Multistate Conservation Grant

 

This program provides funding for sport fish and wildlife restoration projects identified by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
15.628
Federal Agency/Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of The Interior
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2017 The Association received 18 applications (from recipients invited by AFWA to submit applications from 24 submitted Letters of Intent) and recommended 17 for award on their Priority List. Program accomplishments vary and are based upon National Conservation Needs (NCNs), selected annually by AFWA’s National Grants Committee. All proposals must address at least one of the annually selected NCNs.
Fiscal Year 2018 The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) received 20 applications (from recipients invited by the Association to submit applications from 25 submitted Letters of Intent). The Association recommended 18 to be awarded by the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program (WSFR). Program accomplishments vary and are based upon National Conservation Needs (NCNs), selected annually by the Association’s National Grants Committee. All proposals must address at least one of the annually selected NCNs.
Fiscal Year 2019 The Association received 41 applications (from recipients invited by the Association to submit applications from 56 submitted Letters of Intent). The Association recommended 39 to be awarded by the WSFR Program. Program accomplishments vary and are based upon National Conservation Needs (NCNs), selected annually by the Association’s National Grants Committee. All proposals must address at least one of the annually selected NCNs.
Fiscal Year 2020 The Program has not yet selected Letters of Intent or invited prospective grantees to submit full grant proposals at this time.
Authorization
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act, Pub. L. 106-408, 114 STAT. 1766, §112 et seq.; Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act, 16 U.S.C. §777 et seq.; and Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, 16 U.S.C. §669 et seq.
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
Eligibility is limited to: 1) Agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or a group of these agencies; 2) The Service, only for the purpose of carrying out the National Survey; or 3) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with and without 501(c) status. United States non-profit NGOs with 501(c) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) status must provide a copy of their Section 501(c) status determination letter received from the IRS. In addition, NGOs including educational institutions that are invited to submit full proposals must submit a certification that their organization will not use grant funds to fund, in whole or in part, any activity that promotes or encourages opposition to the regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife or the regulated taking of fish in their application. Only projects that propose benefits to sport fish, wild birds and/or mammals are eligible. Proposed projects must also benefit: 1) At least 26 States or; 2) A majority of the States in a Service Region; or 3) A regional association of State fish and wildlife agencies. Federal law mandates that all entities applying for Federal financial assistance must have a valid Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and have a current registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). See Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 25 for more information.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Projects must benefit at least 26 States, a majority of States in a Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or a Regional association of State fish and game departments.
Credentials/Documentation
Not applicable.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. This program is co-managed with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). AFWA receives all applications in its two step application process. To apply, the first step is to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to AFWA. AFWA may invite applicants that submit a LOI to submit a full grant proposal for review. If selected by AFWA as a priority project, your project will be recommended for funding on the priority list. The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service selects the awards from the priority list.
Application Procedure
This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
Award Procedure
The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will select projects for funding from a priority list developed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) based on established criteria.
Deadlines
The WSFR Program posts a Notice of Funding Opportunity in late March of the year preceding the award year on Grants.gov. The Association expects to post an Announcement of Opportunity on their website, http://www.fishwildlife.org on March 15, 2019. Letters of Intent (LOI) are due to the Association by April 12, 2019. If a LOI is selected, applicants will be instructed to submit a full proposal, which is due to the Association by July 26, 2019. Any Letter of Intent or full proposal submitted through Grants.gov will be forwarded to the Association by WSFR. The Association reviews and scores the applications and submits its priority list of project proposals recommended for funding to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Assistant Director, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program by October 1 of each year, which is the start of the fiscal year of the award year. The list of WSFR approved priority projects submitted by the Association is published in the Federal Register in the spring of each calendar year.
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
Not applicable.
Appeals
Any differences of opinion over the eligibility of proposed activities or differences arising over the conduct of work may be appealed to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Renewals
Not applicable.
How are proposals selected?
Projects will be reviewed and evaluated for scope, significance, feasibility, and cost effectiveness. In addition, projects must address one or more focus areas as described in the National Conservation Needs established annually by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA).
How may assistance be used?
Project types that are generally selected for funding are those considered of national importance according to state fish and wildlife agencies. Funding activities focus on: education, training, data analysis, values and use of sport fish and wildlife restoration programs; new technologies, hunting and fishing participant recruitment/retention; and evaluation in restoration, recreation, enhancement, or protection of sport fish and wildlife and their habitats. For further information, please contact the Washington D.C. Office.
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Performance Reports: Performance reports are required. Recipients must monitor and report on project performance in accordance with the requirements in 2 CFR 200.328. Final performance reports and final SF-425, Federal Financial Reports are due within 90 calendar days of the award period of performance end date, unless the awarding program approves a due date extension. The FWS details all reporting requirements including frequency and due dates in Notices of Award.
Auditing
Not applicable.
Records
Recipients will maintain records in accordance with 2 CFR 200. Program-specific legislation/regulation may dictate additional records retention requirements. Program will detail all non-standard records retention requirements in the notice of award.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Projects may be approved for up to three years with funding amounts available dependent on annual competition. The Program obligates all grant funds at the start of the first year and sends a notice of award to successful applicants. Recipients request funds in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Subpart E-Cost Principles, unless otherwise dictated by program-specific legislation or special award terms. The Program will include any special payment terms and conditions in the notice of award. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
