IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Good Neighbor Authority | L25AS00118

Opportunity Information: Apply for L25AS00118

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) funding opportunity (NOFO L25AS00118) is a discretionary Bureau of Land Management program that will award cooperative agreements to support on-the-ground restoration and resilience work on BLM-managed lands in Alaska, especially where that work is more effective when it is coordinated across multiple land ownerships. The core idea behind this opportunity is to use the Good Neighbor Authority framework to partner with a qualified cooperating entity so planning and implementation can be aligned across boundaries, leverage additional resources, and deliver landscape-scale outcomes that a single landowner or agency would struggle to achieve alone.

The program is organized around four strategic goals: restoring landscape connectivity and function; conserving and restoring lands to combat climate change; improving water resources; and restoring legacy disturbances. In practice, that means the BLM is looking for projects that rebuild ecological health and resilience after impacts like wildfire, invasive species spread, erosion, flooding, past land uses, and long-standing disturbances that continue to degrade habitat, watersheds, or rangelands. Proposals that clearly connect field actions to these broad outcomes, and that show how cross-boundary coordination improves results, are a strong thematic fit for the GNA approach described in the notice.

The NOFO highlights a wide set of Alaska-relevant project types. A major emphasis is invasive plant and noxious weed treatments implemented in a coordinated way across ownership boundaries, using herbicide, mechanical removal, and/or biological controls. Fuels management is another key category, including thinning, piling, mastication, mowing, chemical or biological applications, and prescribed fire. These activities are framed as ways to protect at-risk communities, improve wildfire resiliency, and support safe and effective wildfire response. Community assistance projects are also encouraged where there is mutual benefit across boundaries and the ability to leverage funds, such as thinning around a community at risk or juniper removal to improve broader landscape resiliency.

Forest management actions are included where they enhance resilience to wildfire, insects, disease, and drought, often through density management and related treatments. For rangelands, the NOFO points to plant restoration needs following wildfire, drought, or invasive species impacts, with eligible work potentially spanning plant material development, seed collection, site preparation, and seeding or planting. The notice also specifically notes that native plant restoration is frequently a cross-boundary need, and that GNA can be used to carry out those complementary activities on BLM lands when a cooperating entity is already conducting similar work nearby.

Wildlife movement, migration, and habitat connectivity is called out as a major use case for GNA in Alaska. The opportunity describes cross-boundary habitat restoration and structural improvements that reduce barriers and mortality and help maintain unimpeded wildlife movement. Examples include fence removals or upgrades, invasive species control and re-vegetation along migration corridors and stopover areas, and improving water availability in key movement areas. Water-related examples include development and protection of natural springs, removing invasive riparian vegetation to increase water availability, constructing guzzlers or other artificial water sources, and restoring wet meadows.

Riparian restoration is another priority area, especially after floods, washouts, or channel changes that affect riparian form and function important to wildlife and livestock. The NOFO suggests that this work is often most effective when implemented across an entire stream reach with multiple partners, and it lists activities such as installing headcut and erosion control structures, repairing or removing check dams, addressing leaking ditches, re-contouring, and re-vegetation to stabilize streambanks and improve riparian condition. The notice also mentions NEPA support: while BLM cannot delegate its final decision-making under NEPA to a cooperating entity, a partner may assist with NEPA-related work when it is part of the overall effort to implement authorized restoration services.

Targeted grazing is included as a vegetation management tool (also referred to as prescribed grazing or managed herbivory) where livestock are used in a carefully controlled way to meet objectives such as weed control or wildfire fuels reduction. Associated eligible activities can include installing fences, building or maintaining range improvements and enclosures, and conducting livestock and range monitoring. The notice also contains practical limitations: this program is limited to state governments, county governments, and federally recognized tribal governments; all other applicant types are not eligible under this NOFO. In addition, the NOFO states that it does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, and it directs eligible Youth Conservation Corps applicants to pursue that type of work under a separate BLM funding opportunity (NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands).

On the funding mechanics, awards are expected to be made as cooperative agreements (which typically means BLM anticipates substantial involvement in the project beyond a standard grant). The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.015. The award ceiling is $400,000. The posting indicates an original closing date of March 17, 2025. The notice does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided text, but applicants should plan around the stated ceiling and design a scoped, implementable package of work that fits within that funding range or clearly explains leveraged contributions and partner roles.

Finally, the NOFO addresses Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a formally negotiated Master CESU agreement consistent with CESU purposes (research, monitoring, assessments, technical assistance, and education), the indirect cost rate is capped at 17.5 percent of the applicable indirect cost base as recognized in the partner's federally approved NICRA. Applicants are encouraged to state whether their proposal furthers CESU purposes and, if so, which CESU Network should be considered as the host.

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Good Neighbor Authority" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.015.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-03-17. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

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