NMBCA applications (private sector)

How to Apply for a NMBCA Grant
APPLYING FOR A NMBCA GRANT: OVERVIEW
All applicants (except offices of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) must apply through Grants.gov, which provides an online
form that you must fill out completely and correctly. However, before you begin filling out the online form, you should
familiarize yourself with the guidance on this page. If you understand the guidance before you begin, the application
process will likely be easier. In addition, you should review the management and reporting pages as well as the following
grant administration standards to understand your commitments before writing a proposal; if you are selected and accept
an award, you will agree to comply with these standards.
 For projects with field activities located exclusively within the United States: U.S. Grant Administration
Standards.
 For projects with field activities located exclusively outside of the United States: Grant Administration
Guidelines for Projects Outside of the US.
 For projects with field activities located both inside and outside the United States: both the U.S. Grant
Administration Standards and Grant Administration Guidelines for Projects Outside of the US apply.
Your application will consist of five parts: a proposal narrative, Partner Contribution Statements, a Standard Form 424
(“Application for Federal Assistance”), a second Standard Form (either 424b or 424d, “Assurances”) and a GIS shapefile
(or Google Earth .kmz file) of your project area. Each is described in the steps and instructions below.

APPLYING FOR A NMBCA GRANT: STEPS
1. Register in Grants.gov. You should start this very early in the process! Registering in Grants.gov requires several
preliminary steps. First your organization must have a current Dun and Bradstreet number (DUNS). (To obtain a
DUNS number or to check the status of your number, see “Dun and Bradstreet Guidance”.) After acquiring a DUNS
number, you will then need to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) or update your previous
registration. You must have an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration to apply through Grants.gov,
to receive an award, and to be able to receive funds. (We recommend that you read the steps to register an
organization in Grants.gov.) We strongly encourage applicants to initiate this process at least 6 weeks before our
deadline, because it can be a complex process.
a. If your organization is based outside the USA, you will need to go through additional steps in SAM, which
could take many additional weeks. Only then can you register in Grants.gov. (Click here to see a more
detailed overview of the Grants.gov application process and SAM.)
b. If you are an office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service you do not need to apply through Grants.gov; follow
the instructions for the proposal narrative and submit your proposal narrative to [email protected].
c. If you encounter problems with SAM, DUNS or GRANTS.GOV, go to the NMBCA application page at
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/HowtoApply.shtm and click on the link to Troubleshooting
DUNS, SAM, and Grants.gov issues.
2. Your application will consist of a proposal narrative (12 pages), Partner Contribution Statements, a Standard Form
424 (“Application for Federal Assistance”), another Standard Form (either the SF-424B or D “Assurances”) and a
project area shapefile or .kmz file. Each is described below.
3. Write the proposal narrative, as described below. If you are applying through the IMPACT Program, you also need to
follow the instructions in the second pdf, “Applying for a NMBCA IMPACT Program Grant”, to include additional
IMPACT Program proposal information. You will be attaching the proposal narrative to your grants.gov application.
4. Obtain signed Partner Contribution Statements. You will be attaching these to your grants.gov application.
5. Make your project area shapefile using a GIS or create a .kmz file using Google Earth. For instructions, go here:
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/files/InstructionsforSubmittingDataviaGoogleEarth.pdf
6. Start your online application in grants.gov and fill out all required fields. Go to
http://www07.grants.gov/search/basic.do. In the “Search by CFDA Number” insert “15.635”. This is the CFDA number
for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Your Grants.gov application is the equivalent of Standard Form
(SF) 424. If there is a Grants.gov system outage on the application deadline, you must submit your complete
application, including a SF-424 with assurances (SF-424 B or D) to us via an email to [email protected] before
the deadline.
7. If you are unable to complete the Assurances via Grants.gov, fill out the SF-424 Assurances separately by going to
either Assurances Non-construction Programs: SF-424B or Assurances Construction Programs: SF-424D.

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8. In box 15 of your Grants.gov application package, use the “Add Attachments” button to upload your 12-page proposal
narrative, your signed Partner Contribution Statements, your SF-424 Assurances if not digitally signed
(either Assurances Non-construction Programs: SF-424B or Assurances Construction Programs: SF-424D) and your
project area shapefile or .kmz files.
9. We recommend that you also submit all application materials as one single PDF file (except the Project Area GIS
Shapefile/Google Earth .kmz, which should be attached separately) to: [email protected]. Please include the
complete proposal title (identical to that in your grants.gov application) in the subject line of this email. Your official
application, however, is the package submitted through Grants.gov.
10. Applications must be submitted to grants.gov, and emailed to [email protected], no later than November 20, 2014.

New for 2015
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Application Deadline is November 20, 2014.
One-year projects are limited to a grant request of $100,000.
Grant duration can be either one or two years.
Governmental letters of support from foreign countries are encouraged for projects in foreign countries.
Several sections of the application instructions have been changed to clarify various items; please review all sections
carefully.
Starting in Fiscal Year 2016, there will be an expectation for phased projects to evaluate their progress towards longterm goals with measurable indicators and provide those measures to justify continued funding (see Proposal
Narrative: Section 9).
The program’s Fiscal Year 2015 funding may not be appropriated by Congress before your proposal is submitted;
therefore any grant selections are contingent on the availability of funds.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Read these instructions carefully before writing your proposal narrative. Proposal narratives that do not follow the
instructions may be determined to be ineligible for funding. Before contacting us with questions, please read
the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and the document “Troubleshooting DUNS, SAM, and Grants.gov issues when
applying to the NMBCA Program” available from the NMBCA application page,
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/HowtoApply.shtm. They provide suggestions that may improve the
competitiveness of your proposal, will help you plan your project and may facilitate the application process.
There are two programs that you can apply to under the NMBCA. One is the Core (traditional) Program benefitting any
eligible Neotropical migratory bird. The other is the IMPACT (Identifying Measures of Performance and Achieving
Conservation Targets) Program, which is designed to focus resources to a specific set of Neotropical migratory bird
species or needs. Proposals not selected under the IMPACT Program are automatically considered for funding under the
Core Program. The instructions in this document apply to both the Core (traditional) program and the IMPACT Program. If
you are applying to the IMPACT program, first finish reading this document, then also read the instructions that are
specific to the IMPACT Program, available as a link from the NMBCA application page,
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/HowtoApply.shtm.

What is a Neotropical migratory bird?
For the purposes of the NMBCA, a Neotropical migratory bird is one that breeds in the continental United States or
Canada and spends the boreal winter in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, or South America. Birds from all taxa
are included, so that proposals may benefit land birds, waterbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and others.
Click here for a list of these birds. NOTE: Non-migratory subpopulations of a species that is listed as an eligible
Neotropical migratory bird are a lower conservation priority for the program.

