Fort Brown National Historic Landmark Nomination | P15AS00394

Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00394

The Fort Brown National Historic Landmark Nomination opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00394) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement tied to the National Historic Landmark (NHL) Program, carried out under the authorities of the Historic Sites Act of 1935 and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended). In practical terms, it supports federal work to properly identify, document, and strengthen the long-term preservation and interpretation of historic places that have national significance. Here, the focus is Fort Brown in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, a site connected to early U.S.-Mexico conflict history and the broader military landscape along the Rio Grande.

The core purpose of the award is to revise the existing NHL boundary for Fort Brown and to prepare a new National Historic Landmark nomination package that better reflects what is actually present on the ground and below the surface. The earlier 1986 nomination was relatively limited in scope, largely concentrating on the visibly surviving earthworks and formally covering only an 80 by 170 yard portion of the fort that was designated at the time. Since then, newer research has changed the understanding of the site. Non-invasive archeological methods and a cultural landscape study indicate there are substantial subsurface remains of the fort that were not captured by the earlier boundary and documentation. In addition, the surrounding landscape may contain other related features, including additional American and Mexican earthworks connected to the siege of Fort Texas, meaning the historically significant area is likely larger and more complex than what the NHL listing currently recognizes.

This opportunity is structured around collaboration. The NPS Heritage Partnerships Program is identified as the lead on the federal side, working in cooperation with a designated cooperator and key partners that include the International Boundary and Water Commission, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, and the City of Brownsville. The work implies coordination across multiple jurisdictions and interests, especially because one of the explicit goals is to encompass the entire original earth fortification area, or as much of it as feasible, depending on landowner consent. That detail matters because it signals that boundary expansion and the updated nomination are intended to be grounded not only in historical and archeological evidence, but also in real-world property ownership and stakeholder agreement.

From a grant mechanics perspective, this is listed as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement instrument under CFDA 15.954, with the activity category noted as Natural Resources. It is also described as a noncompetitive notice of intent to award, with an expected number of awards of one, indicating NPS planned to make a single, directed award rather than run an open, competitive solicitation. The posting shows an original closing date of 2015-09-18 and an award ceiling listed as 0, which often appears in notices where the funding amount is predetermined, handled through internal agreement structures, or otherwise not expressed as a standard competed ceiling in the public listing.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted federal support to update and strengthen the official NHL documentation for Fort Brown by expanding the boundary and rewriting the nomination so it reflects current scholarship and field findings. The intended outcome is a more accurate and comprehensive recognition of Fort Brown as a cultural landscape, not just a small area of visible earthworks, capturing both the fort itself and related defensive or siege features that help explain the full historical story of the site.

• The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fort Brown National Historic Landmark Nomination" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-09-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-09-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for P15AS00394

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