Check out these Federal grant opportunities to tie into your fish habitat projects! These funding opportunities are being offered through federal grant programs complimentary to but not affiliated with WNTI or the National Fish Habitat Partnership Program. Please contact the relevant agency or program for more information.
DECEMBER 2024
Bureau of Reclamation opens $95M for FY25-26 WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects
First round of applications are due Tuesday, April 15th, 2025 at 4:00pm MDT
Announcement Type: Notice of Funding Opportunity (this program is accepting applications)
Opportunity: WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects For Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026
Overview and Eligible Uses: The United States Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART Program, through the Bureau of Reclamation, supports efforts to enhance water supply reliability and address water resource challenges. As part of this initiative, the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Projects (AERP) program focuses on restoring and protecting aquatic ecosystems. By leveraging Federal and non-Federal funding, the AERP collaborates with States, Tribes, and local entities to study, design, and construct projects that improve fisheries, wildlife, and aquatic habitats, promoting environmental health and community resilience. These projects align with Federal priorities, such as tackling climate change, advancing equity, and enhancing drought resilience.
AERP funding supports two primary task areas:
- Task A: Study and Design Projects – Funding for planning and design efforts to restore aquatic ecosystems and improve fish passage.
- Task B: Construction Projects – Funding for projects that are at least 60% designed and ready for construction to restore aquatic habitats.
Eligible projects include work on freshwater and brackish water habitats like rivers, wetlands, and estuaries, as well as their associated floodplains and riparian areas. These efforts aim to improve water quality, restore habitats, mitigate drought and flood impacts, and support disadvantaged communities in alignment with the Justice40 Initiative.
Amount:
- Total Program Funding: $95,000,000 Million
- Task A (Study & Design Projects) : $500,000 – $2,000,000 per project
- Task B (Construction Projects): $3,000,000 – $10,000,000 per project
Award Type: Grants or Cooperative Agreements
Eligible Applicants:
- Category A Applicants
- States, Tribes, irrigation districts, or water districts.
- State, regional, or local authorities that include one or more organizations with water or power delivery authority.
- Agencies established under State law for the joint exercise of powers.
- Entities or organizations that own a dam eligible for upgrade, modification, or removal.
- Requirement: Must be located in a Reclamation State, defined as one of the following:
- States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
- Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Category B Applicants:
- Nonprofit conservation organizations acting in partnership with, and with the agreement of, a Category A entity.
- The project must involve land or infrastructure owned by the partnering Category A entity.
- Requirement: Must be located in the United States or the Reclamation States and Territories listed above.
Key Dates:
- First Application Period Due Date: Tuesday, April 15th, 2025 @ 4:00pm MDT
- Second Application Period Due Date: Tuesday February 17th, 2026 @ 4:00pm MDT
Key Links:
DECEMBER 2024
NOAA Announces $100 Million available for Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience
NOAA is announcing the availability of up to $100 million in funding for transformational projects that restore coastal habitat and strengthen community resilience. This funding has been made available through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is the third and final round of this funding opportunity under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Of the $100 million of funding available, up to 15 percent is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and organizations that represent tribes through formal legal agreements, through direct awards or subawards:
NOAA will accept proposals with a federal funding request of between $750,000 and $10 million for the entire award. Typical funding is anticipated to range from $4 million to $6 million. Applications are due by April 16, 2025. For more information, view the Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants funding opportunity.
DECEMBER 10, 2024
NOAA Opens $25M for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (Annual Appropriations and IIJA Funds)
Submission deadline for full application is 5:00 PM (EST), March 4, 2025.
Opportunity: Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (Annual Appropriations and IIJA Funds)
Overview and Eligible Uses: The FY 2025 Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) aims to bolster state and tribal efforts in salmon restoration, focusing on projects that deliver measurable benefits to Pacific salmon and steelhead species and their habitats. The program supports conservation initiatives to recover threatened or endangered populations, maintain tribal treaty and subsistence fishing rights, and enhance ecosystem resilience in the face of climate hazards.
Priority One: Habitat Improvement: Focuses on restoring self-sustaining ecosystem functions through projects like floodplain reconnection, riparian restoration, and natural river-channel migration. Includes planning and design work directly linked to habitat restoration.
Priority Two: Monitoring and Assessment: Supports watershed-scale monitoring of habitat restoration impacts and population trends, including life cycle studies, stock assessments, and restoration planning to inform ESA-listed population recovery.
Priority Three: Capacity Building: Enhances state and tribal capacity for salmon recovery through project planning, outreach, engagement with underserved communities, and integrating Indigenous Knowledge into conservation strategies.
Amount: DOC NOAA anticipates to award a total of $25,000,000 for multiple projects, up to $25,000,000 for each.
Eligible Applicants: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California, Alaska, Federally recognized tribes of the Columbia River and Pacific Coast (including Alaska).
Click here for more information
OCTOBER 13, 2023
$36 Million Available for Fish Passage and River Restoration Projects as Part of Investing in America
Opportunity: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) announces $35 Million available for fish passage and river restoration projects
Overview and Eligible Uses: On Wednesday, October 11, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the availability of up to $36 million through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for fish passage projects across the nation that address outdated, unsafe or obsolete dams, culverts, levees and other barriers fragmenting our nation’s rivers and streams. Funds can be used for passage over barriers (e.g., fish ladders), but will emphasize barrier removal.
Since 2022, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested $73 million in 79 projects through the Service’s National Fish Passage Program. These funds are investing in our nation’s infrastructure and natural resources by reconnecting fragmented rivers, improving fish migration, and enhancing local economies.
The National Fish Passage Program, facilitated by the Service’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program, will prioritize projects that will:
- Maximize benefits to priority species and habitats.
- Provide sustainable fish passage.
- Leverage regional or watershed priorities for habitat restoration, fish passage or aquatic connectivity.
- Enhance community resilience to climate change, address public safety hazards and provide other benefits such as job creation or recreational fishing opportunities.
- Support or engage with disadvantaged communities.
- Coordinate on species and watershed priorities with Tribes and states.
- Be supported by partners, affected stakeholders, and the local community.
Key Dates: Interested parties should submit a Letter of Interest to the appropriate National Fish Passage Program regional coordinator, via email, by Nov. 17, 2023. Letters of Interest should include the project name and location, a brief description of the project objectives and benefits, the expected requested funding amount, and a statement of interest in applying for the funding opportunity.
Key Links: More information, including a list of National Fish Passage regional coordinators, may be found at Grants.Gov or by visiting the program’s informational website.