WO Wild Horse and Burro Training, Placement and Marketing Project | L17AS00236

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00236

The "WO Wild Horse and Burro Training, Placement and Marketing Project" (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00236) is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It was published as a Notice of Intent, which means it was not open for competitive applications and was essentially an announcement of BLM's intent to make an award to a specific partner rather than solicit proposals from the public. The opportunity falls under the discretionary funding category, is associated with the Agriculture activity area, and is tied to CFDA number 15.229. The posting shows an award ceiling of $2,250,000 and an expectation of one award.

The intended recipient is the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF), a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission centers on improving public understanding of wild horses and burros, boosting their appeal and adoptability, expanding ways for the public to participate in wild horse and burro programs, and ultimately placing excess animals into responsible private homes. The project focus is reflected in the title: training, placement, and marketing. In practice, that framing supports efforts that both prepare animals for successful adoption (training) and increase demand and successful matches with adopters (placement and marketing), which aligns with BLM's need to manage populations and reduce long-term holding pressures.

The notice highlights MHF's track record under an existing partnership with BLM dating back to an assistance agreement established in 2007. As of June 30, 2017, MHF had helped place a cumulative total of 9,111 animals into private care. The document also emphasizes a clear growth trend in annual placements through MHF-supported programs, increasing from 124 animals placed in 2007 to 1,583 animals in 2017. Those figures are used to show the program's expanding scale and the foundation's increasing capacity to move animals from federal management into private ownership.

A central rationale for the award is the public benefit and projected taxpayer savings associated with transferring animals into private care. The notice states that MHF program accomplishments translate into substantial public benefit, largely because animals placed with private adopters can reduce the costs associated with government long-term care and holding. In other words, the grant supports a pathway that can be less expensive over time than maintaining large numbers of animals in federally funded holding facilities, while also promoting adoption outcomes that are intended to be humane and sustainable.

The summary also addresses MHF's financial sustainability efforts. BLM notes that MHF is trying to grow program income, in-kind support, and private donations to supplement its operating budget and, eventually, to help offset BLM costs. At the time of the notice, however, MHF's income stream from those sources was described as negligible, suggesting continued reliance on federal partnership funding for major program delivery. The notice additionally points out that MHF had reduced overhead and administrative expenses to roughly 5 percent of its total budget in recent years, positioning the organization as comparatively lean and indicating that the majority of funds were expected to flow toward program activities rather than administration.

Key administrative details from the listing include the eligible applicant type (nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education), the agency (BLM), the creation date (September 19, 2017), and an original closing date of September 21, 2017. Because it was not open for competition, the closing date functions more as a posting lifecycle detail than a meaningful deadline for external applicants. Overall, the opportunity describes a targeted, single-recipient cooperative agreement meant to continue or expand an established partnership with MHF to train wild horses and burros, increase adoption and placement rates, and improve outreach and marketing that supports successful long-term private care.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WO Wild Horse and Burro Training, Placement and Marketing Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.229.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 19, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 21, 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 $2,250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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