National Ocean Service Intern Program (11.480)
Program
11.480 National Ocean Service Intern Program
Federal Agency
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE
Authorization
15 U.S.C. 1540.
Program Number
11.480
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To establish an Intern Program which will provide unique opportunities for cooperative study, research, and development that would be of major benefit in advancing the number and diversity of skilled engineers, scientists, and managers in the environmental arena who are familiar with the techniques and technologies used by the National Ocean Service (NOS).
Types of Assistance
Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).
Uses and Use Restrictions
Primary grantee may use funds to recruit and evaluate candidate interns and to administer and fund stipends for implemented internships.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Primary awards will be available to nonprofit organizations. Internships are restricted to recent college graduates and have a maximum cumulative duration of 24 months for any individual.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Benefits to the Nation are increased opportunities for recent college graduates to increase public awareness and gain exposure to government programs that affect the Nation's coastal areas and resources. This program will also promote interest in civil service as a career. Benefits also include a transfer of the techniques, technologies, and methods used by NOS to the next generation of engineers, scientists, and managers in the environmental arena. Interns who are selected by the program will receive increased training and skill enhancement as identified by the particular Internship opportunity in which they participate.
Credentials/Documentation
Applicants are required to satisfy all Department of Commerce (DOC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) standards and regulations, including routine and special terms and conditions, for financial assistance programs application and conduct. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular Nos. A-21 for educational institutions and A-22 for nonprofit organizations.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.
Application Procedure
Grantee: Candidate partners will submit an application for financial assistance (SF 424) with statement of work to be performed and proposed amount. This program is subject to the requirements of OMB Circular No. A-110 and 15 CFR 24, Grants and Cooperative Agreements with State and Local Governments, as applicable. The Statement of work should include the proposed plan for advertising and recruitment, costs for recruiting, selecting, and administering an intern based on duration and stipend level of the internship. Selection of candidate partners for the Grantee will not be re-competed until fiscal year 2006. Intern: Intern candidates will apply for internships developed, documented, and funded by a component of NOS, and transmitted, after review by the project office, to the grantee who shall advertise them according to their proposed plan. The grantee will screen the applicants based on the documented requirements of the internship and transmit the highest qualified (typically 5 to 10) to NOS for further review. NOS will assign priority sequences to the candidates who will be offered the internship by the grantee in that order. Funding of the intern and administrative supervision will be through the grantee according to their proposal. The interns will work in Governmental offices under the technical supervision of the Government.
Award Procedure
Awards are made on the basis of proposal evaluation, technical review, and administrative review.
Deadlines
Applications must be received by NOS 45 days following announcement in the Federal Register.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
None.
Renewals
Cooperative activities are generally approved on an annual fiscal year basis, but may be continued beyond the first year, subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Five years with funding approved annually. Will be next competed in 2006.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Implementation plans are required annually. Progress reports are due semi-annually. Financial status reports are require quarterly. Final reports are due ninety days after expiration of reward.
Audits
Recipients will be subject to the provisions of the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and revised OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records
None.
Program Accomplishments
AThe initial grant was issued on March 12, 1999, for $267,690 to Environmental Careers Organization covering seven (7) internships, after an open competition which closed October 5, 1998, in response to a Federal Register Notice published August 25, 1998, Vol 63, #164, p. 45223-45227. Additional grants were issued on 10/1/99 covering 2 interns, 7/17/00 covering 4 new interns and extending 2 previously initiated interns. Grants were issued on 7/30/01 covering 12 new interns and extending 3 previously initiated interns and on 9/30/01 covering 8 new interns and extending 3 previously initiated interns. On 12/31/01 a grant covering 4 new interns and extending 5 others was issued. A grant was issued on September 30, 2002 to Environmental Careers Organization covering seven twenty (20) new) internships and extending sixteen (16) Internships, after an open competition which closed June 10, 2002, in response to a Federal Register Notice published April 25, 1998, Vol 67, #164, pg 20487 -20491.
Financial Information
Account Identification
13-1450-0-1-306.
Obligations
(Cooperative Agreements) FY 02 $1,799,101; FY 03 est $1,860,000; and FY 04 est $1,800,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Indeterminate and highly variable. Minimum of $40,000 and maximum of $1,800,000 per year (1 to 50 interns).
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Allowable cost will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 for State and local governments and Indian Tribes; OMB Circular A-122 for nonprofit and for- profit organizations; OMB Circular A-21 for institutions of higher education; and 48 CFR Part 31 for commercial organizations. Financial assistance management will be in accordance with 15 CFR Part 14 for institutions of higher education, hospitals, and other non-profit and commercial organizations, and with 15 CRF Part 24 for state and local governments.
Related Programs
None.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
NOS Special Projects Office, National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Telephone: (301) 713-3000, ext. 132. Attn: Peter L. Grose.
Web Site Address
Examples of Funded Projects
None.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Proposals are subject to a review process taking into consideration the proposed recruiting plan, qualifications of the applicant, costs, and previous experience.
