Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation (15.619)

Program

15.619 Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of the Interior
Office: Fish and Wildlife Service

Authorization

Mutlinational Species Conservation Act of 2007, Public Law 110-132, 121 Stat. 1360; Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, Public Law 103-391, 108 Stat. 4094 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq., as amended by the Rhino and Tiger Product Labeling Act of 1998, Public Law 105-312, 112 Stat. 2956 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.

Program Number

15.619

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To provide financial assistance for projects for the effective long-term conservation of rhinoceros and tigers. This program supports 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 rhinoceros and tiger 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-rhinoceros and human-tiger 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 rhinoceros/tiger range, or, if work is to be conducted outside of the range, the proposal should show a clear relevance to rhinoceros/tiger 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 Agreements 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 government agency responsible for conservation and protection of rhinoceros and/or tigers and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in rhinoceros and/or tiger conservation.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Any government agency responsible for conservation and protection of rhinoceros and/or tigers and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in rhinoceros or tiger 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

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. The program announcement and application instructions for this program can be found at the Grants.gov website: http://www.grants.gov. The Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions are also located on this program's website at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/rhino/rhino.html and http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/tiger/tiger.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 100, 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 competitively selected for funding using criteria from the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act (16 USC 5301 et seq.). Review criteria can be found in the application information at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/NOFARhinoTiger.pdf. 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 an 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 the 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

Program reports are not applicable. Cash reports are not applicable. Progress and final reports are to be submitted 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/rhino/rhino.html. animals/rhinoprogram.htm. Interim and final reports are to be submitted 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/rhino/rhino/html. For financial reporting, Domestic Recipients with no program income to report shall use Federal Financial Report, Standard Form 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 any 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 42 rhinoceros and tiger projects. A summary of each of those projects can be found at the program's webpage at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/species/rhino/pdf/RTCF_Summaries_2008_Asia_Africa.pdf. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

14-5199-0-2-303.

Obligations

(Project Grants) FY 08 $1,822,000; FY 09 est $1,822,000; FY 10 est $1,822,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Variable amounts. Due to the 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 source 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.

Related Programs

15.620 African Elephant Conservation Fund; 15.621 Asian 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 Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of International Conservation, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, ARLSQ 100, Arlington, Virginia 22203 Email: MSCF_RhinoTiger@fws.gov Phone: (703) 358 1754 Fax: (703) 358 2115

Web Site Address

http://www.fws.gov/international/grants/grants.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/DIC/species/rhino/pdf/RTCF_Summaries_2008_Asia_Africa.pdf. Hard copies of this information are available upon request from the Division of Division of International Conservation. 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 requirements of the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 5301 et. seq.). 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 selection criteria can be found in the Rhinoceros and Tiger Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions at http://www.fws.gov/international/DIC/pdf/NOFARhinoTiger.pdf. Hard copies of the criteria are available upon request from the Division of International Conservation.