Bureau of Land Management Utah Plant Conservation and Restoration Management | L22AS00260

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00260

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Plant Conservation and Restoration Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00260) is a discretionary federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through BLM. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordination on planning, technical approaches, compliance requirements, field activities, reporting, or deliverables), rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The funding activity area is Natural Resources, and it is listed under CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) 15.245, which aligns it with BLM natural resource stewardship and on-the-ground conservation work.

The core purpose of the opportunity is plant conservation and restoration management in Utah, which typically covers activities that protect, recover, and restore native plant communities and the habitats they support. In practical terms, projects under a program like this often include things such as native seed collection and increase, habitat restoration planning and implementation, invasive species management tied directly to restoration outcomes, monitoring of rare or sensitive plant populations, restoration of degraded sites, and development or application of conservation strategies that improve the long-term resilience of plant communities on public lands. Because it is BLM Utah-focused, proposals would generally be expected to address priority vegetation issues in Utah landscapes managed or influenced by BLM, and to produce measurable ecological outcomes (for example, improved plant establishment, reduced invasive pressure, enhanced habitat function, or better conservation status for sensitive plant taxa).

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit sectors and certain education and tribal entities. Eligible applicants 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, other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education under the nonprofit category). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible, so private consulting firms or individual researchers cannot apply as the prime recipient, though they may sometimes participate as contractors or partners if the prime recipient is eligible and procurement rules are followed.

A major restriction highlighted in the notice is that this NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The BLM points out that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that specific framework. As a result, organizations that want to run youth crew or intern-style projects under Public Lands Corps authorities must use a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. The practical takeaway is that applicants should not build proposals around youth corps internships or PLC-funded crew hiring under this particular opportunity; instead, proposals should focus on conservation and restoration deliverables that do not rely on that intern/crew hiring authority.

The posted administrative details indicate an original application closing date of May 2, 2022, with the opportunity created on March 1, 2022. The award ceiling is listed as $100,000, which suggests BLM anticipated relatively small to moderate project budgets per award, potentially supporting targeted restoration actions, pilot efforts, monitoring initiatives, seed/plant materials work, or discrete conservation projects rather than large multi-year landscape-scale programs (unless combined with additional cost share or partner funding). The notice lists "ExpectedAwards:" but does not provide a number, so the total number of awards was not specified in the provided data and likely depended on available funding and proposal quality.

In summary, this opportunity supports Utah-based plant conservation and restoration management work through cooperative agreements with eligible governmental, tribal, nonprofit, and educational entities, with a per-award cap of $100,000. It is not a vehicle for Public Lands Corps intern or crew hiring; applicants seeking to propose youth corps or intern-based field crews under PLC authorities are directed instead to the separate BLM youth conservation NOFO (15.243).

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management Utah Plant Conservation and Restoration Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.245.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-03-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-02. (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 $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 L22AS00260

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