2025 California Mid-depth Rocky Reef MPA Monitoring Request for Proposals

Image
Rockfish swims above mid-depth rocky reef habitat
Funding Category
Grants and Funding
Application Deadline
Focus Area(s)
Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

 

Header photo credit: CDFW/MARE

NOTE: Solicitation Priorities section was updated on 10/30/2024. Proposal assistance webinar date changed on 11/18/2024, and the recording of the webinar was added on 11/19/2024.

IMPORTANT DATES

November 13, 2024, 5PM PT: Notice of Intent due to sgproposal@ucsd.edu

December 16, 2024, 5PM PT: Full proposals due to eSeaGrant 

*Only applicants who have submitted a notice of intent may submit a full proposal.

__________________________________________________________________________

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW

California’s Network of 124 MPAs was completed in 2012 after a multi-year design and planning process that occurred regionally across the state. The MPA Network spans 1,110 miles of California coastline from Mexico to the Oregon border and protects 16% of state waters from estuaries to deep sea canyons; 9% is located in no-take state marine reserves. As a part of implementation, baseline monitoring was staggered across the planning regions. Following the end of baseline monitoring in 2017, the state developed the MPA Monitoring Action Plan for long-term monitoring which helped coordinate statewide monitoring consortiums for each core habitat (e.g., kelp forests, sandy beaches, intertidal, mid-depth rock reef). As part of the Network’s first Decadal Management Review, an analysis of baseline and long-term monitoring through 2021 culminated in technical reports on MPA performance across the core habitats. 

From the ten-year review assessment, identifying robust and durable monitoring approaches for mid-depth habitats (30-100 m) became a key management recommendation. Monitoring California’s extensive mid-depth habitats is one of the greatest challenges technologically, logistically, and economically. Since 2004, the State’s monitoring program has relied heavily on remotely operated vehicle (ROV) strip transect methods and has established a substantial time-series across the statewide MPA Network. However, the effectiveness of these monitoring efforts has been challenging to evaluate due to various circumstances and challenges. To address these challenges, a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) developed key findings and recommendations for collecting and analyzing critical biological and ecological data for California’s mid-depth habitats.

Building from the TEP’s key findings and recommendations, California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), California Sea Grant (CASG), and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are now soliciting proposals for projects that will advance monitoring priorities for California’s mid-depth MPA habitats and will evaluate sampling designs and approaches for long-term monitoring in this habitat. 

CALIFORNIA OCEAN PROTECTION COUNCIL

OPC’s mission is to protect California’s coast and ocean by advancing innovative, science-based policy and management, making strategic investments, and catalyzing action through partnerships and collaboration. One of the many ways in which OPC advances its strategic goals is as the lead for MPA policy and by making strategic investments to support the MPA management program. OPC’s Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean 2020-2025 includes the management of the MPA network as an explicit objective under Strategic Goal 3: Enhance Coastal and Marine Biodiversity.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

CDFW is California’s lead natural resources management agency and is charged with enforcing natural resource regulations and managing the state’s wildlife and habitats, including the MPA Network, and provides management recommendations to the California Fish and Game Commission on MPA management and regulation changes.

CALIFORNIA SEA GRANT

The mission of California Sea Grant is to provide the information, tools, training, and relationships needed to help California conserve and sustainably prosper from our coastal and marine environments. California Sea Grant accomplishes this by collaborating with a range of local, state, regional, national, and international partners to further the co-production and application of relevant evidence-based knowledge.

California Sea Grant’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan prioritizes opportunities that benefit society through building and maintaining 1) Healthy Coastal Ecosystems (HCE), 2) Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA), and 3) Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies (RCE). Specifically, the planned solicitation meets California Sea Grant’s HCE Goals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Award Information
Matching Funds 
Solicitation Priorities
Eligibility
Timeline
PROPOSAL SUPPORT
Submission Instructions
Notice of Intent
Full Proposals
Review Process
Selection Criteria
Evaluation Criteria
Conditions of Award
Contacts

AWARD INFORMATION

California Sea Grant, OPC, and CDFW are soliciting proposals for projects that are up to 2 years in duration (i.e., 2025 and 2026 monitoring seasons). There is a total of $1,500,000 available for this solicitation, and one to three projects are anticipated to be selected for funding. This solicitation will fund projects that fall within one or both of the following components: Component 1) conduct monitoring of mid-depth rocky reef habitats within California’s MPA Network in 2025 and 2026, and/or Component 2) investigate and refine sampling designs and approaches to improve the scientific quality and efficiency of long-term mid-depth rocky reef monitoring. 

