Restore Colorado

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is accepting proposals for the RESTORE Colorado Program, which supports voluntary restoration, enhancement, and expansion of high-priority wildlife habitats across Colorado. This program is a collaborative initiative that brings together federal, state, private, and philanthropic partners including Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Gates Family Foundation, Chevron, OXY, the Walton Family Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The program is designed to accelerate landscape-scale conservation, supporting ecological connectivity, climate resiliency, and improved habitat function across public and private lands in the state. Funding is available to support approximately ten projects in 2026, with individual awards starting at $100,000. Projects must begin within six months of award notification and be completed within three years. The program prioritizes six key habitat and conservation areas: watershed resilience (wetlands, riparian and upland habitats including forests), eastern Colorado grasslands, sagebrush rangelands, big game winter range and migration corridors, conservation capacity building, and restoration within urban areas. Successful projects may incorporate multiple restoration strategies across jurisdictional boundaries and are expected to provide measurable benefits for wildlife species and local communities. While leverage and matching funds are encouraged to demonstrate broad support and partnerships, no specific cost share is required, and leverage can include in-kind or volunteer contributions. Eligible applicants include nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, state and local governments, Native Nations and Indigenous-led organizations, political subdivisions of the state, and educational institutions. Businesses and unincorporated individuals are not eligible. Applications will be evaluated based on alignment with program goals, ecological and community impact, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and inclusion of measurable performance metrics. Proposals should demonstrate meaningful engagement with communities and stakeholders, emphasize sustainability beyond the grant period, and contribute to Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy and NFWF’s Rocky Mountain Rangelands and Southwest Rivers business plans. Applications must be submitted online through NFWF’s Easygrants system. Applicants must register or log in to Easygrants, select the RESTORE Colorado funding opportunity, and complete all required sections of the application. A tip sheet, online resources, and a pre-recorded instructional webinar are available to assist applicants. NFWF will also host a live applicant webinar on August 28th to explain programmatic priorities and answer questions. The full proposal deadline is November 10, 2025, by 11:59pm Eastern Time. Applications will be reviewed from November 2025 through March 2026, with award announcements expected in March 2026. Evaluation will be based on demonstrated conservation outcomes, partnerships and community engagement, budget reasonableness, sustainability, and technical feasibility. Strong proposals will include cross-jurisdictional collaboration, alignment with statewide conservation strategies, and clearly defined ecological benefits. Applicants are also encouraged to include spatial data for proposed projects, which will be updated as needed during implementation. Key contacts for program inquiries include Emma Wigger (Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Regional Programs), Kirstin Neff (Program Director, Southwest Rivers), and Chris West (Director, Rocky Mountain Regional Office). Applicants with technical questions about Easygrants can contact the NFWF Helpdesk by email or voicemail during business hours. Awards will be contingent on the availability of funding from NFWF and its partners, and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and federal requirements will be required for all funded projects.

Emphasize cross-jurisdictional design, measurable outcomes, and alignment with Outdoors Strategy; leverage encouraged to show community support