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

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007293

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), a program established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to improve how the United States responds to stranded marine mammals and how it tracks marine mammal health trends in the wild. At its core, the grant is meant to strengthen the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network and its partners by helping them respond to strandings, treat and rehabilitate animals when appropriate, and collect and share consistent, high-quality data from both live and dead stranded marine mammals. The overall intent is practical and mission-driven: ensure responders have the capacity to do day-to-day rescue and response work while also improving the scientific understanding that comes from stranding and rehabilitation efforts.

The opportunity funds three main types of work. First, it supports basic operational needs tied to stranding response, treatment, and data collection, which can include the resources required for handling live strandings, necropsy work for dead animals, sample collection, documentation, and reporting. Second, it funds research projects that use stranding and rehabilitation data to answer targeted scientific questions, such as why strandings occur, what health conditions or stressors are affecting marine mammal populations, how disease patterns may be changing over time, or which rehabilitation and treatment techniques are most effective. Third, it supports facility operations that are directly connected to recovery, treatment, and data collection, recognizing that rehabilitation and response capacity often depends on maintaining specialized spaces, equipment, and readiness to handle unpredictable stranding events.

For FY 2023, NOAA indicated the funding mechanism could be a grant or a cooperative agreement, meaning some awards may involve closer federal involvement depending on the project. The opportunity is listed as discretionary funding and is associated with CFDA number 11.439. The expected number of awards is about 15, with an award ceiling of $100,000 per project. The administering agency is the Department of Commerce through NOAA/NMFS. The opportunity information provided 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.

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). In practice, this points to organizations that are already engaged in authorized stranding response, rehabilitation, and related scientific or operational work, as well as partner entities that meaningfully contribute to those efforts.

A notable emphasis in this grant program is NOAA's expectation that applicants address diversity and inclusion in both their proposals and their work plans. MMHSRP describes diversity broadly to include representation across 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. Applicants are encouraged to explain concrete organizational actions that support these principles, including efforts to promote participation and advancement of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. NOAA frames this not as an add-on, but as part of strengthening the Stranding and Entanglement Response Networks overall by improving creativity, productivity, and resilience across the marine mammal response community.

In summary, the Prescott 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 can reduce uncertainty around strandings and marine mammal health. It blends immediate operational support with longer-term scientific benefits, while also pushing the network toward more inclusive participation and workforce development across the field.

• The Department of Commerce in the business and commerce, education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.439.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 14, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 12, 2022. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS PRPO 2023 2007293

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