NOFO_National_Parks_Business_Plan_Internship_Ready_061826.pdf

FAMD-1443-001-2026-01

National Park Service

Notice of Funding Opportunity

National Parks Business Plan Internship

Funding Opportunity Number

Announcement # P26AS00055

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Table of Contents

BASIC INFORMATION

ELIGIBILITY

Cost Sharing Requirement

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals

Program Description

Legislative Authority

Type of Award

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Contents and Format

Application Documents

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

Address to Request Application Package

Submission Dates and Times

Submission Instructions

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Eligibility Review

Merit Review

Review and Selection Process

Risk Review

AWARD NOTICES

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

Administration and National Policy Requirements

Reporting

Appendix A - Application Package

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BASIC INFORMATION

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: Announcement #

Assistance Listing Number(s): 15.954

Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,700,000

Expected Number of Awards: 1

Award Ceiling: $1,700,000

Award Floor: $0

Award Floor/Ceiling Explanation: An estimated total of $1,700,000 of funding is anticipated for this award (approximately $425,000 per year). The amount of funding available per award for this NOFO will be determined as part of the application review process based on applications received and funding made available through appropriations.

Cost Sharing Required?

No

Closing Date Explanation Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date.

Have Questions?

Programmatic Contact: Stephen Thompson, Stephen_R_Thompson@nps.gov Administrative Contact: Rebecca Uber, Rebecca_Uber@ios.doi.gov

Executive Summary The National Parks Business Plan Internship (BPI) goal is to jointly administer a graduate-level internship program focused on improving the business management and operational health of our national parks and NPS programs.

The internship program should:

• Provide students with in-depth training on NPS business management and operations, exposure to park and/or program level operations, and the opportunity to conduct substantive analysis and evaluation which lead to recommendations that improve strategic planning and management decision-making.

• Encourage highly qualified graduate students from professional disciplines underrepresented in the NPS workforce (Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Policy, Master of Environmental Management, and similar degree programs) to explore federal careers with conservation and land management agencies.

mailto:Stephen_R_Thompson@nps.gov mailto:Rebecca_Uber@ios.doi.gov

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• Cultivate a lifelong stewardship ethic for public lands in graduate students from top universities.

Eligible recipients are State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible Applicants ☒ State governments ☒ County governments ☒ City or township governments ☒ Special district governments ☒ Independent school districts ☒ Public and State controlled institutions of higher education ☒ Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) ☒ Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) ☒ Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education ☒ Private institutions of higher education

Additional Information on Eligibility In accordance with 54 U.S.C. §101702(a), the eligible applicants are State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs pursuant to 31 U.S.C.

6305.

Foreign Entities or Projects: This program does not provide funding to foreign entities or for projects conducted outside the United States.

Excluded Parties: NPS conducts a review of the SAM.gov Exclusions database for all applicant entities and their key project personnel prior to award. The NPS cannot award funds to entities or their key project personnel identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal contracts, certain subcontracts, and certain Federal assistance and benefits, as their ineligibility condition applies to this Federal program.

Cost Sharing Requirement Cost Sharing Required?

No

Non-Federal cost sharing is not required to be eligible for an award under this NOFO.

GET READY TO APPLY

Required System Registrations

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Unique Entity Identifier and SAM.gov Registration

Before applying, all applicants except individuals applying as a natural person must be registered in SAM.gov. During the SAM.gov registration the entity will obtain their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

The SAM.gov registration process can take several months. If your organization is not already registered in SAM.gov, begin the registration process as soon as possible.

To register in SAM.gov, go to the SAM.gov website and use the available resources to complete registration.

• Financial assistance registrants must review and certify compliance with the SAM.gov “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications”.

• Already registered? You already have a Unique Entity ID. Before applying, check that your “Financial Assistance General Representations and Certifications” on SAM.gov is complete. Remember to renew your registration every year to keep it active while you have an award or application in progress. You can update your registration whenever you need, including during renewal.

• Need help? For additional information and contact information on the SAM.gov Help page.

This program may allow an applicant to apply while their SAM.gov registration is in progress, with prior approval. For more information, refer to the point of contact identified in the Basic Information section above.

