FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Colorado Threatened and Endangered Species Program | L25AS00150

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00150

The FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado Threatened and Endangered Species Program grant (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00150) is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the BLM to support on-the-ground conservation and related science for threatened, endangered, sensitive, and otherwise rare species on BLM-managed lands in Colorado. Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which generally means BLM expects substantial involvement and coordination during project implementation rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The opportunity sits within the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.246) and is framed as part of broader Department of the Interior priorities, including protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates, increasing resilience to climate change, leveraging natural climate solutions, and contributing to the national goal of conserving at least 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030. The program also emphasizes supporting state wildlife objectives and using the best available science and data to guide decisions.

Projects supported under this program are intended to advance practical conservation outcomes as well as fill key information gaps. BLM is looking for partner-led work that contributes to the program's strategic goals through direct conservation and recovery actions for federally listed species, BLM sensitive species, and rare plants and wildlife. This includes habitat protection and management actions, as well as targeted inventory and monitoring designed to clarify species status, distribution, and conservation opportunities. The scope explicitly includes research and applied learning that improves understanding of species and habitats, such as work on propagation methods, genetics, ecological requirements, and threat assessment. The program also calls out proactive management consistent with Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7(a)(1), along with actions that can augment populations and improve long-term viability, including translocations, seed collection, and propagation.

A notable emphasis of the NOFO is improving program efficiency and effectiveness related to ESA compliance and conservation. BLM specifically references strengthening both ESA section 7(a)(2) consultation processes and ESA section 7(a)(1) conservation programs, suggesting the agency is interested in tools, data products, or collaborative processes that reduce bottlenecks, improve analysis, and support timely, defensible decision-making. Beyond field and technical work, the opportunity also supports public-facing efforts that build awareness and understanding of sensitive and listed species on BLM lands. That includes outreach, education, communications, and updates to program web content, with a stated priority to engage communities of color, low-income families, and rural and Indigenous communities in ways that can also enhance economic opportunities connected to wildlife and conservation.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit sectors and educational institutions. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments (including special districts), federally recognized Tribal governments, other Tribal organizations, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible under this NOFO. The notice also clarifies that this program does not fund the hiring of interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. If an applicant is a Youth Conservation Corps or is seeking to place crews or interns under that authority, the relevant pathway is a different BLM opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands), not this threatened and endangered species program.

Applicants working through Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs) should pay close attention to indirect cost rules. CESUs are mission-focused partnerships intended to deliver research, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services. If an award is made to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project aligns with the CESU purpose, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the approved indirect cost base in the partner's federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). Proposals are expected to indicate whether they further CESU purposes and, if so, to identify which CESU Network should serve as host.

Key logistics included in the source information are a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $200,000 and an application deadline of January 31, 2025. The opportunity was created on December 2, 2024. Overall, this NOFO is best read as an invitation for Colorado-focused partnerships that can deliver measurable conservation outcomes for imperiled species on BLM lands, strengthen the data and science needed for smarter management, improve ESA-related efficiencies, and expand public engagement and communications in a way that reaches historically underserved communities.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Colorado Threatened and Endangered Species Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.246.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-31. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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 L25AS00150

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