Cultivating Emerging and Diverse Environmental Leaders | F17AS00348

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00348

Cultivating Emerging and Diverse Environmental Leaders (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00348) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the agency expects to be more actively involved than it would be with a typical grant, often through collaboration, coordination, or technical participation during the project period. The program falls under the funding activity category of Education, Employment, Labor and Training and is associated with CFDA number 15.654, signaling that it aligns with Fish and Wildlife Service assistance programs focused on conservation-related education and capacity building.

The core purpose of this opportunity is to build and strengthen partnerships across the Portland Metropolitan area in order to create clear, practical pathways for the next generation of leaders in environmental education and conservation, with a specific emphasis on emerging and diverse leadership. In practical terms, the project described is about connecting partner organizations so that young people and early-career participants from historically underrepresented backgrounds can more easily move from initial exposure to environmental work into training, mentorship, and real-world experience that supports longer-term careers and leadership roles. The emphasis on "clear pathways" suggests an intent to reduce common barriers like lack of access to networks, paid opportunities, role models, or structured career development, by organizing partners around shared goals and coordinated programming.

Eligibility for applicants is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity was broadly open to many entity types, subject to any additional eligibility language that may have been included in the full announcement. The funding limit (award ceiling) for the single anticipated award was $99,000, and the announcement expected to make one award total, indicating a relatively focused, local or regional project rather than a large nationwide competition. The opportunity was created on July 27, 2017, with an original closing date of August 4, 2017, reflecting a short application window typical of some targeted or time-sensitive funding actions.

The current status indicates that a recipient has already been selected, meaning the competition is closed and the award decision has been made. Even though it is no longer open for application, the listing provides a useful snapshot of what the Fish and Wildlife Service has funded in this space: partnership-driven, locally grounded efforts that combine environmental education and conservation work with workforce and leadership development, explicitly aiming to diversify the pipeline of future environmental leaders in the Portland area.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cultivating Emerging and Diverse Environmental Leaders" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 27, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 04, 2017 THE RECIPIENT HAS BEEN SELECTED. (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 $99,000.00 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 F17AS00348

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