GRANTS.GOV

This program accepts applications through Grants.gov so once you receive your UEI return to Grants.gov to register with Grants.gov. Please allow for 30 days to register and set up a Workspace in Grants.gov. See Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Goals The National Parks BPI goal is to jointly administer a graduate-level internship program focused on improving the business management and operational health of our national parks and NPS programs.

The internship program should:

• Provide students with in-depth training on NPS business management and operations, exposure to park and/or program level operations, and the opportunity to conduct substantive analysis and evaluation which lead to recommendations that improve strategic planning and management decision-making.

• Encourage highly qualified graduate students from professional disciplines underrepresented in the NPS workforce (Master of Business Administration, Master of https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://sam.gov/content/help https://sam.gov/content/help https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration

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Public Policy, Master of Environmental Management, and similar degree programs) to explore federal careers with conservation and land management agencies.

• Cultivate a lifelong stewardship ethic for public lands in graduate students from top universities.

Effective management of this program requires sustained effort throughout the program lifecycle, with different data and indicators to measure outcomes:

1. Recruitment Inputs may include engagement efforts with university degree programs, career offices, alumni, and individual participants, as well as coordination with NPS to promote the program. Recipient should collect data on the success and conversion rates of these efforts to ensure efficient and effective recruitment.

2. Selection and onboarding

Inputs may include application review, engagement with alumni and NPS staff on candidate review, interview scheduling, hiring process for students from universities across the country, and any necessary digital tools or databases to support doing so in a timely manner. Input also includes efforts to onboard selected applicants. Recipients should collect data on timelines, costs, and NPS-perceptions of the effectiveness at these efforts for the purpose of tracking selection and onboarding processes.

3. Project administration Inputs may include stipend payment processing, travel support, expense tracking and reimbursement, and overall budget administration. Recipients should collect data on the effectiveness and timeliness of these efforts, and the customer service provided to participants to gauge effectiveness at supporting a positive experience that will encourage participants to consider a federal career.

4. Alumni engagement

Inputs may include coordination and networking efforts with recent and past alumni.

Recipients should collect data on engagement efforts to further the goal of cultivating a lifelong stewardship ethic, as well as for supporting recruitment and selection efforts.

Program Description The NPS is committed to providing professional and leadership development opportunities to advanced-degree students so that they can cultivate a lifelong stewardship ethic and explore career opportunities in public land management while contributing meaningfully to the NPS mission by pursuing innovative ways to modernize management and administration and serve the public in accordance with DOI strategic objectives.

The principal purpose of this program is to support NPS efforts to manage graduate-level internship opportunities, designed around projects that promote the long-term health of our national parks by developing and improving business management planning and management tools and helping to make the services we provide to the public more effective and efficient.

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The BPI program focuses on engaging graduate-level students in projects that address specific analysis needs – business management, strategic, or operational – of park units and/or program offices. BPI interns are grouped in 2 or 3 person teams and placed on-site, to complete multi-week projects.

NPS and the selected recipient will track and evaluate internal processes, project execution, and long-term impact to assess three program outcomes that align with project goals: NPS client satisfaction, BPI consultant satisfaction, and programmatic outcomes in achieving objectives.

Methods include both qualitative and quantitative data evaluation. Strong performance across all three areas will advance the BPI program goal.

Substantial NPS involvement is necessary to provide technical expertise and assistance to ensure BPI projects are successful. The NPS Business Management Group (BMG) is responsible for overall BPI program management. The NPS BMG identifies and develops BPI projects, serves as the on-the-ground expert on all business management tools used within the NPS and provides program participants with relevant training and orientation.

The selected recipient organization leads overall program design and administration, particularly around student outreach and recruiting, intern onboarding, placement logistics, program evaluation, and alumni engagement. Recipient expertise in managing all administrative functions of the program is essential to the successful and timely completion of projects.

Recipients are encouraged to prioritize projects in support of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday (America250). This may include, but is not limited to, projects that recognize and honor the nation’s founding, history, and cultural heritage.

Legislative Authority 54 U.S.C. §101702(a) authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of NPS appropriated funds to State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out NPS programs pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 6305.

