FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Wyoming (WY) Aquatic Resource Management | L24AS00166

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00166

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Wyoming (WY) Aquatic Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00166) is a discretionary federal funding program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It will provide support through cooperative agreements for aquatic resource management work tied to natural resource priorities in Wyoming, and it is associated with CFDA 15.244. While the notice text provided is brief, the framing makes clear that the intent is to fund projects that promote the stewardship, assessment, monitoring, and on-the-ground management of aquatic resources connected to BLM-managed lands and waters in Wyoming, with the cooperative agreement mechanism signaling that BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the funded work (for example, coordination on technical approaches, data standards, priorities, schedules, or shared decision-making during implementation).

Eligibility is broad across public and nonprofit sectors, but it explicitly excludes individuals and for-profit organizations. 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/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories). The opportunity is therefore set up for public agencies, academic institutions, Tribes, and nonprofit partners who can carry out aquatic resource projects in collaboration with BLM Wyoming.

A key restriction in the notice is that this NOFO does not support entities 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 specific authority, and it points applicants toward a different funding opportunity for youth corps-style projects. In practical terms, applicants should not propose project designs that depend on interns or conservation crews being hired under the Public Lands Corps framework through this particular NOFO. If an organization is a qualified Youth Conservation Corps or wants to build a youth crew/intern component, the notice directs that those efforts must be proposed under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands, rather than under this aquatic resource management funding.

The notice also highlights the role of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are described as partnership networks designed to promote and deliver research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services, which aligns closely with typical aquatic resource management needs (for instance, field monitoring, habitat assessments, watershed studies, applied research, and technical support to inform management actions). If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project is consistent with CESU purposes, then 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 instructed to state whether their proposal furthers CESU program purposes and, if it does, to identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host. This matters for budgeting and compliance because the CESU indirect cost limitation can differ from an entity's typical negotiated rate application, and it may affect how applicants structure costs, subawards, and overall project budgets.

From the funding and timing details provided, the opportunity had an award ceiling of $600,000, and the original application closing date was February 2, 2024. The posting indicates the funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement (not a grant), and it is categorized under natural resources. The notice does not specify the expected number of awards in the excerpt provided, but applicants typically should assume that competition may be significant and that proposals should be tightly aligned with BLM Wyoming aquatic resource management needs, present clear and measurable outcomes, and demonstrate the capacity to coordinate with BLM staff and partners.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a way for BLM Wyoming to partner with eligible governmental, Tribal, academic, and nonprofit organizations to advance aquatic resource stewardship work, while drawing a bright line against proposals that primarily function as youth crew or intern hiring programs under Public Lands Corps authority. Applicants considering a CESU pathway should plan for the 17.5 percent indirect cost cap and should clearly identify how their work fits CESU purposes and which CESU network is relevant, since that designation can affect both administrative processing and the indirect cost treatment.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Wyoming (WY) Aquatic Resource 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 2023-12-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-02. (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 $600,000.00 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 L24AS00166

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