Opportunity Information: Apply for P24AS00337
The Military Families Outdoors Program (Funding Opportunity Number P24AS00337) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the National Park Service (NPS) under CFDA 15.954, using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. The program sits within a broader partnership between the NPS and the Department of Defense, specifically the Defense Health Agency, with the main goal of improving the health and wellness of active-duty service members and their families by getting them outdoors and actively engaged with national parks, other public lands, and waterways. At its core, the opportunity is meant to support experiences that encourage physical activity, strengthen family connections, reduce stress, and build lasting habits tied to healthy lifestyles. A key secondary outcome is to help military families develop a deeper connection to public lands and become long-term environmental stewards, meaning participants not only recreate outdoors but also learn to care for and protect these places.
The program is designed to fund initiatives that create positive engagement experiences rather than one-off publicity efforts. In practical terms, strong projects will generally focus on structured, repeatable outdoor recreation and wellness activities that lower barriers for military families to access parks and waterways, especially if they are new to outdoor recreation or face logistical constraints such as transportation, gear, childcare considerations, or limited familiarity with park resources. Because the mechanism is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect substantial federal involvement in the project compared with a standard grant. That typically means closer coordination with NPS staff on planning, alignment with park priorities, participant experience, safety considerations, and responsible use of park resources, along with collaborative oversight and performance reporting throughout the project period.
Eligible applicants are broad and include state governments, county governments, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions under that nonprofit category). This eligibility structure suggests the NPS is looking for a range of potential partners who can design and deliver outdoor programming, coordinate with military installations or military-connected communities, and operate at the scale needed to reach meaningful numbers of participants. Many competitive applicants are likely to be organizations that already run outdoor education, recreation, conservation, public health, youth and family programs, or park-based engagement initiatives, and can adapt them specifically to the needs of active-duty families.
The opportunity was created on 2024-04-03 and originally closed on 2024-07-15. The award ceiling is $5,000,000, indicating that NPS is willing to support large, potentially multi-site or multi-year efforts that can reach a significant audience or establish durable programming infrastructure and partnerships. The posted information lists "ExpectedAwards:" without a number, so the public summary does not specify how many awards NPS anticipated making, which often means the total number could depend on the quality of applications, available appropriations, and program strategy.
Overall, this funding opportunity is best understood as support for collaborative, park-connected outdoor wellness programming for active-duty military families, with measurable health and engagement benefits and an emphasis on building long-term stewardship values. Competitive proposals typically align recreational and wellness outcomes (such as increased physical activity, stress reduction, family resilience, and comfort using public lands) with education and stewardship outcomes (such as Leave No Trace principles, conservation learning, volunteerism, or service projects), while demonstrating strong partnerships between community or nonprofit implementers, military-connected stakeholders, and NPS units that will host or support the experiences.Apply for P24AS00337
- The National Park Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Military Families Outdoors 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 2024-04-03.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-15. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Military Families Outdoors Program (P24AS00337) - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Military Families Outdoors Program?
The Military Families Outdoors Program is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the National Park Service (NPS) intended to improve the health and wellness of active-duty service members and their families by getting them outdoors and actively engaged with national parks, other public lands, and waterways.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P24AS00337.
Which federal agency is offering this funding opportunity?
The National Park Service (NPS) is offering this opportunity.
What is the assistance listing / CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
This opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.954.
What type of award is being used (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement typically involves substantial federal involvement compared to a standard grant. For this program, applicants should expect closer coordination with NPS staff on planning and alignment with park priorities, attention to participant experience and safety, responsible use of park resources, and collaborative oversight and performance reporting throughout the project period.
What is the main goal of the program?
The main goal is to improve the health and wellness of active-duty service members and their families by encouraging outdoor engagement that supports physical activity, strengthens family connections, reduces stress, and helps build lasting habits tied to healthy lifestyles.
Is there a broader partnership connected to this program?
Yes. The program sits within a broader partnership between the National Park Service and the Department of Defense, specifically the Defense Health Agency.
What kinds of outcomes does the program aim to achieve?
The program aims to produce measurable benefits tied to outdoor wellness and engagement, including increased physical activity, stress reduction, stronger family connections, and greater comfort using public lands. A key secondary outcome is to help military families build long-term stewardship values, meaning participants not only recreate outdoors but also learn to care for and protect these places.
What kinds of projects are likely to be a strong fit?
Strong projects generally focus on structured, repeatable outdoor recreation and wellness activities that create positive engagement experiences for military families. The opportunity emphasizes meaningful experiences rather than one-off publicity efforts.
Does the program prioritize lowering barriers for military families?
Yes. Competitive initiatives commonly lower barriers to accessing parks and waterways, especially for families who are new to outdoor recreation or face constraints such as transportation, gear needs, childcare considerations, or limited familiarity with park resources.
Are one-time events or publicity-focused efforts a good match for this funding?
The opportunity is meant to support positive engagement experiences rather than one-off publicity efforts. Projects that are structured and repeatable are generally more aligned with the intent described.
What role do national parks and other public lands play in the program?
Experiences are intended to connect participants to national parks as well as other public lands and waterways, with programming that encourages active outdoor engagement and responsible use of these places.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions under that nonprofit category).
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. Nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status are eligible, excluding higher education institutions under that nonprofit category.
Are colleges and universities eligible?
Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.
Are tribal governments eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible applicants.
Are local and state governments eligible?
Yes. State governments, county governments, and city or township governments are eligible applicants.
What kinds of organizations are likely to be competitive partners?
The description suggests competitive applicants are often organizations that already run outdoor education, recreation, conservation, public health, youth and family programs, or park-based engagement initiatives, and can adapt them to the needs of active-duty families while coordinating with military-connected communities and NPS units.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $5,000,000.
Does the opportunity specify how many awards will be made?
No. The posted information lists "ExpectedAwards:" without a number, so the public summary does not specify how many awards were anticipated.
When was this funding opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on 2024-04-03.
When did the opportunity close?
The opportunity originally closed on 2024-07-15.
What kinds of participant benefits are emphasized?
The program emphasizes benefits such as physical activity, reduced stress, stronger family connections, family resilience, and building lasting healthy lifestyle habits through outdoor recreation and wellness experiences.
What is meant by environmental stewardship in this program?
Environmental stewardship refers to helping participants develop a deeper connection to public lands and become long-term caretakers of these places. The description points to outcomes like learning to care for and protect parks and waterways, potentially including concepts such as responsible recreation and conservation learning.
How should proposals balance wellness goals with stewardship goals?
Competitive proposals typically align recreational and wellness outcomes (like increased physical activity and stress reduction) with education and stewardship outcomes (such as conservation learning, volunteerism, or service projects), while also demonstrating strong partnerships with military-connected stakeholders and NPS units.
Is coordination with NPS units important for this program?
Yes. Because the award is a cooperative agreement and the experiences are park-connected, applicants should expect close coordination with NPS staff and alignment with park priorities, including planning, safety considerations, and responsible use of park resources.
What does the program emphasize about participant experience?
The program emphasizes creating positive engagement experiences that are structured and repeatable, with attention to participant experience and safety and with programming designed to help military families feel comfortable accessing and using parks, public lands, and waterways over the long term.
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