US: Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program 2023

Deadline: 13-Jul-23

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is pleased to announce a call for applications to improve the quality and connectivity of forest and freshwater habitat in order to increase the distribution and abundance of birds, fish and other wildlife, as evidenced by a suite of species that collectively are indicators of forest and freshwater habitat condition.

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program will award grants to restore and sustain healthy forests, rivers and streams that provide habitat for diverse native bird and aquatic species populations.

The program aims to:

Improve the management of public and private forestlands in order to create blocks with a mosaic of mixed-aged forests that support a diversity of bird and wildlife species, especially targeting golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler; and
Improve stream health by removing passage barriers, restoring riparian buffers, and improving water quality and hydrology to bolster populations of eastern brook trout, eastern hellbender and freshwater mussels.

Program Priorities

All proposals should strive to implement strategies and contribute to goals detailed in NFWF’s Central Appalachia Business Plan (March 2019. Revised February 2021). Priority strategies for funding in 2023 are detailed.
In addition, projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes and should consider traditional knowledge where relevant. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award.
Restore and Manage Forest Blocks in Focal Geographies: NFWF will invest in the management of dynamic forest restoration blocks to enhance age and structural diversity that demonstrates improved forest conditions for golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler.
Forest and Grassland Management for Wildlife, Carbon, and Water: NFWF will invest in strategies to accelerate adoption of forest management that maximizes forest health and wildlife benefits while improving carbon storage, water quality and other ecosystem services.
Restore Aquatic Ecosystems: NFWF will invest in improving stream health by removing passage barriers, restoring riparian buffers, and improving water quality and hydrology to bolster populations of eastern brook trout, eastern hellbender and freshwater mussels.

Funding Information

Availability – The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program will award approximately $3 million in grants this year. Grant requests must range from from $75,000 to $500,000. Requests above or below that range will not be considered for funding.
Match – A match valued at 50 percent of the total project cost (a 1:1 ratio of grant request to match) is preferred but not required.
Grant Period – Projects should plan to start six months after the award date and be completed within four years. Notification of awards is expected to be mid-November.

Geographic Focus

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program will award grants in within the program boundary on the map at right, which includes portions of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Priority will be given to projects within ten focal geographies show in orange. For more detailed information about priority habitats and partner priorities, visit NFWF’s Central Appalachia Business Plan GIS Portal.
Note: Some funding is geographically targeted. This year funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will target Working Lands for Wildlife priority areas (see GIS Portal), funding from Cleveland-Cliffs is available for projects in the Laurel Highlands and southern region of the Monongahela Forest focal geography and southwestern Pennsylvania, and funding from Altria Group is available for forest habitat projects in the Monongahela Forest and Blue Ridge/Upper James focal geographies.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal Governments and Organizations, and educational institutions.

Ineligible

Ineligible applicants include U.S. Federal government agencies, businesses, unincorporated individuals, and international organizations.
Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds
- Equipment: Applicants are encouraged to rent equipment where possible and cost-effective or use matching funds to make those purchases. NFWF acknowledges, however, that some projects may only be completed using NFWF funds to procure equipment. If this applies to your project, please contact the program staff listed in this RFP to discuss options.
- Federal funds and matching contributions may not be used to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems (including entering into or renewing a contract) that use telecommunications equipment or services produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) as a substantial or essential component, or as critical technology of any system. Refer to Public Law 115-232, section have 889 for additional information.
- NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used to support political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.
- NFWF funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements. However, grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline compliance efforts.

Details