Key points
- NIOSH and the U.S. Coast Guard are collaborating to fund commercial fishing occupational safety research and training.
- Applicants should check their eligibility and review the recommended elements below before submitting an application.
- The Frequently Asked Questions section answers common questions.
Overview
The U.S. Coast Guard and NIOSH are working together to provide funding for Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research and Training. NIOSH administers the program.
Eligibility
Before beginning the application process, you should make sure you or your organization is eligible to apply for the grant. Check your group's eligibility in the Funding Opportunity Announcement. This is in the "Eligibility" section.
The Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) position also has eligibility criteria. This can be any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research or training. Qualified individuals are invited to work with their organization to develop an application. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for HHS/CDC support. Individuals from other groups who have been traditionally economically/socially marginalized are also encouraged to apply.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided each application is scientifically distinct.
How to prepare
When applying for a grant, NIOSH recommends incorporating key elements into your application package. Applications should clearly state proposed goals and objectives, and directly link them to the occupational health and safety burdens being addressed.
NIOSH uses the Burden, Need, and Impact method to define research priorities. Applicants are expected to justify their proposal by describing each of these criteria. Burden is the evidence of the health, safety, or economic cost for the population. Need is the knowledge gap the proposed research will fill. Impact is the potential for impact or likelihood of success.
Research cooperative agreements
Tailored research objectives for distinct geographic regions or fleets are encouraged. Research objectives supported by these grants include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Identification and investigation of the relationships between hazardous working conditions and associated occupational injuries and fatalities;
- Development of more sensitive means of evaluating hazards at work sites. This includes fatigue, stress, or the use of opioids as contributors to occupational injuries and fatalities;
- Development of methods for measuring leading indicators of injuries and fatalities;
- Development of new protective equipment and engineering control technology to reduce work-related injuries and fatalities;
- Development of work practices that reduce the risks of occupational hazards; and
- Evaluation of the technical feasibility or application of a new or improved occupational safety procedure, method, technique, or system. This includes assessment of economic and other factors that influence their diffusion and successful adoption in workplaces.
Training project grants
Applicants should justify the choice of location in terms of need and potential impact. For need, this might include current state of availability in the area or equitable access for all groups. Examples of potential impact include:
- Expected number of commercial fishermen trained,
- Changes in competencies/behavior relevant to health and safety improvements, and
- Reductions in incidents.
Applicants should also justify the location choice in terms of accessibility, feasibility, and cost.
Ideally, training should be hands-on and occur in fishing communities on or near the water. Applicants should also provide information on the frequency of the training, and characteristics of the commercial fishermen who will be trained. The application must clearly identify the professional and experiential credentials of those performing the training.
How to apply
To apply for go to www.grants.gov and click on the "Applicants" tab. From there you can complete several tasks including check eligibility, get registered, and apply for grants. For further guidance, please review the application guide at grants.nih.gov.
Application deadlines are as follows: August 27, 2024; January 28, 2025; August 26, 2025; January 27, 2026; August 25, 2026; January 26, 2027. All applications are due by 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time.
What happens after applying
All applications that respond to the criteria in the announcement and are accepted for peer review will be discussed. Each application will be assigned an overall impact score and receive a written critique. Following initial peer review, a joint NIOSH – US Coast Guard Secondary Review Committee will provide a second level of review. This committee will discuss programmatic relevance, priority, and balance.
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
- Scientific, technical, and educational merit of the proposed research as determined by initial peer review,
- Relevance of the proposed training or research submittals to NIOSH – US Coast Guard program priorities,
- Contribution toward development of guidelines or best practices for improved commercial fishing vessel safety,
- Contribution to advance occupational safety and health aspects of commercial fishing vessel operations,
- Commitment of the applicant institution to collaborative efforts,
- Adequacy of resource-sharing plan, and
- Availability of funds.
Frequently asked questions
Fishing Safety Research: $3,000,000 and Fishing Safety Training: $3,000,000.
The minimum amount awarded is $150,000 and the maximum amount is $975,000. Be aware, these grants come with a cost matching requirement which must be included in the total amount of the award.
The current Federal cost match requirement is 25% of the funds awarded. Let's say you are awarded the maximum amount of $975,000. Your group or organization is required to provide $243,750 as your non-federal share. The federal share is $731,250. The matching percentage is non-negotiable and is calculated as a percentage of the total proposed cost.
To fulfil the cost match requirements, you can use:
- Program income (such as revenue generated from the project),
- Subrecipient costs (like paying for sub-contractors),
- In-kind support (gifts or donations of time or material), and
- Indirect costs (overhead and operational costs not directly related to the project).
Use of other federal funds for matching is not allowed. For example, funds awarded from another federal agency (NOAA, USDA, etc.) cannot be used for the cost match requirement.
Awards are made for a single 36-month budget period or for the entire 3 years of the project period.
Tuition and travel stipends are allowable costs. Contact the Grants Management Official or Scientific Program Official listed in funding opportunity announcement if you have questions on allowable costs.
The purpose of these grants is to support research and training efforts among organizations and individuals with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry them out. While this funding is not granted to individual fishermen, funded activities are intended to benefit fishermen in the short and long term. Please spread the word to any organizations or members of organizations who might be interested in applying.
Resources
Key Terms
A grant is an assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. A grant is a way the government funds your ideas and projects to provide public services and stimulate the economy.
A cooperative agreement is a support mechanism used when there will be substantial Federal scientific or programmatic involvement in the project. Substantial involvement means that, after award, government scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or participate in project activities.
A funding opportunity announcement from the government lays out the program goals, application process, and funding availability. Funding opportunity announcements may also be known as program announcements, notices of funding opportunity, solicitations, or other names depending on the agency and type of program. Funding opportunity announcements can be found at Grants.gov in the Search Grants tab and on the funding agency's website.
Visit the Grant Terminology page at Grants.gov for information on funding opportunity, funding opportunity number (FON), Funding Period, or other grant terminology.
Learn more
The federal Grants Learning Center guides you through the application process and answers other questions you have about grants.