Regional Level Analysis Management, Monitoring and Educational Initiative for SE Refuge Foreslands | F17AS00421

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00421

The grant opportunity titled "Regional Level Analysis Management, Monitoring and Educational Initiative for SE Refuge Foreslands" (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00421) is a discretionary funding action by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the agency expects to remain actively involved in the work rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant. The activity areas linked to the opportunity fall under education, environment, science and technology, and other research and development, reflecting a blend of applied conservation support and analytical or monitoring-focused work that can be used to guide refuge management decisions.

This posting is explicitly a notice of intent to make a single-source award, meaning it is not a competitive funding opportunity and there is no full solicitation package that other applicants can respond to. Although the standard eligibility field is listed as "unrestricted," the narrative makes clear that the Fish and Wildlife Service is not accepting proposals and is directing the award to one specific recipient. The intended recipient is Mississippi State University in Mississippi, and the work is to be carried out in support of National Wildlife Refuges through the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) framework, under Cooperative Agreement Number F17AC00841. In practical terms, this indicates the agency is leveraging an established cooperative mechanism and an existing institutional partner to deliver specialized capacity that the Service needs.

The purpose of the award is to provide technical assistance and personnel support to National Wildlife Refuges, with emphasis suggested by the title on regional-level analysis, management support, monitoring, and education initiatives related to southeastern refuge forestlands. While the notice does not spell out tasks in detail, the phrasing points to operational support that often includes collecting and analyzing ecological data, supporting habitat or forest management planning, designing or implementing monitoring protocols, and producing educational or training materials that help refuges apply consistent methods across a region. Because this is framed as regional-level assistance, the outputs would typically be intended to inform decision-making across multiple refuge units rather than being limited to a single site.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on August 22, 2017, with an original closing date of August 29, 2017, which in this context functions more like a posting window for the public notice rather than a deadline for applications. The expected number of awards is one, consistent with the single-source approach described. The award ceiling is listed as "1," which appears to be a placeholder or data-entry artifact rather than a meaningful dollar cap, since no dollar amount is provided in the notice and the posting is not designed for competition. The associated CFDA number is 15.678, tying the funding to a Fish and Wildlife Service assistance program category used for tracking and reporting.

Overall, this notice is best understood as a transparency step: the Fish and Wildlife Service is publicly documenting its intent to fund Mississippi State University via a cooperative agreement to deliver technical and staffing support for refuge-related forestland analysis, monitoring, management assistance, and education activities in the Southeast. There is no application process for outside entities because the agency has already selected the partner and is proceeding under the CESU cooperative framework.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, environment, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Level Analysis Management, Monitoring and Educational Initiative for SE Refuge Foreslands" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 22, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 29, 2017 THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE ANNOUNCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NOTICE.. (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 $1.00 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 F17AS00421

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: