NAWCA Standard Grant Info

Supplemental information for NAWCA Standard Grant applicants within the Gulf Coast Joint Venture region

As indicated in the grant application process described at the NAWCA website, joint ventures have a role in reviewing applications and providing input to the proposal selection process.

Because the joint venture review process varies by joint venture, the following information describes the process utilized by the Gulf Coast Joint Venture (GCJV):
Proposals are distributed to the 4 Working Groups of the GCJV’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Team for their review and assessment relative to biological objectives and priorities in GCJV conservation plans.
Full proposals are made available to members of the GCJV Management Board, and the GCJV Coordinator develops and provides them condensed summaries of each proposal with maps. The GCJV Coordinator will provide you a copy of his summary, so that you can provide any necessary clarifications during the teleconference or meeting (see below).
Project officers will be contacted by the GCJV Coordinator to participate in a teleconference or meeting of the GCJV Management Board and other proposal representatives. This teleconference or meeting typically takes place 4-7 weeks after the proposal application deadline.

What to Expect During the Teleconference/Meeting
Participants include all proposal representatives, GCJV Board members, GCJV staff, and sometimes others at the invitation of the Board Chairperson.
Each proposal representative will have a very brief (e.g., 3-5 minute) time slot to use at their discretion. Given that teleconference/meeting participants will have seen your proposal and/or its summary prior to the call, we suggest that you use the majority of this time to highlight unique aspects of your proposal, particularly those that may not be obvious from the written application. The GCJV Coordinator will inform you of the allotted time well prior to the call, and the times will be strictly monitored and enforced.
Board members will then have an opportunity to ask a variety questions of the proposal representatives. Some standard questions are likely to include the following:

"Was this project vetted or discussed by GCJV Initiative Teams?"

"Was input sought from GCJV Staff during proposal development?"

"Does your proposal address any of the specific (i.e., quantified) GCJV habitat objectives for the following:

a)	Fall migrant shorebirds using inland/managed habitats?"
b)	Migrant waterfowl using agricultural lands, including moist-soil?" (see Initiative Area Plans for Laguna Madre, Texas Mid-Coast, and Chenier Plain only)
c)	Migrant waterfowl using forested wetlands?" (see Initiative Area Plans for Mississippi River Coastal Wetlands, Coastal Mississippi Wetlands, and Mobile Bay only)
d)	Breeding and migrant landbirds using grasslands?"
e)	Reddish Egret breeding colonies?"

"Does your proposal address any priority conservation actions and/or spatial prioritizations identified in GCJV plans for the following:

a)	Nesting, brood-rearing, and molting habitat for mottled ducks?"
b)	Migrant waterfowl using coastal marshes?" (see Laguna Madre, Texas Mid-Coast, Chenier Plain, Mississippi River Coastal Wetlands, Coastal Mississippi Wetlands, and Mobile Bay Initiative Area Plans)
c)	Migrant waterfowl using forested wetlands?" (see Mississippi River Coastal Wetlands, Coastal Mississippi Wetlands, and Mobile Bay Initiative Area Plans only)
d)	Redhead ducks using shoalgrass and adjacent wetlands?" (see Laguna Madre and Texas Mid-Coast Initiative Area Plans only, and Redhead Freshwater Wetland Model)
e)	Landbirds using various grassland habitats?"
f)	Migrating landbirds using priority coastal forests?"
	Important Note: Questions #3 and #4 are NOT asking for lists of species present in your proposal area. They are asking if your proposed activities provide a net gain (including quality improvements and prevention of predictable loss) of the specific habitat types described in the referenced GCJV planning documents.

"What efforts did you make to seek additional contributing partners?"

At the conclusion of the teleconference or meeting, the Board will develop a recommendation for consideration by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council). That recommendation will be transmitted via letter to the Council, and each proposal’s project officer will receive a copy.

All GCJV Planning documents and Initiative Area Implementation Plans may be found in the GCJV Documents section of this website. GCJV Planning Documents relevant to each respective Initiative Area may also be found in the Intitiative Area section.