Opportunity Information: Apply for P13AS00061
Apply for P13AS00061
- The National Park Service in the community development education natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Society for Wilderness Stewardship" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954 National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 17, 2013 and posted on May 17, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 3, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The "Society for Wilderness Stewardship" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00061) is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to award a cooperative agreement tied to planning and implementation efforts for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. It is not a call for proposals and not a competitive grant round. Instead, it serves as public notice that NPS planned to enter a single-source cooperative agreement with the Alliance for Wilderness Education and Stewardship (AWES), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with Lee Lambert listed as the principal investigator/program manager and June Zastrow as the NPS point of contact.
A key detail is that the cooperative agreement itself does not carry a set pot of money. The announcement states that the anticipated award amount is essentially zero at the umbrella agreement level, and any actual funding would be provided later through individual task agreements issued under the cooperative agreement. Each task agreement would have its own work plan and budget, developed jointly by NPS and AWES. The agreement was expected to run for five years, from the date of award through roughly 2013 to 2018, and it was described as a new award (not a continuation). There was no cost share or matching requirement.
Programmatically, the partnership is centered on national wilderness stewardship and public engagement around the Wilderness Act anniversary. AWES is described as an organization that connects and supports the broader community involved in stewardship of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Its stated goals include developing the next generation of wilderness stewards through education and training opportunities, providing career development and networking, building capacity across agencies and partner organizations, sharing science and best management practices, serving as a reliable information hub on wilderness issues, and increasing public awareness and support for wilderness stewardship. The agreement is framed as a vehicle to help coordinate programs, events, products, and communications that highlight the benefits and values of wilderness and encourage long-term stewardship.
The justification for making the award without full and open competition rests on "unique qualifications." NPS points to an August 23, 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by NPS, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service with AWES. That MOU created a collaborative structure for the 50th anniversary effort, referred to as the 50th Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team (Wilderness50), bringing together federal agencies, AWES, other nonprofits, and academic partners. Within that structure, AWES is positioned as the lead nongovernmental organization and the official fiscal sponsor for anniversary-related planning events, activities, programs, and products. NPS also notes that other organizations were viewed as having narrower missions (for example, focusing only on professionals, youth, or advocacy), while AWES was considered more integrative across audiences and functions.
Because this is a cooperative agreement, substantial involvement by NPS is explicitly anticipated rather than a hands-off pass-through award. On the AWES side, responsibilities include naming a liaison to the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Division, maintaining regular communication, participating in meetings and calls, understanding NPS structure and operations well enough to help collaboration, and sharing AWES goals and outreach materials when requested. On the NPS side, responsibilities mirror that collaborative posture: naming a liaison, inviting AWES into relevant meetings, sharing internal operational information to support coordination, and participating in and guiding the review of anniversary-related programs and activities led by or involving AWES. The agreement also lists broader cooperative objectives such as facilitating anniversary commemoration activities, improving wilderness stewardship awareness and public understanding, expanding education and training capacity for stewardship, and addressing current wilderness stewardship issues.
Administratively, the announcement is tied to CFDA 15.954 (National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education) and cites statutory authority including 16 U.S.C. 1g, with reference to federal single-source policy requirements under Department of the Interior guidance (505 DM 2) and Title 41 USC 253(c). The opportunity was posted May 17, 2013, with a listed closing date of June 3, 2013, but given the "notice of intent to award" format, that date functions more as a public notice window than a deadline for applicants. Eligible applicants are identified generally as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education), though the notice makes clear that the intended recipient for this specific action was AWES.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Society for Wilderness Stewardship" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00061)?
This opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to award a cooperative agreement connected to planning and implementation for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. It is presented as a public notice that NPS planned to enter into a cooperative agreement, rather than a typical open grant competition.
Is this a competitive grant or a call for proposals?
No. The announcement is not a call for proposals and not a competitive grant round. It is a notice of intent to make a single-source award.
Who was the intended recipient of the cooperative agreement?
The intended recipient was the Alliance for Wilderness Education and Stewardship (AWES), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Why was the award planned as a single-source (non-competitive) cooperative agreement?
NPS cited "unique qualifications" as the justification for making the award without full and open competition. The notice points to an August 23, 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) involving NPS, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and AWES, which established a collaborative structure for the 50th anniversary effort and positioned AWES as the lead nongovernmental organization and fiscal sponsor for anniversary-related activities and products.
