Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

Wildlife Resource Management (15.247)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$105 million
• Grant awards240
• Typical award$149,175
• Awarded in FY 2025$18.7 million
• Size rank796 of 1824
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements (discretionary grants)

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $12.9 million in fiscal 2021 to $18.7 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 796th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 78% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 28 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Wildlife Program fulfills the Department of the Interior’s statutory responsibilities for the management of wildlife and their habitats. The Wildlife Program is responsible for: maintaining functioning wildlife habitats; developing and implementing habitat restoration projects; the inventory and monitoring of priority habitats and species by tracking trends and use on public lands. BLM-managed lands are vital to thousands of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. To provide for the long-term conservation of wildlife and their habitats, the Wildlife Program uses a science-based approach to manage public lands. The program identifies projects that support meeting desired resource objectives for priority species and habitats, as outlined in land use plans. The program focuses on maintaining or enhancing sustainable habitats and populations of native and other desirable wildlife species, including the abundance and distribution of species hunted for subsistence or recreation; and maintaining and/or improving habitat quality and connectivity, including appropriate avoidance or protection of migration corridors and important movement areas. The Wildlife Program uses a multi-scale approach to accomplish projects and coordinated management. This involves coordination with BLM offices and other programs; Federal, state, and tribal governments; and non-governmental partners. The BLM’s primary partners in wildlife habitat conservation include the state fish and wildlife agencies, tribal governments, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Wildlife Program also collaborates with other agencies and conservation partners to leverage resources and maximize the benefits for wildlife habitat. To work more efficiently, BLM uses the latest geospatial data technologies to share wildlife and wildlife data within BLM and with partners.

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

Who can apply

Anyone/general public with the exception of other federal agencies. Applicants must competitively apply to postings on Grants.gov to opportunities posted by the office that has funding and the desire to accomplish conservation cooperatively with an applicant that can deliver to a level of public purpose that addresses the wildlife conservation need outlined in the opportunity listing.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Projects are primarily conducted on lands administered by the BLM but may also be conducted on other public or private lands. Projects not on public lands should demonstrate effects on wildlife resources that share use of public and non-public lands. Projects may also include development of decision support tools and information to enhance wildlife conservation. Most of these lands are located in the Western United States and Alaska. Assistance can be used to help protect, restore, and assess wildlife resources and to provide related public contact/education opportunities. Funding is highly variable each fiscal year. Projects are primarily conducted on lands administered by the BLM but may also be conducted on other public or private lands. Projects not on public lands should demonstrate effects on wildlife resources that share use of public and non-public lands. Projects may also include development of decision support tools and information to enhance wildlife conservation. Most of these lands are located in the Western United States and Alaska. Assistance can be used to help protect, restore, and assess wildlife resources and to provide related public contact/education opportunities. Funding is highly variable each fiscal year.;

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 partnership projects have ranged from $10,000 to $1,000,000. Average amounts approximately $253,900 or less.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: Habitat restoration actions to support mule deer, elk, and pronghorn, including efforts to improve habitat connectivity and assess migration corridors. Inventory and monitoring of at-risk bat species in New Mexico and Arizona to assess habitat quality, distribution, population trends, and disease risks. Sage-grouse habitat and population monitoring and targeted habitat restoration actions.Fiscal Year2026: Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that include implementing targeted habitat treatments to meet legal requirements and support priority wildlife species; partnering with state wildlife agencies and other collaborators to conserve and restore high?value winter ranges and migration corridors for big game consistent with Secretarial Order 3362; collecting and analyzing monitoring data on priority species to track status, trends, and management action effectiveness; improving decision?making efficiency through integrated habitat and wildlife monitoring datasets; supporting species recovery and augmentation efforts identified in State Wildlife Action Plans to reduce future ESA listing needs; conducting collaborative habitat conservation and improvement actions under the Sikes Act; developing and implementing activity plans and Habitat Management Plans for priority wildlife species; and providing training to strengthen wildlife habitat management and ensure effective implementation of agency and Administration...

Continue reading on SAM.gov

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 62% of the money, colleges and universities 26% and state and local governments 8.0%.

By state

15 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

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