Funding

Tribal Wildlife Grants program. Applications due: June 20, 2025. Tribal Wildlife Grants program for FY2025 is now open for applications. More information can be found here. Tribal Wildlife Grants | Grants.gov. The NAFWS grants team will cover the FY2025 Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) funding opportunity. Tribal Wildlife Grants are administered by the US Fish and Wildlife service and are used to provide technical and financial assistance to Tribes for the development and implementation of programs that benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. Our grants team will be hosting a webinar on this funding opportunity on April 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time. We are working on getting a webinar registration link at this time. Please check our website Events & Training - Native American Fish and Wildlife Society for that link.

Categories: Natural Resources, Wildlife, Water, Fisheries, Conservation, Research, Education, Conservation, habitat, Wildlife, preservation

Most Recent Deadline: December 31, 2023. Using appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) anticipates providing grants to support development and/or implementation of Great Lakes Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans (Tribal AIS Plans).

Categories: Great Lakes, implementation, species managment

Most Recent Deadline: September 30, 2023. The principle objective of this funding opportunity is to accomplish conservation tasks for high priority candidate species (based on our annual Candidate Species Assessments) or other at-risk species in the United States, such that identified threats to the species may be reduced or eliminated. These efforts are based on cooperative relationships with states, non-governmental organizations, private landowners and those interested in habitat restoration or undertaking candidate and at-risk species research, surveys and monitoring, or educational outreach efforts. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Conservation, candidate species, research, monitoring, education

USFWS uses a science-based, adaptive framework for setting and achieving cross-program conservation objectives that strategically address the
problems fish and wildlife will face in the future. This framework, called Strategic Habitat Conservation, is based on the principles of adaptive management and uses population and habitat data, ecological models, and focused monitoring and assessment efforts to develop and implement strategies that result in measurable fish and wildlife population outcomes. In addition, by leveraging resources and strategically targeting science to inform conservation decisions and actions, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) are being established to create a network of partners working in unison to ensure the sustainability of America's land, water, wildlife and cultural resources.

Categories: Conservation, Management

The Desert LCC is embarking on a Climate-Smart Landscape Conservation Planning and Design project that will: produce spatially explicit data and information about focal resources, chosen by the Desert LCC members; seek to understand the effects of climate change and other landscape stressors on natural resources; integrate social and economic information to understand what these resources might look like in the future; and result in collaborative adaptation responses that are useful and implementable by our partners.

Categories: Habitat Conservation, design, Planning

Deadline passed. Previous deadline: January 2, 2023. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will partner with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to administer the 2019 FWS Directorate Resource Assistant Fellows Program (DFP) for undergraduate and recently accepted graduate students who are in interested in a conservation career. Expected fellowship dates: May 20, 2019 to August 16, 2019. 

Categories: Conservation, Fellowship, Natural Resources Management

Deadline passed as of July 31, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Financial assistance is available to secure candidate and other at-risk species information or undertake restoration actions that will help avert federal listing of species. The purpose is to provide a means by which the ecosystems upon which candidate and at-risk species depend may be conserved, to provide a program for the conservation of these species.

Categories: restoration, adaptation, conservation, programming, management, planning, policy, at-risk species, delisting, habitat

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 24, 2023. The mission of the Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (Monitoring Program) is to identify and provide information needed to sustain subsistence fisheries on Federal public lands for rural Alaskans through a multidisciplinary, collaborative program. The main focus of the Monitoring Program will continue to be projects whose purpose is the collection, dissemination, and application of information used in the management of Federal subsistence fisheries in Alaska. However, it is also the intent of the Monitoring Program to support partnerships and provide opportunities for capacity building of rural organizations, communities, and individuals.

Categories: subsistence fisheries, collaboration, monitoring, information, federal lands, rural Alaska, partnerships, capacity building

RFP closed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) receives funds to support collaborative science and knowledge activities of the Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC). The Service administers these funds through financial assistance on a competitive basis for projects, studies, and events that advance the scientific and public community’s understanding of large-scale changes in landscape characteristics and the impacts of these changes on important species.

Categories: Terrestrial Systems

Deadline passed as of June 30, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (Section 305, Title III, Public Law 101‐646, 16 U.S.C. 3954) established the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program (NCWCGP) to acquire, restore, and enhance wetlands in coastal States through competitive matching grants to State agencies. The primary goal of the NCWCGP is the long‐term conservation of coastal wetland ecosystems. In FY 2013, the NCWCGP will fund 24 to 26 individual projects encompassing 4,690 to 5,500 acres of coastal habitat.

Categories: Wetlands, Coasts, Conservation

Deadline Passed 07/31/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. Funding Opportunity #: F18AS00059. This Recovery Implementation funding opportunity is intended for projects that will contribute to the recovery of FWS-managed endangered and threatened species in the United States, and is limited to projects carrying out actions described in a species approved recovery plan, in the implementation schedule of a species approved recovery plan, actions recommended in a completed 5-year status review of the species or in a spotlight species action plan, or projects documenting species response to climate change. For example: securing scientific information about endangered or threatened species, implementing restoration actions that will lead to delisting of a species, help prevent extinction of a species, or aid in the recovery of a species.

