FY 2017 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations | LBBP 2017 1

Opportunity Information: Apply for LBBP 2017 1

The FY 2017 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is a Department of the Interior opportunity that supports tribal participation in the federal Land Buy-Back Program, which was created to carry out the land consolidation provisions of the Cobell Settlement Agreement. Through Cobell, Congress and the Department set aside $1.9 billion to address the long-standing problem of fractionated ownership of trust and restricted lands, where a single parcel can be split into many tiny ownership interests across generations. The program approach is voluntary for individual landowners: interested individuals can choose to sell their fractional interests, and those purchased interests are then immediately transferred to the federally recognized tribe that has jurisdiction over the land. The broader goal is to reduce fractionation, strengthen tribal sovereignty, and make land management more workable by returning consolidated interests to tribal governments, rather than leaving decision-making trapped in complicated, highly divided ownership patterns.

A central feature of this opportunity is that the Buy-Back Program wants to partner directly with eligible tribes to carry out on-the-ground land consolidation work in locations where acquisition and related activities are scheduled. At the time of this posting, the program identified 105 locations where activities such as planning, community outreach, mapping, mineral evaluations, appraisals, land research, and acquisitions were scheduled through mid-2021, with the possibility that additional locations could be added later. The Department recognizes that tribes have deep, practical knowledge of their own reservations and communities, and that this local expertise can improve both effectiveness (better outreach and more accurate land information) and efficiency (faster coordination and fewer misunderstandings) when conducting land buy-back efforts.

The funding instrument used is a cooperative agreement (not a procurement contract), meaning the federal program expects substantial involvement and coordination with the recipient tribe during the work. The Department indicates it intends, when feasible and practical, to use single-source cooperative agreements with the eligible tribe for the location under that tribe’s jurisdiction. Importantly, tribes are typically offered the chance to apply for a cooperative agreement before the program begins implementation at that specific location. The program also makes clear that participation in buy-back activities does not require a tribe to accept a cooperative agreement; in some situations the Department may use other partnership tools, such as memorandums of agreement, if that fits the circumstances better.

A major practical constraint comes from the Cobell Settlement itself: it limits how much of the overall funding can be used for program implementation costs (for example, outreach, land research, and appraisals), as opposed to the actual land purchases. Because of that cap, the program limits indirect cost recovery under these cooperative agreements to no more than 15 percent of modified total direct costs. This is meant to help keep administrative and support costs within the settlement’s overall ceiling and preserve funds for the primary purpose of acquiring fractional interests and consolidating them for tribes.

This posting also emphasizes that the Land Buy-Back Program is time-limited and structured as a 10-year effort. The closing date shown on this specific announcement reflects that particular posting cycle, and additional opportunities are expected to be posted over the life of the program. Because Cobell limits total implementation costs across the full duration of the program, the cooperative agreement awards are not designed to bankroll long-term, multi-year tribal programs at a single reservation. In practice, most awards are expected to be for no more than one year, and tribes are encouraged to use award funds to complement and support existing tribal land offices and related tribal programs, rather than building entirely new long-term structures.

Eligibility is limited to federally recognized Native American tribal governments that have jurisdiction over locations with purchasable fractional land interests (described here as roughly 150 locations overall, with 105 locations listed on the implementation schedule at the time). The opportunity is administered by the Department of the Interior, listed under CFDA 15.152, and is labeled as “Other” in both opportunity category and activity category, with the funding instrument type specified as a cooperative agreement. Tribes are encouraged to review available program materials and to contact Buy-Back Program staff early to discuss and develop a strong cooperative agreement application before submission. Additional program information is provided through the Department’s Buy-Back Program website at http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram.

• The Department of the Interior in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2017 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.152.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-10-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-09-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for LBBP 2017 1

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