F25AS00265_ Fiscal Year 2025_Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (TWG)_NOFO | F25AS00265

Opportunity Information: Apply for F25AS00265

The Fiscal Year 2025 Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (TWG), funding opportunity number F25AS00265, is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.639) that supports Tribal-led fish and wildlife conservation. The program is designed to provide both technical and financial assistance to federally recognized Tribal governments so they can develop and carry out projects that benefit fish and wildlife species and the habitats those species rely on. A central feature of this program is flexibility: funding can support conservation of any plant or animal species that matters to a Tribe, including species with cultural or traditional significance to Native communities. Projects are not limited to game species, subsistence species, species already listed as threatened or endangered, or species that appear in a formal conservation plan. That broad scope is intended to let Tribes set their own conservation priorities and address local needs on their own terms.

Eligible applicants are limited to federally recognized Tribal governments appearing in the most current Federal Register Notice of Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. For this funding cycle, the notice referenced is 89 FR 238, published December 11, 2024. While only federally recognized Tribal governments can apply as prime recipients, other Tribal organizations and outside entities can still be involved through subawards or contracts under a Tribe’s grant, as long as those subrecipients follow the requirements described in the announcement. Tribal contact information is available through the BIA Tribal Leaders Directory, which can help applicants confirm official points of contact when preparing submissions.

The TWG program supports a wide range of conservation activities. Examples named in the opportunity include planning for wildlife and habitat conservation, on-the-ground fish and wildlife conservation and management actions, and both laboratory and field research tied to fish and wildlife. The program also supports natural history studies, habitat mapping, field surveys, and population monitoring, along with habitat protection and enhancement efforts and conservation education. In practical terms, that means a Tribe could propose anything from baseline data collection and monitoring to implementing a management strategy, restoring or improving habitat conditions, or building community education efforts around stewardship, as long as the work clearly benefits fish and wildlife and/or their habitats.

Funding can be used for common project costs such as salaries and wages, equipment, consultant support, subawards, supplies and materials, and travel necessary to carry out the work. One key restriction is that TWG funds may not be used to acquire real property interests. The notice is explicit that this includes fee simple purchases as well as other types of property interests such as easements, water rights, mineral rights, and leaseholds. In other words, the program can support conservation work on lands and waters, but it cannot pay for buying or otherwise acquiring ownership or legal interests in real property.

There are several important compliance and eligibility conditions tied to reporting and award limits. Tribes must be up to date on reporting for any previously awarded, active TWG grants before they can receive new TWG funding. After submitting a new application, a Tribe will be notified if any required reports are missing, and then has 30 days to submit those overdue materials. If those past-due reports are not brought current within that 30-day window, the Tribe is deemed ineligible for the FY 2025 TWG cycle and removed from further consideration. This makes timely grant administration a prerequisite for continued participation.

Application volume is flexible, but total funding per Tribe is capped. A Tribe may submit more than one application in the same fiscal year, but a Tribe cannot receive multiple awards in that year if the combined federal funding requested across funded projects would exceed 200,000 dollars. If a Tribe submits multiple proposals that would push the combined total over 200,000, only the highest-scoring application(s) will move forward, and the others will be ruled ineligible. The stated award ceiling is 200,000, and the opportunity lists an application deadline of June 20, 2025. Overall, the TWG program is positioned as a practical, Tribe-centered funding source for research, planning, management, monitoring, restoration, and education projects that strengthen fish and wildlife conservation outcomes while reflecting each Tribe’s own priorities and values.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F25AS00265_ Fiscal Year 2025_Tribal Wildlife Grant Program (TWG)_NOFO" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.639.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-03-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-20. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for F25AS00265

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: