The 2025 Restoration and Stewardship of Outdoor Resources and Environment (RESTORE) Colorado Program is a grant initiative by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) aimed at enhancing natural resources in Colorado. This program is a collaborative effort, involving significant partners such as Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Gates Family Foundation, OXY, Chevron, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This aligns with NFWF's broader mission of sustaining, restoring, and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.
The RESTORE Colorado Program is designed to target a wide range of beneficiaries, including various ecosystems and communities dependent on healthy natural resources throughout Colorado. The impact goals are centered on achieving significant ecological improvements across the state. In 2025, the program expects to award approximately $4.5 million, with individual grants ranging from a minimum of $100,000, to roughly 10 projects. The grant duration for each project will not exceed three years, ensuring focused and timely implementation of restoration efforts.
The program's priorities and focus areas for funding include watershed resilience, specifically targeting wetlands, riparian, and upland habitats, including forests. It also emphasizes the restoration and stewardship of Eastern Colorado grasslands, sagebrush rangelands, and critical big game winter range and migration corridors. These priorities reflect a strategic approach to address key ecological challenges and enhance biodiversity within Colorado, aligning with the foundational partners' commitment to comprehensive environmental stewardship.
Expected outcomes and measurable results include improved health and functionality of various ecosystems, such as restored wetlands and riparian areas, enhanced grassland health, and better-managed sagebrush rangelands. The program also aims to secure vital habitats for big game species, supporting their migration and winter survival. The strategic priorities of NFWF and its partners, through the RESTORE Colorado program, are rooted in a theory of change that posits that targeted investments in habitat restoration and collaborative stewardship will lead to a more resilient and biologically diverse Colorado. This approach aims to deliver tangible and lasting environmental benefits for both wildlife and human communities.
