NOTICE OF INTENT: | P19AS00040

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00040

This Notice of Intent (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00040) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, offered through a cooperative agreement. It supports work connected to the Mississippi Plain National Heritage Area (MPNHA), a congressionally designated National Heritage Area created under Public Law 109-338 (120 Stat. 1738). Through that law, Congress established the MPNHA and directed the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a compact with the designated management entity, referred to here as the Alliance. In practical terms, the opportunity is meant to help the management entity carry out priority actions tied directly to the approved management plan for the heritage area.

The central purpose of the award is to advance the planning and implementation work that helps the MPNHA function as a National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas are defined by the way natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources come together in a single, connected landscape. They are recognized because they represent nationally important stories about the United States, showing how human activity, traditions, and settlement patterns were shaped by geography and how those patterns remain visible today through physical features, preserved places, and living traditions. This grant is positioned to help interpret and communicate those stories to the public while also supporting the organizational and administrative backbone needed to manage heritage area programs.

The scope described for this task agreement emphasizes several types of activities: planning, administration, public outreach, media, and demonstration projects. Planning can include efforts that refine priorities, coordinate partners, and lay out practical steps for implementing the management plan. Administration generally refers to the behind-the-scenes work required to run a heritage area program effectively, such as coordination, reporting, partnership management, and other operational functions consistent with the cooperative agreement structure. Public outreach and media components are intended to broaden public awareness and engagement, helping residents and visitors understand the nationally significant themes of the region and encouraging participation in heritage-related activities. Demonstration projects typically refer to on-the-ground examples that show how the management plan can be put into practice, often serving as visible, public-facing pilots that partners can replicate or build upon.

The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $61,000 and anticipates a single award. It was posted on March 4, 2019, with an original closing date of March 14, 2019, indicating a short application window typical of some Notices of Intent or targeted cooperative agreements. The activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA number is 15.939, which is associated with National Park Service assistance programs. Eligibility is broadly labeled as "Others," with the expectation that the detailed eligibility requirements would be clarified in the opportunity's additional eligibility information; given the description, it is closely tied to the designated management entity and the congressionally authorized purpose under the establishing statute.

Overall, this funding opportunity is not aimed at unrelated conservation or tourism projects in general; it is specifically designed to support the MPNHA management plan and the public purposes laid out in the law that created the heritage area. The National Park Service role in a cooperative agreement also implies substantial federal involvement and coordination, meaning the work is expected to be carried out in partnership with the agency and aligned with federally recognized heritage area objectives, documentation standards, and public benefit outcomes.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTICE OF INTENT:" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.939.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 04, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 14, 2019. (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 $61,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P19AS00040

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