Curation of Museum Property Under Reclamation Jurisdiction and Archaeological Fieldwork for Inadvertent Discoveries | BOR GP 18 N003

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR GP 18 N003

The grant opportunity titled "Curation of Museum Property Under Reclamation Jurisdiction and Archaeological Fieldwork for Inadvertent Discoveries" (Funding Opportunity Number BOR GP 18 N003) is a discretionary funding notice issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. It falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.511. The funding instrument identified is a cooperative agreement, which generally means the agency expects to have substantial involvement in the work being performed rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant.

The key point in the listing is that it is not an open call for proposals and not a request for applications. Instead, it serves as public notice that the Bureau of Reclamation intends to fund a specific organization, the Institute of the Great Plains, for a defined scope of work. In other words, the agency is signaling an intended award rather than inviting competition. The eligibility field is listed broadly as "Others," but the description makes it clear that this particular notice is tied to a planned, single recipient.

The purpose of the intended award is twofold. First, it supports curation of museum property that falls under Bureau of Reclamation jurisdiction. In practical terms, this typically involves the long-term care, documentation, management, and preservation of cultural materials or collections that the federal government is responsible for, including ensuring items are properly housed, cataloged, and maintained according to professional museum and archival standards. Second, it supports archaeological fieldwork related to inadvertent or unanticipated discoveries. That phrase generally refers to situations where cultural resources, archaeological materials, or historic properties are discovered unexpectedly during Reclamation operations, maintenance, construction, or other ground-disturbing activities, creating an immediate need for professional assessment and, if necessary, field investigation and documentation.

From the funding details provided, the expected award amount has a ceiling of $244,000, and the notice anticipates one award. The opportunity was created on July 30, 2018, with an original closing date of August 12, 2018. Those dates function more as an administrative window for the public notice rather than a typical application deadline, since the announcement explicitly states that applications are not being solicited.

Overall, this notice is best understood as a formal transparency step: it informs the public that Reclamation plans to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Institute of the Great Plains to manage and curate federally controlled museum property and to be prepared to conduct archaeological work when unexpected cultural resource discoveries occur.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Curation of Museum Property Under Reclamation Jurisdiction and Archaeological Fieldwork for Inadvertent Discoveries" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.511.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 12, 2018. (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 $244,000.00 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 BOR GP 18 N003

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