What is AWES's role in the 50th anniversary effort?
AWES is described as connecting and supporting the broader wilderness stewardship community related to the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Within the 50th anniversary structure (Wilderness50), AWES is positioned as the lead nongovernmental organization and the official fiscal sponsor for anniversary-related planning events, activities, programs, and products.
What is the 50th Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team (Wilderness50)?
Wilderness50 refers to the collaborative planning structure described in the MOU that brings together federal agencies, AWES, other nonprofits, and academic partners to coordinate the 50th anniversary planning and related efforts.
Does the cooperative agreement include a set amount of funding?
No. The notice states that the anticipated award amount at the umbrella cooperative agreement level is essentially zero. Funding, if provided, would come later through separate task agreements issued under the cooperative agreement.
If the umbrella award amount is essentially zero, how would any funding be provided?
Any actual funding would be provided through individual task agreements developed under the cooperative agreement. Each task agreement would have its own work plan and budget, developed jointly by NPS and AWES.
What is a task agreement in this context?
A task agreement is an individual, later-issued agreement under the cooperative agreement that specifies a particular set of activities, along with a work plan and budget. The notice indicates these would be developed collaboratively by NPS and AWES.
How long was the cooperative agreement expected to last?
The agreement was expected to run for five years, from the date of award through roughly 2013 to 2018.
Was this opportunity described as a new award or a continuation?
It was described as a new award, not a continuation.
Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No. The notice states there was no cost share or matching requirement.
What kinds of activities and outcomes were expected under the partnership?
The notice frames the cooperative agreement as a vehicle to coordinate programs, events, products, and communications tied to the Wilderness Act anniversary. It also references broader objectives such as facilitating anniversary commemoration activities, improving wilderness stewardship awareness and public understanding, expanding education and training capacity for stewardship, and addressing current wilderness stewardship issues.
What goals of AWES are highlighted in the notice?
The notice describes AWES goals that include: developing the next generation of wilderness stewards through education and training; providing career development and networking; building capacity across agencies and partner organizations; sharing science and best management practices; serving as a reliable information hub on wilderness issues; and increasing public awareness and support for wilderness stewardship.
How does a cooperative agreement differ from a more hands-off award in this notice?
The notice explains that substantial involvement by NPS is explicitly anticipated. This means NPS participation is expected in coordination, communication, and review of anniversary-related programs and activities, rather than operating as a pass-through award with minimal federal involvement.
What were AWES's responsibilities under the cooperative agreement?
Responsibilities described for AWES include naming a liaison to the NPS Wilderness Stewardship Division, maintaining regular communication, participating in meetings and calls, understanding NPS structure and operations to support collaboration, and sharing AWES goals and outreach materials when requested.
What were NPS's responsibilities under the cooperative agreement?
Responsibilities described for NPS include naming a liaison, inviting AWES into relevant meetings, sharing internal operational information to support coordination, and participating in and guiding the review of anniversary-related programs and activities led by or involving AWES.
Who is listed as the principal investigator/program manager and who is the NPS point of contact?
Lee Lambert is listed as the principal investigator/program manager, and June Zastrow is listed as the NPS point of contact.
Which CFDA program is this announcement associated with?
The announcement is tied to CFDA 15.954, National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education.
What statutory and policy authorities are referenced for this action?
The notice cites statutory authority including 16 U.S.C. 1g. It also references federal single-source policy requirements under Department of the Interior guidance (505 DM 2) and Title 41 USC 253(c).
When was the opportunity posted and what closing date was listed?
The opportunity was posted on May 17, 2013, and it listed a closing date of June 3, 2013.
Does the listed closing date function like a normal application deadline?
Not in the usual sense. Because this is a notice of intent to award (not a call for proposals), the closing date functions more as a public notice window than a deadline for applicants to submit proposals.
Who is eligible to apply according to the notice?
Eligible applicants are identified generally as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education). However, the notice also makes clear that the intended recipient for this specific action was AWES.
If our organization is a 501(c)(3), can we apply for this specific opportunity?
The notice indicates the intended recipient was AWES and describes the action as a single-source notice of intent to award rather than an open competition. Based on the notice, it was not structured as an opportunity for other organizations to apply for this specific award.
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