Funder: Fish and Wildlife Service
Due Dates: March 14, 2025 (application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $1,000,000 per award; total program funding approximately $8.74 million for FY 2025
Summary: Provides grants to state agencies for developing and updating Habitat Conservation Plans and Conservation Benefit Agreements for endangered, candidate, and at-risk species.
Key Information: Only state governments with a Cooperative Agreement under Section 6(c) of the ESA are eligible; funding supports planning and development activities but not land acquisition or regulatory compliance costs.
Description
The FY 2025 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance grant program supports state agencies in the development, renewal, or amendment of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and Conservation Benefit Agreements (CBAs, formerly Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances). This program also funds the development of HCPs that cover only candidate or at-risk species, preparing for potential future listings.
Eligible activities include:
- Document preparation for HCPs and CBAs
- Public outreach and coordination
- Baseline species surveys, habitat assessments, and inventories
- Preparation of environmental compliance documents such as those required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
- Administrative costs related to the implementation of permitted CBAs
Funding cannot be used for land acquisition or to fulfill regulatory requirements under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or other federal laws. The program emphasizes supporting conservation planning efforts that are mutually beneficial and proactive.
Due Dates
- Application deadline: March 14, 2025, by 11:59 PM ET
Applications must be submitted electronically through GrantSolutions.gov.
Funding Amount
- Award ceiling: $1,000,000 per grant
- Estimated total program funding: $8,740,000 for FY 2025
- Cost sharing or matching funds are required.
Eligibility
- Eligible applicants: State governments only
- States must have an active Cooperative Agreement under Section 6(c) of the ESA and have completed the annual renewal process to apply.
- Individuals, counties, or conservation organizations may participate as subgrantees through a cooperating state agency.
- Funding cannot be used to meet ESA regulatory requirements or to complete deliverables funded by prior awards.
- State administrative costs must be included in the proposal or assumed by the state.
- Pre-award costs may be reimbursed only with prior written approval and if necessary to comply with the grant period of performance.
- Land acquisition is not eligible.
Application Process
- Applications must be submitted online via GrantSolutions.gov.
- Applicants receive an electronic acknowledgment and timestamp upon submission.
- It is recommended to verify application completeness using the provided checklist before submission.
- The period of performance begins on the effective date of the grant award.
Additional Information
- The program has been active since FY 2001.
- It supports proactive conservation planning to benefit endangered, candidate, and at-risk species.
- The program encourages collaboration between state agencies and other stakeholders to develop effective conservation agreements.
External Links
Contact Information
For difficulties accessing the full announcement electronically, contact Kelly Niland via email.