IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management | L24AS00162

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00162

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00162) is a discretionary Department of the Interior program run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to support natural resource work focused on forest and woodland resource management in California. Funding is offered through cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination, technical input, shared planning, or joint oversight), rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant with minimal federal participation.

Eligibility is limited to public and mission-driven organizations, and the notice is explicit about who cannot apply. Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible under this NOFO. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special districts; 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. The program is categorized under Natural Resources and is associated with CFDA 15.233.

A key restriction in this notice is that it does not support projects where the applicant is trying to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice explains that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that specific framework, and this particular funding opportunity is not the vehicle for that kind of youth internship/crew arrangement. As a result, youth conservation or similar organizations that want to propose projects built around those intern/crew models are directed to a different program: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants should avoid structuring proposals around Public Lands Corps-style intern hiring under this NOFO, and instead focus on deliverables and staffing models that fit within the standard cooperative agreement approach and the forest/woodland management purpose of this program.

The notice also highlights how proposals may align with the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) program. CESUs are partnerships designed to support research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services, and applicants are asked to indicate whether their proposal advances the CESU program purpose and, if so, which CESU Network should serve as the host. There is also an important budgeting implication for CESU partners: if a cooperative agreement is awarded under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement consistent with the CESU purpose, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). That cap is a common feature of CESU awards and can materially affect a university or nonprofit budget, so applicants considering a CESU pathway should plan cost proposals accordingly and clearly describe the CESU relevance in the application narrative.

In terms of timing and award size, the opportunity was created on December 6, 2023, and the original closing date was February 5, 2024. The listed award ceiling is $300,000. While the posting indicates expected awards, the number is not specified in the provided text, so applicants would typically look to the full announcement for the anticipated range of awards, total program funding, and any project period or matching requirements (none are stated in the excerpt). Overall, this NOFO is aimed at supporting California forest and woodland resource management work through cooperative agreements with eligible governmental, tribal, nonprofit, and educational entities, with clear exclusions for individuals, for-profit entities, and Public Lands Corps intern/crew hiring activities under this particular funding stream.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.233.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-05. (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 $300,000.00 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 L24AS00162

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