Alternatives to FY26 Bureau of Land Management Plant Conservation and Restoration Management - Bureau wide

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/

Public lands managed by the BLM offer exceptional and unique recreational experiences that benefit the American public while supporting local communities and their economies. The Recreation and Visitor Services Program is prioritizing the implementation of Administration priorities and key legislation, including the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (EXPLORE Act), the Great American Outdoors Act, and the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. In fiscal year 2026, the BLM will focus on supporting projects that align with administration priorities and these recreation related laws. It is essential to note that all project submissions must specifically enhance recreation and visitor services on BLM-managed public lands and improve the overall experience for BLM visitors to be considered for funding.

The BLM and its partners inventory and mitigate abandoned mine hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry activities of the past, including underground and surface mining have contributed to degradation of natural resources. Unrestored sites pose a threat to the safety and health of public land users, as well as to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, and soil resources.Inventory and mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risks to human health and/or the environment. The BLM estimates there are over 160,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered lands, many of which will need to be addressed further.The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high-risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through performing NEPA, including cultural and biological surveys, a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back-filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions. The AML program also work to restore abandoned hardrock mines sites and restore the Nation's watersheds impacted by abandoned mines through a risk-reduction based watershed approach that uses partnerships to effectively leverage funding and facilitate projects; and reduces environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines to ensure compliance with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations. For the NRDAR program, and any actions taken pursuant to BLM"s authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, potentially responsible parties must be investigated.The BLM seeks to develop partnerships with States, local governments, Tribal Nations, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups. In addition, BLM seeks to return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. These partnerships will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements to protect surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and air from abandoned mine sites, address releases of hazardous substances, safeguard dangerous mine sites, and restore sites.

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.

Priority activities under this announcement include projects that support Executive Order (EO) 14225 Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production and Section 50301 of The One Big Beautiful Bill. This program focuses on activities that promote forest and woodland health, sustainable forest management, fire resiliency, biomass utilization for bioenergy, habitat conservation needs, and insect, disease and fire recovery on public lands. These activities could include, but are not limited to: planting trees, pre-commercial and commercial thinning, salvage/sanitation harvest, control of competing vegetation, fuels reduction, project development and layout, planning analysis and document preparation needed in concert with or to carry out NEPA, and Endangered Species Act or cultural clearances.

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 Bureau of Reclamation"s Desalination and Water Purification Research (DWPR) Program aims to increase water supplies by reducing the costs, energy requirements, and other barriers to adoption of treating impaired water for beneficial uses.This NOFO invites proposals from eligible applicants to conduct innovative laboratory and pilot-scale water treatment research. Strong applications will demonstrate widespread applicability and benefits of the proposed research and provide a pathway for technology commercialization. This initiative supports the Bureau of Reclamation's mission to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public by providing water managers with new and innovative technologies and approaches to develop additional water resources and increase water supply flexibility.The DWPR Program demonstrably advances Trump administration priorities, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14154 (January 20, 2025): Unleashing American Energy (E.O. 14154) and Secretarial Order 3418, and aligns with other priorities and requirements, such as those identified in Presidential Executive Order 14332 (August 7, 2025): Improving Oversight in Federal Grantmaking (E.O. 14332).

Wildland Fire Fuels Management and Community Assistance Program activities embody strategic investments in managing vegetation by reducing the intensity, severity, or negative effects of wildfire. These initiatives provide cost-effective benefits to the American people, help maintain and support communities in becoming fire adapted. Program activities include developing local capacities through assessment and planning, community and homeowner mitigation efforts, and implementation of fuels management treatments and activities. This involves training, monitoring, or implementing/maintaining fuels management on federal land or adjacent non-federal land to benefit federal resources, as well as assisting with wildfire prevention to mitigate risks to communities and their values. Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has an opportunity to collaborate with partner organizations to support these efforts, reducing the intensity, severity, risk, and impact of catastrophic wildfires on local communities through coordination, hazardous fuel reduction, and further education on wildfire prevention. These activities help create jobs and advance conservation and restoration efforts through planning and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects. This work aligns with administration priorities by strengthening partnerships, encouraging local wildfire preparedness and mitigation, and empowering community-driven wildfire risk reduction, while generating revenue and utilizing natural resources to support the American economy.

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service Joint Fire Science Program is soliciting proposals in two topic areas: (1) drivers of changing wildfire regimes and consequences for wildfire risk factors and (2) smoke impacts from prescribed fire and wildfire . 1.     Drivers of changing wildfire regimes and consequences for wildfire risk factors The objective of this task statement is to increase understanding of the drivers and consequences of changing wildfire regimes to inform future management and monitoring plans that accelerate adaptation to these altered regimes that reduce wildland fire risk factors. JFSP is asking potential investigators to address the following research needs in this task statement. Potential investigators must address all three research needs to be considered responsive to the task statement. ·      Research that leads to improved models, datasets, or other tools to more accurately forecast future fire regimes and consequences for ecosystems and valued resources (e.g., communities, infrastructure, municipal watersheds). ·      In collaboration with fire and land managers, use of improved models, datasets, or other tools to explore scenarios of future fire regimes and consequences for ecosystems and valued resources, identify potential tipping points, and feedback mechanisms for accelerated change. ·      In collaboration with fire and land managers, devise potential monitoring protocols to detect potential tipping points or other indicators of change.     2.     Smoke impacts from prescribed fire and wildfire The objectives of this task statement are 1) to better understand the impacts of prescribed fire and wildfire on smoke emissions - to inform appropriate timing, frequency, and extent of prescribed fire programs that maximize ecological benefits while minimizing air quality impacts on communities, and 2) to inform a standardized methodology for tracking prescribed fire emissions. To contribute to understanding of smoke impacts from prescribed fire and wildfire, JFSP is asking potential investigators to address the following research needs. Proposals must address all three research needs to be responsive to the task statement. ·      Empirical, observational, and/or simulation studies that document the spatial and temporal scales at which prescribed fire programs influence one or more characteristics of subsequent wildfire regime (e.g., patterns of frequency, extent, intensity, or severity) and how relationships between prescribed fire and wildfire regimes differ by various factors (e.g., region, fuel type, disturbance history, interactions with mechanical treatments). ·      Studies that evaluate and/or validate methodologies for tracking and/or predicting emissions from prescribed fire. ·      Studies that extend the findings on relationships between prescribed fire and wildfire regimes (from research need 1) and evaluation of methods (from research need 2) to implications for air quality and related public health and/or the effectiveness of mitigation strategies on acute health impacts related to air quality. Please consult the JFSP database for the specific requirements on each individual task statement, https://www.firescience.gov/ All proposals must be submitted by September 17, 2026, 5:00 pm MT , using the electronic submission process provided by the JFSP website (https://www.firescience.gov).  Proposals cannot be submitted through Grants.gov. No exceptions are allowed to this closing date or time.

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 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.