NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity under the IIJA

The principal objective of NOAA's Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to fish passage through the removal of dams and other in-stream barriers for native migratory or sea-run fish. Funding will be used for fish passage that rebuilds productive and sustainable fisheries, contributes to the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species, enhances watershed health, promotes resilient ecosystems and communities, especially in underserved communities, and improves economic vitality, including local employment. This funding opportunity announcement is authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58), 135 STAT. 1356 (Nov. 15, 2021).

Applicants should address the following set of program priorities: 1) achieving measurable and lasting benefits for migratory fish populations; 2) fostering regionally important habitat restoration; 3) enhancing community resilience to climate hazards, and providing other co-benefits; and 4) providing benefit to and engaging with underserved communities, including through partnerships with Indian tribes.

Proposals submitted under this funding opportunity should describe how the proposed fish passage will: (1) contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act; (2) sustain or help rebuild fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (3) improve passage to support native fish species of the Great Lakes; (4) enhance the sustainability of saltwater recreational fisheries; (5) enhance community resilience, especially in tribal and underserved communities, to climate hazards by removing or improving aging infrastructure and support other co-benefits; or (6) support hydroelectric license surrender to remove dams that are no longer economically viable or provide significant public benefits.

Proposed activities may include future project development and feasibility studies, engineering and design, permitting, on-the-ground fish passage restoration, pre- and post-removal implementation monitoring, stakeholder engagement, building the capacity of new and existing restoration partners to manage multi-faceted project design and construction, and education and outreach. Applicants may therefore apply for funding to support all these activities; however, priority will be given to applications that include on-the-ground construction likely to occur during the award period. Proposals that focus on the removal of barriers will score highly in the evaluation criteria. Proposals may include multiple locations throughout a watershed or other geographic area, and should demonstrate how multiple locations collectively contribute to priorities within the watershed or geographic area.

NOAA is committed to the goals of advancing equity and support for underserved communities. NOAA encourages applicants to include and demonstrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility through proactive, meaningful, and equitable community engagement in the identification, design, and/or implementation of proposed projects. NOAA also encourages applicants to propose projects with benefits to tribal or underserved communities. Applicants should identify if the project is located within tribal or underserved communities and/or whether a portion of the resilience benefits from the proposed work will flow to tribal or underserved communities.

Proposals selected for funding through this funding opportunity will be funded through cooperative agreements. NOAA anticipates that the period of performance for most awards will be for three years. Awards may be structured as multi-year awards where the funding for the second and/or third year should be estimated in the proposal, with final amounts determined in future years, pending future federal appropriations and progress towards project milestones (see Section IV.B for more details about the budget narrative for multi-year awards). NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $2 million to $5 million over three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $1 million or more than $15 million total for the entire award. Funds will be administered by the Community-based Restoration Program within the NOAA Restoration Center, as directed in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.