Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Plant Conservation and Restoration Management | L22AS00344

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00344

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico Plant Conservation and Restoration Management grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00344) is a discretionary Department of the Interior program designed to support plant-focused natural resource work in New Mexico, specifically conservation and restoration management activities on or tied to BLM-managed public lands and related priorities. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means applicants should expect substantial BLM involvement during the project period (for example, coordination on work planning, technical direction, access, compliance needs, monitoring approaches, or alignment with BLM field office priorities), rather than a simple pass-through grant with minimal federal participation.

This opportunity falls under CFDA 15.245 and is categorized under Natural Resources. While the public summary provided does not list specific project types in detail, the title and program framing indicate the intent is to fund on-the-ground or management-support efforts that improve the condition, resilience, and long-term stewardship of plant communities. In practice, opportunities with this scope often cover activities such as native plant conservation actions, habitat restoration, revegetation or seeding efforts, invasive plant management linked to restoration goals, site preparation and follow-up maintenance, seed collection or development of plant materials tied to restoration, monitoring and adaptive management related to plant community outcomes, and planning or implementation support that directly advances BLM plant resource objectives. Because it is a New Mexico state BLM opportunity, projects would typically need a clear connection to BLM New Mexico priorities and geography.

Eligibility is broad for public and nonprofit partners, but there are clear exclusions. Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 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; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not institutions of higher education, where applicable). The mix of eligible entities suggests BLM is seeking partnerships with governments, universities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations that can deliver conservation outcomes, provide technical expertise, or coordinate multi-party restoration work.

A particularly important restriction in this NOFO is that it does not support projects where entities hire 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 allowing BLM to "hire" interns under that specific framework, and as a result, Youth Conservation Corps-type projects must be pursued under a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In other words, even if an applicant is otherwise eligible here, this specific plant conservation and restoration NOFO is not the right vehicle for internship/crew hiring models under the Public Lands Corps authority, and applicants intending to use that approach are directed to the youth-focused NOFO instead.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000, with the original closing date listed as June 20, 2022, and a creation date of April 29, 2022. The number of expected awards is not specified in the provided data. Given the ceiling and cooperative agreement structure, BLM likely anticipated a mix of project scales, potentially ranging from smaller, targeted restoration actions to larger multi-site or multi-year efforts, depending on appropriations, partner capacity, and alignment with BLM’s plant conservation needs in New Mexico.

In practical terms, a strong application for this opportunity would normally be expected to clearly describe the plant conservation or restoration problem being addressed, identify the BLM lands or BLM resource objectives that benefit, lay out a sound technical approach (methods, timeline, deliverables, and monitoring), demonstrate the applicant’s capacity and relevant experience, and show coordination with the appropriate BLM New Mexico offices. Applicants also needed to ensure their project design did not rely on Public Lands Corps intern/crew hiring under this NOFO and, if youth crews were central to the approach, to redirect that concept to the separate youth conservation funding stream.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Plant Conservation and Restoration Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.245.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-04-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-06-20. (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 $1,000,000.00 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.

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