SEEDS YCC Crew at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge | F17AS00227

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00227

The SEEDS YCC Crew at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00227) is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service under CFDA 15.676. It was created on May 24, 2017, with an original closing date of June 1, 2017, and it anticipates a single award with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $30,000. The activity focus sits at the intersection of employment and workforce development, environmental stewardship, and natural resource conservation, reflecting the Youth Conservation Corps model of pairing paid work experience with hands-on conservation outcomes.

This posting is not a competitive grant solicitation and does not include an application process. Instead, it serves as a formal notice of intent to make a single-source award specifically to SEEDS Youth Conservation Corps. The agency cites the applicable single-source justification authority (505 DM 2.14.B.4) and explains that competition is not practical because SEEDS was created expressly to employ and develop young people while advancing conservation and enhancement of natural and cultural resources. In other words, the Fish and Wildlife Service is indicating that SEEDS uniquely fits the purpose and requirements of the work contemplated at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, making an open competition unnecessary for meeting the project goals.

The rationale for selecting SEEDS emphasizes organizational capacity and demonstrated performance. SEEDS is described as having a robust Youth Conservation Corps program that is nationally recognized, and as using a collaborative approach that connects vulnerable or underserved youth to tangible projects that protect and enhance environmental and cultural heritage. The notice also points to a concrete track record: over the last five years, SEEDS has employed almost 300 underserved youth living in northwest lower Michigan. That history is used to support the argument that SEEDS can reliably deliver both sides of the program mission: meaningful youth employment and development, and real conservation benefits on the ground.

Eligible applicants are effectively limited by design in this case, despite the general field listing of "Others" in the eligibility category. Because the opportunity is a single-source notice rather than an open call, the practical eligible entity is SEEDS Youth Conservation Corps alone, and the purpose of the announcement is transparency about the government’s intent to proceed with that non-competitive cooperative agreement.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SEEDS YCC Crew at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.676.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 24, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2017 There is not an application process for this funding opportunity. This is a notice of intent to award a single source grant to SEEDS Youth Conservation Corps under justification 505DM 2.14B.4.. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F17AS00227

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