Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund
Forecasted
Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund supports organizations and agencies carrying out voluntary conservation, restoration, and enhancement projects to protect Montana’s sage grouse habitat and populations.
Funder: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Annual application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Award amounts determined by MSGOT; minimum 15-year conservation lease, easement, restoration, or enhancement term
Summary: Competitive grants support voluntary conservation, restoration, and enhancement of Montana sage grouse habitat and populations.
Key Information: Applicants must be qualifying organizations or agencies; private landowners participate through a sponsoring applicant and fiscal agent.
Description
The Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund supports projects that maintain, enhance, restore, expand, or benefit sage grouse habitat and populations in Montana. Created by the 2015 Montana Legislature, the fund is overseen by the Montana Sage Grouse Oversight Team (MSGOT) and administered through the Montana Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program, hosted by DNRC. It emphasizes voluntary, incentive-based conservation on private lands, with public lands included as needed.
Supported work includes conservation easements and leases, conifer and invasive weed removal, sagebrush restoration, grazing-land conservation, fire-management changes, fence marking, and removal of unnatural raptor perches and predator refuges. The fund also supports conservation credits purchased to offset development impacts. Most account funds must support projects generating credits available for compensatory mitigation.
