F23AS00235 FY 2023 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 5 | F23AS00235

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00235

Grant opportunity F23AS00235 is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) FY 2023 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program for Region 5. It is a discretionary grant program (CFDA 15.615) focused on helping states build, strengthen, and carry out their own programs to conserve and recover threatened and endangered species that fall under FWS jurisdiction. The core idea is to fund on-the-ground and programmatic work that measurably improves the status of species protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), while also supporting proactive efforts that keep species from needing federal listing in the first place.

The funding is intended for projects that provide direct conservation benefits to species or their habitat. That includes federally listed species, as well as candidate species, at-risk species, and species that have recently been delisted but still need monitoring to ensure they remain stable. States can request funds to conduct conservation actions for federally listed resident species as long as those species are covered under the state’s cooperative agreement with FWS. For non-listed categories (candidate, at-risk, and recently delisted), the opportunity explicitly allows funding for monitoring work, which can help document trends, identify emerging threats, and guide early intervention.

Projects supported under this grant can span a wide range of conservation approaches, including management activities (such as habitat restoration, threat reduction, or improving management practices), research (to fill key data gaps affecting recovery decisions), monitoring (population surveys, habitat condition tracking, post-delisting monitoring), and outreach (education and stakeholder engagement tied to conservation outcomes). Applicants are expected to be specific and outcome-oriented: proposals should clearly explain what will be done, which species or habitats will benefit, and how the work will contribute to recovery objectives or reduce the likelihood that a species will need to be listed under the ESA. Competitive applications are those that make a strong, well-supported case that the project will produce a direct benefit to the target species or its habitat, rather than general environmental benefits.

Eligibility is limited to state governments, specifically state agencies that have entered into a cooperative agreement with FWS under ESA Section 6(c). A state agency is eligible if it already has such an agreement in place, or if it enters into or reconfirms the agreement within 30 days of the application deadline. Importantly, FWS cannot obligate federal funds until it has a complete, signed cooperative agreement, consistent with the referenced regulatory requirements (including 50 CFR 81.3, 50 CFR 81.5, and 43 CFR 12.50(b)(3)). While only states can be the direct grant recipients, the program anticipates collaboration: counties, conservation organizations, and other partners can participate through the state as subgrantees, allowing states to pass through funding and coordinate broader, mutually beneficial conservation work.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted by FWS on February 23, 2023, with an original closing date of April 25, 2023. The funding instrument is a grant, the activity category is environment, and the listed award ceiling is $864,330. The notice also indicates expected awards but does not specify a number in the provided data. Overall, the program is designed to put federal resources behind state-led, clearly justified projects that move species toward recovery, support responsible post-delisting stewardship, and encourage early action for species trending toward concern.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00235 FY 2023 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 5" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.615.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-25. (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 $864,330.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F23AS00235

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