Galveston Bay Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Services Report, HabNet Coalition, and Outreach | F17AS00021

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00021

The Galveston Bay Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Services Report, HabNet Coalition, and Outreach opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00021) was a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under CFDA 15.630. It was designed to support a nonprofit partner in producing a major synthesis product on coastal ecosystem benefits, while also strengthening a national habitat restoration coalition and delivering targeted outreach to policymakers. The award ceiling was $76,000, with one expected award, and eligibility was limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofits other than institutions of higher education. The posting date was November 17, 2016, and the notice indicates the recipient had already been selected by the time of the listed closing status.

A central deliverable of the project was a first-of-its-kind report focused on Galveston Bay that combines emerging "blue carbon" science with the broader body of ecosystem services research. Blue carbon refers to the carbon sequestration and long-term storage potential of coastal habitats such as salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds. The grant framed blue carbon as an important, relatively new ecosystem service that can help expand how restoration and conservation value is communicated, especially when presented alongside more familiar benefits like shoreline stabilization, improved water quality, fish and wildlife habitat that supports commercial and recreational species, and increased resilience to flooding and storms. The intent was to integrate newly generated blue carbon data from Galveston Bay into a wider synthesis so the final report could capture the full suite of societal, economic, environmental, and climate-related returns associated with protecting and restoring these habitats.

Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) was identified as a key implementing partner because it leads the U.S. blue carbon initiative and works to turn blue carbon science into additional motivation for restoration funding and prioritization. At the time of the opportunity, RAE was collaborating with researchers at Texas A&M University at Galveston to quantify carbon storage and sequestration in both natural and restored salt marshes. The project emphasized translating that technical work into practical communications for partners who already support restoration in Galveston Bay, with the idea that clearer evidence of climate mitigation benefits would strengthen outreach, attract broader support, and improve fundraising for on-the-ground habitat projects.

The report concept drew on communications lessons from Resource Media's 2016 Puget Sound Blue Carbon Assessment of Communications Potential. That assessment suggested blue carbon can help conservation and restoration advocates reach new audiences by reframing coastal habitat work in terms of climate solutions, without isolating climate from other values. Instead, the recommended approach is to place blue carbon in context with co-benefits, so decision-makers and funders see restoration as a multi-benefit investment rather than a single-issue expense. This opportunity explicitly positioned the Galveston Bay report as the first time that communications-oriented framing would be applied in this integrated way for an estuary, blending science synthesis with messaging that supports larger-scale restoration investment.

A second major component of the cooperative agreement focused on the Habitat Restoration Network Coalition (HABNET). HABNET was described as a national alliance of more than 50 conservation organizations working to restore and protect coastal habitats. Over the agreement period, RAE would partner with the USFWS Coastal Program to strengthen and expand this coalition through strategic national and local partnerships, improve information sharing, and help align partner efforts around priority ecosystems. USFWS support was meant to help HABNET better engage and educate external stakeholders on coastal habitat issues, while providing tools, learning opportunities, and clearer visibility into Coastal Program successes and upcoming restoration opportunities. A practical aim here was to broaden and diversify the constituency for coastal conservation by tightening communications within the network and cultivating collaboration that leverages existing resources to implement local conservation strategies alongside the Coastal Program.

The third pillar of the work was an outreach event called the Estuaries Expo, described as separate from HABNET coalition activities. The Expo was planned as a national-level awareness and education effort aimed at Members of Congress and congressional staff, using interactive displays, educational activities, and informal engagement to highlight why healthy estuaries matter and what benefits coastal ecosystems provide. The event was connected to National Estuaries Week, held annually during the third week of September, which traditionally focuses on community engagement and local stewardship. RAE's goal with the Expo was to complement that local momentum by increasing visibility at the federal policy level and helping build broader support for restoration programs nationwide. The opportunity notes that the Expo was supported through a cooperative agreement between RAE and NOAA, and that USFWS Coastal Program staff would participate by exhibiting, distributing program information, and answering questions about coastal conservation issues and Coastal Program work.

Finally, the opportunity was authorized under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-c, 747e-742j) and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958 (16 U.S.C. 661-667(e)). Overall, the grant blended three things that often get handled separately: (1) a rigorous, place-based synthesis of blue carbon and other ecosystem services for Galveston Bay, (2) national coalition-building to strengthen partnerships and coordination around habitat restoration, and (3) direct outreach to federal decision-makers to increase understanding and support for coastal conservation as a multi-benefit public investment.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Galveston Bay Blue Carbon and Ecosystem Services Report, HabNet Coalition, and Outreach" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 17, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by THE RECIPIENT HAS BEEN SELECTED.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $76,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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