FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Rangeland Resource Management | L24AS00080

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00080

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Rangeland Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00080; CFDA 15.237) is a discretionary federal funding competition from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordinating on technical approaches, data needs, deliverables, and on-the-ground priorities). The overall focus is on natural resources work related to rangeland resource management, and it is structured to support activities such as research and analysis, monitoring and assessments, technical assistance, and educational or capacity-building services connected to rangeland management needs.

Eligibility is limited to government, Tribal, nonprofit, and education-sector applicants. 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 Tribal governments; other Tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; 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, so proposals from private companies or individual consultants cannot be considered under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).

A key limitation in the announcement is that this NOFO is not intended to fund entities to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice emphasizes 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 this particular HQ rangeland NOFO is not the vehicle for those kinds of youth internship or crew-based projects. If an organization is a Youth Conservation Corps (or otherwise seeking to do youth crew or intern work aligned to Public Lands Corps authorities), the NOFO directs applicants to a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants should avoid building proposals around internship hiring, youth crews, or similar workforce models under Public Lands Corps authorities within this funding stream, and instead shape proposals around rangeland management outcomes, technical work, monitoring, assessment, and related services that fit this program.

The announcement also includes guidance for applicants connected to Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are described as partnerships designed to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services, which aligns closely with the types of work often supported under rangeland management programs. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement, and the proposed work is consistent with the CESU purpose, then indirect costs are capped. Specifically, indirect costs are limited to 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 also asked to clearly state whether their proposal furthers the purpose of the CESU program and, if it does, to identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host. This matters for budgeting and administrative handling, and it can affect how an applicant structures overhead and confirms their CESU relationship.

In terms of funding size and timing, the listed award ceiling is $2,000,000, and the original closing date was March 11, 2024. The agency is the Bureau of Land Management, and the program is framed under FY24 funding tied to IIJA/IRA (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act), which often signals an emphasis on durable on-the-ground outcomes, improved monitoring and decision support, and measurable resource benefits tied to national priorities. Applicants considering this opportunity would typically position projects around rangeland stewardship goals and deliverables that BLM can actively collaborate on and apply across management needs, while staying within the eligibility rules, avoiding Public Lands Corps intern/crew proposals under this NOFO, and following the CESU indirect cost limitation if applying as a CESU partner.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Rangeland Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.237.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-11. (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 $2,000,000.00 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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