F23AS00232 FY 2023 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program Region 6 | F23AS00232

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00232

F23AS00232 is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, specifically the Traditional Conservation Grants Program for Region 6. The program’s core purpose is to help states build, strengthen, and carry out their own conservation programs aimed at recovering threatened and endangered species that fall under the Service’s jurisdiction. In practical terms, the funding is meant to move on-the-ground and programmatic work forward in ways that measurably improve the status of species protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or that keep vulnerable species from needing ESA listing in the first place.

The grants can support a wide range of conservation actions, as long as the project clearly and directly benefits the target species or its habitat. Eligible work commonly includes management actions (such as habitat restoration or threat reduction), research (to fill key knowledge gaps that block effective recovery), monitoring (including population or habitat trend tracking), and outreach (when it is tied to tangible conservation outcomes). Funding is not limited strictly to already-listed species. States can also request support for monitoring candidate species, at-risk species, and species that have been recently delisted, recognizing that early intervention and post-delisting tracking can prevent backsliding and reduce the need for future emergency protections.

A strong application is expected to do more than describe good conservation intentions. It should lay out clear, specific, and defensible connections between the proposed tasks and real recovery outcomes, such as improving survival or reproduction, reducing major threats, increasing habitat quality or availability, or addressing recovery plan needs. For candidate and at-risk species, the proposal should explain how the work reduces the likelihood that the species will need to be listed under the ESA. In other words, competitiveness is tied to demonstrating direct conservation benefit, not just general environmental value.

Eligibility is narrow by design. Only state governments (state agencies) can apply, and only if they have entered into a cooperative agreement with FWS under ESA Section 6(c). A state that does not yet have an active agreement can still be eligible if it enters into or reconfirms that agreement within 30 days after the application deadline, but the Service must have a complete, signed cooperative agreement in place before it can obligate federal funds. This requirement is grounded in federal regulations cited in the notice (including 50 CFR 81.3, 50 CFR 81.5, and 43 CFR 12.50(b)(3)), and it functions as a hard gate for award execution even if a proposal scores well.

Although the award is made only to states, the program explicitly allows states to partner with outside entities through subawards or subgrants. That means counties, conservation organizations, academic groups, and other partners can participate and carry out parts of the work, but only through a state agency applicant that holds the required cooperative agreement. This structure is meant to keep the legal and administrative relationship anchored with the state while still enabling collaboration with local and technical partners.

From the funding listing details provided, the opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.615 and uses the grant instrument type under the Environment funding activity category. The opportunity was created on February 23, 2023, and the original closing date was May 24, 2023. The posted award ceiling is $764,006. The notice lists “ExpectedAwards” but does not provide a number in the source data excerpt, so the total number of awards anticipated is not specified here.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00232 FY 2023 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 2023-02-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-24. (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 $764,006.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F23AS00232

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