Heritage Partnership Program

The Heritage Partnership Program is administered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and is designed to create opportunities for collaboration with eligible entities on projects that provide conservation and recreational benefits. The program uses Heritage funding to support external projects, and all funds are awarded externally. Every proposed project must provide a conservation benefit and must be eligible for Heritage funding under the referenced Heritage funding definitions in 17-296. The program supports work associated with Arizona wildlife, habitat, conservation, and recreational access, with the source highlighting species such as the bald eagle, Mexican wolf, and California condor. Funding is organized into categories for which the Arizona Game and Fish Commission approves a set amount each year. Identification, Inventory, Acquisition, Protection and Management of Sensitive Habitat, or IIAPM, supports projects that preserve and enhance Arizona's natural biological diversity and has a budget of $200,000 per fiscal year. Public Access supports projects that increase or maintain public access for recreational use and has a budget of $50,000 per fiscal year. Urban Wildlife and Urban Wildlife Habitat, or URBAN, supports projects that conserve, enhance, and establish wildlife habitats and populations in harmony with urban environments and has a budget of $130,000 per fiscal year. Funding amounts provided may not exceed the amount approved by the Commission. Projects are generally required to be completed within one year and follow the state fiscal year of July 1 through June 30 of the following year. Projects spanning up to two years may be considered when justified by biological windows and the scope of work. Funding is provided on a reimbursement basis. Program funds cannot be used for personnel, salaries, employee-related expenses, in-kind expenses, overhead, graduate tuition, or graduate stipends. The source does not state a required applicant cost share or matching contribution. Eligible applicants include governmental agencies, Indian tribes, and non-governmental organizations that meet the IRS definition of a 501(c)(3) organization. The supplied program information does not identify a more restrictive applicant service area within Arizona. Applicants must propose projects that provide a conservation benefit and qualify for Heritage funding. The program page also identifies examples of previously funded proposals, including New Mexico Jumping Mice Ecology in 2023, Desert Pupfish Genetic Evaluation in 2023, and Betty's Kitchen Conservation Education in 2022. Concept proposals may be submitted at any time throughout the year, making the submission process ongoing rather than tied to a single annual application deadline. Applicants submit by completing the Heritage Partnership Program Application, identified on the source page through the Heritage Partnership Program Concept Proposal Form. Projects remain subject to funding availability. The supplied material does not state a separate letter of intent deadline, fixed concept proposal deadline, final application deadline, scoring rubric, formal evaluation criteria, award notification date, or a specified number of awards. The program contact is Vanessa Bilodeau, Agreements and Contracts Administrator, who may be reached at vbilodeau@azgfd.gov or 623-236-7530. The program publishes annual reports to the Arizona Legislature, with reports identified for 2017 through 2025. Because concept proposals are accepted at any time throughout the year, the opportunity is treated as continuously accepting applications rather than as a recurring fixed-deadline competition. Project timing remains tied to the Arizona state fiscal year, with the standard project duration being one year and projects of up to two years considered based on biological windows and scope of work.

Demonstrate a conservation benefit and eligibility for Heritage funding; align the project with an applicable Heritage funding category; account for funding availability and category limits; budget on a reimbursement basis and exclude personnel, salaries, employee-related expenses, in-kind, overhead, graduate tuition, and graduate stipends; plan for completion within one state fiscal year unless a project of up to two years is justified by biological windows and scope of work.