Master Cooperative Agreement - JACL | P17AS00044

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00044

The Master Cooperative Agreement - JACL (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00044) is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), under CFDA 15.931, within the education activity category. It was created on December 21, 2016, and is structured as a single-award agreement with an expected award count of one and an award ceiling of $1. What makes this opportunity unusual compared with open competitions is that it is not accepting applications; instead, it is a notice of the government’s intent to enter into an agreement with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). In practical terms, this means the funding is directed to a specific partner organization for a defined purpose rather than being competed among multiple applicants.

The central goal of the agreement is to help develop Japanese American youth as the next generation of conservation and heritage stewards by connecting them directly to an NPS historic site (or sites) that holds significance to Japanese American history. The emphasis is on using place-based learning and firsthand engagement with nationally significant locations to make history tangible, personal, and relevant. By bringing young people into direct contact with these sites, the program aims to strengthen understanding of Japanese American heritage while also cultivating an ethic of stewardship tied to public lands, preservation, and civic responsibility.

A key theme running through the program is identity development. The opportunity description specifically highlights the search for personal identity that many young Japanese Americans experience, particularly the desire for affirmation and deeper understanding of their historical and cultural experiences. The program is intended to provide structured opportunities for participants to explore those questions in a supportive educational setting, using the historical record and lived community memory as anchors. By doing so, the agreement positions cultural heritage as something that is not only studied but also felt, discussed, and integrated into a participant’s sense of self and community connection.

The educational content centers heavily on the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, with the program designed to help participants physically and emotionally connect with that history through engagement at relevant NPS sites. The description indicates that participants will have opportunities to identify with the incarceration experience in a direct, embodied way, likely through guided site visits, interpretive programming, and facilitated reflection. This is paired with a broader historical framework that situates incarceration within the origins and development of the Japanese American community, underscoring both the trauma of that period and the continued vibrancy of the community today, including ongoing initiatives and contemporary community life.

Another major component is the program’s intent to build awareness of career pathways. It explicitly encourages participants to consider professions and long-term involvement in public service, historic preservation, conservation stewardship, and related historical fields. That suggests the agreement is not only about commemorating the past but also about shaping future engagement, helping youth see themselves as potential park professionals, historians, archivists, interpreters, educators, preservationists, or community leaders who can steward public memory and public resources.

The opportunity also stresses sustained education before and throughout the program rather than limiting learning to a single event or trip. Educational sessions are intended to explore and analyze the causes of incarceration and to examine its racial, political, and civil rights implications. This points to a curriculum that goes beyond basic historical facts to include analysis of policy decisions, wartime hysteria, racism, constitutional issues, and the broader civil liberties context. It further emphasizes that the effects of incarceration continue to shape the Japanese American community, indicating attention to intergenerational impacts, memory, redress, and the way historical injustices echo through families and communities over time.

Finally, the agreement highlights relevance to the present day, making clear that the legacy of incarceration is not treated as a closed chapter. The description states that the program will emphasize how this legacy remains relevant in the current age, which typically involves connecting historical incarceration to ongoing debates about civil rights, race, national security, immigration, citizenship, and the treatment of minority communities during periods of crisis. In that sense, the cooperative agreement frames Japanese American history as both a specific community experience and a broader civic lesson, using NPS historic sites as platforms for education, reflection, and leadership development among youth.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Master Cooperative Agreement - JACL" 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 Dec 21, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Notification of intent to enter agreement with Japanese American Citizens League. No applications will be accepted.. (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 $1.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P17AS00044

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