FY 2015 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations

The summary for the FY 2015 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Department of the Interior, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

FY 2015 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations: The Secretary of the Interior established the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program, Program) to implement the land consolidation provisions of the Cobell Settlement Agreement, which provided $1.9 billion to consolidate fractional land interests across Indian country. The Buy-Back Program allows interested individual owners to sell their land and transfer ownership of their interests to the tribe of jurisdiction. This effort will strengthen tribal sovereignty and put decision-making in the hands of the tribal government, freeing up resources that have been locked-up as land interests that have fractionated over time.

The Buy-Back Program is interested in partnering with eligible tribes to gain their direct participation in land consolidation efforts on the reservations under their jurisdiction as tribes are considered uniquely qualified to perform the land consolidation activities on their reservations. Consequently, the Program intends to, whenever feasible and practical, enter into single source cooperative agreements with eligible tribes to not only to capitalize on their unique knowledge of their reservations but also to improve the overall effectiveness of the Program. Eligible tribes will be given the opportunity to apply for a cooperative agreement, if desired, prior to the implementation of the Buy-Back Program at the location under their jurisdiction. More information is available at: http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/tribes/agreements.cfm. Tribes are encouraged to contact Program staff for more information on developing the cooperative agreement application prior to submission.

PLEASE NOTE: this is a 10-year program. The expiration on this posting reflects this current opportunity, and new opportunities will be posted over the duration of the Program. In addition, given that the Cobell Settlement sharply limits overall administrative funding for the duration of the Buy-Back Program, cooperative agreement awards are not intended to directly fund long-term, multi-year programs at each location or reservation. Most awards will provide funding for no longer than 1 year, and tribes are encouraged to utilize the award amount to work with existing tribal land offices and programs. Tribes are also encouraged to work with Program staff in the development of the cooperative agreement application.