Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation | F17AS00071

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00071

Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00071) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, focused on science, monitoring, and applied conservation work for migratory birds. The project is specifically aimed at advancing the conservation of grassland birds within the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture geographic area, a major landscape where habitat conditions, land use, and conservation partnerships strongly influence bird populations. The opportunity is framed around addressing documented declines in grassland bird species by supporting conservation actions and related assessment activities that can improve habitat outcomes across this region.

The Service indicates it intends to make a single award, with an expected award count of one and an award ceiling of $50,000. The funding instrument is a grant, and the program is listed under CFDA 15.655. The opportunity was created on March 24, 2017, with an original closing date of March 31, 2017, signaling a short application window typical of certain targeted or time-sensitive federal funding actions.

A key feature of this announcement is that it is effectively a directed or intended award: the Service states it plans to award the grant agreement to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Ducks Unlimited is identified as the selected recipient due to what the agency describes as unique qualifications, including demonstrated expertise in grassland conservation work that directly addresses grassland bird declines, along with extensive working relationships with the partners and private landowners associated with the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture. In practical terms, this emphasizes the importance of established on-the-ground partnerships in large, privately owned working landscapes, where conservation success often depends on trust, coordination, and the ability to implement habitat practices with landowners and local stakeholders.

The statutory authority for the funding is broad and rooted in cornerstone federal wildlife conservation laws. The announcement cites the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Together, these authorities support federal involvement in conserving wildlife and habitats, coordinating wildlife considerations alongside land and water resource actions, and protecting migratory birds. Referencing multiple authorities signals that the work is intended to align with established federal mandates for migratory bird conservation, habitat protection, and cooperative conservation approaches.

Eligibility information included in the source data lists eligible applicants as nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education). However, the narrative portion of the announcement makes clear that the Service has selected Ducks Unlimited, Inc. for this particular award based on its qualifications and partner network within the Joint Venture. Overall, the opportunity describes a focused, comparatively small grant meant to support targeted monitoring, assessment, and conservation actions for grassland birds in the Northern Great Plains, leveraging Ducks Unlimiteds capacity and relationships to produce measurable conservation progress in a region of high importance for migratory bird populations.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.655.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 24, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 31, 2017. (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 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F17AS00071

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