IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Utah Recreation and Visitor Services Program | L24AS00272

Opportunity Information: Apply for L24AS00272

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Recreation and Visitor Services Program (Funding Opportunity Number L24AS00272) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project during implementation (for example, coordination, technical input, or shared decision-making), rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant. The program sits in the Natural Resources funding activity area and is associated with CFDA 15.225. The opportunity was created on February 20, 2024, with an original application closing date of April 19, 2024. The listed award ceiling is $100,000.

The purpose of the opportunity, as indicated by the title and description, is to support recreation and visitor services work connected to BLM-managed public lands in Utah, using funding linked to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and/or the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In practical terms, projects under a "recreation and visitor services" umbrella typically include efforts that improve visitor experiences, strengthen public access and safety, enhance recreation-related infrastructure and services, support visitor information and interpretation, and help manage recreation impacts to protect natural and cultural resources. The specific project types and priorities would normally be spelled out in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), but the framing clearly ties this funding to BLM Utah work that benefits recreation management and visitors on public lands.

Eligibility is broad for public and nonprofit sectors, but it has a firm set of exclusions. 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; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible under this NOFO, which is a key screening point for anyone considering applying through a private company or as an individual consultant.

The NOFO also draws a clear boundary around youth internship and crew hiring under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. This program funding does not support entities hiring interns or crews under that Act, and the notice emphasizes that the Public Lands Corps Act is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that specific authority. As a result, youth-focused conservation corps efforts that rely on Public Lands Corps mechanisms are directed to a different funding route: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. In other words, if an applicant is trying to build a proposal around interns, youth crews, or a corps-based model tied to Public Lands Corps authority, this particular Utah Recreation and Visitor Services NOFO is not intended to be the vehicle.

Another important component of the opportunity is how it handles Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are described as partnerships organized to promote and provide research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and education services. If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement, and the proposed work aligns with the CESU purpose, then indirect costs are capped: they may not exceed 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are instructed to indicate whether their proposal furthers CESU program purposes and, if so, to specify which CESU Network should be considered as the host. This matters because it affects both how the award may be structured and how indirect costs are treated, and it signals that BLM is open to projects that fit CESU-type activities like monitoring, assessments, and technical/educational support, as long as the applicant is an eligible CESU partner and the work is aligned.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a BLM Utah-focused cooperative agreement program aimed at strengthening recreation and visitor services on public lands, funded through major federal investment legislation, with eligibility centered on governmental entities, tribes, higher education, and nonprofits. It excludes individuals and for-profit applicants, steers youth corps/internship concepts to a different BLM youth-focused NOFO, and includes specific guidance for CESU partners, especially around the 17.5 percent indirect cost limitation and the need to identify the relevant CESU network when applicable.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Utah Recreation and Visitor Services Program" 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 2024-02-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-19. (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 $100,000.00 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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