(a) Preapplication forms may be submitted by any potential grantee in order to (1) establish communication between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the applicant; (2) to determine the applicant's eligibility; (3) determine how well the project can compete with applications from others; and (4) eliminate any proposals which have little or no chance for Federal funding before the applicant incurs significant expenditures for preparing an application. A notice of review action will be sent to the applicant within 45 days of the receipt of the preapplication form informing the applicant of the results of the review of the preapplication form. If the review cannot be completed within 45 days, the applicant will be informed by letter as to when the review will be completed.

(b) An Application for Federal Assistance for non-construction shall be submitted by all applicants for grants, however, an Application for Federal Assistance—Short Form may be utilized for single purpose and one-time grant applications for less than $10,000 not requiring clearing house approval, an environmental impact statement, or the relocation of persons, businesses, or farms.

(c) Copies of the applications described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section may be obtained from the Federal Aid Coordinator, State Fish and Game Agency, and the Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (Attention: Division of Cooperative Research), Washington, DC 20240. An original and two copies of the appropriate application forms should be submitted to the Director at this address. In order to allow sufficient time for processing, the Federal Assistance Application must be submitted by September 1 of the year preceding the fiscal year in which the research is contemplated. Any requests by grantees for changes, continuations, and supplements to approved grants must be submitted on the same form as the original application.

If the proposed project is to be conducted within the territorial limits of a state, the Secretary shall not enter into an agreement with a non-Federal interest other than a State without first consulting with the State agency.