FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) Good Neighbor Authority | L24AS00069

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00069

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management New Mexico (NM) Good Neighbor Authority funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00069) is a discretionary grant program administered by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. It supports natural resource work in New Mexico carried out under the Good Neighbor Authority framework, and awards will be made as cooperative agreements, meaning BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The assistance listing associated with this opportunity is CFDA (Assistance Listing) 15.015.

Eligibility is tightly limited. Only state governments, county governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and tribal organizations are eligible applicants under this program. Any other type of applicant is considered ineligible, so nonprofits, universities (unless acting through an eligible governmental partner structure as applicable), private entities, and individuals would not qualify to apply directly under this specific NOFO.

A key restriction is that this NOFO does not support the hiring of interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice emphasizes 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 authority. As a result, organizations such as Youth Conservation Corps that are looking to place or support youth crews should not use this Good Neighbor Authority NOFO for that purpose. Instead, youth-conservation-style projects and placements are directed to a different BLM funding route, specifically NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands.

The opportunity also references the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) program. CESUs are partnership networks intended 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 the CESU purpose, then indirect costs are capped. Specifically, indirect costs are limited to 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 expected to state clearly whether their proposal advances the purpose of the CESU program and, if it does, which CESU Network should be considered as the host.

From a funding standpoint, the ceiling per award is listed at $1,000,000. The posting indicates expected awards but does not provide a number in the provided text, so applicants should confirm the anticipated number of awards and any minimum award size or matching requirements in the full announcement package. The application closing date shown is May 1, 2024, and the opportunity record was created on January 9, 2024.

In practical terms, an eligible governmental applicant considering this opportunity should frame a proposal around BLM New Mexico natural resource priorities that fit within Good Neighbor Authority implementation and are suitable for a cooperative agreement structure, while avoiding proposals centered on intern or youth crew hiring under the Public Lands Corps framework. If the applicant is a CESU partner (or working through CESU mechanisms), they should plan for the indirect cost limitation and explicitly connect the project to CESU purposes and the appropriate network host in the application narrative.

• 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) Good Neighbor Authority" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.015.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-01. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for L24AS00069

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