IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Plant Conservation and Restoration Management | L24AS00441

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00441

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Operations Center (NOC) Plant Conservation and Restoration Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00441; CFDA 15.245) is a discretionary federal funding program that will be issued as a cooperative agreement to support plant conservation and restoration management work tied to BLM priorities. As a cooperative agreement, recipients should expect BLM to have substantial involvement during the project, such as coordination on technical approach, deliverables, or implementation decisions, rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The activity area is natural resources, with an overall emphasis on conserving native plant resources and improving restoration outcomes on public lands in alignment with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding context.

Eligibility is broad for public and nonprofit partners but explicitly excludes individuals and for-profit organizations. Eligible applicant types include state, county, city/township, and 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 and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in the nonprofit categories as stated). The notice is clear that applications from individuals and for-profit entities are not allowed under this NOFO, so partnerships that include private companies would need to ensure the applicant and award recipient is an eligible entity.

A key restriction is that this NOFO does not support applicants using these funds 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 only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that specific authority, and projects focused on youth conservation corps-style internships or crews must instead be pursued under a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants should avoid building proposals that rely on internship/crew hiring models under Public Lands Corps and should instead frame staffing and implementation in ways that comply with the stated limitation, or use the designated youth-focused NOFO if that is central to the project.

The announcement also highlights the role of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are partnerships designed to facilitate research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and education services. If the applicant is a CESU partner and the award is made under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement that aligns with CESU purposes, then 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). Applicants are asked to state whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and, if so, to identify which CESU Network should be considered the host. This matters for budgeting and compliance because the CESU indirect cost limitation can be different from what an organization might otherwise expect under its NICRA.

In terms of funding scale and timing, the posted award ceiling is $500,000 per award, and the original closing date is September 30, 2024. The listing does not specify an expected number of awards in the provided text, so applicants should plan for a competitive process where BLM may fund a limited set of projects that best align with restoration and plant conservation outcomes. Overall, this opportunity is best suited for governmental entities, tribes, universities, and nonprofits that can deliver technically sound plant conservation or restoration management work on or in support of BLM-managed landscapes, can operate comfortably under a cooperative agreement model with federal involvement, and can structure budgets and staffing to comply with the specific restrictions on interns/crews and (where applicable) CESU indirect cost limits.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Plant Conservation and Restoration Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.245.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-30. (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 $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 L24AS00441

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