Proposal Submission Guidelines

CINAR allows consortium partners (Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Rutgers University, University of Maine, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Rhode Island, and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) to submit proposals to NOAA through the Cooperative Agreement #NA19OAR4320074. All proposals are submitted through the lead CINAR institution - WHOI. Guidelines for submission of CINAR proposals for both WHOI and partner institutions are outlined under the corresponding sections (see links below). Each institution should follow their own internal proposal guidelines as well as those designated for CINAR. Please contact Claire Anacreon (canacreon@whoi.edu) to initiate this process.

Please note that NOAA's Cooperative Institute Program Office has specified a Task I of 3.3% for CINAR for FY2024.

Please notify the CINAR office if you are planning a new proposal. All proposals must be reviewed before a final submission file is created. Completed proposal packages are due to the CINAR office by April 22, 2024.

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WHOI Proposals

Grants.gov package

In grants.gov, enter the federal funding opportunity (FFO) number that is assigned to CINAR for this award year: NOAA-OAR-CIPO-2024-2008126 -- Here is the workspace link. Please note: Only the original RFA from 2019 is available at this time. Click here to download it.

Grants.gov application page information. On the first page of the grants.gov application package, please use the following naming convention in the Application Filing Name field: WHOI Proposal #, Institution, PI Last Name (based on the following example: CINAR 123 [Streamlyne proposal #] 12345.00 [Budget Tool # ] WHOI Anderson). Please also use the same convention for naming the submission file. We recommend that you take out a new budget tool number in WHOI Grants, and not use the previous one from the 2019-2024 cycle.

***Download these proposal templates and then refer to instructions below***

CINAR current coversheet - download here
Abstract and Project Description - download here
Budget narrative - download here

The Project Narrative contains (in the following order):

CINAR cover sheet (download here)
Abstract and Project Description: please use our template, which is available for download here.
Note: File name of Project Narrative should not exceed 50 characters - use: Project CINAR 123 12345_00 WHOI PI lastname
Please make sure that the Abstract and Project Description both have a footer (e.g., Abstract CINAR 123 12345.00 WHOI Anderson – page 1 of 1; Project Narrative CINAR 123 12345.00 WHOI Anderson – page 1 of 12)

Your project narrative must include the following statement:

"Task 1: Task I activities relate to the management and administration of CINAR, including support for the CI director, administrator, and support staff, as well as travel, supplies, and education and outreach activities."

The Budget narrative contains (in the following order):

1. Budget justification. The CINAR template is available for download here. We also encourage you to review the NOAA Grant Management Division guidance, which is available here. In your narrative, include specific details of what is being purchased and why, referencing sections in the WHOI budget (for example: 6. Other 1.a). Also, a generic item such as "Laboratory Supplies - $2,000" should be detailed in the justification, i.e. glassware, chemicals, rubber gloves, etc. Try to avoid using the words “miscellaneous” and "etc." as much as possible. If you are including any supply items over $5,000, please include:

A description of the item and how it will be used in the project.
A statement describing “lease vs. purchase” – why you are buying the equipment rather than leasing (if it is unavailable for lease, you can state that.)

For outside services where an individual is named, especially subawards, a sole source justification statement is needed.

2. WHOI budget (from WHOIgrants). Please be sure to include Task 1 (now 3.3% for 2024) in the fee category. A blank placeholder subbudget for Task I must be included in the version to aid in the post-award process. This placeholder subbudget is not included in the grants.gov submission.

3. Negotiated rate agreement (WHOI's negotiated rate agreement )

4. Subaward documentation (if applicable). Subaward 424A is included in Optional Other Attachments

5. Be sure that the Budget Narrative has a footer (e.g., Budget Narrative CINAR 123 12345.00 WHOI Anderson …. Page 1 of 14)

6. Task 1 Statement: Please include the following statement in your budget narrative: "Funds toward Task I activities are budgeted. These activities relate to the management and administration of CINAR, including support for the CI director, administrator, and support staff, as well as travel, supplies, and education and outreach activities."

Note that the File name of Budget Narrative should not exceed 50 characters - use: Budget CINAR 123 12345_00 WHOI PI lastname

Next steps:

After the narratives have been reviewed and approved by Claire Anacreon and Mindy Richlen, the proposal can be submitted through WHOI's Grant and Contract Services (GCS) department to Grants.gov.

Partner Proposals

***Download these templates and then refer to instructions below***:

CINAR current coversheet - download here
Abstract and Project Description - download here
Budget spreadsheet - Download here.
Budget narrative - download here

Please the following items via email to the CINAR Office:

Project Narrative containing (in the following order):

CINAR current coversheet (download here)
Abstract and Project Description: A project narrative template is available for download here.
Note: File name of Project Narrative should not exceed 50 characters - use: Project_CINAR_####_##GMRI_PIlastname
Include the following statement in your project narrative: "Task 1: Task I activities relate to the management and administration of CINAR, including support for the CI director, administrator, and support staff, as well as travel, supplies, and education and outreach activities."

Please make sure that the Abstract and Project Description both have a footer (i.e., Abstract CINAR 12345.00 GMRI Pershing – page 1 of 1; Project Narrative CINAR 12345.00 GMRI Pershing – page 1 of 12)

Budget narrative containing (in the following order):

Complete CINAR budget spreadsheet: Download here.
Budget narrative: The template is available for download here. We also encourage you to review the NOAA Grant Management Division guidance, which is available here. In your narrative, include specific details of what is being purchased and why, referencing sections in the WHOI budget (for example: 6. Other 1.a). Also, a generic item such as "Laboratory Supplies - $2,000" should be detailed in the justification, i.e. glassware, chemicals, rubber gloves, etc. Avoid using the words “miscellaneous” and "etc." as much as possible.
If you are including any supply items over $5,000, please include:
- A description of the item and how it will be used in the project.
- A statement describing “lease vs. purchase” – why you are buying the equipment rather than leasing (if it is unavailable for lease, you can state that.)
- For outside services where an individual is named, especially subawards, a sole source justification statement is needed.
Task 1 Statement: Please include the following statement in your budget narrative: "Funds toward Task I activities are budgeted. These activities relate to the management and administration of CINAR, including support for the CI director, administrator, and support staff, as well as travel, supplies, and education and outreach activities."Note that the File name of Budget Narrative should not exceed 50 characters - use: Budget_CINAR_####_##GMRI_PI_lastname
Institution Negotiated rate agreement form
Subaward documentation (if applicable). Subaward 424A is included in Optional Other Attachments

Next steps:

After the narratives have been reviewed and approved by Claire Anacreon and Mindy Richlen, the CINAR Office will submit the proposal through WHOI's Grant and Contract Services (GCS) department to Grants.gov.
Once the proposal has been submitted and accepted by NOAA, the CINAR Office will send along the verification form to the PI and the participating partner AP who completed the paperwork.
When the funding arrives at WHOI (could take as long as 3 months). WHOI's GCS Department prepares the subaward and sends it to the partner grant office. This process is generally completed within one month; however, please note that delays beyond that are sometimes inevitable due to the workload in our grants office.