Search Through Fisheries Grants in California in the U.S.

The Santa Clara County Fish and Game Commission is accepting grant applications for enhancement projects related to fish and wildlife resources in Santa Clara County. 

The Commission, established by the County Board of Supervisors in 1960, has a special Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund used to protect, conserve, propagate, and enhance fish and wildlife within Santa Clara County.

Healthy and natural ecosystems are vital. That is why the Commission seeks to minimize the effect of human intervention on the environment with funds from grants. This supports the goals of protecting, enhancing, and restoring fish and wildlife. Commission activities are governed by the California Fish and Game Code (Sections 13100-13104).

All requests should be submitted at least 17 days prior to the Fish and Game Commission meetings to be considered at the upcoming meeting. 

Projects that may qualify non-profit organizations to receive Commission funding include:

• Hosting events focused on wildlife and fisheries education.
• Holding youth field days or other fish and wildlife activities.
• Improving fish and wildlife habitats.
• Providing temporary emergency treatment and care to injured or orphaned wildlife. 

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Overview

When the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) was created by the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1947, it was authorized to acquire and restore California lands to protect wildlife values and provide wildlife-oriented public access. The Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Program (HERP) was WCB's first program and incorporated all restoration projects until other WCB programs were initiated in 1990.

HERP continues to support a wide variety of restoration projects that fall outside WCB’s other mandated programs. HERP projects are distributed throughout California and all habitat types. Broad categories of HERP projects include, but are not limited to:

• Habitat restoration (e.g., coast, forest, desert, wetland, grassland)
• Wildlife corridors
• Fisheries enhancements (e.g., fish ladders, barrier removal)

Most HERP funding is provided by the Habitat Conservation Fund and various voter-approved bonds.

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

Purpose

These guidelines establish the process, procedures, and criteria through which the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will award and administer competitive grants with funds made available by Public Resources Code section 80132, subdivisions (d), (e)(2), and (g), for projects that improve a community’s ability to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change; improve and protect coastal and rural economies, agricultural viability, wildlife connectivity, or habitat; develop future recreational opportunities; or enhance drought tolerance, landscape resilience, and water retention in accordance with statewide priorities (PRC §80130).

Rivers and Streams Grants

Restoration of rivers and streams for fisheries and wildlife, including dedicated funding for the Klamath-Trinity Watershed. 

Proposition 68

The California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, And Outdoor Access For All Act Of 2018 (Proposition 68) funding for CDFW grants for projects that:

• improve a community's ability to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change
• improve and protect coastal and rural economies, agricultural viability, wildlife corridors, or habitat
• develop future recreational opportunities, or
• enhance drought tolerance, landscape resilience, and water retention

The CDFW Watershed Restoration Grants Branch distributes Proposition 68 funds on a competitive basis to projects that address these priorities:

• River and Stream Restoration - Restoration of rivers and streams for fisheries and wildlife
• Southern Steelhead Habitat Restoration - Restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration - Improvement of conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries

Proposition 68 funds supports three types of projects: 1) planning, 2) implementation, and 3) acquisition projects.

Fish and Wildlife Improvement Grant Program

Funding is available for PRC section 80132(g) for to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries. Eligible projects include acquisition of water from willing sellers, acquisition of land that includes water rights or contractual rights to water, short- or long-term water transfers or leases, provision of water for fish and wildlife, or improvement of aquatic or riparian habitat conditions. 

• Improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas and estuaries;
• Acquisition of water from willing sellers;
• Acquisition of land that includes water rights of contractual rights to water;
• Short- or long-term water transfers or leases;
• Provision of water for fish and wildlife; and
• Improvement of aquatic or riparian habitat conditions. 

Funding

Funding for competitive grants will be contingent upon fund availability. Proposition 68, passed by California voters in June 2018, amended the PRC to add, among other articles, section 80132, subdivisions (d), (e)(2), and (g), authorizing the Legislature to appropriate up to $25,000,000 to CDFW to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including $5,000,000 in the KlamathTrinity watersheds; up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to restore Southern California Steelhead habitat; and up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries; respectively. 

Proposition 68

The California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, And Outdoor Access For All Act Of 2018 (Proposition 68) funding for CDFW grants for projects that:

• improve a community's ability to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change
• improve and protect coastal and rural economies, agricultural viability, wildlife corridors, or habitat
• develop future recreational opportunities, or
• enhance drought tolerance, landscape resilience, and water retention

The CDFW Watershed Restoration Grants Branch distributes Proposition 68 funds on a competitive basis to projects that address these priorities:

• River and Stream Restoration - Restoration of rivers and streams for fisheries and wildlife
• Southern Steelhead Habitat Restoration - Restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration - Improvement of conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries

Proposition 68 funds supports three types of projects: 1) planning, 2) implementation, and 3) acquisition projects.

