Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program | F20AS00044

Opportunity Information: Apply for F20AS00044

The Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program is a nationally competitive federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Its purpose is to provide funding to state, commonwealth, and territory fish and wildlife agencies, along with their partners, to carry out on-the-ground conservation work that benefits fish and wildlife species and the habitats they depend on. A key feature of this program is that it is not limited to game species; it also supports conservation for species that are not hunted or fished, which often have fewer dedicated funding sources.

Projects funded through C-SWG must directly support implementation of an approved State Wildlife Action Plan (often called a SWAP). These plans lay out each jurisdiction's priority species, habitats, threats, and specific conservation actions, and they must be approved by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (or a designated official). In practical terms, this means proposals need to clearly connect proposed activities to specific SWAP goals, strategies, or actions, rather than describing general conservation benefits in broad terms.

Funding priority is expected to focus on Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), which are species identified in State Wildlife Action Plans as facing significant conservation challenges. The program also encourages applicants to consider the broader funding landscape for these species, meaning proposals should reflect awareness of where gaps exist and how C-SWG funds would address needs that are not already adequately supported through other programs or sources.

Because the program is competitive at the national level, proposals are evaluated and ranked against each other using scoring criteria published each year in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Those criteria are developed in coordination with state, commonwealth, and territory fish and wildlife agencies and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), which helps ensure the scoring approach reflects shared conservation priorities and practical realities across jurisdictions. Applicants should expect that strong proposals will align closely with the published annual criteria and make a compelling case for conservation impact, feasibility, and relevance to SWAP implementation.

For the specific opportunity listed (Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00044), the assistance is provided as a discretionary grant under CFDA 15.634, within the environment and natural resources category. Eligible applicants include state governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the opportunity materials. The opportunity was created on January 10, 2020, and had an original closing date of April 10, 2020. The maximum award amount (ceiling) was $1,000,000, and the program expected to make about 18 awards under this notice.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Competitive State Wildlife Grant (C-SWG) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.634.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 10, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 10, 2020. (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.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 18 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F20AS00044

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