Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00397
The SAMO Youth Leadership Program is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement project with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SMMF) designed to deliver a structured, paid youth work-experience and mentoring pipeline tied to park and community needs in the greater Los Angeles region. The program focuses on recruiting and hiring students from schools in Los Angeles and Oxnard, then placing them in supervised, hands-on assignments that support park facilities and community projects. A central emphasis is creating a safe, positive introductory outdoor work environment where participants learn through real work tasks while being guided by experienced staff and mentors. The project aligns with Department of the Interior priorities around maintaining a workplace environment that supports productivity and safety, and it advances the broader initiative of expanding access to outdoor recreation opportunities.
At its core, the program is built as a multi-year youth development pathway rather than a short-term internship. It provides continuous employment experience and mentoring for diverse students beginning in their junior year of high school and extending through their junior year of college. That long arc is intended to help participants build confidence and professional habits over time, gain progressively more responsibility, and develop a clearer sense of how public lands and public service careers work in practice. Participants are expected to contribute to tangible outcomes on the ground, such as maintenance, conservation-oriented projects, and other park-support activities, while receiving training that translates into practical, marketable job skills.
The stated goals of the SAMO Youth Program are threefold: first, to foster an ethic of conservation and stewardship by immersing young people in work that directly benefits natural and cultural resources; second, to inspire capable students to consider careers in public service by exposing them to mission-driven work within the National Park Service context; and third, to provide paid job experience that results in competitive skills youth can carry into future employment. The public purpose is explicitly youth-serving, aimed at creating meaningful workforce opportunities for students from the greater Los Angeles area, including communities that may face barriers to accessing outdoor spaces and early career experience.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this opportunity was published by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under funding opportunity number P18AS00397 and CFDA 15.931, within the Natural Resources activity category. The instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement and collaboration between the federal agency and the partner organization in carrying out the work. The eligible applicant type listed is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (excluding institutions of higher education), but this particular notice is a Notice of Intent to Award and not an open call for applications. It serves as public notice that NPS intended to fund this project under an existing cooperative agreement with SMMF, with an expected single award and an award ceiling of $196,500. The posting dates reflect an original creation date of July 5, 2018, and an original closing date of July 30, 2018, though the key point is that it was not competitive because it was tied to an existing agreement and a specific partner.Apply for P18AS00397
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SAMO Youth Leadership Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 05, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2018 NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD. This is not a request for applications. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project under an existing Cooperative Agreement with SMMF.. (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 $196,500.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the SAMO Youth Leadership Program?
The SAMO Youth Leadership Program is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement project with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SMMF). It is designed to provide a structured, paid youth work-experience and mentoring pipeline connected to park and community needs in the greater Los Angeles region.
Who runs and administers this grant opportunity?
The opportunity was published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS). The project work is carried out through a partnership with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SMMF) under a cooperative agreement.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The program is intended to create a safe, positive introductory outdoor work environment where young participants learn through real work tasks, supported by experienced staff and mentors. It also supports Department of the Interior priorities related to workplace productivity and safety and advances broader efforts to expand access to outdoor recreation opportunities.
Is this program a short-term internship or a longer pathway?
It is structured as a multi-year youth development pathway rather than a short-term internship. The design emphasizes continuous employment experience and mentoring over multiple years.
How long does the participant pathway last?
The pathway is described as beginning in a participant's junior year of high school and extending through the participant's junior year of college, with increasing responsibility and skill development over time.
Who does the program aim to recruit and hire?
The program focuses on recruiting and hiring students from schools in Los Angeles and Oxnard.
Where does the program take place?
The program is tied to park and community needs in the greater Los Angeles region and is associated with the Santa Monica Mountains area through the National Park Service context described in the opportunity.
What kinds of work assignments do participants perform?
Participants are placed into supervised, hands-on assignments that support park facilities and community projects. The work is described as contributing to tangible outcomes such as maintenance, conservation-oriented projects, and other park-support activities.
Are the positions paid?
Yes. The opportunity describes the program as a structured, paid youth work-experience and specifically includes providing paid job experience as a stated goal.
What kind of support and supervision do participants receive?
Participants are placed in supervised assignments and guided by experienced staff and mentors. Mentoring is presented as a core part of the program design over the multi-year pathway.
What outcomes is the program trying to achieve for youth participants?
The opportunity states three main youth-focused goals: (1) foster an ethic of conservation and stewardship by immersing youth in work that benefits natural and cultural resources; (2) inspire capable students to consider careers in public service by exposing them to mission-driven NPS work; and (3) provide paid job experience that results in competitive, marketable skills that support future employment.
How does the program connect to conservation and stewardship?
The program aims to build conservation and stewardship values by engaging youth in real work that directly benefits natural and cultural resources, including conservation-oriented and park-support activities.
How does the program support public service career exploration?
By placing participants in mission-driven work within an NPS context and providing mentoring, the program is intended to expose students to how public lands and public service careers function in practice.
Does the opportunity mention expanding access to outdoor spaces?
Yes. The description references a broader initiative to expand access to outdoor recreation opportunities and frames the project as youth-serving, including for communities that may face barriers to accessing outdoor spaces and early career experience.
What type of federal funding instrument is this?
The instrument is a cooperative agreement. This typically indicates substantial involvement and collaboration between the federal agency and the partner organization in carrying out the work.
What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA number?
The funding opportunity number is P18AS00397, and the CFDA number is 15.931.
What is the activity category listed for this opportunity?
The activity category is listed as Natural Resources.
Who is eligible to apply, based on the notice?
The eligible applicant type listed is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (excluding institutions of higher education).
Is this an open, competitive grant opportunity?
No. The notice is described as a Notice of Intent to Award rather than an open call for applications. It served as public notice that NPS intended to fund the project under an existing cooperative agreement with a specific partner (SMMF), with an expected single award.
Who was the intended partner organization for the award?
The notice states that the intent to award was tied to an existing cooperative agreement with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SMMF).
How many awards were expected?
The notice indicates an expected single award.
What was the award ceiling for the opportunity?
The award ceiling listed was $196,500.
When was the opportunity originally posted and when did it close?
The posting dates reflect an original creation date of July 5, 2018, and an original closing date of July 30, 2018.
What is the stated public purpose of the project?
The public purpose is explicitly youth-serving: to create meaningful workforce opportunities for students from the greater Los Angeles area, including communities that may face barriers to accessing outdoor spaces and early career experience, while producing tangible park and community benefits.
How does the program benefit parks and the community?
The program places youth in hands-on, supervised roles that support park facilities and community projects, with intended on-the-ground outcomes such as maintenance, conservation-oriented work, and other park-support activities.
What is emphasized about the work environment?
A central emphasis is creating a safe, positive introductory outdoor work environment where participants learn through real work tasks while being guided by experienced staff and mentors, aligning with Department of the Interior priorities around productivity and safety.
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