This program is administered from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters Office, so please contact them for more information.
Headquarters Office
Director, Policy and Programs,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, Policy and Programs Division, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: WSFR
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 US
fwsgrants@fws.gov
Phone: (703) 358-2156
Website Address
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov
Financial Information
Account Identification
14-5029-0-2-303
Obligations
(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 18$6,000,000.00; FY 19 est $6,000,000.00; FY 20 est $6,000,000.00; FY 17$6,000,000.00; -
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
The range based on FY 2017 awards was $50,000 to $560,000; Average $150,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
2 CFR 200; 50 CFR 80 and Sections 521, 522, 523 of the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2017 The American Sportfishing Association is currently working on a project titled, “Economic Significance of Sportfishing: Jobs, Tax Revenues and other Measures Needed to Achieve Greater Support”. The project will provide each and all 50 states with scientific, easy-to-understand information about the expenditures, jobs, tax revenue, income and other economic data needed to strengthen their abilities to increase public awareness about the importance of fish and wildlife. The Association is administering on behalf of the National Fish Habitat Board a project titled, “Science and Conservation collaboration through the National Fish Habitat Partnership’. The project is working to collectively advance fish habitat partnership habitat assessments through identification of mutual data needs, data acquisition and landscape-level analysis for the benefits of fish, mussels, and other aquatic animals. In addition, the project will provide regional and system-specific fish population, habitat, and human impact data to fill regional data gaps; achieve conservation results through strategic actions and allow further critical collaboration to occur among the Fish Habitat Partnerships. The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) is working on a project titled, “Implementation of the National Hunting and Shooting Sports Action Plan”. The objective is to conduct facilitated workshops necessary to develop state-level recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) plans. These collaborative sessions will serve to enhance cooperative efforts between nonprofits, industry and state fish and wildlife agencies that result in stronger and larger R3 partnerships at the state level. These activities will provide information regarding the most effective ways to preserve the hunting and shooting sports traditions.
Fiscal Year 2018 The National Fish Habitat Board is working to support activities of Fish Habitat Partnerships that will help to achieve four of the objectives in the National Fish Habitat Action Plan: 1) achieve measurable habitat conservation results through strategic actions of Fish Habitat Partnerships; 2) broaden the community of support for fish habitat conservation; 3) fill gaps in the National Fish Habitat Assessment and its associated database, and 4) communicate the conservation outcomes produced collectively by Fish Habitat Partnerships. The Archery Trade Association and Responsive Management are currently working together on a small-scale retention and reactivation study involving five to seven states; this project will test email message themes and accompanying images that encourage new and lapsed bowhunters to renew their hunting licenses. The project also tests two strategies for the timing of reactivation emails sent to bowhunters. Comparing the results among the themes and timing strategies (as well as to a control group that gets no emails) will help determine the most effective themes and strategies for future efforts. Data from a subsequent survey of bowhunters in each state will be used to generate profiles of distinct bowhunter groups by age, experience level, background, motivation, and other factors relating to the pathway to participation. The American Sportfishing Association and Southwick Associates are working on a project that will establish baseline measures for the effectiveness of local fishing events and provide goals and recommendations for improving local recruitment efforts. This project will provide insights for improving angler recruitment events. It will identify event participants who had not fished before and then assess the percentage of beginners who have fished on their own since the event or need follow-up support. Lastly, it will provide confidential results back to each event organizer, with combined statistics provided as a baseline to track effectiveness and identify improvements for other event organizers to adopt.
Fiscal Year 2019 The University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc. will be conducting research to provide an initial assessment of the pathogenic potential of West Nile Virus (WNV) to negatively affect wild turkey and northern bobwhite populations. Data generated from this research will provide technical diagnostic guidance and justifications for more complex field studies to better understand and document actual population effects in these species. Currently, wildlife agencies from at least a dozen states are planning to collect and submit blood for this study in response to concerns related to the potential impacts of WNV on ruffed grouse, wild turkeys and other game birds. Experimental data are needed to reveal estimated proportions of birds that may be dying in the wild, as well as show possible compromised health in survivors. The American Bird Conservancy will work to survey and analyze all state, Federal, Non-profit groups and other large scale ( e.g., statewide or ecoregion) grassland conservation programs on private and public lands and will organize two Grassland Conservation Flyway meetings. North American Grassland ecosystems have experienced persistent, long-term erosion in both quantity and quality. Threats such as agricultural intensification, invasive species, climate change, energy development, urbanization, and other development continue to take their toll. The Grassland Conservation Program’s Gap Analysis work in this grant will result in a spatially referenced Geographic Information System database of current grassland conservation efforts across states, regions, and within flyways to build conservation strategies. The Gap Analysis information will directly feed into the Flyway meetings to develop concrete strategies and funding mechanisms to address identified needs. The Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) will be working on a project to address problems that result from the current approach used to gather Harvest Information Program (HIP) data for migratory bird hunters. Most problems arise from third-party data entry errors. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (Association) Harvest Information Work Group (HIWG) recommended a pilot project be undertaken to evaluate solutions. WMI has developed a model for collecting HIP data that eliminates the primary cause of problems (third-party data entry) and maintains secure data entry and interface between the states' license databases and the centralized database used by the Fish and Wildlife Service to select hunter samples. WMI will work with the HIWG to identify a minimum of four and maximum of eight states that have volunteered to participate in a pilot project to improve the accuracy of HIP data by eliminating third-party data entry. The project will include states with large and small numbers of migratory bird hunters and states in each flyway and region.
Fiscal Year 2020 The Program has not yet selected projects for funding. The Program anticipates funding projects that address species or habitat research activities, hunting and fishing recruitment and retention information collection, aquatic or hunter education activities, conservation planning, outreach and coordination.

 


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