Well Told Grants

Grants / Department of Commerce / Department of Commerce

NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2022-2007209: NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity under the IIJA

Closed Closed August 15, 2022 Opportunity NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2022-2007209

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: DARRP Restoration Implementation Grants (2026) (NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2026-33781). Status: Closes November 18, 2026 (11 days left). It is in our archive of Department of Commerce notices from 2022.

Department of Commerce offered grants of up to $15.0 million (at least $1.0 million) to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. It expected to make about 25 awards worth $65.0 million in total. Applications closed on August 15, 2022.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed June 14, 2022. Checked November 7, 2026.

Key dates

PostedJune 14, 2022
DeadlineAugust 15, 2022
Archived by Grants.govSeptember 14, 2022

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.

All 11 applicant types the notice lists

Applicants must propose work in areas that benefit migratory fish as defined in Program Objective (Section I.A). Eligible applicants for Great Lakes projects must propose work within one of the eight U.S. Great Lakes states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota). Eligible applicants that propose projects in the Commonwealth and Territories of the United States must propose work in American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The principal objective of NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to fish passage through the removal of dams and other in-stream barriers for native migratory or sea-run fish. Funding will be used for fish passage that rebuilds productive and sustainable fisheries, contributes to the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species, enhances watershed health, promotes resilient ecosystems and communities, especially in underserved communities, and improves economic vitality, including local employment. This funding opportunity announcement is authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Public Law 117-58), 135 STAT. 1356 (Nov. 15, 2021). Applicants should address the following set of program priorities: 1) achieving measurable and lasting benefits for migratory fish populations; 2) fostering regionally important habitat restoration; 3) enhancing community resilience to climate hazards, and providing other co-benefits; and 4) providing benefit to and engaging with underserved communities, including through partnerships with Indian tribes. Proposals submitted under this funding opportunity should describe how the proposed fish passage will: (1) contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act; (2) sustain or help rebuild fish stocks managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (3) improve passage to support native fish species of the Great Lakes; (4) enhance the sustainability of saltwater recreational fisheries; (5) enhance community resilience, especially in tribal and underserved communities, to climate hazards by removing or improving aging infrastructure and support other co-benefits; or (6) support hydroelectric license surrender to remove dams that are no longer economically viable or provide significant public benefits. Proposed activities may include future project development and feasibility studies, engineering and design, permitting, on-the-ground fish passage restoration, pre- and post-removal implementation monitoring, stakeholder engagement, building the capacity of new and existing restoration partners to manage multi-faceted project design and construction, and education and outreach.

Category: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Who has won Habitat Conservation grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Habitat Conservation (11.463) awarded $1.3 billion across 299 grant awards, an average of $4.3 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The Nature ConservancyVirginia27$166 million
Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority of LouisianaLouisiana7$108 million
Trout Unlimited, Inc.Virginia9$47.9 million
California Trout, Inc.California6$42.1 million
Washington State Department of Fish & WildlifeWashington4$35.5 million

Top states: Virginia ($237 million), Washington ($146 million), Louisiana ($124 million), California ($107 million), Maine ($90.5 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2026-33781, which is open now.

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

Questions people ask

Is NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2022-2007209 still open?

No. It closed on August 15, 2022. A newer notice is open: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2026-33781, closes November 18, 2026 (11 days left).

Who can apply for NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity under the IIJA?

Department of Commerce accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity under the IIJA?

Closed August 15, 2022. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $15.0 million each. About $65.0 million in total across about 25 awards.

Who has won Habitat Conservation grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were The Nature Conservancy, Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority of Louisiana, Trout Unlimited, Inc. The program made 299 awards worth $1.3 billion in that time.