Native Plant - Section 6 - Segment 31

The Section 6 Program: Funding for Research on Threatened and Endangered Arizona Plants is administered through a collaboration between the Herbarium at the University of Arizona, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Arizona Department of Agriculture. Funding is provided through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Traditional Conservation Grants Program under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act. The program supports research that advances the conservation, management, and recovery of threatened, endangered, candidate, and other sensitive plant species in Arizona. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides federal funding, the Arizona Department of Agriculture manages contracting and grant administration at the state level. The purpose of this program is to generate actionable scientific knowledge to support species protection and recovery planning. Proposals are solicited for studies addressing threats, demography, monitoring, systematics, status reviews, and related research activities that inform conservation decision-making. Projects focusing on federally listed threatened or endangered species, or candidate species, receive higher ranking priority than those addressing other rare or sensitive plants. The list of allowable taxa is restricted each cycle and applicants must consult the designated allowed taxa list before preparing a proposal. The program no longer supports publication costs. The projected total funding available for the current cycle is approximately 125,000 dollars, although the final allocation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not been formally announced. The program anticipates supporting between three and eight projects annually, with individual project awards generally ranging from approximately 5,000 to 20,000 dollars. Projects may be designed for one or two years in duration, but the maximum funding per project is capped at 20,000 dollars total, even for two-year projects. Funds are distributed strictly on a reimbursable basis, and no advance payments are permitted. Researchers may submit invoices and expense reports up to once per quarter. Applications must be prepared using the official Section 6 Application Template and submitted through the eCivis Portal. Required application components include the completed project profile using the provided template, a two-page curriculum vitae for the principal investigator, and a Resource List generated through the IPaC system for the study area. Formatting requirements include a minimum 11-point font and one-inch margins. Researchers may submit up to three proposals as principal investigator in a single competition. The review committee evaluates proposals based on listing status, technical merit, feasibility, budget appropriateness, prior funding history, relevance to recovery plans or management strategies, and importance to Fish and Wildlife Service priorities. For Segment 31, award year 2025, the submission portal opened on October 8, 2024 and closed on November 22, 2024 at 11:59:59 p.m. Applications are publicly opened the next business day following the final deadline. Following state review and inclusion in the Arizona Department of Agriculture application to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, final funding decisions and award notifications are anticipated in mid to late 2025. Contracts are typically issued within four months of award notification and must be signed within 30 days of receipt. Work may not begin until the contract is fully executed, often in late September. Interim reports are required semiannually, and a final report including standard scientific sections is required at project completion. Draft final reports are welcomed prior to formal submission. The program operates on a recurring annual cycle aligned with federal funding schedules. Because review windows may be short due to federal timelines, applicants are encouraged to prepare materials early and remain available for follow-up questions in the weeks immediately following submission. Questions regarding proposal preparation may be directed to Mima Falk at [email protected], while technical questions regarding the application template and portal submission may be directed to Ashley Estes at the Arizona Department of Agriculture.