IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Rangeland Resource Management | L23AS00312

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00312

The "IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Rangeland Resource Management" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00312) is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the life of the project (for example, coordination, technical input, shared planning, or ongoing collaboration), rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The program is categorized under Natural Resources and is associated with CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.237. The opportunity was created on March 17, 2023, and the original application deadline was May 16, 2023. The listed maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $10,000,000, signaling that this solicitation can support very large projects depending on BLM priorities, available appropriations, and the merits and scale of proposals.

As the title indicates, the focus is rangeland resource management, meaning projects are expected to support the stewardship, resilience, and sustainable management of rangeland ecosystems and associated resources on or connected to BLM-managed lands. While the posted description is brief, rangeland management in the BLM context commonly relates to vegetation and habitat condition, soil and watershed function, invasive species pressures, grazing management and monitoring, restoration and rehabilitation actions, and broader landscape-scale work that improves ecological health and climate resilience. Because it is anchored at BLM Headquarters, it may also reflect national or cross-state priorities rather than purely local, single-field-office efforts, though the specific project geography and scope would be defined in individual proposals and BLM’s program guidance.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit/educational entities. 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 Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under the nonprofit category). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible and cannot apply for awards under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This restriction is important for planning partnerships, because a project team can still potentially include contractors or service providers as part of an eligible applicant’s project execution (subject to federal procurement and grant rules), but the applicant of record cannot be an individual or a for-profit entity.

A key limitation of this NOFO is that it does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice points out that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the only legislative authority BLM can use to "hire" interns under that specific authority. As a result, Youth Conservation Corps and similar youth-focused internship or crew proposals are directed away from this rangeland resource management NOFO and instead must be pursued under a different, designated funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, "BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands." In practical terms, applicants should avoid building proposals that hinge on Public Lands Corps-style internship hiring mechanisms under this solicitation, and should separate youth crew/internship concepts into the correct youth-focused program if they want to pursue that approach.

Overall, this opportunity is best suited for eligible governments, tribes, universities, and nonprofit organizations that can plan and implement substantive rangeland management work in coordination with BLM, without relying on Public Lands Corps internship/crew hiring authorities under this particular NOFO. The large stated award ceiling suggests BLM is open to significant, potentially multi-partner efforts, but applicants would need to align closely with BLM’s rangeland management priorities and be prepared for the hands-on collaboration that comes with a cooperative agreement.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) 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 2023-03-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-16. (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 $10,000,000.00 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.

Apply for L23AS00312

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