Promoting Sustainability of Desert Bighorn Sheep | P18AS00444

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00444

The grant opportunity titled "Promoting Sustainability of Desert Bighorn Sheep" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00444) is a Department of the Interior, National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on desert bighorn sheep conservation in the Mojave Desert. The project is framed as a natural resources effort and is intended to support research and applied management planning that strengthens both wildlife conservation outcomes and recreation-related benefits tied to healthy bighorn populations. The work is geographically centered on Mojave National Preserve, while also explicitly including Death Valley National Park and surrounding adjacent lands, reflecting an ecosystem-scale approach that matches how bighorn sheep move across large desert landscapes rather than staying within a single park boundary.

At its core, the purpose of the agreement is to design and carry out a study that can directly inform near-term and long-term management decisions. The emphasis is on producing information that land managers can use to guide desert bighorn sheep conservation not only within the Mojave Desert but also in a way that can be relevant across the broader Western United States. In practical terms, that implies the study is expected to generate findings that help agencies evaluate population sustainability, understand pressures or limiting factors on bighorn sheep, and shape management actions that maintain or improve herd viability. Because the opportunity highlights both conservation and recreation, the underlying intent also connects to maintaining wildlife viewing, interpretation, and other visitor experiences that depend on a stable, well-managed bighorn population.

This opportunity is listed as discretionary and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which typically signals that the National Park Service expects to be actively involved in the project beyond simply issuing funds. Cooperative agreements are commonly used when the agency anticipates substantial collaboration, shared responsibilities, or ongoing coordination on study design, implementation, data needs, and how results are translated into management decisions. The eligible applicants are limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, indicating that the intended partner is likely a university or similar public academic institution capable of conducting scientific research and working closely with agency biologists and park managers.

The total potential funding amount is capped at $279,683 (award ceiling), and the opportunity anticipates a single award (expected awards: 1). The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 15.945, aligning it with a federal assistance program category used for tracking and reporting. The notice was created on July 18, 2018. Importantly, the posting is a non-competitive Notice of Intent only, and it states that no applications are being accepted. That means it is not an open solicitation; instead, it signals that the agency planned to make an award through a non-competitive process, typically tied to a specific identified partner or a preexisting justification for a directed award.

In summary, this grant opportunity supports a collaborative, science-based study aimed at improving desert bighorn sheep sustainability in key Mojave Desert protected areas, with results meant to feed directly into management decisions and to provide broader lessons for bighorn conservation across the West. It is structured as a one-time, single-award cooperative agreement with funding up to $279,683, restricted to public institutions of higher education, and was posted as a notice of intent rather than an open call for proposals.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Promoting Sustainability of Desert Bighorn Sheep" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 18, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by This is a non-competitive Notice of Intent only. No applications are being accepted at this time.. (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 $279,683.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P18AS00444

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