Opportunity Information: Apply for FWS CESU 1
Apply for FWS CESU 1
- The Fisheries Habitat Conservation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fish and Wildlife Service, CESU Sole Source Task Agreements under 505 DM 2.14(1) Unsolicited Proposals" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.649 Service Training and Technical Assistance (Generic Training).
- This funding opportunity was created on May 9, 2008 and posted on May 9, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 22, 2008. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- For this announcement of Intent to Award discretionary financial assistance to single sources without competition beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 for the duration of Service participation in the CESU cooperative agreements (renewable every five years), the justification for award without competition is Department of the Interior s 505 DM 2.14 (1) Unsolicited Proposal the proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives. Financial assistance recipients include any university or institution that is a member of a CESU to which the Service is a cooperating partner in the cooperative agreement, and which can satisfy the Service s needs relative to a specific biogeographic area of concentration, a particular ecosystem type, a particular management regime, a combination of these themes, a special expertise, or a required timeframe to meet regional or program needs.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant notice describes how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to fund research, technical assistance, and education projects through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network using sole-source cooperative agreements based on the Department of the Interior authority at 505 DM 2.14(1) for unsolicited proposals. In plain terms, it is an intent-to-award style announcement explaining that, rather than running an open competition each time, FWS may issue task agreements directly to a specific CESU member institution when the work is justified as an unsolicited proposal that offers a unique or innovative approach and clearly supports FWS program goals. The legal backdrop includes the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661-666C) along with many other program authorities that allow the Service to support this kind of applied science and management support work.
The CESU Network is presented as a long-standing, congressionally authorized partnership structure coordinated by the Department of the Interior. CESUs are collaborative hubs, usually hosted by universities, that bring together federal agencies, academic researchers, and other partner organizations to tackle natural resource problems using interdisciplinary ecosystem science. The notice emphasizes that ecosystem studies are not limited to biology alone; they can integrate biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences, and they are meant to support problem-solving at different geographic scales in an ecosystem context. Host universities typically provide basic infrastructure such as workspace and administrative support, plus access to faculty, students, staff, and research resources, while federal partners contribute scientists, subject matter experts, and additional operational support. The overall goal is to make it easier to launch multi-agency, cross-disciplinary projects that respond to real management needs.
A key feature of this opportunity is that the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant. That distinction matters because cooperative agreements are used when the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project, and the notice explicitly states that substantial involvement by FWS is anticipated. Each individual task agreement developed under this umbrella is expected to include a written statement describing that federal involvement and must also include the justification for using a sole-source approach without competition under DOI policy 505 DM 2.14(1). The notice also instructs applicants and program staff that a copy of the Grants.gov notice should be attached to the task agreement package submitted to an authorized FWS financial officer, and it makes clear that no task agreement is financially binding until that authorized financial officer approves the award.
Eligibility is narrow and tied to CESU membership. Potential recipients are universities or other institutions that are members of a CESU in which the Fish and Wildlife Service is a cooperating partner under an existing CESU cooperative agreement. The notice explains that awards may be directed to single institutions when they can meet specific Service needs, such as expertise tied to a particular biogeographic region, an ecosystem type, a management regime (for example, wilderness or multiple-use contexts), a specialized capability within the broader network, or a timeframe requirement that fits urgent regional or program priorities. The sole-source rationale is anchored in the unsolicited proposal concept: the idea, method, or approach should be unique or innovative, not duplicative of an existing or planned contract or assistance award, and advantageous to FWS objectives.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and falls under the Natural Resources funding activity area. The notice lists CFDA 15.649 (Service Training and Technical Assistance, generic training) as a possible CFDA number, while noting that other CFDA numbers might be more appropriate depending on the specific task agreement. It also states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement identified in the posting. The announcement notes that Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) does not apply, which generally means the intergovernmental state review process is not required for these awards.
The timeline information in the source data indicates this particular Grants.gov posting was originally posted on May 9, 2008, with a closing date of May 22, 2008, and it was archived on June 21, 2008. Even so, the substance of the notice is framed as an intent to make noncompetitive awards beginning in FY 2008 for the duration of FWS participation in CESU cooperative agreements, which are described as renewable every five years. Practically, that means the announcement functions more as an overarching public notice and policy framing for how FWS will execute CESU task agreements, rather than a single, stand-alone competitive solicitation with one pooled deadline.
Finally, the notice provides a clear set of regional points of contact tied to the Science Support Partnership, who serve as CESU cooperative agreement contacts for each FWS region. Contacts are listed for Region 1 (Northwest), Region 2 (Southwest), Region 3 (Midwest), Region 4 (Southeast), Region 5 (Northeast), Region 6 (Mountain-Prairie), Region 7 (Alaska), Region 8 (California/Nevada Operations), and Region 9 (Headquarters), along with phone numbers for each individual. For access issues with the full announcement, it also lists Jo Ann Mills, Program Analyst, with a phone number, indicating where administrative or technical questions about obtaining the posting could be directed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This notice describes how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to fund research, technical assistance, and education projects through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network using sole-source cooperative agreements. It is presented as an intent-to-award style announcement explaining the approach FWS may use to issue CESU task agreements when justified under Department of the Interior policy for unsolicited proposals (505 DM 2.14(1)).
