FWS-NFWF Urban Refuge Partnership Program 2017-2020

The purpose of this new award is to provide $200,000 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) funds to support the Five Star-Urban Waters Restoration grant program managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). This funding will be used by NFWF to support an Urban Refuge focal area in the competitive Five Star-Urban Waters Restoration grant program. Funding from FWS will be leveraged by funds already committed by U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and numerous non-federal corporate and private partners. Through this program, NFWF will solicit projects from state and local governments, non-profit organizations, Tribes, and academic institutions to support the proposed standards of excellence for Urban Wildlife Refuges with an emphasis on urban bird conservation. The grant program, a unique public-private partnership, will invest in urban community-based conservation efforts that result in measurable conservation outcomes, engage the public and provide a better understanding of how fish and wildlife conservation contributes to community well-being. Through the administration of the grant program, NFWF, FWS, FS, EPA, and corporate and private entities will leverage public and private funding to target resources for priority urban watersheds. All projects selected for FWS Urban Refuge funding will be in proximity of FWS lands or offices or in locations where there are existing FWS urban partnerships. This award is made based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service)'s CFDA (15.655) under the authority of Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a-754; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661-667(e); Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S.C. 709a.