FY 2016 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations | LBBP 2016 1

Opportunity Information: Apply for LBBP 2016 1

The FY 2016 Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is a U.S. Department of the Interior funding opportunity built around the land consolidation requirements of the Cobell Settlement Agreement. That settlement set aside $1.9 billion to address a long-standing problem in Indian Country: fractionated land ownership, where a single parcel can be split among many individual owners over generations. Fractionation makes land difficult to use, manage, lease, or develop because decision-making becomes complicated and administrative costs rise. The Buy-Back Program is designed to reduce that fractionation by offering willing individual landowners the option to sell their fractional interests, after which those interests are immediately transferred to the federally recognized tribe with jurisdiction over the land. The broader goal is to strengthen tribal sovereignty and local control by returning consolidated ownership and practical decision-making authority to tribal governments, while also freeing up resources that have effectively been tied up by highly divided ownership structures.

A key feature of this opportunity is the Program's intent to partner directly with tribes to carry out on-the-ground land consolidation work. The Program identified 42 implementation locations where activities such as planning, outreach to landowners, mapping, mineral evaluations, appraisals, and acquisitions were scheduled through mid-2017, with the expectation that additional locations could be added as the schedule expands. For tribes that have jurisdiction over these locations, the Program aims, when feasible and practical, to enter into single-source cooperative agreements. The reasoning is straightforward: tribes often have the most detailed knowledge of local land patterns, community dynamics, and the practical realities of communicating with landowners and coordinating land office functions. By working through cooperative agreements, the Program expects to improve both effectiveness and efficiency compared to a one-size-fits-all federal approach.

Eligibility is limited to federally recognized tribal governments that have jurisdiction over locations with purchasable fractional interests, described as roughly 150 locations across Indian Country. Tribes connected to a scheduled implementation location are generally given a chance to apply for a cooperative agreement before the Program begins active implementation in that area. Tribes whose reservations are not yet scheduled are expected to receive participation information later as the Program expands over the years. The Program also emphasizes that tribes are encouraged to contact Program staff before applying to discuss application development, and to review Program-provided mapping and other preparatory information so proposals align with current data and planned activities.

The funding instrument for this opportunity is a cooperative agreement (CFDA 15.152; Funding Opportunity Number LBBP 2016 1). Cooperative agreements are typically used when the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement in the project, which fits here because land acquisition, appraisal standards, title issues, and coordination with federal trust systems often require close federal-tribal collaboration. Importantly, participation through a cooperative agreement is optional. A tribe can still participate in the Buy-Back Program without entering into such an agreement, and in some situations the Program notes that other mechanisms, like memorandums of agreement, may be more appropriate depending on the tribe's needs and the nature of the work.

The Cobell Settlement sets strict limits on how much overall funding can be spent on implementation costs (as opposed to the purchase of land interests), and that constraint shapes how these cooperative agreements are funded. Allowable work under the implementation umbrella includes outreach, land research, appraisals, and related preparatory steps necessary to complete purchases. To help keep administrative spending within the settlement cap, the Program limits indirect cost support under cooperative agreements to no more than 15 percent of modified total direct costs. In practice, that means tribes should plan budgets carefully, leveraging existing tribal land offices and programs where possible rather than building large new administrative structures around a short-term award.

The posting also highlights that the Buy-Back Program is a 10-year initiative, and that this particular notice reflects only the FY 2016 opportunity window (Original Closing Date: 2016-09-30), with new opportunities expected to be posted throughout the life of the Program. Because overall implementation costs are capped for the entire 10-year period, awards are not meant to create long-term, multi-year programs at each reservation. Most cooperative agreement awards are expected to be for no more than one year, with tribes encouraged to focus funds on near-term, high-impact tasks that support the upcoming acquisition phase and complement existing tribal capacity.

In short, this grant opportunity supports federally recognized tribes in directly assisting with the operational work needed to consolidate fractionated trust or restricted land interests through voluntary sales, with the end result being tribal ownership of those interests. The Program targets specific implementation locations on a rolling schedule, encourages early coordination with federal Program staff, and structures funding to prioritize efficient, short-duration support for outreach, mapping, evaluation, and appraisal activities that enable land purchases and long-term land governance improvements. For further official details, the Program directs applicants to http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram.

• The Department of the Interior in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2016 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 2015-10-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-09-30. (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 2016 1

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