Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (15.623)

Also known as NAWCF

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$371 million
• Grant awards345
• Typical award$958,363
• Awarded in FY 2025$35.5 million
• Size rank444 of 1824
• Type of assistanceProject grants (discretionary)

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $116 million in fiscal 2021 to $35.5 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 444th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 91% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 29 states and territories.

What the program funds

To provide funds for wetlands conservation projects in North America to benefit bird populations in the United States.

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

Available to private or public organizations or to individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funds may be used to acquire real property interest in lands or waters, including water rights. Funds may also be used to restore, manage, and/or enhance wetland ecosystems and other habitat for migratory birds and other fish and wildlife. Projects must provide long-term conservation for wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wetlands-associated wildlife. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration act-derived funds eligible for NAWCA projects may be used only in U.S. coastal wetlands ecosystems. More specific restrictions are outlined on the NAWCA grants information and instructions website. For further information, please contact the headquarters office. 100% of funding is discretionary.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. The required matching share varies on a grant-by-grant basis and is set forth in the grant award, but must be at least 50 percent of the project costs, except that the project activities located on Federal lands and waters can be funded with 100 percent Federal funding. NAWCA grants require a minimum 1-to-1 non-federal match, meaning for every dollar requested, at least one dollar must be contributed by partners. Matching funds must be non-federal, can be cash or in-kind (land value, services, equipment), and must be directly linked to project activities.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Range is $0 to $100,000 for Small Grants; over $100,000 to $2,000,000 for U.S. Standard Grants. Average award is approximately $93,000 and $923,000 for Small Grants and U.S. Standard Grants, respectively.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The Des Moines Lobe Wetland Initiative IV is a conservation partnership aimed at protecting, restoring, and enhancing 1,933 acres of critical wetland and migratory bird habitat throughout Iowa’s Prairie Pothole Region. This area is considered a “geographic priority wetland area” and region of “continental significance to North American ducks, geese, and swans” as part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Significant conservation planning and coordination efforts have been invested by a diverse group of private, county, state, federal and non-government conservation organizations to leverage collective resources and achieve mutual habitat conservation goals.Fiscal Year2026: Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that protect and improve habitat for migratory birds and other wetland-associated species. Additional NAWCA projects information can be found at: https://www.fws.gov/program/north-american-wetlands-conservation.

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 92% of the money, state and local governments 3.1% and businesses 0.4%.

By state

18 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.