Fish and Wildlife Service grants

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Coastal Program provides technical and financial assistance to partners to support projects that protect and restore fish and wildlife habitats on public and private lands in priority coastal ecosystems. This support is provided through cooperative agreements with conservation partners and landowners, including state and Tribal agencies. Coastal Program staff work with partners, stakeholders, and other Service programs in important areas for conservation. They implement regional strategic plans that identify priority species and habitats for conservation in these focus areas.Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from the Coastal Program are required to contact a local Program office BEFORE developing or submitting an application. You can find this information in the current strategic plan at this link or by contacting your local Coastal Program office at https://www.fws.gov/program/coastal/contact-us.Projects are developed collaboratively by partners and Service field staff. All Coastal Program projects must align with the missions of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Coastal Program. They are also based on sound biological principles and the best available science.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) requests interested entities to submit research, restoration, and Regional Project proposals for the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin fish and wildlife resources, as authorized under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (16U.S.C. 941c). The purpose of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (GLFWRA) is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration, research, and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Supported in part by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, we expect approximately $3.5 million to support proposals this fiscal year. Available funding and proposal awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026. Up to 33 and one-third percent of the total Congressional appropriation to the GLFWRA is eligible to fund Regional Project proposals. Expected award funding for Regional Project proposals is between $200,000 to $500,000. Successful restoration and research proposals have ranged from $2,000 to $500,000 with the average proposal at $217,843. Expected award funding for restoration and research proposals is between $10,000 and $250,000. Selected restoration and research proposals and Regional Project proposals will be awarded funding for the duration of the proposal via a grant or cooperative agreement between the recipient and the Service. Funding will be made available once the official award letter has been received by the successful applicant and the performance period has started. Continuation of proposals funded in previous fiscal years are eligible but will be considered and reviewed as a new proposal. Restoration and research proposals will be awarded a grant agreement and Regional Project proposals will be awarded a cooperative agreement under this announcement. Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network partners that submit Regional Project proposals that qualify as CESU proposals will be subject to the CESU indirect cost rate cap. Regional Projects are authorized activities of the Service related to fish and wildlife resource protection, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement impacting the resources of multiple States or Indian Tribes with fish and wildlife management authority in the Great Lakes Basin. The two-page restoration and research pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are submitted to the Service to determine eligibility and the Proposal Review Committee (PRC) scores and ranks the proposals using GLFWRA Review Criteria (Review Criteria). Successful restoration and research pre-proposal applicants are invited to submit full proposals, which are scored and ranked by the PRC using the Review Criteria. The PRC recommends the restoration and research full proposals and Regional Project proposals for funding to the Service"s Midwest Region 3 Regional Director for approval. Successful restoration and research and Regional Project proposal applicants can anticipate receiving an official grant or cooperative agreement award letter between January and March 2027.

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.