North American Wetlands Conservation Act 2019 U.S. Standard Grants | F18AS00061

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00061

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) 2019 U.S. Standard Grants opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00061) is a discretionary federal grant program run by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), under CFDA 15.623. It is designed to fund on-the-ground, habitat-focused projects within the United States that advance NAWCA's goals by supporting strong public-private partnerships. In practical terms, the program is aimed at protecting and improving wetlands and related upland habitats in ways that measurably benefit migratory birds, while also aligning with the broader DOI and FWS mission to conserve land and water resources and work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders, including efforts that can expand outdoor recreation and public access where appropriate.

Funding through this program is competitive and provided as grants, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award and an anticipated total of about 50 awards. A central requirement is that projects must be strictly focused on long-term habitat outcomes: eligible work involves the long-term protection, restoration, enhancement, and/or establishment of wetlands and associated upland habitats. The emphasis on "long-term" signals that proposals should result in durable conservation benefits, such as permanent or long-duration conservation easements, fee-title acquisitions, or restoration/enhancement actions that produce lasting habitat value rather than short-lived or purely operational improvements.

The program is explicitly a matching grants program and requires a 1:1 non-federal match. That means applicants must bring at least an equal amount of non-federal funding or qualifying in-kind contributions to the project, demonstrating partner commitment and leveraging federal dollars. The matching structure is a defining feature of NAWCA and is intended to encourage collaboration among agencies, nonprofits, tribal entities, local governments, and private partners who can contribute funds, services, or other allowable support to meet the match requirement.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply as long as it meets any eligibility clarifications in the full notice. This typically allows a wide range of applicants to participate, such as state and local agencies, tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and other entities, especially when they can build partnerships and provide the required non-federal match.

There are also clear limitations on what the program will fund. Research funding is ineligible, so proposals centered on studies, monitoring as a primary purpose, or academic research without direct habitat protection or improvement outcomes would not fit the program. The grant is intended to pay for implementation of conservation actions, not investigative or experimental work, and proposals should be framed accordingly with deliverables tied directly to habitat acres protected/restored/enhanced/established and the associated benefits to migratory birds.

For this specific cycle, the original closing date required two parallel submissions by midnight Eastern Time on February 23, 2018: the SF-424 and SF-424D forms submitted through Grants.gov, and the email submission of the proposal and other required documents sent to dbhc@fws.gov by the same deadline. This dual-submission setup indicates applicants had to manage both the standard federal grants portal requirements and the program's direct proposal intake process.

Overall, the NAWCA U.S. Standard Grants program is best understood as a habitat conservation funding tool that prioritizes partnership-driven projects, measurable and lasting wetland/upland habitat gains, and strong financial commitment from non-federal partners, all aimed at sustaining migratory bird populations and the ecosystems they depend on within the United States.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "North American Wetlands Conservation Act 2019 U.S. Standard Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.623.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by SF-424 and SF-424D due to grants.gov by midnight EST on February 23, 2018. Email proposal and other documents to dbhc@fws.gov by midnight EST on February 23, 2018.. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F18AS00061

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