Diverse Student Participation
When awardees are selecting students to be involved in the project, it is expected that PIs not only consider but
actively recruit students from groups that have been historically excluded from ocean and coastal science, including students who are Hispanic, Latina/o, Black or African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native or a combination of ethnicities; noncitizens; female; LGBTQIA+; economically disadvantaged; veterans; and students with disabilities. Students of any race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, immigration status, national origin, age, dis/ability or veteran status should be welcomed and encouraged to participate in STEM research.
Eligibility
All CSU faculty members and research associates (broadly defined) are eligible and encouraged to apply. All PIs must have PI status on their home campus. Applicants may be Lead PI on only one proposal but can be co-PI on other proposals. Applicants may be co-PI on multiple proposals. Priority will be given to full-time Unit 3 members. Students are not eligible to apply.
Anyone who meets
any of the following conditions may NOT apply:
- Has an active GDP award. This includes any no-cost extensions (NCEs).
- Received a GDP award
within the last 36 months but has not submitted a full proposal for external funding yet.
PIs who received a GDP award more than 36 months prior are eligible to respond to this RFP regardless of outstanding obligations or the outcomes of prior funding.
CSU staff and members of the COAST Executive Committee may be Lead PI or co-PIs but may not receive academic year reassigned time, academic year additional employment, or summer salary support.
Award Conditions & Limitations
Justified and normally allowable expenses such as PI support (e.g., academic year reassigned time, academic year additional employment, summer salary), support for student assistants, supplies and services, and travel will be considered as long as they clearly contribute to proposal development. Funding for staff positions may be requested only if it directly contributes to the science itself. Funding may not be requested for staff positions for grant administration or clerical work. Funds may be requested for acquisition of capital equipment over $5,000 with a life of more than one (1) year with additional justification (see Additional Materials, item e). No cost-share is required.
Funding provided originates from legislatively appropriated funds. Funds will be transferred to the award recipient’s campus by Interagency Financial Transaction (IFT). Awardees will work with their campus accounting staff to designate the location for award financial management. This location may include the awardee’s college, department, or an auxiliary, research foundation, 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.
Regardless of where awards are managed, they are not subject to campus indirect costs (facilities and administrative fees)1 or any other type of fee from any source.
Award recipients must develop full-length proposals to external funding agencies or organizations that will further COAST’s goals and objectives and/or make use of the COAST network. All funds awarded must be used for the specific purposes requested and approved and may not be converted to other uses without prior authorization. Work must be conducted between May 1, 2027, and October 31, 2028. A six-month NCE will be allowed with adequate justification and a revised budget. A NCE must be requested no less than 30 days before the award end date. Only one NCE will be allowed.
Individual applicants may participate in multiple proposals but may submit only one request for PI support in response to this RFP; multiple requests for PI support will disqualify all requests by that applicant.
Awards will not be given to individuals to write or complete manuscripts.
PI support
Reassigned time funding is provided based on the system-wide Minimum Annual Rate for Assistant Professor/Lecturer B. This rate is projected to be $2,640 per semester weighted teaching unit (WTU) and $1,760 per quarter WTU as of July 1, 2027, and $2,719 per semester WTU and $1,813 per quarter WTU as of July 1, 2028. Revised language: COAST is no longer requiring WTUs to be calculated using the system-wide Minimum Annual Rate. PI(s) should work with their campus and associated policies to calculate the cost per weighted teaching unit (WTU) for the PI(s) requesting reassigned time funding. The calculation must be included and justified in the Budget Justification. If PIs wish to retain their original calculations based on the system-wide Minimum Annual Rate we provided, no changes are required. The extension simply provides the opportunity to make any desired revisions. Funding for benefits for academic year reassigned time support will not be provided. Reassigned time funding, if awarded, may not be deferred for use beyond the Fall 2028 semester.
Academic year additional employment and summer salary funding, if awarded, may be used after October 31, 2028, if requested as part of a NCE following the procedure described above and approved by COAST. Any PI support that is unused at the end of the award period (including a NCE period) will be forfeit and returned to COAST.
