Multistate Conservation Grant (15.628)
Multistate Conservation Grant (Assistance Listing 15.628) is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $55.3 million in 249 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $222,097 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $166,258. Half of the 249 awards fell between $120,062 and $234,704, and they ranged from $818 to $5.8 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$55.3 million
- Grant awards249
- Typical award$166,258
- Awarded in FY 2025$10.1 million
- Size rank1010 of 1824
- Type of assistanceProject grants (discretionary)
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $11.6 million in fiscal 2021 to $10.1 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1010th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 87% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 29 states and territories.
What the program funds
This program provides funding for sport fish and wildlife restoration projects and recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects that address regional or national priority needs of State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners that are beyond the scale, scope, and capabilities of a single State. The priority needs, also known as Strategic Priorities, are identified annually by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) with input from State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners. Recipients awarded Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) may use the funds for wildlife or sport fish projects involving research, restoration, conservation and management of wild birds, wild mammals, sport fish, and their habitats. These funds may also be used for projects providing for public use and benefit from these resources, including hunter safety education, aquatic education, angler R3 projects and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation. Recipients awarded R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG) may use the funds for hunting and shooting sports R3 projects that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities. Multistate Conservation Grants are awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and the Service and AFWA work cooperatively to manage the program.
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
Eligibility is limited to: 1) Agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or a group of these agencies; 2) The Service, only for the purpose of carrying out the National Survey; or 3) Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs including educational institutions that are invited to submit full proposals must submit a certification that their organization will not use grant funds to fund, in whole or in part, any activity that promotes or encourages opposition to the regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife or the regulated taking of fish in their application. Proposed projects must address traditional sport fish or wildlife restoration projects or recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects that address regional or national priority needs of State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners that are beyond the scale, scope, and capabilities of a single State. The priority needs, also known as Strategic Priorities, are identified annually by AFWA with input from State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners. Only projects that propose benefits to sport fish, wild birds and/or wild mammals are eligible.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Project types that are selected for funding are those considered of regional or national importance according to state fish and wildlife agencies. Funded activities focus on: research, training, human dimension surveys, surveys assessing the values and use of sport fish and wildlife resources and associated activities; evaluations of restoration, enhancement, or protection of sport fish and wildlife and their habitats; new technologies; and hunting, target shooting and fishing participant recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3), including research, marketing, training, and technical assistance. Funds under this program are not used for land acquisition or major construction projects. 100% of funds are for discretionary activities and awarded on a competitive basis. For further information, please contact the Headquarters Office.
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.
Deadlines
AFWA expects to post the availability of FY2025 Multistate Conservation Grants and specific deadlines on their website, https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-informs/multi-state-conservation-grants-program by May 15, 2026. The Service expects to post the availability of FY2027 Multistate Conservation Grants by the same date in Grants.gov. To start the application process, Grant Proposals comprised of a detailed Project Statement and budget information must be submitted only through AFWA’s Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP) portal by July 14, 2026. AFWA manages Technical Review Teams that score and rank the Grant Proposals, then AFWA drafts a priority list of the highest-ranking proposals. Applicants selected for possible funding will be notified by a Directed Announcement posted by the Service in GrantSolutions.gov in October 2026. AFWA submits the final priority list of projects recommended for funding to the Service by October 1, 2026.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range: $50,000 to $1,000,000; Average: $250,000.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: The University of Wyoming was awarded T-MSCG funds for a project titled, “Designing an Automated Machine Learning Method for Large Scale Aerial Pronghorn Monitoring.” Pronghorn are an iconic ungulate species endemic to western North America. Low-altitude aerial surveys are commonly used by management agencies to monitor pronghorn populations, but have disadvantages regarding safety, cost, and reliability. Low-altitude slow-speed flights leave little margin for pilot error and have resulted in injuries and even death of agency staff. A safer, more cost-effective, and verifiable monitoring method is needed. Pairing plane mounted high resolution cameras with machine learning driven automated computer vision tools has proven effective in other contexts for detecting and counting animals in natural landscapes and is well suited to the task of pronghorn monitoring. This approach would allow managers to stay out of planes and provides a verifiable visual record of detected animals. It is a challenge, however, to successfully implement such a cutting-edge method while also ensuring that it is practical for managers. Our uniquely qualified interdisciplinary team from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the University of Wyoming’s School of Computing and the University of Wyoming’s Department of Zoology and Physiology together have the full range of expertise needed to implement just such a tool.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Multistate Conservation Grant (15.628) awarded$55.3 million across 249 grant awards, an average of $222,097 per award.
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 92% of the money, colleges and universities 6.2% and state and local governments 0.7%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 224 | $51.0 million | 92% |
| Colleges and universities | 20 | $3.4 million | 6.2% |
| State and local governments | 3 | $401,404 | 0.7% |
| Other | 1 | $244,944 | 0.4% |
| Individuals | 1 | $174,550 | 0.3% |
By state
13 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 52 | $13.6 million |
| Illinois | 5 | $8.0 million |
| Vermont | 44 | $7.6 million |
| South Carolina | 15 | $3.3 million |
| Connecticut | 20 | $3.3 million |
| Montana | 14 | $2.6 million |
| Georgia | 11 | $2.2 million |
| Virginia | 11 | $2.0 million |
| Kansas | 11 | $2.0 million |
| New York | 8 | $1.9 million |
| Minnesota | 11 | $1.7 million |
| Ohio | 9 | $1.3 million |
| Maryland | 7 | $1.3 million |
| Colorado | 7 | $980,002 |
| Idaho | 4 | $580,097 |
| Michigan | 3 | $360,602 |
| New Mexico | 2 | $343,620 |
| Missouri | 1 | $297,300 |
| North Dakota | 1 | $284,614 |
| Florida | 2 | $279,120 |
| Wyoming | 1 | $263,335 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $225,000 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $205,312 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $193,581 |
| Nevada | 1 | $171,500 |
| Oregon | 2 | $147,897 |
| Alabama | 1 | $121,786 |
| Mississippi | 2 | $97,708 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $46,097 |