Opportunity Information: Apply for F20AS00230
The Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2 is a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help four states (Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) conserve land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. The program is rooted in the Highlands Conservation Act (H.R. 1964, enacted in 2004; 16 U.S.C. 3901), which was created to protect areas with especially high conservation value by supporting land conservation projects where a state entity purchases land or an interest in land from a willing seller. The key emphasis is on permanent protection, meaning the acquisition is intended to safeguard important natural resources for the long term rather than temporary management or restoration activities.
Projects funded under this opportunity must focus on lands identified as having high resource value in the official Highlands studies that the Act relies on: the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study 2002 Update and the Highlands Regional Study Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update. In practice, this means proposed acquisitions need to align with the mapped priority areas and resource-value criteria established in those documents, ensuring that federal dollars are directed to landscapes already recognized for their ecological, water, wildlife, forest, and related conservation significance.
Funding under the Highlands Conservation Act is split into two categories, described as Base and Competitive. This notice is specifically for the Competitive category, and it is the second competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity tied to FY2020 Highlands Conservation Act funds. Awards are dependent on the availability of funds through federal appropriations. A central cost-share rule shapes project financing: governors of the four Highlands states may submit proposals requesting up to 50 percent of the total project cost, so states are generally expected to provide the remaining non-federal share through their own funds or other eligible sources as part of the overall acquisition financing.
Eligibility is narrow and limited to state governments, and only the Lead State Agency (or agencies) designated by each governor may apply. While a lead agency can submit multiple applications under this competitive round, the program is clear that only a state agency is eligible to hold title or the legal interest in the acquired land (for example, fee title acquisition or conservation easements, depending on the project structure). The lead state agency receiving the grant may also subgrant funds to another eligible state agency, but doing so requires approval by the Service, reinforcing that the acquisition and long-term stewardship responsibilities remain within state governmental entities rather than local governments, nonprofits, or private organizations.
Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00230) within the natural resources activity area (CFDA 15.667). The posting lists an award ceiling of $6,524,844 and an original closing date of May 31, 2021. Overall, the opportunity is designed to advance strategic, high-priority land protection in the Highlands by helping states close funding gaps for permanent acquisitions from willing sellers, using a competitive process to direct limited federal funds to the most compelling, study-consistent conservation projects.Apply for F20AS00230
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.667.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-05.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,524,844.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (F20AS00230) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Apply for F21AS00170 Funding Number: F21AS00170 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $39,276,000 |
| Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Planning Assistance Apply for F21AS00171 Funding Number: F21AS00171 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Apply for F21AS00172 Funding Number: F21AS00172 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $22,324,000 |
| Common Loon Restoration Apply for F21AS00196 Funding Number: F21AS00196 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program Apply for F21AS00249 Funding Number: F21AS00249 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $215,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Invasive and Noxious Management Apply for L21AS00261 Funding Number: L21AS00261 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management ORWA Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Apply for L21AS00255 Funding Number: L21AS00255 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Wildlife Resource Management Apply for L21AS00263 Funding Number: L21AS00263 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management ORWA Cultural and Paleontological Resource Management Apply for L21AS00237 Funding Number: L21AS00237 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Threatened and Endangered Species Apply for L21AS00273 Funding Number: L21AS00273 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Wyoming Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Apply for L21AS00295 Funding Number: L21AS00295 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $30,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Forests and Woodlands Resource Management Apply for L21AS00259 Funding Number: L21AS00259 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Rangeland Resource Management Apply for L21AS00267 Funding Number: L21AS00267 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Plant Conservation and Restoration Management Apply for L21AS00270 Funding Number: L21AS00270 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management Wyoming Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program Activities Apply for L21AS00301 Funding Number: L21AS00301 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $20,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Wyoming Threatened and Endangered Species Apply for L21AS00303 Funding Number: L21AS00303 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Wyoming Wildlife Resource Management Apply for L21AS00310 Funding Number: L21AS00310 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Oregon/Washington Recreation and Visitor Services Apply for L21AS00260 Funding Number: L21AS00260 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management AK Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Apply for L21AS00302 Funding Number: L21AS00302 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $65,000 |
| Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Apply for L21AS00312 Funding Number: L21AS00312 Agency: Bureau of Land Management Category: Natural Resources Funding Amount: $950,000 |
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