FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) Threatened and Endangered Species Program | L25AS00082

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00082

The FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) Threatened and Endangered Species Program (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00082) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Bureau of Land Management that will be awarded through cooperative agreements. It is designed to help BLM partners carry out threatened and endangered species work on BLM-managed lands in Oregon and Washington in ways that align with Department of the Interior priorities. At a high level, the program is centered on protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates, improving ecosystem and species resilience to climate change, and using natural climate solutions where they make sense. It also explicitly supports the broader conservation target of helping conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, while backing state wildlife agencies as they work toward state population objectives and emphasizing the use of the best available science and data in decision-making.

The work BLM is looking to support spans both practical, on-the-ground conservation and the science needed to guide it. Funded projects can include direct actions that conserve and help recover federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, as well as Bureau sensitive and other rare wildlife and plant species. The opportunity also covers targeted inventory and monitoring efforts to better understand current species status, distribution, and trends, and to identify where conservation actions will have the most impact. In addition, BLM is encouraging projects that build knowledge about rare and at-risk species and their habitats, including research and applied studies related to propagation techniques, genetics, ecology, and key threats. Another major focus is proactive protection and management consistent with ESA section 7(a)(1), meaning conservation programs and management actions that federal agencies are expected to carry out to help listed species recover, not just avoid harm.

A notable category of eligible work involves actively augmenting populations of rare species through translocations, seed collection, and propagation, which can be especially important for plants and small or isolated wildlife populations. The program also seeks proposals that improve how efficiently and effectively ESA compliance and conservation are carried out, particularly by strengthening the quality and speed of ESA section 7(a)(2) consultation support and improving overall ESA section 7(a)(1) conservation planning and implementation. Beyond field and technical work, BLM is also interested in public-facing efforts that increase understanding of threatened, endangered, sensitive, and rare species on BLM lands. This includes communications, outreach and education, and program website updates, with a clear emphasis on reaching and involving communities of color, low-income families, and rural and Indigenous communities, and connecting that engagement to enhanced economic opportunities tied to wildlife and conservation work.

Eligibility is limited to organizations and governmental entities, not individuals or for-profit businesses. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Tribal governments and other Tribal organizations; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education). The opportunity is categorized under CFDA 15.246 (Natural Resources). The posted award ceiling is $1,500,000. The original application deadline listed is March 3, 2025, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of November 18, 2024.

Two important restrictions are called out. First, individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible. Second, this particular NOFO does not support hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993; BLM notes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns in that way. Organizations looking to do youth crew or intern-focused work are directed instead to pursue projects under a different funding opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands), rather than trying to fit that type of proposal into this threatened and endangered species program.

The notice also highlights how Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs) fit into the program. CESUs are partnerships structured to support research, monitoring, technical assistance, and education. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement, and the project aligns with CESU purposes, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner’s federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are encouraged to state clearly whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and, if so, which CESU Network should serve as the host, which helps BLM route and manage the award under the appropriate CESU structure.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as BLM ORWA’s invitation to partner organizations to bring capacity, expertise, and community connections to species conservation on public lands, combining field implementation, monitoring and applied science, ESA-related planning and compliance support, and public engagement. The strongest fit is likely a project that clearly ties actions to measurable conservation outcomes for listed, sensitive, or rare species; shows how data and best science will guide decisions; demonstrates climate resilience and biodiversity benefits; and includes thoughtful outreach or benefits for historically underserved communities when appropriate to the work.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington (ORWA) 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 2024-11-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-03. (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 $1,500,000.00 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.

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