Rivers and Streams Grant Program

Funding is available in PRC section 80132(d) to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including, but not limited to, reconnection of rivers with their floodplains, riparian and side-channel habitat restoration, and restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems that are important for fish and wildlife resources.

• Restoring, protecting or enhancing riparian, and aquatic, habitat;
• Reconnecting historical flood plains;
• Installing or improving fish screens;
• Modernizing stream crossings, culverts, and bridges;
• Providing fish passage;
• Restoring river channels;
• Improving ecological functions;
• Improving local watershed management;
• Restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems; and
• Removing sediment or trash.

Funding

Funding for competitive grants will be contingent upon fund availability. Proposition 68, passed by California voters in June 2018, amended the PRC to add, among other articles, section 80132, subdivisions (d), (e)(2), and (g), authorizing the Legislature to appropriate up to $25,000,000 to CDFW to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including $5,000,000 in the KlamathTrinity watersheds; up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to restore Southern California Steelhead habitat; and up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries; respectively.

Proposition 68

Funding is available in PRC section 80132(d) to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including, but not limited to, reconnection of rivers with their floodplains, riparian and side-channel habitat restoration, and restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems that are important for fish and wildlife resources. Of the funds made available by PRC section 80132(d), at least $5,000,000 will be available for restoration projects in the Klamath-Trinity watershed for the benefit of salmon and steelhead. 

• Restoring, protecting or enhancing riparian, and aquatic, habitat;
• Reconnecting historical flood plains;
• Installing or improving fish screens;
• Modernizing stream crossings, culverts, and bridges;
• Providing fish passage;
• Restoring river channels;
• Improving ecological functions;
• Improving local watershed management;
• Restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems; and
• Removing sediment or trash.

The CDFW Watershed Restoration Grants Branch distributes Proposition 68 funds on a competitive basis to projects that address these priorities:

• River and Stream Restoration - Restoration of rivers and streams for fisheries and wildlife
• Southern Steelhead Habitat Restoration - Restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration - Improvement of conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries

Proposition 68 funds supports three types of projects: 1) planning, 2) implementation, and 3) acquisition projects.

Rivers and Streams Grant Program – Klamath-Trinity Watershed

Funding is available in PRC section 80132(d) to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including, but not limited to, reconnection of rivers with their floodplains, riparian and side-channel habitat restoration, and restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems that are important for fish and wildlife resources. Of the funds made available by PRC section 80132(d), at least $5,000,000 will be available for restoration projects in the Klamath-Trinity watershed for the benefit of salmon and steelhead.

• Restoring, protecting or enhancing riparian, and aquatic, habitat;
• Reconnecting historical flood plains;
• Installing or improving fish screens;
• Modernizing stream crossings, culverts, and bridges;
• Providing fish passage;
• Restoring river channels;
• Improving ecological functions;
• Improving local watershed management;
• Restoration and protection of upper watershed forests and meadow systems; and
• Removing sediment or trash.

Proposition 68

The California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, And Outdoor Access For All Act Of 2018 (Proposition 68) funding for CDFW grants for projects that:

• improve a community's ability to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change
• improve and protect coastal and rural economies, agricultural viability, wildlife corridors, or habitat
• develop future recreational opportunities, or
• enhance drought tolerance, landscape resilience, and water retention

The CDFW Watershed Restoration Grants Branch distributes Proposition 68 funds on a competitive basis to projects that address these priorities:

• River and Stream Restoration - Restoration of rivers and streams for fisheries and wildlife
• Southern Steelhead Habitat Restoration - Restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat
• Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration - Improvement of conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries

Southern Steelhead Grant Program

Funding is available for PRC section 80132(e)(2) for restoration of Southern California Steelhead habitat consistent with the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan and the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan. 

• Providing fish passage;
• Modernizing stream crossings, culverts, and bridges; and
• Restoring or enhancing habitat. 

Projects that remove significant barriers to steelhead migration and include other habitat restoration and associated infrastructure improvements will be the highest priority (PRC §80132[e][2]).