Who may apply?
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An individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, or other private entity;
An officer, employee, agent, department, or instrumentality of the Federal Government, state, municipality, or
political subdivision of a state, or of any foreign government;
A state, municipality, or political subdivision of a state;
Any other entity subject to the jurisdiction of the United States or of any foreign country; or
An international organization.

Where may a project be located?
Project activities may be carried out in the USA, in Canada, or in any country or territory in Latin America and the
Caribbean.

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Should projects with activities in the USA coordinate with a Migratory Bird Joint Venture?
For projects with activities in the USA, applicants should contact the Migratory Bird Joint Venture (JV) where the project
activities are planned. Proposals with activities that are coordinated with a JV and specifically address Joint Venture
needs and priorities will be more competitive. We strongly recommend that you share your project proposal narrative with
the appropriate Joint Venture Coordinator before submitting it for review; however you may also copy the JV coordinator
on your email submission to [email protected]. Check the JV Map and Directory to find the JV appropriate for your
project area.

Is there a maximum or minimum grant amount for which I can apply?
The maximum request per proposal is US$200,000 for a two-year project. Projects of one year in duration are limited to a
request of $100,000. The average award is about US$100,000. Requests under US$10,000 are discouraged; please
contact us if you are planning such a proposal. Requests at or near $200,000 (or $100,000 for a one-year project) will
likely receive additional scrutiny during review to make sure the investment is fully justified and reasonable.

What is the duration of a grant?
The applicant may choose a funding period of either one or two years. A grant project period starts on the date on which
the grant is awarded, which typically occurs about 3 months after the selected projects are announced. The
announcement is expected to occur no later than International Migratory Bird Day, in early May.

What kinds of projects are eligible?
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Protection and management of Neotropical migratory bird populations;
Maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of Neotropical migratory bird habitat;
Research and monitoring;
Law enforcement; and
Community outreach and education.

Because NMBCA funds are limited, please note that:
 Proposals for wetland habitat conservation in the United States and Canada should be directed to the North
American Wetlands Conservation Council. See http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm.
 Proposals involving NAWCA priority wetlands in Mexico should be submitted to the North American Wetlands
Conservation Council. See http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm. (Priority wetlands are
described in the Application Instructions here.)
 Proposals for species on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) List, seeking funds for domestic conservation work,
must explain why NMBCA funding is needed in addition to available ESA funding.

What activities are ineligible?
We cannot pay salaries or travel expenses for permanent, full-time US Federal employees. We will not fund or accept as
match any activity that would circumvent the laws or regulations of either the USA or the country in which the activity
would occur. Any activities that do not comply with the applicable NMBCA Grant Administration Guidelines are ineligible.
In addition, the following categories are ineligible for grant funding or matching contributions:
1. General contingency costs
2. Principal contributed to endowment funds
3. Financing
4. Costs for activities that were not preapproved by USFWS/DBHC or that are not in the application
5. Proposed (or preapproved) costs that remain unexpended at the end of the project
If ineligible activities are part of your proposal, we may reduce the match and grant requested accordingly if the change is
less than 5% of the total proposal cost, in which case your proposal will remain eligible. Should you be funded you would
need to provide a revised Summary, Budget Table, and Budget Narrative that reflect the reduced grant amount. If the
ineligible activities are more than 5%, your proposal is ineligible.

Can grant funds be used to purchase a vehicle?
Generally, the purchase of vehicles with grant funding is discouraged. However, in certain circumstances the purchase of
a vehicle might be justified. The vehicle must be used only for the project as long as it is needed, whether or not the
project continues to be supported with US Federal funding in the future. Any vehicle purchased with grant funding is
subject to our regulations for the purchase of equipm ent; please review the applicable guidance here.

Can project funds be used for environmental mitigation?
While eligible, a proposal for such work would be considered a lower priority. The NMBCA program is interested in
funding new conservation work that results in a net gain for conservation.
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Are there special rules for land acquisition (fee simple or easement purchase) outside of the USA?
If your project will acquire land (all property rights in fee title) or partial property rights (easements or similar arrangements)
outside the USA with Federal (U.S.) funds, the title holder (owner) or easement holder must be an in-country organization
and you must clearly state this in your proposal and identify the future title holder. You will also need to provide proof (e.g.,
correspondence in the form of an email or letter) with your proposal that you have communicated your intention to
acquire land during this project to the appropriate government agency in the country. Additionally, if possible, include
correspondence from the government agency acknowledging or endorsing the proposed acquisitions. (The
correspondence must reference your NMBCA proposal). As soon as an acquisition is completed, you will need to submit
copies of legal and other documentation (settlement statements, appraisals, deeds, maps, and GIS shape files) showing
that all acquisitions were completed within the project period. As soon as possible, you will need to submit similar
documentation for land acquisitions provided as match, even if the match was donated and the acquisition occurred
before the beginning of the project period.

Should I provide governmental letters of support?
Non-governmental organizations working in a foreign country are encouraged to include a recent (no older than two years)
letter of support from the appropriate local, regional, or national government wildlife or conservation authority or other
appropriate government agency with jurisdiction over the resources addressed by the project. Where appropriate, letters
of support from local communities or project beneficiaries should also be provided. These letters should make specific
reference to the project by its title, as submitted on the applicant’s proposal. These governmental letters will factor into the
evaluation of your project, see section 5 of the proposal narrative.

