FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) Aquatic Resource Management | L25AS00169

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00169

The FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Headquarters Aquatic Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00169) is a discretionary federal funding program that will award cooperative agreements for work focused on protecting and restoring aquatic resources on BLM-managed public lands. The program sits within BLM's Headquarters Aquatic Resources Program, which is responsible for policy guidance and technical expertise related to riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources. The overall intent is to maintain and rebuild functioning ecosystems that support multiple uses (including fish and wildlife) while meeting long-term watershed and community needs. Projects supported through this notice are tied to major federal investments under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), specifically Section 40804(b) for ecosystem restoration, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including sections focused on resilience, ecosystem restoration, and Department of the Interior priorities.

The scope of work reflects the program's broad, on-the-ground and planning-oriented mission. BLM is looking to partner with eligible organizations to address common and growing challenges such as habitat fragmentation and degradation, drought resiliency and water availability constraints, aquatic invasive species, and the compounding effects of climate change. Funded activities can include efforts that protect and restore ecosystem structure and function in riparian and wetland systems, improve water quality by safeguarding the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of surface and groundwater, and ensure water availability is both legally and physically secured for beneficial uses, including restoration actions. The opportunity also emphasizes proactive habitat work to sustain the presence, abundance, and diversity of healthy native species and to support species that rely on these habitats, including special status species.

A significant component of the program is decision support: inventorying, assessing, and monitoring aquatic resources so BLM and its partners can better understand conditions and trends, guide management choices, and evaluate compliance obligations. Relatedly, projects may help BLM meet environmental compliance requirements under applicable federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and relevant state laws when consistent with federal authority. The program also highlights internal and external coordination as a core function, meaning applicants should expect collaborative work that involves consultation and cooperation across federal, state, tribal, and local governments as well as community and nonprofit partners. Education and outreach are also part of the intent, with explicit encouragement for efforts that increase public knowledge of aquatic habitats on BLM lands and that reach communities of color, low-income families, rural communities, and Indigenous communities.

This funding opportunity is positioned as a way to advance Department of the Interior priorities, including addressing the climate crisis, restoring balance on public lands and waters, advancing environmental justice, and investing in a clean energy future. In practical terms, competitive projects are likely to be those that restore and reconnect degraded aquatic systems, reduce vulnerability to drought, wildfire, and flooding, and strengthen ecosystem resistance, resilience, and adaptability. The notice also calls out the value of determining acceptable levels of hydrologic and ecological change in light of BLM management objectives, advancing modern monitoring tools and approaches, and preventing the establishment and spread of invasive species.

Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; tribal organizations; and nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible. The instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that BLM expects substantial involvement in project design, implementation, or oversight rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant.

Several important restrictions and administrative notes are included. This notice does not support entities proposing to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993; organizations interested in youth or crew-based projects are directed instead to a separate BLM opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands). The notice also addresses Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs): if an award is made to a CESU partner under a Master CESU agreement consistent with CESU purposes, indirect costs are capped at 17.5 percent of the applicable indirect cost base as recognized in the partner's federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement. Applicants are asked to indicate whether their proposal furthers CESU purposes and, if so, which CESU Network should be considered as host.

Key logistics included in the source information are that the opportunity was created on December 11, 2024, with an original application closing date of February 14, 2025. The award ceiling listed is $500,000. The assistance listing/CFDA number provided is 15.244, the funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the administering agency is the Bureau of Land Management.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Headquarters (HQ) 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 2024-12-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-14. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 L25AS00169

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