FY16 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program | NOAA NOS ONMS 2016 2004680

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2016 2004680

The FY16 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program is a federal scholarship and research support opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA, specifically administered by the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Authorized under 16 U.S.C. 1445c-1 and 16 U.S.C. 1445c, the program is designed to recognize and support strong graduate students pursuing masters or doctoral degrees in fields tied to ocean and coastal areas. Core disciplines highlighted include oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology, but the scope is broader and also includes relevant science, engineering, social science, and resource management disciplines that focus on marine and coastal environments. The overall purpose is to back independent, graduate-level research by helping cover the costs associated with advanced study and research training in these areas.

A key feature of the program is its emphasis on building a diverse pipeline of ocean and coastal professionals. The program particularly encourages women and members of minority groups to apply and uses targeted outreach to ensure those groups are aware of the opportunity. At the same time, selection decisions are not based on gender or minority status. Instead, awards are made using criteria centered on the applicant's financial need, their demonstrated ability to succeed in graduate study (including academic achievement), and the likelihood that the scholarship will help them achieve meaningful research and career goals in marine and coastal fields. In other words, the encouragement and outreach are aimed at broadening the applicant pool, while the final selection is made on merit and need-based considerations tied to the program's mission.

The scholarship awards are also managed with an eye toward balance and national reach. NOAA distributes scholarships across disciplines, institutions, and geographic areas, and also considers the degree level being pursued (masters versus doctoral). Within those distribution categories, recipients are chosen based on the evaluation factors described above. Funding for the program comes from annual appropriations tied to implementation of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, with the notice indicating that the program is funded each fiscal year using a set portion of the amounts appropriated for that purpose.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument type. Eligibility is limited to individuals (rather than universities or nonprofits applying as organizations). The CFDA number associated with the program is 11.429. For this specific FY16 opportunity, the funding opportunity number is NOAA NOS ONMS 2016 2004680, the original application closing date was December 10, 2015, and the opportunity anticipated making about four awards. The listed award ceiling is $196,000, indicating the maximum amount that could be provided per award under this announcement.

• The Department of Commerce in the education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY16 Nancy Foster Scholarship Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.429.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-12-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $196,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Individuals.

Apply for NOAA NOS ONMS 2016 2004680

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: