Federal Natural Resources Grants

Thank you for your interest in partnering with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).Under this Notice of Funding Opportunity, "refuge" refers to an area designated as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other items to note in the Notice of Funding Opportunity:The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity is to provide cooperative agreements and grants to enable nonprofit groups and others to partner with a specific FWS site, FWS Regional office, or FWS headquarters to accomplish FWS work.The FWS site/office requesting the work must fund the project. There is no money set aside at headquarters to do these projects. Therefore, the project budget is limited to the amount the FWS site/office has available.The FWS site/office requesting the work must be substantially involved in the project.The FWS site/office requesting the work must collaboratively work with the potential partner to develop the project narrative and budget.The Congressional authority for this Notice of Funding Opportunity does not include the authority to purchase land.FWS uses GrantSolutions to manage financial assistance applications and awards. Applicants must register in and conduct any subsequent award business with FWS in GrantSolutions. To apply, your organization and organization officials must be established in GrantSolutions. For further details, please see section D7 of this Notice of Funding Opportunity. If using Grants.gov rather than GrantSolutions to apply, please consider submitting the application a couple of weeks early because there is often a delay in the transfer of applications from Grants.gov to GrantSolutions.FWS may not make a Federal award to an applicant that hasn’t completed theSAM.gov registration.Domestic recipients are required to register in and receive payment through theU.S. Treasurys Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), unless approved for a waiver by the Service program.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the premier government agency dedicated to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats. We are the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of these important natural resources for the American public.FWS origins date back to 1871 when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease in the nations food fishes and recommend ways to reverse that decline. Today, we are a diverse and largely decentralized organization, employing about 8,000 dedicated professionals working out of facilities across the country, including a headquarters office in Falls Church, Virginia, and eight Regional offices.The National Non-Infrastructure Partnerships initiative encourages US Fish and Wildlife Service field stations to partner with local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations, other land management groups, state, and tribal partners, and others to accomplish projects that:promote the stewardship of FWS resources through habitat maintenance, restoration, and improvement, biological monitoring, or research;increase awareness and understanding of FWS programs and resources through the development, publication, or distribution of educational materials and products;advance education concerning the mission of FWS through the use of FWS sites as an outdoor classroom to combine educational curricula with the personal experiences of students relating to fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitat, and to FWS cultural and historical resources, and development of other educational programs;promote the understanding of, education relating to, and the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants, and cultural and historical resources;improve scientific literacy.

This funding opportunity supports research institutes in the U.S. to investigate the impacts of aquatic invasive species on water resources, particularly in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, promoting innovative solutions for management and ecosystem resilience.

This program provides funding to nonprofit organizations, public bodies, and tribes to improve solid waste management in rural areas, focusing on reducing pollution and enhancing sustainability practices.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for state agencies and universities to acquire land, construct facilities, and enhance research and education focused on protecting estuarine habitats and improving climate resilience.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for conservation projects aimed at protecting and recovering endangered and threatened species across the United States, targeting eligible applicants such as state and local governments, educational institutions, tribal organizations, and nonprofits.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for U.S.-based organizations to conduct innovative geothermal energy field tests and resource assessments, aiming to expand geothermal energy production across the country.

The 2025 Regional Ecosystem Research (RER) Program grant, offered by NOAA's NCCOS, aims to fund research projects that enhance understanding of species' habitat usage and connectivity in Marine Protected Areas, with the goal of improving conservation efforts and management plans, particularly in line with the 30x30 initiative.

This funding opportunity is designed to support research initiatives by Water Resources Research Institutes that investigate the detection, impact, and mitigation of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and other environmental media.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to partner institutions affiliated with the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit to research and manage the invasive Black Carp species in the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to various governmental and nonprofit organizations for projects that assess and mitigate hazards from abandoned mines on public lands, promoting environmental restoration and public health.

This grant provides funding for organizations and individuals to support land rehabilitation and maintenance activities at a military training area in Hawaii, focusing on environmental sustainability and resource management.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for conservation projects in Mississippi, focusing on outreach, education, and technical assistance to help socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

This program provides funding to a wide range of applicants, including universities, companies, and non-profits, to develop innovative technologies for faster and more accurate mineral resource characterization, particularly for rare earth elements and critical minerals essential for energy production.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that enhance recreational access and visitor experiences on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, targeting state and local governments, Tribal organizations, educational institutions, and nonprofits.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Alaska Aquatic Resources Program protects and restores riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources to provide functioning ecosystems for a combination of balanced and diverse uses including fish and wildlife, and for the long-term needs of future generations. Policy guidance for the Program ensures that public land management based on multiple use and sustained yield provides healthy and productive riparian, wetland, and aquatic habitat, achieves land health standards, and considers society’s long-term needs for healthy watersheds. The issues the Program addresses are diverse and include restoration, habitat fragmentation and degradation, drought resiliency, water availability, and aquatic invasive species. Program staff provide professional expertise and policy guidance to BLM managers, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, and non-governmental partners on these issues, and implement the best management practices to minimize or avoid impacts to water resources, riparian and wetland areas, and aquatic habitats on public lands. This program supports projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Section 40804 (b) Ecosystem Restoration. This program also supports projects funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Sections 50221 Resilience, 50222 Ecosystems Restoration and 50303 DOI.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for conservation projects that engage and develop career skills for youth aged 16–30, with a focus on underserved communities and collaboration with tribal organizations.

The IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Alaska Good Neighbor Authority grant aims to fund partnerships with states, counties, and tribes for the planning and implementation of restoration projects on forest, rangeland, and watershed areas, with a focus on treating diseased trees, reducing hazardous fuels, and improving overall ecosystem health, including wildlife habitats.

This grant provides funding for organizations to conduct sea turtle nesting surveys and conservation efforts at Wake Island Airfield, specifically targeting members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii-Pacific Islands, or California.

Recreational boating is a popular activity; there are approximately 11 million registered motorized recreational vessels in the United States. Of this total, an estimated 596,000 are at least 26 feet long. The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-178) established the Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG) Program (16 U.S.C. 777g-1) to provide funding to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (States) for the construction, renovation and maintenance of boating infrastructure facilities for transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long that are operated, leased, rented, or chartered primarily for pleasure. The Act amended the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777). Subsequent reauthorizations of the Act allow expenditures from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and the continuation of the BIG Program. Boating infrastructure means the structures, equipment, accessories, and services that are necessary or desirable for a facility to accommodate eligible vessels. Transient vessels are those passing through or by a place, staying up to 15 days. Projects completed using BIG funds must provide public access, but may be publicly or privately owned. This package is the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 BIG Tier 2 applications.

This grant provides a framework for the U.S. Army to manage and sustain training lands effectively, ensuring they meet the necessary standards for military readiness across various operations.