Funding for Research on Threatened and Endangered Arizona Plants



The next round of proposals are due December 8, 2023.



Upcoming report deadlines for Segment 28

  • Interim report 3: Due March 31, 2024
  • Draft final report: Due September 30, 2024 (this will replace interim report 4)
  • Approved final report: Due October 31, 2024
  • Submit all reports to Section6@cals.arizona.edu only.



INTRODUCTION
The Herbarium at the University of Arizona is collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Arizona Department of Agriculture to manage and allocate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 6 funding for plants in Arizona. Proposals for studies on threats, demography, monitoring, systematics, status reviews, etc. of threatened and endangered plant species, or plant species of other special concern, are solicited. (This grant no longer supports publication costs.) Plants that are listed as threatened, endangered, or have candidate status will rank higher than sensitive or rare plants (see FWS' list here; Arizona is in Region 2).


PREVIOUS AWARDS
Please see our lists of previously funded projects, organized by year.


FUNDING TARGETS
We anticipate supporting three to eight projects per year at levels of approximately $5,000 to $20,000 per project. Projects may be one or two years in duration, but note that two-year projects are subject to the same $20,000 per-project limit.


PROPOSAL REVIEW
Proposals are reviewed by a committee for the importance of the species to Fish and Wildlife Service planned work, intellectual merit, and feasibility of the proposed research, appropriateness of the budget, and clarity of the proposal. Projects that are recommended for funding are ranked and funded as funds allow.


PROJECT PROCEDURES
Contracts are sent to the selected researchers by the Arizona Department of Agriculture within four months of the award notification (usually early fall) and will indicate actual start and end dates. Please note that reimbursable work may not begin until the contract is signed, which is often in late September. Awardee must be in a position to sign a standard contract with the State of Arizona. For questions in this regard, contact Ashley Estes, aestes@azda.gov, (602) 542-0972, Arizona Department of Agriculture. Contracts must be signed and returned within 30 days of receipt. Funds are only distributed on a reimbursable basis (funds will no longer be sent in advance under any circumstance). Researchers are welcome to submit expense reports and invoices up to once quarterly. Brief interim reports will be due semiannually, and the final project report will be due at the end of year two; interim and final report deadlines will be provided by the Dept. of Agriculture when the contract is awarded.


PROJECT COMPLETION
The final report is an expected deliverable of this research and should include introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and literature cited sections. Prior to approval and release of funding, reports will be reviewed by the section 6 grant committee and FWS species leads for completeness, clarity, and usefulness to the FWS for species management and recovery. Insufficient final reports will be returned with comments, and researchers will be expected to remedy the report prior to final approval. Draft final reports are welcome at any time.


PROPOSAL PREPARATION
General guidelines:

  • Researchers may submit, as PI, up to three proposals in a single competition. Proposals must be completed in the provided Section 6 Application Template which includes budget and match information, using font no smaller than 11 point with 1 inch margins.
  • Each proposal must include a 2-page CV for the PI as well as a Resource List from IPaC.
  • Projects should be designed to be complete within two years. Funding beyond two years will require submission of additional competitive proposals.
  • Proposals should be prepared using the provided Section 6 Application Template. If an item is not applicable to this project, write "N/A" for that item.


Questions on grant preparation should be directed to the Section 6 committee (Mima Falk, UA Herbarium liaison. email: section6@cals.arizona.edu).

Questions regarding the application template and eCivis Portal submission should be directed to the Arizona Department of Agriculture (Ashley Estes, Grant Program Coordinator: Phone: 602-542-0972; email: aestes0926@azda.gov)

Required content: All required content is now in the Section 6 Application Template.


WHAT AND WHERE TO SUBMIT
Applications will no longer be accepted via email and will now be submitted through the eCivis Portal at https://tinyurl.com/Section-6-Segment-30. The following documents MUST be submitted in your application package. Please upload each document separately. You will not be able to submit the application without all required information.

  1. Project Profile – Section 6 Application Template: This must be completed in the provided word document. The acceptable font size for the narrative is 11 pitch, single spaced with all margins at 1 inch. If you have trouble formatting text or pictures in a particular field right click on the text box and select “Remove Content Control”.
  2. Two Page CV for the PI: A two page CV for the PI must be submitted.
  3. Resource List from IPAC: Please visit the IPaC (https://ecos.fws.gov/ipac/) website and follow the steps to create a polygon for the area of the proposed study. Please print the Resource List, save as a PDF and include the document with your submission.

Instructions are provided below on how to navigate the eCivis Portal and how to submit your application. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your application as someone may not be available to answer any questions you may have. We recommend you familiarize yourself with the eCivis Portal as soon as possible.