Opportunity Information: Apply for F21AS00004
The Multistate Conservation Grant Program is a competitive federal grant opportunity run through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that funds large-scale fish and wildlife conservation work that is regional or national in scope. It is built on long-standing federal authorities under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, as updated by later legislation, and it is designed for projects that are simply too big, too cross-cutting, or too multi-jurisdictional for any single state to handle effectively on its own. The core purpose is to help state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners tackle shared conservation priorities, coordinate management across borders, and deliver outcomes that benefit multiple states or the nation as a whole.
Funding for the program comes from two related streams. First, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program can make up to $6,000,000 available each year for multistate conservation project grants. Second, Congress created an added funding boost through the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act (Public Law 116-94, enacted December 20, 2019), which established a Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program and provides an additional $5,000,000 to support this same overall multistate conservation mission. Taken together, these authorities reflect an intent to keep the program focused on high-priority needs that are broader than a single state boundary, whether that means multi-state species and habitat issues, shared research and monitoring needs, coordinated management strategies, or other regional and national conservation challenges.
Administration of the program is shared in a practical way between the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and USFWS. AFWA runs the front end of the process by managing the grant application process and providing oversight, coordination, and guidance to applicants. USFWS handles the federal side by awarding and managing the grants once selections are made. The program is explicitly competitive, meaning proposals are compared against each other and funding decisions are based on merit and how well projects match the program's priorities and requirements.
Eligibility is centered on government fish and wildlife management authorities, with some additional eligible organization types listed for this specific opportunity posting. The description emphasizes that eligible applicants include USFWS itself, a single state, or a group of states, particularly for work connected to carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. In this context, "state governments" refers specifically to the agencies that have lead responsibility for managing fish and wildlife resources in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia (for Sport Fish Restoration purposes), Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including groups or coalitions of these agencies working together. The opportunity listing also notes eligibility categories that can include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), and other applicants, which typically signals that partners may be able to participate directly depending on the specific project structure and how the lead applicant role is set up.
For the posted opportunity record (Funding Opportunity Number F21AS00004), the program falls under the "Natural Resources" activity category and is offered as a discretionary grant. The CFDA number is 15.628, and the awarding agency is the Fish and Wildlife Service. The listed award ceiling is $1,000,000 per award under this opportunity, and the original closing date shown is August 14, 2020. Overall, the program is best understood as a mechanism to fund coordinated, multi-jurisdiction conservation work that delivers shared benefits across states, guided jointly by AFWA's application process support and USFWS's federal grant award and management responsibilities.Apply for F21AS00004
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Multistate Conservation Grant Program" 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 2020-05-28.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-14. (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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Multistate Conservation Grant Program (USFWS) - FAQs
What is the Multistate Conservation Grant Program?
The Multistate Conservation Grant Program is a competitive federal grant opportunity administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that supports large-scale fish and wildlife conservation work with regional or national scope. It is designed for conservation needs that are too large, too cross-cutting, or too multi-jurisdictional for a single state to handle effectively on its own.
What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The program exists to help state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners address shared conservation priorities, coordinate management across borders, and deliver outcomes that benefit multiple states or the nation as a whole.
What kinds of projects is the program intended to support?
Based on the program description, the intent is to fund multi-state or national efforts such as shared species and habitat conservation issues, regional or national research and monitoring needs, coordinated management strategies across jurisdictions, and other conservation challenges that extend beyond a single state boundary.
What makes a project a good fit for a "multistate" grant?
A strong fit is a project that clearly requires coordination across multiple states or jurisdictions (or produces benefits at a regional or national scale) and addresses priorities that cannot be effectively achieved by one state working alone.
Is this a competitive grant opportunity?
Yes. The opportunity is explicitly competitive, meaning proposals are evaluated against each other and funding decisions are based on merit and alignment with program priorities and requirements.
Which federal authorities support this program?
The program is built on long-standing federal authorities under the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act and the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, as updated by later legislation.
How is the program funded?
Funding comes from two related streams described in the opportunity information: (1) the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, which can make up to $6,000,000 available each year for multistate conservation project grants, and (2) an additional $5,000,000 created through the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act (Public Law 116-94, enacted December 20, 2019), which established a Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program to support the same overall mission.
Who administers the program?
Administration is shared. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) manages the front end by running the application process and providing oversight, coordination, and guidance to applicants. USFWS handles the federal side by awarding and managing the grants after selections are made.
What is AFWA's role in this opportunity?
AFWA manages the grant application process and provides applicant-facing support such as oversight, coordination, and guidance.
What is USFWS's role in this opportunity?
USFWS is the awarding agency and is responsible for making the federal awards and managing the grants once selections are made.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is centered on government fish and wildlife management authorities. The description emphasizes that eligible applicants include USFWS itself, a single state, or a group of states, particularly for work connected to carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The opportunity listing also notes eligibility categories that can include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities), and other applicants.
What does "state governments" mean for this opportunity?
In this context, "state governments" refers specifically to the agencies that have lead responsibility for managing fish and wildlife resources. This includes agencies in the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia (for Sport Fish Restoration purposes), Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also includes groups or coalitions of these agencies working together.
Can multiple states apply together?
Yes. The description specifically includes eligibility for a group of states and recognizes groups or coalitions of fish and wildlife agencies working together.
Can nonprofit organizations or universities apply?
The opportunity listing notes eligibility categories that can include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). This typically signals that partners may be able to participate directly depending on the project structure and how the lead applicant role is set up.
Does the program support work related to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation?
Yes. The description highlights that eligible applicants include USFWS, a single state, or a group of states, particularly for work connected to carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for the posted record described here?
The Funding Opportunity Number provided is F21AS00004.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 15.628.
Which agency is listed as the awarding agency?
The awarding agency listed is the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
What is the activity category for this grant?
The opportunity record lists the activity category as Natural Resources.
Is this a discretionary grant?
Yes. The posted opportunity record indicates it is offered as a discretionary grant.
What is the maximum award amount under the posted opportunity?
The award ceiling listed under this opportunity is $1,000,000 per award.
When was the closing date shown for the posted opportunity record?
The original closing date shown is August 14, 2020.
What is the overall value or intent behind having both "traditional" and "modern" multistate funding streams?
Taken together, the two funding authorities reflect an intent to keep the program focused on high-priority conservation needs that extend beyond a single state boundary and require regional or national coordination.
What is the central takeaway for applicants considering this program?
This program is best understood as a mechanism to fund coordinated, multi-jurisdiction conservation work that delivers shared benefits across states, with AFWA supporting the application process and USFWS awarding and managing the federal grants.
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| Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program Apply for USDA FS COMMUNITY WOOD 2021 Funding Number: USDA FS COMMUNITY WOOD 2021 Agency: Forest Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 7) Apply for F21AS00178 Funding Number: F21AS00178 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $106,502 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 6) Apply for F21AS00177 Funding Number: F21AS00177 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $674,745 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 2) Apply for F21AS00173 Funding Number: F21AS00173 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,290,817 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 1) Apply for F21AS00163 Funding Number: F21AS00163 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $4,363,840 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 4) Apply for F21AS00175 Funding Number: F21AS00175 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $3,073,024 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 3) Apply for F21AS00174 Funding Number: F21AS00174 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $572,066 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 8) Apply for F21AS00179 Funding Number: F21AS00179 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $2,163,585 |
| FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 5) Apply for F21AS00176 Funding Number: F21AS00176 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $755,421 |
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