The Role of the DOD in Federal Indian Boarding Schools | HQ003423NFOEASD11

Opportunity Information: Apply for HQ003423NFOEASD11

The grant opportunity titled "The Role of the DOD in Federal Indian Boarding Schools" is a discretionary federal funding program run by Washington Headquarters Services that supports humanities-focused historical research into the U.S. Indian boarding school system and, specifically, the Department of Defense's involvement in it. The central purpose is to strengthen public and governmental understanding of how Indian boarding schools operated, what policies shaped them, and where DoD fits into that history, with the broader aim of supporting better-informed decision-making, accountability, and meaningful consultation with American Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations.

The work funded under this opportunity is intended to serve as foundational background research for a congressionally directed requirement in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 7900, pages 204-205). Under that mandate, DoD must document its role in the establishment and sustainment of Indian boarding schools in the United States over a long historical period, from 1819 through the 1960s. In practical terms, this means applicants are expected to conduct careful archival and documentary research that helps DoD identify, organize, and interpret evidence of how the department (and its predecessor entities or related military structures, as relevant) may have contributed to creating, operating, resourcing, overseeing, or otherwise supporting these schools across that timeframe. The opportunity is framed not as a general history project, but as targeted research that helps the department meet a specific statutory reporting and documentation obligation.

A second major goal is interagency support for the U.S. Department of the Interior's ongoing efforts to find and compile records connected to the Federal Indian boarding school system. The announcement emphasizes record location and documentation, suggesting that the expected outputs may include identifying relevant collections, tracing where records are held, and surfacing materials that clarify institutional roles and responsibilities. While the text does not spell out deliverables, the stated intent points toward products like historical summaries, record inventories, annotated bibliographies, finding aids, or other research outputs that directly help federal agencies understand what happened, where documentation exists, and what the evidence indicates about federal involvement.

The award is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the government anticipates substantial involvement during the project rather than simply issuing a grant and receiving a final report. That structure often implies coordination with agency staff, iterative review of research approaches, and alignment of outputs with agency needs, especially given that the project is tied to a statutory requirement and supports Interior's parallel records work. The funding activity category is listed as humanities, reflecting the historical, policy, and archival nature of the research rather than a scientific or technical R and D focus.

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number HQ003423NFOEASD11 and the CFDA number 12.632. The opportunity was created on 2023-06-26, with an original closing date of 2023-07-25. The award ceiling is $250,000, and the listing indicates expected awards, though the specific number is not provided in the source text. Eligibility is broad: public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals are invited to apply, with the eligibility category shown as "Others." Overall, the opportunity is designed to mobilize qualified researchers and organizations to help fill gaps in the historical record, connect agency actions to documented evidence, and support more informed federal engagement with tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations regarding this history.

• The Washington Headquarters Services in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Role of the DOD in Federal Indian Boarding Schools" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.632.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-06-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-07-25. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for HQ003423NFOEASD11

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