F24AS00427 FY25 Experienced Services Program | F24AS00427

Opportunity Information: Apply for F24AS00427

The FY25 Experienced Services Program (Funding Opportunity Number F24AS00427) is a discretionary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) grant opportunity that will be awarded through cooperative agreements. The goal is to support the establishment and ongoing operation of an Experienced Services Program that connects older Americans with meaningful, skill-based service opportunities that advance USFWS mission needs in natural resources. The program is structured as a multi-year effort, with USFWS intending to select three eligible nonprofit organizations to support the agency over a total project period of five years.

At the core of the opportunity is a workforce and public service model: participating nonprofits will recruit and place older individuals aged 55 and older, leveraging their professional experience to assist with USFWS work. Because the award instrument is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, applicants should expect substantial involvement by USFWS in program implementation, coordination, and oversight throughout the period of performance. The funding activity aligns with natural resources work and is listed under CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.682.

Eligibility is narrow and strictly enforced. Applicants must be nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (and not institutions of higher education), and they must also be specifically designated by the Secretary of Labor as eligible to receive funds under Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965. This Title V designation is not optional or implied by 501(c)(3) status; it is an additional statutory gate that limits who can apply. The notice emphasizes that proof of these qualifications must be included in the application package, and that failure to meet or document eligibility requirements will prevent USFWS from making an award.

The opportunity is authorized by Section 113 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-6, Division E, Sec. 113). Program activities supported under these cooperative agreements may be carried out under multiple longstanding wildlife and conservation authorities that define USFWS work, including the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Act, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In practical terms, that means placements and services funded through the program can support a wide range of USFWS conservation, habitat, species, and migratory bird-related functions, consistent with those authorities.

Key administrative details included in the listing are the original closing date of September 30, 2024, a stated award ceiling of $500,000, and an anticipated set of awards tied to selecting three qualified nonprofit partners. The opportunity was created on August 26, 2024, and is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service under a discretionary funding category.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F24AS00427 FY25 Experienced Services Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.682.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F24AS00427

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