To provide grant funds for wetlands conservation
projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Funds are used to acquire real property interest in
lands or waters, including water rights, if the obtaining of such interest is
subject to terms and conditions that will ensure that the real property will
be administered for the long-term conservation of such lands and waters and
the migratory birds and other fish and wildlife dependent thereon; and
restore, manage, or enhance wetland ecosystems and other habitat for migratory
birds and other fish and wildlife species if such restoration, management, or
enhancement is conducted on lands and waters that are administered for the
long-term conservation of such lands and waters and the migratory birds and
other fish and wildlife dependent thereon. Further, NAWCF funds derived from
the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act may only be used
in coastal wetlands ecosystems in coastal States.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility:
Available to private or public organizations or to individuals who have
developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the
U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Beneficiary Eligibility:
Available to any private or public organization or individual.
Pre-application Coordination:
A Federal Register announcement is published annually and a publication
containing grant application instructions. Associated materials and guidelines
are posted on our web site (see below) and available in printed form upon
request. Grant applications are submitted directly to the Division of Bird
Habitat Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax
Drive, Arlington, VA 22201; (703) 358-1784. There is no need to provide
instructions regarding the necessity of submission to single State agencies.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure:
Proposals, including Standard Form 424 "Application for Federal
Assistance," are submitted to the North American Wetlands Conservation
Council Coordinator in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and are reviewed by
the Coordinator's staff, Council staff, and North American Waterfowl
Management Plan Joint Venture Coordinators. Site visits are conducted if
needed. Grant proposals are recommended for approval by the North American
Wetlands Conservation Council to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts a National Environmental Policy
Act and National Historic Preservation Act review of proposals that the
Council selects to recommend to the Commission.
Award Procedure: The
Council selects proposals in March, July, and December that are recommended to
the Commission for final funding approval in September, February/March, and
June, respectively. A grant agreement is prepared that at a minimum ensures
that wetlands acquired, restored, enhanced or managed with Act funds are
administered for the long-term conservation and management of such wetland
ecosystem and the fish and wildlife dependent thereon.
Deadlines: Standard grants
are due in March and July, and small grants are due in December. In addition,
U.S. proposal due dates are published in the Federal Register, annual
instructions booklets and via the Internet.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:
The range of time from proposal submission to the Commission meeting for
standard grants is 7 to 11 months. Small grants approvals are usually known in
3 months.
Appeals: None. Proposals
not funded may be resubmitted.
Renewals: Proposals are
funded on a project-specific basis. Requests for future funding must compete
with other requests for project funding.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements:
Proposals must have at least a 1:1 match of nonfederal U.S. dollars; although
nonfederal dollars for Mexico proposals do not have to be U.S. dollars.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:
Grant agreements are written for grant funds that should be spent within 2
years; grant period can be extended beyond the 2 years for reasonable cause.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Annual status reports
are required during the course of a grant agreement's period of performance. A
final report must be submitted within 90 days of a project's completion.
Audits: In accordance with
the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997),
"Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations,"
nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in
Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for
that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in
Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year,
except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records: The Recipient
shall maintain a complete, detailed accounting system to report expenditures
of grant funds and a detailed accounting of receipts and expenditures of
nonfederal matching dollars or value of services. Records, accounts, and
supporting documents must be retained for 3 years after submission for final
request of reimbursement.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification:
14-5241-0-2-303.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01
$38,316,000; FY 02 est $41,716,000; and FY 03 est $41,818,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: $600 to $1,000,000; Average: $631,261.
In fiscal year 2001, the program funded 143 new projects
for a total of 929 since program's inception. The wetlands conservation
projects obligated $72 million in fiscal year 2001 and have obligated more
than $411 million in total grants. In fiscal year 2001, partners added $256
million to the projects; the total funds generated by the partners is now more
than $1 billion since the inception of the program.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
United States Standard Grants Application Instructions;
Small Grants Instructions; and Progress Report, 1998-1999.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: See
Appendix IV for addresses of USFWS Regional Offices.
Headquarters Office: Fish
and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC 20240.
Contact: Chief, Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
Suite 110, Arlington, VA 22203. Telephone: (703) 358-1784.
Web Site Address: http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Wetlands conservation projects involving acquisition,
restoration, and enhancement of wetlands and wetlands ecosystems.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The Council selects proposals based on factors given in
Section 5 of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, results of site
visits, available funds and other factors deemed important to meeting Act
objectives. U.S. standard and small grant proposals are additionally evaluated
against answers to Technical Assessment Questions taken from Section 5 of the
Act and annually published in instructions booklets.
