Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

Partners for Fish and Wildlife (15.631)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$148 million
• Grant awards1,050
• Typical award$50,000
• Awarded in FY 2025$34.3 million
• Size rank692 of 1824
• Type of assistanceProject grants (discretionary)

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $25.6 million in fiscal 2021 to $34.3 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 692nd largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 45% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 51 states and territories.

What the program funds

Deliver Department of the Interior priorities and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) mission by providing financial and technical assistance to private landowners and Native American Tribes interested in voluntarily working with USFWS to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Provide technical assistance to State and Federal conservation agencies.

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

Private landowners, tribal governments, local and state governments, educational, for-profit, and non-profit institutions and organizations are eligible for financial and technical assistance from Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Projects must be located on private lands. Private land is defined by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774, as any land that is not owned by the Federal Government or a State. Private land includes tribal land and Hawaiian homeland.

What the money can and cannot pay for

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program uses congressionally appropriated funding in accordance with the Partner for Fish and Wildlife Act, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774, as amended. Private landowners, tribal governments, local and state governments, educational, for-profit, and non-profit institutions and organizations are eligible for financial and technical assistance from Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Projects must be located on private lands. Private land is defined by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774, as any land that is not owned by the Federal Government or a State. Private land includes tribal land and Hawaiian homeland. Assistance provided to private landowners (defined to include individuals, private citizens, local governments, municipalities, non-profits, and non-governmental organizations) and Native American Tribes. Program goal is to achieve a 50 percent cost share on projects with leveraged funds and in-kind contributions provided by the landowners and other partners. Projects must be located on private lands. The term “private land” is defined in the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act as any land that is not owned by the Federal Government or a State. It also includes tribal land and Hawaiian homeland.;

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

September 30 of the current year, however, applications received after May 30 of the current year may be deferred for consideration in a future fiscal year.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

A range of $5,000 to $50,000, with an average of $10,000 per project.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The Sandhills of Nebraska represent one of the world’s most intact grassland ecosystems and are a key conservation priority, supporting both biodiversity and livestock grazing. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program biologist worked with a ranching landowner and partners—including the Sandhills Task Force, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, and Ducks Unlimited—to restore the natural hydrology of Bear Creek and surrounding wet meadow habitat. Historically, Bear Creek had been straightened and ditched to drain water for hay production, which led to erosion, a lowered water table, and degraded habitat. To reverse this, the team reconstructed the stream’s natural meanders and used earthen plugs to redirect water flow. This slowed the water, raised water levels, and reconnected the creek to its floodplain. As a result, approximately 285 acres of wet meadow and wetland habitat were restored and enhanced, benefiting ranching operations while improving habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, prairie fish, and other native wildlife.Fiscal Year2026: Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that support voluntarily restoration and habitat connectivity at a landscape scale and aims to build resilient ecosystems that provide community and ecological benefits.

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 69% of the money, state and local governments 20% and tribes 3.1%.

By state

39 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.