What are the match requirements?
Federal funds (i.e., funds from the USA government) requested under the Act must be matched 3:1 by non-Federal funds.
That is, for every NMBCA grant dollar, a minimum of three non-Federal dollars are required. Match contributions must not
have been used (or be used) to match another project funded by the Federal government of the USA, under any
assistance program! For example, if you included the purchase of a particular tract of land or a vehicle as match in a
previous phase that was funded in part through NMBCA, you may not include the purchase cost of this tract or vehicle
again. All match contributions must be committed in Partner Contribution Statements (also called “match confirmation
letters”) from the contributing partner or from the applicant.
Please note that  For project activities in the United States (except Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Canada, the 3:1
non-Federal share must be in cash.
 For project activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the
3:1 non-Federal share may be cash or in-kind contributions.
“Cash” in this context means the recipient's cash outlay (including the outlay of money contributed to the recipient by third
parties) to be expended after the date the application is submitted and during the project period. (Note that equipment
depreciation and volunteer labor are not considered cash.) Contributions that have been expended up to two years prior
to the date the application is submitted may be considered in-kind contributions; however, contributions made after the
application is submitted are preferred. Contributions made more than two years before proposal submission are not
eligible as match.
Match contributions must be directly related to the proposed project and the types of activities eligible under the Act and
occur within the proposed project area. All match activities (cash and in kind) must be: 1) necessary and reasonable for
accomplishing the project objectives, 2) described in the objectives and evaluation section of the proposal narrative, and 3)
listed in the approved proposal budget. The importance to Neotropical migratory bird conservation of the activities funded
with match must be clearly explained in the proposal narrative, budget table and budget justification. It is important to note
that proposal reviewers consider match-funded activities to be an integral part of the project. All project activities should
result in tangible, “on-the-ground” accomplishments. For instance, unused financing or product sales, or other unused
funds are not acceptable forms of match.
Our reporting and documentation requirements apply to all match funded activities. For example, if you propose to provide
a 1,000-acre easement as in-kind match (which is only allowed as match for grant funded activities outside the USA) you
will need to send us copies of all required property documentation (deed, settlement statement, appraisal, map, GIS
shape file). Grantees must maintain detailed accounting of receipts and expenditures of their own and of all partner
organizations’ matching funds and in-kind match. All match records must identify the specific NMBCA grant to which they
contributed. Reports summarizing these accounting records must be maintained by the grantee, and must be submitted
as part of the final report. Detailed records (including all supporting documentation) may be requested for review at any
time, up to three years after the final report was received by FWS; therefore, grantees must keep all project records for at
least 3 years after FWS acknowledges receipt of the complete final report. Any match that is not supported by adequate
documentation may be disallowed. Records for in-kind match must explain and show how the values of in-kind
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contributions were determined (for example, number of hours of volunteer time contributed, basis on which the hourly rate
was calculated, rental rates for meeting space and vehicles, records of actual calculations for valuing in-kind
contributions). The rates for volunteer or staff services must be consistent with those paid for similar work in the labor
market in which the grantee competes for the type of service and skill. The value of donated equipment cannot exceed the
fair market value of equipment of the same age and condition at the time of donation. The value of loaned equipment
cannot exceed its fair rental value. The value of donated facilities cannot exceed the fair rental value of comparable
facilities in the same locality.

Can partner contributions provided in one country (country A) be used to match grant supported activities in
another country (country B)?
Yes, but only if the migratory bird species benefitting from the matching contributions supported work in country A is also
benefitting from the grant supported activities in country B. Your proposal will be even stronger if you show evidence (for
example from band recoveries or satellite tracking data) that the same individual birds that depend on the conservation
sites in country A also depend on the sites in country B.

Should I submit Partner Contributions Statements (match confirmation letters)?
To confirm match contributions, we require that the applicant include, with the application, letters verifying each partner’s
(including the applicant) committed dollar amount. We prefer to see a statement from each partner listed in the proposal
narrative. If a particular partner cannot commit to the funds by the application submission date, we will accept a letter from
the applicant committing to that uncommitted partner’s match contribution; however, the applicant then incurs
the obligation to provide this match if the partner cannot. A proposal with letters from multiple partners committing funds
will be more competitive. If you want to show support from non-funding sources, unless otherwise requested in this
guidance, do not send letters, but instead include a description in the proposal narrative. For example: "To illustrate the
overwhelming support for this proposal, we have 37 letters on file from landowners in the project area.”

What must be included in a Partner Contribution Statement for a proposal to the Neotropical Migratory Bird
Conservation Act?
Partner Contribution Statements must comply with the following:
 Each statement must be submitted with the proposal before the deadline date.
 The statements must be dated and signed by the partner.
 All matching contributions must be shown in US dollars, and, if applicable, the conversion rate from the local
currency on a specific date should be shown.
 Make sure that the contribution from each partner on the statement is the same as the amount shown in the
proposal narrative and budget table. If there is a difference in the amounts contributed either in the proposal
narrative or between the proposal narrative and the partner statement, the lowest amount will be considered that
partner’s contribution. (If there are excessive inconsistencies in the proposal narrative, it will be returned as
ineligible.)
We will only accept properly formatted Partner Contribution Statements as verification of partner match. Submitting
partner letters that do not include answers to the following questions will have an adverse effect on your proposal.
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11.

What is the title of the proposal?
What is the name of your organization (private individuals may indicate “Private”)?
When will you make the contribution?
What is the value of your contribution in US dollars (with conversion rate used) and how did you determine the
value?
If your contribution is based on a fund-raising event or other future action and that future action fails, will you still
provide the same contribution amount?
Does the contribution have a non-Federal origin? Has the contribution not been matched with any past, current or
future US Government grant funds, including previous phases of NMBCA projects?
What long-term Neotropical migratory bird conservation work will the contribution support?
Does the proposal correctly describe the amount and nature of your contribution?
If applicable, is your organization competent to hold title to, and manage, land or easements acquired with grant or
match funds?
Can you affirm that all proposed match activities (cash and in-kind) are necessary and reasonable for
accomplishing the project objectives, are described in the objectives and evaluation section of the proposal, and are
listed in the approved proposal budget?
For the letter from the applicant only, can you affirm the following? a) Your organization will maintain a detailed
accounting of receipts and expenditures of your own and of all your partner organizations’ matching funds and inkind match, and this accounting will identify the specific NMBCA grant to which each match was contributed. b) You
understand that you must be able to show how values of in-kind contributions were determined. c) If selected, you

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12.
13.
14.
15.

will submit reports summarizing these accounting records as part of the final report, and will keep all records
(including supporting documents) for at least 3 years after FWS acknowledges receipt of the complete final report.
d) You understand that any match that is not supported by adequate documentation may be disallowed. e) You
have verified and filed copies of source documentation for all match already contributed, either by your organization
or by your partners, before the time the proposal was submitted.
Do you have any additional comments?
Did you include the required signatures?
Did you include your Name (printed), Organization, and Title?
Did you include the date signed?

Who chooses the proposals to be funded?
After an eligibility review, a panel of experts reviews the eligible project proposals and makes recommendations for
funding to the FWS Director, who selects the projects for funding. The USFWS may solicit advice from qualified experts
during the technical review of your proposal narrative. We also may contact past and proposed partners about the costs
included in your proposal.

Will prior performance influence future selection?
Yes, during the selection phase, reviewers will take into consideration an applicant’s prior performance in past and current
projects with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. On-time submission of all required reports and documentation is an
important performance component.

How can I improve my chances of receiving a grant?
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) grants program is very competitive and good proposals are
turned down every year because unfortunately, we cannot fund all of the projects that are proposing high priority
conservation activities to help Neotropical migratory birds. We’ve put together a list of FAQs to help you submit the
strongest possible application here: FAQs for NMBCA Grant Proposals.

What criteria are used in selecting projects?
To facilitate review, each proposal will be scored and ranked on how well it addresses all of the selection criteria listed in
the table. Proposal reviewers will consider all of the information requested in this document. Within the proposal narrative,
sections relevant to particular selection criteria are referenced, for example by a [Q1] notation. The scores determine a
preliminary ranking that is used to direct additional review and discussion leading to a final ranked recommendation to the
Director of the USFWS. Additional factors may be evaluated, depending on programmatic considerations to achieve an
effective conservation portfolio; examples of factors considered in the final portfolio include geographic distribution, total
funding amounts to applicants, conservation needs not adequately addressed by existing efforts, new applicants, diversity
of organizational size and capacity and capability of an organization to execute all of its current projects and submitted
proposals.
How does the proposal address the requested elements and program priorities?

