Long Island Sound Futures Fund RFP 2019 Page 1

LONG ISLAND SOUND FUTURES FUND

2019 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Full Proposal Due Date: Monday, May 20, 2019 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time

OVERVIEW

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) is soliciting proposals to secure clean water and

healthy watersheds, restore thriving habitats and abundant wildlife, and engage the public and local

and regional government in creating sustainable and resilient communities around the Long Island

Sound watershed. Approximately $2 million is expected to be available for projects in 2019. The

LISFF grant program is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in

collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Study (LISS),

and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

All projects must demonstrate a quantifiable and measurable impact on improving Long Island

Sound.

Habitat restoration projects and community

resilience projects must fall within the coastal

boundary established by the LISS, as indicated by

the red outline on the Interactive LISS Coastal

Boundary Map. This boundary includes coastal

portions of New York (NY) that drain to Long

Island Sound (portions of Westchester, Nassau and

Suffolk Counties, and portions of Queens, the

Bronx and Manhattan in New York City) and the

coast of Connecticut (CT).

Water quality, education and fish passage

projects may be in any portion of Long Island

Sound watershed within the states of CT and NY as

shown on the Interactive LISS National Estuary

Program Map.

Nitrogen removal projects may occur anywhere in

the Long Island Sound watershed within CT, NY,

Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), and

Vermont (VT) as shown on the Interactive LISS

Boundary Map.

Figure 1: Long Island Sound Study Area Boundary

Map for CT, MA, NH, NY, VT

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Special opportunity in the Bronx - LISFF is seeking projects within or along the tidal water

bodies of the Bronx River (in New York City boundaries) to improve water quality, create, restore

or enhance marine and coastal habitat or otherwise protect and restore marine waters or shorelines.

Priority will be given to on-the-ground projects that will result in quantifiable pollutant reductions

or lead to measureable gains in habitat restored.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

The most competitive proposals will 1) address one or more of three “Themes” and associated

“Implementation Actions” (IAs) from the 2015 Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation

and Management Plan (CCMP); and 2) contribute directly to implementing CCMP IAs as described

below. Please note that not all the IAs found in the three CCMP Themes are priorities addressed by

LISFF. All projects must integrate into their delivery concepts and activities focused upon

protection and restoration of the health and living resources of the Sound.

Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds – improve water quality by delivering projects that reduce

nutrient loading, combined sewer overflows, stormwater runoff, and nonpoint source loading into

Long Island Sound including:

Implement green infrastructure that reduces polluted runoff from entering waterways e.g., rain

gardens, permeable pavement, detention basins, bioswales, rainwater harvesting, green streets,

etc.

Support design activities that set the stage for on-the-ground implementation of water quality

projects that result in quantifiable pollutant reductions or prevention.

Promote and implement conservation activities that reduce pollution including:

o Develop and implement alternatives to current decentralized on-site wastewater

treatment systems contributing to documented water quality impairments ,

o Implement alternatives to current chemical and nitrogen-intensive residential and

commercial turf and landscaping fertilizer and pesticide applications.

Implement programs to support trash-free waters.

Deliver low-cost retrofits at wastewater treatment facilities in any of the states listed: CT, MA,

NH, NY, and VT.

Use market-based approaches such as point and nonpoint source nutrient trading programs.

Deliver agricultural soil health practices.

Assess and develop local watershed implementation plans to identify and address

eutrophication-related water quality problems and identify priority locations for projects that

address pollution at its source. For more information go to the Handbook for Developing

Watershed Plans.

Support the design or installation bioextraction projects to support the growth and harvest of

shellfish and seaweed for the purpose of removing nitrogen and other nutrients.

Identify and monitor sources of pollution in embayments, harbors, and near-shore areas.

