FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) Rangeland Resource Management | L24AS00067

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00067

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) Rangeland Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00067) is a discretionary federal funding program from the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is intended to support rangeland resource management work in New Mexico, with projects falling under the Natural Resources funding activity area (CFDA 15.237). Awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM anticipates substantial involvement in the funded work (for example, coordination, technical input, shared planning, or oversight) rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant with minimal federal interaction.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit-type entities and certain education and tribal organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/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; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not institutions of higher education). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), which is an important restriction for any partners who might otherwise assume they can serve as the primary applicant.

A key limitation in this NOFO is that it 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 (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework, and that this particular rangeland resource management NOFO is not the pathway for those kinds of youth internship or crew-based engagements. If an applicant is a Youth Conservation Corps or is proposing a youth conservation or internship-style project, they are directed instead to pursue projects under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants should avoid building proposals around youth intern hiring mechanisms tied to Public Lands Corps for this funding stream, and should align their work plan with rangeland management outcomes rather than youth employment programming.

The NOFO also includes guidance for proposals connected to the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) program. CESUs are partnership networks designed to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services that support public land management and related science and stewardship needs. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement, and if the project is consistent with the CESU purpose, then indirect costs are capped: they are limited to no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base that is recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are expected to state clearly 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 for administrative handling of the award, especially for university and research partners accustomed to higher indirect cost rates.

From a funding standpoint, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $1,000,000, indicating that individual awards may be as large as that amount (though actual award sizes can vary depending on project scope, available funds, and BLM priorities). The original application closing date was March 27, 2024, and the opportunity record indicates a creation date of January 9, 2024. Overall, this NOFO is best suited for public agencies, tribal entities, nonprofits, and educational institutions proposing applied rangeland management, monitoring, assessment, research support, and related technical assistance work that aligns with BLM New Mexico resource management needs, while avoiding youth intern/crew hiring under Public Lands Corps and carefully following CESU-related indirect cost rules when applicable.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) 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 2024-03-27. (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 $1,000,000.00 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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