State Wildlife Grants

Objective

The primary purpose of the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program is to help State, Territory, and District of Columbia fish and wildlife agencies design and implement strategic, proactive conservation programs. Formula SWG Program funds, pooled with recipient matching resources, enable these recipients to identify, study, and conserve species deemed most in need of conservation. Competitive SWG Program funds and matching resources typically support large-scale conservation projects involving many partners. Proactive approaches to species conservation help grant recipients, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other conservation partners avoid more prescriptive Federal regulatory requirements associated with listing under the Endangered Species Act. A core principle of the SWG Program is the utilization of effective partnerships demonstrating cooperation and leveraging of resources to achieve shared conservation goals benefiting recipient-identified species of greatest conservation need.

Who Can Apply

• State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals)

Agencies from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa with primary responsibility for fish and wildlife conservation may submit grant proposals for formula or competitive project grants to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if they maintain a current, Service-approved State Wildlife Action Plan. The four regional Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA, SEAFWA, MAFWA, and WAFWA) are eligible for competitive project grants at the discretion of recipient State fish and wildlife agencies.

Who Benefits

• Anyone/general public
• State

General Public (While direct participation is limited to fish and wildlife agencies, the public will ultimately benefit from these wildlife conservation measures.)

Assistance Types

• Formula Grants
• Project Grants

Program Contact

paul_vanryzin@fws.gov
720-498-0335