Appropriate taxes may be deducted from academic year additional employment and summer salary by the PI’s home campus. It is incumbent upon each applicant to determine if they can receive academic year additional employment or summer salary and the mechanism by which it will be paid BEFORE responding to this RFP. This information must be supplied in a letter as part of the application (see Additional Materials in the following section). NOTE: academic year additional employment and/or summer salary will be administered through the awardees’ Dean’s office and not the campus auxiliary/foundation/corporation/etc.
All funding described in this announcement is contingent upon COAST’s receipt of legislatively appropriated funds from the California State University.
COAST may revoke the award for any reason at any time if it learns of or otherwise discovers that there are allegations supported by some reasonable evidence of a violation of any state or federal law or policy by the awardee. Under these circumstances, the termination would take place immediately.
COAST retains the right to return a proposal without review if the proposer does not contain sufficient content to permit effective merit review.
Proposal Materials, Preparation & Submission Procedures
Proposals are due by Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Pacific time the extended deadline of September 23, 2026, 5:00 pm Pacific time. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.
Proposals must be routed through and reviewed by campus pre-award offices in accordance with standard campus procedures and policies. Preparation of this proposal should follow the same channels as all other proposals for extramural funding.
Proposal materials must be submitted by the campus’ pre-award office using our new OpenWater Submission Portal linked above. Proposals submitted directly by applicants will be returned without consideration.
Successful proposals will clearly demonstrate understanding and support of COAST’s mission, goals and objectives (
http://www.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/research/coast/about/Pages/about.aspx). The external sponsor to whom the full proposal will be directed must be identified and detail provided on the specific program to be targeted, the projected submission date, and evidence of sponsor interest in the research/educational project proposed. Delineation of the sources to which the PI(s) plans to apply for funding is an essential part of the application.
The following elements must be included for all proposal submissions:
1) Cover Pages
- One set of Cover Pages is required for every proposal (linked above).
- All information must be typed and the form must be included with the rest of the application materials uploaded to the OpenWater Submission Portal (linked above). All information is required.
- Provide the proposal title and specify the total amount of funding requested and the number of CSU campuses involved.
- Indicate if funds are being requested for support to revise and resubmit an existing external proposal.
- If "Yes" is checked, the following materials MUST be uploaded to OpenWater:
- A copy of the declined proposal and the reviews (panel summary and individual reviews if applicable).
- A separate document describing reviewers’ criticisms and how those weaknesses will be addressed upon resubmission.
- Applicant(s) must very clearly articulate how GDP funding will facilitate a stronger, more competitive resubmission.
- Please note: only indicate "Yes" if applicants are revising and resubmitting an external funding proposal. If applicants are only resubmitting a prior COAST Grant Development Program Award, please indicate "No."
- Provide names and contact information for the Lead PI and any co-PIs.
- Identify the funding agency and solicitation or program that will be targeted and provide information on the planned full proposal.
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COAST strongly encourages the submission of external proposals to a wide range of funding sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) despite the challenges presented by the current funding climate and the reduction in available opportunities. We are committed to supporting efforts that enhance competitiveness and maximize opportunities for securing external funding in both the near- and far-term future.
- Provide name and contact information for Grants Office personnel submitting the proposal.
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Provide the names, contact information and relevant expertise for three suggested CSU reviewers.
- These reviewers must be CSU faculty members or research associates and may NOT be from your home campus or anyone with whom there may be a potential conflict of interest.
2) Project Summary (300-word limit) Provide a summary of the proposed activity no more than 300 words in length. The Project Summary should consist of an overview and a statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity. The overview should include a description of the activities that will result if the proposal is funded and a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. The statement on intellectual merit should describe the potential of the proposed activity to advance knowledge. If the proposal is funded, the Project Summary will be posted on the COAST website. The Project Summary is
not included in the specific page limits detailed below. The Project Summary will be uploaded as one PDF to the OpenWater Submission Portal.
