FY23 BLM Oregon Washington SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS, TITLE II GRANTS | L23AS00283

Opportunity Information: Apply for L23AS00283

The FY23 BLM Oregon Washington Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Title II Grants opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L23AS00283) is a discretionary federal funding program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), focused on natural resources work in Oregon and Washington. Awards are issued as cooperative agreements, which usually means the BLM anticipates being actively involved in the project beyond simply providing funds (for example, collaborating on planning, coordination, or oversight during implementation). The program is tied to CFDA (now often referred to as Assistance Listing) 15.234, which is associated with Secure Rural Schools and community self-determination type funding.

This opportunity is aimed at supporting projects commonly associated with SRS Title II purposes, which generally revolve around improving the condition of federal lands and addressing related community needs in rural areas that historically depended on timber receipts. While the notice text provided here is brief, Title II funding in practice is often used for on-the-ground natural resource work such as restoration and improvement activities, road and trail-related work connected to watershed health and public access, and other projects that benefit federal lands and nearby communities. Because this is administered by BLM for Oregon and Washington, applicants should expect the program to prioritize projects that align with BLM land management objectives in those states, and that can be carried out in coordination with the agency.

A wide range of applicant types are eligible. Eligible applicants listed include state governments, county governments, cities or townships, special district governments, independent school districts, and public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The eligibility list also includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments, as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. In addition, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities are eligible, along with nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status, private institutions of higher education, and even individuals. One notable statement in the posting is that for-profit organizations are not ineligible under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), meaning businesses may apply as well, even though for-profits are not explicitly listed in the eligible applicant types section. In practical terms, that wording signals that the program does not automatically disqualify for-profit applicants, but an applicant should still confirm any specific eligibility conditions and documentation requirements in the full NOFO package.

The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $250,000. The posting does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided source text, so applicants should not assume how competitive the program is based on award count alone and should look to the full announcement for details such as available total funding, anticipated number of awards, and any minimum award size if applicable. The original application closing date was May 15, 2023, and the opportunity was created on March 13, 2023, indicating this was a time-limited funding round for FY23 rather than an always-open program.

Overall, this grant opportunity represents BLM OR-WA funding for SRS Title II-style natural resources projects delivered through cooperative agreements, with broad eligibility across public entities, tribes, nonprofits, higher education, and individuals, and with explicit clarification that for-profit applicants are not automatically excluded. The key practical takeaways are the cooperative agreement structure (expect agency involvement), the natural resources focus, and the $250,000 ceiling, with the need to consult the full NOFO for the specific project types, evaluation criteria, match requirements (if any), and submission instructions that were not included in the brief excerpt provided.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY23 BLM Oregon Washington SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS, TITLE II GRANTS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.234.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-03-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-15. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Individuals.

Apply for L23AS00283

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