Monitoring must: 1) be related to the nature of local impairments designated under the Clean

Water Act, Section 305(b) in Connecticut and New York; 2) describe in specific terms how and

what entity will use the data collected to address local use impairments (e.g., reduce the amount

of acreage restricted or closed for shellfishing, help local government detect illicit discharges); 4)

Long Island Sound Futures Fund RFP 2019 Page 3

describe how the project will manage data so it is accessible to citizens and public resource

managers; and 5) plan for data input into the Water Quality Exchange.

Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife – restore coastal habitats to maintain resilience and

function; and foster diverse, balanced and abundant populations of fish, birds and wildlife.

Restore one or more of the Important Coastal Habitats targeted for restoration by the LISS.

Restore one or more of those habitats to enhance biodiversity and increase populations of

species representative of system health such as coastal birds and fish.

Enhance the resilience of coastal habitat by: 1) removing barriers to the natural resources of

these habitats to migrate inland; and 2) replacing armored shorelines or stabilizing shorelines

with living shorelines to mitigate shoreline erosion while sustaining habitat that can adapt to sea

level rise.

Support design that sets the stage for on-the-ground implementation of habitat restoration projects

resulting in quantifiable habitat restored. Please note that while project planning and design

grants are not expected to achieve immediate environmental or conservation outcomes,

proposals must demonstrate the resulting project plan will be sufficient to meet requirements for

environmental review and permitting.

Conduct planning that identifies multiple priority locations and sets the stage for

implementation of habitat restoration project(s); or prepare an analysis to establish the best

alternative for habitat restoration at an individual site. Preliminary scoping efforts to identify

project needs or feasibility assessments are not eligible for grant awards.

Create fish passage or reduce barriers to fish passage to: increase access to high quality habitat

for Long Island Sound diadromous fish such as alewife, blueback herring, searun brook trout,

American eel and American shad; and/or increase aquatic connectivity (measured by river miles

reconnected). Priority will be given to proposals that include monitoring strategies to support

and/or establish long-term spawning run counts.

Restore shellfish (e.g., oysters, clams, and mussels) and shellfish reefs in sanctuaries to establish

self-sustaining populations of these species; and to create or enhance benthic and reef structure

for marine species. Restored shellfish may not be harvested for commercial or recreational

purposes.

Restore habitat connectivity to increase biodiversity, habitat migration, and migratory pathways

that promote species dispersal (measured by contiguous acres of restored coastal habitat).

Reduce the impact of invasive species through targeted management and eradication programs

supported by ongoing invasive species management operating together to prevent re-invasion or

the introduction of new invasive, exotic species.

Reduce human disturbance of Long Island Sound beaches used by American oystercatcher and

other beach nesting species by engaging communities adjacent to shorebird breeding and

staging areas. For more information about focal areas and different strategies to engage human

communities to share the shore with shorebirds review the NFWF Atlantic Flyway Shorebirds

Business Plan.

Other resources and information: Please review the LISS Habitat Restoration Guidelines 2017 as a

technical reference when developing a proposal.

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Educating for Sustainable and Resilient Communities – increase the knowledge and engagement

of the public in the protection and restoration of Long Island Sound.

Involve the public in ecological restoration.

Improve citizen understanding of damaging trash and litter impacts on local waterways and the

Sound.

Provide natural landscaping guidance to communities and homeowners to encourage the use of

alternatives to chemical and nutrient-intensive landscaping.

Increase appreciation and understanding of the Sound for underprivileged and non- traditional

audiences in urban areas.

Increase Long Island Sound environmental and conservation-related instruction in classrooms.

Offer festivals, celebrations and events in natural resource-based, science education locations (i.e.,

aquariums, museums) to develop awareness about and encourage appreciation and use of the

Sound.

Educate and build awareness by conducting comprehensive campaigns targeting specific

stakeholders and/or the public, e.g., social marketing, user-friendly technology (digital

services/tools kits) to foster communication.

Promote environmentally-sustainable recreational activities along the Sound.

Develop visualization and data analysis tools, services, and/or strategies to map, manage, and

communicate about local or regional environmental results.

All public engagement and education projects must provide hands-on conservation experiences,

direct engagement or activities for target audiences.

