IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Wildlife Resource Management | L25AS00437

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00437

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Wildlife Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00437; CFDA 15.247) is a discretionary funding program from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, focused on natural resource and wildlife resource management work that aligns with BLM priorities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, collaboration on planning, technical direction, coordination, and oversight), rather than operating as a hands-off pass-through grant.

Eligibility is limited to public and mission-driven entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Tribal governments and other Tribal organizations; public/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible, so proposals must come from an eligible organization type and be structured accordingly (including any partnerships or subawards).

Two important restrictions are highlighted. First, this NOFO does not support applicants that want to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. BLM notes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework, and directs eligible Youth Conservation Corps applicants to a different funding announcement: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, if a project concept depends on youth corps internships or crew hiring under PLC authority, it belongs under that separate youth-focused NOFO rather than this wildlife resource management announcement.

Second, the notice addresses Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are partnerships designed to support research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If an award is made to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project is consistent with CESU purposes, the indirect cost recovery is capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base that is recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are instructed to state whether their proposal furthers CESU purposes and, if it does, to identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host. This matters for both administrative handling and budgeting, particularly for organizations that participate in CESU networks and typically manage projects under CESU rules.

Key logistics included in the listing are an award ceiling of $500,000 per award and an original closing date of September 30, 2024. The opportunity was created on August 23, 2024. While the listing does not provide detailed project categories or required deliverables beyond the general focus on wildlife resource management, it clearly frames the program as supporting wildlife-related resource work within BLM's operational scope, using cooperative agreements, and with specific eligibility, youth corps, and CESU indirect cost requirements that applicants need to account for when designing budgets and project staffing plans.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Wildlife Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.247.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-30. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for L25AS00437

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