Categories: implementation, endangered species, conservation, research, recovery

The Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative intends that awards under this announcement will support its mission and goals regarding how climate change and other stressors affect natural and cultural resources within the geographic range of the GBLCC.

Categories: Landscape Conservation, Climate Change, Cultural Resource.

Deadline for 2018 passed 1/8/2018. Deadline for 2019 unknown. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests interested entities to submit restoration, research and Regional project proposals for the restoration of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources. The purpose of the Act is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Categories: Wildlife, Water, Research, Natural Resources, Conservation, Coastal

The USFWS requests interested entities to submit restoration, research and regional project proposals for the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin fish and wildlife resources, as authorized by the GLFWRA. The purpose of the act is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Categories: Habitat restoration, Conservation, Restoration, Species management.

Deadline Passed 03/29/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing federal projects that address these problems. As part of this initiative, the two bird habitat joint ventures that are in the Great Lakes watershed, the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, will be working with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs in the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to competitively fund state and other partner projects for long-term habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, for conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly migratory birds. Preference will be given to activities that help meet the habitat goals of the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (BCR 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan, other relevant bird conservation plans, and State Wildlife Action Plans. 

Categories: restoration, habitat protection, enhancement, conservation, Great Lakes species, implementation

Under FY14 appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service anticipates providing grants to support development and implementation of Great Lakes Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans. Two-year grant awards will be used by tribes for activities that directly relate to the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Basin.

Categories: Conservation, Natural Resource Management, Invasive Species

Deadline Passed 08/31/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020.  Headquarters National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is accepting proposals for financial assistance from organizations that support Department of Interior (DOI) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) priorities and have the capacity to work cooperatively with the Service to identify, conserve, manage and enhance the physical and ecological infrastructure of the NWRS; deliver public access and high-quality recreational opportunities; identify organizations and support projects that provide recreational activities for disabled persons, youth, and veterans; build a volunteer cadre, and inspire the next generation of hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts through work on and off NWRS managed lands and waters.

Categories: National Wildlife Refuge System, conservation, management, ecological infrastructure, recreation

Most Recent Deadline: December 31, 2023. The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) is a voluntary program that provides direct technical and financial assistance to partners. NFPP aims to maintain or increase fish populations in order to improve ecosystem resiliency and to provide quality fishing experiences for the American people. Example project types include dam removals, culvert replacements, and the installation of fishways. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Habitat restoration, fish passage, dam removals, infrastructure modernization

Deadline Passed 10/18/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019.  The U.S. Small Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Projects must involve only long-term protection, restoration, enhancement and/or establishment of wetland and associated upland habitats to benefit migratory birds. The program requires a 1:1 non-federal match and research funding is ineligible. This program supports the DOI and FWS mission of protecting and managing the nation's natural resources by collaborating with partners and stakeholders to conserve land and water and to expand outdoor recreation and access.

Categories: Wetlands Conservation, Migratory Bird Conservation

Deadline Passed 07/03/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The U.S. Standard Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Projects must involve only long-term protection, restoration, enhancement and/or establishment of wetland and associated upland habitats to benefit migratory birds. This program supports the DOI and FWS mission of protecting and managing the nation's natural resources by collaborating with partners and stakeholders to conserve land and water and to expand outdoor recreation and access.

Categories: wetlands, riparian zone, conservation, restoration, monitoring, migratory birds, wildlife, aviary,

Applications Due: September 30, 2022. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance in the form of cooperative and grant agreements to private landowners to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. The PFW Program is delivered through more than 250 full-time staff, active in all 50 States and territories. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program staff coordinate with project partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation priorities within these focus areas. Apply here.

Categories: conservation, management, restoration, rehabilitation, development

Deadline Passed 01/13/2023. Deadline Unknown for 2024. The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) administers the Partners for Fisheries Monitoring Program (Partners Program). OSM is seeking proposals for the Partners Program that strengthen Alaska Native and rural involvement in Federal subsistence management. The Partners Program is a competitive grant that is directed at providing funding for biologists, social scientists and outreach/educator positions in Alaska Native and rural nonprofit organizations with the intent of increasing the organizations ability to participate in Federal subsistence management. In addition, the program supports a variety of opportunities for local, rural students to connect with subsistence resource monitoring and management through science camps and paid internships. For more information go to https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/partners, or click on the link below to view the funding opportunity on grants.gov.

Categories: fish, wildlife, Alaska, subsistence management, science, education

Deadline Passed 04/26/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The Recovery challenge funding opportunity is to enhance and increase partnerships with agencies and organizations implementing highest priority recovery actions for federally listed endangered and threatened species, and in particular for genetically-sound breeding, rearing and reintroduction programs. Section 2(a)(5) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. 1535, as amended, authorizes the use of Federal financial assistance to encourage the States and other interested parties to develop and maintain conservation programs to safeguard the Nation's heritage in fish, wildlife and plants for the benefit of all citizens. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019 (H.J. Res. 31, 116th Cong. Div. E, Title I (2019)) authorized specific funding for the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity.

