Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00179
The 15.658 Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR) is a Department of the Interior program administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that supports work related to assessing injuries to natural resources and restoring those resources when they have been harmed by pollution events or releases of hazardous substances. In practical terms, the opportunity is tied to the federal framework used when oil spills, hazardous substance releases, or other contamination incidents damage fish, wildlife, habitats, or related public natural resources. Funding and assistance under this program generally align with the NRDAR process: documenting and quantifying environmental injuries, determining appropriate restoration actions to make the public whole, and implementing restoration projects that compensate for the loss of natural resource services.
The legal authorities listed in the notice show the main situations in which NRDAR applies. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) and the Oil Pollution Act provide authorities connected to discharges of oil and pollutants into navigable waters and adjoining shorelines, while the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or "Superfund") provides authority for releases of hazardous substances. The Fish and Wildlife Act authorities further support the federal role in protecting and restoring fish and wildlife resources. Together, these statutes underpin the role of federal and state trustees who act on behalf of the public to evaluate environmental harm and seek restoration from responsible parties, and they also provide the context for using federal assistance instruments to carry out assessment and restoration work.
This specific listing (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00179) is categorized as a discretionary opportunity and indicates that awards could be made using several instrument types: cooperative agreements, grants, or procurement contracts. That mix matters because it signals the agency may choose an assistance approach (grant or cooperative agreement) when supporting eligible external partners to carry out assessment/restoration-related activities, or a procurement contract when acquiring goods or services directly for the government. Cooperative agreements typically imply substantial federal involvement in the project, such as close coordination, technical direction, or shared project management, which is common in complex assessment and restoration efforts.
The funding activity category is Environment, and the CFDA (now commonly referenced as Assistance Listing) number is 15.658. Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning the opportunity is open to any type of entity as a baseline, although the notice also notes that eligibility could be further clarified in an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section (not included in the excerpt). In similar federal environmental assistance listings, unrestricted eligibility can include state, local, territorial, and tribal governments; universities; nonprofit organizations; and in some cases private entities, depending on the nature of the work and statutory constraints. Applicants would generally need to be capable of carrying out technically credible environmental assessment, planning, engineering/design, restoration implementation, monitoring, or related program support work consistent with NRDAR goals.
The opportunity record provided shows a creation date of April 10, 2019, with an original closing date of July 30, 2019, indicating it was a time-limited solicitation. The "Award Ceiling: 1" appears in the source data but is ambiguous in isolation; in federal opportunity records, this field usually represents a maximum dollar amount per award, but the value shown here is "1," which may reflect missing data, a placeholder, or an entry error rather than a meaningful cap. The record also lists "Expected Awards: 0," which likewise can reflect an administrative placeholder or uncertainty at the time of posting rather than a literal intent to make no awards. In other words, those two numeric fields should be treated cautiously without the full announcement text that would normally spell out funding amounts, anticipated number of awards, and budget constraints.
Overall, the NRDAR grant opportunity is best understood as a mechanism for supporting the scientific, technical, and on-the-ground work needed to evaluate damage to publicly held natural resources and to plan and implement restoration that compensates for those injuries under major federal pollution and hazardous-substance laws. The sponsoring agency is the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, which commonly serves as a federal natural resource trustee and partners with other trustees and entities to ensure restoration is appropriately designed, implemented, and monitored to achieve ecological recovery and public benefit.Apply for F19AS00179
- The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "15.658 Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.658.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 10, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2019. (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 $1.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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FAQs: 15.658 Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR)
What is the 15.658 Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR)?
The 15.658 NRDAR program is a U.S. Department of the Interior effort administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It supports work to assess injuries to natural resources and to restore those resources when they have been harmed by pollution events or releases of hazardous substances. In practical terms, it aligns with the federal NRDAR framework used when contamination incidents damage fish, wildlife, habitats, or other related public natural resources.
What kinds of incidents does NRDAR address?
NRDAR is used in situations such as oil spills, hazardous substance releases, and other contamination incidents that injure public natural resources. The program context described in the notice ties directly to events involving discharges of oil or pollutants into waters/shorelines and releases of hazardous substances.
What types of harms or injuries are in scope for this program?
The opportunity is focused on injuries to natural resources, including fish, wildlife, habitats, and related public natural resources, when those resources are harmed by pollution events or hazardous substance releases. The emphasis is on environmental injury and the associated loss of natural resource services to the public.
What does NRDAR funding and assistance generally support?
Based on the description provided, funding and assistance generally align with the NRDAR process, including: documenting and quantifying environmental injuries, determining appropriate restoration actions to make the public whole, and implementing restoration projects that compensate for the loss of natural resource services.