3) Narrative
A strong proposal will clearly detail 1) the significance of the project; 2) how submission of a full proposal will be facilitated by the COAST award; and 3) the potential to attract significant external funding to sustain a long-term effort research program. The proposal should be written for reviewers who are not experts in the applicant’s specific field.
Point totals and page limits for each section of the narrative are provided below. Page limits include tables and figures. References are exempt from a page limit.
The Proposal Narrative will be submitted as one PDF to the OpenWater submission portal and must be submitted using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.), single-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. Please use the headings below to organize your narrative,
which each section beginning on a new page. Note that these elements comprise the evaluation criteria (point value provided in parentheses):
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Intellectual Merit and Need (50 points, 5-page limit): Describe in detail the proposed activity for which funding is requested. Within the context of previous work on this topic, describe the purpose of, need for, and originality of the proposed activity. Indicate whether this project breaks new ground or is part of continuing activity and describe the contribution this work will make to your discipline. Detail the nature of each participant’s contribution to the project and discuss how any collaborations increase the scope and significance of the proposed project. Proposals for work outside of CA must make clear how the work benefits CSU faculty members and students.
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In-text citations must use the
prescribed APA author-date citation system
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References (0 points, no page limit): References should be included after the five-page Intellectual Merit and Need section. References must use prescribed APA reference formats.
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Strategy for securing extramural funding (20 points, 1-page limit): Describe your intent and strategy for securing extramural funding.
- Describe in detail the funding agency and program you plan to apply to.
- Discuss how the proposed activity aligns with the targeted funding agency’s goals and objectives.
- Provide documentation of the sponsor’s interest in the specific project or type of project proposed, such as examples of recently funded projects similar in nature.
- It is highly recommended that you contact the program officer or appropriate personnel at the targeted funding agency to discuss your ideas and determine if your work is a good fit for the program. Please provide details of this interaction.
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If planning to submit a proposal that is
not in response to an RFP or solicitation, demonstrate that the target agency has a track record of accepting unsolicited proposals of the type planned. NOTE: any published NSF funding opportunity is a solicitation.
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If the targeted funding opportunity requires cost-match, the source of the match must be identified.
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COAST strongly encourages the submission of external proposals to a wide range of funding sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) despite the challenges presented by the current funding climate and the reduction in available opportunities. We are committed to supporting efforts that enhance competitiveness and maximize opportunities for securing external funding in both the near- and far-term future.
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Potential for Student Involvement (10 points, 1-page limit): Describe the nature and extent of involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in the project. Awardees are expected to welcome students of any race, ethnicity, color, religion, immigration status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, national origin, age, dis/ability or veteran status.
- List the number of undergraduate and graduate students that will participate in the project.
- Describe in detail your strategy(ies) for actively recruiting students from groups that have been historically excluded from marine and coastal science, including students who are Hispanic, Latina/o, Black or African American, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native or a combination of ethnicities; noncitizens; female; LGBTQIA+; first-in-family; economically disadvantaged; veterans; and students with disabilities.
- Describe in detail your strategy(ies) for making students from historically excluded groups feel included and supported during their participation in this project.
- Please note that simply saying you mentor students from diverse backgrounds is not sufficient. We are specifically interested in HOW you mentor students whose backgrounds differ from yours. What culturally-aware mentoring practices do you employ?
- See
Ahmad AS, Sabat I, Trump-Steele R and King E (2019) Evidence-Based Strategies for Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Undergraduate Research Labs. Front. Psychol. 10:1305. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01305 and
Chaudhary VB, Berhe AA (2020) Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab. PLoS Comput Biol 16(10): e1008210 for information and examples.
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Implementation Plan (10 points, 1-page limit): Provide a work plan with a timeline that includes the specific activities the PI(s) will engage in during the award period. The plan should reference activities described in detail in the Intellectual Merit and Need section.
