Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program | F19AS00191

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00191

The Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program is a discretionary federal grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.634). Its purpose is to provide funding to state wildlife agencies and their partners to conserve wildlife and the habitats those species depend on, with an explicit emphasis on species that are not traditionally supported through hunting- or fishing-related funding streams. In practice, the program is meant to strengthen state-led conservation by helping states plan and carry out work that aligns with their broader, federally approved wildlife conservation strategy.

Projects supported under this opportunity fall into two main buckets: planning and implementation. Planning funds are specifically tied to building, updating, or modifying a state Wildlife Action Plan, and the work must directly contribute to developing or revising that plan as approved by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Implementation funds, by contrast, are aimed at putting the Wildlife Action Plan into action through on-the-ground conservation work or other execution-focused activities that advance the plan's objectives. The common thread is that the funded activities need to be connected back to the state Wildlife Action Plan and demonstrate real conservation value rather than stand-alone or unrelated environmental efforts.

A central requirement of the program is that funding priority be placed on Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), which are the species identified by states as most at risk and most in need of proactive conservation attention. The program also expects applicants to consider the overall funding landscape for those species, meaning proposals should reflect an awareness of where conservation resources are already strong and where gaps exist. This is intended to steer federal dollars toward the highest-need species and actions, rather than duplicating efforts that already have substantial funding support.

Not everything related to wildlife work is eligible. The opportunity specifically notes that wildlife education and law enforcement activities are generally not allowable uses of funds. The main exception is when those components are minor or incidental and can be justified as critical to the success of an otherwise eligible project. In other words, education or enforcement cannot be the primary purpose of the grant, but limited inclusion may be acceptable if it directly supports the conservation outcomes (for example, small, targeted outreach necessary to gain compliance for habitat protection work).

In terms of basic program mechanics, this is a grant (not a contract) and is categorized under environment and natural resources funding. Eligible applicants include state governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement under an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section. For this particular funding notice (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00191), the opportunity was created on April 19, 2019, with an original closing date of July 12, 2019. Awards were expected to be competitive, with an anticipated 12 awards and an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award, indicating a program designed to fund a limited number of relatively substantial, high-impact projects rather than many small awards.

Overall, the C-SWG Program is structured to help states move from conservation strategy to measurable action, using the Wildlife Action Plan as the backbone for deciding what gets funded. It is especially geared toward preventing declines in vulnerable wildlife before crises escalate, supporting practical planning updates and implementation work that directly benefits SGCN and their habitats.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.634.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 19, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 12, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F19AS00191

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