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F25AS00332 Highlands Conservation Act – Competitive Funding Round

Fish and Wildlife Service

This open federal grant from Fish and Wildlife Service supports agriculture & rural-focused work and is available to eligible applicants, with applications due Oct 31, 2026. It provides awards up to $25K–$3.9M.

Open the official Grants.gov listing
Deadline
Oct 31, 2026
Award amount
Up to $25K–$3.9M
Expected awards
4
Posted
May 19, 2026
Opportunity number
F25AS00332
CFDA
15.667

Opportunity description

The Highlands Conservation Act Program (HCA) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the protection of land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. HCA grants support land conservation projects in which a State, County, or Municipal entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to conserve resources of high conservation value.Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region.Funding appropriated under the HCA is typically divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for the Competitive Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Base Funds. A project may not be proposed for funding in both funding opportunities.More information on the HCA program is available at www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant

Who can apply

  • State governments

Only the Lead State Agency (or Agencies) as determined by the Governor of each Highlands State may be the applicant for funding under the Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program. If the Governor assigns multiple Lead Agencies, those Agencies must coordinate on funding requests prior to submission and ensure no more than the maximum allowable amount is requested through this funding opportunity. All or part of the funds received by the Lead State Agency may be subawarded to a County or Municipality within the Highlands Region, or to another State Conservation Agency.The current Lead State Agencies are:Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Contact Matt Starr: matthew.starr@ct.govNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Contact Lynn Kovach: lynn.kovach@parks.ny.govNew Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. Contact Liz Ward: elizabeth.ward@highlands.nj.govPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Contact Dan Pierce: danipierce@pa.gov

Funding

Award floor
$25K
Award ceiling
$3.9M

Agency contact

Fish and Wildlife Service

Shelley DiBona Shelley_DiBona@ios.doi.gov

Shelley_DiBona@ios.doi.gov

Applying for this grant

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Official Grants.gov listing

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