Bureau of Land Management Arizona Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management | L22AS00231

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00231

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00231) is a discretionary federal funding program run by the Department of the Interior through BLM. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the funded work (for example, coordinating technical approach, planning, or implementation alongside the recipient) rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant with minimal agency participation. The program sits under the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.244, signaling it is part of BLM assistance programs focused on managing public-land resources.

The purpose of the opportunity is to support work connected to fisheries and aquatic resources management in Arizona on or tied to BLM-managed lands and waters. While the listing does not spell out specific project types, the title and program area indicate it is meant to fund efforts that conserve, restore, monitor, or otherwise improve aquatic ecosystems and fish populations, potentially including habitat management, watershed or riparian improvement, aquatic species monitoring, data collection to inform management decisions, or other applied conservation actions that align with BLM’s mission in Arizona. Because it is framed broadly as “Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management,” the intent is typically practical, on-the-ground or field-based work that directly supports public-land aquatic resource stewardship.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit or educational entities. Eligible applicant types 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; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories). Two key exclusions are emphasized: individuals are not eligible, and for-profit organizations are not eligible. Applicants that do not clearly fit one of the listed eligible categories would generally be considered ineligible.

A major restriction in the notice is that this NOFO is not meant to support entities 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 specific legislative authority that allows BLM to “hire” interns under that framework, and that this particular funding opportunity is not the vehicle for that kind of youth/intern crew engagement. If an organization is a qualified Youth Conservation Corps or is looking to propose a project centered on youth crews, internships, or similar positions under the Public Lands Corps authority, the notice directs them instead to the separate funding announcement tied to youth programs: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants should design proposals here around fisheries/aquatic management outcomes rather than staffing models that depend on PLC interns or youth crews.

From a funding standpoint, the listed award ceiling is $1,000,000. The record does not specify an award floor, a total program funding amount, or the number of awards anticipated (the “ExpectedAwards” field is blank in the provided data). The original closing date was June 6, 2022, and the opportunity record was created March 15, 2022. Those dates suggest this was a time-bound solicitation; anyone considering pursuing it now would typically need to look for a current-year equivalent or a reissued announcement, because the application window shown in the source data has already passed.

In short, this BLM Arizona opportunity is a cooperative agreement funding path for eligible government, tribal, nonprofit, and educational organizations to carry out fisheries and aquatic resource management work connected to BLM’s mission in Arizona, with a potential maximum award of up to $1 million, while explicitly excluding individuals and for-profit entities and steering youth intern/crew-based proposals to the separate BLM youth conservation NOFO.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management Arizona Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 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 2022-03-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-06. (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 $1,000,000.00 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 L22AS00231

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