FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Wildlife Program | L24AS00123

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00123

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Wildlife Program (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00123) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The program supports work in the natural resources arena, specifically tied to wildlife-related needs and priorities on BLM-managed lands in Idaho. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination on work plans, methods, deliverables, or field implementation) rather than a hands-off grant relationship.

This opportunity is not open to individuals or for-profit organizations. Eligible applicant types include state, county, and local governments (including special districts); 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 governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), as long as they are not institutions of higher education). In practice, that means most public agencies, tribes, universities, and nonprofit conservation or research organizations can apply, but private companies and individual applicants cannot.

A notable limitation in the announcement is that this NOFO does not support proposals centered on hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. BLM points out that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the legislative authority used to hire interns under that framework, and projects specifically involving eligible Youth Conservation Corps participants must be pursued under a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In other words, applicants should not structure their Idaho wildlife proposal around youth corps internship/crew hiring under that statute, because BLM is directing that type of work to the separate youth-focused program.

The NOFO also highlights the role of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are partnership networks designed to facilitate research, monitoring, assessments, technical assistance, and education that support resource management. If the applicant is a CESU partner and the cooperative agreement is issued under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement that aligns with CESU purposes, the indirect cost recovery is 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 instructed to state whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and, if so, identify which CESU Network should be considered the host. This matters for budgeting and proposal framing, because it affects how overhead can be charged and how the agreement may be structured.

Key administrative details included in the source information are as follows: the assistance listing (CFDA) number is 15.247; the award ceiling is $100,000; and the original closing date listed is April 8, 2024. The opportunity was created on January 5, 2024. The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data, so applicants should not assume a guaranteed volume of awards and should treat it as a competitive process unless additional program materials state otherwise.

Taken together, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted BLM Idaho cooperative agreement program for wildlife-related natural resource work funded under FY24 priorities connected to IIJA/IRA funding streams, with clear eligibility restrictions (no individuals, no for-profits), clear guardrails around youth internship/crew hiring under the Public Lands Corps Act (use the separate youth NOFO instead), and specific indirect cost limitations for projects pursued through the CESU mechanism.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) 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 2024-01-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-08. (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 $100,000.00 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 L24AS00123

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