Land Conservation Training and Outreach | F18AS00268

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00268

The Land Conservation Training and Outreach opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00268) is a U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary program action structured as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.654, National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements. Its core purpose is to strengthen the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) by supporting work that helps identify, conserve, manage, and enhance both the physical infrastructure (such as access features and on-the-ground capacity) and the ecological infrastructure (habitat connectivity, landscape resilience, and related conservation outcomes). A major emphasis is improving public access and delivering high-quality outdoor recreation, while also building a stronger volunteer base and helping cultivate the next generation of hunters, anglers, and wildlife enthusiasts through conservation work that occurs both on NWRS lands and in surrounding landscapes and waters where partnerships matter.

This specific notice is not an open competition; it is a Notification of Intent to make a single-source award, and the recipient had already been selected at the time of posting. The award is directed to the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) to provide training and educational resources for land trusts so they can serve as more effective conservation partners for the Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal programs. The training focus is practical and operational, aiming to improve the ability of land trusts to complete stronger, more defensible conservation projects and to steward those projects over time. Key subject areas include conservation finance strategies, project due diligence (both strategic and stewardship-related), and landscape-scale conservation planning, with particular attention to migration corridors and water resources. Another explicit goal is to help land trusts better understand and navigate agency initiatives, program requirements, and funding sources by convening federal partners and other experts to share guidance on how to work effectively with government conservation programs.

The planned work products and deliverables are centered on expanding access to LTA's training ecosystem, especially the Rally conference and online learning tools. During the stated period of performance (September 1, 2018 through June 40, 2019 as written in the notice), LTA is expected to produce educational content that directly supports stronger partnerships with the Fish and Wildlife Service. This includes hosting 10 Rally workshops covering topics such as real estate transactions and appraisals, strategic conservation approaches, and federal financing mechanisms. In addition to workshops, LTA will develop new guidance materials tied to implementing practices associated with four land trust standards: Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects, Ensuring Sound Transactions, Conservation Easement Stewardship, and Fee Land Stewardship. On the capacity-building side, the target reach is substantial: training 1,500 people from 300 organizations in land conservation skills, with the intent that these organizations become more capable partners for land acquisition efforts and long-term stewardship responsibilities. The program also includes providing access to Rally and online land conservation education platforms designed not just for one-way training, but for ongoing information-sharing and discussion among land trusts on issues of shared interest.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity lists eligible applicants broadly as nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education), but because it is a single-source cooperative agreement, those eligibility categories do not translate into a competitive application path for this particular award. The posting was created on August 10, 2018, with an original closing date of August 17, 2018, reflecting the intent-to-award timeline rather than an open solicitation. The expected number of awards is one, with an award ceiling of $30,000. The legal authorities cited span multiple statutes that support refuge management, wildlife conservation, recreation, youth and public lands corps activities, cultural resource protection, and related federal aid authorities, underscoring that the work is meant to connect training and partnership capacity to on-the-ground refuge enhancements, public use benefits, and broader conservation outcomes aligned with NWRS priorities.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Land Conservation Training and Outreach" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 10, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 17, 2018 This is a Notification of Intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to the Land Trust Alliance. The recipient has already been selected.. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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.

Apply for F18AS00268

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