Natural Resource Management (NRM) Education and Training of Eugene Area Alternative High School Students | W9127N2120002

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9127N2120002

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Education and Training of Eugene Area Alternative High School Students grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W9127N2120002) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District. It is designed to support hands-on land stewardship and ecological restoration work on USACE-managed lands in Oregon's Willamette Valley, with the primary work location centered around Fern Ridge Lake. The overall intent is twofold: to help USACE meet its environmental stewardship and habitat management responsibilities, and to provide meaningful education, job skills, and practical training for at-risk youth from nearby communities, particularly students connected to Eugene-area alternative high school programs.

The funded effort focuses on restoring and managing native prairie landscapes and improving wildlife habitat. In practice, this means the selected recipient would organize and supervise small, well-led crews to complete natural resource tasks that directly benefit prairie and habitat conditions on federal land. The work is expected to emphasize core stewardship activities such as prairie and habitat restoration projects and ongoing support functions like nursery and greenhouse maintenance, which are often critical to producing native plants used in restoration and to sustaining long-term habitat improvements. A key feature of the program is that participating students are not just labor support; they are intended to gain real experience with planning, developing, and implementing projects, so the educational component is built into the fieldwork and day-to-day project execution.

USACE is looking for a partner that can operate as a cooperative agreement recipient, meaning the work will involve collaboration and substantial involvement between the agency and the awardee rather than being structured as a standard procurement contract. The authority cited for these cooperative agreements is 33 U.S.C. 2339, Conservation and Recreation Management, which USACE uses to support conservation, restoration, and public benefit projects on Corps lands. The opportunity anticipates making a single award, with an award ceiling of $25,000, indicating a relatively small, targeted project that prioritizes direct on-the-ground outcomes and training value.

Eligibility is broad across local public entities and nonprofit organizations, including county governments, cities or townships, independent school districts, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The opportunity also allows eligibility for other entities as described in the additional eligibility language, but the narrative makes clear that the intended recipients are non-Federal public agencies, nonprofit entities, qualified youth service organizations, or conservation corps organizations. Beyond formal eligibility, the program has practical qualification expectations: the recipient must serve at-risk youth in communities near Fern Ridge and must have demonstrated experience performing land stewardship and restoration work using small crews led by experienced crew leaders. This supervision requirement is important because the agency expects ecological concepts and correct restoration practices to be taught accurately and applied safely in the field, which requires staff who can both manage youth crews and deliver sound conservation instruction.

Timing details in the source data show the opportunity was created on December 8, 2020, with an original closing date of January 8, 2021. The funding activity category is Natural Resources (CFDA 12.010). Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a small, place-based stewardship and youth workforce development partnership: USACE gains capacity to restore and maintain sensitive prairie and habitat areas at Fern Ridge Lake, while local at-risk students gain structured training, exposure to natural resource careers, and practical experience in conservation project delivery.

• The Department of Defense, USACE Portland District in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Natural Resource Management (NRM) Education and Training of Eugene Area Alternative High School Students" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.010.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 08, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 08, 2021. (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 $25,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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