Monitoring proposals (Component 1) may request a maximum of $1,200,000 (to include indirect costs, if any), and investigation of sampling design proposals (Component 2) may request a maximum of $300,000 (to include indirect costs, if any). Proposers should request what is necessary to accomplish the work and analyses they propose. 

The anticipated start date for all research projects is approximately May 1, 2025. California Sea Grant will lead grant administration for this solicitation on behalf of OPC.

MATCHING FUNDS

No matching funds will be required for this funding opportunity. However, PIs should note related research funding and collaborations that complement the submitted proposal (see Plan of Work section).

SOLICITATION PRIORITIES

This is a competitive call for projects to address the goals of the Marine Life Protection Act, and the following monitoring objectives and priorities of California’s mid-depth rocky reef MPA habitats:

OBJECTIVES

  1. Evaluate MPA performance statewide, and within the network’s three bioregions (North, Central, and South):
    1. North Coast – California/Oregon border to San Francisco Bay, including the Farallon Islands;
    2. Central Coast – San Francisco Bay to Point Conception; and 
    3. South Coast – Point Conception to the U.S./Mexico border, including the Channel Islands 
  2. Inform ecological connectivity modeling;
  3. Assess and address climate change impacts; and
  4. Incorporate non-fisheries and non-biological environmental monitoring (e.g., temperature, salinity)

PRIORITIES

  1. Broad ecosystem-scale species composition  
  • Describing broad, ecosystem-scale species composition of fishes, invertebrates, and biogenic habitat (primarily coral and sponge);
  1. Abundance, Density, and Biomass metrics  
  • Obtaining accurate, repeatable estimates of abundance, density, and biomass for key species that are comparable across other habitat monitoring groups (i.e., kelp and shallow rocky habitat)
  1. Length composition   
  • Generating length composition data for key species with adequate sample sizes to examine age structure and calculate biomass metrics
  1. Habitat characterization 
  • Characterizing habitat in an ecologically meaningful way, on both macro and micro scales, and evaluating species-habitat association

These priorities enable the evaluation of broader MPA network performance of California's mid-depth habitats as described in California’s MPA management guiding documents; MPA Monitoring Action Plan and Scientific Guidance for Evaluating California’s Marine Protected Area Network. 

PROJECT COMPONENTS

Funded projects must support California MPA mid-depth rocky reef habitat monitoring priorities by the addressing one or both of the following components:

  1. Implementing mid-depth rocky reef monitoring programs in 2025 and 2026; and/or 
  2. Investigating and refining sampling design and approaches to mid-depth rocky reef monitoring

The approach for this competitive call is based on the management priorities per recommendations from the 2024 Mid-depth Rocky Reef Technical Expert Panel (TEP). 

Component 1: Mid-depth Monitoring Programs: 

Proposals for implementing a mid-depth rocky reef monitoring program during the 2025 and 2026 monitoring seasons should include the following elements in the project narrative:

  • Survey tools and methods that will generate area-swept density, length composition, habitat assessment, and maintain comparability with existing time series of data available (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, component 2). Note: Proposed survey methods are not limited to stereo-camera equipped mobile platforms. Applicants may propose other approaches that generate comparable data that address the monitoring objectives and priorities listed above. 
  • Sampling designs that:
    • are stratified, minimally by habitat type and depth, to divide the sampling frame into discrete strata areas over which MPA performance metrics will be calculated and evaluated (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, component 3);
    • allow both design-based and model-based analytical approaches (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, component 4); 
    • account for spatial autocorrelation (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, component 4); and
    • include (but are not restricted to) sites sampled in existing mid-depth rocky reef long-term datasets (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, component 5)
  • Best practices and standardized protocols for data collection, post-processing, conditioning, and sharing (TEP Report Section 3.1.1, components 6 and 7)
  • An estimate of monitoring survey and post-processing cost metrics by bioregion, broken out by MPA and sampling sites if costs differ by site

