Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument | P17AS00507

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00507

The National Park Service (Department of the Interior) offered a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity to fund an Ethnographic Overview and Assessment (EOA) for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The project is designed as a baseline cultural anthropology study that documents the traditional and ongoing relationships between the monument area and the tribes and other distinct cultural communities that are historically and culturally connected to it. A central emphasis is that cultural importance is to be identified and described from the perspectives of the associated groups themselves, rather than only through outside academic or agency interpretation. Florissant Fossil Beds had not previously completed an EOA, so this effort is intended to fill a major gap in the park's understanding of ethnographic resources and traditional associations.

The core deliverable is accessible ethnographic documentation that park staff and visitors can actually use, including resource managers, researchers, interpreters, and educators. In practice, that means the work is not only about producing an academic report; it is also about creating a usable foundation for day-to-day stewardship and public-facing interpretation. By clearly identifying culturally significant sites, places, landscapes, and resources, the EOA would support culturally informed decision-making and help integrate traditional knowledge and community perspectives into how the monument is preserved, managed, and presented to the public.

The opportunity highlights several specific management benefits the EOA is expected to provide. It would help staff evaluate and respond to requests for access to culturally significant resources, flag ethnographic resources that may require special handling or protections, and improve the park's ability to assess how proposed actions could affect culturally important places and practices. The work is also intended to help identify locations inside or near the park that could qualify for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs), strengthening the park's ability to recognize and protect places valued for cultural traditions, beliefs, or ongoing community use. In addition, the findings can be used to improve or expand interpretive programs so that visitors learn about the area in ways that reflect connected communities' histories and cultural meanings, not solely the monument's paleontological significance.

Methodologically, the project combines desk-based research with substantial community-engaged fieldwork. The planned approach includes a review and analysis of existing historical and ethnographic literature and archival records, paired with extensive fieldwork such as participant observation and interviews with traditionally associated tribes and other distinct cultural communities. The collaboration element is central: the research is framed around partnership with associated groups to ensure that the resulting documentation reflects their understandings and priorities.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00507 with an activity category focused on Natural Resources (CFDA 15.945). Eligible applicants were limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The funding instrument was a cooperative agreement, signaling an expectation of active involvement and collaboration by the National Park Service during project execution rather than a hands-off grant model. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $119,831. It was created on July 18, 2017, with an original closing date of July 27, 2017.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 18, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2017. (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 $119,831.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P17AS00507

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: