Opportunity Information: Apply for M23AS00374
PC-23-03B is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) funding opportunity focused on a very specific problem on the U.S. West Coast: commercial fisheries are being pressured by climate-driven ecosystem change at the same time that offshore renewable energy development (such as offshore wind) is expanding, and decision-makers need practical, place-based guidance on how those stressors may combine and what can be done to reduce harm. The central aim of the project is to improve understanding and predictive capacity around how offshore energy activities and climate change may interact to affect commercial fisheries, and then translate that science into mitigation strategies that strengthen either the adaptive capacity (the ability to adjust and keep operating under new conditions) or the resilience (the ability to absorb disturbance and recover) of the stakeholders most likely to be affected.
The primary intended beneficiaries are the States of California, Oregon, and Washington, along with Tribal governments, local government agencies, and the broader public. The opportunity recognizes that West Coast agencies have already produced climate adaptation and resilience policies, but those policies tend to be high-level and do not always provide the detailed, actionable recommendations managers and fishing communities need when real projects are proposed and real tradeoffs must be made. A major gap the project is meant to fill is guidance for “multiple stressors,” meaning situations where climate impacts (shifting species distributions, changing productivity, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, altered currents, etc.) may compound or interact with effects associated with offshore energy development (changes in access to fishing grounds, displacement, gear conflicts, safety/navigation issues, altered habitats, construction noise, and other project-related disturbances). The planned output is therefore not just general climate planning language, but concrete alternatives and strategies that are specific enough to support on-the-ground management and near-term decisions.
From a management and regulatory perspective, the products of the study are expected to help state, Tribal, and local governments evaluate future offshore energy proposals more effectively, including reviews conducted under coastal management authorities such as Coastal Zone Management Act consistency certifications. In other words, the project is intended to strengthen agencies’ ability to anticipate impacts, compare mitigation options, and make better-informed determinations about project compatibility with coastal uses and resources. BOEM frames the long-term result as an improved capacity for these governments to manage public trust resources wisely, while also improving public understanding of how climate change and offshore energy development could shape coastal economies and marine ecosystems.
The opportunity is grounded in existing federal policy and legal mandates. It explicitly aligns with Executive Order 13990 (Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis) and Executive Order 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), both of which emphasize using science to build climate resilience and advancing clean energy deployment. It also implements BOEM’s responsibilities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to conduct environmental studies that predict impacts of offshore resource activities on human, marine, and coastal environments (43 U.S.C. 1346(b)). In practical terms, BOEM is using this cooperative research project to generate the evidence base needed to anticipate and manage consequences of offshore renewable energy activities in a period of rapid climate change.
Administratively, this is not an open, competitive call for proposals. The announcement is an intent-to-award style program announcement describing a specific project anticipated to be funded as a cooperative agreement between BOEM and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The work is proposed under the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, a partnership model designed to facilitate collaborative projects between federal agencies and member institutions. Because it is a cooperative agreement, BOEM anticipates “substantial involvement” of BOEM scientists in shaping the study and/or participating in the work, rather than simply providing funds and receiving a final report. The CESU umbrella also sets an overhead limitation for UCSB (noted as 17.5%), which is part of how these agreements are structured to support applied research with controlled indirect costs.
Key listed funding details include an award ceiling of $1,100,000, a funding opportunity number of M23AS00374, a CFDA/Assistance Listing number of 15.423, and an original closing date of July 20, 2023. The funding instrument is explicitly a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is environment. While the eligible applicant categories in the source data include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education (and “others”), the narrative makes clear this particular announcement is tied to a UCSB-BOEM cooperative agreement under CESU rather than a broadly open submission process.
On eligibility and project structure, the announcement notes that research projects are expected to have a staff member of the applying organization serving as the Principal Investigator, and it encourages cooperative research with relevant partners such as state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states. It also strongly encourages cost share or matching contributions, which can be cash or in-kind support (for example, staff time, equipment, vessel/ship time), but it places important limits on what can count as match. Matching funds cannot come from other federal sources, and match cannot include the value of collection costs for samples that were previously collected. For equipment and instrumentation, the match value should be prorated to reflect the period of use on the project relative to the item’s full lifecycle. If ship time is offered as match, the documentation must provide a fair assessment of costs relevant to the work. The announcement points applicants to the federal cost-sharing rules at 2 CFR 200.306 and directs all questions to the specific point-of-contact referenced in the announcement.
In plain terms, PC-23-03B is designed to produce decision-ready science and mitigation options for West Coast fisheries management in a future shaped by both climate disruption and offshore renewable energy expansion. Instead of treating those pressures separately, the study is meant to look at how they combine, where risks are likely to concentrate, and what strategies can realistically help fishing communities and resource managers adapt while maintaining sustainable use of marine resources.Apply for M23AS00374
- The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PC-23-03B: Facilitating Resilience and Adaptation in Commercial Fisheries in Response to Offshore Renewable Energy Development and Climate Change" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.423.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-20.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-20. (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 $1,100,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is PC-23-03B?
PC-23-03B is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) funding opportunity focused on the U.S. West Coast. It targets a specific management problem: commercial fisheries are facing climate-driven ecosystem change at the same time offshore renewable energy development (such as offshore wind) is expanding. The project is intended to produce practical, place-based guidance for decision-makers on how these stressors may combine and how harm can be reduced.
What problem is this project trying to solve?
The opportunity responds to the reality that fisheries managers and coastal decision-makers increasingly need to make near-term decisions in situations where multiple stressors overlap. Climate impacts (such as shifting species distributions, marine heatwaves, and ocean acidification) may compound offshore energy-related effects (such as displacement from fishing grounds and construction disturbances). The project is intended to improve understanding of these combined pressures and translate that understanding into usable mitigation strategies.
What is the central aim of the project?