Funding

Funding for competitive grants will be contingent upon fund availability. Proposition 68, passed by California voters in June 2018, amended the PRC to add, among other articles, section 80132, subdivisions (d), (e)(2), and (g), authorizing the Legislature to appropriate up to $25,000,000 to CDFW to restore and protect rivers and streams in support of fisheries and wildlife, including $5,000,000 in the KlamathTrinity watersheds; up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to restore Southern California Steelhead habitat; and up to $30,000,000 to CDFW to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in streams, rivers, wildlife refuges, wetland habitat areas, and estuaries; respectively. 

Summary

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Sacramento District California In-Lieu Fee Program provides a mitigation option that can be used by permittees to compensate for authorized impacts to aquatic resources. The Program covers the geographic area under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District within the State of California (Program Area).

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (“NFWF”) Sacramento District California In-Lieu Fee Program (“ILF Program”) was established in October 2014 and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“USACE”), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the California State Water Resources Control Board, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board (each an “Agency” and collectively the “Agencies”) in accordance with the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources Final Rule (33 CFR Parts 325 and 332; and 40 CFR Part 230) (the “2008 Rule”). 

The Sacramento District California In-Lieu Fee Program (Program) was developed in compliance with the 2008 Final Rule on Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources (33 CFR Parts 325 and 332; 40 CFR Part 230) (Rule). The Rule was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 10, 2008.

The Program was approved for use by the USACE Sacramento District, the EPA, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the State of California Water Resources Control Board, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, for impacts authorized by any of these regulatory agencies under:

• the Clean Water Act,
• the Rivers and Harbor Act,
• the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act,
• the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable laws.

The Program operates by making available mitigation credits (Credits) for purchase by permittees (with the approval of the applicable regulatory agencies), which Credits may be used to satisfy the compensatory mitigation requirements applicable to such permittees for their impacts to aquatic resources (often referred to generally as wetlands).

In accordance with the 2008 Rule, the Program uses a comprehensive watershed approach to:

• evaluate threats to and losses of wetlands within the Program Area;
• develop and prioritize restoration objectives in the Program Area;
• create a collaborative and strategic approach to selecting, siting, and implementing individual mitigation projects; and
• apply the proceeds of Credit sales to pay for the implementation and completion of those projects.

The Program establishes two Credit types that are made available in multiple geographic service areas to provide compensation for authorized impacts to aquatic resources as follows:

• Vernal Pool Credits for authorized impacts to vernal pool wetlands in 12 Vernal Pool Service Areas that are based on the vernal pool regions identified in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Vernal Pool Recovery Plan; and
• Aquatic Resource Credits for authorized impacts to wetlands (excluding vernal pools), other Waters of the U.S., Waters of the State of California and aquatic species in 17 Aquatic Resource Service Areas that are based on individual river systems.

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

The Baldwin Hills Conservancy is an independent State agency within the Natural Resources Agency of the State of California. State law established the Baldwin Hills Conservancy in 2000 (division 22.7 of the Public Resources Code commencing with section 32550). Its jurisdiction includes the land currently located in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (KHSRA); the Baldwin Hills Community; the surrounding property bordered to the south by Slauson Avenue and to the east by La Brea Avenue, including the spur of land extending from Stocker Street to an area between La Brea Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard; Ballona Creek and adjacent property within a quarter mile of Ballona Creek on either side; and from the Santa Monica Freeway (Interstate 10) to the Marina Freeway (Interstate 90). The Baldwin Hills Conservancy mission is to:

• Acquire open space and manage public lands;
• Provide recreation, restoration and protection of wildlife habitat; and
• Enhance the public’s enjoyment and educational experience on public lands in the territory in a manner consistent with the protection of lands and resources in the area.

Purpose of Proposition 1

• Protect and increase the economic benefits arising from healthy watersheds, fishery resources and in-stream flow.
• Implement watershed adaptation projects in order to reduce the impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems.
• Restore river parkways throughout the state, including but not limited to projects pursuant to the California River Parkways Act of 2004 and urban river greenways.
• Protect and restore aquatic, wetland and migratory bird ecosystems including fish and wildlife corridors and the acquisition of water rights for in-stream flow.
• Fulfill the obligations of the state of California in complying with the terms of multiparty settlement agreements related to water resources.
• Remove barriers to fish passage.
• Collaborate with federal agencies in the protection of fish native to California and wetlands in the central valley of California.
• Implement fuel treatment projects to reduce wildfire risks, protect watersheds tributary to water storage facilities and promote watershed health.
• Protect and restore rural and urban watershed health to improve watershed storage capacity, forest health, protection of life and property, storm water resource management, and greenhouse gas reduction.
• Protect and restore coastal watersheds including but not limited to, bays, marine estuaries, and near shore ecosystems
• Reduce pollution or contamination of rivers, lakes, streams, or coastal waters, prevent and remediate mercury contamination from legacy mines, and protect or restore natural system functions that contribute to water supply, water quality, or flood management.
• Assist in the recovery of endangered, threatened, or migratory species by improving watershed health, instream flows, fish passage, coastal or inland wetland restoration, or other means, such as natural community conservation plan and habitat conservation plan implementation.
• Assist in water-related agricultural sustainability projects.

