FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management California Recreation and Visitor Services | L25AS00141

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00141

The FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Recreation and Visitor Services opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00141) is a discretionary federal grant program offered by the BLM to support recreation and visitor service projects on or connected to BLM-managed public lands in California. Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination, technical input, or shared responsibilities) rather than a hands-off pass-through of funds. The program sits under CFDA 15.225 and is framed around delivering public benefits through outdoor recreation while also advancing broader Administration and Department of the Interior priorities.

The strategic focus is on improving and expanding recreational opportunities that strengthen local communities and economies, while also reducing environmental and climate impacts and improving equity in access to public lands. In fiscal year 2025, BLM emphasizes projects that build healthy communities, advance environmental justice, address the climate crisis, and provide safe and equitable access to outdoor recreation for all Americans. The notice ties these goals directly to major federal initiatives and authorities, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Great American Outdoors Act, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, and two key executive orders: E.O. 13985 on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities, and E.O. 14008 on tackling the climate crisis.

The kinds of projects BLM is looking to fund are those that translate these priorities into on-the-ground and visitor-facing improvements. The notice highlights four main outcomes: connecting with youth, Tribes, and underserved communities to foster stewardship of public lands; enhancing access to quality outdoor recreation while promoting climate resiliency; identifying and removing barriers that keep people from participating in outdoor recreation and expanding opportunities for broader participation; and improving the sustainability and quality of the visitor experience by delivering modern, engaging, and up-to-date visitor information both online and in person. In practical terms, that can point to work such as improving trail and site access, developing inclusive recreation planning or outreach, upgrading visitor information systems and content, and making recreation infrastructure and services more resilient to heat, fire, flooding, and other climate-driven risks, as long as the work aligns with BLM recreation and visitor services objectives.

Eligibility is limited to public and nonprofit or educational partners rather than private business or individual applicants. 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; other Tribal organizations; and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories). Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible under this notice, so proposals must come from one of the qualifying governmental, Tribal, nonprofit, or academic entities.

There are also two important restrictions called out in the notice. First, this 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 under that mechanism, and directs eligible Youth Conservation Corps applicants toward a different funding opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands) for projects developed under that authority. Second, the notice addresses Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are partnerships designed to provide research, technical assistance, monitoring, and educational services. If an award is made to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement and the project fits the CESU purpose, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner's federally approved NICRA. Applicants are asked to state whether their proposal advances the CESU mission and, if so, which CESU Network should serve as the host.

Key logistics included in the source data are an application deadline of February 3, 2025, and an award ceiling of $200,000 per award. While the listing notes "ExpectedAwards:" without providing a number, applicants should plan around the stated maximum award size and the cooperative agreement structure, and ensure the proposal clearly maps activities and outcomes to the program priorities around equitable access, community and economic benefits, climate resiliency, and improved visitor information and experiences on BLM lands in California.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management California Recreation and Visitor Services" 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 2024-12-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-03. (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 $200,000.00 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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