FY 2027 – 2029 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), National Marine Fisheries Service

The FY 2027 – 2029 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), solicitation number NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2027-33600, is a funding mechanism issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Fisheries Headquarters Program Office. It seeks proposals for research, education, outreach, and innovative projects that align with NOAA's mission, including those submitted through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program. This BAA is designed to support applied environmental and cultural resource research and technical assistance for the stewardship of public lands and trust resources. Funding is contingent upon the availability of appropriations, and the announcement does not obligate NOAA to award any specific project. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov and eRA Commons, requiring registration with SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). The submission package must include standard forms such as the SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, CD-511, and SF-LLL, along with a project description limited to 15 pages and a data management plan of up to two pages. All attachments must be in PDF format, under 100 MB, and formatted for standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper. Applicants must also provide resumes for all key personnel and adhere to the Build American, Buy American Act for any infrastructure-related costs. NOAA evaluates applications individually based on a total possible score of 100, focusing on the project's relevance to mission goals, technical and scientific merit, and the qualifications of the applicants. A merit review by at least three reviewers is required before a final recommendation is made to the Grants Officer. Awards are typically issued three to six months after the receipt of a full application, though submissions received after March 31 in a given fiscal year may not be awarded within that same year. Post-award administration, including semi-annual technical reporting and invoicing, is managed through the eRA system.