IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management Program | L24AS00442

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00442

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Operations Center (NOC) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management Program (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00442) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity focused on managing invasive and noxious plants as a natural resources priority. Awards are expected to be issued as cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM anticipates having substantial involvement in the funded work (for example, coordination, technical input, or shared implementation responsibilities), rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal federal participation. The opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.230 and is positioned under the broader context of BLM land stewardship and restoration work supported by IIJA/IRA-related investments.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of public and nonprofit entities: state, county, and local governments (including special districts); independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education as well as private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. A key restriction is that individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), so proposals must come from qualifying governmental, educational, tribal, housing-authority, or nonprofit entities.

The program also draws a firm boundary around youth internship or crew hiring under the Public Lands Corps framework. This NOFO does not support entities proposing to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. BLM notes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns in that manner, and as a result, youth-focused conservation corps efforts must be pursued through a different funding pathway. Specifically, eligible Youth Conservation Corps applicants are directed to projects developed under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands, rather than submitting that type of proposal here.

For applicants affiliated with Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs), the announcement highlights how CESU-related proposals should be framed and what cost limitations apply. CESUs are described as partnership networks intended to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project is consistent with CESU purposes, then indirect costs are capped: they may not exceed 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are instructed to clearly state whether their proposal furthers the purpose of the CESU program and, if it does, to specify which CESU Network should be considered the host.

The opportunity listing indicates an award ceiling of $500,000 and an original application closing date of September 30, 2024. Overall, this funding is aimed at supporting on-the-ground and programmatic work that advances invasive and noxious plant management objectives on lands and in contexts relevant to BLM, while limiting applicant eligibility to public, tribal, educational, housing-authority, and nonprofit organizations and steering youth corps-style hiring to the separate, dedicated youth conservation funding announcement.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.230.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-30. (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 $500,000.00 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 L24AS00442

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: