FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) Aquatic Resource Management | L24AS00126

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00126

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico Aquatic Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00126; CFDA 15.244) is a discretionary funding program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, focused on aquatic resources work in New Mexico. Awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements, which generally means the BLM anticipates substantial involvement in the project during planning and/or implementation rather than operating strictly as a pass-through funder. The overall activity area is natural resources, and proposals should align with aquatic resource management needs on BLM-managed lands and waters in New Mexico, such as work that supports aquatic habitat condition, aquatic species, monitoring and assessment, and related on-the-ground or technical efforts.

A wide range of public and nonprofit entities are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments (including cities/townships and 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. The notice is explicit that individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible for awards under this NOFO, so proposals must come from an eligible governmental, educational, nonprofit, or Tribal entity.

The notice also includes an important restriction related to youth hiring and internships. This NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is described as the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that mechanism, and the notice states that Youth Conservation Corps applicants should instead pursue projects through a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants to this aquatic resources NOFO should not structure their budget or workplan around bringing on interns or conservation crews under Public Lands Corps authorities, because that is outside the scope of what this specific funding announcement supports.

The opportunity also addresses projects proposed through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network. CESUs are partnerships designed to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If an award is made 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 encouraged to explicitly state whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and, if so, to identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host. This matters for budgeting and compliance, since the CESU indirect cost limitation can differ from an applicant’s typical negotiated rate.

In terms of scale and timing, the listed award ceiling is $750,000, and the original application closing date was March 27, 2024. While the posting lists "Expected Awards:" without a number provided in the source text, applicants should assume the program is competitive and size requests accordingly, making a clear case for outcomes, feasibility, and alignment with BLM New Mexico aquatic resource priorities under IIJA/IRA funding.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) 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 2024-03-27. (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 $750,000.00 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 L24AS00126

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