FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) Forest and Woodlands Resource Management | L24AS00045

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00045

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) Forest and Woodlands Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00045, CFDA 15.233) is a discretionary funding announcement from the Bureau of Land Management that uses cooperative agreements to support forest and woodland resource management work in BLM-managed landscapes in Oregon and Washington. Because the instrument is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect BLM to have substantial involvement in the project during planning and implementation (for example, coordinating priorities, reviewing deliverables, and aligning field work with agency standards and schedules), rather than simply providing a pass-through grant with minimal federal engagement.

Eligibility is limited to public and mission-driven entities rather than private individuals or businesses. Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or 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 (excluding higher education institutions where noted). In practice, that means the program is aimed at governmental partners, tribes, universities, and nonprofit organizations with the capacity to carry out natural resource work and manage federal cooperative agreement requirements.

A key restriction in the notice is that this specific NOFO is not intended to support organizations that want to hire interns or field 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 framework, and that this forest and woodlands NOFO is not the correct pathway for those youth/internship-focused proposals. Organizations that are eligible Youth Conservation Corps and want to propose youth crew, internship, or related Public Lands Corps-style projects are directed instead to apply under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. The takeaway is that proposals here should be structured around forest and woodland resource management outcomes, not around staffing models centered on PLC internships or crews.

The opportunity also addresses Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs), which are formal research and technical assistance partnerships designed to promote and provide research, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services that support public land management. If an applicant is a CESU partner and the award is made under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement that aligns with the CESU mission, the indirect cost policy is capped: indirect costs may not exceed 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 advances the CESU purpose and, if it does, to identify which CESU Network should serve as the host. This matters for budgeting and for routing the agreement through the appropriate CESU structure.

From the funding details provided, the maximum federal award amount (award ceiling) is $250,000. The posting was created on October 31, 2023, and the original application closing date was February 26, 2024. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the geographic focus implied by the title is BLM’s Oregon/Washington State Office area of responsibility. Although the excerpt does not list specific project types, the program framing indicates projects should directly support management of forest and woodland resources on public lands, typically through activities consistent with BLM resource objectives such as improving forest condition, supporting resilience, addressing vegetation management needs, and providing related monitoring, assessment, or technical services, as appropriate to BLM OR/WA priorities.

In plain terms, this funding opportunity is best suited for tribes, nonprofits, universities, and public agencies that can partner closely with BLM on forest and woodland management work in Oregon and Washington, can operate under a cooperative agreement structure, and can comply with the program’s limitations around Public Lands Corps hiring and (where applicable) CESU indirect cost rules.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) 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 2023-10-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-26. (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 $250,000.00 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.

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