Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

State Wildlife Grants (15.634)

Also known as SWG

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$326 million
• Grant awards1,031
• Typical award$172,310
• Awarded in FY 2025$66.7 million
• Size rank479 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants (discretionary)

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $62.7 million in fiscal 2021 to $66.7 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 479th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 58% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 56 states and territories.

What the program funds

The primary purpose of the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program is to help State, Territory, and District of Columbia fish and wildlife agencies design and implement strategic, proactive conservation programs. Formula SWG Program funds, pooled with recipient matching resources, enable these recipients to identify, study, and conserve species deemed most in need of conservation. Competitive SWG Program funds and matching resources typically support large-scale conservation projects involving many partners. Proactive approaches to species conservation help grant recipients, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other conservation partners avoid more prescriptive Federal regulatory requirements associated with listing under the Endangered Species Act. A core principle of the SWG Program is the utilization of effective partnerships demonstrating cooperation and leveraging of resources to achieve shared conservation goals benefiting recipient-identified species of greatest conservation need.

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

Agencies from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa with primary responsibility for fish and wildlife conservation may submit grant proposals for formula or competitive project grants to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if they maintain a current, Service-approved State Wildlife Action Plan. The four regional Associations of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA, SEAFWA, MAFWA, and WAFWA) are eligible for competitive project grants at the discretion of recipient State fish and wildlife agencies.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Approved activities include developing and implementing programs or projects for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, with emphasis on species that are not hunted or fished. In order to receive program funds, a State, Territory, or D.C. fish and wildlife agency must have an approved Wildlife Action Plan. Approved activities may focus on Wildlife Action Plan updates and revisions or project implementation that benefits recipient-identified Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Funds can be used for land acquisition or construction projects. Approximately 10 percent of annually appropriated funds are set aside for discretionary competitive project grants, but this ratio varies from year to year.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching Requirements are mandatory. Formula planning grants - Federal share not to exceed 75% of total project costs. Formula implementation grants - Federal share not to exceed 65% of total costs. Competitive Project Grants - Federal share not to exceed 75% of total costs.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Formula SWG Program Deadline: Contact the Regional Office of Conservation Investment for application deadlines, or search for the Service Region’s SWG Funding Opportunity Announcement on Grants.gov (Assistance Listing Number 15.634).?Competitive SWG Program Deadline: The Funding Opportunity Announcement is normally published in Grants.gov (Assistance Listing Number 15.634) in November with a February deadline.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Range is $30,000 to $3,000,000; Average $500,000.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: The Service awarded grants for projects that target animal species and habitats prioritized for conservation in the State and Territory Wildlife Action Plans. Projects include research, species monitoring, habitat management, captive rearing and release, and other actions intended to sustain and enhance populations of each state’s most valued species and wild places.Fiscal Year2026: The State Wildlife Grant Program has not yet selected projects for funding. The Service anticipates awarding grants for projects that target animal species and habitats prioritized for conservation in the State and Territory Wildlife Action Plans. Projects include research, species monitoring, habitat management, captive rearing and release, and other actions intended to sustain and enhance populations of each state’s most valued species and wild places.

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

Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.

By state

54 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.