FY 2017 Rio Grande Joint Venture Base Operations | F17AS00158

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00158

The FY 2017 Rio Grande Joint Venture Base Operations opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00158) is a discretionary federal funding competition run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), specifically through the FWS Southwest Region. It is designed to provide base operations support for the Rio Grande Joint Venture (RGJV), which is one of the established habitat conservation partnerships (often referred to as "joint ventures") that receive FWS support to coordinate and deliver bird habitat conservation and related natural resource outcomes across a defined geography. In practical terms, this grant is focused less on paying for on-the-ground construction and more on sustaining the partnership infrastructure that makes coordinated conservation possible, including staffing, coordination, planning, communication, and other core operational functions.

This funding is offered as a Cooperative Agreement, which usually signals a more collaborative relationship between the recipient and the federal agency than a standard grant. Cooperative agreements typically involve substantial federal involvement during the period of performance, such as coordination on workplans, participation in steering or technical discussions, and alignment with federal conservation priorities. The program aligns with the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number 15.637, indicating it sits within the Fish and Wildlife Service assistance programs portfolio.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals could come from a wide range of applicant types (for example, nonprofits, universities, state or local governments, tribal governments, or other entities), with the caveat that any additional eligibility conditions would be spelled out in the full announcement under an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section. The intent, however, is clearly tied to supporting the Rio Grande Joint Venture partnership itself, so competitive proposals would be expected to demonstrate a credible ability to carry out day-to-day partnership operations, provide or manage staff capacity, and execute the coordination and technical functions that keep the joint venture productive and aligned with regional and national conservation strategies.

The opportunity anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $263,500, meaning the maximum federal funding amount available under this particular competition was $263,500. The notice was created on March 13, 2017, and the original application closing date was May 12, 2017. With only one expected award, this competition was effectively selecting one lead entity to serve as the recipient and administrator for the RGJV base operations funding for that budget cycle, providing the organizational backbone for partnership work rather than funding multiple separate project grants.

Overall, the essence of the opportunity is straightforward: FWS sought one qualified partner organization to support the Rio Grande Joint Venture's base operations in FY 2017 by funding the staff and core activities that enable coordinated conservation delivery, partnership management, science and planning support, and other foundational functions necessary for the joint venture to operate effectively across the Rio Grande region.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2017 Rio Grande Joint Venture Base Operations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.637.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 13, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 12, 2017. (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 $263,500.00 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 F17AS00158

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