BLM CA Native Seed Collection and Plant Materials Production Project | L17AS00171

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00171

The BLM CA Native Seed Collection and Plant Materials Production Project (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00171) is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California-focused grant opportunity designed to strengthen native plant restoration capacity on BLM-managed lands. Issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, this discretionary funding opportunity uses a cooperative agreement structure, meaning the selected partner is expected to work closely with BLM staff in a hands-on, collaborative way rather than operating entirely independently. The overall purpose is to advance conservation and natural resource management outcomes by improving land restoration techniques and supporting related assessment and monitoring efforts.

A central emphasis of the project is improving the quality and usefulness of native seed collections for restoration. The opportunity specifically aims to support the BLM California State Botanist by carrying out strategic seed collections that complement the existing Seeds of Success program. Rather than replacing Seeds of Success, the project is framed as an enhancement that targets gaps, priorities, or species and locations where additional attention would improve restoration outcomes. In practical terms, the work involves pairing experienced botanists who already know how to collect seed properly and understand native plant propagation with BLM district and field personnel. This pairing is intended to increase collection quality, boost efficiency in the field, and make seed collection practices more consistent across different BLM offices and landscapes.

Beyond collecting seed, the project also focuses on plant materials development and production, which is often the bridge between a bag of seed and a successful restoration planting. The selected partner would help identify which plant materials are most likely to propagate well, which is important because not all native species scale easily from wild collection to nursery or seed-increase settings. The opportunity calls for providing plant material production skills, indicating an applied component such as advising on propagation methods, improving handling and processing approaches, and supporting pathways from collection to increase and deployment. The goal is to ensure that restoration projects are supplied with materials that can actually be produced reliably and used effectively on the ground.

Another key requirement is genetic appropriateness. The project is intended to produce genetically appropriate seed and plant material for seed increase and for planting at restoration sites. This language signals a focus on matching plant materials to the right geographic and ecological context, which matters for long-term survival, resilience, and maintaining local adaptation. In restoration planning, genetically appropriate material helps reduce risks associated with maladaptation and helps maintain the integrity of native plant communities, especially when restoring areas disturbed by fire, invasive species, grazing impacts, recreation pressures, or other land-use and environmental stressors.

Administratively, the opportunity falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number 15.231. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to a wide range of applicant types, subject to any additional eligibility details that may be included in the full announcement. The posting date is June 16, 2017, with an original closing date of August 16, 2017. The announcement anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $2,000,000, indicating a large, statewide-scale project rather than multiple small grants.

In short, this grant opportunity is about improving the pipeline from native seed collection to usable restoration plant materials in California BLM lands. It prioritizes better-targeted collections, stronger coordination between expert botanists and BLM field staff, and practical support for propagation and production so that restoration sites can be supplied with high-quality, genetically appropriate native seed and plant materials that are more likely to establish and persist.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM CA Native Seed Collection and Plant Materials Production Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 16, 2017. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for L17AS00171

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