Component 1 proposals may request a maximum of $1,200,000 (to include indirect costs, if any). Selected applicants for Component 1 will be expected to provide a progress report at the end of Year 1 and a final report at the end of Year 2. The final report should include specific analyses supporting management of the California MPA Network (e.g., summary statistics and population trends for focal species). Awardees are expected to coordinate closely with OPC, CDFW, California Sea Grant, and other funded monitoring teams to coordinate monitoring efforts, to satisfy reporting requirements, and to inform the Component 2 project. All proposals should include sufficient funds for staff to engage in coordination efforts. 

Component 2: Investigation and Refinement of Sampling Design and Approaches to Mid-Depth Monitoring

Proposals for Component 2 should include applicant’s proposed approaches to the following analyses:

  • Identification of relevant sampling strata that should be maintained and included in long-term monitoring studies (e.g., depth, habitat, protection, seasonality) and identification of data gaps in these strata
  • Evaluate trade-offs for cost efficient and statistically robust levels of sampling effort (number of sites samples and effort within those sites) versus temporal repetition (frequency of sampling)
  • Exploration of shifting towards spatially balanced stratified random sampling designs that would allow for model based exploration of explanatory factors such as:
    • Fishing effort, including distance from MPA and boundaries
    • Environmental/oceanographic shifts
    • Spatial autocorrelation
  • Examine and utilize appropriate modeling approaches to help accomplish the above elements of component 2

Component 2 proposals may request a maximum of $300,000 (to include indirect costs, if any). Selected applicants for Component 2 will be expected to coordinate closely with OPC, CDFW, California Sea Grant, other funded teams (Component 1), and external partners to coordinate monitoring efforts, inform sampling design studies, complete annual reports of findings and ensure that project outcomes can inform MPA management. Findings and results from Component 2 will inform the direction and refinement of future mid-depth rocky reef monitoring efforts.  All proposals should include sufficient funds for staff to engage in coordination efforts. 

 Proposed research for both components should be in line with the following guiding documents: 

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible applicants for this competitive grant program include public agencies, California Native American tribes and tribally-led entities, public or private universities, or nonprofit corporations subject to Public Resources Code Section 35650. Projects must benefit the state of California, relatedly, California applicants will be highly prioritized. All submitting institutions will need to be able to receive state funds, and be able to fulfill the award conditions of the Cal Model Agreement to be eligible to apply. California Sea Grant is the final arbiter of decisions regarding eligibility.

Applicants may submit more than one Notice of Intent/Full Proposal. However, if more than one proposal is selected for funding, funds will be distributed through a single subaward to the Principal Investigator’s institution. In addition, PIs may be listed as co-PIs on other projects even if they are lead PI on their own project. PIs who independently submit similar or related NOIs may be encouraged to work together at the full proposal stage.

OPC values diversity and equity at all levels of its workforce, in community engagement, and funded research. California Sea Grant is committed to increasing the diversity of the workforce we fund and of the communities we serve. We embrace individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, marital statuses, job classifications, veteran status types, as well as income and socioeconomic status types. California Sea Grant is committed to building inclusive research, extension, communication, and education programs that serve people with unique knowledge, backgrounds, life experiences, needs, perspectives, and ways of thinking.

