Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management | L22AS00134

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00134

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon/Washington Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00134; CFDA 15.244) is a discretionary funding program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through BLM. It is intended to support work tied to fisheries and aquatic resource management on public lands in Oregon and Washington, falling under the Natural Resources funding activity category. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which generally means the BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation (for example, coordination, technical input, shared oversight, or other forms of active participation beyond simply issuing a grant and receiving reports).

This program is open to a broad range of non-federal partners, including state, county, and local governments; special districts; 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 or Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations, whether or not they hold 501(c)(3) status. At the same time, it is explicitly not open to individuals or for-profit organizations, which are stated as ineligible applicants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). That eligibility restriction is important for organizations that might otherwise partner with consultants or contractors; while contracting is often possible within projects, the prime applicant itself cannot be a for-profit entity or an individual.

A key limitation in the notice is that this NOFO does not support projects that involve hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework, and as a result, any youth or conservation corps-style projects that depend on that authority must be pursued under a different funding route: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, that means applicants should not propose project staffing models that rely on Public Lands Corps hiring authorities or youth corps crews under this particular fisheries and aquatic resources announcement, and youth conservation organizations should redirect those concepts to the designated youth-focused NOFO instead.

In terms of funding scale and timing, the listed award ceiling is $300,000 per award, and the original closing date for the opportunity was March 18, 2022 (with a creation date of December 17, 2021). While the record does not specify the exact number of expected awards, the ceiling provides a useful planning boundary for proposal scope, staffing, and deliverables. Overall, the opportunity is best suited for eligible governmental entities, tribes, universities, and nonprofits proposing collaborative, BLM-involved projects that advance fisheries and aquatic resource management priorities in BLM Oregon/Washington-managed landscapes, without relying on Public Lands Corps intern or crew hiring mechanisms under this specific NOFO.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.244.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-12-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-18. (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 $300,000.00 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 L22AS00134

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