National Youth Conservation Corps | W9126G 24 2 FOA 1659

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 24 2 FOA 1659

The National Youth Conservation Corps funding opportunity is being offered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, to support natural resources conservation and recreation management work at USACE water resources development projects across the United States. USACE manages a very large outdoor recreation footprint, with more than 270 million visits each year at over 400 locations, ranging from small lake and river sites to major hydropower and multi-purpose dam projects. Many of these locations include public-facing recreation assets like campgrounds, picnic areas, beaches, visitor centers, and trail systems, and USACE also has stewardship responsibilities for more than 12 million acres of land and water. The opportunity is rooted in federal authority that allows the Army to partner through cooperative agreements with non-federal public and nonprofit entities to expand training and educational opportunities tied to conservation and recreation management activities.

USACE plans to make one award: a single Master Cooperative Agreement to one recipient organization. This master agreement is designed as an umbrella vehicle, with a 12-month base year and up to four additional optional follow-on years, which the government may choose to exercise or not. Rather than funding one single project upfront, the program is structured around issuing individual Work Order Agreements (WOAs) under the master agreement. These WOAs would be executed as needs arise and as funding is available. Each WOA would have its own defined project and budget period, typically up to 12 months for the base period, and may also include optional follow-on periods of up to 12 months each, again at the government’s discretion.

The anticipated start date for the master agreement is February 1, 2025, with the base year running for 12 months from the effective date and optional years extending the overall relationship for up to five years total if all options are exercised. In terms of funding, the notice highlights a minimum guarantee rather than a promise of substantial annual funding. For the base year, the minimum funding currently available (through an executed and funded WOA) is $3,000. If the optional years are exercised, each follow-on year also carries a minimum guaranteed amount of $3,000. This minimum guarantee functions as a limit on government liability for that year unless and until additional WOAs are issued and funded. If, by the end of a given follow-on year, the total value of funded WOAs for that year does not reach $3,000, USACE will fund the difference through a minimum guarantee WOA that allows the recipient to request payment. At the same time, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $7,500,000, signaling that while the minimum guarantee is small, total funding could be much larger depending on USACE needs, tasking levels, and available appropriations over time.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, both those with 501(c)(3) IRS status (excluding institutions of higher education) and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also excluding institutions of higher education). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically means USACE expects substantial involvement in coordinating, guiding, or collaborating on the supported work as compared to a more hands-off grant. The opportunity is categorized under natural resources (CFDA 12.010), and the posting indicates that only one award is expected, reinforcing that this is intended to establish a single partner organization through which multiple future work orders can be routed.

Applications must be submitted by 12:00 PM Central Time on July 16, 2024, and late submissions will not be considered. Proposals are to be submitted by email directly to the listed USACE Fort Worth District grants specialists: Sandra Justman at sandra.justman@usace.army.mil and Cheryl R. Vendemia at cheryl.r.vendemia@usace.army.mil. Questions should be sent by email to the point of contact identified in the full announcement (section 6.4, as referenced), and technical questions about Grants.gov registration or system requirements should go to the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726. The notice also directs applicants to consult the full Funding Opportunity Announcement on the related tab for complete requirements, expected work scope, and detailed submission instructions.

• The Fort Worth District in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Youth Conservation Corps" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.010.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-16. (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 $7,500,000.00 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for W9126G 24 2 FOA 1659

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