Categories: endangered species, species recovery, reintroduction, conservation

The Notification of Funding Availability is released in annually. The Recovery Implementation Program coordinates with federal, state, Tribal and private partners to restore habitat and recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act throughout Washington.  The Recovery Program funds high priority recovery actions that achieve species recovery, actions that may preclude the need to list candidate species and actions that conserve the ecosystems upon which these species depend.

Categories: habitat restoration, education, outreach, research, assessment, endangered species

Deadline Passed 06/04/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. Funding Opportunity #: F18AS00109. The Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Initiative (Initiative) is a voluntary-based, collaborative program that provides financial assistance to coastal communities and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. Funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Initiative is focused on promoting on-the-ground restoration, enhancement, and protection of priority coastal wetlands. Funding is available for proposed on-the-ground projects within the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes basin in the Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie coastal corridor. The specific geography includes the coastal areas associated with Saginaw Bay (Michigan) in Lake Huron south and east to Old Woman Creek (Ohio) in Western Lake Erie. This Initiative is part of a regional federal, state, and local partnership effort called the Coastal Conservation Working Group (CCWG) which is focused on coastal wetland conservation across the Great Lakes

Categories: collaboration, coastal communities, landowners, restoration, fish and wildlife, habitat, enhancement, coastal wetlands

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) receives funds to support collaborative science and knowledge activities of the NPLCC. The USFWS Pacific Region awards these funds for financial assistance through a competitive process for projects, studies, and events that support natural and cultural resource conservation in the face of climate change and other landscape-scale stressors. The NPLCC recognizes the importance of considering both western science and traditional knowledges to advance landscape-scale conservation and sustainable resource management.

Categories: Natural Resource Conservation, Cultural Resource Conservation, Climate Change, Financial Assistance

Deadline passed as of August 31, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Proposals will only be considered for project locations within western Washington State, specifically for: Chehalis River watershed in southwest Washington State. Proposals may include but are not limited to: fish passage, in-stream and riparian habitat restoration, introduced species management (including aquatic invasive species), or education and outreach, Lake Sammamish specifically related to kokanee restoration and monitoring, Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) employment at Makah and Quinault National Fish Hatcheries, Analysis of migratory patterns in bull trout in western Washington, Status assessments of Olympic mudminnow, or Analysis of scales and bony structures from anadromous fish.

Categories: fisheries, wetlands, restoration, hatcheries, aquatic resources, conservation, research, salmon, habitat

Deadline Passed 09/30/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. FO#: F18AS00119. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is pleased to announce the availability of research funding in 2018 to investigate issues related directly to the management of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The WNS Program provides financial and technical assistance to non-governmental, university, and private researchers, as well as state and local governments, Native American tribes, and federal agencies, for the management of WNS and conservation of bats. Funded projects will investigate priority questions about WNS to improve our ability to manage the disease and implement management actions that will help to conserve affected bat species.

Categories: bats, white-nose syndrome, research, management, implementation

Deadline Passed 01/04/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) receives funds for implementation of the Yukon River Salmon Agreement with Canada which was reached in March 2001. The Yukon River Salmon Agreement of 2000 authorizes funds for implementation of the Agreement including funds for cooperative research and management projects on the Alaska portion of the Yukon River. The Service administers these funds through financial assistance on a competitive basis for projects/studies/events that advance the scientific community's and public's understanding of the biology and management of Chinook and chum salmon in the Yukon River of Alaska. This funding opportunity is a request for conceptual project proposals of one year in length addressing the needs of the priority Categories and Factors listed in the full announcement. Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop projects that incorporate local capacity with members of Yukon River communities in which they may be working. Coordinating projects with state and federal regulatory agencies is also recommended, but not mandatory.

Categories: Yukon River, salmon, research, management

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 20, 2023. The Zoonotic Disease Initiative is a grant program focused on wildlife disease prevention and preparedness. Authorized under the American Rescue Plan (2021, H.R. 1319, Section 6003.3), the Initiative will provide $9 million in available funding to states, Tribes and territories to strengthen early detection, rapid response and science-based management research to address wildlife disease outbreaks before they cross the barrier from animals to humans and become pandemics. The highest priority for the funding is to increase organizational readiness and ensure a network of state, Tribal and territorial wildlife managers across the nation are prepared for zoonotic disease outbreaks. Strengthening partner capacity for wildlife health monitoring will allow for the early detection of diseases. Learn more and apply here. Grants for Tribes are open through NOFO F23AS00139. For more information, please contact Anna-Marie York at anna-marie_york@fws.gov.

Categories: Wildlife disease prevention, wildlife health, science-based management, monitoring