Joint Ventures - Improving the Science Foundation for Bird Conservation | F19AS00098

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00098

The Joint Ventures - Improving the Science Foundation for Bird Conservation opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00098) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant designed to strengthen science-based bird conservation across the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Joint Venture (UMGLJV) region. The core purpose is to help partners implement effective conservation projects that are grounded in solid monitoring and applied research, especially work that improves the regional science foundation used to make habitat and management decisions for priority bird species. The UMGLJV has already developed an Implementation Plan and associated conservation strategies that spell out habitat, monitoring, and research needs, with a strong focus on JV focal species. Applicants are expected to align proposed work with those plans and clearly explain how the project contributes to filling key information gaps or testing assumptions that were used when the plans were created.

In terms of what the funder is looking for most, proposals that focus on monitoring and applied research tend to rise to the top, particularly when the results will improve conservation decision tools at larger geographic scales, such as a Bird Conservation Region or similarly broad regional framework. In other words, projects that generate information useful beyond a single site, property, or small local study area receive higher priority, as long as they are still practical and tied to UMGLJV decision-making needs. The opportunity also encourages applicants to explicitly connect their work to State Wildlife Action Plan priorities and to highlight benefits to JV focal species. While the emphasis is on science that supports conservation decisions, the program may also consider proposals for coordination, outreach, planning, and habitat restoration or enhancement if those efforts directly contribute toward UMGLJV plan goals and if funding remains available after higher-priority science needs are addressed.

A key requirement is that every application must make a clear case that the outcomes are regional in scope, not just local. That regional relevance should be explained in the narrative, typically by showing how results will be transferable, how they will feed into UMGLJV planning tools, or how they will help evaluate or refine the assumptions and models embedded in the JV Implementation Plan. The application must also include a minimum 1:1 match, meaning at least one non-Federal dollar must be provided for every federal dollar requested from the Joint Venture. The match must be secured, and the specific partners contributing that match must be identified. If the project depends on multiple funding sources to reach its full budget, the proposal needs to list each source and clearly state whether it is confirmed or still pending.

The program is run as a discretionary grant under the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, with the activity category listed as Natural Resources and CFDA number 15.637. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and local governments; public and state-controlled colleges and universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (other than institutions of higher education); and individuals. The award ceiling is $50,000, and the opportunity anticipated making about five awards. The original posting indicates a creation date of February 11, 2019 and an original closing date of April 30, 2019, with application instructions provided in the attached Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Applications are expected to follow a fairly structured narrative format. Proposals should include a project title; principal investigator contact information; a brief project summary or abstract; an introduction that covers background, justification, and any hypotheses being tested; clear objectives; and a detailed scope describing the location or study area along with methods. Applicants should also spell out anticipated outcomes, provide a timeline organized by primary tasks, cite relevant literature, and include a budget table with a budget narrative that explains major cost items and how funds will be used. A crucial evaluation point is the explicit linkage between the proposed monitoring or research and the UMGLJV Implementation Plan, so applicants need to state that connection directly rather than implying it.

Reporting and accountability are also emphasized. At the end of the project, recipients must deliver a professional project report that includes an abstract, detailed background, methods, results, discussion, and management implications, with a focus on how the findings inform conservation actions and decisions. For multi-year projects, annual interim reports are required. The opportunity notes that future-year funding for multi-year efforts cannot be guaranteed, but if a multi-year project is selected initially, continued funding may be conditionally approved in later years depending on circumstances and availability of funds. For applicants requesting indirect costs, the request must be supported by an approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, which is a standard federal requirement.

Finally, the notice flags scheduling constraints tied to federal appropriations. Because of potential delays in appropriations, projects should not plan for a start date earlier than October 1, 2019. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at partners who can deliver regionally meaningful monitoring and applied research (and, secondarily, targeted coordination or habitat work) that directly strengthens UMGLJV conservation planning and improves the decision tools used to conserve priority bird species across the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes landscape.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Joint Ventures - Improving the Science Foundation for Bird Conservation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.637.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2019 See attached NOFO for application instructions.. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals.

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