Southeast Aquatics Fund 2024
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is seeking proposals for its Southeast Aquatics Fund to voluntarily conserve aquatic habitats in the southeastern United States and Texas. This grant program directly aligns with NFWF's mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, and plants. The fund's priorities are informed by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, adopted in 2018 and updated in 2023, which aims to conserve the extraordinary biodiversity across the Southeast. The primary target beneficiaries of this program are aquatic ecosystems and the diverse array of species that inhabit them, particularly those identified as focal species in the Conasauga River (GA) and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. These include various endemic and native fishes like the Alabama shiner, banded sculpin, blue shiner, and trispot darter. The impact goal is to advance specific goals and objectives of the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan and other relevant conservation plans, ultimately leading to healthier aquatic habitats. The program prioritizes work in northern Alabama and Georgia due to measurement and monitoring constraints, with funding available for a wide range of activities in the Conasauga River (GA) and Locust Fork and Middle Coosa (AL) watersheds. Projects benefiting the focal species in these areas will receive priority. The strategic priorities of the NFWF, as evidenced by the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, emphasize a suite of aquatic species as indicators of healthy aquatic habitats in prioritized watersheds, reflecting a theory of change that by protecting these indicator species, the broader ecosystem health will improve. Expected outcomes include the conservation of aquatic habitat, the advancement of specific goals outlined in the Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, and positive impacts on focal species populations. While not explicitly detailed as "measurable results" in the provided text, the focus on indicator species suggests that the health and population trends of these species would serve as key metrics for success. Projects are anticipated to have a completion time of 24β36 months, with grant awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000 from approximately $8.45 million available in 2024.
Award Range
$150,000 - $500,000
Total Program Funding
$8,450,000
Number of Awards
Not specified
Matching Requirement
Yes - Proposals are strengthened by demonstrating matching funds from non-federal sources, cash, or in-kind contributions. Matching ratio and diversity of funding partners will be considered in the proposal's competitiveness. Applicants are encouraged to consider the programmatic circumstances of their project to describe match from partners who are working cooperatively to accomplish the same objectives within the defined geography. Applicants are encouraged to describe federal partner contributions in the match section of the application. These contributions will not count toward the non-federal match but will help in understanding the resources and partners contributing to the overall project. Applicants with questions about the match requirement are encouraged to contact program staff. Organizations relevant to any of NRCSβs Underserved/Special Emphasis Categories that are unable to meet any non-federal matching contribution requirement are eligible to receive grant funding, but they must contact NFWF to discuss potential match adjustment options prior to submitting a proposal.
Eligible Applicants
Additional Requirements
Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal Governments and Organizations, and educational institutions. Applicants must comply with or be exempted from federal single audit requirements. Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies, businesses, unincorporated individuals, and international organizations. U.S. Federal agencies are encouraged to partner with applicants but are not eligible to apply.
Geographic Eligibility
Alabama (priority on the Middle Coosa watershed), Mobile-Tombigbee (priority on the Locust Fork watershed), and Flint River basins; and 25-mile coastal zone, All Florida river basins and 25-mile coastal zone, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint, Middle Coosa, and Conasauga river basins, 25-mile coastal zone, Neuse-Pamlico and Cape Fear River basins, Appalachian Region, Pee Dee, Santee River basins, Appalachian Region, Counties that contain the Colorado River Basin, 25-mile coastal zone
Application Opens
May 23, 2024
Application Closes
July 18, 2024
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