2) Is this an open, competitive grant solicitation?
No. The notice explains that FWS may make noncompetitive (sole-source) awards to specific CESU member institutions when the work is justified as an unsolicited proposal that is unique or innovative, supports FWS program goals, and is not duplicative of existing or planned contracts or assistance awards.
3) What is the CESU Network?
The CESU Network is described as a long-standing, congressionally authorized partnership structure coordinated by the Department of the Interior. CESUs function as collaborative hubs (often hosted by universities) that bring together federal agencies, academic researchers, and other partners to address natural resource issues using interdisciplinary ecosystem science.
4) What kinds of projects are supported?
The notice indicates FWS plans to fund research, technical assistance, and education projects. It also emphasizes that "ecosystem studies" can integrate biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences and are intended to support applied problem-solving at multiple geographic scales in an ecosystem context.
5) What makes this a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which is used when the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project. The notice explicitly states that substantial involvement by FWS is anticipated, and each task agreement is expected to include a written statement describing that federal involvement.
6) Who is eligible to receive an award under this approach?
Eligibility is limited to universities or other institutions that are members of a CESU in which FWS is a cooperating partner under an existing CESU cooperative agreement.
7) Can FWS award to a single institution rather than multiple partners?
Yes. The notice explains awards may be directed to a single institution when that institution can meet specific Service needs, such as expertise tied to a particular biogeographic region, an ecosystem type, a management regime (for example, wilderness or multiple-use contexts), a specialized capability within the network, or a timeframe requirement driven by urgent regional or program priorities.
8) What is the basis for making a sole-source (noncompetitive) award?
The notice ties the sole-source rationale to the unsolicited proposal concept under DOI policy (505 DM 2.14(1)). The idea, method, or approach should be unique or innovative, clearly support FWS objectives, and not be duplicative of an existing or planned contract or assistance award.
9) What documentation is expected in each task agreement?
Each individual task agreement developed under this notice is expected to include (1) a written statement describing anticipated substantial federal involvement by FWS and (2) a justification for using a sole-source approach without competition under DOI policy 505 DM 2.14(1).
10) Does the Grants.gov notice need to be included in the award package?
Yes. The notice instructs that a copy of the Grants.gov notice should be attached to the task agreement package submitted to an authorized FWS financial officer.
11) When is a task agreement considered officially awarded and financially binding?
The notice states that no task agreement is financially binding until it is approved by an authorized FWS financial officer.
12) What is the funding activity area for this opportunity?
The posting categorizes the opportunity as discretionary and places it under the Natural Resources funding activity area.
13) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA 15.649 (Service Training and Technical Assistance, generic training) as a possible CFDA number, while also noting that other CFDA numbers might be more appropriate depending on the specific task agreement.
14) Is cost sharing or matching required?
The notice states that no cost sharing or matching requirement is identified in the posting.
15) Does Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review) apply?
No. The notice states that Executive Order 12372 does not apply to these awards, meaning the intergovernmental state review process is not required under this posting.
16) What legal authorities support this type of work?
The notice references the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661-666C) and indicates there are many other program authorities that allow FWS to support applied science and management support work through CESU task agreements.
17) Does this notice describe a single deadline to apply for pooled funding?
No. While the Grants.gov record shows the posting was originally posted May 9, 2008, closed May 22, 2008, and archived June 21, 2008, the substance is framed as an overarching public notice describing how FWS will execute CESU task agreements beginning in FY 2008 for the duration of FWS participation in CESU cooperative agreements (described as renewable every five years).
18) What does it mean that CESU cooperative agreements are renewable every five years?
The notice indicates FWS participation in CESU cooperative agreements is described as renewable every five years, and the intent to make noncompetitive awards is framed for the duration of that participation.
19) Who typically provides infrastructure and support within a CESU?
The notice explains host universities typically provide basic infrastructure such as workspace and administrative support, plus access to faculty, students, staff, and research resources. Federal partners contribute scientists, subject matter experts, and additional operational support.
20) Who are the points of contact for CESU cooperative agreement questions?
The notice provides regional points of contact tied to the Science Support Partnership who serve as CESU cooperative agreement contacts for each FWS region: Region 1 (Northwest), Region 2 (Southwest), Region 3 (Midwest), Region 4 (Southeast), Region 5 (Northeast), Region 6 (Mountain-Prairie), Region 7 (Alaska), Region 8 (California/Nevada Operations), and Region 9 (Headquarters). Phone numbers are listed for each individual in the notice.
21) Who should be contacted for access issues with the full announcement?
For access issues with the full announcement, the notice lists Jo Ann Mills, Program Analyst, with a phone number as the administrative/technical contact for obtaining the posting.
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