Improve Trail Signage and Remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park | P19AS00194

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00194

The grant opportunity titled "Improve Trail Signage and Remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park" (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00194) is a National Park Service (NPS) discretionary funding notice under the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is structured as a cooperative agreement and falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.931). The announcement was created on June 11, 2019, and it is explicitly labeled as a "Notice of Intent to Award," meaning it is not an open call for proposals. Instead, it serves as a public notice that the NPS plans to fund a specific project under an already existing cooperative agreement with ACE, rather than soliciting new applications from the public.

The project is centered on two practical, visitor-facing priorities at Joshua Tree National Park. First, it aims to improve trail and area signage at the Black Rock area, specifically around the visitor center and campground, where clear, durable, and well-designed signs can reduce confusion, improve visitor flow, and support safety and resource protection. Second, it targets the removal of persistent and highly visible graffiti in areas that receive heavy visitor traffic, focusing on locations where vandalism is especially noticeable and detrimental to the visitor experience and to the park's natural and cultural setting.

A key feature of the project is its training and workforce-development component. NPS personnel will train a selected intern in the standards and procedures used by the park for both sign creation and graffiti removal. On the signage side, the intern will be involved in the full production workflow: designing signs for locations identified by park staff, preparing layouts, fabricating signs using park-owned sign-making equipment, and completing installation in the field. The technical training specifically includes instruction in sign design, layout, and production using Corel Draw, reflecting an emphasis on producing signage that meets NPS expectations for consistency, readability, and durability.

On the graffiti side, the intern will learn and apply best practices for removal work at two named target areas: Cap Rock and the Skull Rock Trail. These locations are well-known, highly visited areas where graffiti can quickly become prominent and recurring, so the work is aimed at reducing visible impacts and improving the overall appearance of popular visitor corridors. Although the announcement does not list every technique to be used, it indicates that the intern will be taught established park procedures, which typically implies attention to avoiding further damage to rock surfaces, minimizing environmental impacts, and using methods appropriate for the materials being cleaned.

In terms of eligibility, the notice lists nonprofit organizations as eligible applicants, including both nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, provided they are not institutions of higher education. However, because this is not a request for applications and is tied to an existing cooperative agreement, the practical takeaway is that the funding is already directed to a predetermined partner arrangement rather than being competitively awarded through a standard application process.

The financial details reflect a small, focused project scope. The award ceiling is $49,975, and the listing shows expected awards as 0, consistent with the fact that this is a notice of intent under an existing agreement rather than a competitive grant round expecting multiple new awards. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted NPS-funded project designed to produce tangible improvements in visitor infrastructure (updated signage at Black Rock) while also addressing a recurring resource-protection and visitor-experience issue (graffiti removal at Cap Rock and Skull Rock Trail), with hands-on training integrated into the work plan.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improve Trail Signage and Remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park" 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 Jun 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Notice of Intent to Award. This is NOT a request for application. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project under an existing Cooperative Agreement with ACE. (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 $49,975.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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