Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund
Forecasted
Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund supports organizations and agencies undertaking voluntary habitat conservation in Montana to benefit sage grouse and generate credits that offset development impacts.
Funder: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Annual grant cycle)
Funding Amounts: Award amounts determined by MSGOT; minimum 15-year terms for leases, easements, and restoration or enhancement projects
Summary: Competitive grants support voluntary sage grouse habitat conservation in Montana and generate credits to offset development impacts.
Key Information: Only qualifying organizations and agencies may apply; private landowners must work through an eligible sponsor.
Description
The Sage Grouse Stewardship Fund supports voluntary, incentive-based 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), with administrative support from DNRC and the Montana Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program. It emphasizes private-land conservation, with public lands included as needed.
Supported work includes conservation easements and leases, conifer and invasive-weed reduction, sagebrush improvement, grazing-land protection, cropland restoration, fire-management changes, fence marking, and reduction of unnatural raptor perches and predator refuges. The Fund also supports habitat enhancement for compensatory mitigation and qualifying habitat exchanges. A majority of account funds must support projects generating credits MSGOT makes available to developers. Research or education is unlikely to receive funding because it does not generate conservation credits.
