F26AS00006 2026 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement | F26AS00006

Opportunity Information: Apply for F26AS00006

The 2026 Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCG), announced under funding opportunity number F26AS00006, is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that supports large-scale fish and wildlife conservation work that cannot be handled effectively by a single state acting alone. The program is authorized under federal statutes tied to the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration frameworks (16 U.S.C. 669h-2 and 16 U.S.C. 777m). Its central purpose is to fund projects that address regional or national priority needs for state fish and wildlife agencies and their partners, especially when the work requires multi-jurisdiction coordination, shared tools or data, or consistent approaches across many states.

A key feature of this program is that projects must align with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Strategic Priorities for 2026. AFWA identifies and updates these priorities annually, based on input from state fish and wildlife agencies and partners, and USFWS and AFWA jointly coordinate the MSCG program. In practice, this means applicants need to frame their proposals around a clearly identified 2026 AFWA strategic priority and show how the project solves a problem or meets a need that is broadly shared across states or across a multi-state region.

The funding is split into two main grant types with different allowable uses. Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) support a wide range of wildlife restoration and sport fish restoration activities. Eligible work under T-MSCG can include research and applied studies, surveys and monitoring, restoration and conservation actions, management planning and implementation, and habitat improvement for eligible species and habitats. T-MSCG also allows projects that provide public use and public benefit connected to these resources, including hunter safety and education, aquatic education, and recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) activities. Importantly, fishing or boating-focused R3 efforts are only eligible under the Traditional track. The second track, R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG), is narrower and focuses specifically on hunting and target shooting R3 projects, including national recruitment programs and related communication and outreach activities. In other words, hunting and target shooting R3 can fit under R3-MSCG (and may also be eligible in some cases as described), while fishing/boating R3 is reserved for T-MSCG.

The opportunity defines eligible species broadly within the program boundaries: wild birds, wild mammals, and sport fish. Sport fish are specifically described as aquatic, gill-breathing vertebrate animals with paired fins that have recreational value in U.S. marine or freshwater environments. This definition matters because it signals the program is aimed at sport fish restoration and associated habitat and participation outcomes, rather than general aquatic biodiversity work that is not tied to sport fish or the authorized purposes.

Eligibility to apply includes state governments and their fish and wildlife agencies, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)). The program also notes a special eligibility pathway involving the USFWS itself, or a state or group of states, for carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The term "state governments" is used in a specific way here: it refers to the agencies with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources across the 50 states, and also includes certain additional jurisdictions depending on the funding source and purpose, such as the District of Columbia (Sport Fish Restoration only), Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as groups of these agencies.

A defining requirement for any proposal is that it must demonstrate broad, multi-state benefit. The announcement emphasizes that eligible projects must show benefits to either (1) a majority of states, (2) a majority of states within a USFWS Region, or (3) a majority of states within one of the regional associations of state fish and wildlife agencies (WAFWA, MAFWA, NEAFWA, SEAFWA). Applicants are instructed to explicitly list the regions and the state abbreviations that will benefit, or to identify the relevant regional association and list its member states. In other words, applicants cannot simply claim a project is "multistate" in concept; they need to document the geographic footprint of benefits and show that the project reaches more than half of the states in the chosen grouping.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a USFWS natural resources grant (CFDA 15.628) with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award. The original closing date listed is September 22, 2025, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of July 24, 2025. While the expected number of awards is not specified in the provided text, the ceiling indicates the program is intended to support substantial multi-state efforts such as shared science and monitoring frameworks, coordinated restoration strategies, multi-state habitat initiatives, or large-scale R3 campaigns that benefit many jurisdictions at once.

Overall, the 2026 MSCG opportunity is designed for collaborative, high-leverage projects that align with AFWA-identified strategic priorities and produce clear benefits across a majority of states in a defined multi-state grouping. The Traditional track supports broad conservation, restoration, management, habitat, education, and R3 work for wildlife and sport fish, while the R3-specific track focuses on hunting and target shooting recruitment and participation, including national-scale communications and outreach.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F26AS00006 2026 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.628.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-22. (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.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

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