IIJA Bureau of Land Management Idaho Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Program | L23AS00244

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00244

The IIJA Bureau of Land Management Idaho Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Program (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00244) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to support plant-focused conservation, restoration, and management work in Idaho. The assistance is provided through a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to be substantially involved in the project during implementation (for example, through coordination, technical input, or joint planning), rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant. The program sits in the natural resources funding category and is listed under CFDA 15.245.

Eligibility is broad across public and nonprofit sectors, covering state, county, and local 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/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions where that distinction is relevant). At the same time, the opportunity explicitly excludes individuals and for-profit organizations from applying, so applicants must be an eligible governmental, educational, tribal, housing authority, or nonprofit entity.

A key restriction in the notice is that this particular NOFO does not support applicants who want 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 framework, and that projects intended to involve eligible Youth Conservation Corps participants must be pursued under a different funding notice: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, proposals to this plant conservation and restoration program should be designed around restoration and conservation deliverables themselves (planning, implementation, monitoring, treatment, and related work), not around staffing models that rely on Public Lands Corps intern or crew hiring authorities.

The original application closing date for this opportunity was April 17, 2023, and it was created on February 15, 2023. The award ceiling is listed as $50,000, indicating that proposed budgets were expected to fit within that maximum per award. The notice also lists "ExpectedAwards:" without a number provided in the excerpt, so the exact number of awards anticipated is not specified here. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at supporting on-the-ground or programmatic actions that conserve native plant resources and restore or manage habitats on or connected to BLM-managed lands in Idaho, while keeping project workforce plans consistent with the funding authority and directing youth corps-style internship/crew proposals to the separate youth-focused NOFO.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA Bureau of Land Management Idaho Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Program" 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 2023-02-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-17. (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 $50,000.00 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 L23AS00244

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