See the Proposal Procedures page for information about the Federal Agency Proposal Procedures.
See each RFP/RSOI for the person to contact with questions about that RFP/RSOI.
- Request for Statements of Interest: Cultural Affiliation Study
Agency: U.S. Navy Mid-Region
Locations: Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania Installations
Deadline: August 17, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
This project is for a study to document the known and potential cultural affiliations of federally recognized American Indian tribes (tribes) with Department of the Navy (Navy) installations, facilities, cultural resources and archaeological collections in the Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (CNRMA) Mid-Region area of responsibility (AOR). The concerning installations associated with this area are Sub-Base New London, Naval Station New Port, and Philadelphia Navy Yard. As a federal agency, the Navy has a mandated trust obligation to consult with federally recognized American Indian tribes (tribes) that have current or ancestral connections to and resources owned, managed or potentially affected by the Navy. Federal statutes, regulations, policies and executive orders, additionally including Department of Defense (DoD) and Navy policies, mandate government-to-government consultation with tribes to ensure tribal treaty rights and interests are protected and considered in conjunction with Navy management of regional cultural resources of interest to tribes. At present, the respective installations do not consistently consult with the same tribes, and some tribes consulted with have no known historical, geographical, cultural or other specific ties to the AOR. This study will help streamline and better identify tribes with whom the Navy should consider consulting with regarding future Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) consultations, as well as consultations on undertakings or other cultural resources management actions in the Mid-Region AOR.
The project area shall focus on Navy owned/managed properties within the Mid-Region AOR, including facilities at Sub-Base New London, Naval Station New Port, and Philadelphia Navy Yard. While the study will more generally address broad trends related to past and current tribal occupations and settlement in the region, the identification of such tribes shall be connected to Navy lands and facilities only. These include the principal shore-based installations as well as special areas and annexes associated with/managed by each of the principal installations, further including recreational areas, training ranges and support activity sites. Maps indicating the locations of the principal installations are included in this Statement of Work.
While the term “cultural affiliation” is derived from a specific statute, the results of this study will facilitate consultation and compliance with several legislative and policy requirements. In the NAGPRA, cultural affiliation is defined as “a relationship of shared group identity which can be reasonably traced historically or prehistorically between a present-day Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization and an identifiable earlier group” (25 U.S.C. § 3001.2(3)). Adapting this concept to the current study, the primary objective is to identify instances where this relationship of shared group identity may involve the Late Pre-Contact/Contact/Early Post-Contact era (circa 1500-1800) occupation or use of lands now owned, managed or otherwise used by the Navy in the specified study area. This concept can be further related to requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which calls for consideration of the effects of federal undertakings on resources “of religious and cultural significance to” American Indian tribes (54 U.S.C. § 306108). Likewise, the American Indian Freedom Act (AIFA) and Executive Order 13007 (Indian Sacred Sites) require federal agencies to protect and allow tribal member access to sacred sites on federal property for religious practices. The Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) further mandates that federal agencies notify and consult with tribes on the issuance of an archaeological research permit that may adversely impact a cultural site of religious or cultural importance to tribes (16 U.S.C. § 470cc.(c)).
Please see attachments for additional information.
Past Funding and Other Opportunities
- RFI: BOEM Enhancing Spill Risk Analysis
SPECIAL NOTICE – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): The Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is issuing this RFI for Enhancing Spill Risk Analysis for Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Activities. BOEM requests information from industry, academic institutions, Tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, state and federal agencies, and the public on approaches for assessing oil spill risk associated with proposed OCS oil and gas activities. BOEM will use the information received to advance spill risk analysis that supports environmental analyses and consultations.
This effort is primarily focused on oil spill risk, rather than oil spill response. However, information produced from this effort could support general spill-response planning needs in other contexts. BOEM seeks approaches that: 1) rely on inputs that are practical to obtain, 2) are transparent, 3) can be completed in a timely manner, and 4) support the Bureau’s decision-making needs. BOEM also seeks approaches that use open-source tools, meaning modeling code and associated input data are publicly accessible, transparent, and able to be independently reviewed. Examples of input data may include but are not limited to environmental and oceanographic conditions (e.g., meteorological forcing, ocean currents, wave fields), historical spill data, and information describing potential offshore operations.
All responses under this RFI Notice must be submitted via email to Stephanie Brock at stephanie_brock@ios.doi.gov no later than Friday June 5, 2026 at 5:00PM ET. Please include “RFI BOEM Spill Risk Analysis Enhancements” in your email subject line. Please include your UEI SAM, primary POC, and business type (small, 8(a), large, etc.). Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged. No feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.
