Cultural and Paleontological Resources Management (15.224)
Cultural and Paleontological Resources Management (Assistance Listing 15.224) is run by the Bureau of Land Management, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $14.3 million in 110 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $129,952 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $49,134. Half of the 110 awards fell between $20,000 and $98,898, and they ranged from $5,000 to $3.3 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$14.3 million
- Grant awards110
- Typical award$49,134
- Awarded in FY 2025$2.9 million
- Size rank1408 of 1824
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements (discretionary grants)
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $3.5 million in fiscal 2021 to $2.9 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1408th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 86% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 22 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Bureau of Land Management provides financial assistance to help protect, preserve, study, and share cultural and paleontological resources on BLM-managed public lands. These resources include archaeological and historic sites, fossils, museum collections, and places important to Tribes and other communities. The program supports partnerships that: · protect cultural and paleontological resources for future generations; · improve public and professional understanding of the nation’s cultural and natural history; · document, study, stabilize, and interpret important sites and resources; · provide educational, recreational, and economic opportunities for local communities; · support Tribal access to places and natural resources important to traditional cultural practices; and · care for museum collections and records and make them available for appropriate research, education, and public use. Through these partnerships, BLM seeks to strengthen public stewardship, support meaningful Tribal involvement, and ensure that these fragile and nonrenewable resources are managed responsibly.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, 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, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, and Private institutions of higher education.
What the money can and cannot pay for
All projects are restricted to lands and resources administered by BLM. Most of these lands are located in the Western United States and Alaska. Assistance can be used for cooperation in managing cultural or paleontological resources, e.g., survey for sites and localities, stabilization of historic structures, and public contact/education/interpretation or for improving information about cultural resources, consistent with needs identified in BLM planning documents.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Past partnership projects have ranged from $3,000 to $100,000,000. Average amount is $45,000 or less.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Funded projects supported partnerships to identify, document, study, protect, stabilize, and interpret cultural and paleontological resources on BLM-managed public lands. Examples include archaeological field schools, cultural resource surveys and research, stabilization of archaeological and historic sites, care of museum collections, public education and interpretation, and projects that improve Tribal involvement and access to culturally important places and resources.Fiscal Year2026: The program has not yet selected all projects for funding. BLM expects to fund projects that protect and study cultural and paleontological resources, care for collections and records, provide educational and public-use opportunities, support partnerships with Tribes and local communities, and improve public understanding and stewardship of heritage resources on BLM-managed lands.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cultural and Paleontological Resources Management (15.224) awarded$14.3 million across 110 grant awards, an average of $129,952 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alaska Anchorage | Alaska | 2 | $6.2 million |
| Historicorps | Colorado | 5 | $642,071 |
| Utah State Government Library Division Utah State Library | Utah | 4 | $569,566 |
| Arizona State Parks & Trails | Arizona | 1 | $522,184 |
| Loxahatchee River Historical Society, Inc. | Florida | 1 | $500,000 |
| University of New Mexico | New Mexico | 2 | $498,265 |
| Oregon Department of State Parks and Recreation | Oregon | 2 | $318,777 |
| Cyark | California | 5 | $294,300 |
| Florida Atlantic University Research Corporation | Florida | 1 | $275,247 |
| Cornerstones Community Partnerships | New Mexico | 2 | $256,320 |
| Pueblo of Zuni | New Mexico | 1 | $250,000 |
| Hopi Tribe | Arizona | 1 | $250,000 |
| Ute Indian Tribe | Utah | 1 | $250,000 |
| Navajo Nation Tribal Government | Arizona | 1 | $250,000 |
| Heritage Lands Collective | Colorado | 2 | $239,994 |
| University of Oklahoma | Oklahoma | 1 | $233,215 |
| Portland State University | Oregon | 1 | $209,690 |
| University of Arizona | Arizona | 3 | $202,422 |
| New Mexico Humanities Council | New Mexico | 2 | $198,442 |
| Ute Mountain Ute Tribe | Colorado | 1 | $162,193 |
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 59% of the money, nonprofits 17% and state and local governments 14%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 37 | $8.4 million | 59% |
| Nonprofits | 31 | $2.5 million | 17% |
| State and local governments | 24 | $2.0 million | 14% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 7 | $1.2 million | 8.1% |
| Other | 10 | $213,697 | 1.5% |
| Businesses | 1 | $11,650 | less than 0.1% |
By state
6 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 6 | $6.4 million |
| Colorado | 21 | $1.7 million |
| New Mexico | 12 | $1.3 million |
| Arizona | 6 | $1.2 million |
| Utah | 14 | $960,812 |
| Florida | 2 | $758,645 |
| Oregon | 7 | $750,398 |
| California | 6 | $345,836 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $233,215 |
| Wyoming | 3 | $116,620 |
| Idaho | 4 | $83,316 |
| Washington | 3 | $82,662 |
| North Dakota | 4 | $82,223 |
| Maryland | 2 | $79,814 |
| Nevada | 2 | $75,718 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $49,825 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | $34,051 |
| Montana | 10 | $27,242 |
| North Carolina | 1 | $17,000 |
| Missouri | 1 | $12,979 |
| Ohio | 1 | $5,000 |
| Kansas | 1 | $3,489 |