The central aim is to improve understanding and predictive capacity around how offshore energy activities and climate change may interact to affect commercial fisheries, and then translate that science into mitigation strategies that strengthen either adaptive capacity (ability to adjust and keep operating under new conditions) or resilience (ability to absorb disturbance and recover) of the stakeholders most likely to be affected.
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
The primary intended beneficiaries are the States of California, Oregon, and Washington, along with Tribal governments, local government agencies, and the broader public.
Why is this focused on the U.S. West Coast?
The opportunity is tailored to West Coast conditions where commercial fisheries are already experiencing climate-driven ecosystem shifts while offshore renewable energy development is expanding. The intent is to produce guidance that reflects West Coast ecosystems, fisheries, and management realities rather than generic national-level recommendations.
What kinds of climate impacts are considered in this opportunity?
The opportunity explicitly references climate impacts such as shifting species distributions, changing productivity, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, altered currents, and other climate-driven ecosystem changes.
What kinds of offshore renewable energy-related stressors are considered?
The opportunity references potential effects associated with offshore energy development including changes in access to fishing grounds, displacement, gear conflicts, safety/navigation issues, altered habitats, construction noise, and other project-related disturbances.
What does BOEM mean by "multiple stressors" in this announcement?
"Multiple stressors" refers to situations where climate impacts and offshore energy development impacts may compound or interact. The project is meant to address how combined pressures could affect fisheries and what actionable mitigation options may reduce harm under real-world conditions.
What kinds of outputs are expected from the project?
The planned output is intended to go beyond high-level climate planning language. The opportunity emphasizes concrete, place-based alternatives and strategies that are specific enough to support on-the-ground management and near-term decisions when actual offshore energy projects are proposed and tradeoffs must be made.
How will the results be used by governments and regulators?
From a management and regulatory perspective, the products are expected to help state, Tribal, and local governments evaluate future offshore energy proposals more effectively, including reviews conducted under coastal management authorities such as Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) consistency certifications. The intent is to strengthen agencies' ability to anticipate impacts, compare mitigation options, and make better-informed determinations about project compatibility with coastal uses and resources.
How does BOEM describe the long-term result of this project?
BOEM frames the long-term result as improved capacity for state, Tribal, and local governments to manage public trust resources wisely, while also improving public understanding of how climate change and offshore energy development could shape coastal economies and marine ecosystems.
Is this an open, competitive call for proposals?
No. This is described as an intent-to-award style program announcement rather than an open, competitive call. It describes a specific project anticipated to be funded as a cooperative agreement between BOEM and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Who is the anticipated award recipient?
The announcement indicates the project is anticipated to be funded as a cooperative agreement between BOEM and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), proposed under the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework.
What is the funding instrument for PC-23-03B?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
In this context, BOEM anticipates "substantial involvement" of BOEM scientists in shaping the study and/or participating in the work, rather than BOEM simply providing funds and receiving a final report.
What is the CESU framework mentioned in the announcement?
The work is proposed under the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, described as a partnership model designed to facilitate collaborative projects between federal agencies and member institutions.
Is there an indirect cost (overhead) limitation noted?
Yes. Under the CESU umbrella, the announcement notes an overhead limitation for UCSB of 17.5% as part of how these agreements are structured.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The listed award ceiling is $1,100,000.
What are the key identification numbers for this opportunity?
Key listed details include a funding opportunity number of M23AS00374 and a CFDA/Assistance Listing number of 15.423.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date listed is July 20, 2023.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is environment.
What eligibility categories are mentioned in the source data?
The source data includes eligible applicant categories such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education (and "others"). However, the narrative emphasizes that this particular announcement is tied to a UCSB-BOEM cooperative agreement under CESU rather than a broadly open submission process.
Does the announcement describe expectations for project leadership?
Yes. It notes that research projects are expected to have a staff member of the applying organization serving as the Principal Investigator (PI).
Are partnerships encouraged as part of the work?
Yes. The opportunity encourages cooperative research with relevant partners such as state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states.
Is cost share or matching encouraged?
Yes. The announcement strongly encourages cost share or matching contributions, which may be cash or in-kind support (for example, staff time, equipment, vessel/ship time).
Can matching funds come from other federal sources?
No. The announcement states that matching funds cannot come from other federal sources.
Can previously collected samples count toward match?
No. The announcement specifies that match cannot include the value of collection costs for samples that were previously collected.
How should equipment or instrumentation be valued if offered as match?
The announcement indicates that for equipment and instrumentation, the match value should be prorated to reflect the period of use on the project relative to the item's full lifecycle.
How should ship time be documented if offered as match?
If ship time is offered as match, the announcement states that documentation must provide a fair assessment of costs relevant to the work.
What federal rule is referenced for cost sharing?
The announcement points to the federal cost-sharing rules at 2 CFR 200.306.
What legal authority and mandates does BOEM cite for this work?
The opportunity is grounded in federal policy and legal mandates. It aligns with Executive Order 13990 and Executive Order 14008, and it implements BOEM responsibilities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to conduct environmental studies that predict impacts of offshore resource activities on human, marine, and coastal environments (43 U.S.C. 1346(b)).
How does this opportunity relate to Executive Order 13990?
The announcement explicitly aligns with Executive Order 13990 (Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis), which emphasizes using science to build climate resilience.
How does this opportunity relate to Executive Order 14008?
The announcement explicitly aligns with Executive Order 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), which emphasizes using science to build climate resilience and advancing clean energy deployment.
What role does public understanding play in the goals of the project?
BOEM describes improving public understanding as part of the longer-term result, specifically understanding how climate change and offshore energy development could shape coastal economies and marine ecosystems.
What should someone do if they have questions about the opportunity?
The announcement directs all questions to the specific point-of-contact referenced in the announcement.
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