuation of activities that were already underway with existing support, and the agency indicates that opening the effort to competition would risk disrupting progress and would have a significant adverse effect on continuing the activity. In other words, the government viewed uninterrupted implementation as more important than running a new competitive process, especially because the tasks were already embedded in established state and regional invasive species management programs.

A key point in the notice is that the planned recipients are considered uniquely qualified to perform the funded projects. The state natural resource agencies have direct management authority in their jurisdictions for Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, along with the staff capacity, field capabilities, and technical expertise needed to carry out surveillance, response, coordination, and other plan-driven actions. The Great Lakes Commission is included because of its regional coordination role and its ability to support multi-jurisdictional work across Great Lakes states. All four entities are also connected through their participation in the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, reinforcing that the activities are intended to be aligned with a broader interagency strategy rather than isolated projects.

In funding terms, the notice lists an award ceiling of $500,000 and anticipates four awards total, consistent with the four named recipients. The funding instrument is a grant, the opportunity category is discretionary, and the official posting date (creation date) is July 20, 2017. The “closing date” field effectively does not apply because the announcement is informational rather than an open call for proposals. Overall, this opportunity functions as a formal public notification that GLRI funds will be used to continue and support specific state and regional deliverables required under the 2017 Asian Carp Action Plan, using targeted, single source awards to the entities positioned to execute that work.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GLRI State Projects from 2017 Asian Carp Action Plan" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.662.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 20, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by There is not an application process for this funding opportunity. This is a notice of intent to award single source grants under justification 505DM 2.14.B. 2 and 4.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F17AS00293

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