FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 7) | F21AS00178

Opportunity Information: Apply for F21AS00178

The FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 7) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) discretionary grant opportunity designed to strengthen and carry out state-led conservation efforts for species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The main purpose is to help states develop and implement effective programs that conserve and recover threatened and endangered species under FWS jurisdiction. Funding is provided as financial assistance grants for projects that deliver clear, on-the-ground conservation outcomes, either by improving conditions for already-listed species or by addressing threats early enough to keep other species from needing ESA listing.

The program supports work benefiting several categories of species. First are federally listed species (threatened or endangered) that are resident in the state and included in the state’s formal cooperative agreement with the Service. The program also extends to candidate species and certain “at-risk” species, reflecting a preventative conservation approach. Candidate species are those that FWS has found warrant listing, but listing is delayed by higher-priority actions. For this particular funding notice, “at-risk” species also include: (1) species with a positive 90-day finding on a listing petition but not yet proposed for listing, (2) species with a proposed listing rule but no final rule, (3) species undergoing an initiated ESA status review that has been announced in the Federal Register, and (4) species included on the National Listing Workplan (the notice references a full list in an Attachment A). In addition, the grants can support monitoring and conservation work for recently delisted species, defined here as species delisted within the last five years, but only if the species was delisted due to recovery (not for other reasons). This emphasis on candidates, at-risk species, and recently recovered species highlights the program’s dual focus on both recovery and long-term durability of conservation gains.

Projects funded under this program can span management, research, monitoring, and outreach, either as standalone efforts or combined into a single coordinated project. The critical expectation is that an application clearly explains how the proposed work contributes directly to species recovery or measurably reduces threats in a way that prevents future ESA listing. In other words, proposals need to connect activities to specific conservation benefits for the target species and/or its habitat, rather than offering broad goals without a clear pathway to results.

Examples of eligible activities are wide-ranging and include introducing species into suitable habitat within their historic range, restoring or enhancing habitat, conducting surveys and inventories, performing species status surveys, propagating plants or animals, and conducting research such as genetic analyses to assess genetic health and population structure. The program also supports public education and outreach when it is directly tied to addressing a particular threat or conservation need, such as developing targeted outreach tools (including websites) or coordinating workshops with local landowners to reduce or manage a specific risk to a species. Monitoring of candidate, at-risk, and recently recovered species is also explicitly identified as an allowable use of funds, reinforcing the program’s focus on early detection of declines and verification of continued recovery.

Eligibility is limited to state governments, specifically state agencies that have entered into a cooperative agreement with FWS under ESA section 6(c). A state agency that does not yet have such an agreement may still be eligible if it enters into or reconfirms the agreement within 30 days of the application deadline, but the Service must have a complete, signed cooperative agreement before it can obligate federal funds (the notice cites 50 CFR 81.3, 50 CFR 81.5, and 43 CFR 12.50(b)(3)). While only states can receive awards directly, the program allows other entities such as counties, conservation organizations, or other groups to participate as partners or subgrantees through an eligible state agency, which can help states leverage local expertise and capacity while keeping the award relationship consistent with federal eligibility rules.

Key administrative details included in the opportunity listing are: Opportunity Number F21AS00178, CFDA 15.615, agency FWS, funding instrument type grant, and activity category natural resources. The original application closing date was May 12, 2021, and the posted award ceiling was $106,502. The overall message of the solicitation is that successful proposals will be those that demonstrate a strong, specific, and direct conservation payoff for ESA-listed species, species likely headed toward listing, or species that have recently recovered and still need continued attention to maintain that recovery.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) Traditional Conservation Grants Program (Service Legacy Region 7)" 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 2020-11-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-12. (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 $106,502.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F21AS00178

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