National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements | F19AS00209

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00209

The National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00209) was a discretionary funding notice issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It was offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning FWS expected to be substantially involved in planning, oversight, and execution rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The funding activity areas were broad and cross-cutting, covering environment and natural resources as well as workforce and service components such as employment, labor, and training, and it was associated with CFDA 15.654 (a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistance listing tied to refuge-related work).

At a high level, the purpose was to support enhancement work within the National Wildlife Refuge System. While the public summary does not spell out a specific project list, the title and the legal authorities cited indicate the work was intended to strengthen refuge conservation and public-use infrastructure and capacity, typically involving on-the-ground improvements and stewardship actions that benefit wildlife, habitat, and visitor services. The statutory authorities referenced span core fish and wildlife conservation authorities (including the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Fish and Wildlife Act), refuge public recreation authorities (Refuge Recreation Act), and the main administrative framework for managing refuges (National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act). The inclusion of the Youth Conservation Corps and Public Lands Corps authorities points to a strong service and conservation workforce component, often involving conservation crews and hands-on projects. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act reference signals that projects could intersect with cultural and archaeological resource considerations on refuge lands, requiring appropriate compliance and protection measures. The mention of Federal Aid for Highways provisions suggests that certain transportation-related or access improvements connected to refuge operations or visitation could also be relevant when consistent with applicable rules.

The notice was explicitly framed as a "Notice of Intent to Single Source to the American Conservation Experience," which is important context for how competitive the funding actually was. A single-source intent generally indicates the agency planned to make one award to a specific organization rather than run a full open competition, typically because that organization is uniquely positioned to perform the work or because of continuity, capacity, or other justified reasons. Even though the eligibility field lists qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education), the single-source language indicates that, in practice, the intended recipient was American Conservation Experience, and applications would have needed to conform to the specific requirements described in the full Notice of Funding Opportunity, including the activities and stipulations in Sections I through VII and an application checklist.

In terms of funding scale and timing, the opportunity had an award ceiling of $1,000,000 and anticipated a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1). The record shows it was created on May 10, 2019, with an original closing date of May 16, 2019, reflecting a very short application window consistent with a targeted, single-source action rather than a longer, broadly competitive process. Overall, the opportunity can be understood as a one-time, FWS-managed cooperative agreement aimed at delivering tangible improvements and capacity enhancements across refuge system priorities, likely leveraging conservation corps-style labor and training pathways while operating under the suite of federal conservation, recreation, and cultural resource protection laws that govern work on national wildlife refuges.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the agriculture, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Wildlife Refuge System Enhancements" 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 May 10, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 16, 2019 Notice of Intent to Single Source to the American Conservation Experience. Applications must address all activities amp stipulations in Sections I-VII and the Application Checklist (via Notice of Funding Opportunity).. (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: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F19AS00209

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