Polar Bear Patrols | F18AS00201

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00201

The Polar Bear Patrols grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00201) is a US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 7 action to support a focused, on-the-ground safety and conservation program in Alaska's North Slope communities. It is structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.608, with an anticipated single award up to $210,000. The notice makes clear that this is not a competitive solicitation: USFWS intends to make a single-source financial assistance award, authorized under 505 DM 2.14(B), specifically to the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management. Although the eligibility category is listed broadly as county governments, the agency states it does not intend to accept or review proposals from other applicants.

At the core of the project is implementation of a polar bear detection and deterrence effort known as Polar Bear Patrols in North Slope villages where polar bears periodically enter or approach inhabited areas. The overall purpose is to reduce human-bear conflicts by improving early detection of bears and applying non-lethal deterrence methods to prevent dangerous encounters. The program is framed as both a public safety initiative and a conservation strategy, aiming to protect residents while also reducing the likelihood that bears are harmed or destroyed in response to conflict incidents.

The stated project objectives cover five main outcomes. First, the patrols are intended to improve public safety in communities visited by polar bears by creating a dedicated, organized response capability that can spot bears early, warn residents, and manage situations before they escalate. Second, the project is designed to provide local employment opportunities, meaning community members can be hired and trained to carry out patrol duties and related activities, keeping capacity and economic benefits local. Third, it supports polar bear conservation by emphasizing non-lethal responses to bear encounters, which helps reduce the need for lethal removal and encourages coexistence approaches. Fourth, it advances conservation through public education and work to reduce bear attractants, recognizing that unsecured food, waste, and other attractants often draw bears into town and increase the risk of conflict. Fifth, it explicitly involves Alaska Natives in polar bear co-management, aligning with Section 119 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the USFWS Native American Policy, and reinforcing the Department of the Interior mission language referenced in the notice about ensuring tribal sovereignty has real meaning in practice.

Administratively, the opportunity was created June 26, 2018, with an original closing date of July 27, 2018, and an expectation of one award. The broad funding activity categories attached to the notice (including environment, natural resources, education, employment and training, health, and regional development) reflect the program's mixed public-safety, workforce, and wildlife-management goals. In practical terms, the grant supports a community-based system for monitoring polar bear presence, safely deterring bears without killing them, educating residents on prevention, and formalizing local participation in co-management efforts that connect village priorities with federal wildlife stewardship responsibilities.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the business and commerce, education, employment, labor and training, environment, health, information and statistics, natural resources, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification), regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Polar Bear Patrols" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.608.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2018. (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 $210,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments.

Apply for F18AS00201

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