On April 13, 2020 California Sea Grant (CASG) released a
Request for Proposals (RFP) specifically for new faculty (defined as those who received their first-ever faculty appointment no earlier than January 1, 2018) and anticipates disbursing 5-6 awards up to $60,000 each. Awarded projects will begin in February 2021.
COAST is interested in facilitating CSU faculty members’ ability to apply to and be awarded funds from CASG. The 50% non-federal match requirement has long been identified as a significant barrier to CSU faculty members applying to this program. To reduce this barrier, COAST will provide the non-federal match for CSU PIs who
- Will serve as lead PI (not co-PI); and
- Meet the “new faculty” requirements of the RFP (COAST is unable to answer questions regarding eligibility to be considered “new faculty”; please contact CASG directly); and
- Propose projects that are aligned with the State Science Information Needs Program (SSINP).
Process for requesting matching funds from COAST
CASG has a two-phase application process consisting of the submission of Letters of Intent (LOIs) followed by full proposals. Immediately following the submission of the LOI to CASG (May 18, 2020), submit the following two documents as a single PDF file to
csucoast@csumb.edu:
-
CASG LOI: submit a copy of the LOI submitted to CASG.
-
Statement of Alignment with SSINP: complete and submit the Statement of Alignment form. Applicants must describe how the proposed project aligns with SSINP, which focuses directly and exclusively on supporting the state of California’s highest priority marine, coastal, and coastal watershed related needs for scientific information. The goal of SSINP is to provide the science needed for informed policy development and evidence-based decision making in a timely and actionable manner. To be successful, applicants must explain how the results of the proposed project will benefit the state.
A subcommittee consisting of
COAST Executive Committee members and COAST staff members will review the submitted applications. Proposed projects that are aligned with SSINP will receive a commitment from COAST to provide the required 50% non-federal match. All applicants will be notified of their status by June 1, 2020.
For selected projects, COAST will provide a letter of commitment to the PI and his/her campus pre-award office. The PI will then submit a full proposal to CASG and will include the letter of commitment. The proposal will then be evaluated consistent with the proposal review and selection process described on the CASG website. Please note that COAST will not be involved in this process.
Submittal of budget for match funds
For proposals that have received match commitment from COAST, the following items must be submitted to COAST:
- An exact and complete copy of the full proposal submitted to CASG on June 15, 2020.
- A line-item budget and justification for the match (see Budget guidelines section below).
These items must be submitted through the campus’ pre-award office as a single pdf file to
csucoast@csumb.edu by
5:00 pm, June 16, 2020.
Budget guidelines
COAST match funding may be used
only for CSU expenses. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, CSU faculty member reassigned time funding, academic year additional employment or summer salary; support for CSU students; equipment retained and controlled by CSU; and travel. Use the
budget template and these
instructions.
Funding for the SSINP originates from legislatively appropriated funds and is subject to CSU Executive Order 753/1000. As such, awards are not subject to campus indirect costs (facilities and administrative fees). Justified direct administrative costs are allowed. This value cannot exceed 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). The recipient campus assumes all responsibility for compliance with this provision.
Proposals recommended for funding by CASG
CASG will select proposals for funding and notify COAST as needed. COAST will send a notice of award to the PI’s campus and will transfer the entirety of the match funds via cash posting order (CPO) before the project start date. The campus will designate the location for award financial management. This location may include an auxiliary, research foundation, and/or corporation (hereafter referred to as auxiliary). If an auxiliary is designated for award financial management, the auxiliary will incur project expenses and then invoice the state side.
For further information, please contact:
Amy Vierra
Policy and Communications Consultant, CSU COAST
415-806-2666