State Pheasant Fund
Forecasted
State Pheasant Fund supports nonprofits and governmental entities in habitat acquisition and improvement, research, and public education to conserve wild pheasants in Illinois.
Funder: Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Application deadline) | August 2027 (Online portal close)
Funding Amounts: FY27: $10,000–$100,000 per award; $200,000 total funding; November 1, 2026–October 30, 2028
Summary: Supports habitat acquisition and improvement, research, and public education for wild pheasant conservation in Illinois.
Key Information: Nonprofits must have a wild pheasant purpose in their Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws.
Description
The State Pheasant Fund is a competitive Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) program within the Special Wildlife Funds Grant Program. Funded through purchases of Illinois Habitat Stamps, it supports projects that preserve, protect, acquire, manage, and maintain high-quality habitat for wild pheasants. Eligible work includes land acquisition, habitat improvement on public or private land, pheasant research, and public education about pheasants and pheasant hunting.
The program emphasizes habitat quality and connectivity with neighboring existing or potential habitat. Relevant habitat includes wetlands, bodies of water, woodlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands that support or could support wild pheasants during their life cycles. Projects aligned with the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan’s Forest and Woodland, Farmland and Prairie, or Wetland Campaigns, with reasonable costs, feasible methods, and public access, tend to score higher.
