Asian Elephant Conservation (15.621)
Program
15.621 Asian Elephant Conservation
Federal Agency
Agency: Department of the Interior
Office: Fish and Wildlife Service
Authorization
Asian Elephant Conservation Act, Public Law 105- 96, 111 Stat. 2150, 16 U.S.C. 4261-4266.; Asian Elephant Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2007, Public Law 110-133, 121 Stat. 1362.
Program Number
15.621
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To provide financial assistance to support the effective long-term conservation of Asian elephants. This program provides support for projects that focus on one or more of the following areas: Applied research, including surveys and monitoring; enhanced compliance with treaties and laws that prohibit the take or trade of Asian elephant or regulate the use and management of their habitat; conservation education and community outreach; development and execution of conservation management plans; enhanced protection of at-risk populations; habitat conservation and management, including protected area and reserve management; local capacity building; reduction of human-elephant conflicts; transfrontier conservation; and wildlife inspection, law enforcement, and forensics skills.
Types of Assistance
PROJECT GRANTS
Uses and Use Restrictions
Project work should occur within the range of the Asian elephant, or, if work is to be conducted outside of the range, the proposal should show a clear relevance to Asian elephant conservation. Applied research projects should address specific management needs and actions. Funds provided under this program will not be used for: the purchase of firearms or ammunitions; buying of intelligence information or paying informants: gathering information by persons who conceal their true identity; law enforcement operations that prompt suspects to carry out illegal activities so they may be arrested (entrapment); or any activity that would circumvent sanctions, laws or regulations of either the U.S. or the country in which the activity would occur. Funds may not be used to provide material support or resources to individuals, entities, or organizations of countries that have been identified by the U.S. Department of State as state sponsors of terrorism. The countries currently identified are: Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria. This program is administered in compliance with the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977, as amended. These funds may not be used towards training U.S. Federal Government personnel.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Applications may be submitted by any Asian government agency responsible for Asian elephant conservation and protection, and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in Asian elephant conservation.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Any Asian government agency responsible for Asian elephant conservation and protection, and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in Asian elephant conservation.
Credentials/Documentation
No Credentials or documentation are required. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. The program announcement and application instructions for this program can be found at Grants.gov website http://www.grants.gov/search/basic.do. The Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions are also located on this program's website at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/ase/asian_elephant.html. If you are unable to access the Internet, hard copies are available upon request from the Branch of Near East, South Asia & Africa, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 730, Arlington, Virginia 22203. A proposal will not be considered complete if all required elements are not submitted as instructed. U.S. applicants must submit (among other elements) a complete, signed Standard Form 424 "Application for Federal Assistance."
Award Procedure
Projects are reviewed and competitively selected for funding based on established criteria contained in the Asian Elephant Conservation Act (16 USC 4261 4266). Review criteria can be found in the application information at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/ase/asian_elephant.html. Once a proposal has been selected for funding an Assistance Award between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Recipient is drafted by the Division of International Conservation. The draft Award is then submitted to the Division of Contracting and Facilities Management (CFM) where it is executed by a FWS Contracting Officer. Fully executed Awards are sent to the Recipient either electronically or through the mail. The Division of International Conservation then administers all other aspects of the Assistance Award.
Deadlines
Apr 01, 2009 This program has two annual deadlines. The first deadline is November 1 each year. The second deadline is April 1 each year.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Decisions on funding of project proposals are made within 180 days after receipt of the project proposal.
Appeals
Not Applicable.
Renewals
Not Applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Matching Requirements: To the extent possible, grant funds are matched by nonfederal funds. In determining whether to approve project proposals, preference is given to projects for which matching funds are available.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Awarded funds must be spent during the performance period that is approved for each Assistance Award, and in accordance with program financial and performance reporting procedures. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Information not available.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Progress and final reports are due in accordance with terms and conditions established in the Assistance Award. Complete reporting requirements can be found at this program's web page at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/ase/asian_elephant.html. Cash reports are not applicable. Progress reports are not applicable. For financial reporting, Domestic Recipients with no program income to report shall use the Federal Financial Report SF 425. Domestic recipients with program income to report shall use Standard Form 425. Non-domestic Recipients shall submit a financial status report that follows the same format of the original project proposal budget table, itemizes expenditures for the reporting period and describes any deviations from the approved project budget. Performance monitoring is not applicable.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Recipients will maintain records in accordance with the provisions of 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart C, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments" and 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart F, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements With Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations.".
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2008: In FY 2008 the Service funded 30 Asian elephant conservation projects. A summary of each of those projects can be found at the program's webpage at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/ase/asian_elephant.html. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available
Financial Information
Account Identification
14-1652-0-1-303.
Obligations
(Cooperative Agreements) FY 08 $1,429,000; FY 09 est $1,429,000; FY 10 est $1,429,000
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Variable amounts. Due to limited funding available and the desire to support diverse projects, preference will be given to proposals requesting $50,000 or less. Higher amounts may be requested with appropriate justification.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Awards will be administered in conformance with the "Assistance Award Guidelines" established by the Division of International Conservation, which uses as its sources all applicable award terms and conditions found at http://www.doi.gov/pam/TermsandConditions.html. The "Assistance Award Guidelines" can be found on-line at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/AAG_9-6-07.pdf or in hard copy by contacting the Division of International Conservation at (703) 358-1754.
Related Programs
15.619 Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund; 15.620 African Elephant Conservation Fund; 15.629 Great Apes Conservation Fund; 15.645 Marine Turtle Conservation Fund
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
See Regional Agency Offices.
Headquarters Office
Chief, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of International Conservation, Room 100, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203 Phone: (703) 358-1754 Fax: (703) 358-2115
Web Site Address
http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/grants/grants_home.html
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2008: Annual summaries of the projects funded under this program can be found at http://www.fws.gov/international/_elephant.html. DIC/species/ase/asian Hard copies of this information are available upon request from the Division of International Conservation at (703) 358-1754. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Proposals will be reviewed on the basis of criteria developed from the Asian Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4261-4266). Due to the limited funding available and the desire to support diverse projects, preference will be given to proposals requesting $50,000 or less. Additional details on the criteria can be found in the Asian Elephant Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions at htt://fws.gov/international/DIC/species/ase/ase_howtoapply.html. Hard copies are available upon request from the Division of International Conservation at (703) 358-1754.
