Bureau of Land Management Colorado Opens $2.7M across six Funding Opportunities
Eligible applicants: states, local governments, tribal entities, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and local entities. Applications are due February 19, 2024.
Announcement Type: Notice of Funding Opportunity (this program is currently accepting applications)
Opportunities:
Threatened and Endangered Species Program
Plant Conservation and Restoration Management
Good Neighbor Authority
Wildlife Program
Environmental Quality Protection Program
Aquatic Resource Management
Overview and Eligible Uses:
Threatened and Endangered Species Program: aims to conserve and recover federally-listed and Bureau-sensitive animal and plant species and their habitat. It seeks state or regional projects and programmatic approaches to enhance Bureau efficiency, aiming for national implementation and outreach to improve species populations and address threats.
Plant Conservation and Restoration Management: focuses on restoring wildlife habitats, addressing threats to species like sage grouse and rare plants. Collaborations with growers aim to develop native plant material, and studies enhance conservation efforts. The program also supports pollinator studies, implements conservation for rare plant species, and monitors and restores habitat for over 1,800 rare plant species. Additionally, it aids BLM programs in public land restoration and emphasizes public education through technical resources and citizen science collaboration.
Good Neighbor Authority: Authorized actions include treating infested trees, reducing hazardous fuels, and other efforts to enhance overall ecosystem health. The program supports projects in Colorado, such as addressing noxious weeds, fuels management, community assistance, forest resilience, rangeland restoration, wildlife habitat connectivity, NEPA-related tasks, riparian restoration, and targeted grazing.
Wildlife Program: The program aims to conserve priority wildlife habitat, monitor and inventory wildlife populations, assess habitat conditions, enhance management opportunities, and improve the use of coordinated wildlife monitoring data. Outreach and education projects, including citizen science and student-based science, are undertaken to promote wildlife stewardship and increase public awareness of conservation challenges and successes on BLM-managed lands.
Environmental Quality Protection Program: identifies and remediates abandoned mines using various measures to eliminate or minimize risks. With over 100,000 abandoned mine features estimated, the program aims to establish partnerships to reclaim lands, reduce liabilities, and raise public awareness. Key goals include effective reclamation, reducing unreclaimed sites, and fostering partnerships for environmental challenges, along with public education efforts.
Aquatic Resource Management: Guided by policies promoting multiple-use and sustained yield, the program addresses issues such as restoration, habitat degradation, drought resilience, water availability, and invasive species. Core functions include decision support, protection, restoration, water resource sustainability, environmental compliance, and collaboration with various stakeholders.
Amount: There is a total funding pool of $2.7 million available for approximately 14 awards, with individual award amounts ranging from $5,000 to $500,000.
Each program within this funding initiative has allocated specific amounts: The Threatened and Endangered Species Program has $350,000 for four awards ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 each, the Plant Conservation and Restoration Management has $350,000 for awards ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 each, the Good Neighbor Authority has $750,000 for five awards ranging from $10,000 to $750,000 each, the Wildlife Program has $350,000 for three awards ranging from $15,000 to $150,000 each, the Environmental Quality Protection Program has $15,000 for two awards ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each, and the Aquatic Resource Management has $999,000 for five awards ranging from $10,000 to $500,000
Award Type: Cooperative agreement
Eligible Applicants:
State, county, city, special districts or township governments
Federally and non-Federally recognized Native American tribal organizations.
Private, public, and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS
Independent school districts
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Special district governments
Key Dates: The deadlines for submitting applications to various programs are as follows, listed in chronological order: February 19, 2024, for the Wildlife Program; March 1, 2024, for the Good Neighbor Authority and the Environmental Quality Protection Program; March 4, 2024, for the Threatened and Endangered Species Program; March 8, 2024, for the Plant Conservation and Restoration Management; and April 15, 2024, for the Aquatic Resource Management. Applicants are advised to adhere to the specified deadlines for each program to ensure their submissions are considered.
Key Links:
Threatened and Endangered Species Program / Grants.gov Opportunity
Plant Conservation and Restoration Management/ Grants.gov Opportunity
Environmental Quality Protection Program /Grants.gov Opportunity
For a full list of currently available grant programs under the Infrastructure Law and other helpful tools, take a look at our Helpful Resources page.
This tracker will continue to send updates when new funding opportunities are announced.
***This opportunity was initially announced during the holidays, resulting in a subsequent delay in its publication. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.