Youth Engagement, Education, and Employment

 

To provide experiential, education, and employment opportunities for youth and veterans between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans aged 35 or younger. The intent of these education, career and leadership development programs is to engage, educate, and employ youth participants to fields of natural resource conservation and to advance the conservation and protection of natural and cultural resources on eligible public lands. This Public Lands Corps Act program expands youth public service opportunities and serves important conservation and societal objectives. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to building and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the ethic, age, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and language diversity of contemporary America. This program includes the following subprograms: Career Discovery Internship Program (CDIP): Participants must be incoming college age sophomores and juniors. Interns will attend a week-long orientation held in May and then serve in summer internships tailored to various U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service career tracks for 12 weeks at various sites around the country. Civilian Climate Corps (CCC)/Climate Adaptation Fellowships: Fellowships are focused on refining the framework of Climate-smart Infrastructure Management. Fellows should be familiar with the concepts of landscape ecology, climate change science, natural resource management, modeling or statistical programs and GIS. Directorate Fellows Program (DFP): The Directorate Fellows Resource Assistance Program (DFP) is one of the Services Special Hiring Authorities. The DFP is a hiring program with the explicit purpose, as legislated, to diversify the Services permanent workforce as we engage students in natural and cultural resources work. The DFP is a paid, 11-week summer Fellowship administered through a partner organization. Directorate Fellows Program is a Resource Assistant Program under the Public Lands Corps Act. Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC): The intent of the IYSC Program is to expand opportunities for Tribes to participate in Public Land Corps activities and to provide a direct benefit to members of federally recognized Indian Tribes or Alaska Native corporations. The IYSC Program will provide meaningful educational, employment, and training opportunities to its participants through conservation projects on eligible service land - public lands and Indian lands. Maintenance and Infrastructure Fellows (MIFP): This program is starting its pilot year in FY23 and is an implementation action of a Career Flow strategy focused on maintenance and infrastructure professionals developed by the FWS National Wildlife Refuge Systems Recruit Train Retain team. This effort was created in response to various administration priorities including mobilizing segments of the public citizenry to accomplish deferred maintenance, repairs, and climate adaptation and resiliency work and taking action on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Public Lands Transportation Fellows Program (PLTF): Fellowships will be provided to outstanding masters and doctoral graduates in a transportation-related field. Fellows work with staff at a region/field office facing a transportation issue to facilitate a transportation planning or implementation goal. The assigned projects assist in the development of transportation solutions that preserve valuable resources and enhance visitor experience.

Active 15.676 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 Anticipate receiving 200 applications and issuing 200 awards. 250 awards
Fiscal Year 2018 In FY18 125 awards were issued under this program.
Fiscal Year 2019 In FY19 the program issued 214 awards.
Fiscal Year 2020 In FY20 the program issued 260 awards.
Fiscal Year 2021 In FY21 the program issued 280 awards.
Fiscal Year 2022 Program received 350 applications and issued 333 awards.
Fiscal Year 2023 Program anticipates issuing 300-350 awards.
Fiscal Year 2024 Program anticipates issuing 300-350 awards. Public Lands Corps Act – Public Lands Corps program (16 U.S.C. 1723), Fish and Wildlife Act – Community partnership enhancement (16 U.S.C. 742f(d)); Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58 [H.R. 3684] 135 Stat. 1389) Applicants may be state agencies, local governments, Tribal organizations, interstate, Intrastate, public nonprofit institution/organization, other public institution/organization, private nonprofit/organization, or any other organization subject to the jurisdiction of the United States with interests that support the mission of the Service. Not applicable. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. F23AS00069. Applications for collaboratively developed projects must be submitted by the recipient organization through GrantSolutions: Home - GrantSolutions innovative Federal grants management services Applicant must submit the application through one of the following Directed Announcements: Applications for collaboratively developed projects must be submitted by the recipient organization through GrantSolutions under announcement F23AS00069. Notice of Grant Award (NGA) will be sent electronically through GrantSolutions. September 10, 2023 From 60 to 90 days. Awards should be issued within 90 days of application receipt in GrantSolutions. Not applicable. Awards can be renewed through continuation modification. Merit Review criteria is available in F23AS00069. Refer to Program Guidelines attached to the Application Package of the funding opportunity posted, as appropriate, to www.grants.gov. Performance Reports: Performance reports are required. Recipients must monitor and report on project performance in accordance with the requirements in 2 CFR 200.329. The final performance report is due within 120 calendar days of the award period of performance end date, unless the awarding program approves a due date extension. The FWS details all reporting requirements including frequency and due dates in Notices of Award. Not applicable. Recipients will maintain records in accordance with 2 CFR 200. Program-specific legislation/regulation may dictate additional records retention requirements. Program will detail all non-standard records retention requirements in the notice of award. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. 25%. Under 16 USC CHAPTER 37, SUBCHAPTER II: PUBLIC LANDS CORPS , “the Secretary is authorized to pay not more than 75 percent of the costs of any appropriate conservation project carried out pursuant to this subchapter on public lands by a qualified youth or conservation corps. The remaining 25 percent of the costs of such a project may be provided from nonfederal sources in the form of funds, services, facilities, materials, equipment, or any combination of the foregoing. No cost sharing shall be required in the case of any appropriate conservation project carried out on Indian lands or Hawaiian home lands under this subchapter.”

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The typical project period of performance is four weeks to 12 months. Funding must be spent within the project period of performance. Program obligates funds and sends a notice of award to successful applicants. Recipients request funds in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Subpart E-Cost Principles, unless otherwise dictated by program-specific legislation or special award terms. Program will include any special payment terms and conditions in the notice of award. None/Not specified. Patrick Schulze
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, Division of Realty, Budget, Performance and Workforce
Falls Church, VA 22041 US
patrick_schulze@fws.gov
Phone: (703)358-2567 https://www.fws.gov/story/youth-opportunities 14-1611-0-1-302 (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 22$17,648,072.00; FY 23 est $19,500,000.00; FY 24 est $20,000,000.00; FY 21$17,000,000.00; FY 20$15,300,000.00; FY 19$9,833,448.00; - $2,500 - $600,000. Not applicable. Fiscal Year 2017 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects similar to FY16 that support youth internships, development and implementation of conservation education/engagement programs and materials. Awards were issued nationwide to provide meaningful experiences in the field of Natural Resources to youth and veterans. Major partners included Student Conservation Association, American Conservation Experience, and Hispanic Access Foundation.
Fiscal Year 2018 Program funded youth internship projects throughout the nation.
Fiscal Year 2019 Funded projects included large program funded projects such as the Directorate Fellows Program (DFP), Visitor Services Visitor Survey, Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) summer hiring program, and Crew projects to manage invasive species and conduct the USFWS national trail inventory. In addition, individual interns were placed at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facilities through the USFWS youth engagement program to support such areas as visitor services, biological science, digital media, infrastructure maintenance, and education and outreach.
Fiscal Year 2020 Funded projects included individually placed interns, Corps crew projects, and resource assistants under the Directorate Fellows Program (DFP). Projects funded under this program were designed to promote the conservation, restoration, construction or rehabilitation of natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or scenic resources.
Fiscal Year 2021 Funded projects included individually placed interns, Corps crew projects, and resource assistants under the Directorate Fellows Program (DFP). Projects under this program are designed to conserve and restore public lands and waters, bolster community resilience, increase reforestation, increase carbon sequestration in the agricultural sector, protect biodiversity, improve access to recreation, address the changing climate, and promote the conservation or rehabilitation of natural, cultural, historic, archeological, recreational, and scenic resources.
Fiscal Year 2022 Program selected projects for funding that placed Public Lands Corps Act interns throughout the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through individual placements, Youth Corps crew projects, and Resource Assistant placements (Directorate Fellows Program).
Fiscal Year 2023 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that include individually placed Public Lands Corps Act interns, Youth Corps crew projects, and Resource Assistants (Directorate Fellows Program).
Fiscal Year 2024 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that include individually placed Public Lands Corps Act interns, Youth Corps crew projects, and Resource Assistants (Directorate Fellows Program).