F25AS00294 FY 2025 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 8 | F25AS00294

Opportunity Information: Apply for F25AS00294

F25AS00294 is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) discretionary grant opportunity under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, specifically the FY 2025 Traditional Conservation Grants Program for Region 8. Its main purpose is to help States and Territories strengthen and carry out their Section 6 endangered species programs by funding on-the-ground conservation and recovery work for species under FWS jurisdiction. The program is geared toward projects that produce clear, direct conservation benefits for federally listed threatened and endangered species, while also allowing support for monitoring of species that are candidates for listing, eligible but unlisted, or recently delisted due to recovery (within the last five years). Projects can cover a mix of management actions, research, monitoring, and outreach, but the application needs to spell out in concrete terms how the work will move a species toward recovery or reduce the likelihood that a species will need to be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Eligibility is limited to State governments, and specifically to State agencies that already have a cooperative agreement with FWS under ESA Section 6(c), or that will enter into or reconfirm such an agreement within 30 days after the application deadline. Even if a State applies while finalizing that agreement, FWS cannot obligate federal funds until a complete, signed cooperative agreement is in place, consistent with the cited federal regulations (including 50 CFR 81.3 and 81.5). Although only States can receive awards directly, the opportunity explicitly anticipates partnerships: counties, local entities, universities, tribes or conservation organizations can participate by working through an eligible State agency as subgrantees or partners on shared conservation priorities.

To be considered, the proposed work must focus on federally listed resident species that are already included in the State's Section 6 cooperative agreement. In addition, States may request funding to monitor candidate species, eligible unlisted species, and species delisted due to recovery within the past five years, as long as those statuses apply by the application deadline. All work must be voluntary conservation within the United States and must align with approved or draft recovery plans; proposals cannot conflict with an approved recovery plan (50 CFR 81.2). The emphasis is on measurable conservation outcomes, so the strongest applications will connect activities to specific threats, limiting factors, habitat needs, or recovery criteria, and will show how the project will deliver tangible benefits to the target species or its habitat.

The opportunity also highlights several important compliance and cost rules. Certain activities may require a permit from the Regional Director, especially if the project involves take, interstate transport, introducing wildlife outside its historical range, or holding wildlife in captivity longer than 45 days. If those actions are anticipated, an Environmental Assessment must be submitted before a permit will be granted (citing 50 CFR 81.9 and related requirements). Another key restriction is that neither the federal award nor the required non-federal cost share can be used to meet ESA regulatory obligations. That means the grant cannot pay for work required to comply with Section 7 biological opinions, mitigation/monitoring required by Section 10 habitat conservation plans, or other federal regulatory mitigation requirements such as those tied to Clean Water Act permits. The intent is to fund proactive conservation rather than compliance-driven mitigation.

On budgeting and administration, applications may propose new projects or continuation projects. If the project is a continuation with consistent scope and objectives over time, the narrative must summarize accomplishments to date and explain why continued funding is justified. State administrative costs must either be covered by the State or included in the proposal in a way that complies with federal cost principles. The application also cannot include FWS Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) costs. Generally, only costs incurred during the approved period of performance are reimbursable, starting on the effective date of the grant, but a State may request pre-award cost reimbursement for necessary expenses if they are clearly described in the application and specifically approved in writing by the awarding agency, consistent with 2 CFR 200.458. Land acquisition is explicitly not eligible under this funding opportunity, so proposals should focus on conservation actions other than purchasing land.

Key administrative details from the notice include: the CFDA number is 15.615; the funding activity category is Environment; the funding instrument is a Grant; eligible applicants are State governments; the agency is the Fish and Wildlife Service; and the application deadline is September 19, 2025. The listed award ceiling is $2,455,587. The overall message of the opportunity is that FWS is looking for well-justified, recovery-focused State-led projects that can show direct, defensible benefits to listed species (and monitoring support for certain at-risk or recently recovered species), carried out under an active Section 6 cooperative agreement and consistent with recovery planning and federal grant requirements.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F25AS00294 FY 2025 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 8" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.615.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-19. (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 $2,455,587.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F25AS00294

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