Points

Q1. Does the project address Neotropical Migratory Birds (NMBs) identified as a conservation priority by a
government agency or bird conservation initiative?
Example: Two of the NMB species that are the focus of the project are Birds of Conservation Concern (a
publication of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). See our eligible bird list for marked high priority species.

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Q2. Does the project satisfy other important national or local conservation objectives, in addition to NMB
conservation? For research and monitoring, are new and innovative technologies or techniques being tested
or deployed? Is the research and monitoring beneficial to other suites of species or will it improve
understanding of the ecosystem and its management?
Example: The project supports other biodiversity conservation goals, such as habitat improvement for
endemic bird species.
Example: The research project requires training of local biologists which will improve their research capacity
and contribute to capacity building goals of the local government.

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Q3. Is the project located in important breeding or nonbreeding areas for Neotropical Migratory Birds or does
the project further our knowledge of these sites?
Example: Area 1 in this project is located in an Important Bird Area and is a Western Hemisphere Shorebird
Reserve Network Site.

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Q4. Are natural resources (i.e., habitat or species) in the project area under immediate and significant threat?
For research and monitoring, does the lack of knowledge pose a significant threat to conservation of the
species?

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Example: Timber is being harvested in an unsustainable manner in the project area, reducing its value to an
NMB which consequently could be locally extirpated within 10 years.
Q5. Will the project contribute to a direct or indirect benefit to this population of NMB? How important is this
benefit? Does this benefit apply locally, regionally, or population-wide?
Example: The species population is known to be limited by food availability on its wintering grounds and the
project addresses this major population bottleneck (limiting factor).
Example: Residents of communities near important NMB habitats are informed about the value of the birds,
and take actions to conserve them.
Example: The project will increase wintering habitat availability and quality and consequently increase over
wintering survival of the target species.

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Q6. Does the project contribute to achieving goals and objectives of an international bird conservation plan?
Example: The project delivers high priority actions as identified in the species’ conservation business plan or
conservation action plan.

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Q7. Does the project provide good benefits to Neotropical Migratory Birds for the costs?
Example: The budget table clearly lays out budget items and costs (for both grant and match funds) in
enough detail and with enough explanation to determine what actions are being taken to achieve the project
goals and whether they are reasonably priced and overall provide good conservation benefit for the cost.

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Q8. How will conservation activities continue after the project is completed? Is the project sustainable?
Example: After land acquisition, NMB habitat will be managed for conservation as part of a private reserve
network that has a dedicated endowment fund for management.

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Q9. Does the proposal represent a partnership among public, private and/or other organizations with
appropriate local involvement?
Example: The local community is engaged in the proposal development and integrally involved in the delivery
of project activities. The appropriate governmental agencies support the project and are committed to
participate in the project or use project results to improve their resource management.

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Q10. Are the implementers capable and qualified to deliver the objectives for which they are responsible? Are
there risk factors for the grantee or contributing partners? Have they effectively delivered and demonstrated
conservation outcomes in previous work?
Example: The applicant has received previous NMBCA awards, delivered on objectives and measured
project outcomes as well as met all administrative requirements such as on-time and complete reporting.

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Q11. Is the proposal well written, does it have clear objectives, and are the desired conservation outcomes
measurable?
Example: Objectives are specific, measurable, practical and results-oriented.

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Q12. Is the project designed well? Is your methodology clearly explained and logical for your project goals?
Are your measurable outcomes appropriate indicators and measurable within the project period?
Examples: Project is logical and well designed to achieve the desired outcome. Research project identifies a
clear conservation or management question to be answered and will collect the appropriate data in the
appropriate manner to answer the question. Monitoring project includes appropriate design elements and,
where possible, is connected with other regional- or international-scale monitoring efforts. Monitoring project
is developed to determine project effectiveness.

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Q13. Does the project reduce the effects of a predicted or current climate change impact on a highly
vulnerable species or habitat? (If your proposal addresses climate change impacts on Neotropical migratory
birds, please provide citations for the research guiding your proposed conservation actions.)

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TOTAL

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Is there a suggested proposal narrative format?
Yes. See the section below, “APPLYING FOR A NMBCA GRANT: How to write the proposal narrative”.

In what languages may I submit proposals?
You may submit your proposal in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Applicants should use the language in which they can
best describe their project; a badly translated proposal in English will not have better chances than the same, but wellwritten proposal in Spanish. However, all proposal narratives must have an English summary of your objectives and of all
the grant- and match-funded activities.

When is the deadline for proposals?
For Fiscal Year 2015 funding, project proposals must be submitted to grants.gov no later than November 20, 2014. There
is only one submission opportunity per year. We strongly encourage applicants to submit their proposals well in advance
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of this deadline to ensure the on-time arrival of their proposals and to avoid unforeseen complications with the new
submission process through Grants.gov. Proposals received after the deadline will not be eligible.

Where do I send the proposal?
You must submit your application through Grants.gov. In addition, we strongly recommend that you submit a copy of your
proposal narrative, SF-424, SF-424B or D, matching contribution letters, letters of support, project area GIS shapefiles (or
Google Earth .kmz files) and other documentation as electronic mail attachments to [email protected]. Except for the
shapefiles or .kmz files, all documents should be attached as a single .pdf file. Please put your proposal title into the
subject line of your email message. Receipt of your application will be acknowledged by email. Please ensure that at least
one functional and correctly spelled email address is listed on the first page of your proposal narrative. If we have any
questions regarding your proposal, we will send them only to that email address.

How do I know that my proposal was received in Grants.gov?
The Grants.gov website will send you an email message acknowledging receipt of your proposal.

Whom do I contact for further information?
Contact information is available on the Contacts page.
Hablamos español. Falamos português. Wir sprechen Deutsch.

APPLYING FOR A NMBCA GRANT: How to write the proposal narrative
General instructions for the proposal narrative
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The narrative can be written in Spanish, Portuguese or English. However, the summary must be in English.
Submit a digital file in Adobe PDF (preferred) or Microsoft Word. Do not send printed materials.
The electronic filename should be the same as the proposal title and must follow the Grants.gov naming
convention: 50 characters or less, no spaces, no special characters (example: -, &, *, %, /, #, \) including periods
(.), blank spaces and accent marks.
Do not include photos within the document.
We recommend you keep the file size as small as possible (around 10MB if you send a copy
to [email protected]; you can attach up to 200MB of files in Grants.gov).
Use a font of at least size 11 in Times New Roman.
The proposal narrative must be no longer than 12 pages, including the cover page, the maps and the budget.
(The Partner Contribution Statements and SF-424 forms do not count toward the 12 pages.)
Append the SF-424, either the form “SF 424B” or “SF 424D” and the Partner Contribution Statements, so that
everything is in one, single .pdf file. These do not count towards your 12-page limit. If you attach any other
additional pages or appendices, your proposal is ineligible!

Specific instructions for each section of the proposal narrative
There are 13 sections to a NMBCA proposal narrative. You should include all sections in your proposal narrative. If a
section is not applicable, include the subtitle and insert “Not applicable”.

1. Cover Page
Provide all information listed below, showing the item letter and name, e.g., “g. DUNS Number: 123456789”. We
recommend a one-page maximum. Please check that your numbers (dollars and acres/hectares) are consistent
throughout the proposal narrative, including in your budget.
a. Project title
The title should be in English and no more than 50 characters. Use initial capital letters, as appropriate for a title. If
this is a subsequent phase of a previous NMBCA project, use a roman numeral at the end of the title to show the
phase number. Immediately after the title, but on a separate line, insert “Submitted to the IMPACT Program”, if
applicable.
b. Project Area
Briefly describe the area within which your project will take place. This should refer to the area within which the
project’s on-the-ground activities take place. Do not merely show the location of your office or a species range.
There may be more than one specific location within your project area. Also include the state/province and the
country/island. Your map (see item 11) should also depict the project area described here. We ask that you provide
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d.

e.
f.

g.
h.

i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.

p.

q.

r.
s.
t.

u.

a GIS shapefile of your project area, and attach this file to your email with the copy of this proposal (we do not know
if these files can be uploaded to Grants.gov). We suggest creating a .kmz file using Google Earth, if you do not
have your own GIS software. If you cannot provide a shapefile, please include the approximate project location’s
centroid. If possible, use Degrees/Minutes/Seconds, but if you use UTM, include the zone, easting, and northing.
Ecoregion name and code
For assistance see http://worldwildlife.org/science/wildfinder/, where you can input species or location to identify
your project area’s Ecoregion.
Project Officer (only one)
Insert the name of the person who will coordinate the project and will be the primary point of contact if the project is
funded. Include only professional contact information; do not include personal information.
Name of organization applying for the grant (only one)
Type of organization
Insert one of the following: USA federal government, non-USA national government, state/provincial government,
local/municipal government, aboriginal organization/tribal government, conservation NGO, private
corporation/business, school/college/university, other.
DUNS and SAM numbers
Organization’s official mailing address
This address must be the official address of the organization, which must be identical to that listed in its DUNS
registration.
Project Officer’s office
Street (physical) address, State/Province, Country; insert postal code where appropriate.
Telephone numbers (Project Officer)
Fax number (Project Officer)
E-mail address (Project Officer)
Please ensure that this is a functional email address! Do not include personal email addresses.
Duration of proposed project (1 or 2 years only)
For projects in the United States only
County and Congressional District
For projects in North America only
Bird Conservation Regions (see http://www.nabci-us.org/map.html) and Joint Venture in which the project is
located.
Project summary
The summary must be in English and must include a clear statement of your objectives and of all the grant- and
match-funded activities.
Eligible activities that are included
List only those activities that are explicitly described as objectives in your proposal. For example, if you only
propose restoration, then only list restoration under item (ii). For each activity involving habitat, list how many acres
or hectares are impacted. For each activity, list how much grant and match contributes to completing that
activity.
(i) protection or management of Neotropical migratory bird populations
(ii) maintenance, management, protection, or restoration of Neotropical migratory bird habitat
Only list the activities described in your proposal and give the number of acres or hectares directly impacted
by each of the sub-activities, and clearly show if any of the acres are counted more than once. For example:
“protection and restoration of bird habitat: 1,000 Ha easement donated [$100,000 match funds] (tract 1), 500 Ha
tract acquired [$40,000 grant funds, $30,000 match funds] (tract 2), 200 Ha (in tract 1) fenced [$20,000 grant
funds], 100 Ha (in tract 2) reforested [$50,000 match funds]. Note that the term “protection” in the NMBCA program
means only the legal (formal) protection of a piece of land, such as fee title acquisition, easement acquisition,
“servidumbre”. For example, fencing out cattle and patrolling park boundaries are not “protection” activities; they are
restoration and law enforcement activities, respectively.
(iii) research, monitoring
(iv) law enforcement
(v) community outreach, education
Total funding requested from NMBCA (in USA dollars)
Total matching funds (in USA dollars)
Total non-matching funds (in USA dollars)
These are funds originating from the Federal government of the USA, and therefore not eligible to meet the match
requirements, but nevertheless essential to the project.
List of all partners contributing match and their respective contribution amounts
This should be the same dollar amounts shown in the Partner Contribution Statements. Show each contribution in
USA dollars, and include the grantee’s contribution. Include the full name of each partner (i.e., no acronyms) and
the organization type (see item f. above). For example: Healthy Bird Observatory, NGO, $5,600. Please check that
your numbers are consistent throughout the proposal narrative!

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v.

List of top 10-15 Neotropical migratory birds to benefit from the project. Both IMPACT Program and Core Program
applicants should include this information because IMPACT project proposals will be considered in the Core
Program if they are not accepted as an IMPACT project.

2. Qualifications of Key Individuals Conducting the Project
Concisely explain, in a page or less, the roles that key individuals will play in the project, e.g., project lead, researcher,
restoration coordinator, trainer, financial manager. Usually these individuals are included as personnel in the budget,
either funded by grant funds or by matching funds or matching in-kind contributions. Summarize the skills, training,
experience, or education the individuals possess that is necessary to successfully fulfill their role in the project. [Q10]
What are the specific credentials that demonstrate they are capable of delivering this particular project? For instance, if
you propose research, has the researcher performed the studies, techniques or methodologies before and had the
research peer reviewed? You should include how many person-months per year will be dedicated to the project. Do not
include Social Security numbers, personal identification numbers, personal addresses, phone numbers, or any
other personal or sensitive information.