Strategic Plan Priorities

The Strategic Plan calls for the prioritization of watershed protection and recreation projects that feature multiple benefits which is consistent with the language objectives of the bond. Most state agencies have a statewide jurisdiction with broad geographic boundaries. The Baldwin Hills Conservancy has a focused jurisdiction in the most compact and heavily populated geographic district in the State. The Conservancy possesses a broad mission, including providing recreation, protection of natural resources, interpretation and restoration of habitat. This structure positions the Conservancy well to implement multiple benefit projects that benefit the Ballona Creek Watershed.

The Conservancy will seek to align its funding and project priorities with other local agencies and their Integrated Water Management Plans in order to help implement priorities in the Governor’s California Water Action Plan 2016. The Conservancy will continue to support preliminary project planning, working with grantees to design and develop shovel-ready projects that can compete for grant funding from the Conservancy and other local, state and federal agencies.

Based on the priority issues within our jurisdiction, reviewing existing state plans, and screening for projects that achieve multiple benefits, serve disadvantaged communities, and result in quantifiable outcomes, the Conservancy identified three priorities for Proposition 1 expenditures. The three priorities are:

• Resource Protection: Advance the optimal management of resources in the watershed in order to achieve conservation benefits, improve ecosystem health, and increase climate resiliency
• Habitat Restoration: Restore native habitat to improve ecosystem function and provide multi-benefit wildlife corridors, species biodiversity and other ecosystem benefits.
• Urban Greening: Build urban greening projects that increase groundwater recharge, reduce runoff, improve water quality and improve urban watershed health while creating public green-space and expanding urban forests. 

The Upper Kern Fisheries Enhancement Fund

Fund Origins

The UKF Enhancement Fund was established as part of an agreement for fisheries mitigation during the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) re-licensing of the Kern River Number 3 Hydroelectric Plant (KR3), which is located on the Upper Kern River near Kernville. It was established with an initial contribution of $2.5 million by Southern California Edison (SCE), and has grown to nearly $3.5 million while distributing close to $1.7 million in grants benefiting the Upper Kern River Basin.

MOU

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SCE and the State and Federal Resource Agencies that have an interest in the Upper Kern Basin: namely, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (previously the California Department of Fish and Game), the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These four signatories to the MOU constitute the Voting Members of the Upper Kern Fisheries Enhancement Fund Committee.

As outlined in the MOU, the specific purpose of the Fund is to grant dollars to projects that support three priorities:

• Implementation of the Upper Kern Basin Fishery Management Plan;
• Restoration of the native Kern River rainbow trout;
• Other enhancements of fisheries resources in the Upper Kern Basin upstream from Isabella Lake in Kern and Tulare Counties

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

CDFW distributes grant funds made available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (Traditional Section 6) Grant Program for threatened and endangered species conservation and recovery actions through Endangered Species Conservation and Recovery Program Grants. CDFW is responsible for managing native fish, wildlife, and plant species in California, and directs the solicitation and implementation of Traditional Section 6 Grant funded projects to promote species conservation and recovery in coordination with the USFWS through a Section 6 Cooperative Agreement. Authority for CDFW to administer the Section 6 grant program is granted through §1501.5 of the Fish and Game Code.

The primary objective of endangered species conservation and recovery grants is to support the development and implementation of state programs to conserve and recover federally threatened and endangered inland fish and wildlife species. Grant funds to support the conservation of certain marine species and anadromous fish species are administered under separate programs. Project proposals must be developed in close coordination with CDFW and USFWS biologists and identify a CDFW employee who will sponsor the project by administering the grant. Eligible projects are those which target recovery actions for species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Additionally, monitoring projects targeted at certain at-risk species such as those for which a positive federal 90-day finding has been made, species that are the subject of a proposed federal listing rule, species for which the USFWS has initiated a status review and has announced the review in the Federal Register, and species de-listed by the USFWS within the last five years are eligible. Applicants must provide a minimum of 25% of the total project cost in non-federal matching funds or in-kind services.

