F24AS00012 - NAWCA 2024 US Small Grants | F24AS00012

Opportunity Information: Apply for F24AS00012

F24AS00012, NAWCA 2024 US Small Grants, is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under CFDA 15.623 that funds on-the-ground wetland conservation projects in the United States. It is part of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and is designed to support competitive, partnership-driven projects that advance NAWCA goals, especially projects that measurably benefit migratory birds through habitat work. The program is built around public-private collaboration and is meant to align with the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission of conserving land and water resources while also supporting conservation partnerships and, where relevant, helping expand outdoor recreation and access tied to conserved landscapes.

The core focus is strictly habitat-oriented: funded projects must involve long-term protection, restoration, enhancement, and/or establishment of wetland habitats and associated upland habitats. In practical terms, proposals should be centered on durable conservation outcomes such as permanently or long-term protected wetland complexes, restored or improved wetland functions, or newly created/enhanced wetlands and adjacent uplands that contribute to migratory bird habitat needs. The emphasis on long-term outcomes signals that short-lived actions or activities without lasting protection or management commitments are unlikely to fit the program intent. Research is explicitly ineligible for funding under this opportunity, so projects framed primarily around studies, monitoring for research purposes, or hypothesis-driven investigations would not qualify, whereas implementation-focused habitat actions are the intended use.

This is a matching grants program with a required 1:1 non-federal match, meaning applicants must bring at least an equal amount of non-federal funding or eligible in-kind contributions to match the federal request. Because the program is structured around partnerships, proposals typically involve multiple contributors, with match coming from state or local sources, private organizations, philanthropic funding, corporate partners, land trusts, tribes, or other non-federal participants. Applicants should be prepared to document match sources clearly and ensure they meet the program rules for allowability and verification, since the match requirement is central to competitiveness and eligibility.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of public and private entities that can participate in wetland conservation work. Eligible applicants include state governments; county and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); and small businesses. This breadth is intended to encourage cross-sector partnerships and make it possible for conservation organizations, local governments, tribes, and other entities to lead projects, often in coordination with multiple partners.

Awards are capped at $250,000 (the award ceiling), indicating the program is geared toward small to mid-sized projects or discrete phases of larger efforts that can be completed and documented within a manageable scope. The opportunity is competitive, so applicants should expect that strong proposals will clearly define the conservation actions, identify the wetland and upland habitat benefits to migratory birds, demonstrate long-term protection or durability of outcomes, and present a credible partnership and matching-funds plan. The original closing date listed for this opportunity is October 12, 2023, and the notice creation date is August 9, 2023, which helps situate the application timeline for this particular funding cycle.

Overall, NAWCA US Small Grants is best understood as implementation funding for tangible habitat conservation outcomes, not research, and not general environmental programming. The program prioritizes projects that lock in lasting wetland and associated upland habitat gains for migratory birds through protection and restoration-oriented work, delivered through partnerships and backed by a firm non-federal match. Additional program-specific eligibility and guidance is referenced at the Fish and Wildlife Service NAWCA Small Grants page: https://fws.gov/service/north-american-wetlands-conservation-act-nawca-grants-us-small.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F24AS00012 - NAWCA 2024 US Small 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 2023-08-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-10-12. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Private institutions of higher education, Small businesses.

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