F26AS00030 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program

Key facts

Copied from the official Grants.gov record. Last verified October 29, 2026.

Program name

F26AS00030 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program

Issuing agency

Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior)

Opportunity number

F26AS00030

Funding type

Grant

Funding purpose

Environment

Status

Open (posted)

Application deadline

Closes November 20, 2026(21 days left)Agency note: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, ET, on the listed application due date.This program requires the submission of applications online through GrantSolutions.gov as applicants will receive an acknowledgment of application receipt. GrantSolutions automatically generates an electronic date and time stamp in the system upon application receipt. Applicants are encouraged to verify the completeness of their application package before submission using the checklist provided in this Funding Opportunity.

Published award range

$10,000 – $14,162,000

Estimated total program funding

$14,162,000

Expected number of awards

15

Cost sharing or match required

Yes

Eligible applicants (official categories)

• State governments

Relevant to

Neither businesses nor nonprofits are listed

Geographic restrictions

None stated in structured data (federal opportunities are often nationwide). Check the eligibility details and full announcement for any limits.

Assistance Listing (CFDA)

15.615

Official source

View on Grants.gov ↗

Application URL

www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/363856 ↗Apply through Grants.gov (Workspace) using the application package on the official listing, unless the full announcement names a different submission system.

Source identifier

Grants.gov opportunity ID 363856 · Funding opportunity number F26AS00030

Posted

September 14, 2026 · Source last updated September 14, 2026

Last verified

October 29, 2026 (against Grants.gov)

Data completeness

100% of key fields published by the source

Record confidence

highVerified against the official source; key fields present; no open issues.

Eligibility details (from the agency)

Only State and Territorial (hereafter, "State") agencies that have entered into a cooperative agreement pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA and have provided the information necessary for the annual renewal (reconfirmation) of their cooperative agreement are eligible to apply for funding. While funding may only be awarded to States, groups such as counties or conservation organizations may work with a State agency that has a cooperative agreement on conservation efforts that are mutually beneficial, as a subgrantee. Projects must support at least one listed species" most recent FWS-approved recovery planning document in which habitat loss is identified as a threat and habitat protection is identified as a priority recovery action.The specific parcel(s) of land proposed for acquisition with grant funds, or as non-Federal cost share, must be identified and sufficiently described to facilitate merit review based on the evaluation criteria listed in this Funding Opportunity. Parcels must be individually identified but can be grouped and described for evaluation purposes at the property or transaction level.Applications must include a commitment to funding for, and implementation of, management of the land in perpetuity consistent with the conservation needs of the species.A property may not be submitted for funding consideration under both the Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land Acquisition Grant Program in the same fiscal year.Projects must involve voluntary conservation efforts within the United States. Applications cannot include FWS Full-Time Equivalent costs.Neither funding awarded through this opportunity, nor the associated non-Federal cost share, may be used to satisfy regulatory requirements of the ESA, including complying with a biological opinion under Section 7, fulfilling Federal mitigation, minimization, and/or monitoring requirements of an HCP permitted under section 10, or any other Federal regulatory mitigation requirement (e.g., mitigation for Clean Water Act permits).State administrative costs must either be assumed by the State or included in the application in accordance with Federal requirements. Applications may not be submitted to cover administrative costs alone.Generally, only expenses incurred and budgeted during the period of performance are reimbursable; the period of performance begins with the effective date established at the time the grant is approved. However, a State may request reimbursement of pre-award costs for certain necessary expenses detailed in the grant application. Pre-award costs are those incurred prior to the approval of the grant where such costs are necessary to comply with the proposed period of performance. Such costs are allowable only if the grant is awarded, only to the extent that they would have been allowable if incurred after the date of the award, and only with the written approval of the awarding agency (2 CFR 200.458).

Description (from the official listing)

First awarded in fiscal year (FY) 2001, Recovery Land Acquisition grants promote State and Federal cooperation in listed species conservation by leveraging funds to acquire specific parcels of land, through fee simple or conservation easement, in support of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)-approved recovery plans and outlines. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) conveys the importance of recovery plans as a central organizing tool for guiding the recovery process by requiring their development for every listed species.

Agency contact

Kelly Niland Kelly_Niland@fws.gov
Kelly_Niland@fws.gov