Implement Cuyahoga Valley National Park Rual Landscape Management Program | NPS NOIP20AC00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP20AC00001

The grant opportunity titled "Implement Cuyahoga Valley National Park Rural Landscape Management Program" (Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIP20AC00001) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement designed to fully implement and co-manage Cuyahoga Valley National Park's Rural Landscape Management Program, also known as the Countryside Initiative. The core goal is to protect and preserve the rural heritage of the Cuyahoga Valley by keeping working farms active on National Park Service land, primarily through adaptive reuse of historic farmsteads. Under this program, the park may maintain up to 13 long-term farm leases that can run as long as 60 years, with farmers living on and actively working the land as part of their lease arrangement. The broader vision is to safeguard a disappearing rural landscape while demonstrating how agriculture, conservation, and historic preservation can function together in a national park setting.

This opportunity builds on a roughly 20-year collaborative partnership between the NPS and a nonprofit recipient to restore and sustain community-driven agriculture in the park and the wider Northeast Ohio region. The program is framed not just as farmland management, but as a public-facing stewardship and education effort. It aims to educate park visitors and surrounding communities about the importance of rural landscapes, encourage practical involvement in preservation, and expand access to healthy local food for the park, visitors, and nearby communities. In addition, the project emphasizes shared environmental stewardship, promotes public and private participation in historic preservation activities, and strengthens stewardship ethics among participants through outreach and hands-on engagement.

The recipient is expected to staff and operate key functions necessary to keep the Countryside Initiative running effectively. Major responsibilities include advising both the National Park Service and the park's farmer-lessees on agricultural best management practices that protect natural and cultural resources, such as soils, water, habitat, and historic landscape features. The recipient will also serve as a core member of the NPS farm management team, which includes reviewing and supporting approval of farm proposals and annual operating plans, as well as assisting with property inspections to identify and address maintenance needs tied to the leased farmsteads and agricultural infrastructure. Another central component is providing practical technical assistance to farmers over the long term, including guidance, training, equipment support, and problem-solving help for specific operational challenges, all aligned with the terms and conditions of the NPS leases and the park's resource protection requirements.

A key public-benefit piece of the grant focuses on community liaison and local food systems work. The recipient will help connect the NPS, farmers, and the public around topics like sustainable farming, food access, and healthy local food, acting as a bridge between on-the-ground farm operations and broader community goals. The opportunity also includes a workforce development and youth engagement element through the creation of a beginning farmer program. This program is intended to recruit and hire apprentices, largely youth, who will gain real-world, hands-on experience by working directly with park farmers, building skills in agriculture while also supporting the park's broader natural, cultural, and historical resource protection mission.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement instrument, which generally signals substantial federal involvement and ongoing coordination rather than a hands-off pass-through grant. The funding activity spans several categories including agriculture, community development, education, environment, and regional development (CFDA 15.954). Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education. The opportunity anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $800,000. The notice was created December 16, 2019, with an original closing date of December 26, 2019.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the agriculture, community development, education, environment, regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Implement Cuyahoga Valley National Park Rual Landscape Management Program" 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 Dec 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 26, 2019. (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 $800,000.00 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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