NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION ACT PROPOSAL SUMMARY SC COASTAL REFUGES PARTNERSHIP, SOUTH CAROLINA (NAWCA) | F16AS00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for F16AS00001

The funding opportunity titled "North American Wetlands Conservation Act Proposal Summary SC Coastal Refuges Partnership, South Carolina (NAWCA)" (Funding Opportunity Number F16AS00001) is not a traditional, open grant competition. It is a formal notice from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stating its intent to make a single-source cooperative agreement award, meaning the agency has already identified the organization it plans to fund and does not intend to solicit or review applications from other parties. In other words, despite appearing in a grants listing format, it functions as a public transparency notice rather than an invitation to apply.

The purpose of the planned cooperative agreement is very specific and project-driven: the selected conservancy organization will act as the primary negotiator and provide technical support and due diligence for the acquisition of a 235-acre parcel of land. The parcel is located within the upper reaches of the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge acquisition boundary in South Carolina. After acquisition, the land is intended to be donated back to the Refuge, supporting conservation and refuge expansion goals consistent with NAWCA-related wetland and habitat protection priorities. The work described implies tasks such as negotiating with landowners, coordinating the transaction process, verifying property details, and conducting the checks typically needed to responsibly complete a conservation land acquisition.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. A cooperative agreement generally indicates that the federal agency expects to have substantial involvement in the project compared to a standard grant, often through coordination, oversight, or shared execution of key steps. The activity category is listed broadly under education, environment, science and technology, and other research and development, and the CFDA number is 15.650, which aligns with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistance programs associated with wildlife and habitat conservation work.

Several listed fields reinforce that this is not an open solicitation. The notice explicitly states there is no full announcement associated with it, and it emphasizes that it is not a request for applications. Although the eligibility field says "Unrestricted," that does not change the practical reality that the agency has chosen not to compete the award. The Fish and Wildlife Service justifies the non-competitive approach under Departmental policy, specifically citing 505 DM 2.14(B)(2), and notes that the decision to proceed without competition is within the agency's discretion.

In terms of expected award details, the notice indicates an anticipated single award (Expected Awards: 1). The "Award Ceiling: 0" entry is best read as an administrative placeholder rather than a statement that no funding will be provided, since the notice is describing an intent to make an award but does not provide a competed budget range or maximum amount as would be typical in an open funding announcement. The original closing date is listed as October 8, 2015, which in this context functions more like an administrative timeline marker for the notice rather than an application deadline, since no applications are being accepted. The notice was created on October 1, 2015, and the awarding agency is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, environment, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NORTH AMERICAN WETLANDS CONSERVATION ACT PROPOSAL SUMMARY SC COASTAL REFUGES PARTNERSHIP, SOUTH CAROLINA (NAWCA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.650.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-10-08. (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: Unrestricted.

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