Bureau of Land Management Idaho Recreation and Visitor Services | L22AS00170

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00170

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Idaho Recreation and Visitor Services opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00170) is a discretionary federal funding program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through BLM. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during performance (for example, coordinating with the recipient on planning, implementation, or oversight), rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. The program sits in the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.225. In practical terms, the opportunity is meant to support recreation and visitor service-related work connected to BLM-managed public lands in Idaho, such as projects that improve visitor experiences, maintain or enhance recreation infrastructure, strengthen public information and outreach, or otherwise support the services that help the public safely and responsibly access and enjoy these lands.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit or educational institutions, and the notice is explicit about who cannot apply. Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or 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; tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category listing). This broad public-sector and nonprofit eligibility suggests BLM is looking for partners such as local governments, tribal entities, universities, and community-based organizations that can carry out recreation and visitor services projects aligned with BLM priorities in Idaho.

A key restriction in the NOFO is the prohibition on using this program to hire 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, and that this particular NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews through Public Lands Corps mechanisms. As a result, youth-focused conservation corps or similar organizations are directed away from this opportunity and toward a different BLM funding pathway: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. The practical takeaway is that applicants should not design proposals around staffing models that rely on Public Lands Corps intern or crew hiring; projects should be structured around other allowable staffing and implementation approaches consistent with the cooperative agreement and BLM program rules.

In terms of funding scale and timing, the listed award ceiling is $10,000, indicating relatively small awards intended for targeted, discrete efforts rather than large construction or major multi-year initiatives. The original closing date was March 28, 2022, and the posting was created January 26, 2022, which places this as a time-limited competition in early 2022. The notice lists "ExpectedAwards:" but does not provide a number in the source data shown, so the quantity of awards is not clearly specified from the provided details. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a small-dollar, partnership-oriented cooperative agreement program for eligible public, tribal, nonprofit, and educational entities to support BLM Idaho recreation and visitor services work, with clear exclusions for individuals, for-profit applicants, and Public Lands Corps intern/crew hiring under this specific NOFO.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management Idaho Recreation and Visitor Services" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.225.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-28. (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 $10,000.00 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 L22AS00170

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