Focus Areas

Projects must focus on one or more of the following areas:

• Introduction of federally listed species into suitable habitats within their historic range
• Enhancement or restoration of federally listed species habitat
• Surveys and inventories of federally listed species habitats
• Federally listed species status surveys
• Propagation of federally listed animals and plants
• Research on federally listed species such as genetic analysis to determine genetic health and population structure
• Monitoring of federal candidate, at-risk and recently recovered species
• Public education and outreach tools such as website development or coordination workshops with local landowners to address a specific threat to a federally listed species identified in a federal Recovery Plan

Funding priority is given to projects that have a direct impact on the recovery of listed species, prevent extinction of a listed species or prevent the need to list a species through implementation of tasks identified in a final or draft recovery plan, recovery outline, or similar conservation or management strategy. Proposals that involve only research must produce information that can be directly used to prevent listing, recover, manage, or improve current management strategies for a species.

CDFW annually solicits project proposals for funding under the Endangered Species Conservation and Recovery Grant Program based on approved needs, topics, and/or themes which address the goals and objective of the program through the Proposal Solicitation Notice (PSN) linked in the right column of this page. The PSN contains all pertinent information needed for the submission of proposals, including, but not limited to following:

• Types of projects or themes that will be accepted;
• Current proposal and budget templates;
• Information on the proposal scoring process;
• Other specific CDFW requirements;
• Other information as applicable.

Klamath Basin Forests and Watersheds Restoration RFP

The Klamath River Basin is an ecosystem of national and regional significance. From its headwaters just south of Crater Lake in Oregon, the Klamath River flows through a complex of National Wildlife Refuges, six National Forests, and ultimately into the Pacific Ocean, covering an area of more than 12,000 square miles – approximately the size of Maryland. River, riparian, lake, and wetland habitats in the Upper Klamath Basin historically supported healthy populations of culturally and economically important fish such as Lost River and shortnose suckers. Additionally, the Klamath River was once the third-most prolific salmon run in the lower 48 states. Anadromous species of the Klamath River Basin include fall- and spring-run Chinook salmon, coho salmon, Pacific lamprey, green sturgeon, and steelhead trout. The anadromous fish of the Klamath not only have inestimable value to Tribes in the Klamath Basin, but these fish are also a major economic engine for northern California and much of the Oregon coast ocean salmon fisheries.

Today, the restoration and protection of fish habitat in the Klamath River Basin is entering a new chapter. In the summer of 2024, four dams were decommissioned and removed on the mainstem of the Klamath River. The removal of these dams in California and Oregon is the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States and will open up over 400 miles of historical anadromous fish habitat for the first time in nearly 100 years.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has been active in voluntary habitat restoration activities throughout the Klamath River Basin for over 30 years, awarding federal, state, and private funds to help voluntarily stabilize and increase the populations of native suckers in the Upper Klamath Basin and improve anadromous fish habitat below the recently decommissioned dams. NFWF in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture – U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is pleased to announce the Klamath Basin Forests and Watersheds Restoration Request for Proposals (RFP). NFWF anticipates awarding up to $11,553,000 in grant funding to support fish and wildlife conservation, restoration, and monitoring projects across the Klamath Basin.

This total includes:

• $7,040,000 from the Shasta Valley Regional Conservation Partnership Program
• $2,000,000 from the Conservation Partners Program
• $1,793,000 in Upper Klamath Watershed Resilience Funding
• $720,000 in Fremont-Winema National Forest Headwaters Enhancement and Monitoring Funding

Funding

• Shasta Valley Regional Conservation Partnership Program -
  • Anticipated award range: $200,000 - $2,000,000
• Conservation Partners Program -
  • Anticipated award range: $200,000 - $700,000
• Upper Klamath Watershed Resilience Funding -
  • Anticipated award range: $100,000 - $500,000 
• Fremont-Winema National Forest Headwaters Enhancement and Monitoring Funding -
  • Anticipated award range: $50,000 - $450,000

Fisheries Restoration Grant Program

The Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP) was established in 1981 in response to rapidly declining populations of wild salmon and steelhead trout and deteriorating fish habitat in California. FRGP administers a competitive grant program that has invested millions of dollars to support various projects throughout coastal California. Contributing partners to the program include federal and local governments, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners.

The John E. Skinner Memorial Fund was established in memory of John Skinner, former California-Nevada Chapter and Western Division AFS President. The fund provides monetary travel awards for deserving graduate students or exceptional undergraduate students to attend the AFS annual meeting. Awardees are chosen by a committee of the AFS Education Section. Selection is based on academic qualifications, professional service, and reasons for attending the meeting. Travel support up to US$1000 will be made available to successful applicants. In the event of a student electing to attend virtually, conference registration will be covered. Award winners also receive a one-year paid membership to AFS.