4) Budget and Justification (10 points)
- Use the
GDP Budget Template to create a line-item budget (linked above). The template has three tabs: Year 1, Year 2 and Cumulative.
- Do not include the budget template title page when PDFing the Budget Template. Each worksheet tab must be fully contained within one page (i.e., one tab cannot be split across multiple pages, and each tab should be one page).
- For reassigned time, use the rates listed on the Award Conditions & Limitations section of this RFP.
- Provide a detailed budget justification. There is a limit of two pages per campus for the justification.
- A separate budget and justification must be provided for each campus requesting support.
- PDFs of the Budget Template(s) and detail budget justification(s) will be uploaded to the OpenWater Submission Portal linked above.
5) Additional Materials
The following Additional Materials must be uploaded to the OpenWater Submission Portal linked above:
- A curriculum vitae (CV; 3-page limit)
must be included
for each PI. CVs should include a complete education history and appropriate research (including publications) and professional activities covering at least the last three years.
- A list of all current and pending internal and external support for research/scholarship
must be submitted for each PI.
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Applicants must utilize SciENcv for current and pending support. Use the
NSF Current & Pending (Other) Support format. If you need help with SciENcv, contact your sponsored programs office.
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If academic year reassigned time funding is requested, a letter of support from the PI’s Department Chair must be provided indicating that the request 1) is justified for the activity proposed and 2) will be granted to the PI as specified in the proposal if the award is made. In the event that a faculty member and their Chair are both applying for an award, the faculty member’s letter should come from their Dean, with the same provisions. Benefits may not be requested for reassigned time.
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If academic year additional employment and/or summer salary is requested, a letter from the PI’s Dean must be provided 1) indicating that the request is justified for the activity proposed, and 2) explaining the mechanism by which the salary will be paid (e.g., wages, special consultant agreement).
Fringe benefit costs for additional employment and/or summer salary
may be requested.
- If requesting funds to acquire capital equipment over $5,000 with a life of more than one (1) year, justification must be provided. Specifically, the applicant must articulate how the capital equipment is integral to the development and submission of a full proposal for extramural funding (1-page limit).
- Requests for support to revise and resubmit existing proposals
MUST BE accompanied by
- A copy of the declined proposal and the reviews (panel summary and individual reviews if applicable).
- A separate document describing reviewers’ criticisms and how those weaknesses will be addressed upon resubmission. Applicant(s) must very clearly articulate how GDP funding will facilitate a stronger, more competitive resubmission.
- Faculty members who have received prior funding through COAST
within the last five years must include a report on the outcome of that funding using the
Prior Funding Report Form (linked above).
- The question on the bottom of page one of the Prior Funding Report Form is only applicable for prior Grant Development Program awards.
Instructions to complete the OpenWater Submission Portal to submit proposal materials:
-
Proposal materials must be submitted by the campus’ pre-award office using our new OpenWater Submission Portal linked above. Proposals submitted directly by applicants will be returned without consideration.
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Click on the OpenWater Submission Portal link (linked above under Supporting Documents) to be taken to the submission portal.
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Grants personnel must create an OpenWater account, using an email that they regularly check.
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If you wish to save the proposal submission progress and return later, please click "Save" while logged in.
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Once all required components of the proposal are uploaded to the OpenWater Submission Portal accordingly and are ready to be submitted, click “Save and Finalize”. Once you click “Save and Finalize”, the proposal submission cannot be edited.
- Once the proposal materials are submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from OpenWater on behalf of COAST. Please save these emails for future reference. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact COAST ([email protected]) immediately to ensure the proposal was received.
This is your responsibility-COAST is not responsible for proposals that were not successfully submitted if the grants office personnel cannot provide a copy of the email confirming successful submission.
- Enter the following information:
- Name of the grants office personnel submitting the proposal materials on behalf of the Lead PI.
- Lead PI name, campus and proposal title.
