Cultural Resources Management

To manage and protect cultural resources on Reclamation land; provide for the curation of and public access to collectible heritage assets, including the increase of public awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of these resources; and provide for th

To manage and protect cultural resources on Reclamation land; provide for the curation of and public access to collectible heritage assets, including the increase of public awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of these resources; and provide for the protection and preservation of the tribal cultural resources impacted by operations of some Reclamation projects.

State and local agencies, sponsored organizations, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally-recognized Indian Tribal governments, minority groups, specialized groups, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other private institutions/organizations, and Native American Organizations, educational or scientific organization, or any institution, corporation, association, or individual that possesses the requisite professional requirements.

State and local governments, Tribes, universities, anyone/general public, entities that have an education mission or mission-component, and repositories that meet the standards of the Department of the Interior, Department Manual, Part 411: Identifying and Managing Museum Property, for facilities managing Federal museum property. Further information regarding the general purpose and scope of the Department Manual (DM) is included in Part 001, Chapter 1, of the DM. The DM may be accessed at http://elips.doi.gov/app_DM/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.

All activities are related to Reclamation cultural resource management programs and activities. Cooperative agreements are used for providing long-term care of Reclamation-owned heritage assets and meeting curation requirements per 36 CFR Part 79 and the Departmental Manual, Part 411. Grants or cooperative agreements are issued to State or Tribal Historic Preservation Offices to share databases, including geographic information systems. Awards made under the National Historic Preservation Act include grants or contracts for cultural resource work. The amount of funding available for projects is variable from year to year. Projects are approved through the budget cycle and may require up to three years for funding approval.

Agreements are typically awarded for periods of 1 to 5 years.

see non-competitive posting in grants.gov

Criteria used for selecting a recipient are based on a balanced and informed review of program needs and sources of information. For example, states have mandatory responsibilities to cooperate with Federal agencies to maintain statewide inventories of cultural resources, so states are sole sourced funds to maintain databases under the various National Historic Preservation Act sections requiring data sharing and cooperation. Indian tribes are often sole sourced because only they can identify properties of religious and cultural concern to tribal members. For other cultural resources activities, a technical proposal, budget proposal, and relevancy to program objectives are required. The specific evaluation criteria for each project will be included in the funding announcement posted on www.grants.gov.

All applications will be initially screened by Bureau of Reclamation personnel for eligibility and compliance with the requirements stated in the program funding announcement. Applications passing this screening process will be forwarded for review by the issuing office. Qualified experts from the Bureau of Reclamation will review applications against the proposal evaluation criteria, and any additional review factors, as stated in the funding announcement. Final selection will be determined by the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, or regional officials, as applicable to the project.

Varies depending on the number of proposals received and the complexity of the project. Generally, offices review and award assistance agreements within 60 days of proposal submission.

Some projects may be eligible for extension. If renewals or extensions are applicable to the project, this information will be included in the funding opportunity announcement. When renewals or extensions are applicable, continuation of funding for these activities is at the discretion of Congress and will be subject to availability of appropriated funds.

None. Final award decisions are not subject to appeal; however, the Bureau of Reclamation will provide all applicants with information on why their proposals were not selected for award.