Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Rangeland Resource Management | L23AS00213

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00213

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico Rangeland Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00213) is a discretionary federal funding program from the U.S. Department of the Interior, administered by BLM, and focused on natural resource work tied specifically to rangeland resource management in New Mexico. Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project, such as coordinating on planning, technical direction, compliance requirements, monitoring approaches, or implementation decisions, rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant.

Eligibility is broad across public and nonprofit sectors, but it is not open to everyone. 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 that are not federally recognized governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, since higher education has its own category). Two categories are explicitly ineligible: individuals and for-profit organizations. That limitation is central to the opportunity and should be treated as a hard stop for otherwise strong proposals coming from private companies or individual practitioners.

A key restriction in the notice is that this opportunity is not meant to support the hiring of interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that specific framework, and that this rangeland management NOFO is not the vehicle for that kind of youth or intern engagement. As a result, Youth Conservation Corps or similar youth-serving conservation organizations are directed to a different funding opportunity if the project concept is built around youth crews, internships, or Public Lands Corps-style placements. Specifically, those applicants are told they should pursue projects under NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands, rather than trying to fit those activities into this rangeland resource management program.

The program sits under CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.237 and is categorized under the Natural Resources funding activity area. The original closing date listed for applications was April 11, 2023, and the opportunity was created on February 2, 2023. The listed maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $300,000, indicating projects are expected to be moderate in scale, potentially covering on-the-ground rangeland assessments, planning, restoration, monitoring, invasive species work, grazing management improvements, watershed or habitat enhancements, or other rangeland stewardship activities consistent with BLM New Mexico priorities. The notice does not specify the exact number of expected awards in the provided text, but the ceiling communicates the upper bound per award and helps applicants size proposals realistically.

In practical terms, an applicant considering this opportunity should frame its proposal around rangeland resource outcomes and partner collaboration with BLM New Mexico, ensure the applicant organization is eligible (public entity, qualifying nonprofit, tribe/tribal organization, or eligible educational institution), and avoid proposing intern or youth-crew staffing models that rely on Public Lands Corps authority. If the project concept depends heavily on conservation corps crews or internships, the opportunity itself is telling applicants that the correct route is the separate BLM youth conservation NOFO, not this one.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Rangeland Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.237.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-11. (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 $300,000.00 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 L23AS00213

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