Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS 18 NERO 0117
The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued a public notice describing its intent to fund a specific project titled "Improve Visitor Experience and Enhance Visitor Access to the Isle au Haut District of Acadia National Park" (Funding Opportunity Number: NPS 18 NERO 0117). The key point is that this notice is not a request for applications and is not being competed. Instead, NPS is signaling that it plans to make a single cooperative agreement award to support defined activities that align with Acadia National Park's Visitor Use Management Plan for Isle au Haut. The award amount is relatively small (up to an award ceiling of $24,500), and only one award was expected.
The project is centered on maintaining and strengthening ferry-based access to Isle au Haut, specifically service to Duck Harbor, which is the primary gateway for visitors to reach Acadia National Park lands on the island. Because public access to Isle au Haut is essentially limited to private boats and the ferry, the ferry becomes the practical tool for both access and visitor management. NPS frames ferry operations not just as transportation, but as a core mechanism for managing visitor use levels in a way that is consistent with federal law (Public Law 99-335) and the park's mission. In other words, if the park is going to offer any structured visitor experience on Isle au Haut while still protecting resources and respecting capacity limits, the ferry service is a central lever for controlling how many people arrive, when they arrive, and where they enter the park.
The intended partner for this cooperative agreement is Isle au Haut Boat Services, a community-rooted operator with a long history of serving the island. The organization began in 1973 as a for-profit venture created by island residents to ensure the ferry would continue and remain largely under local control for the benefit of the community. Over time, because year-round service is costly and often runs at a loss, the organization shifted in 2002 into a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity (501(c)(3)). The notice emphasizes that the ferry is not only important for visitors, but also vital for residents, particularly those living on Isle au Haut year-round, since it helps maintain the social and economic integrity of the island community and provides the only practical means for the public to access Acadia National Park on the island.
From NPS's perspective, supporting this existing resident-controlled, year-round ferry service serves two connected goals: preserving reliable transportation for the island community and sustaining managed visitor access to the park at Duck Harbor. The notice explicitly ties the financial sustainability of the ferry operator to park visitor traffic, stating that without the visitor business to Duck Harbor, Isle au Haut Boat Services would face greater financial losses and might be unable to continue service. The cooperative agreement structure also signals that NPS expects an active partnership relationship, not just a pass-through grant, with Isle au Haut Boat Services potentially playing a larger role in both providing access and helping implement visitor use limits consistent with the Visitor Use Management Plan.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding using a cooperative agreement under the funding activity category of business and commerce (CFDA 15.954). The eligible applicant type listed is nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), which matches the status of Isle au Haut Boat Services. The notice was created on August 5, 2018, with an original closing date of August 14, 2018, reflecting the typical timeline for a public notice of intent rather than an open application period. Overall, the announcement communicates that NPS intends to directly support a specific local nonprofit ferry provider to ensure continued, managed visitor access to Isle au Haut and to help protect both park resources and the long-term viability of the island's year-round community.Apply for NPS 18 NERO 0117
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improve Visitor Experience & Enhance Visitor Access to the Isle au Haut District of Acadia National Park" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 05, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 $24,500.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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