FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program | L24AS00112

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00112

The FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00112) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that will issue awards through cooperative agreements. The program sits within the natural resources funding area (CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.228) and is aimed at fuels management and community fire assistance work in Idaho, aligning with the broader federal emphasis on wildfire risk reduction and resilience supported through recent federal investments such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The structure as a cooperative agreement signals that BLM expects substantial involvement in the project during performance, such as coordination, joint planning, or technical collaboration, rather than simply providing a pass-through grant with minimal federal participation.

Eligibility is limited to a defined set of non-federal entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or 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; other tribal organizations; public and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible, which means proposals cannot be submitted by private citizens, sole proprietors, or commercial companies seeking to perform the work as the direct recipient. Those entities may still potentially participate as contractors or partners under an eligible applicant, but they cannot be the awardee.

A key restriction in this notice is that it does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 for this particular funding opportunity. The notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that authority, and it directs youth-focused efforts to a different BLM opportunity. In practical terms, applicants should not propose to use this funding to run a Public Lands Corps-style internship or crew program under this NOFO. Instead, eligible Youth Conservation Corps and similar applicants are directed to pursue projects under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands, if their primary purpose is youth internship or crew engagement.

The opportunity also includes guidance for applicants associated with Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are partnerships designed to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under an existing, formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project is consistent with the CESU purpose, the indirect cost recovery is capped: indirect costs are limited to no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are expected to state whether their proposal furthers the CESU mission and, if so, identify which CESU Network should serve as the host. This matters for budgeting, because an organization that normally has a higher indirect rate may be subject to the CESU cap when the award is made under that framework.

From a funding standpoint, the award ceiling is listed as $1,000,000. The notice lists an original closing date of April 8, 2024, and it was created on January 5, 2024. While the synopsis does not specify the exact number of expected awards (the field is blank in the provided source data), the presence of a defined ceiling suggests BLM anticipates funding projects that can range in size up to that maximum, depending on program priorities and available appropriations. Applicants considering this opportunity would typically design Idaho-based projects that support hazardous fuels reduction, community wildfire preparedness, and related fire-adapted landscape objectives, and they should build proposals that fit within a cooperative agreement relationship where BLM will remain actively engaged in planning and implementation.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY24 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.228.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-08. (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 L24AS00112

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