Fish and Wildlife Conservation Grants

Announcement of Funding for Fish and Wildlife Habitat Technology

Application for grants ($10,000 to $200,000) to develop new technologies and evaluate the effects of NRCS conservation practices on fish and/or wildlife habitat at both the farm and landscape scale are being sought.  Up to $1.7 million dollars is available for projects through this national competition.  Projects may be carried out within or across the following landuse/habitat types:  Cropland, Grassland, Forestland, Rangeland, Rivers and Streams, Riparian Area Management and Restoration, Wetlands/Vernal Pools or Urban Interface.

Applications are requested from Federally-recognized Indian Tribes; State or local units of government; institutions of higher learning; non-government organizations; or private businesses for competitive consideration of grant awards for projects between one and three years in duration.  Proposals require at least 1:1 match, except for special considerations as noted in the Announcement of Program Funding (APF).

Proposals require a "Letter of Review" by the state conservationist and the completed application packages must be received in the NRCS, Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Grants headquarters by 4:30 p.m., central time (CT) on or before April 27, 2006.  For additional information contact:  Kim Brannen, (605) 352-1243.

The APF can be found on the Grants.gov Website under "Fish and Wildlife Conservation Grants," Funding Number "NRCS-1-MSD-FTW-06":  http://www.grants.gov

All Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standard forms (SF) necessary for submission are available on the following OMB Website:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_forms.html.  Some are provided below.

Application Cover Sheet - Standard Form 424 (110 KB)
Budget Information - Standard Form 424A (119 KB)
Supplemental Instructions for Standard Form 424A (16.6 KB)
Sample Completed Standard Form 424A (126 KB)
Certifications - Standard Form 424B (20.9 KB)
DUNS Number Application Information (22.8 KB)
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Fact Sheet  (46 KB)
Limited Resource Producer Fact Sheet (46 KB)

The proposed project or activity must encompass the development and field testing, evaluation, and/or implementation of:

• Promising conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, and approaches;
• Testing new and innovative ideas and concerns within discipline expertise as to effective sustainability of fish and wildlife populations while producing food and fiber.

To be given priority consideration, the project or proposal should:

• Demonstrate, test, and evaluate practices, or verify the effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability in the field for fish and wildlife populations;
• Adapt conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance, and encourage adoption;
• Introduce conservation systems, approaches, and procedures from another geographic area or agricultural sector;
• Recommend ways to adopt fish and wildlife conservation technology, management, or incentive systems to improve performance as a result of project activity.
• List any leveraging of funds including in-kind; and
• Be convincing as to a good probability for success.

Priority needs for projects have been assembled in groups called "bundles."  More specific information about the focus of each "bundle" is found in the APF.

• Bundle 1 - Effects of buffers, field borders, and riparian areas on fish and wildlife.
• Bundle 2 - Evaluate and recommend improvements to wetland restoration and management practices, including coastal marshes, vernal pools, bogs, wet meadows, flood plains, and emergent vegetative wetlands.
• Bundle 3 - Grassland establishment and management for wildlife.
• Bundle 4 - Evaluation of fisheries habitat, stream restoration and management.
• Bundle 5 - Use of electronic technology to measure fish and wildlife response to conservation practices.
• Bundle 6 - Special considerations for Limited Resource Farmers and Native Americans.

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