[PCA] Funding Announcement: NFWF accepting proposals for new grant program

[Park, Margaret E]

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced Wednesday that they will begin accepting proposals for a new grant program using funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. This grant program will be used to distribute over $400M or more in funding, principally to states and tribes, for ecological restoration over the next several years. This year approximately $85 million will be awarded across the following themes:

1. Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands and watersheds

2. Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks

3. Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes

4. Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats

5. Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities



Projects should address priority species and/or habitat conservation actions identified in existing plans or other species recovery or conservation plans. State Wildlife Action Plans and Species of Greatest Conservation Need are specifically mentioned in the RFP. Grants will be available for both implementation and capacity-building. There is a 10% non-federal match requirement (only 2.5% needs to be cash) for states and a  3% match for tribes (0.25% cash) and awards will range from $1 million to $5 million. Grants for planning, collaboration and engagement ranging from $200,000 to $1,000,000 will also be available to “enhance local capacity to implement future on the-ground actions through community-based assessments, partnership building, planning, project design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities”. The deadline for applying is July 21, 2022 and awards are expected in November 2022. There will be several opportunities in the near future to learn more about the grant program. Use the following links for more information.



Link to Request for Proposals: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/atbc_2022_rfp_5_4.pdf

Full Proposal Tipsheet: https://www.nfwf.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/atbc-2022-tip-sheet.pdf

Link to NFWF America the Beautiful Challenge Webpage: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/america-beautiful-challenge

Link to America the Beautiful Report: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/report-conserving-and-restoring-america-the-beautiful-2021.pdf



FUNDING AVAILABILITY, GRANT CATEGORIES, AND MATCH Approximately $85 million will be available for 2022, with four categories of grants, of which ATBC expects to award at least 10% for Tribal grants and 3% to U.S. territories. Funding is being provided to NFWF through cooperative agreements, or similar mechanisms, that allow for agency participation. Funding in this RFP is contingent upon final execution of the agency awards to NFWF. Please also refer to the specific Department/Agency level funding priorities found in Appendix 2.

1. States, Territories, and Tribal Implementation Grants: Grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million will be awarded to states, U.S. territories and Tribal-affiliated organizations and governments to implement projects that address the program priorities on public, Tribal, and/or private lands. Landscape scale restoration requests beyond $5 million may be considered on a 5 case-by-case basis. Please contact NFWF program staff to discuss. Projects should be completed within four years of award and partnerships with NGOs and localities through sub-awards are encouraged.


a. Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DOI



2. Planning, Collaboration and Engagement for States, Territories and Tribes: Grants of $200,000 to $1,000,000 will be awarded to states, U.S. territories, Tribal governments, and Tribal-affiliated organizations for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on[1]the-ground actions through community-based assessments, partnership building, planning, project design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities. Projects in this category should include multiple partners, be at a significant scale for the landscape/watershed/seascape, clearly demonstrate how efforts will lead to implementation projects, and be completed within approximately one year of award.


a. Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DOI



3. Grants to Buffer and Benefit Public Lands: Grants ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground conservation actions that benefit National Forests and DoD facilities. Projects should be targeted toward outcomes identified in a conservation implementation plan and should be completed within two to four years of award. DoD funds will be prioritized to Sentinel Landscapes or areas that advance the military mission (e.g., the Pacific region or directly supporting an installation) and projects must be in the vicinity of or ecologically related to a DoD installation or range. DoD funds may not be used for work directly on military lands. USFS funds will support invasive species detection, prevention, and treatments benefiting USFS lands, as well as collaboratively-developed fish passage and water quality projects on Federal and Tribal lands.


a. Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by DoD and USFS



4. Private Forests, Rangeland and Farmland Grants: Grants ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 will support outreach and engagement with private landowners to advance voluntary conservation efforts on working lands that align with the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife Framework (e.g. sagebrush, grasslands, bobwhite quail, northeast turtles, golden-winged warbler). Projects should be completed in two to three years.


a. Grants under this category are contingent upon awards by NRCS The ATCB program is expected to have an annual application cycle.
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