TIMELINE

The following timetable lists key dates that will lead to the establishment of research awards under this call:

Request for Proposals Open

  • October 30, 2024 – 9:00 - 11:00 am PT: Office Hours (Optional)
  • November 8, 2024 – 1:00 - 3:00 pm PT: Office Hours (Optional)
  • November 13, 2024 – 5:00 pm PT: Notice of intent due via email (sgproposal@ucsd.edu)
  • RESCHEDULED - November 19, 2024 – 10:00 am PT: Proposal Assistance Webinar (Optional)
  • December 16, 2024 – 5:00 pm PT: Full proposals due to eSeaGrant [Note: only applicants who submitted a notice of intent may submit a full proposal] 

Review/Selection of Projects

  • December - January 2025: Review of proposals
  • Early February 2025: Proposal applicants notified of recommendations
  • February 27, 2025: Recommended projects brought to February OPC Council meeting for consideration of funding
  • May 1, 2025: Awards begin

OFFICE HOURS AND PROPOSAL ASSISTANCE WEBINAR

California Sea Grant provides an overview of the report and RFP in the video below:

California Sea Grant will host optional virtual office hours to answer questions about the request for proposals on October 30, 2024, 9:00 - 11:00 am PT, and November 8, 2024, 1:00 - 3:00 pm PT.

To register for the office hours, click the respective links below:

October 30th Office Hours

November 8th Office Hours

California Sea Grant hosted a proposal assistance webinar to provide an overview of eSeaGrant and answer questions about proposal preparation on November 19, 2024, 10:00 am PT [RESCHEDULED]. The recording of the webinar is available below.

 Please find supporting materials (FAQ, tips and resources) here, which will continue to be updated as needed.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are required to use the eSeaGrant online system for proposal submission. eSeaGrant walks applicants through each step of the application process. All documents will be submitted through eSeaGrant. If you have not registered in eSeaGrant, you will need to register via the online submission “portal” (http://eseagrant2.ucsd.edu).

APPLY NOW

Once you have registered and logged in, you can change your password by clicking on your name in the upper-right corner of the screen, and select “My Profile”. 

To start a proposal, or revisit/edit an existing proposal, click on “RFP (Request for Proposals)” on the banner head. Then click on “Add Proposal” under “2025 California Mid-Depth Rocky Reef MPA Monitoring Program (Full Proposal)”. Only applicants who have submitted a notice of intent may submit a full proposal and will receive an invitation to eSeaGrant for their full proposals. 

In order to submit a proposal, you must work through the sequence of sections listed on the left side of the proposal window. eSeaGrant provides sections to input or upload all application components. Files must be converted to PDFs before uploading to eSeaGrant. You may add collaborators (e.g., co-PIs, sponsored project office staff, etc.) as appropriate to assist in completing the proposal using the “Manage Collaborators” button in the upper right corner of your screen. Collaborators must also have accounts on eSeaGrant in order to be added to your proposal. A detailed walkthrough eSeaGrant Budget Forms and budget guidance, including ineligible costs, can be found here.

It is recommended that applicants access the system, review submission requirements within it, and start to upload necessary documents well in advance of the submission deadline. This will give users the opportunity to obtain any necessary clarification or assistance before the deadline. NOTE: We advise not to wait until the last minute to submit your application; when eSeaGrant experiences high user traffic, you may experience page loading delays. It is the applicant’s responsibility to get all required materials submitted before the deadline, and the submission deadline will not be extended. 

For questions regarding use of eSeaGrant, please contact sgproposal@ucsd.edu. 

NOTICE OF INTENT (NOI)

Notices of intent (NOI) to submit a proposal are due by 5:00 pm PT on November 13, 2024 submitted via email to sgproposal@ucsd.edu. Notices of intent will not be evaluated, but will provide California Sea Grant, OPC and CDFW with information to identify appropriate technical experts for review and ensure proposed projects are consistent with the priorities of this competitive solicitation. Principal investigators will receive a confirmation of receipt. (Anyone who submits a notice of intent is eligible to submit a full proposal.) 

Email (sgproposal@ucsd.edu) a notice of intent with the following components:

  • Name of lead investigator, affiliation, and contact information
  • Names of collaborators, affiliations, and contact information
  • Title of project
  • Approximate funding to be requested
  • Brief narrative discussion of (up to 500 words):
    • Specific monitoring priorities and project components to be addressed
    • Proposed study design and approach (including bioregions to be sampled for Component 1 proposals)

FULL PROPOSALS 

Only applicants who have submitted a notice of intent may submit a full proposal.