BackgroundCBTA is proud to be one of the few Cooperating Associations that awards academic Scholarships each year to students who have chosen to pursue an education and/or career in environmentally related fields.

This scholarship is administered through a Fund created by the Hewitt family to honor Emily M. Hewitt and to honor a student who shared her love of nature. CBTA is proud to select and award this scholarship on their behalf.

Emily M. Hewitt was a California artist, author, teacher and docent whose life found meaning when communicating her love of Nature to others. To this end, she served as a docent at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, where she authored skits, monologues and audio-visual presentations for visitors. As a University of California and California State College educated teacher, she combined literature and the natural sciences to vibrantly present her lessons.

As the first woman mayor of the City of Oakdale, California, she fought for the preservation of agricultural lands on the fringe of urbanization and established one of the first recycling centers in the state. As an artist, she captured the essence of the Sierra Nevada, the Pacific Coast, and the Sonoran Desert in oils, watercolors, fabric, clay and other media.

Purpose of Scholarships

To provide a monetary award of $3,000.00 for a promising California upper division or graduate student, who has shown an educational and career commitment to the study of the environment, shows a commitment to communicate and interpret a love of nature, and an understanding of need to practice conservation.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Local Assistance Grant

The Natural Community Conservation Planning Local Assistance Grant (NCCP LAG) Program was created to assist local public and non-profit entities in the implementation of Natural Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs) throughout California, as authorized under Fish and Game Code section 2800 et seq. Legal authority for the NCCP LAG Program is provided by Fish and Game Code section 1501.5(b), which allows the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to grant funds for fish and wildlife habitat preservation, restoration, and enhancement. CDFW offers NCCP LAGs to eligible applicants on an annual basis for the highest priority tasks needed to implement NCCPs. Highest priority tasks are identified by NCCP implementing partners along with CDFW, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) staff (i.e., “Wildlife Agencies”) throughout the preceding year.

Through our Henry Arnhold Fellowship we find leaders with promising conservation and climate solutions and help them to design and deliver them at scale.

We’re impact and scale-obsessed. Each year we select 8-10 leaders and help them (1) design high-impact scalable solutions and strategies for better, faster, bigger outcomes; (2) build the organizations to deliver them at scale; and (3) become part of a growing community of innovators in conservation and climate.

The one-year fellowship is bookended with a design retreat, comes with $100,000 in funding, and ongoing support from our team and network.

Here are the components of the fellowship in more detail:

Design and Strategy

‍The fellowship is bookended by an intensive week-long workshop to dive in on design for impact and strategy for scale. It’s a rare opportunity to focus completely on new ideas and a systematic way to apply them.

Community and Connections

We bring together a cohort of leaders committed to social justice and ending extreme poverty, alongside some great experts, consultants, and our team. Fellows join a growing community of fellows at the forefront of climate and conservation work.

Resources and Support

The fellowship comes with $100K. Learning resources are regularly shared to keep everyone informed on the latest thinking and doing. We also hold open office hours year round.

What We Look For

We look for innovative leaders with a conservation or climate solution that works and has potential to go big. We look for impact-obsessed people pioneering effective ways to:

• protect nature and ecosystems (forests, rivers, oceans, mountains, grasslands)
• slow down climate change (drop emissions, use energy efficiently, capture carbon) or adapt to the new climate reality.

Their solutions focus on everything from tropical forests in the Amazon Basin to methane emissions in the Arctic, from grasslands in Africa to fisheries in the Indian Ocean and from sustainable finance in Australia to dam removal in Africa.

Design For Impact

Our Approach to Design

All our fellows have great ideas. And want to create big change for the better. Our design tools take them all the way from a great idea to impact at scale. Scale for us doesn’t simply mean growth, nor is it just a big number. And it isn’t about an organization “scaling;” it’s about scaling the impact you want to see in the world.

We’ve found that for an organization to get to “scale” and make a big dent in a big problem it has to go through some stages 1) smart R&D to arrive at a scalable model, 2) replication by your own organization to prove scalability, and finally 3) scale via replication by others that creates the exponential growth of impact. The first part of the fellowship focuses on how to turn an idea into a systematic and replicable model. It takes them through a series of steps to get to a detailed impact model, and then serves as the vehicle of an ongoing process of iterative redesign. And then we dig into how to shepherd it through the stages to scale. It’s a systematic approach to go all the way. You can take a look at some of the design content here.

