F23AS00284 FWS Year 2 Klamath Basin Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law Funding Opportunity

For more than two decades, the Klamath Basin has encountered numerous challenges due to ongoing drought conditions, limited water supply and diverse needs. The Interior Department, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), the Bureau of Reclamation and numerous other state and federal entities have sought collaborative solutions to address conditions that impact Tribes and other stakeholders who are intimately connected to the Klamath Basin. For Year 2 (FY 23) of its Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding opportunity for the Klamath Basin, the Service is soliciting project pre-proposals that advance restoration activities in the Klamath Basin of Southern Oregon and Northern California.  During an Interior Department workshop on Klamath restoration funding opportunities on December 15, 2022, many Klamath Basin stakeholders expressed an interest in having federal agencies adopt a more efficient process for navigating the complexities of funding opportunities across the federal and state government.  As an initial response to that request, the Service, in collaboration with the Interior Department and other federal and state partners, invites applicants to submit project pre-proposals for its Year 2 BIL Klamath Basin funding opportunity. This funding opportunity incorporates a two-step process. Step one involves submitting pre-proposals, which will be ranked and evaluated by the Service.  For Step two, by invitation only, the Service request full-proposals from the highest ranked projects.  Both the pre-proposal process and the by-invitation-only full-proposal process are described below. Potential for Leveraging and Coordinating Funding The Service recognizes that there will likely be more request for project funding, than what is available within the Service’s Year 2 BIL funding opportunity. In an effort to leverage additional funds for high-ranking projects, the Service may share pre-proposal abstracts with other funding agencies and conservation partners in order to determine level of support, overlap with ongoing work, potential additional collaboration opportunities, and potential coordination of funds.