Bureau of Land Management Abandoned Mine Lands and Hazardous Materials – Bureau wide
🏛 Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 27, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for organizations partnering with BLM to inventory and mitigate hazards at abandoned mine sites on public lands. States, local governments, tribal nations, nonprofits, and environmental groups may apply. The work includes physical safety improvements, environmental remediation, watershed restoration, and site reclamation across all BLM-administered lands nationally.
Individuals and for-profit organizations are ineligible. Youth Conservation Corps and programs hiring interns under the Public Lands Corps Act 1993 cannot apply under this NOFO.
Projects must address abandoned hardrock mines, prioritize public safety risks, and comply with environmental regulations. Partnerships that leverage funding and return lands to productive uses are strongly preferred.
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Program description
The BLM and its partners inventory and mitigate abandoned mine hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry activities of the past, including underground and surface mining have contributed to degradation of natural resources. Unrestored sites pose a threat to the safety and health of public land users, as well as to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, and soil resources.Inventory and mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risks to human health and/or the environment. The BLM estimates there are over 160,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered lands, many of which will need to be addressed further.The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high-risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through performing NEPA, including cultural and biological surveys, a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back-filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions. The AML program also work to restore abandoned hardrock mines sites and restore the Nation’s watersheds impacted by abandoned mines through a risk-reduction based watershed approach that uses partnerships to effectively leverage funding and facilitate projects; and reduces environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines to ensure compliance with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations. For the NRDAR program, and any actions taken pursuant to BLM”s authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, potentially responsible parties must be investigated.The BLM seeks to develop partnerships with States, local governments, Tribal Nations, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups. In addition, BLM seeks to return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. These partnerships will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements to protect surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and air from abandoned mine sites, address releases of hazardous substances, safeguard dangerous mine sites, and restore sites.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Standard Federal Form SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative with site inventory and risk assessment
- Budget narrative and cost estimates
- NEPA documentation plan or Environmental Assessment
- Evidence of partnership agreements with BLM and other stakeholders
- Cultural and biological survey information or protocols
Program contact
- 👤 Bureau of Land Management
- 📧 kobe_garrido@ios.doi.gov
- 📞 303-202-3865
Funding track record
No recent recipient data available for CFDA 15.236 in our database.
This can happen for newer programs, programs that use non-standard award types (loans, direct payments, fellowships), or those funded through sub-agencies under different codes.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 15.236). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2019 | $7,502,214 | |
| 2020 | $2,403,010 | |
| 2021 | $4,452,015 | |
| 2022 | $294,197 | |
| 2023 | $8,041,821 | |
| 2024 | $5,634,490 | |
| 2025 est. | $5,000,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $5,000,000 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
States, local governments, tribal nations, nonprofits, and environmental groups can apply. For-profit companies and individuals cannot.
What geographic areas does this cover?
All BLM-administered lands nationwide. Projects can occur anywhere on federal lands managed by BLM.
What types of mine work are eligible?
Physical hazard closure (fencing, grates, backfill), environmental remediation, water quality restoration, and site reclamation for recreation or wildlife habitat.
What funding amounts are available?
Awards range from $100,000 to $1,500,000. The total program pool is $4,000,000.
Is cost-sharing required?
No cost-sharing requirement, but partnerships that leverage additional funding are preferred by BLM.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Partner with state agencies, tribal nations, or local government to strengthen your proposal and demonstrate stakeholder support.
- Prioritize sites with the highest public safety risk and environmental impact to align with BLM's risk-reduction approach.
- Include specific closure methods and remediation strategies appropriate to your site's hazards.
- Document NEPA compliance and cultural/biological survey needs early in project planning.
- Show how the project restores land to productive uses: recreation, wildlife habitat, or cultural preservation.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying without strong BLM partnership or site prioritization data. Failing to address NEPA requirements and environmental compliance upfront. Submitting vague restoration plans without specific hazard mitigation methods.
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