The Workshop

The main event is usually a week-long workshop on the coast of California where fellows have the opportunity to think deeply about their path to create meaningful impact at scale. We bring together founders, experts, experienced doers, and our team. It's fast-paced, interactive, and fun.

The engagement also helps Fellows work through the organizational and financial models – how to deliver the impact model and how to pay for it. Fellows work directly with our team to incorporate new information, lessons, and ideas into their model.

Fellows get to listen, learn and support each other through:

• Design & scale sessions that build on pre-work
• Iteration on design for impact and strategy for scale
• Honed communications
• Small group topical conversations
• A series of curated one-on-one conversations

They emerge with more clarity on the dream and a roadmap to help get them there.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Since our creation by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s largest private conservation foundation. We work with both the public and private sectors to protect and restore our nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. NFWF supports conservation efforts across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Since our founding, we've funded over 23,300 rigorously evaluated projects, awarded to both large environmental organizations and small local initiatives. 

Pacific Seabird Program RFP

Overview

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is accepting proposals that implement actions and fill information gaps in support of business plan focal seabird species. The Pacific Seabird program 2022–2027 business plan leverages the lessons learned from the 2021 impact assessment and 10 years of programmatic experience to develop a framework for advancing conservation of atrisk seabirds. The overarching vision of the Pacific Seabird Program Business Plan is to address the impacts of terrestrial and marine threats on focal seabird species (a full lifecycle conservation approach) towards reducing extinction risk and sustaining resilient populations. Specifically, the goal of the plan is to increase population size through improved survival and reproduction. The anticipated changes in productivity and survival are expected to increase the long-term resilience of populations to anthropogenic threats.

By directly addressing threats through supporting actions that implement 1) management of nonnative invasive species; 2) restore breeding habitat; 3) reduce seabird bycatch in fisheries, and 4) build conservation capacity and fill knowledge gaps—this business plan aims to slow or reverse population declines

Geographic Focus

The 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP) will consider projects from four broad geographies within the Pacific: 1) California Current, 2) Hawaiian Archipelago, 3) Humboldt Current, and 4) locations in the central tropical Pacific supporting priority species listed in the business plan.

Funding Opportunity Overview

The California Sea Grant College Program is now soliciting proposals for applied research projects that address California Sea Grant’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan goals and objectives within the following focus areas: Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA) and Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE). Projects that primarily address the Healthy Coastal Ecosystems (HCE) focus area are not eligible for this opportunity. Applied research (as defined in NOAA Administrative Order NAO 216-115B) is original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge, and is directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective. Proposals will be accepted into one of three tracks, each with their respective priorities and requirements: Indigenous Fisheries and Aquaculture, Graduate Research Fellowships, and Cultivate Awards. Projects that demonstrate meaningful impacts and benefits to coastal California communities and natural resources management agencies will be prioritized. Contingent upon available federal funding, the projects are expected to begin on February 1, 2026 and may be up to two years in duration. A total of $2,800,000 is available for funding across the three research tracks. Specific award maximums, match requirements and proposal requirements for each track are detailed below. There is no guarantee that funds will be available to make awards, or that any proposal will be selected for funding. If an applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an official award agreement, it does so at its own risk of not being selected or of these costs not being included in a subsequent award. California Sea Grant will not be responsible for any incurred project costs if a project fails to receive full funding.

California Sea Grant

Administered by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Sea Grant is a national network of 34 university-based programs in each of the U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states, Puerto Rico and Guam. The National Sea Grant College Program is a partnership between the nation’s universities and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, and is authorized by the United States Congress.

For over 50 years, California Sea Grant has delivered science, increased ocean literacy and engaged thousands of communities to ensure that they can enjoy and depend on California’s coastal resources, through research, education, extension and communications. California Sea Grant’s mission is to provide the information, tools, training and relationships needed to help California conserve and sustainably prosper from our coastal and marine environments. We accomplish this by collaborating with a range of local, state, regional, national, and international partners to further the generation and application of relevant scientific knowledge.

Research projects supported by California Sea Grant must contribute to our eligible strategic focus areas and goals, which are listed below. For more context and example research topics, refer to our 2024 - 2027 Strategic Plan. California Sea Grant prioritizes innovative applied research on ocean and coastal resources and processes. Research that is based in or applicable to California coastal issues are of highest priority, but transferability to regional, national, and/or international contexts is welcomed. 