What is meant by "making the public whole" in the NRDAR context?
In the NRDAR framework described, "making the public whole" refers to determining and carrying out restoration actions that compensate for injuries to publicly held natural resources and the loss of the services those resources provide.
Who administers this opportunity?
The sponsoring agency is the Department of the Interior, and the program is administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?
The Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) number is 15.658.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number provided is F19AS00179.
Is this a discretionary grant opportunity?
Yes. The listing is categorized as a discretionary opportunity.
What award or funding instruments may be used under this opportunity?
The notice indicates awards could be made using multiple instrument types: cooperative agreements, grants, or procurement contracts. This means the agency may use an assistance instrument (grant or cooperative agreement) to support eligible partners, or a procurement contract when acquiring goods or services directly for the government.
What is the difference between a grant and a cooperative agreement here?
The description notes that cooperative agreements typically involve substantial federal involvement, such as close coordination, technical direction, or shared project management. This can be common in complex assessment and restoration efforts.
What is the "funding activity category" for this opportunity?
The funding activity category listed is Environment.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as "unrestricted," meaning it is open to any type of entity as a baseline. The notice also indicates eligibility could be further clarified in an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section (not included in the excerpt), so the full announcement may add conditions or limits.
What does "unrestricted eligibility" mean in practical terms?
As described, "unrestricted" means the opportunity is broadly open. The summary also notes that in similar federal environmental assistance listings this can include state, local, territorial, and tribal governments; universities; nonprofit organizations; and sometimes private entities, depending on the nature of the work and statutory constraints. Any additional restrictions would typically be spelled out in the full notice rather than this excerpt.
What capabilities would an applicant likely need to be a good fit?
Applicants would generally need the ability to carry out technically credible work consistent with NRDAR goals, such as environmental assessment, planning, engineering or design, restoration implementation, monitoring, or related program support.
Which laws and authorities are connected to this NRDAR opportunity?
The notice lists several legal authorities that define the main situations where NRDAR applies, including: the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act), the Oil Pollution Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or "Superfund"), and Fish and Wildlife Act authorities that support federal protection and restoration of fish and wildlife resources.
How do the Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act relate to this program?
The description explains that these authorities are connected to discharges of oil and pollutants into navigable waters and adjoining shorelines, providing context for assessing harm and pursuing restoration when those types of incidents occur.
How does CERCLA ("Superfund") relate to this program?
CERCLA provides authority in connection with releases of hazardous substances. Within the NRDAR context described, that authority supports the assessment of injuries and restoration of resources harmed by such releases.
What role do trustees play in NRDAR?
The notice describes federal and state trustees as acting on behalf of the public to evaluate environmental harm and seek restoration from responsible parties. This trustee role provides important context for why assessment and restoration work is conducted and how it is pursued under the referenced statutes.
Does the program focus more on assessment, restoration, or both?
Both. The description emphasizes the full NRDAR process, from documenting and quantifying injuries (assessment) to determining appropriate restoration actions and implementing restoration projects (restoration).
When was this opportunity created and when did it close?
The record shows a creation date of April 10, 2019, and an original closing date of July 30, 2019, indicating it was a time-limited solicitation.
What does "Award Ceiling: 1" mean?
In many federal records, an award ceiling field usually indicates a maximum dollar amount per award. However, the value shown here is "1," which is ambiguous and may reflect missing data, a placeholder, or an entry error. Without the full announcement text, it should not be treated as a reliable cap.
What does "Expected Awards: 0" mean?
The record lists "Expected Awards: 0," but the description cautions that this can be an administrative placeholder or reflect uncertainty at the time of posting rather than a literal statement that no awards will be made. The full announcement would normally clarify anticipated awards.
Why might the agency use a procurement contract instead of a grant?
The notice indicates that a procurement contract may be used when the government is directly acquiring goods or services. In contrast, grants and cooperative agreements are assistance approaches used to support eligible external partners carrying out work aligned with program goals.
What is the overall purpose of this NRDAR opportunity?
Overall, the opportunity is described as a mechanism to support the scientific, technical, and on-the-ground work needed to evaluate damage to publicly held natural resources and to plan and implement restoration that compensates for those injuries under major federal pollution and hazardous-substance laws.
How is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service involved beyond administering the program?
The description notes that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service commonly serves as a federal natural resource trustee and partners with other trustees and entities to help ensure restoration is appropriately designed, implemented, and monitored to achieve ecological recovery and public benefit.
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