Type of Award Projects will be funded through CA (Cooperative Agreement). Recipient should expect the Federal agency to have substantial involvement in the project. Substantial involvement may include:

• NPS is involved with the non-Federal entity in describing the goals, jointly developing the scope and the activities to be accomplished. This must be combined with other substantial involvement, such as providing technical assistance or any of the statements listed below, that goes beyond Federal stewardship responsibilities.

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• NPS staff will assist the non-Federal entity in selecting projects, providing orientation to park or program resources, overseeing assignments, teaching new skills, distributing tools and equipment and providing technical assistance and safety training.

• NPS will provide the programmatic structure of the project, provide special interpretive programs, and provide educational elements of the project such as trade skill development and leadership development.

• NPS will provide the services of a Program Coordinator to serve as liaison to the recipient for the work under this agreement. This includes consulting and working specifically with the recipient’s program coordinator and team leaders on recruiting, interviewing, and recommending appropriate candidates.

Other Information: Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION

Application Contents and Format Pre-Application Requirements Prior to submitting an application, applicants should review presidential actions found at:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/ and DOI Secretary’s Orders found at:

https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order. By submitting an application in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity, the applicant certifies awareness and compliance with all current and applicable executive and secretary orders, including but not limited to the President’s EO on Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing as well as the EO and SO on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their proposed activities are consistent with the intent and requirements of these directives.

Application Documents Applicants must submit the following forms with their application as specified below.

Instructions for accessing and submitting application forms are provided in the Submission Instructions section of this document below. For instructions on completing form fields, see the form instructions on the Grants.gov Forms Repository.

FORMS/ASSURANCES/CERTIFICATIONS SUBMISSION

REQUIREMENT

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

Note: For applicants requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds, the Authorized Representative’s signature (or electronic equivalent) on the Application for Federal Assistance form also represents their certification of the

Required from all applicants https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitehouse.gov%2Fpresidential-actions%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cshannon_l_king%40nps.gov%7C48a7b54ed8f04d27335108dd67e9b62e%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638780975656899405%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rn4C6P1%2FXJvu7%2B0f5Aiws%2FwxCC8Ai2Z6VEzE1Sr9Bdc%3D&reserved=0 https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository.html

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FORMS/ASSURANCES/CERTIFICATIONS SUBMISSION

REQUIREMENT

statements in Appendix A to 43 CFR 18-Certification Regarding Lobbying.

SF-424A, Budget Information – Non-Construction Programs

The estimated budget must align with the projected scope of work presented in the application.

Applicants must provide an estimated cumulative budget for the total project in the proposal.

SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Required if requesting more than $100,000 in Federal funds and the applicant has used or plans to use funds other than Federal appropriated funds for lobbying related to the proposed project.

Project Abstract Summary (OMB 4040-0019). Must include, in plain language:

• Award purpose,

• Activities to be performed,

• Expected deliverables or outcomes,

• Intended beneficiaries,

• Subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award)

Required from all applicants

Detailed Budget

Note: A sample template is provided in Appendix A but use of this template is not required.

Required from all applicants

Project Narrative The proposal is a narrative description that should specifically address each of the review criteria (see Merit Review Criteria) The proposal text must be no longer than 12 pages, no smaller than font size 11, and have 1-inch margins. The 12-page limit includes all text, figures, references, and resumes (Forms SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the statement of indirect charges are not counted as part of the page limit). Additionally, only information that is pertinent to the proposal should be included.

Budget Narrative Applicants must describe and justify items and costs listed in their budget. The budget narrative must identify the following cost items: total estimated costs, non-Federal cost share, third-party contributions, and any pre-award costs. Total project cost is the sum of all allowable costs, including required and voluntary cost share and third-party contributions.

Budget items must be:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18#Appendix-A-to-Part-18

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• Reasonable, allowable, allocable, and necessary

• Compliant with 2 CFR §200 Subpart E cost principles

Indirect Costs: Applicants must indicate in their budget narrative how they will charge indirect costs, including the rate to be applied:

• De Minimis Rate: If eligible, state if your organization is opting to use the de minimis rate of up to 15% of total modified direct costs. Entities that do not have a current Federal negotiated indirect cost rate (including provisional rate) may propose to use the de minimis rate. For more information, refer to 2 CFR 200.414(f).

• Negotiated Rate: State if you will negotiate with your cognizant agency. If your organization has previously negotiated a rate, attach a copy of the most recently negotiated rate agreement (active or expired).

Data and Evaluation Costs: Applicant budgets may include costs related to data and evaluation as relevant per 2 CFR §200.455.

Conflict of Interest and Unresolved Matters Disclosures:

If any actual or potential conflict of interest exists related to this project at the time of application, the applicant must provide sufficient information to support a program determination of significance per 2 CFR 1402.112. Refer to 2 CFR 200.112 Conflict of Interest and 2 CFR 200.113.

Overlap or Duplication of Effort Statement:

Applicants must state in their application if the activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel proposed in this application overlap with those in any other Federal proposal or award or not. If no overlap exists, include a statement to that effect. If any overlap exists, provide:

• Activities: Description any overlapping activities.

• Costs: Description of any overlapping costs.

• Time: Description of any overlapping key personnel time.

• A copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity.

• Details on when any overlapping proposal was submitted, to whom, and the expected date of the funding decision.

Uniform Audit Reporting Statement: U.S. states, local governments, federally recognized Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and non- profit organizations expending $1,000,000 USD or more in Federal award funds in the applicant’s fiscal year must submit a Single Audit report for that year through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse’s Internet Data Entry System, in accordance with 2 CFR 200 subpart F. U.S. state, local government, federally recognized Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, and non-profit applicants must state if your organization was or was not required to submit a Single Audit report for the most recently closed fiscal year. If your organization was required to submit a Single Audit report for the most https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402#1402.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.113 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.113 https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx https://harvester.census.gov/facides/Account/Login.aspx

FAMD-1443-001-2026-01 Page 10 of 19 recently closed fiscal year, provide the EIN associated with that report and state if it is available through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse website.

Recipients who pass Federal funds to subrecipients and contractors must ensure that the entities understand and comply with the applicable award statutes, regulations, and agency requirements.

Applicants should describe in their application their administrative controls and plans for subrecipient and contractor oversight, compliance, and evaluation.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

Address to Request Application Package Applicants are held responsible for their proposals being submitted to the National Park Service.

Applicants are encouraged to submit the application well before the deadline. Note: Per 2 CFR

1402.204 (f) Bureaus and offices must consider the timeliness of the application submission.

Applications that are submitted beyond the announced deadline date must be removed from the review process.

Application preparation time may take several weeks, so please start the application process as soon as possible. If it is determined that a proposal was not considered due to lateness, the applicant will be notified during the selection process.

Submission Dates and Times Closing Date for Applications: 01/04/2027

Closing Date Explanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date.

Submission Instructions Apply Through Grants.gov To apply through Grants.gov, please follow the instructions in the Quick Start Guide for Applicants. Before applying, ensure that at least one person at your organization is registered and has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only the AOR can submit the application. If you need more users, they must create their own Grants.gov account. Follow these steps below to apply:

• Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

• Complete a Workspace: Invite participants to the workspace so you can collaborate on the application. Required applications forms are included in the Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Package and can be completed in the Workspace, unless noted otherwise in the Required Forms table above. Check for errors before submission.

• Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab https://grants.gov/register https://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants

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• Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application.

The system generates a date and time stamp and sends it to the applicant’s AOR via email as proof of submission. Make sure your application passes the Grants.gov validation checks. Do not encrypt, zip, or password-protect any files. Only registered individuals in SAM as both a user and an AOR can submit applications. Please allow 30 days to register in Grants.gov.

Application System Technical Support: For Grants.gov technical registration and submission, downloading forms, and application packages, contact Grants.gov Customer Support 1-800-518-4726 or by email at Support@grants.gov

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Eligibility Review During the eligibility review, the application is checked for timely submission, completed packages (see Application Documents above) and alignment with the requirements of this announcement. The Federal agency may remove an application if it does not pass the eligibility review.

If an applicant selected for funding hasn't finished their SAM.gov registration (see 2 CFR 25.200 and 2 CFR 25.110) when the federal agency is ready to make an award, we may decide that the applicant is ineligible for the award and choose to grant it to someone else. Please refer 2 CFR

25.205 for more information.

Prior to making an award, the DOI checks the anticipated recipient and their key project personnel against the current list of prohibited or restricted persons or entities in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Exclusions database. We are prohibited from making an award if a recipient or any key personnel are found ineligible, prohibited, restricted, or otherwise excluded from receiving or participating in an award, as their ineligibility condition applies to this program.

If selected for award, NPS reserves the right to request additional or clarifying information for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to:

(a) Other budget information

(b) Financial capability

(c) Evaluation of risk

(d) Name and phone number of the Designated Responsible Employee for complying with national policies prohibiting discrimination (See 43 C.F.R. § 17)

If removed from consideration for ineligibility, the Federal agency will notify the applicant in writing.

mailto:Support@grants.gov https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-25.200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-A/section-25.110 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.205 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-B/section-25.205

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Merit Review NPS will evaluate and consider only those applications that separately address each of the merit review criteria in the Project Narrative application requirement. Each applicant is required to provide a detailed project narrative of the following criteria elements. It is highly recommended that the project narrative has sections labeled by criterion.

Criterion 1 Recruiting Qualifications: Knowledge, Experience, and Resources Weight 35% Discuss how the applicant is qualified to develop and implement a marketing plan and recruiting strategy to attract highly qualified applications from students in graduate programs at top universities across the country. Should include discussion of promotion channels for the program specific to the target audience (print and web publications, job boards, conferences, professional organizations, alumni programming, etc.).

Discuss the timeframes, processes, and systems used for job posting, resume review, interview notification, and interview scheduling.

Demonstrate the ability to build and maintain relationships with career services offices at universities nationwide.

Demonstrate the ability to coordinate a national application, interview, and selection process for students from universities across the country in a clear and timely manner. This should include experience leveraging digital tools and application platforms.

Demonstrate the ability to develop and implement recruiting strategies to ensure a broad pool of applicants.

Describe how the applicant will assess marketing and recruiting performance annually and adjust strategy accordingly.

Describe past work experience related to internship/fellowship program recruitment at the professional graduate program level.

Demonstrate that the applicant has the human capital and technical resources and skills to accomplish the listed recruiting needs. Estimate the amount of personnel time that would be devoted to this task.

Criterion 2 Administrative Qualifications: Knowledge, Experience, and Resources Weight 35% Discuss how the applicant is qualified to manage the administrative logistics of an internship program, including: intern correspondence, onboarding, budgeting, payroll management, travel coordination, insurance coverage, and housing procurement (if project site is unable to provide).

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Describe past work experience related to program administration, stipend payment to program participants, travel coordination, and expense reimbursement to program participants.

Demonstrate that the applicant has the human capital and technical resources and skills to accomplish the listed administrative needs. Estimate the amount of personnel time that would be devoted to this task.

Criterion 3 Planning, Collaboration, and Evaluation Weight 15% Discuss how the applicant will collaborate to the fullest extent possible to assure that the efforts of each party are coordinated and result in the fulfillment of the principal purpose of this agreement.

Discuss how the applicant will work with the NPS to develop a set of evaluative tools to enhance the internship program.

Criterion 4 Past Performance Weight 15% Describe past work experience with the National Park Service, other land management/conservation agencies, and/or other federal or state government entities.

And/or describe past work experience managing similar professional internship programs or fellowships.

Review and Selection Process This program reviews proposed budgets to ensure:

• figures are correct

• estimated costs are necessary and reasonable and clearly linked to project narratives

• avoid obviously unallowable costs

• identify costs requiring prior approval

• ensure indirect cost rates are applied correctly

• confirm cost sharing requirements are reflected in the budget.

This program reviews applications for potential overlap or duplication between the proposed project and any other funded or proposed project. Depending on the circumstances, DOI may choose to not make an award.

NPS personnel, and in some cases independent reviewers, will review all proposals. All proposals for funding will be considered using the criteria outlined above. A summary of the review panel comments may be provided to the applicant if requested.

a. Initial Review Prior to conducting the comprehensive merit review, an initial review will be performed to determine whether: (1) the applicant is eligible for an award; (2) the information required by the NOFO has been submitted; (3) all mandatory requirements of the NOFO are satisfied; (4)

FAMD-1443-001-2026-01 Page 14 of 19 the proposed project is responsive to the program objectives of the NOFO (program determination); and (5) the proposed project is in compliance with all applicable executive and secretary orders, including the President’s EO on Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing as well as the EO and SO on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. If an applicant fails to meet the requirements or objectives of the NOFO, or does not provide sufficient information for review, the applicant will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review.

b. Comprehensive Merit Review All applications that satisfactorily pass the initial review will be eligible for the Comprehensive Merit Review. Each criteria element will be scored on a 0-10 point scale:

10 Superior (100 % of weighted average) 8 Good (80 % of weighted average) 6 Satisfactory (60 % of weighted average) 4 Marginal (40 % of weighted average) 2 Poor (20 % of weighted average) 0 Not Acceptable (No score)

The following numerical rating values may be assigned: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.

The scoring of each criterion must be based on the strengths and weaknesses of the application narrative. To assist in assigning an appropriate score, the following will be used as a guideline:

Rating Descriptive Statement 10 Superior: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates that it will meet the Government's performance requirements and demonstrates no weaknesses.

8 Good: Applicant fully addresses all aspects of the criterion, convincingly demonstrates a likelihood of meeting the Government's requirements, and demonstrates only a few minor weaknesses.

6 Satisfactory: Applicant addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements. The Application contains weaknesses and/or a number of minor weaknesses.

4 Marginal: Applicant addresses all aspects of the criterion and demonstrates the ability to meet the Government's performance requirements. The Application contains significant weaknesses and/or a significant number of minor weaknesses.

2 Poor: Applicant addresses some aspects of the criterion and demonstrates some doubt in the likelihood of successfully meeting the Government's requirements. Significant weaknesses are demonstrated and clearly outweigh any strength presented.

0 Not Acceptable: Applicant does not address all aspects of the criterion and the information presented indicates a strong likelihood of failure to meet the Government's requirements.

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c. Selection The Selection Official may consider the merit review recommendation, program policy factors (management stability and financial health), and the amount of funds available to select applications for funding.

d. Discussions and Award The Government may enter into discussions with a selected applicant for any reason deemed necessary, including, but not limited to: (1) only a portion of the application is selected for award; (2) the Government needs additional information to determine that the applicant is capable of complying with the requirements of the Department of Interior (DOI) Financial Assistance Regulations, and/or (3) additional specific terms and conditions are required.

Failure to satisfactorily resolve the issues identified by the Government may preclude award to the applicant.

Risk Review Prior to making an award, the applicant will be assessed for their level of risk per 2 CFR

200.206. This assessment includes the applicant's financial management capabilities, project delivery experience, staffing resources, past award performance, administration and reporting compliance records, and overall project complexity and potential for challenges. If an award will be made, special conditions may be applied to the award corresponding to the assessed risk. For awards over the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $350,000), a review of the applicant's eligibility and financial integrity information in the applicant's SAM.gov records will also be performed per 2 CFR 200.206.

AWARD NOTICES

Notices of Federal Award are sent electronically via GrantSolutions or e-mail. These notices outline the terms, conditions, and payment instructions per 2 CFR 200.211. The Notice of Federal Award signed by an authorized Grants Officer is the legal instrument obligating financial assistance to a recipient. Any other prior notice is not an authorization to begin work. If the program allows pre-award costs per 2 CFR 200.458, beginning performance before receiving a Notice of Federal Award is at the applicant’s own risk.

Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/01/2027

Anticipated Project End Date: 08/31/2031

The anticipated start date of September 1, 2027, aligns with the start of the academic calendar to recruit for the summer of 2028. The period of performance will include 4 summer cycles (2028- 2031), concluding on August 31, 2031.

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND

ADMINISTRATION

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.211 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.458

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Administration and National Policy Requirements For award administration and national policy requirements, see the DOI Standard Terms and Conditions. Infrastructure projects require the use of American iron, steel, manufacture products, and construction materials per 2 CFR 184.

NPS will communicate any other program- or project-specific special terms and conditions to recipients in their notices of award.

As authorized by 2 CFR § 200.340(a)(4), awards made under this announcement may be terminated in part or its entirety by the Federal agency if an award is determined to no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities.

The Recipient must ensure effective oversight of all activities carried out under the Federal award, including any subawards issued to subrecipients. Subrecipient performance will be evaluated through routine monitoring to verify compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward, as well as to assess progress toward achieving project goals and objectives. This oversight includes review of financial and performance reports, verification that the subrecipient maintains adequate internal controls to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of reporting, and compliance with applicable requirements, and confirmation that funds, property, and other assets are safeguarded and used only for authorized purposes. Subrecipients are responsible for providing all information necessary to assess performance, including timely submission of required reports and notification of any significant developments to the Recipient. The Recipient should incorporate subrecipient performance and metrics in reports to the NPS.

Geospatial Data If you receive financial assistance from the DOI, recipient must follow these rules for geospatial data:

Follow Federal Standards: All geospatial data you collect or create must meet the standards set by the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC) or the Department of the Interior. This is required by the Geospatial Data Act of 2018, which is part of Public Law 115-254, specifically in Subtitle F (Geospatial Data), sections 751-759C (codified at 43 U.S.C. §§ 2801–2811).

Include Metadata: Your Geographic Information Systems (GIS) files must include complete metadata. Metadata is information that describes the data, such as where it came from, how accurate it is, and how it should be used. This is to ensure that anyone using the data understands its context and quality.

Check for Existing Data: Before you start collecting new geospatial data, you need to check GeoPlatform.gov. This is to see if there is already existing geospatial data from federal, state, local, or private sources that can meet your needs and is available for free. If such data is available, you should use it instead of gathering new data.

These rules help ensure that geospatial data is reliable, high-quality, and that resources are used efficiently.

https://www.doi.gov/grants/doi-standard-terms-and-conditions https://www.doi.gov/grants/doi-standard-terms-and-conditions https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-184 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=2019&path=%2Fprelim%40title43%2Fchapter46&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2019-title43-chapter46&num=0&saved=L3ByZWxpbUB0aXRsZTQzL2NoYXB0ZXI0Ng%3D%3D%7CZ3JhbnVsZWlkOlVTQy1wcmVsaW0tdGl0bGU0My1jaGFwdGVyNDY%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim

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Data Availability Per the Financial Assistance Interior Regulation (FAIR), 2 CFR §1402.315:

(a) All data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, valuation products or other scientific assessments in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audiovisual, resulting from a financial assistance agreement is available for use by the Department of the Interior, including being available in a manner that is sufficient for independent verification.

(b) The Federal Government has the right to:

(1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, produced under a Federal award; and

(2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data, methodology, factual inputs, models, analyses, technical information, reports, conclusions, or other scientific assessments, for Federal purposes, including to allow for meaningful third-party evaluation.

Reporting The recipient’s Notice of Award will detail all reporting requirements, including frequency, due dates, and instructions for requesting extensions. In general, but not limited to, recipients must:

• Submit Federal Financial reports and Program Performance reports.

• Use the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) form for financial reporting,

• Monitor award activities and report on program performance per 2 CFR 200.329,

• Promptly notify the awarding program in writing of any issues, delays, or conditions impairing award objectives per 2 CFR 200.329(e),

• Disclose any conflicts of interest related to their award that arise during the award period per 2 CFR 1402.112,

• Report on the status of real property acquired under the award in which the Federal government retains an interest per 2 CFR 200.330, and

• Report all violations of Federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the Federal award per 2 CFR 200.113.

• Report any matters related to recipient integrity and performance to SAM.gov per

Appendix XII to 2 CFR 200.

• If the Federal share of the award is more than $100,000 and the recipient makes or agrees to make any payment using non-appropriated funds for lobbying in connection to the award, disclose those activities using the Disclosure of Lobbying (SF-LLL) form per 43

CFR 18.100.

• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA) and 2 CFR 170 requires certain recipients to report information on executive compensation, and information on all sub-awards, subcontracts, and consortiums over $30,000 to SAM.gov.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR8feb98c2e3e5ad2/section-200.315 https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/post-award-reporting-forms https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.329 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.329 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XIV/part-1402/subpart-B/section-1402.112 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR36520e4111dce32/section-200.330 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-B/section-200.113 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#Appendix-XII-to-Part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-43/subtitle-A/part-18

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Performance will be regularly evaluated to determine recipient adherence to program goals and Agency and Administration priorities, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and with all current and applicable Executive Orders and Secretary Orders.

Recipients of NPS awards should include the following information in performance reports:

• a comparison of actual accomplishments to the milestones established by the financial assistance agreement for the period,

• a summary of performance metrics measured including outputs and outcomes,

• the reasons why the project did not meet established milestones, if applicable,

• the status of milestones not met from the previous reporting period, if applicable,

• whether the project is on schedule and within the original cost estimate,

• any additional pertinent information or issues related to the status of the project, and

• information on subawards accomplishments, milestones, performance metrics, delays, and oversight activities completed, if applicable.

The recipient must use metrics that track and measure the expected performance measures to the program’s intended outcomes. The following are possible activities and outcomes that may be utilized to demonstrate measurable progress to achieve program objectives.

Performance Objective

Inputs and Activities Data Collection and Outcomes

Recruitment Inputs may include engagement efforts with university degree programs, career offices, alumni, and individual participants, as well as coordination with NPS to promote the program

Recipient should collect data on the success and conversion rates of these efforts to ensure efficient and effective recruitment

Selection and Onboarding

Inputs may include application review, engagement with alumni and NPS staff on candidate review, interview scheduling, hiring process for students from universities across the country, and any necessary digital tools or databases to support doing so in a timely manner.

Input also includes efforts to onboard selected applicants.

Recipients should collect data on timelines, costs, and NPS-perceptions of the effectiveness at these efforts for the purpose of tracking selection and onboarding processes

Project Administration

Inputs may include stipend payment processing, travel support, expense tracking and reimbursement, and overall budget administration.

Recipients should collect data on the effectiveness and timeliness of these efforts, and the customer service provided to participants to gauge effectiveness at supporting a

FAMD-1443-001-2026-01 Page 19 of 19 positive experience that will encourage participants to consider a federal career.

Alumni Engagement Inputs may include coordination and networking efforts with recent and past alumni.

Recipients should collect data on engagement efforts to further the goal of cultivating a lifelong stewardship ethic, as well as for supporting recruitment and selection efforts

Events may occur between the scheduled performance reporting dates which have significant impact upon the supported activity. In such cases, recipients are required to notify NPS in writing as soon as the recipient becomes aware of any problems, delays, or adverse conditions that will materially impair the ability to meet the objective of the Federal award. This disclosure must include a statement of any corrective action(s) taken or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation. The recipient should also notify NPS in writing of any favorable developments that enable meeting time schedules and objectives sooner or at less cost than anticipated or producing more or different beneficial results than originally planned.

If the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceeds $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of this Federal award, then you as the recipient during that period of time must maintain the currency of information reported to the System for Award Management (SAM) about civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings in accordance with Appendix XII to 2 C.F.R. 200.

Other Information

Payments Domestic recipients are required to register in and receive payment through the U.S. Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), unless approved for a waiver by NPS.

Foreign recipients receiving funds to a final destination bank outside the U.S. are required to receive payment through the U.S. Treasury’s International Treasury Services (ITS) System.

Foreign recipients receiving funds to a final destination bank in the U.S. are required to enter and maintain current banking details in their SAM.gov entity profile and receive payment through the Automated Clearing House network by electronic funds transfer (EFT). NPS will include recipient-specific instructions on how to request payment, including identification of any additional information required and where to submit payment requests, as applicable, in all Notices of Award.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9c3f1f088a2ef78a524a9c28e4cd43b0&mc=true&node=ap2.1.200_1521.xii&rgn=div9 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9c3f1f088a2ef78a524a9c28e4cd43b0&mc=true&node=ap2.1.200_1521.xii&rgn=div9

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Appendix A - Application Package Forms SF424, SF424A, SF424B, detailed budget instructions

Appendix A - Application Package