Army Compatible Use Buffer Program White Sands Missile Range | MICCFSH160001

Opportunity Information: Apply for MICCFSH160001

The Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) Program opportunity for White Sands Missile Range is a cooperative agreement announced by the Mission and Installation Command (MICC-FSH, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston). The basic purpose is to form a partnership that helps protect the mission of White Sands Missile Range by reducing land-use conflicts and development pressures around the installation, while also supporting environmental and natural resource goals. In practice, the program focuses on preventing incompatible development near areas where military testing, training, and range operations depend on open space and predictable land uses.

Under this opportunity, the selected partner or partners would work directly with White Sands Missile Range encroachment planners and natural resource managers to carry out real estate transactions that permanently conserve land interests from willing sellers. The work centers on negotiating and purchasing either conservation easements or fee simple interests, meaning the resulting protections are intended to be perpetual real property interests. A key point is that acquisitions are from willing landowners, emphasizing voluntary participation rather than condemnation or forced sale.

Geographically, the overall project plan is large and multi-jurisdictional, spanning nine designated ACUB Focus Areas near White Sands Missile Range across multiple counties in New Mexico. The scope described includes roughly 498,000 acres of privately owned land and about 353,000 acres of state-owned land that fall within the focus areas. That framing signals that the program is designed for landscape-scale buffering and compatibility planning, not a single small parcel purchase. The emphasis on both private and state lands also suggests coordination with state entities may be needed alongside outreach to private landowners.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally implies a more active federal role during project execution than a standard grant. The funding activity category is listed as Environment, and the CFDA number referenced is 12.610. The opportunity was posted in September 2016 with an original closing date in late October 2016. The notice anticipated up to two awards, while the award ceiling was not specified in the provided source details, indicating applicants would likely need to rely on the full solicitation for budget parameters and any matching fund expectations.

Eligibility, as presented, includes nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education) and an “Others” category, implying the Army was open to additional partner types depending on the solicitation’s definitions. The narrative also references “a state or political subdivision of a state,” which suggests that state agencies, counties, or similar governmental entities could be relevant partners or participants, even if the eligibility line highlights nonprofit applicants. Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a partnership mechanism to secure permanent land-use protections around White Sands Missile Range through negotiated conservation real estate transactions that align military mission needs with long-term environmental stewardship and compatible community development.

• The Mission and Install. Cmd. JBSA Ft. Sam Houston in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Army Compatible Use Buffer Program White Sands Missile Range" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.610.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-09-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-10-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

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