3. Project Description
Demonstrate that the project will improve the conservation of Neotropical migratory bird species in a specific measurable
way in the United States, Canada, Latin America, or the Caribbean. In describing your project, be succinct. Explain the
problem (usually, a threat to Neotropical migratory birds or the habitat upon which they depend) [Q4], the proposed
solution to the problem (your actions) [Q5], why the proposed activities and objectives are best suited to alleviate the
problem [Q12], and how you intend to measure your success [Q11, Q12]. This basic analysis is the core conceptual
model of your project. Although not required, you are encouraged to describe the impact you desire and the changes that
are necessary to achieve it using the conceptual modeling approach of the Conservation Measures Partnership. A
recommended resource for identifying and developing appropriate objectives and measures of success is the
Conservation Measures Partnership website and the Conservation Measures component of the Conservation Gateway.
[Q5] Minimize discussion of general bird conservation needs; instead, focus on the specific impacts of the proposed
activities. If you are addressing a known bottleneck to a population, you should discuss this, how the bottleneck was
identified and your actions were determined to be the highest priority actions to address the population bottleneck [Q5].
Projects involving a single activity are often funded. If your project involves multiple activities, each activity should be welldeveloped and justified by following the instructions under items a. - f. below, and the proposal narrative should
demonstrate how all activities are integrated to achieve your goal. This also applies to all activities funded with match.
a. Statement of Need: Explain why the project is necessary. Describe the targeted Neotropical migratory birds and
the direct threats [Q4] affecting these species at the project site(s). You must identify the Neotropical
migratory bird species native to the habitat affected by the proposed activities. In the event that this list is longer
than 10-15 species (see section 1.v above), only list the migratory bird species of highest conservation concern or
focal or umbrella migratory bird species used for conservation planning [Q1]. If you submit your proposal to the
IMPACT Program, indicate what IMPACT Program species you are addressing and, if applicable, 10-15 additional
species of the highest conservation concern that stand to benefit from the actions proposed to help evaluate the
proposal in the Core Program if necessary. In either case, explain how you determined the presence of these
species in your project area. Describe how you determined that these particular bird species will benefit from the
project activities and provide references to research or conservation plans, and to monitoring or inventory results.
If any of these birds are non-migratory or resident subpopulations of an eligible species, you must indicate those
birds. Click here to see birds identified as Birds of Conservation Concern. Why is the location the most important
one to work in for the target species? [Q3]
b. Project Goals: For all projects, explain what you want to achieve in the long term. A goal is the long-term (≥ 10
years) outcome that you want to achieve in order to successfully conserve the target species. If you submit your
proposal to the IMPACT Program, you must identify the population scope applicable to your goal (global
population, regional population, local population) and the measurable goal you seek to achieve. [Q5] You should
also describe what change in the condition to this population you seek to achieve and how you will measure this
change (you will also answer this under “how you will measure” in section “9. Evaluation”). Some examples of
desired and measurable conditions are: reduced mortality (increased survival), increased productivity (maximized
fecundity), improved habitat quality, higher species abundance, or a reduced threat. You must provide the specific
goals you seek to achieve. If necessary, you should budget sufficient resources to measure baseline information
and measure progress toward your goal. Alternatively, you may use other data sources to evaluate population
level change, such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey or other population level data sets. If you submit
your proposal to the Core Program and you can provide this information for species not targeted by the IMPACT
Program, we encourage you to do so; it will make your proposal more competitive.
c.

Project Objectives: For all projects, explain what you want to achieve during the project period. Objectives are
the specific, short-term outcomes you want to achieve to reach your goal(s) and should describe a desired

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change in capacity, threat, or species status. Objectives should be specific, measurable, practical and resultsoriented. A project’s objectives form the basis for your evaluation section where you will explain how you will
measure your success. If you submit your proposal to the IMPACT Program, you must identify objectives that
clearly move you towards your long-term goal via measurable indicators. They should logically and incrementally
lead to your long-term goal. Explain how you will measure the impact of your activities in the one- or two-year
project period. You may measure the overall species population conditions you hope to change in the long term at
the end of your project such as reduced mortality (increased survival), increased productivity (maximizing
fecundity), or increased abundance at the population level. You may also use local indicators for the project
objectives, such as: threat reduction, improved habitat, locally higher species abundance. If you use local
indicators, it should be clear how these indicate progress towards your long-term goal.
d. Project Activities and Methods: Explain what actions you will take to achieve your objectives. Specifically (and
separately for each of the eligible activities listed under “1.q.” above) describe in detail all project activities and the
methods you will use to implement them, including those funded with matching contributions. The description and
explanation of your methods for each activity is a critical component to your proposal [Q12]. Describe how the
activities you propose are linked to a measure of success (See below in Section 9: Evaluation) and the
anticipated outputs or products that will result. The proposed activities should be clearly linked to international,
regional or national conservation strategies, if possible. Does your project contribute to the objectives of an
international or regional bird conservation plan or initiative? [Q6] If applicable, explain if you are proposing to
conduct a priority action of a Conservation Business Plan. Click here for a link to some bird plans or go here to
learn more about Conservation Business Planning that began at Partners in Flight V. If your project contributes to
a national or local strategy, please provide the complete citation to that strategy. [Q2] All proposed activities,
whether funded with grant or matching funds, must be integral to your project, directly related to Neotropical
migratory bird conservation, and likely to be completed during the project period. If you do not accomplish an
activity, you may be asked to return grant funds.
e. Activities details:
 Habitat Protection and Restoration: If your project includes habitat protection (i.e. acquisition of land or
easements), only host country organizations are eligible to acquire any land interests with grant funds.
Give the name of the organization that will hold title to the land interest. If your project includes land
acquisition or restoration (including reforestation), give the number of hectares or acres that will be
acquired or restored (explaining how many of those hectares are counted under both categories) and
refer to the map under item 11. For a land acquisition, explain when the acquisition occurred (this would
be an in-kind contribution) or will occur, who manages the property, why it is important for the target bird
species, and the current condition or quality of the habitat for the target species. If you are acquiring
conservation easements, please describe the terms of the proposed easement. Describe the rights that
will be protected and activities that will be prohibited by the easement; the length of time during which the
easements will be in place; the kind of organization that will hold the easement; and the type of
compensation the landowner will receive. If there are laws or policies that regulate easements in the
country, provide a link or name the legislation. Finally, please describe how you will monitor compliance
to the terms of the easement over its lifetime. For reforestation projects you should describe the tree
species to be planted and how you determined their appropriateness for the birds targeted to benefit from
the project. Describe the results of any past reforestation success rate monitoring (e.g., survival rates)
you have conducted. How will the reforestation meet your management goals?
 Research and Monitoring: For all proposals that include research and monitoring, describe how the
information will be used for conservation and by whom. Research and monitoring must have
management implications or similar clear and direct links to conservation such as trying to determine the
limiting factors to a declining population of a Neotropical migratory bird species on its wintering grounds.
More competitive research and monitoring proposals will be effectively tied to adaptive management of
the resource. For research, present your hypothesis and methods. Describe how the data will be
collected, measured, or sampled. How will your results improve the conservation of the species? How
long will the research take to achieve useful results that could improve conservation? For monitoring,
describe how the monitoring directly targets priorities for migratory bird conservation and management.
What is the management question that you want answered by your monitoring data? How are you
influencing management decisions in the immediate future with the monitoring information? How will
monitoring results or products get to local managers? How will the data you collect provide answers? Are
the resource managers cooperating in the monitoring effort and are they able to make changes in their
management activities based on the results? We recommend that you consult the following resources for
developing or improving monitoring projects (Opportunities for Improving Avian Monitoring: US
NABCI and The Northeast Bird Monitoring Handbook: Ten Steps to Successful Bird Conservation through
Improved Monitoring). Data generated through monitoring and research should be made available to the

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conservation community to contribute to our greater understanding of Neotropical migratory bird
conservation, if you cannot make this information available you must let us know in the proposal narrative.
Environmental education: Explain how the proposed education is appropriate to alleviate the identified
threats to birds and habitat. How many students will be educated and over what time frame? If the
education strategy has been used before, what were the results? Did the environmental education
change the behavior of the recipients? How were these changes evaluated and measured? Have you
collected baseline information upon which to measure the desired change in behavior? Make sure to
explain how you will evaluate the impact of your environmental education (and within what timeframe) in
section 9.
Capacity Building: Capacity building is an important and valued conservation action for the NMBCA
program and we encourage projects that improve the capabilities of local community members, our
partners and their organizations to deliver Neotropical migratory bird conservation across the Western
Hemisphere. However, if your project includes capacity building, you should show how it is directly related
to a Neotropical migratory bird conservation effort or research and monitoring initiative.

Relation to Previous Phases: If there were previous phases of your project (or previous projects in the same
project area), funded by NMBCA you must provide a description of the outcomes and results of the previous
phases. Describe your progress during earlier phases and how the proposed activities will build on previous
achievements and knowledge, including prior projects that may not yet be completed. Explain how the proposed
activities are additive or complementary to your previous projects.

4. Local Participation
Projects must ensure local public participation in project development and implementation. [Q9] Describe the mechanisms
you will use to ensure adequate local public participation. Involvement of local organizations, communities and people as
partners in the project is strongly encouraged. More competitive projects involve local organizations and/or communities in
the project development. Please describe your organization’s relationship with local entities. How long have you worked
with them and in what capacity? What were the local results? Will local participants deliver project activities?

5. Agency Consultation
Your proposal must show how the project will be implemented in consultation with relevant wildlife management
authorities and other appropriate government agencies with jurisdiction over the resources addressed by the project. Be
specific, because this consultation is an important component of your project. [Q8, Q9, Q10] Non-governmental applicants
working in a foreign country are encouraged to include a letter of support (no older than two years) from the appropriate
local, regional, or national government wildlife or conservation authority or other appropriate government agency with
jurisdiction over the resources addressed by the project. Where appropriate, letters of support from local communities or
project beneficiaries should also be provided. These letters should make specific reference to the project by its title, as
submitted on the applicant’s proposal. Describe how all your activities are coordinated with or communicated to decisionmakers and management authorities, in particular governmental authorities. For land acquisition projects outside of the
United States, the applicant must provide documentation of this consultation in a separate document from the proposal
narrative, preferably a letter from the appropriate governmental agency recognizing and supporting the project and the
land acquisition.

6. Historical and Cultural Resources
a. Explain whether your project involves activities that may physically disturb archaeological, historic or cultural sites?
Briefly describe the type and maximum depth of earth moving activities, particularly if it is a restoration
project, this includes reforestation.
b. Explain how the project will be sensitive to and preserve any important archaeological, cultural or historic
resources and complies with applicable laws. In the USA, this includes complying with the National Historic
Preservation Act.
c. State whether the project affects a property that is on the World Heritage List or a national register of historic
places.

7. Sustainability
a. Describe how the project will promote sustainable, effective, long-term programs to conserve Neotropical
migratory birds. [Q8] Explain how the organizations involved will continue project-related activities after the
NMBCA funding ends. How will you achieve long-term financial stability for the project? For instance, are
endowment funds developed or being developed to support conservation in the project area?
b. Name the relevant governmental management authorities and explain how they are involved. We encourage
submission of letters of support from appropriate federal/state/local governmental agencies, they will make your
project more competitive.
c. How will local community members continue to benefit from the project after it ends?
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8. Other Information
Provide any other information that you think will be helpful in evaluating the proposal. You may want to address any of
the 13 selection criteria not addressed in other sections. [Q2, Q13].

9. Evaluation
a. Describe how the project activities will be evaluated. How will you determine whether your project was successful?
What indicators of success have you identified for each of the objectives stated above? How will you measure
them? How will you determine and measure the impact of your activities on Neotropical migratory birds? What
longer term outcomes (goals) will be measured? Describe what pre-project assessment you have conducted or
will conduct to determine the baseline from which to evaluate your progress. [Q7, Q11]
b. List the outputs, products or deliverables (from your objectives and activities) that will result from your project
(grant and match funded activities) and will be completed by the end of the grant period. We recommend using a
table that shows in column 1, the objectives; in column 2, the desired outcomes under each objective; and in
column 3, the deliverables from the activities leading to the desired outcome (for example the number of acres
acquired, or the number of acres of desired habitat restored for a target bird species).
c. For IMPACT Program species the evaluation component must show how you will measure the impact of the
proposed actions to demonstrate that you are achieving the measurable targets identified for the IMPACT
program species. You will be expected to report these measures back to the NMBCA program.
d. If your proposal is a second or later phase of a previous NMBCA project, describe your evaluation of outcomes of
your previous project (refer to Section 3.f. and information provided in Section 9.a. of this proposal and its
previous phases). Summarize your evaluation of the previous project’s success in meeting your long-term goals.
In the future, to help us evaluate progress towards your long-term goals, we will expect future phase proposals for
this project area to describe details of your progress based on an evaluation of your measurable indicators of
progress towards outcomes as explained in Section 3.a.-d. Are you seeing the desired change identified as your
long-term goal, and if not, why not?

