Login to Complete an Application or to Access Judging Panel
FAQ Schmidt Marine Fisheries Initiative 2022
Timeline & Application Process
What are the important dates for this RFP?
For details see Important Dates for Challenge
My Initial Proposal has been accepted. What happens now?
We will notify all teams by May 30, 2022 to let them know whether or not they should submit a full proposal for review
What if I submit my initial proposal after May 20th?
Initial proposals submitted after the May 20, 2022 deadline will not be considered for funding.
When will funding be executed?
We plan to deploy funds in late 2022.
Eligibility
What types of solutions are you interested in?
This call is deliberately broad to enable us to consider a wide range of potential solutions. While we will consider ideas from other areas, we are especially interested in:
New or improved methods and tools for fisheries data collection, especially those enabling fisheries stock assessments. Of particular interest are technologies that offer the potential for low-cost, reliable, and efficient deployment even in remote areas
Creative methods and new collaborations to substantially expand capabilities for analyzing fisheries data sets to increase fisheries sustainability through reduction of overfishing, prevention of illegal fishing, or creation of premium sustainable markets
Fishing gear or gear modifications that reduce bycatch, derelict gear, and/or habitat destruction, but that offer benefits to fishermen or other characteristics that open plausible paths for adoption. Also, Tools for increased mechanization of the fishing process in support of fishermen safety and increased discard survival
Tools that enable improved fishing ground and protected area monitoring in order to prevent situations where good players are penalized and illegal players profit
What if I already have a proposal in review with SMTP or have previously been funded?
All applications that meet the RFP criteria will be considered, regardless of previous funding history.
What length does the Initial Proposal need to be?
The initial proposal is brief and includes several questions that allow responses of no more than 100 words. Please note that this is a 2-step proposal process. If your group is selected to submit a full proposal you will have ample space for more detailed explanations.
Funding
How much funding is available?
Up to $3,500,000 is available for funding multiple projects in the first year. We intend to fund selected projects at that same level for multiple years, but future funding is dependent on adequate project progress and our board’s approval.
How many projects do you intend to fund?
We will not be funding a set number of projects. Instead we will be setting funding levels for each project individually, meaning the total number of awards will not be determined until the review process is completed. We do not have set bounds on award sizes, but expect that grants will typically fall in the $100,000 to $500,000 range.
What is TSFF's Indirect Costs (IDC) Policy?
The Schmidt Family Foundation (TSFF) recognizes that many of our grantees have overhead costs outside the scope of our funding. For federal grant purposes, the term is “Indirect Costs” and they can be referenced in OMB Circular A-21.In cases where an indirect cost allocation is allowed:
- For NGOs the allocation rate will not exceed 15%
- For Universities the allocation rate will not exceed 10%
Evaluation
Who evaluates my proposal?
A team of academic, industry, and government experts will be working with us to review all proposals.
Will my proposal be made public?
No. All proposals will be kept confidential and seen only by reviewers.
Will I be able to read the feedback from my project reviews?
No. Due to the volume of proposals expected we will not be able to provide written feedback to individual groups. If a proposal is selected for funding, relevant feedback will be provided to aid groups in finalizing their plans.
What is the evaluation criteria?
Technical Review
- Feasibility: the innovation is feasible based on its proposed technology, team, financial merits/budget and timeline.
- Transformative: the innovation is novel and solves a fundamental problem.
Market Impact
- Scalability: the innovation has growth potential based on competitive advantage, demand, customer base, value proposition, and/or business model.
- Environmental impact: the innovation will make a significant contribution to increasing the sustainability of key fisheries
Please see full call for proposals for more details.
If you have additional questions about this RFP, please email your questions to fisheries@schmidtmarine.org
* Additional FAQs related to this RFP will be added as we receive them.