F25AS00007 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement | F25AS00007

Opportunity Information: Apply for F25AS00007

The F25AS00007 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.628) that funds projects too large, complex, or far-reaching for any single state to tackle alone. The program is grounded in federal law (16 U.S.C. 669h-2 and 16 U.S.C. 777m) and is designed to support wildlife restoration, sport fish restoration, and recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts that address regional or national priority needs shared across multiple jurisdictions. Those priority needs, referred to as Strategic Priorities, are set each year by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) based on input from state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners, which means project ideas are expected to align with the current AFWA-identified priorities rather than being purely local or stand-alone initiatives.

The opportunity generally supports two main tracks of work. Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) can fund a broad range of wildlife and fisheries activities, including research, restoration, conservation, and management efforts focused on wild birds, wild mammals, sport fish, and the habitats that sustain them. In addition to on-the-ground biological and habitat work, T-MSCG funds can also support public-use and public-benefit components tied to these resources, such as hunter safety and education, aquatic education, angler-focused R3 efforts, and other activities that fit within the program’s authorizing statutes. In contrast, R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG) are narrower in allowable use: they can only support hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment projects that promote a national hunting and shooting sports recruitment program, including related outreach, communications, and engagement efforts. In other words, T-MSCG is broad conservation and management across multiple states, while R3-MSCG is specifically targeted at coordinated, multi-jurisdictional recruitment efforts for hunting and shooting sports.

Eligible applicants are relatively expansive compared to many federal conservation programs. The opportunity lists state governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education), and other eligible entities. The announcement also clarifies an important category within “state governments”: this refers to the agencies with primary fish and wildlife management authority in each of the 50 states, and also includes the District of Columbia (for Sport Fish Restoration only), Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories such as American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including groups or coalitions of these agencies. Additionally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service itself, or a state or group of states, may be eligible for support specifically to carry out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, reflecting the program’s role in supporting national-scale data and coordination needs.

From a funding standpoint, the posted award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award. The opportunity was created on April 5, 2024, and the original closing date listed is June 7, 2024. Overall, the program is best understood as a mechanism for funding multi-state or nationally significant conservation and R3 work that aligns with AFWA’s annually defined Strategic Priorities, with Traditional grants covering a wide conservation and public-benefit scope and R3 grants restricted to national-scale hunter and recreational shooter recruitment initiatives.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F25AS00007 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.628.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

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