Forest Basin Fund

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Forest Basin Fund (CFDA 15.651) to support wildlife and plant conservation in Central Africa's tropical forest basins, with the most recent grant award disbursed on January 4, 2025. The program has funded 175 awards totaling $119.9 million in federal obligations since 2008, though award cadence has been irregular—ranging from 1 award in 2022 to 14 in 2019, with 2 awards in 2025 and 7 in 2024. Recent grant opportunities have been posted, with a Central Africa Regional Program Bushmeat Notice of Funding Opportunity (F24AS00433) posted September 4, 2024, with a due date of November 18, 2024.

The program funds concrete conservation activities in Central Africa's 10 COMIFAC countries: counter-poaching and anti-wildlife-trafficking operations; protected area management and governance strengthening; community engagement and livelihood development; law enforcement capacity building; wildlife monitoring and population surveys; and research addressing conservation threats such as bushmeat hunting and transhumance impacts on protected species. Recent awards reflect this scope: a $2.29 million Cooperative Agreement for counter-wildlife-trafficking and ecoguard operations in Nouabale Ndoki National Park (Congo); a $230,631 Project Grant supporting community development and human-wildlife conflict mitigation in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Congo); and a $230,828 Project Grant improving management and monitoring in Lomami National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo).

The portfolio is predominantly Project Grants (85 percent of 148 awards) with a smaller share of Cooperative Agreements (15 percent, 27 awards). Fish and Wildlife Service Region 9 Headquarters dominates funding, obligating $103.8 million across 61 awards, while the parent Fish and Wildlife Service obligated $16 million across 113 awards and the Department of the Interior obligated $113 thousand in 1 award. Combined federal and non-federal obligations total $219.2 million, indicating a $99.3 million non-federal match. Representative award magnitudes range from $62,587 to $5.8 million, with a median around $230,000 to $632,000 for smaller Project Grants and $800,000 to $2.5 million for multi-year Cooperative Agreements.

Eligible applicants include federal, state, and local government agencies; non-profit and non-governmental organizations; and public and private institutions of higher education. Funding decisions are normally made no later than 180 days after proposal receipt. The program is active and worth pursuing for organizations capable of delivering measurable conservation results in Central African protected areas or landscapes.