F26AS00083 Aquatic Invasive Species Grants to Great Lakes States - Fiscal Year 2026 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs (OPA) announces an open competition for a U.S. institution, company, or organization (see eligibility information in B.1) interested in submitting an application to conduct ocean mapping, seabed exploration, habitat and resource characterization, and data management and analysis in Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) U.S. Standard grants are competitive, matching grants that support public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the U.S. that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. A 1 to 1 match to grant ratio is a requirement. For US Standard scoring criteria (page 33 of US Standard Instructions) and US Eligibility criteria, visit: https://www.fws.gov/service/north-american-wetlands-conservation-act-nawca-us-standard-grantsTo view previously successful awarded NAWCA US Standard Projects, visit NAWCA's external facing database to query for your viewing: https://www.fws.gov/grantsum/

The Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program provides Federal cost-sharing awards that help the State, Territory, and District of Columbia fish and wildlife agencies and their regional associations design and implement proactive conservation programs benefiting wildlife and their habitats. Proactive approaches to conservation help these recipients and their conservation partners avoid more prescriptive Federal regulatory requirements associated with species listing under the Endangered Species Act.The C-SWG Program prioritizes implementation of conservation actions described in the State and Territory Wildlife Action Plans (Plans). Projects must benefit one or more species of greatest conservation need or their habitats as identified in the Plans.This announcement provides complete information on preparing and submitting an application, including details on award tiers, partnership requirements, and the maximum Federal share of an award. The award tiers and related requirements are intended to encourage partnerships dedicated to cross-jurisdictional conservation efforts supporting landscape-scale conservation.

The Highlands Conservation Act Program (HCA) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the protection of land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. HCA grants support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to conserve resources of high conservation value.Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region.Funding appropriated under the HCA is typically divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Competitive Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Base Funds. A project may not be proposed for funding in both funding opportunities.More information on the HCA program is available at www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program helps private landowners restore and protect habitats for fish and wildlife. It offers both technical assistance and financial support, mainly through cooperative agreements.The PFW Program has approximately 220 staff working in all 50 states and territories. They work together with project partners and stakeholders to find key areas for conservation and set habitat goals. These focus areas guide the program on where to direct resources for conserving important habitats for federal trust species. The Program also has strategic plans that help determine which projects receive funding.Since it began in 1987, the PFW Program has successfully assisted many landowners. When choosing projects, the Program aims to support specific priorities set by the Secretary of the Interior and identified in regional strategic habitat conservation plans. All projects will promote the goals of the Program, the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These goals focus on using sound biological principles and voluntary partnerships to accomplish the mission of the Service to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from the PFW Program are required to consult with a local Program office BEFORE developing or submitting an application by visiting our website.

The Highlands Conservation Act Program (HCA) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the protection of land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. HCA grants support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to conserve resources of high conservation value.Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region.Funding appropriated under the HCA is typically divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Base Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Competitive Funds. A project may not be proposed for funding in both funding opportunities.More information on the HCA program is available at www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant

The objectives for the use of cooperative agriculture in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) are: production or modification of specific cover types or growing methods that meet the life history requirements of species for which we have established objectives (e.g., waterfowl production); production of foods for wildlife species for which we have established objectives; and/or maintenance, rehabilitation, or reestablishment of natural habitat. Cooperative agriculture is when a person or entity conducts agricultural practices on NWRS lands in support of the Service’s conservation and resource management objectives and there is substantial involvement between the Service and that person or entity. The NWRS uses cooperative agreements, known as Cooperative Agriculture Agreements (CAAs), as the legal instruments to formalize the agreement between the Service and the program participant. The cost-sharing of a person or entity in cooperative agricultural on NWRS lands can vary depending on the needs and objectives of the particular NWRS land. For example, the Service may provide the cooperator with the right to perform agricultural practices on NWRS land and a percentage of any resulting crop yield, as well as the ability to use Service water, equipment, and/or refuge staff. In exchange, the cooperator may provide the Service with labor, equipment, and materials; a percentage of any resulting crop yield; and/or maintenance, rehabilitation, or reestablishment of specific habitat conditions on NWRS lands. In addition to or instead of cost-sharing, the Service may accept bids for payment for the person or entity’s agriculture use (e.g. haying or grazing) on NWRS lands in compliance with the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act. This is a nonfinancial assistance program. No Federal funds are obligated or awarded to program participants. Because a CAA is not a financial assistance award, it is not subject to the regulations at 2 CFR 200 or policy in parts 515 and 516 of the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.

Using appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) anticipates providing grants to support implementation of interjurisdictional projects that cut across state and tribal Great Lakes Interstate Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans (AIS Plans). Grants will be awarded based on a competitive process for which only Great Lakes states and tribes (or their designee) are eligible. Funding will be prioritized towards target action-oriented projects that support Great Lakes Panel regional priorities and focus on pathway intervention, detection activities, and active prevention. Two categories of projects will be considered for funding: Sustaining Projects and New Projects. Sustaining Projects are projects that continue previously funded interjurisdictional work and are deemed a priority for continued regional AIS management and prevention support. New Projects are previously unfunded work with the potential to improve regional AIS management and prevention.

Modification 000003: The purpose of this modification is to revise NOFO Part 1. Section I.A.1 is revised to correct the Topic Area 1b cost share to 20% and Section IV.C.2 is revised to delete the Environmental Considerations Summary and Environmental Impact Volume from the Summary of Application Requirements table. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will seek proposals for specific research and development (R&D) projects to improve recovery efficiency from unconventional oil and natural gas reservoirs and to advance technologies for the treatment of flowback and produced water from oil and natural gas production operations. Despite increasing energy for demand, recovery efficiency for oil and natural gas from unconventional reservoirs can average less than 10 percent. This NOFO will enable rapid field deployment of a variety of novel technologies and processes related to improving primary and enhanced recovery with the goal of significantly improving resource recovery and accelerating industry uptake. This NOFO will also support the field testing and validation of water treatment technologies of produced water from oil and natural gas production operations to avoid deep well injection and potential issues with induced seismicity and interaction with underground sources of drinking water.

Expected Outcome: Proposals submitted to this call are expected to address several of the following elements: • Scaling of wafer-level photonic processes for key materials (e.g. SiN, InP, GaAs),including process integration, yield optimisation, and manufacturability at highvolumes. • Development of packaging and test solutions that are scalable, automated, andcompatible with co-packaged optics and advanced photonic-electronic integration. • Integration of heterogeneous materials and components, such as on-chip lasers,modulators, and detectors, using advanced packaging and assembly approaches. • Design-process-equipment co-optimisation, enabling repeatable, cost-effectiveproduction of complex photonic circuits and systems, including use of PDKs andvalidated building blocks. • Demonstration of system-level functionality through application-relevant use casesin strategic sectors (e.g. AI, sensing, telecommunication, mobility, health, defence),with quantified performance metrics and clear market relevance.