Youth Preserve and Protect the Resources of the Carriage Roads | NPS 19 NERO 0083

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS 19 NERO 0083

The "Youth Preserve and Protect the Resources of the Carriage Roads" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NPS 19 NERO 0083) is a National Park Service notice announcing its intent to make a single cooperative agreement award under an already existing master cooperative agreement with The Student Conservation Association (SCA). It is not a competitive grant solicitation and it is explicitly not a request for applications, meaning the public cannot apply and no new proposals will be accepted. The notice is mainly provided for transparency, documenting the government’s plan to direct financial assistance to a specific partner for a defined set of project activities.

The project is rooted in Master Cooperative Agreement Number P15AC00031 between the Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS) and SCA. The broader purpose of that master agreement is workforce development and conservation leadership: building the next generation of conservation leaders and encouraging long-term stewardship by placing young people in hands-on service roles. In practice, the program focuses on service opportunities, outdoor and technical skill-building, and leadership training, all delivered through real fieldwork that supports park operations and resource protection.

For this specific effort, the NPS intends to support a 13-week placement of six Conservation Interns at Acadia National Park. The interns will work on the park’s historic carriage roads, which require ongoing care due to both deferred maintenance (work that has accumulated over time) and cyclic maintenance (routine upkeep needed on a recurring schedule). The focus is not just on completing tasks, but on structured learning through field experience, so participants gain practical skills while contributing tangible maintenance outcomes to an important historic transportation and recreation network within the park.

Training and work activities described in the notice include carriage road maintenance techniques, historic stone masonry methods appropriate for legacy infrastructure, vegetation management to keep corridors safe and functional, and outdoor safety training. The inclusion of historic stone masonry highlights that this is preservation-oriented work, where methods and materials often need to align with historic construction practices to protect the integrity of the carriage roads. Vegetation management suggests clearing and controlling growth that can degrade road surfaces, block drainage, or compromise structures, while outdoor safety indicates the interns will receive preparation for working in field conditions with tools, changing weather, uneven terrain, and other jobsite hazards.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which typically implies substantial involvement by the federal agency in coordinating or participating in the project rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The activity category is listed as Employment, Labor and Training, aligning with the intern-based, skill-building nature of the work. The CFDA (now commonly referenced as Assistance Listing) is 15.931, which corresponds to National Park Service assistance programs.

Although the eligible applicant category is listed as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education), the notice makes clear that the intended partner is SCA under the existing agreement, and that only one award is expected. The anticipated maximum federal amount is shown as an award ceiling of $42,570, with one expected award. The notice was created July 29, 2019, and lists an original closing date of August 8, 2019, but that date functions more as an administrative timeline for the public notice rather than a deadline for submitting applications, since none are being accepted.

Overall, this announcement documents a targeted, non-competitive cooperative agreement action intended to place and train a small crew of conservation interns while advancing needed maintenance and preservation work on Acadia National Park’s historic carriage roads. It combines youth development and practical workforce training with a concrete park stewardship outcome: sustaining an iconic historic resource through hands-on preservation and maintenance work.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Youth Preserve and Protect the Resources of the Carriage Roads" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 29, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 08, 2019 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service#8217s intention to award financial assistance for the following project activities.. (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 $42,570.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for NPS 19 NERO 0083

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