Community Coastal Resilience - enhance coastal resilience and help mitigate the impacts of future

storms and other flooding events and threats to local community assets as well as to benefit fish and

wildlife.

Design that sets the stage for use of innovative natural infrastructure approaches to enhance

coastal resilience e.g., construction of natural, nature-based and green-gray hybrid infrastructure,

thin-layer deposition etc.

Develop water quality and green infrastructure projects that also mitigate storm

hazards.

Advance use of marsh restoration strategies (e.g., thin layer deposition, beneficially using

suitable material to restore old mosquito ditches back to productive tidal marsh habitat, creating

shallow runnels to partially drain saturated areas, etc.) to improve resilience from storms and sea

level rise..

Create new or update existing individual municipal or regional coastal

resilience/sustainability/natural hazard mitigation plans to evaluate the vulnerability of

infrastructure, riparian and coastal areas and develop strategies for making these features and

infrastructure more resilient to hazardous events (e.g., sea level rise and/or weather events). The

plan should include the preservation of natural functions and systems to protect the built

environment where practical and also preserve and protect ecosystem services.

Conduct watershed planning that optimizes and integrates water quality, floodplain

management, and hazard risk reduction.

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PROJECT METRICS

To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grants, the LISFF has a list of metrics in Easygrants to choose from for reporting if you are provided a grant. We ask that applicants select only the most relevant metrics from this list for their project (all possible program metrics are shown in the table below). If you do not believe an applicable metric has been provided, please contact Jessica Lillquist to discuss acceptable alternatives.

Project Activity Metric Additional Guidance

Educate the public or stakeholders

# people with knowledge

Provide # and in NOTES section: type of participant.

Educate and engage government entities

# gov't entities participating

Enter # and in NOTES section: specific government entities targeted.

Educate and engage teachers

# teachers reached Provide # of teachers reached through teacher training activities

Use this metric only for formal behavior change/social marketing programs and campaigns

# of people with changed behavior.

Enter number of people who demonstrated changed behavior. In NOTES section: describe how you will establish basis for tracking behavior change e.g., pledges etc.

Volunteer engagement # volunteers participating Provide # and in NOTES section: describe nature of volunteer engagement.

Interpretive signage # signs installed Enter # and in NOTES section: describe the content of the signs.

Social media and websites developed and employed

# websites, social media Enter # websites, Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. Consider use of a dashboard to “track” the impact of the social media to be used to communicate about project activities. See one blog about social media dashboards for nonprofits.

Trainings, events & meetings developed and delivered

# workshops, webinars, meetings

Enter #, and in NOTES section: type and purpose of events.

Approach to reduce marine debris, trash or litter

Lbs. of floatables reduced

Enter lbs. of debris/trash/litter prevented from entering the LIS and tributaries.

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Approach to reduce, treat or prevent polluted stormwater runoff

Volume (gal.) stormwater prevented

annually

Enter volume (gal.) prevented, treated or reduced. Apply a calculator tool to establish the stormwater volume using the EPA National Stormwater Calculator or the Green Values National Stormwater Management Calculator. Other calculators acceptable.

Approach to nutrient/sediment reduction, prevention

Lbs. of nitrogen prevented annually

Enter amount (lbs.) of nitrogen prevented from entering the system annually, In the NOTES section: describemethod used to calculate reduction. Consider using the Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads to establish sediment and nutrient reduction. Other calculators acceptable.

Approach to nutrient/sediment reduction

Lbs. of sediment prevented annually

Enter amount (lbs.) of sediment prevented from entering the system annually. In NOTES section: please describe the method used to calculate reduction. Consider using the Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads to establish sediment and nutrient reduction. Other calculators acceptable.

Remove impervious asphalt

Sq. ft. impervious surface removed

Enter sq. ft. of impervious surface removed.

Install green infrastructure i.e., bioretention basin, rain garden, bioswale etc.

