Grants / Department of the Interior / Fish and Wildlife Service

F23AS00461-Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Base Funding

Closed Closed November 30, 2023 Opportunity F23AS00461 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Fish and Wildlife Service notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$1.5 million
• Award floor$25,000
• Total funding$5.8 million
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to state and local governments.

• State governments

Only the Lead State Agency (or Agencies), as determined by the Governor of each Highlands State, may be the applicant for funding under the Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program. If the Governor assigns multiple Lead Agencies, those Agencies must coordinate on funding requests prior to submission and ensure no more than the maximum allowable amount is requested through this funding opportunity. All or part of the funds received by the Lead State Agency may be subawarded to a County or Municipality within the Highlands Region, or to another State Conservation Agency. The current Lead State Agencies are:Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental ProtectionNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic PreservationNew Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning CouncilPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

More grants for state and local governments.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Highlands Conservation awards averaged $1.4 million; this notice allows up to $1.5 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (100% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

The Highlands Conservation Act (H.R. 1964, 2004; 16 U.S.C. 3901) (HCA) is designed to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in conserving land and natural resources in the Highlands Region through Federal grants to support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to permanently protect resources of high conservation value. The USDA Forest Service (USFS) was directed by the HCA to identify lands that have high conservation value through the “New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study: 2002 Update” and the “Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update.” Subject to availability of funds through Federal appropriation, each year, Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region. Proposed projects must be consistent with areas identified in the Study and Update as having high resource value. This program funds land conservation by State Conservation Agencies, Counties, and Municipalities in the Highlands Region. Funding appropriated under the HCA has been divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Competitive Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Base Funds. A property may not be proposed for funding from both the Base and Competitive funding opportunities. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) administers the HCA grant program. The HCA program supports the goals set forth in the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative, including the conservation of 30% of America’s lands and waters by the year 2030. Land conservation in the Highlands Region is increasing the climate change resiliency of the landscape and is protecting drinking water resources used by millions of people. The HCA grant program is connecting people with nature and the outdoors by creating new recreation areas in a region where one in nine Americans live or are within a two-hour drive. The HCA grant program is protecting strategically important natural areas that sustain a diversity of fish and wildlife species, including the Service’s priority at-risk species. An online overview of this Notice of Funding Opportunity is scheduled for Tuesday August 29 at 11:00 AM EST.

Category: Natural Resources.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.