FY23 IIJA Bureau of Land Management Eastern States (ES) Recreation and Visitor Services | L23AS00256

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00256

The FY23 IIJA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern States (ES) Recreation and Visitor Services opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00256) is a discretionary federal funding program administered by the Department of the Interior through the BLM. It is designed to support recreation and visitor service-related work on public lands managed by BLM in its Eastern States jurisdiction, and it is funded under the broader framework of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which typically means the BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation (for example, coordinating technical input, approving key deliverables, or jointly managing aspects of the work rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back).

The program falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.225. Eligible applicants include a wide range of public and nonprofit entities: state, county, and local governments (including cities, townships, and special districts); 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 housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not higher education institutions when applying under the nonprofit category). Two categories are explicitly barred from applying: individuals and for-profit organizations.

A major restriction highlighted in the notice is that this specific NOFO does not support projects that involve hiring 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 framework, and this particular funding opportunity is not the vehicle for that type of engagement. As a result, even eligible youth-focused entities such as Youth Conservation Corps are directed away from this opportunity if their project concept involves Public Lands Corps-style internships or crews. Instead, youth conservation and corps-style proposals must be pursued through a different, dedicated funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In practical terms, applicants to L23AS00256 should focus their project designs on recreation and visitor services outcomes without structuring the work around PLC intern hiring or PLC crews.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $30,000 per award and an original application closing date of April 17, 2023. The opportunity record shows a creation date of February 15, 2023. While the summary information provided does not list the expected number of awards, the relatively modest ceiling suggests the program is geared toward smaller, targeted projects that can produce clear on-the-ground improvements or visitor-facing benefits within BLM Eastern States-managed recreation areas, consistent with recreation and visitor services priorities, and implemented in partnership with eligible governmental, educational, tribal, or nonprofit organizations.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY23 IIJA Bureau of Land Management Eastern States (ES) Recreation and Visitor Services" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.225.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-17. (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 $30,000.00 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 L23AS00256

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