Full proposals are due by 5:00 pm PT on December 16, 2024 through the eSeaGrant online portal. All required proposal documents will be submitted through eSeaGrant (submission instructions below). A fillable template Excel Workbook is provided for guidance on select proposal requirements (Cover page, Budget & Budget Justification, Current and Pending Support, and Project Timeline/Milestones chart). 

Adherence to the format requirements is mandatory and ensures fairness across all applications. Applications not meeting the format requirements may be rejected without review. Several application elements have specific page limits and excess pages will not be reviewed. Only the requested materials should be submitted; additional documents (e.g. appendices, unless specified in these instructions) will not be reviewed.

Proposal Format: 

  1. Type Fonts: 12 point Arial or Helvetica preferred. 
  2. Margins: Side, top and bottom margins should be approximately 1 inch each. 
  3. Line Spacing: The narrative of the proposal should be single-spaced. Please do not use 1½ line spacing. 
  4. Graphics: Any tables, figures and illustrations must be submitted in final form and embedded within or appended to the narrative. All graphics and tables count toward the 12-page limit of the project narrative. 
  5. References: The list of references does not count toward the 12-page limit. 

Proposal requirements and character/page limits for a complete application package are listed below. Please use this as an inventory checklist to aid you in preparing the application.

  • Signed Institutional Cover Page - This cover page provides basic summary information regarding the project and demonstrates support of the proposal from the applicants’ institution. Applicants should download and use the fillable Cover Page Template (found in the fillable template Excel Workbook and also linked at the bottom of this page), enter this information, and upload this document as a PDF back into eSeaGrant. Please provide all requested information and obtain the required institutional signatures (e.g., from your sponsored projects office or equivalent). Summary budget information must match that requested in eSeaGrant budget forms. Each lead and subaward institution must submit a signed institutional cover page.
     
  • Project Summary - The Project Summary is a fillable on-line form in eSeaGrant. Applicants will need to prepare separate sections for objectives, methodology, rationale (each section should not exceed 1000 characters). The project summary provides a concise description of the proposed research in a form useful to a variety of readers not requiring detailed information. Instructions are available in eSeaGrant to help applicants accurately complete the form. Please follow these instructions carefully - the project summary is the most widely consulted description of your project. 
     
  • Project Narrative - The project narrative is a single PDF file that includes multiple components. The project narrative format and contents may vary; however, proposals should include the information listed below. The project narrative MUST not exceed 12 pages (not including references). Proposals exceeding this page limit will be redacted.
    • Introduction and Background – Provide the rationale for your project goals and approach, including establishing the scientific merit, innovativeness, and management relevance of the project outcomes and deliverables. 
    • Objectives – In number or “bullet” format, provide a list of clearly defined objectives. For each objective, provide a concise statement explaining how the objective is aligned with the goals and priorities of this funding opportunity.
    • Approach (Plan of Work) – Provide an explanation of the methods you will use to address your project objectives, including clear justification of how the proposed approach will address the monitoring objectives and priorities of this solicitation. Please make clear what other sources of support (fiscal, personnel or logistical), if any, will be used to help support the work proposed. 
      Applicants must include subsections outlining the following project details for one or both of the following components: 
      1. Component 1 - Monitoring Proposals:
        • Survey tools and methods - what survey tools will be used to address project objectives and monitoring priorities;
        • Sampling design - frequency, metrics and measures to be collected for each bioregion;
        • Sampling sites - a complete list of MPA sites and reference sites to be sampled by bioregion, including rationale for sites that will be monitored in the proposed project;
        • Analytic approach(es) - what analyses could be conducted using this data that would address the monitoring objectives and priorities;
        • Monitoring cost metrics - provide an estimate of the costs of sampling and post-processing by bioregion, broken out by MPA and sampling sites if costs differ by site.
      2. Component 2 - Investigating and Refining Sampling Design Proposals:
        • Sampling strata gap assessment
        • Sampling design assessments
        • Modeling approach assessments 
    • Project Timeline – Please provide a timeline for accomplishing the proposed work, which covers the entire duration of the project. Include approximate dates for key milestones related to the proposed work, including the accomplishment of anticipated outcomes and release of deliverables.
    • Outcomes and Deliverables – Project outcomes should be described and clearly related to the project objectives, which in turn should be linked to the Monitoring Program purposes and priorities. A clear description of the intended project deliverables should be provided, including description of data and other products, and associated timelines for development and delivery. CASG will expect annual reports to be submitted and a final report. The lead PI must acknowledge willingness to provide these reports in a timely manner. Within the design of the project, applicants should identify which group(s) of stakeholders will benefit from the work performed. Each proposal should clearly describe how management agencies and other users of resulting information will be engaged before work begins, during the project, and how results will be disseminated to the targeted stakeholder.
    • Community Engagement and DEIJA (suggested 1/2 page max) – Applicants are encouraged to integrate diversity and inclusion in monitoring projects and/or research design. Describe how well the proposed activity broadens the participation of underrepresented groups and how they benefit from the outcomes of the proposed activity. Guided research experience and mentorship to students and employees, with the goal of increasing retention in STEM and launching careers in coastal science, and supporting research programs within Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are highly encouraged. Partnerships with local community-based organizations or tribes are highly encouraged, where applicable, in monitoring proposals. Applicants are encouraged to review the OPC Equity Plan (e.g. Goal 1, Strategy 1.4.2; Goal 4, Strategies 4.2.3 and 4.2.4) and resources and best practices compiled by NSGO related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
    • References – List all included references alphabetically. The list of References does NOT count toward the 12-page limit of the narrative but must be included in the narrative pdf file. 
       
