F25AS00379 Highlands Conservation Act - Base Funding Round

Closed Posted

Opportunity number
F25AS00379
Agency
Applications due
Award size
$25,000 to $2,293,362

Opportunity facts

Assistance listings
Funding instrument
Grant
Category
  • Natural Resources
Eligible applicants
  • State Governments
Points of contact

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting applications for land conservation grants through the Highlands Conservation Act Base Funding Round, with an application deadline of October 31, 2026.

Eligible applicants are restricted to the designated Lead State Agency from each of the four Highlands States—Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania—as determined by each state's Governor. Lead State Agencies may subaward funds to counties, municipalities, or other state conservation agencies within the Highlands Region. A mandatory 50 percent non-federal cost share is required.

The Service is distributing $9,173,450 in base funding across approximately four awards, with each state eligible to request up to $2,293,362. Award amounts range from a floor of $25,000 to a ceiling of $2,293,362. Projects must be completed within four years from the award date, with an anticipated project start date of January 1, 2027. Period of performance extensions may be considered under extenuating circumstances.

Eligible projects are land acquisition projects—fee-simple acquisition or conservation easements from willing sellers—located within the Highlands Region or in municipalities within the Highlands Expansion Opportunity Area approved by the Service. Funding covers acquisition costs, appraisals to Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition standards, surveys, title work, environmental assessments, closing costs, and administrative costs up to five percent of the grant award.

Merit review evaluates whether projects demonstrate high conservation value for at least one of six resource types: water, forest, agricultural, wildlife, recreational, or cultural resources, with clarity of demonstration scored at 0–50 points. Projects must also align with Trump Administration and Department of Interior priorities, including energy initiatives, AI implementation, and water management objectives, with alignment scored at 0–20 points. Projects must score at least 35 points in presidential and departmental priority criteria to be eligible for funding.

The Assistance Listing number is 15.667. Award notices are anticipated for September 2026. Applicants must register in SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity Identifier before submitting applications through Grants.gov or GrantSolutions.

Synopsis

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 Base Funding Round in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Competitive 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

Eligibility

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.govIn FY 2026, $9,173,450 in Base funding is available for grants to Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Each State may request up to $2,293,362 in Base funding. The earliest anticipated project start date is January 1, 2026. Project periods will be no longer than 4 years from the date the grantee is notified of an award. Period of performance extensions may be considered under extenuating circumstances. If the funds are unspent when a grant closes and the HCA grant program is still actively funded, unspent funds will be returned to the program to be redistributed through the next Competitive Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity. If each of the four eligible States does not request the full $2,293,362 available, remaining funds will be distributed through either the concurrent or the next Competitive Grant Round Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Files

File Type Posted
5.19.2026 Foa_Content_of_F25AS00379.pdf PDF
PKG00292854.pdf PDF

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