F24AS00201 FY 2024 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 6 | F24AS00201

Opportunity Information: Apply for F24AS00201

Funding Opportunity F24AS00201 is a FY 2024 discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, specifically the Traditional Conservation Grants Program for Region 6. The core purpose of this program is to strengthen and support state-run efforts to conserve and recover species that are threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), along with related work that helps keep vulnerable species from needing to be listed in the first place. In practical terms, the grant is meant to help states build, improve, and carry out conservation programs that align with species recovery needs and USFWS priorities.

The funding is provided as grant-based financial assistance and is intended for projects that deliver direct, measurable benefits to species or their habitat. The opportunity explicitly supports work tied to federally listed species, but it also extends to candidate species, at-risk species, and species that have been recently delisted. That broader scope matters because it allows states to invest not only in recovery actions for listed species, but also in early interventions and monitoring that can prevent future listings or ensure that recently recovered species remain stable after delisting.

Eligible projects can cover a wide range of conservation activities, as long as the connection to species benefit is clear. The notice highlights management, research, monitoring, and outreach as allowable categories, and it allows applicants to combine these approaches within one proposal. Examples of the types of work that typically fit within these categories include habitat restoration or enhancement, population surveys, development of monitoring protocols, targeted research to close key information gaps, implementation of on-the-ground conservation actions that address known threats, and outreach efforts designed to improve compliance, landowner participation, or community support for recovery actions. Regardless of the mix of activities, applications are expected to plainly explain how the work will contribute to recovery outcomes for a listed species or reduce the likelihood that an at-risk species will require ESA listing.

A major emphasis of the program is on the quality of the justification and the strength of the link between the proposed activities and biological outcomes. Competitive proposals are those that do more than describe general conservation value. They lay out specific actions, identify the species and habitats that will benefit, and explain why those actions are needed now. The program description makes clear that successful applications will be those that clearly demonstrate direct benefit to the species or its habitat, which signals that reviewers will be looking for concrete, outcome-oriented proposals rather than broad planning concepts without an implementation pathway.

Only state governments are eligible to apply, and eligibility is tied to a formal cooperative agreement with USFWS under ESA section 6(c). A state agency must already have this cooperative agreement in place, or it must enter into or reconfirm the agreement within 30 days of the application deadline to be eligible under this opportunity. In addition, USFWS cannot obligate federal funds to a project until it has a complete, signed cooperative agreement, as referenced in the cited regulations (including 50 CFR 81.3, 50 CFR 81.5, and 43 CFR 12.50(b)(3)). While the award itself can only be made to a state agency, the notice also clarifies that other entities such as counties, conservation organizations, and similar groups can participate through partnerships with the eligible state agency, including as subgrantees, as long as the overall project remains consistent with the cooperative agreement framework.

From the posted opportunity details, the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number is 15.615, the activity category is Environment, and the award instrument is a Grant. The opportunity was created on 2023-11-30, and the original closing date listed is 2024-03-01. The posted award ceiling is $773,620. The listing indicates expected awards but does not provide a number in the provided source data.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F24AS00201 FY 2024 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 6" 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 2023-11-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-01. (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 $773,620.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F24AS00201

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