The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2017 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation (NCWC) Grant Program has been posted by the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) on the Grants.gov website (CFDA No. 15.614; Funding Opportunity No. F16AS00089). Attached are copies of the NOFO, Federal Register Notice, and the Governor's letter listing eligible State applicants for California. Please share this funding opportunity with all interested parties.

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov and are due by June 29, 2016, 8:59 p.m. PDT. The Service recommends that you submit early enough to address any unforeseen technical complications. Applications must be signed by authorized representatives of the applicant’s agency/organization. If you would like to be a subgrantee, check with the eligible agency in your State for their deadlines and requirements to apply.

Please contact Larry Riley, Samantha Marcum, or a Local Coastal Program Manager (http://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/coastal.htm) if you plan to apply for a NCWC grant this year and/or if you have questions about the program. Applicants desiring comments, recommendations, or assistance with their applications are encouraged to submit draft applications to Larry and Samantha by May 20, 2016.

Timeline

•Now - May 2016 - Work with Coastal Program Local Managers, and with Larry Riley and Samantha Marcum, to design project and develop your application

•May 20 – Pre-applications “due” for early review by FWS Regional Office (RO) - email to Larry and Samantha

•June 10 – RO will return pre-applications with comments and suggestions no later than this date

•June 26 – (Suggestion) Begin to submit applications online

•June 29 – Official applications due to grants.gov by 8:59 PST

•July-Aug – Project eligibility is determined