BLM-(MT)- Sage-Grouse Conservation, Rocky Mountain Region | L17AS00212

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00212

The BLM-(MT)- Sage-Grouse Conservation, Rocky Mountain Region opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00212) is a Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management discretionary funding program offered as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.231 (Natural Resources). It was created on July 14, 2017, with an original application closing date of September 11, 2017. The solicitation anticipated making one award, with a maximum federal funding ceiling of $1,000,000. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types could apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications included in the full notice.

The grant is grounded in an ongoing, multi-state conservation effort spanning Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, where federal, state, and private partners have worked together in a science-based campaign to conserve the greater sage-grouse and the broader sagebrush ecosystem. A central piece of context for this opportunity is that, due to those collective conservation actions across the species range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously determined the greater sage-grouse did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. The opportunity positions continued, durable partnership-based conservation as essential to maintaining that outcome over time, recognizing that progress depends on coordinated commitments across jurisdictions and landownerships.

The primary objective is to establish a Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Program for the Rocky Mountain Region focused on BLM-managed lands. Under the cooperative agreement structure, BLM and the selected recipient would work together to identify priority conservation needs, select and fund specific on-the-ground actions and related projects, and track and report measurable accomplishments that contribute to sage-grouse conservation. The program is explicitly intended to support actions that either directly address known threats to the species and its habitat or provide proactive conservation designed to prevent future declines. The overall management emphasis is on implementing practical conservation work efficiently and at a scale large enough to produce landscape-level results, rather than isolated or piecemeal improvements.

A major feature of the program is its expectation that the recipient will help expand the partnership network and the funding base beyond BLM alone. In coordination with BLM, the recipient is expected to invite participation from other federal agencies as well as private parties and to actively seek opportunities to attract new partners. This expansion is meant to improve conservation outcomes by increasing coordination across efforts, reducing duplication, creating efficiencies of scale, and leveraging combined funding from multiple federal and non-federal sources. In other words, the award is not only about implementing projects, but also about building a durable, collaborative programmatic framework that can sustain and grow conservation investments over time.

The public benefit rationale emphasizes that conserving the greater sage-grouse and its sagebrush habitat has broad ecological and community value, with benefits extending to hundreds of other native plant and animal species associated with sagebrush landscapes. The opportunity also frames sage-grouse conservation as a way to connect the public to the tangible benefits of healthy public lands, supporting nature-based experiences and reinforcing long-term stewardship. By demonstrating that collaborative conservation can work within a multiple-use management setting, the program aims to conserve key public land values while potentially reducing long-term costs through early, coordinated action that prevents more expensive interventions later.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-(MT)- Sage-Grouse Conservation, Rocky Mountain Region" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 14, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 11, 2017. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for L17AS00212

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