  • Project Team Experience and Qualifications - The project team includes all key personnel (PIs, co-PIs, Associate PIs) who will be performing the work described in the proposal. Applicants must demonstrate that the project team (maximum 1 page per person) has the experience, facilities, materials, equipment, and the capacity to successfully perform the proposed tasks within the term of the project. Discuss any relevant prior projects, prior publications or examples of productivity, or previous collaborations that the work leverages. Where relevant, include the project team’s experience (particularly in California MPAs) with collaborative monitoring efforts, natural resource management, and outreach. Applicants may use the direct entry form in eSeaGrant or upload a PDF with the same information.
     
  • CVs and Additional Personnel – Provide CVs (maximum 2 pages for each person) of all key personnel (PIs, co-PIs, Associate PIs). If a CV longer than 2 pages is submitted, reviewers will only be provided with the first 2 pages of the CV for each PI and co-PI. Upload a single PDF of all CVs in eSeaGrant.
     
  • Current and Pending Support - List all current and pending sources of support associated with investigators. Applicants may use the direct entry form in eSeaGrant or upload a PDF with the same information.
     
  • Budget Narrative – The Budget Narrative must include both the eSeaGrant Budget Forms and accompanying Budget Justification. A detailed walkthrough eSeaGrant Budget Forms and budget guidance, including ineligible costs, can be found here. The fillable template Excel Workbook can be used to prepare your budget, but all final budgets must be submitted using the eSeaGrant budget forms.  
    • eSeaGrant Budget Forms are required to provide budget breakdowns and budget justifications by year and object class for the proposal. A completed eSeaGrant Budget worksheet should be completed for each project year (i.e., Year 1 and Year 2). Be prepared to enter any salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for all personnel associated with the project. Also, if applicable, indicate expected costs for equipment, expendable supplies, publication costs, and travel. Note:  Next-generation network (NGN) and similar charges may not be allowed and a rebudget may be required if these fees are included.
    • Budget Justification is required for each year of the project (or each individual project within an application). Each budget justification should explain the budget items in sufficient detail to enable review of the appropriateness of the funding requested. Sample budget justification can be found here.
    • Indirect Costs (IDC), if applicable. State funds will be used to support projects approved for funding. When completing your budget, please use the state IDC rate of 25% (unless your institution has another previously approved IDC rate with OPC) (MTDC). If recommended for funding, California Sea Grant may ask you to work with staff to revise your budget to ensure that the project budget, indirect costs, match, etc. are correct.
    • Graduate Student Support: Please note that any graduate trainee stipends and/or tuition support are NOT subject to indirect costs, whereas other project costs (e.g. travel, supplies) typically are subject to indirect costs. The amount requested for a trainee stipend must conform to your institution’s normal stipend for a half-time graduate student at their level of experience. 
    • Subawards: All subaward institutions must submit via eSeaGrant: a signed institutional cover page (see Excel budget workbook for template), yearly eSeaGrant subaward budget worksheet(s) with budget justification, and a scope of work (subaward tab). Lead PI(s) can provide access to their proposal on eSeaGrant to subaward collaborators using the "Manage Collaborators" feature. Collaborators must have an account on eSeaGrant in order to be added.
       
