Opportunity Information: Apply for F12AS00108
Apply for F12AS00108
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Volunteer Master Naturalist Training Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654 Visitor Facility Enhancements Refuges and Wildlife.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 19, 2012 and posted on Mar 19, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 29, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,500.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,500.00 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Volunteer Master Naturalist Training Program grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F12AS00108) is a small cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focused on running a structured Volunteer Master Naturalist (VMN) training program tied to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and related refuge and community sites. Even though there is no full announcement attached to the posting, the opportunity lays out clear expectations for what the selected recipient must deliver. The overall purpose is to train community members through a formal environmental education and interpretation curriculum and then channel that training into ongoing volunteer service that supports refuge science, interpretation, and public outreach.
The core program requirement is to operate a high-quality VMN training program that provides at least 40 hours of environmental education and interpretive instruction to participants working toward becoming Volunteer Master Naturalists. After completing the training, each participant is expected to contribute a minimum of 40 hours per year of volunteer service in scientific and interpretive work at Forsythe NWR, other refuges, and within the broader community. A key accountability component is recordkeeping: the recipient organization must track and maintain records of student service hours to document that graduates are meeting the annual service expectation and to support reporting and program evaluation.
A central emphasis of the opportunity is increasing diversity and expanding engagement with underserved communities. The recipient is expected to increase ethnic diversity among VMN students by actively enrolling ethnic minorities into the program. In addition, the program must increase instructor diversity by including at least one ethnic minority instructor. Beyond recruitment, the grant also expects the curriculum to prepare graduates to work effectively with audiences that have often been underserved in environmental education. Specifically, the recipient must add at least four hours of advanced training focused on working with urban, diverse, and underserved audiences, so that VMN graduates are better equipped to deliver inclusive, culturally responsive environmental education and interpretive outreach.
The grant also expects trained VMN graduates to translate their education into real outreach outcomes. Graduates should be utilized to deliver environmental education and interpretive programs to the public, with an explicit focus on reaching underserved and ethnically diverse communities. This includes conducting field trips or similar programs for groups in urban or underserved areas, such as youth organizations, faith-based communities, schools, or other community audiences. In other words, the program is not only about training volunteers for refuge support, but also about using those volunteers as a sustained outreach workforce that broadens who participates in and benefits from refuge-related environmental learning.
The division of responsibilities between the recipient and the Fish and Wildlife Service is spelled out in the description of work. The recipient is responsible for program management and administration, including identifying and contracting faculty, handling on-site management for all courses, managing registration and bursar functions, and coordinating transportation arrangements. The recipient must also provide vans for transporting participants to training sites, produce or procure participant handouts and ensure enough copies for all students, and supply audiovisual equipment and other technology when it is not available at the refuge. Marketing is also part of the recipient role: the recipient must develop and distribute program marketing materials to support recruitment and awareness, which ties directly to the diversity and enrollment goals.
On the government side, the Fish and Wildlife Service will support the effort by providing certain instructors as well as facilities and resources at the refuge. This includes access to the refuge headquarters auditorium, use of wildlife drive resources, and a mini van for transporting students on the refuge and to training sites. Structurally, this reflects the cooperative agreement model, where both parties contribute resources toward shared goals rather than operating as a standard purchaser-contractor relationship.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was posted March 19, 2012, with an original and current closing date of March 29, 2012, and an archive date of March 30, 2012. It anticipated a single award with an estimated total funding amount of $4,500, with an award ceiling of $4,500 and a floor of $100. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The eligible applicants were public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning with the training and educational delivery focus of the program. The CFDA listing referenced is 15.654, Visitor Facility Enhancements - Refuges and Wildlife, and the activity category is Environment and Natural Resources. For questions, the listing provides a contact: Daffny Jones (413-253-8595, daffnyjones@fws.gov).
Volunteer Master Naturalist Training Program Grant (F12AS00108) - FAQs
What is the Volunteer Master Naturalist Training Program grant (F12AS00108)?
This is a small cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the operation of a structured Volunteer Master Naturalist (VMN) training program tied to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and related refuge and community sites.
What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The purpose is to train community members through a formal environmental education and interpretation curriculum and then connect that training to ongoing volunteer service that supports refuge science, interpretation, and public outreach.
Is there a full announcement attached to the posting?
No. The posting notes that there is no full announcement attached, but it does describe clear expectations and required deliverables for the selected recipient.
What type of award is this?
It is a cooperative agreement, meaning both the recipient and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contribute resources toward shared program goals.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
How much funding is available?
The estimated total funding amount is $4,500. The award ceiling is $4,500 and the award floor is $100.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement is listed for this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
What CFDA program is referenced?
The CFDA listing referenced is 15.654, Visitor Facility Enhancements - Refuges and Wildlife.
What activity category does this opportunity fall under?
The activity category is Environment and Natural Resources.
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on March 19, 2012. The original and current closing date is March 29, 2012. The archive date is March 30, 2012.
What are the minimum training hours required for VMN participants?
The program must provide at least 40 hours of environmental education and interpretive instruction for participants working toward becoming Volunteer Master Naturalists.
What volunteer service is expected after participants complete the training?
After completing the training, each participant is expected to contribute a minimum of 40 hours per year of volunteer service in scientific and interpretive work at Forsythe NWR, other refuges, and within the broader community.
What recordkeeping responsibilities does the recipient organization have?
The recipient must track and maintain records of student service hours to document that graduates are meeting the annual 40-hour service expectation and to support reporting and program evaluation.
What are the diversity expectations for VMN student recruitment?
The recipient is expected to increase ethnic diversity among VMN students by actively enrolling ethnic minorities into the program.
What are the diversity expectations for instructors?
The program must increase instructor diversity by including at least one ethnic minority instructor.
Is there a curriculum requirement related to underserved audiences?
Yes. The recipient must add at least four hours of advanced training focused on working with urban, diverse, and underserved audiences so graduates are prepared to deliver inclusive environmental education and interpretive outreach.
What kinds of public outreach outcomes are expected from trained VMN graduates?
Graduates should be utilized to deliver environmental education and interpretive programs to the public, with an explicit focus on reaching underserved and ethnically diverse communities.
What examples of target audiences are mentioned for outreach?
The opportunity mentions outreach such as field trips or similar programs for groups in urban or underserved areas, including youth organizations, faith-based communities, schools, or other community audiences.
What program management responsibilities fall to the recipient?
The recipient is responsible for program management and administration, including identifying and contracting faculty, providing on-site management for all courses, managing registration and bursar functions, and coordinating transportation arrangements.
What transportation responsibilities fall to the recipient?
The recipient must coordinate transportation arrangements and provide vans for transporting participants to training sites.
What materials and equipment must the recipient provide?
The recipient must produce or procure participant handouts (with enough copies for all students) and supply audiovisual equipment and other technology when it is not available at the refuge.
What marketing responsibilities does the recipient have?
The recipient must develop and distribute program marketing materials to support recruitment and awareness, which is tied to the program's enrollment and diversity goals.
What support will the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provide?
The Fish and Wildlife Service will support the effort by providing certain instructors and offering facilities and resources at the refuge, including access to the refuge headquarters auditorium, use of wildlife drive resources, and a mini van for transporting students on the refuge and to training sites.
Where is the VMN training program expected to be tied to?
The program is tied to Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and related refuge and community sites.
Who is the listed point of contact for questions about the opportunity?
The contact listed is Daffny Jones at 413-253-8595 or daffnyjones@fws.gov.
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