10. Budget
a. Include an itemized budget table within the text of the proposal narrative (not in a separate file), with one column
for NMBCA funding and an additional column for each partner’s contribution. The budget should clearly lay out
budget items and costs in enough detail and with enough explanation to determine what is needed to achieve the
project objectives and show that they are reasonably priced. [Q7] You should briefly explain how you determined
the cost for each item. Describe the activities funded with matching contributions (eligible partner funds) in
enough detail to allow reviewers to determine how they relate to the Neotropical migratory bird conservation
priorities of your project. Budgets that do not show such detail for both grant and match activities will be less
competitive or may be found ineligible [For example, a line item called “Park Management” would not provide
enough detail to determine exactly what management actions are taking place and how they are best suited to
migratory bird conservation; you should provide a more detailed itemization of the costs contributing to the park
management]. If necessary, you should use footnotes to explain items or a budget justification section following
the budget if they are not explained in section 3. Budget justifications should explain all requested budget items,
should demonstrate a clear connection to project activities and should explain how the line item amounts were
determined. Explain extraordinary costs, e.g., a high percentage of the budget going to salaries or particularly
expensive line items. Organize budget items under subheadings for each of the “eligible activities” (see section
1.q. above) and give the subtotals for each “eligible activity”. Prepare the budget in USA dollars and round all
figures to the nearest dollar (do not use cents). Check that all subtotals add up correctly; miscalculations may
cause the proposal to be ineligible. A good budget format is shown here.
b. Partner contributions (“match”) that are not of US Federal origin must exceed the amount requested by at least
3:1 to be eligible for funding. Proposals with insufficient match are ineligible. If funded, you must deliver the entire
committed match, even if it exceeds the 3:1 minimum. Indicate in the budget table whether the contributions are
cash or in-kind. Funds from USA Federal sources, which are not eligible as match but are necessary for the
project, may be listed in a separate column and labeled “non-match”.
c. Projects occurring in multiple countries must clearly indicate how much grant funding will be going to
activities in each country. An effective way to depict this is to break down activities by country and partner. All
activities taking place in the United States and Canada must clearly have at least a 3:1 (match:grant) match in
cash to be eligible for funding. Please see the definition of cash match in the application instructions.
d. More competitive proposals generally request overhead or administrative costs below 10% of the grant request;
anything above 20% is considered high. These costs must be directly attributable to the project. Exception: If your
organization has an officially negotiated indirect cost rate agreement with a US federal agency (your “cognizant”
agency), you may use your negotiated indirect rate. However, having an overhead cost that is lower than the
negotiated cost rate may make your proposal more competitive.
e. Personnel salary costs should be well documented and include a baseline salary figure (for one year) and the
estimate of time (percent) (person-month per year) to be directly charged to the project. Proposals will be more
competitive if they have operational/coordination costs at 25% or less of the grant request. Each proposal’s
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operational/coordination costs will be evaluated based upon their relative importance to the conservation
objectives and impacts of the proposal. When more than 25% of the grant request will be spent on these costs,
explain and justify the need for such high operational/coordination expenses. For example, a regional partnership
that has yet to get established or is in the initial stages of development will not be penalized for more extensive
operational funding if it demonstrates a reasonable expectation of future sustainability. Operational/coordination
costs include salaries or fees for directors, project officers, project managers, consultants, coordinators, analysts
and any other personnel not directly involved with on-the-ground activities. At the bottom of your budget table,
include a calculation showing the percentage of your projected organizational budget for the year that
would be funded by NMBCA.
f. Requests for equipment that will outlive the project period, such as new vehicles, are discouraged and may
impact the competitiveness of your proposal. Used or leased vehicles, for example, may be more appropriate.
Vehicle purchases must be well justified and purchased vehicles must be used only for project purposes during
the project period.. When determining the value of a used vehicle you must use its value during its use on project
related activities. If the vehicle is not used 100% of the time on the project, you cannot use 100% of its current
value.
g. Requests for building construction are discouraged. Such requests may be considered only if the proposal clearly
demonstrates that the building is a perpetual contribution to Neotropical migratory bird conservation.
h. Applicants must submit letters confirming the commitment of matching funds from each contributing partner.
Please see above “Should I submit partner contributions letters?” for the details to be included in the letters from
each contributing partner.

11. Map
a. Include a map of the project area, and any specific locations within that area, along with a map showing the area
within the country. (This could be an inserted photo file of the GIS shapefile or Google Earth .kmz file you must
submit with the application.) Place these within the text of the proposal narrative, not in a separate file.
b. If your project includes land acquisition (including easements or conservation agreements), restoration (including
reforestation), or any other activity (e.g., law enforcement, training) that affects a specific area (e.g., national park,
private reserve), show the polygons (outlines) of each specific area (tract) that will be acquired or restored (if
known).
c. Please provide a GIS shapefile of your project area, include this attached to your email with the copy of this
proposal (we do not know if these files can be uploaded to Grants.gov). We suggest creating a .kmz shapefile
using Google Earth, if you do not have your own GIS software. If funded, a map and GIS shapefiles showing the
affected polygons will be required as an annex to your final report.

12. Projects with Activities Located in the United States
Address the following additional questions in your proposal narrative application, if not addressed above:
a. How does the project contribute to the goals, objectives, and recommendations in the appropriate Bird
Conservation Plans (see http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Plans/index.shtm)? How are the proposed activities linked
to the conservation designs of the relevant migratory bird joint venture? You do not need to explain basic bird
conservation here; instead, show why your activities are important now and the threats [Q4] that they will mitigate.
How will they further the objectives of the Joint Venture or Bird Conservation Plan?
b. List any endangered or threatened species (listed on the Endangered Species List) that will be impacted by your
project. [Q2]

13. Other support to your organization (both current and pending)
a. Current support: List all project support that your organization (or partner organizations) is receiving currently,
from all sources (Federal, State, local or foreign government agencies, public or private foundations, industrial or
other) that involves the Project Officer and other key individuals participating in the proposed NMBCA project (see
section 2). You must include support for the proposed NMBCA project and all other projects or activities requiring
a portion of time of the Project Officer and other key individuals participating in the project (see section 2) even if
they receive no salary from the NMBCA project(s). For each funding line, list the project title, the total award
amount for the entire award period covered (including indirect costs) as well as the number of person-months per
year to be devoted to the project by the Project Officer or other key individuals, regardless of source of support.
b. Pending support: Provide similar information for all proposals already submitted or submitted concurrently to other
possible sponsors, including other programs or offices of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, such as the Division of
International Conservation.
c. Previous phase support: If the proposal you are submitting now to NMBCA was funded previously by a source
other than NMBCA, similar information must be furnished for the most recent funding period.

14. Standard Form 424B or 424D (“Assurances” to the "Application for Federal Assistance")
Please indicate which form you are appending: either Standard Form (SF) 424B or 424D. These will be available for
digital signature via submission in Grants.gov. Or, download these from
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http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15, and append them to the narrative. The signature must be that of the
person who is fiscally responsible for the project. (These forms do not count toward the proposal narrative’s 12-page limit.)
If you are unable to apply through Grants.gov, you must also add the form "Application for Federal Assistance",
Standard Form (SF) 424 to the Adobe .pdf file of your proposal narrative 424D (see
http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/FormLinks?family=15).

15. Partner contribution statements
Indicate the names of the partners providing statements, and append the statements to the narrative.
OMB Control No. 1018‐0100
Expires: XX/XX/2018
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501), please note the following. This information collection
is authorized by the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) (16 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.). Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit in the
form of a grant. We estimate that it will take approximately 60 hours to prepare an application, including time to review instructions, gather and maintain data, and
complete and review the proposal. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number. OMB has reviewed and approved this information collection and assigned OMB Control Number
1018-0100. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection, including the accuracy of the estimated burden hours and suggestions to reduce
this burden. Send your comments to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-BPHC, Falls Church, VA 22041.

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