John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant | NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007293

John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant (NOAA/NMFS) FAQs

1) What is the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant?

The John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant is a NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) funding opportunity that supports the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP). It is intended to strengthen how the United States responds to stranded marine mammals and how it tracks marine mammal health trends in the wild.

2) What is the purpose of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP)?

MMHSRP is a program established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to improve national response to marine mammal strandings and to improve the ability to monitor and understand marine mammal health trends using consistent information collected from stranded animals.

3) What is the main goal of this grant program?

At its core, the grant is meant to strengthen the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network and its partners by supporting stranding response capacity, enabling treatment and rehabilitation when appropriate, and improving the collection and sharing of consistent, high-quality data from both live and dead stranded marine mammals.

4) What kinds of activities does the grant fund?

The opportunity supports three main types of work: (1) basic operational needs tied to stranding response, treatment, and data collection; (2) research projects that use stranding and rehabilitation data to answer targeted scientific questions; and (3) facility operations directly connected to recovery, treatment, and data collection.

5) What are examples of basic operational needs this grant can support?

Based on the opportunity description, operational support can include resources required for handling live strandings, performing necropsies on dead animals, collecting samples, completing documentation, and conducting reporting related to stranding response and marine mammal health data collection.

6) What types of research projects are supported under this opportunity?

The grant can support research that uses stranding and rehabilitation data to address focused scientific questions such as why strandings occur, what health conditions or stressors are affecting marine mammal populations, how disease patterns may change over time, and which rehabilitation and treatment techniques are most effective.

7) What does “facility operations” mean in the context of this grant?

Facility operations refers to maintaining specialized spaces, equipment, and readiness needed to support recovery, treatment, and data collection. The program recognizes that effective response and rehabilitation capacity often depends on keeping facilities functional and prepared for unpredictable stranding events.

8) How does this grant strengthen the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network?

It strengthens the network by helping responders maintain day-to-day rescue and response capability, improving the consistency and quality of stranding-related data, and supporting applied research that increases scientific understanding derived from stranding and rehabilitation efforts.

9) Is this funding for live strandings, dead strandings, or both?

Both. The opportunity emphasizes collecting and sharing consistent, high-quality data from both live and dead stranded marine mammals, and it mentions activities like handling live strandings as well as necropsy work for dead animals.

10) Who is the administering agency for this grant?

The administering agency is the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA/NMFS (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / National Marine Fisheries Service).

11) What is the funding mechanism (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?

For FY 2023, NOAA indicated the funding mechanism could be either a grant or a cooperative agreement. This means some awards may involve closer federal involvement depending on the project.

12) Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?

Yes. The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding.

13) What is the CFDA number associated with this program?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 11.439.

14) How many awards are expected under this opportunity?

The notice indicates an expected number of awards of about 15.

15) What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling is $100,000 per project.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is aimed at qualified participants in the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network and collaborators. The listing notes “Others,” with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, indicating that partner entities that meaningfully contribute to authorized stranding response, rehabilitation, and related scientific or operational work may be included.

17) Does the opportunity emphasize data quality and consistency?

Yes. A central purpose is to improve collection and sharing of consistent, high-quality data from stranded marine mammals, supporting both operational response and broader tracking of health trends in the wild.

18) Is rehabilitation supported under this program?

Yes. The opportunity specifically describes supporting responders who treat and rehabilitate stranded marine mammals when appropriate, and it also supports facility operations tied to recovery and treatment.

19) What is NOAA’s expectation around diversity and inclusion in applications?

NOAA expects applicants to address diversity and inclusion in proposals and work plans. MMHSRP describes diversity broadly (including age, race, national and cultural background, socio-economic background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and physical ability) and defines inclusion as creating a culture that connects each employee to the organization.

20) What kinds of diversity and inclusion actions are applicants encouraged to describe?

Applicants are encouraged to explain concrete organizational actions that support diversity and inclusion, including efforts that promote participation and advancement of underrepresented groups in STEM fields.

21) Why does NOAA emphasize diversity and inclusion for this grant program?

NOAA frames diversity and inclusion as part of strengthening the Stranding and Entanglement Response Networks by improving creativity, productivity, and resilience across the marine mammal response community.

22) What are the key intended outcomes of the Prescott grant?

The grant is designed to keep stranding response organizations functional and ready, improve the quality and usefulness of stranding-related data, and advance applied research that reduces uncertainty around strandings and marine mammal health.

23) What proposal cycle timing details are provided for FY 2023?

The opportunity information shows a creation date of July 14, 2022, and an original application closing date of October 12, 2022, reflecting the FY 2023 proposal cycle described in the notice.

24) Does this opportunity focus more on practical response work or scientific research?

It supports both. The opportunity blends practical, mission-driven operational support (day-to-day rescue and response) with longer-term scientific benefits through research based on stranding and rehabilitation data.

25) How does stranding response work connect to broader marine mammal health tracking?

The program is designed so that response, treatment/rehabilitation (when appropriate), necropsy, sampling, documentation, and reporting also generate consistent data that can be used to track health trends and understand stressors, disease patterns, and other factors affecting marine mammal populations.