Southwest Border Resource Protection Program | P24AS00132

Opportunity Information: Apply for P24AS00132

The Southwest Border Resource Protection Program (SWBRPP) is a National Park Service (NPS) funding opportunity designed to strengthen protection of natural and cultural resources along the U.S.-Mexico border, while also building practical cross-border collaboration. The program responds to documented resource damage affecting multiple park units in the desert Southwest, including impacts tied to illegal cross-border activity. Reported problems include widespread creation of unauthorized roads and trails, disruption of ecological processes and wildlife migration routes, vandalism to historic places, and looting of archaeological sites. In plain terms, SWBRPP is meant to help partners and parks repair damage, better understand what is happening on the ground, and improve long-term stewardship of shared borderland resources.

Funding supports projects that combine on-the-ground conservation with science, education, and binational cooperation. The NPS is looking for work that improves resource stewardship, advances scientific research and monitoring, strengthens interpretation and public understanding, and supports meaningful international cooperation with Mexico. A core requirement is that proposed work must be coordinated with, and provide benefits to, an NPS unit in the Intermountain Region located along the U.S.-Mexico border and also a protected area in Mexico. The intent is to address cultural or natural resource issues that are shared across the border rather than treating them as isolated, one-country problems.

Projects can be based in or support a range of border-related NPS sites, including 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. The notice also indicates flexibility: applicants may work with other Intermountain Region parks near the U.S.-Mexico border, even if not explicitly listed, as long as the project supports shared cultural or natural resource needs relevant to both countries.

The program is structured around cooperative agreements, meaning the NPS expects active involvement in shaping and carrying out the work rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. Each selected project is authorized through a separate award, and every award has its own work plan and budget that are developed collaboratively between the NPS and the partner organization. This setup typically fits projects where the park and the cooperator are working closely on methods, deliverables, and field implementation.

SWBRPP organizes eligible work into three broad categories. The first is Research and Monitoring, which can include cultural resource efforts like identifying, researching, and evaluating archaeological or historic sites and supporting nominations to the National Register of Historic Places or National Historic Landmark designations. On the natural resource side, it can include wildlife habitat management; inventorying and monitoring invasive plants and animals; studying climate change impacts on endangered species; and assessing how border-related activities affect threatened and endangered species. The second category is Conservation and Preservation, covering cultural resource stabilization, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic structures, archaeological sites, trails, and landscapes, along with conservation of collections. Natural resource examples include restoring natural processes and ecological systems, monitoring resource damage from human development, protecting endangered and threatened species, integrated pest management planning, and restoring native wildlife and vegetation, including removal of exotic species. The third category is Interpretation, Education, and Tourism, which emphasizes professional training and exchanges, student internship programs, workshops and training events, binational conferences, informational network gatherings, and development of interpretive materials and programs. Geotourism is also listed as an eligible activity, reflecting an interest in visitor experiences that support conservation and shared heritage appreciation.

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, city/township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status). The administering agency is the National Park Service, the assistance listing is CFDA 15.963, and the opportunity is categorized under Environment. The opportunity number is P24AS00132. For the posted cycle described in the source information, the application closing date was December 17, 2023, and the maximum award amount (award ceiling) was $55,000.

• The National Park Service in the environment 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): 15.963.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-10-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-12-17. (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 $55,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: 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), 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.

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