- Upload the following Proposal Documents, each contained within their own separate PDF. Please note: To upload any file within OpenWater, please first click "Choose File" in the relevant section. You can then drag and drop your file or click "Select Files to Upload" within the upload window that appears.
- Cover Pages
- Project Summary
- Narrative
- Indicate how many campuses are requesting support, then upload separate Budget Template(s) and written Budget Justification(s) for each campus requesting support.
- Upload the following Additional Materials, each contained within their own separate PDF:
- Specify how many total PIs are involved in the project, including the Lead PI. You will then be prompted to upload the corresponding number of CVs and current and pending support PDF documents for each PI.
- For each PI, indicate if they are requesting 1) either additional academic year employment or and/or summer salary, and/or 2) academic year reassigned time funding.
- If "Yes" is selected, you will be prompted to upload a PDF letter from the PI's Dean and/or Department Chair, depending on the type of the support requested (more information on this requirement can be found in section 5.3 and 5.4 in the proposal elements section above).
- For each PI, indicate whether they have received COAST funding within the past five years.
- If "Yes" is selected, specify the number of COAST awards they have received during that time. You will then be prompted to upload the corresponding number of Prior Report Form PDFs based on the number of previous awards received.
- Indicate if funds are being requested to acquire capital equipment over $5,000 with a life of more than one (1) year.
- If "Yes" is selected, you will be prompted to upload a written justification PDF of how the capital equipment is integral to the development and submission of a full proposal for extramural funding (1-page limit).
- Indicate if funds are being requested for support to revise and resubmit an existing external proposal.
- If "Yes" is selected, you will be prompted to upload the following PDFs:
- A copy of the declined proposal and the reviews (panel summary and individual reviews if applicable).
- A separate document describing reviewers’ criticisms and how those weaknesses will be addressed upon resubmission. Applicant(s) must very clearly articulate how GDP funding will facilitate a stronger, more competitive resubmission.
- Please note: only indicate "Yes" if applicants are revising and resubmitting an external funding proposal.
If applicants are only resubmitting a prior COAST Grant Development Program Award, please indicate "No."
- Once all required components of the proposal are uploaded to the OpenWater Submission Portal accordingly and are ready to be submitted, click “Save and Finalize”.
Once you click “Save and Finalize”, the proposal submission cannot be edited.
- Once the proposal materials are submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from OpenWater on behalf of COAST. Please save these emails for future reference. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact COAST ([email protected]) immediately to ensure the proposal was received. This is your responsibility-COAST is not responsible for proposals that were not successfully submitted if grants office personnel cannot provide a copy of the email confirming successful submission.
Reporting
A progress report will be required nine months after the award period begins and another report will be requested following the end of the 18-month award period. Additional reports may be requested until the conditions of the award are satisfied. Reports must detail progress to date, success in meeting milestones identified in the original timeline, any problems encountered and plans for mitigating such challenges and adjusted timelines if necessary. COAST will provide progress report templates.
Within 24 months of the award date, award recipients are obligated to submit a full proposal to an external funding agency or organization that was generated at least in part as a result of the award. An electronic copy of the complete submitted proposal including all budgets must be provided electronically to Dr. Krista Kamer (
[email protected]), COAST Executive Director. Submission of letters of intent, preliminary proposals and pre-proposals will not fulfill this requirement.
Please immediately notify COAST staff when extramural funds are awarded as a result of this program either in whole or in part.
Acknowledgement of Support
Awardees are required to acknowledge the support provided by COAST in any products related to COAST awards, including, but not limited to, all publications, presentations (oral or poster), master’s theses, and online materials.
Please refer to COAST as the “California State University Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (CSU COAST)”. Note the purposeful use of the ampersand in our name. We also encourage the use of our
new logo for any presentations or posters resulting from COAST support.
Additional funding for this project
Awardees are required to inform COAST of any other CSU support (e.g., CSU-WATER, CSUBIOTECH, STEM-NET, ARI, any other CSU systemwide or campus-based support) secured before or during the award period that also supports these efforts.