  • Support Letters (optional) - Support letters are optional. However, if they are to be included in the application, please consolidate all letters into one PDF to upload to eSeaGrant. Each letter must not exceed two pages.
     
  • Data Management Plan - All applications should include a Data Management Plan. Describe how data and other information generated by the project will be handled, stored, and shared, i.e., disseminated to the public, participants, stakeholders, and the State.
    • OPC’s data repository on DataONE will serve as the formal vehicle for delivery of all data and technical reports associated with OPC funded projects. Applicants are encouraged to contact OPC to learn more about data submission requirements. Applicants should also be aware that a wide variety of aquatic environmental data are collected by and made available by the California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN). Applicants are encouraged to contact staff at CEDEN, as appropriate, to discuss availability and access to data, and data management or data quality requirements that might bear on the proposed research project. Applicants are encouraged to address data harmonization and reporting in the Data Management Plan.
       
  • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance: The CEQA summary is a fillable online form in eSeaGrant. Please include information on the project’s CEQA compliance. The Ocean Protection Council must determine whether the project is in compliance with CEQA prior to the issuance of funding awards. Please note that OPC cannot serve as a lead agency for CEQA. It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify a lead agency and ensure compliance under CEQA. If you believe the project to be exempt from CEQA, please identify which exemption the project falls under. The definition of activities that are “projects” under CEQA is available here, and the list of activities that are categorically exempt from CEQA is available here. If the project requires environmental review under CEQA, please provide the following information: 
    • Lead Agency Name
    • Lead Agency Representative, Title
    • Contact Information (phone, email)
    • What type of CEQA document has been, or is being prepared: Mitigated Negative Declaration/Negative Declaration or Environmental Impact Report? Please upload the CEQA document (draft is acceptable if the final is not available).
    • If CEQA is in progress, please provide an estimated date by which the lead agency will approve the CEQA document.
    • If permits are required to conduct the proposed project, please fill out this Permit Approval Status Form and upload the PDF version into eSeaGrant. If no permits are required, please state "No permits are required for this project." 
       
  • Accessibility Plan – Please provide information regarding how accessibility requirements will be addressed (suggested ½ - 1 page uploaded as a PDF). All reports, deliverables, and communication materials produced for online posting and distribution associated with research funded by this RFP must be accessible, including but not limited to, blindness and low vision, deafness, and hearing loss, in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. For more information regarding accessibility requirements, please visit: https://dor.ca.gov/Home/WebAccessibilityToolkithttps://dor.ca.gov/Home/WebAccessibilityToolkit. Please indicate whether this required portion of the project will be addressed in-house or if this is a service that must be contracted out. If the applicant will require financial support to address accessibility requirements, this service can be included in the budget of the project.
     
  • Demographics Questionnaire (Optional) – This questionnaire can be filled out online in eSeaGrant. It is voluntary and answers will be anonymous. Any data provided assists California Sea Grant in its commitment to equal opportunities. This questionnaire will be separated from the application and will not be used in any review decisions. This data will be used internally for statistical data gathering and reporting purposes in evaluating the extent to which California Sea Grant is achieving its equal opportunity goals. 

PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS

Proposals will undergo a structured review process led by California Sea Grant, OPC and CDFW. California Sea Grant will conduct an administrative review to ensure proposals meet the listed requirements, and proposals that do not meet the requirements may be rejected without review. Each proposal will be subjected to at least three external written reviews. Reviewers/panelists will all be external to California Sea Grant and all reviewers will be asked to complete a Conflict of Interest (COI) form prior to conducting their review. Review panels will include subject matter experts, scientists, and agency representatives. At their discretion, CA Sea Grant, OPC and CDFW may request additional review by likely user groups of the research findings or suggest coordination of complementary proposals. See “Selection Criteria” section below for details on the OPC approval process.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

To be funded, proposed projects must address the priorities of this request for proposals. In addition, evaluation of proposals will be based on the following criteria: 

[35%] Project Rationale, Relevance, and Utilization: The degree to which the proposed project addresses the mid-depth monitoring objectives, priorities, and project components listed above. The degree to which the proposed project will integrate with existing data and support continued ecological monitoring of mid-depth rocky habitats of California’s MPA network. 

[35%] Scientific Merit and/or Innovativeness: The degree to which the proposed project will advance monitoring priorities for California’s mid-depth MPA habitats through use of robust, state-of-the-art methods. The degree to which best practice and/or new approaches to solving problems and exploiting opportunities in resource management or development will be employed in the proposed project. 

[15%] Qualifications of Investigators: The degree to which investigators are qualified by education, training and/or experience to execute the proposed project. Evidence of any record of achievement with previous funding. 

[10%] Project Costs and Justification: The degree to which the project costs are appropriate for the scope of work proposed. The degree to which the budget maximizes cost efficiency in the sampling and post-processing approaches.

[5%] Community Engagement and DEIJA: The degree to which outreach and partnerships with local communities are integrated into the project, including how the proposed activity broadens the participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

SELECTION CRITERIA

California Sea Grant, OPC and CDFW shall award in the rank order based on the evaluation criteria above unless the proposal is justified to be selected out of rank order based on one or more of the following factors:

1. Availability of funding.

2. Balance/distribution of funds:

  • Geographically
  • By type of institution 
  • By type of partners 
  • By solicitation priorities 
  • By project types

3. Duplication of other projects funded or considered for funding by California Sea Grant, OPC and CDFW. 

4. Program priorities and policy factors.

5. Applicant’s prior award performance.

6. Partnerships with/participation of diverse groups, mentors and underrepresented communities.

It is expected that PIs will be notified in early February 2025 whether their proposal has been selected for funding, pending concurrence from the Ocean Protection Council. Projects recommended for funding through this review process will be presented at an Ocean Protection Council meeting on February 27, 2025 for consideration of final approval of awards. After OPC concurrence, applicants will be notified of the final award selection and can begin projects on or after May 1, 2025. 

CONDITIONS OF AWARD

A full description of the Conditions of Award will be provided to project PIs if funded. Continuation of a project beyond the first year is subject to demonstration of satisfactory progress by the principal investigator (PI) (e.g., compliance in submitting reports and invoices). 

Throughout the award period, PIs will be required to:

Progress Reports

Provide progress reports to California Sea Grant in Year 1 and a final report (template to be provided by California Sea Grant) in Year 2, and a copy of any thesis or dissertation from students supported by this award, even if it is completed after the award period. Progress Reports and Final Reports are extremely important for describing the impacts, accomplishments, products, and outreach that were accomplished during the life of a project.

Work with California Sea Grant’s Communication Team and assist California Sea Grant's efforts to publicize your project activities.

Acknowledge Support

Acknowledge OPC, CDFW and California Sea Grant support in all relevant presentations and publications. Attributions to OPC, CDFW and California Sea Grant-funded (or supported) projects require attribution and funding acknowledgment. 

CONTACTS

Proposal and eSeaGrant Questions: 

Lian Guo, California Sea Grant - Research Coordinator

sgproposal@ucsd.edu

Budget Questions:

Christine Griffin, California Sea Grant - Chief Administrative Officer

sgproposal@ucsd.edu

Application Resources

Budget Preparation Workbook