FY 2024 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Arizona Wildlife Program | L24AS00104

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00104

The FY 2024 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona Wildlife Program grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00104) is a discretionary funding solicitation from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Office. It is focused on natural resource work under CFDA 15.247 and will be issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning BLM expects to have substantial involvement with the recipient during project implementation rather than functioning as a hands-off pass-through funder.

The opportunity is aimed at supporting wildlife-related work in Arizona that aligns with BLM priorities under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and/or the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While the notice text provided does not list specific project types, the framing and program context indicate the funding is intended for on-the-ground and technical efforts that benefit wildlife and wildlife habitat on or connected to BLM-managed public lands, potentially including monitoring, assessments, and other conservation-oriented activities typically supported through BLM wildlife programs.

Eligibility is limited to government, education, tribal, housing authority, and nonprofit sectors. 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 and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which is an important screen for organizations that may otherwise partner on projects but cannot serve as the applicant/recipient.

The NOFO also draws a clear boundary around youth and internship hiring. It does not support entities proposing to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 through this funding opportunity. The notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that authority, and therefore youth-focused conservation corps proposals must be submitted under a different announcement: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants to this Arizona Wildlife Program should not structure their budgets or project plans around Public Lands Corps intern/crew hiring and should instead pursue the separate youth corps pathway if that is central to the project approach.

For applicants that are part of a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), the NOFO provides additional direction. CESUs are purpose-built partnerships intended to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If an award is made to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project is consistent with the CESU purpose, 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 expected to state in their proposal whether the project furthers the purpose of the CESU program and, if it does, identify which CESU Network should serve as the host. This matters for both administrative handling and budgeting, since the CESU indirect cost limitation can differ from an organization’s typical negotiated rate.

The maximum award amount listed is $250,000. The original application closing date is June 28, 2024, and the opportunity was created on April 2, 2024. The notice does not specify an expected number of awards in the provided text. Overall, this opportunity is best suited for public agencies, tribes, universities, and nonprofits that can carry out wildlife program work in coordination with BLM Arizona, can operate within a cooperative agreement structure, and can comply with the specific restrictions on applicant type, intern/crew hiring under Public Lands Corps authority, and CESU indirect cost treatment when applicable.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2024 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Arizona Wildlife Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.247.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-28. (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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