Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is offering the tenth annual Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative funding opportunity to support voluntary conservation projects in the Pecos watershed and adjacent areas of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. Major funding is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and corporate partners Apache Corporation, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, and ExxonMobil. The initiative is intended to restore and sustain healthy rivers, streams, riparian areas, and grassland systems that provide important wildlife habitat. Projects must directly and measurably contribute to one or more priorities identified in the Southwest Rivers Program Business Plan. Funding is organized around habitat restoration and management, species intervention, and species response and monitoring activities. Habitat restoration and management projects may restore stream and riparian habitat, improve aquatic connectivity, address water availability, restore native vegetation, manage grazing, improve grassland habitat, modify fencing for pronghorn passage, and provide outreach or technical assistance to landowners and land managers. Species intervention projects may secure existing populations against invasion or disease or establish protected populations through translocation. Species response and monitoring projects may conserve the Rio Grande cooter, establish baseline measurements, monitor focal species responses to restoration and enhancement, and track progress toward species outcomes. Focal species include Pecos pupfish, Pecos gambusia, Rio Grande Western cooter, Texas hornshell, chestnut-collared longspur, pronghorn, and Sprague's pipit. Applicants should select the most relevant Easygrants performance metrics for their proposed work. NFWF expects to make three to five awards. Grant requests should generally range from 100000 dollars to 500000 dollars, although larger requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Projects should begin within six months of the award date and must be completed within three years of the agreed start date. Applicants must provide one dollar in matching funds for every one dollar of NFWF funding requested. Matching funds may be federal or non-federal and may consist of cash, contributed goods and services, volunteer hours, or property raised, spent, and acquired during the project period. Larger match ratios and contributions from a variety of partners are encouraged. Grant payments are primarily reimbursable, although justified advances may be requested for imminent expenditures. Monthly advances will not be considered. Eligible applicants include local, state, federal, and tribal governments and agencies, special districts such as conservation, planning, and utility districts, nonprofit 501(c) organizations, and educational institutions. International organizations, businesses, and unincorporated individuals are ineligible. Projects must be located in southeastern New Mexico or west Texas within the Trans-Pecos Focal Area. NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used for prohibited purposes such as political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities, or activities that violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Funds may not support ongoing efforts merely to comply with legal requirements, although projects that improve upon baseline compliance efforts may be supported. Federally funded activities are also subject to specified telecommunications, drone, environmental review, permitting, and other compliance requirements. Applications must be submitted online through NFWF's Easygrants system. New users must register, enter applicant information, select Apply for Funding, choose the applicable funding opportunity, and follow the Easygrants instructions to complete and submit the application. Applications may be saved and completed later. Proposals must include accurate project spatial data and should identify relevant performance metrics. Applicants are expected to describe affected communities and community engagement activities and should submit letters of support from community partners or collaborators demonstrating commitment to the project. Proposals are screened for relevance, accuracy, completeness, and compliance and then evaluated for alignment with program goals, measurable outcomes, appropriate monitoring, partnership and community engagement, long-term sustainability, allowable and reasonable costs, matching contributions, cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, a logical work plan and timeline, technical expertise, accurate spatial data, compliance planning, past grantee success, and transferability. The full proposal deadline is November 12, 2026, at 9:59 PM Mountain Time, 10:59 PM Central Time, or 11:59 PM Eastern Time. An applicant webinar is scheduled for September 9, 2026, at 11:00 AM Mountain Time, 12:00 PM Central Time, and 1:00 PM Eastern Time. The review period runs from November 2026 through March 2027, with awards expected to be announced from March through April 2027. Dates are subject to change. The opportunity is described as the tenth annual funding opportunity, indicating an annual recurrence. Program questions may be directed to Kirstin Neff at Kirstin.Neff@nfwf.org or 303-222-6485, Emma Wigger at Emma.Wigger@nfwf.org or 202-888-1680, or Trevor Davis at Trevor.Davis@nfwf.org or 202-595-2442. Easygrants technical assistance is available at Easygrants@nfwf.org or 202-595-2497 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

Directly and measurably connect the project to program priorities and use quantifiable performance metrics. Present a technically sound and achievable work plan with appropriate monitoring and long-term maintenance or sustainability. Demonstrate meaningful community and partner engagement with supporting letters. Provide accurate spatial data and a sound compliance approach. Keep costs allowable, reasonable, and cost effective. Larger and more diverse matching contributions are encouraged and may be more competitive. Cross-jurisdictional landscape-scale restoration across BLM lands in New Mexico is strongly encouraged. Monitoring proposals are favored when connected with habitat restoration or enhancement.