This RFI does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. The U.S. Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any companies or entities that respond to this announcement. Any costs incurred by interested vendors in response to this announcement or incurred for participation in the RFI will NOT be reimbursed. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-Government personnel and entities. There is no bid package or solicitation document associated with this announcement. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary. The results of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement and requirement development.
Additional information can be found in the PDF attached.
Deadline: Jun 05, 2026 5:00 PM ET
- RSOI: Identifying Important Bat Habitats for Homestead National Historical Park
Homestead National Heritage Park is seeking assistance in understanding the temporal and spatial utilization of the park by various bat species.
The park is working to reintroduce fire at regular intervals to help the vegetation better represent the landscape the first settlers would have encountered. The park plans to conduct low intensity burns in woodland areas to reduce fire intolerant species (such as hackberry trees) and improve the habitat for fire tolerant species (such as bur oak). As funding and time allow, targeted thinning is planned to be used to open the woodland. To minimize negative impacts on bats, as a species of concern, the park requires updated research on:
- What species are in the park, when they are present, and how they use different areas of the park.
- To distinguish local management actions’ impacts from impacts more broadly in the bats home range, we also need to identify their probable wintering grounds.
The goals of this project are to update existing park data using a combination of mist netting, roost emergence counts, and Motus tracking locally within the park, and incidentally across the bats’ home ranges. The data collected in this study will be used to directly inform the management of park resources to minimize impacts on bats. We anticipate that these data will help us revise burn plans and other park planning efforts. We also expect that analysis of Motus tracks can help managers disambiguate impacts on bats due to local park management actions versus threats migratory bats are facing across their home range.
Specific questions are:
- What species of bats are still present in the park compared to the 2019 and earlier baselines?
- What specific portions of the park are bats using for different activities (e.g. feeding, roosting)?
- Where are the probable migratory and overwintering grounds of these species as identified by the Motus Wildlife Tracking System?
- What is the site fidelity of the tagged bats?
Please see attachments for more information. Direct questions and statements of interest to: Jesse Bolli, Resource Management Specialist, Homestead National Historical Park. Jesse_Bolli@nps.gov or 402-223-1705.
Funding Amount: $33,000 total
RSOI Deadline: April 14, 2026 CDT
- Immunological and Ecological Dynamics of Avian Influenza
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research focused on understanding the immunological and ecological dynamics of avian influenza spread, persistence, and transmission in wild bird species. This research will: 1) advance understanding of basic avian influenza ecology in wild bird host species, and 2) pair transcriptomics to traditional infection and serologic testing methods to enhance our understanding of host susceptibility and infection response.
Funding Source: United States Geological Survey
Funding Amount: $499,000
Deadline: April 28, 2026
For more information see the grant opportunity on GRANTS.GOV.
- Accepting Applications: 2026 Nickerson Fellowship, Cape Cod National Seashore
The Joshua A. Nickerson Conservation Fellowship, offered in partnership by the National Park Service and Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, has provided support to qualified individuals since 1992. At least one fellowship is awarded each year to individuals whose work will contribute to our knowledge of natural and cultural resources within Cape Cod National Seashore, and of the relationships of these resources to the local communities in which they are found.
Proposals may be submitted for research in the broad areas of the natural and social sciences. Topics of interest include terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem processes, biotic and abiotic ecosystem components, cultural and natural resource management, and the political and social implications of resource protection and management.
The amount of the fellowship varies from year to year. Housing may also be available to fellowship recipients while research is being conducted in the park. Laboratory equipment and field equipment may be available as well.
Applications must be received by April 10, 2026.
- Info Webinar: Science Communication in the Parks (SCIP)
Registration is now open for the Science Communications in the Parks (SCIP) Information Webinar on March 9, 2026 at 3 pm ET. Jointly administered by the Ecological Society of America in cooperation with the National Park Service, the SCIP program supports communications related to high-profile regional resource initiatives. Starting initially with the Northeastern National Parks, the program has expanded, and now supports a wider variety of resource-related communication needs within the National Park Service. The Information Webinar is a great opportunity to meet ESA and NPS program personnel and to have your questions about the SCIP program answered.
Applications are expected to open March 5 and close April 2. To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents AND be affiliated with a CESU partner institution or an active ESA member. Graduate students, recent graduates (post-baccalaureate), postdocs or early career scientists with some SciComm experience are welcome to apply.
Benefits:
- Stipend of $3,000 to be paid in two installments
- Professional development in science communication
- Monthly check-ins and collaborative product design with peers
- Mentoring by project manager who is also a SciComm professional
- Access to network of NPS professional personnel and others with indepth perspectives on science in the national parks
- Potential travel support to selected NPS sites