Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

Wild Horse and Burro Resource Management (15.229)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$23.5 million
• Grant awards24
• Typical award$309,304
• Awarded in FY 2025$3.7 million
• Size rank1,262 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements (discretionary grants)

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $8.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $3.7 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 1262nd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 103% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 8 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages and protects wild horses and burros on 25.6 million acres of public lands across ten western states as part of its mission to administer public lands for multiple uses. The Wild Horse and Burro Program's goal is to manage healthy wild horses and burros on healthy public rangelands. The BLM created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971. The Wild Horse and Burro Program consists of two main branches: (1) On-Range management of wild horses and burros, and (2) Off-Range management and care of wild horses and burros. The goal of the On-Range program is to manage for healthy wild horse and burro populations and to maintain a thriving natural ecological balance with other resources and land uses. The Off-Range management goal is to ensure the health and welfare of wild horses and burros that were removed from public lands under BLM care, to place animals into private care through adoptions, sales, and transfers, to conduct compliance inspections of adopted animals and to build partnerships and relationships with external organizations. Communications, outreach, and education are priorities of both branches. This program continues to advance the Department of Interior's priorities to restore balance on public lands and waters.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

What the money can and cannot pay for

Projects are designated to manage and protect wild free-roaming horses and burros to achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands. Project assistance can be used in researching for improved censusing techniques and fertility control methods; and adopting or long term care of excess animals removed from the range.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Past partnerships projects have run between $85,000 to $3,180,000. Average amounts are $532,300 or less.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The Program funded the second year of the projects funded in FY24 for education, training programs/competitions and private care placements. The program cancelled one research study from the FY22 NOFO; that project was not consistent with administration priorities. The program continued the required substantial involvement for all past approved awarded agreements.Fiscal Year2026: Program anticipates continuing funding for several education, training and efforts that will increase the number of animals placed into private care. The program anticipates awarding and funding Department of Corrections in several states that provides inmates with work programs where they care for, maintain and train wild horses. The program continued the required substantial involvement for all past approved awarded agreements

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 89% of the money, colleges and universities 10% and state and local governments 1.3%.

By state

5 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, Utah and California.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.