Coastal Zone Management Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY2025 | NOAA NOS OCM 2025 28205

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2025 28205

The Coastal Zone Management Projects of Special Merit (PSM) Competition for FY2025 is a NOAA Office for Coastal Management funding opportunity that supports innovative, high-impact projects designed to strengthen and modernize state and territorial Coastal Management Programs (CMPs). The competition is run under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), which is specifically aimed at helping federally approved CMPs keep improving over time in areas that NOAA has identified as nationally important. In practical terms, NOAA is looking for proposals that do more than routine program work; the emphasis is on targeted, creative efforts that measurably advance a state or territory's existing coastal program goals and its NOAA-approved enhancement strategy.

PSM projects must align with one or more of NOAA's national enhancement area priorities highlighted in this notice: Coastal Hazards, Ocean and Great Lakes Resources, and Wetlands. A key eligibility constraint is that applicants can only request funding for a priority area if their CMP already has an approved strategy for that enhancement area within its NOAA-approved 2021-2025 Section 309 Assessment and Strategy. Strategies that were added or significantly revised can still qualify, but only if NOAA approved those updates before the competition closes. The program is governed by the Coastal Zone Management Program regulations at 15 C.F.R. Part 923, including the requirements at 15 C.F.R. 923.121 that set the conditions for Section 309 participation.

Eligibility is limited to coastal states and territories with NOAA-approved CMPs under CZMA (16 U.S.C. 1455), and the application must come from the designated lead agency responsible for implementing that approved CMP. The notice also clarifies that, for purposes of this competition, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is considered an eligible applicant. Applicants may submit proposals on behalf of state agency partners that are part of the approved CMP network, and they may include local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations as partners. However, the project must remain clearly focused on enhancing the state or territorial CMP itself, rather than primarily funding local or non-state activities. Each eligible applicant is limited to no more than two applications under this competition, which encourages applicants to prioritize their strongest concepts.

Awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements, meaning NOAA is likely to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, through coordination, technical input, or progress monitoring, depending on the final award terms). The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is $250,000, and NOAA anticipates making around 10 awards. The opportunity is listed under CFDA (Assistance Listing) 11.419, and it sits within the broader categories of environment, natural resources, and research and development. The application deadline included in the opportunity record is January 17, 2025.

On the application logistics side, NOAA stresses that applicants must complete and maintain registrations in three separate systems: SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and eRA Commons. These registrations are not optional and must be active by the time the application is submitted. NOAA flags this as a common stumbling block because the full registration process across all three systems can take 4 to 6 weeks, especially for organizations that need to obtain or verify a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through SAM.gov first. eRA Commons also requires the organization to have at least one Signing Official (SO) account and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account set up before submission. NOAA points applicants to Department of Commerce training modules to reduce submission errors and urges careful review of the required forms and package components described in the full NOFO.

The notice also draws clear boundaries around federal involvement. NOAA employees cannot help prepare applications, and letters of support from NOAA staff are not allowed and will not be considered by reviewers. NOAA staff can, however, answer general programmatic questions (for example, questions about whether a CMP's Section 309 Assessment and Strategy qualifies) and, when a proposal truly collaborates with an existing NOAA effort, NOAA personnel may provide a limited statement confirming the nature and extent of that collaboration and verifying that coordination occurred. Federal agencies may participate as partners, but they cannot receive funds under this announcement, and their in-kind services cannot be counted toward any required non-federal match or shared-cost contributions. If a federal partner is involved, the application is expected to describe what that partner will do (such as participating on a working group, providing review support, or contributing expertise).

Finally, NOAA highlights an agency-wide commitment to diversity and inclusion, encouraging applicants to reflect those principles both in proposal development and in how the work is carried out. While the applicant pool is limited to state and territorial CMP lead agencies, NOAA still encourages broadening participation through partnerships and engagement approaches, including connections with institutions and communities that have historically been underrepresented or underserved, consistent with the goals of strengthening the coastal management community and improving outcomes in coastal areas.

• The DOC NOAA - ERA Production in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Coastal Zone Management Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.419.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-17. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for NOAA NOS OCM 2025 28205

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: