Southwest Border Resource Protection Program | P17AS00487

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00487

The Southwest Border Resource Protection Program (SWBRPP) is a National Park Service funding opportunity run out of the NPS Intermountain Regional Office in Denver that supports projects aimed at protecting and restoring natural and cultural resources in and near national park units along the United States border with Mexico. The program is designed to strengthen day-to-day resource stewardship, encourage international cooperation where it makes sense, improve public interpretation and education, and support scientific research that builds understanding and appreciation of shared borderland heritage. In plain terms, it is meant to help parks and partners respond to real, on-the-ground impacts happening in the desert Southwest and border region, while also improving long-term management and public awareness.

The need driving the program is resource damage linked to illegal cross-border activity, including the movement of drug traffickers and undocumented migrants through parklands. According to the opportunity description, affected areas have seen extensive creation of unauthorized roads and trails, disruption of ecological processes and wildlife movement patterns, vandalism to historic places, and looting of archaeological sites. These impacts can fragment habitat, accelerate erosion, introduce invasive species, degrade sensitive desert soils and riparian zones, and permanently damage irreplaceable cultural resources. SWBRPP funding is positioned as a practical tool to help parks and their partners assess these impacts, monitor changing conditions, and carry out on-the-ground conservation, preservation, and interpretation work to reduce further damage.

Projects supported by the program can include scientific research and monitoring (such as tracking species, habitat conditions, or ecological trends), along with conservation and preservation activities that directly protect resources. The notice also highlights interpretation, meaning projects that help the public understand the natural and cultural significance of the borderlands and the challenges of protecting them. Overall, the program emphasizes work that leads to better-informed management decisions, improved protection of sensitive sites, and stronger public understanding of the region's shared heritage.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to build their proposals in close coordination with at least one of ten NPS units located near the international border. Those parks are Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Palo Alto National Historic Site, Padre Island National Seashore, Saguaro National Park, Tumacacori National Historical Park, Chamizal National Memorial, Coronado National Memorial, and Chiricahua National Monument. This emphasis on collaboration signals that proposals are expected to align with park priorities and be grounded in specific, local resource needs rather than generic regional work.

From the funding and administrative standpoint, this opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.954 through the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The listed award ceiling is $50,000, with an anticipated total of about seven awards. Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and local governments (including special districts), independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category). The opportunity was created July 17, 2017, and originally closed September 1, 2017, reflecting a specific solicitation cycle, though the program concept and partnership model are the key takeaways for understanding what it funds and why.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Southwest Border Resource Protection Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 17, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 01, 2017. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for P17AS00487

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