FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management MT/DAK Wildlife Program | L24AS00093

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00093

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) MT/DAK Wildlife Program (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00093; CFDA 15.247) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the Department of the Interior through BLM in the Montana/Dakotas region. It will fund natural resource and wildlife-related work through cooperative agreements, which typically means the selected recipient and BLM are expected to have substantial involvement together during project implementation (for example, coordination on work plans, technical direction, shared monitoring, or joint deliverables). The opportunity was created on January 16, 2024, and the original application deadline was March 18, 2024. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is listed as $2,500,000.

A key eligibility point is that individuals and for-profit organizations cannot apply under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Eligible applicants include a broad range of public and nonprofit entities: state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories).

The NOFO also makes a very specific restriction about youth hiring and internship-style programs. It does not support projects where the applicant proposes to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice explains that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework, and as a result, youth corps-type projects must be pursued under a different funding opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands) rather than this wildlife program NOFO. In practical terms, applicants should not structure proposals around youth corps internships or crew hiring under the Public Lands Corps authority when applying here, and should instead focus on wildlife program activities that fit within this funding stream.

The opportunity also highlights how proposals may intersect with Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are collaborative partnerships designed to support research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If an applicant is a CESU partner and a cooperative agreement is issued under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement that aligns with CESU purposes, the NOFO limits indirect costs to no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are expected to clearly state whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and, if so, identify which CESU Network should be considered the host. This matters for budgeting and compliance because the indirect cost limitation can affect the total amount recoverable for overhead and administration.

Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as a Montana/Dakotas-focused BLM wildlife and natural resources cooperative agreement program, with relatively broad eligibility for public agencies, tribes, universities, and nonprofits; a high stated ceiling per award; a clear prohibition on for-profit and individual applicants; an explicit instruction to route youth corps/intern projects to a separate BLM youth conservation NOFO; and a specific indirect cost cap rule that may apply to CESU-partner awards.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management MT/DAK Wildlife Program" 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 2024-01-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-18. (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 $2,500,000.00 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 L24AS00093

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