FY25 Bureau of Land Management Cultural and Paleontological Resource Management- Bureau wide | L25AS00302

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00302

The FY25 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Cultural and Paleontological Resource Management - Bureau wide funding opportunity (Opportunity No. L25AS00302; CFDA 15.224) is a discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through BLM. The overall purpose is to build and strengthen partnerships that improve public and professional access to heritage resources and increase their responsible use, while highlighting their educational, scientific, cultural, and recreational value. Projects are expected to align with Department of the Interior priorities as well as the goals of BLM's Cultural Heritage and Paleontology Program, with an emphasis on practical outcomes that advance stewardship and public benefit on BLM-managed lands.

Funded projects must address one or more specific objectives tied to cultural and paleontological resource management. This includes field and collections work that improves knowledge of Americas natural and cultural history, such as inventories, excavations, records research, and research based on existing collections. It also supports ongoing monitoring of at-risk heritage resources to understand condition trends over time and evaluate whether management actions are working. Another major focus is direct stabilization efforts for resources that are vulnerable, which can include activities intended to reduce deterioration or protect sites and materials from further harm.

A strong workforce and capacity-building component is built into the program. BLM is looking to support training and professional development for future cultural resource management practitioners and paleontologists, including research projects, field schools, and internships that specifically feature BLM resources as the learning platform. In addition, the opportunity encourages work that improves cultural heritage data and records management, such as organizing and maintaining site and survey records, scanning and digitizing documentation, creating and maintaining geospatial datasets, and completing structured data entry that helps BLM manage and use information more effectively.

The program also supports museum and curation related outcomes, particularly the preservation of existing collections at recognized curation facilities. Examples include archival rehousing, stabilization, or conservation treatments that extend the life and research value of curated items. Beyond preservation, BLM also aims to broaden public access to museum collections, which can involve improving discoverability, access systems, or interpretive uses that connect collections to audiences in meaningful ways.

Engagement with Native American communities is a clear priority area. Projects can be designed to promote collaboration with Native American communities, strengthen partnerships with tribal governments and tribal programs, and support BLMs Tribal consultation efforts. Related work may include cooperative approaches to stewardship, culturally informed interpretation, or projects that facilitate respectful handling, documentation, or management of heritage resources in ways consistent with applicable laws, policies, and community priorities.

Public-facing education and outreach are also eligible and encouraged where they promote learning opportunities and reinforce conservation and preservation ethics. That can include heritage education programs, outreach events, interpretive products, and other communication efforts that help the public understand the importance of cultural and paleontological resources and how to interact with them responsibly. The opportunity further allows for work to develop and maintain historic sites that have interpretive and educational potential, supporting improved visitor understanding while protecting the underlying resources.

Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which typically indicates that BLM expects substantial involvement in project coordination, technical input, or oversight during the period of performance. The listed award ceiling is $30,000. The original closing date provided is July 11, 2025, and the opportunity was created on June 10, 2025.

Eligibility is limited to government entities, higher education, tribes, and nonprofit organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).

There are also two important participation and budgeting constraints highlighted in the notice. First, this NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, because that statute is the only authority BLM cites for hiring interns under that framework. As a result, eligible Youth Conservation Corps entities that want to propose projects involving Public Lands Corps-style internships or crews are directed instead to apply under a different opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. Second, for applicants applying as part of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network, the notice reiterates the CESU indirect cost limitation: when a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the work is consistent with CESU purposes, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partners federally approved NICRA. CESU applicants are expected to state whether their proposal furthers CESU purposes and identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a small, partnership-oriented funding source intended to produce tangible stewardship, research, access, training, data improvement, and public engagement outcomes for cultural and paleontological resources on BLM lands, while reinforcing tribal collaboration and responsible public use.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 Bureau of Land Management Cultural and Paleontological Resource Management- Bureau wide" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.224.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-11. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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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