IIJA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management | L23AS00250

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00250

The IIJA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00250) is a discretionary federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is issued as a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during performance (for example, coordination, technical input, or joint planning), rather than simply providing pass-through funding with minimal federal engagement. The program is categorized under Natural Resources and is associated with CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.233, signaling that the work is tied to BLM resource management activities, specifically focused here on forest and woodland resource management in California.

Funding under this opportunity is capped at an award ceiling of $300,000 per award. The notice was created on February 14, 2023, and listed an original application closing date of April 14, 2023. While the summary data provided does not specify the number of expected awards, the ceiling indicates the scale of individual projects BLM intended to support, typically aligning with on-the-ground management, planning, or implementation efforts that advance forest and woodland stewardship goals on or benefiting BLM-managed lands in California.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit-oriented entities and certain education institutions, reflecting the program’s public purpose and partnership model. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education when applicable). Importantly, individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply, so proposals must come from one of the eligible governmental, tribal, nonprofit, or educational institution categories.

A key restriction in the notice is that this NOFO does not support projects that involve hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice explains that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the legislative authority that allows BLM to hire interns under that specific framework, and this particular funding opportunity is not the vehicle for those types of youth hiring arrangements. As a result, Youth Conservation Corps entities that want to pursue projects centered on youth crews or intern hiring under Public Lands Corps authorities are directed instead to a different funding opportunity: Assistance Listing 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants to L23AS00250 should design projects that do not depend on Public Lands Corps intern/crew hiring and should ensure staffing and workforce plans align with the allowable approaches for this NOFO.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to fund collaborative forest and woodland resource management work in California through partnerships with governments, tribes, nonprofits, and educational institutions, with project awards up to $300,000 and a clear boundary separating this program from BLM’s youth/intern crew hiring programs under the Public Lands Corps Act.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.233.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-14. (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 $300,000.00 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 L23AS00250

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