FY 2019 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations | LBBP 2019 1

Opportunity Information: Apply for LBBP 2019 1

The FY 2019 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is a Department of the Interior opportunity that supports tribal participation in land consolidation work tied to the Cobell Settlement Agreement. Under Cobell, Congress and the Department set aside $1.9 billion to address the long-standing problem of fractionated ownership of Indian trust lands, where a single tract can be split into many small, inherited interests over generations. The Buy-Back Program is designed to reduce that fractionation by offering willing individual landowners the option to sell their fractional interests, with those interests then transferring immediately to the federally recognized tribe that has jurisdiction over the land. The larger goal is to restore workable land bases, reduce administrative burdens associated with highly fractionated tracts, and strengthen tribal sovereignty by putting land use decisions more directly in the hands of tribal governments rather than leaving land value and control locked up in tiny, difficult-to-manage ownership shares.

A key feature of this opportunity is that it focuses on collaboration with eligible tribes in places where the Program plans to carry out land consolidation activities. In July 2017, the Department of the Interior published a revised implementation schedule identifying 20 locations where work such as planning, outreach, mapping, mineral evaluations, appraisals, land research, and acquisitions would occur over the following years. For those scheduled locations (and any additional locations that may be added later), the Program anticipates partnering with the tribes that have jurisdiction there, recognizing that tribes often have the most practical, on-the-ground knowledge about their reservations, land status, owners, and local realities that affect successful implementation. To make that partnership workable, the Program intends, when feasible and practical, to use single-source cooperative agreements with eligible tribes so tribes can directly help carry out land consolidation tasks and improve overall effectiveness and efficiency.

The funding instrument for this opportunity is a cooperative agreement (CFDA 15.152), which generally indicates a closer working relationship with the federal Program than a standard grant, including coordination and substantial federal involvement as appropriate. Tribes are encouraged to contact Buy-Back Program staff before submitting an application so they can shape a cooperative agreement proposal that fits Program needs and aligns with the planned activities at the tribe’s location. Importantly, tribes are not required to enter into a cooperative agreement in order to participate in the Buy-Back Program. In some circumstances, the Program may determine that a cooperative agreement is unnecessary and may instead use a memorandum of agreement, depending on what makes the most sense for the specific location and activities.

Eligibility is limited to federally recognized tribal governments that have jurisdiction over locations where there are purchasable fractional land interests, meaning places where the Program can legally and practically carry out voluntary purchases from willing individual owners. The opportunity falls under an “Other” category for both the opportunity and the activity, and it is administered by the Department of the Interior. The posting emphasizes that the Buy-Back Program is a 10-year effort overall, and this particular notice reflects the FY 2019 opportunity window (with an original closing date of 2019-09-30). Because new opportunities are expected to be posted throughout the life of the Program, the expiration date on a given posting does not mean the Program itself ends at that point; it indicates that applicants should watch for recurring or updated notices over time.

The notice also highlights several funding constraints tied directly to the Cobell Settlement. The Settlement Agreement limits how much of the overall $1.9 billion can be spent on implementation costs (for example, outreach, land research, mapping support, and appraisals) as opposed to direct land purchases. To help stay within that cap, the Program limits indirect cost support under cooperative agreements to no more than 15 percent of modified total direct costs. In addition, these cooperative agreement awards are not meant to underwrite long-term, multi-year tribal programs at each location. The Program signals that most awards will be short in duration, commonly no longer than about 9 months, and that tribes should plan to use these funds in coordination with existing tribal land offices and related programs rather than building new, permanent capacity that would require ongoing funding beyond the award period.

For additional official details and updates on scheduled locations, participation, and application development, the notice directs interested tribes to the Program website: http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram. Key identifiers from the source include the funding opportunity title “FY 2019 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations,” funding opportunity number “LBBP 2019 1,” and the administering agency, the Department of the Interior.

• The Department of the Interior in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2019 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.152.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-10-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for LBBP 2019 1

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: