Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00328
The opportunity under CFDA 15.658 is tied to the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and focuses on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR). In plain terms, NRDAR is the federal program used to evaluate harm to natural resources when they are injured by incidents such as oil spills, hazardous substance releases, or other contamination events, and then to plan and carry out restoration so the public is made whole. The work funded through NRDAR generally supports the steps needed to document injuries, quantify losses, identify responsible parties, and implement restoration actions that repair, replace, or provide equivalent resources and services. Although the listing provided is brief, the program name itself signals a strong emphasis on science-based assessment, restoration planning, and restoration implementation related to damaged natural resources.
This funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00328) was offered as a discretionary opportunity, meaning awards are made competitively or at the agency's discretion based on program priorities and proposal quality rather than being automatically distributed by formula. The agency identified multiple possible funding instruments: cooperative agreements, grants, and procurement contracts. That mix is important because it suggests awards could range from typical grant-style support for eligible activities, to cooperative agreements where the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project, to procurement-style contracting where the government is purchasing a defined service or product. In practice, NRDAR work often involves close coordination with federal trustees and technical staff, so cooperative agreements are commonly used when substantial federal involvement is expected.
Eligibility was listed as "unrestricted," meaning it was open to essentially any applicant type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full announcement. In many DOI/FWS opportunities, that can include state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal government entities, universities, nonprofits, and in some cases private organizations or individuals, depending on the specific project needs and legal requirements. Because NRDAR activities are trustee-driven and can involve sensitive legal and scientific components, the full notice (beyond the summary provided) typically matters for understanding any constraints tied to trustee roles, data standards, coordination requirements, or match/cost-share expectations.
From a funding perspective, the stated award ceiling was $1,000,000, which indicates the maximum amount anticipated for a single award under this notice. The expected number of awards was listed as 0, which sometimes reflects uncertainty at the time of posting (for example, funding may depend on final appropriations, settlements, or programmatic decisions) or it may indicate that the notice was posted to establish an available mechanism but not necessarily commit to making awards by a certain date. The creation date was August 5, 2019, with an original application closing date of October 15, 2019, giving prospective applicants roughly a couple of months to prepare and submit proposals.
The activity category was listed as Natural Resources, with an additional "Other" category noted in the source fields. That aligns with the NRDAR program's cross-cutting nature: projects may include ecological fieldwork, laboratory analysis, modeling, economic valuation of lost resource services, restoration engineering, monitoring, data management, and stakeholder coordination. Depending on the specific project, deliverables might include assessment reports, sampling plans, injury determination documentation, restoration alternatives analyses, restoration plans, design and permitting packages, implementation work plans, monitoring results, and final technical reports that support trustee decisions and restoration outcomes.
At a high level, the key takeaway is that CFDA 15.658 (F19AS00328) was a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary funding opportunity connected to NRDAR, open broadly to applicants, potentially using several federal award mechanisms, with a per-award cap of up to $1 million, posted in early August 2019 and originally due mid-October 2019. Its purpose centers on assessing environmental harm to natural resources and carrying out or supporting restoration actions that compensate for those injuries and the associated loss of ecological services to the public.Apply for F19AS00328
- The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "15.658" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.658.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 05, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 15, 2019. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) discretionary funding opportunity under CFDA 15.658, tied to the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (NRDAR). The Funding Opportunity Number is F19AS00328.
What does NRDAR mean in plain terms?
NRDAR is the federal program used to evaluate harm to natural resources when they are injured by incidents such as oil spills, hazardous substance releases, or other contamination events, and then to plan and carry out restoration so the public is made whole.
What is the main purpose of the program funding?
The purpose is to support science-based assessment and restoration work related to damaged natural resources. Funded work generally supports documenting injuries, quantifying losses, identifying responsible parties, and implementing restoration actions that repair, replace, or provide equivalent natural resources and services.
What types of incidents or events does this program relate to?
The program is associated with incidents that injure natural resources, including oil spills, hazardous substance releases, and other contamination events.
What kinds of activities could be supported by this opportunity?
Based on the description, activities may include steps needed to document injuries, quantify losses, identify responsible parties, and plan and implement restoration. The NRDAR program is cross-cutting and may involve ecological fieldwork, laboratory analysis, modeling, economic valuation of lost resource services, restoration engineering, monitoring, data management, and stakeholder coordination.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed as Natural Resources, with an additional "Other" category noted in the source fields.
What types of deliverables might be expected under NRDAR-related work?
Depending on the project, deliverables might include assessment reports, sampling plans, injury determination documentation, restoration alternatives analyses, restoration plans, design and permitting packages, implementation work plans, monitoring results, data products, and final technical reports supporting trustee decisions and restoration outcomes.
Is this a competitive opportunity or a formula award?
It was offered as a discretionary opportunity. That typically means awards are made competitively or at the agency's discretion based on program priorities and proposal quality, rather than being automatically distributed by formula.
What funding instruments could be used for awards?
The agency identified multiple possible funding instruments: cooperative agreements, grants, and procurement contracts.
What is the difference between a grant, a cooperative agreement, and a procurement contract in this notice?
This notice indicates awards could range from grant-style support for eligible activities, to cooperative agreements where the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project, to procurement-style contracting where the government is purchasing a defined service or product.
Does NRDAR work typically involve coordination with the federal government?
Yes. NRDAR work often involves close coordination with federal trustees and technical staff, and cooperative agreements are commonly used when substantial federal involvement is expected.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as "unrestricted," meaning it was open to essentially any applicant type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full announcement.
What does "unrestricted eligibility" mean here?
In this context, it means the opportunity was broadly open. The summary notes that in many DOI/USFWS opportunities, this can include state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal government entities, universities, nonprofits, and sometimes private organizations or individuals, depending on the specific project needs and legal requirements. The full notice would typically provide any additional constraints.
Are there any special considerations that might apply even though eligibility is unrestricted?
Yes. The summary notes that NRDAR activities are trustee-driven and can involve sensitive legal and scientific components, so the full notice (beyond the brief listing) typically matters for understanding constraints tied to trustee roles, data standards, coordination requirements, or match/cost-share expectations.
What is the maximum award amount?
The stated award ceiling is $1,000,000, which indicates the maximum amount anticipated for a single award under this notice.
How many awards were expected?
The expected number of awards was listed as 0.
Why would a funding opportunity list the expected number of awards as 0?
The description notes this can reflect uncertainty at the time of posting (for example, funding may depend on final appropriations, settlements, or programmatic decisions) or it may indicate the notice was posted to establish an available mechanism but not necessarily commit to making awards by a certain date.
When was this opportunity posted?
The creation date was August 5, 2019.
What was the application deadline?
The original application closing date was October 15, 2019.
How much time did applicants have to prepare proposals based on the posted dates?
Based on the creation date (August 5, 2019) and the closing date (October 15, 2019), applicants had roughly a couple of months to prepare and submit proposals.
Which federal agency and department are associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is tied to the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
What is the key takeaway from the opportunity summary?
CFDA 15.658 (F19AS00328) was a USFWS discretionary funding opportunity connected to NRDAR, open broadly to applicants, potentially using several federal award mechanisms, with a per-award cap of up to $1,000,000, posted in early August 2019 and originally due mid-October 2019, focused on assessing environmental harm and supporting restoration actions that compensate for injuries and associated loss of ecological services to the public.
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| Science for the next generation of land stewards Apply for P19AS00492 Funding Number: P19AS00492 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Natural Resources, Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $54,000 |
| Lower B500 Road Removal in Redwood National Park Apply for P19AS00598 Funding Number: P19AS00598 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Natural Resources, Other (see text field entitled Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity for clarification) Funding Amount: $188,800 |
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