Adaptive Management and Research of Natural Resources on Midwest Air Force Installations | D23AS00333

Opportunity Information: Apply for D23AS00333

The grant opportunity titled "Adaptive Management and Research of Natural Resources on Midwest Air Force Installations" supports research and applied management work that helps Air Force bases sustain, restore, and modernize their natural infrastructure while protecting mission readiness. The core purpose is to ensure there is no net loss in the ability of Air Force lands to support military operations, meaning land and water resources must remain functional for training and operational needs even as ecosystems are maintained or improved. The work emphasized under this opportunity includes ecosystem management activities that sustain species and habitats, reduce the risk of environmental conditions interfering with operations, and prevent natural resource issues from degrading the mission over time.

A major organizing framework for this effort is the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) used at each installation. Projects supported through this opportunity are expected to align with the priorities and requirements laid out in those INRMPs, which are written to both sustain military readiness and keep installations in compliance with fish, wildlife, and broader natural resources regulations. INRMP development is described as a collaborative process involving Air Force natural resources managers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and each state’s fish and game agency, which signals that proposed projects should anticipate coordination with these partners and fit into an established, multi-agency planning context.

The service area covered is broad and spans many Air Force installations across the Midwest and surrounding region. The installations listed include Fairchild AFB (WA), Mountain Home AFB (ID), Malmstrom AFB (MT), Hill AFB and the Utah Training and Testing Range (UT), F.E. Warren AFB and Sundance AFS (WY), Buckley SFB, Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, and the U.S. Air Force Academy (CO), Minot AFB, Grand Forks AFB, and Cavalier SFS (ND), Ellsworth AFB and the Badlands Bombing Range (SD), Offutt AFB (NE), McConnell AFB (KS), Whiteman AFB (MO), Scott AFB (IL), and Wright-Patterson AFB (OH). In practice, that list suggests the program is meant to support region-wide natural resources needs across different ecosystems and mission types, from bombing and testing ranges to academies and space force bases.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which generally implies more substantial involvement by the federal government in the project compared with a standard grant. The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development and is associated with CFDA number 12.300. The listed agency is the Interior Business Center, indicating the Department of the Interior is providing the financial assistance mechanism even though the work is tied to Air Force installation natural resources programs. The original closing date shown is June 5, 2023, and the award ceiling is listed as $3,000,000. An expected number of awards is not clearly specified in the source text.

Eligibility is aimed at organizations rather than individuals. Eligible applicants include a wide range of institutional and organizational types such as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments). The narrative also states that qualified and responsible organizational applicants from academia, the nonprofit sector, and industry may apply, and it specifically notes that University Affiliated Research Centers may submit proposals unless their Department of Defense operating contract prohibits it. At the same time, several entity types are explicitly ineligible to apply as primary recipients: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), individual persons, and federal agencies.

The opportunity also highlights a federal risk and responsibility review process. Applications may be evaluated using information from the applicant’s proposal as well as data from Office of Management and Budget-designated government-wide repositories, consistent with federal regulations (including 2 CFR 200.205 and 32 CFR 22.410) and statutory authorities cited in the announcement. The practical takeaway is that applicants should be prepared for standard federal responsibility determinations, and an inability to confirm that an applicant is qualified and responsible can make the organization ineligible for award even if the technical proposal is strong.

Overall, the program is best understood as a mechanism to fund research and adaptive management projects that directly support INRMP-driven natural resources priorities on a defined set of Air Force installations, with the broader goal of protecting both ecological function and military readiness. Projects that clearly connect ecological outcomes to mission outcomes, demonstrate coordination with installation and regulatory partners, and fit within INRMP objectives are the most natural match for the intent described in the announcement.

• The Interior Business Ceter in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Adaptive Management and Research of Natural Resources on Midwest Air Force Installations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-05. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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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