Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (15.637)
Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (Assistance Listing 15.637) is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior. It awarded $68.9 million in 155 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $444,724 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $125,000. Half of the 155 awards fell between $60,000 and $370,865, and they ranged from $14,100 to $5.9 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$68.9 million
- Grant awards155
- Typical award$125,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$16.2 million
- Size rank923 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants (discretionary)
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $11.8 million in fiscal 2021 to $16.2 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 923rd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 92% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 25 states and territories.
What the program funds
The objectives of this program are to support projects that protect, restore, and enhance wetland and upland ecosystems for the conservation of Migratory Birds. Funds support the work of the 23 Migratory Bird Joint Ventures which are independent regional partnerships formed under the auspices of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan that guides the conservation of waterfowl and other migratory birds in North America.
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
Federal, State and local government agencies, Federally recognized Indian Tribal governments, private nonprofit institutions/organizations; public nonprofit institutions/organizations; profit organizations, interstate and intrastate entities, and individuals or families who are also private landowners.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Joint Ventures are public/private partnerships, guided by a Management Board of public/private representatives and use a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved Implementation Plan that establishes conservation goals, priorities, and strategies. The Implementation Plan typically includes stepped down goals and objectives from a variety of national and international bird planning efforts. A Joint Venture Coordinator facilitates the coordination and implementation of the Joint Venture program. The USFWS provides basic administrative funding to the Joint Venture to cover costs associated with coordination; planning; monitoring, evaluation and applied research; communications and outreach; and project development and implementation. Joint Ventures may provide Federal assistance to partners within these categories to achieve the goals of the Joint Venture. The USFWS does not fund the entire scope of Joint Venture operations. Joint Venture partners are expected to contribute funding towards one or more of these categories. Non-federal match is not required, but leveraging USFWS dollars provided for Joint Ventures administration is a critical component of the Joint Ventures program.
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
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range is $2,400 to $900,000; Average $225,000.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Landscape-scale approaches to grassland bird conservation in the central U.S.; Partnerships to conserve sagebrush rangelands in the Intermountain West Joint Venture; Central Valley Joint Venture Implementation Plan support; American black duck eastern research project; Linking agricultural and conservation interests to help support the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Implementation Plan; Implementation of Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture activities in Hawaii; Arctic Goose Joint Venture Mid-continent White-Fronted Goose Study;Fiscal Year2026: Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that protect, restore, and enhance wetland and upland ecosystems for the conservation of Migratory Birds.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (15.637) awarded $68.9 million across 155 grant awards, an average of $444,724 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Bird Conservancy | Virginia | 17 | $13.3 million |
| Pheasants Forever, Inc. | Minnesota | 7 | $11.1 million |
| Ducks Unlimited Inc | California | 10 | $6.2 million |
| Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Inc. | Idaho | 2 | $5.1 million |
| Nebraska Community Foundation | Nebraska | 4 | $5.0 million |
| Playa Lakes Joint Venture | Colorado | 5 | $5.0 million |
| Ducks Unlimited Inc | North Dakota | 4 | $3.1 million |
| Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated | Vermont | 3 | $2.4 million |
| Point Reyes Bird Observatory | California | 3 | $2.4 million |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Michigan | 5 | $2.2 million |
| University of Saskatchewan | 7 | $1.5 million | |
| The Nature Conservancy | Virginia | 3 | $1.1 million |
| California Waterfowl Association | California | 5 | $980,290 |
| Western Reserve Land Conservancy | Ohio | 3 | $900,000 |
| University of Montana | Montana | 2 | $892,348 |
| Thousand Islands Land Trust Inc | New York | 3 | $690,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited, Inc. | Tennessee | 4 | $624,820 |
| International Community Foundation | California | 1 | $445,000 |
| Ducks Unlimited Canada | 2 | $420,748 | |
| National Audubon Society, Inc | New York | 4 | $403,583 |
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 92% of the money, colleges and universities 4.3% and state and local governments 1.6%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonprofits | 111 | $63.1 million | 92% |
| Colleges and universities | 23 | $3.0 million | 4.3% |
| Other | 9 | $1.7 million | 2.4% |
| State and local governments | 10 | $1.1 million | 1.6% |
| Individuals | 1 | $60,000 | less than 0.1% |
| Businesses | 1 | $49,599 | less than 0.1% |
By state
11 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 21 | $14.7 million |
| Minnesota | 8 | $11.2 million |
| California | 23 | $10.2 million |
| Nebraska | 5 | $5.1 million |
| Idaho | 2 | $5.1 million |
| Colorado | 5 | $5.0 million |
| North Dakota | 12 | $3.7 million |
| Vermont | 3 | $2.4 million |
| Michigan | 7 | $2.3 million |
| New York | 15 | $1.6 million |
| Ohio | 5 | $1.2 million |
| Montana | 3 | $982,348 |
| Tennessee | 4 | $624,820 |
| South Dakota | 6 | $515,872 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | $405,641 |
| Wyoming | 4 | $403,029 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $337,369 |
| Iowa | 2 | $215,081 |
| Mississippi | 1 | $207,536 |
| Maryland | 2 | $125,634 |
| Maine | 2 | $79,651 |
| Alaska | 1 | $79,453 |
| South Carolina | 1 | $79,043 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | $43,869 |
| Washington | 1 | $25,255 |