Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program | F22AS00160

Opportunity Information: Apply for F22AS00160

The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program (Funding Opportunity Number F22AS00160, CFDA 15.615) is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that helps states protect habitat needed to recover species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). First offered in FY 2001, the program is designed to strengthen state and federal cooperation by using grant funds to help acquire targeted parcels of land that are important for the recovery of listed species. The acquisition can happen either through fee-simple purchase (outright ownership) or through conservation easements (permanent, legally binding restrictions that conserve habitat while the land may remain in private ownership). The core idea is to secure priority habitats in a way that directly supports recovery actions that the Service has already approved.

A defining feature of this opportunity is its tight link to ESA recovery planning. The program is specifically intended to fund land purchases that advance Service-approved recovery plans and recovery outlines. Under the ESA, recovery plans are a central organizing tool for bringing a species back to a secure status, and the statute requires plans to be developed for each listed species. This grant program operationalizes those plans by helping states acquire the specific lands that recovery planning has identified as essential, such as breeding areas, migration corridors, critical habitat features, or other high-value conservation parcels that remove threats and improve long-term prospects for species recovery.

Eligibility is limited to state governments, and the requirements are strict. Only state agencies that have an active Cooperative Agreement under Section 6(c) of the ESA may apply, and they must also have submitted the information required for the annual renewal (reconfirmation) of that Cooperative Agreement. If a state agency has not met both conditions, it will not be considered for funding. Although only states can receive awards directly, the program anticipates and allows partnerships: other parties such as counties, conservation organizations, or similar groups can participate and help carry out conservation efforts in collaboration with an eligible state agency, typically as subgrantees working under the state-led project.

For the FY 2022 cycle reflected in the notice, the opportunity was posted on February 18, 2022, with an original application closing date of April 26, 2022. The funding instrument is a grant under the environment funding activity category. The listed award ceiling is $11,162,000, indicating the maximum amount that could be awarded under the opportunity. The administering agency is the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the program is positioned as a practical habitat-protection tool: it leverages funding to secure real estate interests that are directly tied to recovering federally listed species through actions already laid out in approved recovery documents.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.615.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-02-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-26. (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 $11,162,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F22AS00160

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