Sq. ft. bioretention installed

Enter the square footage of bioretention installed.

Install fish passage, remove or resize culverts, remove dams

# fish passage barriers rectified

Enter the # passage barriers rectified. In NOTES section of application: describe fish species affected.

Barrier removal to restore aquatic connectivity

Miles of stream opened Enter the # of miles of stream opened. In NOTES section: describe fish species affected.

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Restoring coastal habitat. For more information about specific habitat types go to Important Coastal Habitat

Acres restored Provide # of acres and type of habitat restored. If different types of habitat are to be restored within the same project, in the NOTES section: provide # acres for each habitat type.

Removing invasive plant species

Acres restored Provide # acres and in the NOTES section: provide type of invasive removed.

Planning to produce permit and environmental review designs

Acres restored Provide # acres and in the NOTES section: type of habitat addressed in planning

Creating or enhancing management or governance plan such as a watershed plan, coastal resiliency/sustainability/n atural hazard mitigation plan etc.

# plans developed Provide # of plans developed and in NOTES section: type of plan developed

Monitoring programs developed and implemented

# monitoring programs Enter # monitoring programs established or underway.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible and Ineligible Entities

Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government

agencies, local government, municipal government, Indian tribes, and

educational institutions.

Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies,

businesses, and unincorporated individuals.

Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used to support political advocacy,

fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.

NFWF funds may not be not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal

requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements. However,

grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline

compliance efforts.

Operational and program-related support for the same project for more than three

consecutive years.

Feasibility assessments to inform the development of potential projects.

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Stand-alone public access projects such as creation of boat launches, fishing piers, public

viewing areas, waterfront trails, walkways, and/or fencing.

Stand-alone signs.

Research projects. Those interested in funding for research should consider the LISS

Research Grant Program.

Development of new educational curriculum.

Marketing efforts that serve to generally promote the applicant organization and its

initiatives.

Funding for lunches or snacks, t-shirts and promotional items (e.g., key chains, coffee mugs,

pens etc.).

Proposals requesting funds below the minimum and above the maximum allowable award

amount in the grant categories.

FUNDING AVAILABILITY AND MATCH

Approximately $2 million is expected to be available for projects in 2019. The Long Island Sound

Futures Fund has four categories of grants:

Implementation: Ranging in value from $20,000 to $250,000 awarded to support on-the-

ground projects that result in quantifiable pollutant reductions or lead to measureable gains

in habitat restored.

Design/Planning: Ranging in value from $20,000 to $100,000 awarded to support the cost of

1) design and permitting activities that set the stage for on-the-ground implementation of

water quality or habitat restoration projects that result in quantifiable pollutant reductions or

lead to measureable gains in habitat restored; 2) planning associated with locally-driven

watershed plans to mitigate eutrophication-related impairments; 3) planning associated with

development of an in-depth social marketing campaign; and 4) creation or enhancement of

coastal resiliency/sustainability/natural hazard mitigation plans. Please note while project

planning and design grants are not expected to achieve immediate environmental or

conservation outcomes, proposals must demonstrate the resulting project plan will be

sufficient to meet requirements for environmental review and permitting.

Water Quality Monitoring: Ranging in value from $20,000 to $100,000 for water quality

monitoring.

Education and Public Participation Large Grants: Ranging in value from $20,000 to

$50,000 awarded to hands-on, visible public participation and education projects of more

significant scale and scope.

Education and Public Participation Small Grants: Ranging in value from $3,000 to

$10,000 awarded to hands-on, visible public participation and education projects involving a

limited number of activities and/or locations.

Grant Period. Projects must start within six months and be completed within 12-18 months after

notification of grant award. Notification of award is projected to be October 2018. Project start

dates cannot be before October 1, 2019.

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Match Requirements: The ratio of matching contributions offered is considered during the review

process, and applicants must contribute non-federal matching cash funds and/or in-kind services

valued at a minimum of 40 percent of the total project budget. For example, if the total project cost

is $100,000, then the required split of funds would be no more than $60,000 requested from LISFF

and no less than $40,000 match. The required minimum match can be calculated simply by

multiplying the amount of funds requested from the LISFF by 4 and then dividing by 6. For

example, if you are requesting $100,000, then the project match is $66,666 ([$100,000 x 4]/6).

Preference will be given to projects that exceed the minimum 40 percent requirement, as described

in the “Evaluation Criteria” section of this RFP. [UPDATED APRIL 2, 2019]

Matching contributions may include cash, in-kind contributions of staff and volunteer time, work

performed, materials and services donated, or other tangible contributions to the project objectives

and outcomes.

Eligible indirect costs (that would not be paid with requested grant funding) may be applied as

match. Please review the NFWF: 1) Indirect Cost Policy for Applicants for specific information

about requesting indirect costs; and 2) for information about using indirect costs as match, review

section E. Frequently Asked Questions.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be screened for relevance, accuracy, completeness and compliance with NFWF

funding source policies, and this RFP. Proposals will then be evaluated based on the extent to

which they meet the following criteria:

Program Goals and Priorities - Project addresses one or more of the of the LISFF program

priorities outlined in the Request for Proposal. The project has specific, quantifiable performance metrics to evaluate project success.

Technical Merit - The project is technically sound and feasible, and the proposal sets forth

a clear, logical, and achievable work plan and timeline. Project engages appropriate technical experts throughout project planning, design and implementation to ensure activities are technically-sound and feasible.

Budget - Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF’s Budget

Instructions cost categories. Federally-funded projects which include grants funded by

LISFF must be in compliance with OMB Uniform Guidance as applicable.

Qualifications - The applicant, organization, and partner experience is relevant to delivery

of the project, and/or entity has a proven track record of success in implementing conservation projects with specific measurable results.

Communication – Project includes a detailed plan to communicate information about the

project to appropriate audiences. Project has potential and plan to transfer lessons learned to

other communities and/or to be integrated into government programs and policies. Match – Matching contributions will be evaluated by comparing total funding request to the

LISFF and the dollar value (in-kind or cash) of the match being provided by the applicant.

The ratio of matching funds offered is one criterion considered during the review process,

and projects that meet or exceed a 1:1 match ratio will be more competitive.

Long Island Sound Futures Fund RFP 2019 Page 10

OTHER

Multiple Proposals – Applicants may not submit more than three proposals per organization. For

example, you may submit two large grant proposals and one small grant proposal for a total of three

proposals. Universities are excluded from this limit if multiple departments or investigators are

submitting proposals. However, no more than one proposal will be accepted from any individual

principal investigator. Please note that while your organization may submit multiple proposals, it is

unlikely that all proposals will be funded given the competition for funding.

Budget – Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF’s Budget

Instructions cost categories. Federally-funded projects must be in compliance with OMB Uniform

Guidance as applicable.

Matching Contributions – Matching contributions consist of cash, contributed goods and services,

volunteer hours, and/or property raised and spent for the project during the period of performance.

Larger match ratios are encouraged and will be more competitive during application review.

Procurement – If the applicant chooses to specifically identify proposed Contractor(s) for Services,

an award by NFWF to the applicant does not constitute NFWF’s express written authorization for

the applicant to procure such specific services noncompetitively. When procuring goods and

services, NFWF recipients must follow documented procurement procedures which reflect

applicable laws and regulations.

Publicity and Acknowledgement of Support – Award recipients will be required to grant NFWF

the right and authority to publicize the project and NFWF’s financial support for the grant in press

releases, publications and other public communications. Recipients may also be asked by NFWF to

provide high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) photographs depicting the project.

Receiving Award Funds – Award payments are primarily reimbursable. Projects may request

funds for reimbursement at any time after completing a signed agreement with NFWF. A request of

an advance of funds must be due to an imminent need of expenditure and must detail how the funds

will be used and provide justification and a timeline for expected disbursement of these funds.

Compliance Requirements – Projects selected may be subject to requirements under the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act (state and federal), and National

Historic Preservation Act. Documentation of compliance with these regulations must be approved

prior to initiating activities that disturb or alter habitat or other features of the project site(s).

Applicants should budget time and resources to obtain the needed approvals. Applicants should

budget time and resources to complete this task. As may be applicable, successful applicants may

be required to comply with additional Federal, state or local requirements and obtain all necessary

permits and clearances.

Quality Assurance - If a project involves monitoring, data collection or data use, grantees will be

asked to prepare and submit quality assurance documentation. Examples of the types of data

collection or use which requires a QAPP: new data, existing data (a new use for data collected for a

Long Island Sound Futures Fund RFP 2019 Page 11

different purpose, whether by the same or different groups), water monitoring, model use, model

development, volunteer/citizen science monitoring etc. No data collection or use may begin until a

Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is approved. Follow the link for NFWF Quality Assurance

Project Plan Guidance. Applicants should budget time and resources to complete this task. The

time for QAPP review by NFWF and EPA is approximately 30 days. Please be aware that the 30

days is not the QAPP approval time-frame but the estimated time for the first quality assurance

review. Plan to submit QAPPs 2-3 months in advance of data collection and analysis to allow for

any needed comments and revisions to be made before final QAPP approval. If funded by the

LISFF, general assistance will be available to projects to help with scoping and assessment of

QAPPs in advance of submission to EPA. Please Contact Jessica Lillquist if you have any

questions about whether your project would require a Quality Assurance Project Plan.

Permits – Successful applicants will be required to provide sufficient documentation that the

project expects to receive or has received all necessary permits and clearances to comply with any

Federal, state or local requirements. Where projects involve work in the waters of the United

States, NFWF strongly encourages applicants to conduct a permit pre-application meeting with the

Army Corps of Engineers prior to submitting their proposal. In some cases, if a permit pre-

application meeting has not been completed, NFWF may require successful applicants to complete

such a meeting prior to grant award.

Federal Funding –The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon

the federal appropriations process. Funding decisions will be made based on level of funding and

timing of when it is received by NFWF.

TIMELINE

Dates of activities are subject to change. Please check the Program page of the NFWF website for

the most current dates and information Long Island Sound Futures Fund.

Applicant Webinar (NY & CT applicants) 3/28/2019, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Applicant Webinar (New England applicants) 3/29/2019, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

Full Proposal Due Date 5/20/2019 by 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Review Period Summer 2019

Grant Notification October 2019

Public Award Announcement Oct/Nov. 2019

Grant contracting Commences Oct 2019

HOW TO APPLY

All application materials must be submitted online through National Fish and Wildlife

Foundation’s Easygrants system.

1. Go to easygrants.nfwf.org to register in our Easygrants online system. New users to the

system will be prompted to register before starting the application (if you already are a

registered user, use your existing login). Enter your applicant information.

Long Island Sound Futures Fund RFP 2019 Page 12

2. Once on your homepage, click the “Apply for Funding” button and select this RFP’s

“Funding Opportunity” from the list of options – “Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2019”.

3. Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your application. Once an application has

been started, it may be saved and returned to at a later time for completion and submission.

A PDF version of this RFP can be downloaded at Long Island Sound Futures Fund.

A Tip Sheet is available for quick reference while you are working through your application. This

document can be downloaded at Long Island Sound Futures Fund. Additional information to

support the application process can be accessed on the NFWF website at the Applicant Information

page.

For more information or questions about this RFP, please contact:

Jessica Lillquist – Coordinator, Long Island Sound

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Jessica.Lillquist@nfwf.org

202-857-0166

For issues or assistance with our online Easygrants system, please contact: Easygrants Helpdesk Email: Easygrants@nfwf.org

Voicemail: 202-595-2497

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET, Monday-Friday.

Include: your name, proposal ID #, e-mail address, phone number, program to which you are

applying, and a description of the issue.