Sustainable Fisheries & Aquaculture (SFA)

California’s 840-mile coastline is home to the largest ocean-based economy in the U.S. Here fishing has long played a key role in supplying healthy food, skilled jobs and other important economic and cultural benefits. An expanding aquaculture industry looking to create a steady supply of shellfish, seaweeds and finfish is now poised for growth, bringing with it skilled jobs and other benefits.

The diverse bounty of seafood sustainably landed on the state’s coast, including tuna, Dungeness crab, Chinook salmon, rockfish, Pacific mackerel, market squid and Pacific oyster, provide an important source of highly nutritious protein for many of the state’s 39 million residents and helps sustain California’s commercial and recreational seafood industries. But significant challenges threaten these industries, including extreme changes in environmental conditions, ocean acidification and hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, financial and regulatory barriers to starting or expanding business ventures, supply chain disruptions and pressure from coastal and offshore development.

California Sea Grant has identified the following goals for this focus area.

• SFA Goal 1: California's fisheries, aquaculture, seafood systems and the environments that support them are environmentally, economically and socially more sustainable and resilient to future change through the facilitation of partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.
• SFA Goal 2: California’s fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries have evidence-based information, partnerships and tools needed to support decision-making and a sustainable path forward through community engagement, collaboration and education.

Key SFA topics of priority in California from 2024-2027 include: 

• Enhancing emerging and existing fisheries and aquaculture ventures, such as:
  • Feasibility of emerging species for harvest and production 
  • Basic economic, social and natural scientific information 
  • Effects of stressors on species of interest
  • Facilitating permitting of new and expanding ventures
• Innovative approaches and applications in fisheries and aquaculture, such as:
  • Conservation and restorative aquaculture
  • New technologies and modeling approaches for fisheries management 
  • Techniques to adapt fisheries and aquaculture to a changing environment 
  • Ecosystem services and impacts of aquaculture and fisheries
• Resilient and safe seafood systems, such as:
  • Seafood availability and accessibility
  • Seafood quality, safety and supply chain transparency 
  • Fishing and aquaculture infrastructure and resources 
  • Producer to public connections and education

Resilient Communities and Economies (RCE)

People throughout California, both rural and urban, are intimately linked to the health and sustainability of the state’s coastal and marine resources. How we respond to increasing threats from changing environmental conditions and other stressors will shape the health and welfare of the coast and the people and economies that depend on it. California Sea Grant is committed to helping coastal communities increase their natural and socioeconomic resilience by supporting sea level rise/coastal hazards science and planning; exploring new ways to balance economic and natural resource sustainability; and addressing harmful activities and pollutants. Access to knowledge and the opportunity to engage in solutions are emphasized to foster sustainable coastal communities.

California Sea Grant has identified the following goals for this focus area.

• RCE Goal 1: California’s coastal communities are better prepared for extreme and chronic weather and coastal hazards, economic disruptions and other threats to community health and well-being with support from science partnerships and the (co-) production of knowledge.
• RCE Goal 2: California’s coastal communities have the information, partnerships and tools needed to support planning, policy and actions for emerging marine and coastal industries and resource management that ensure an equitable and resilient path forward.  

Key RCE topics of priority in California from 2024-2027 include:

• Understanding coastal hazards and risks, such as:
  • Projections of sea level rise and extreme weather events
  • Coastal erosion, flooding and inundation impacts and trends
  • Water quality hazards (e.g., contamination, sedimentation, saltwater intrusion)
  • Increasing compound risks to coastal habitats, communities and economies
• Coastal adaptation, hazard mitigation and resilience approaches, such as:
  • Coastal and watershed adaptation and resilience science, strategies and assessments
  • Nature-based solutions (e.g., green/natural infrastructure, hybrid infrastructure, blue carbon restoration/ mitigation)
  • Socioeconomic and cultural connections to risks, adaptive capacity and adaptation pathways
  • Adaptation strategies that draw from broad knowledges and meet the needs of Native American tribes, under-resourced and frontline communities.
  • Habitat protection, migration and transition approaches for sustaining ecosystem functions and services
• Balancing coastal and ocean uses, sustainability and conservation, such as:
  • Emerging ocean and coastal uses (e.g., offshore/marine renewable energy, marine technologies)
  • Sustainable futures for historic and current coastal uses (e.g.,working waterfronts, coastal tourism and recreation, cultural heritage sites)
  • Coastal access, livelihood, health and wellbeing

Award Information and Priority Topics

There are three research tracks that applicants may submit a proposal to: Indigenous Fisheries and Aquaculture, Graduate Research Fellowships, and Cultivate Awards. Read detailed descriptions of the three research tracks here.