National Fish Passage

To restore native fish and other aquatic species to self-sustaining levels by reconnecting habitat that barriers have fragmented, where such reconnection would not result in a net negative ecological effect such as providing increased habitat to aqua

The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) is a voluntary cooperative conservation program administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) that provides financial and technical assistance to reconnect aquatic habitats fragmented by barriers such as culverts and outdated infrastructure. Millions of aging barriers across the country fragment rivers, block fish migration, and increase flood risk to farms and communities. Removing them upgrades failing infrastructure, restores productive fishing waters, and expands public access for recreation, hunting, and fishing; all while benefiting farmers, rural communities, and local economies. What sets the NFPP apart is its cooperative, partnership-driven model. Rather than functioning as a traditional grant program, the USFWS works directly with partners to identify and fund the highest-priority projects, relying on a nationwide network of biologists and engineers at Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices. Funding is open to federal and state agencies, Tribes, non-governmental organizations, ranchers, and private landowners for project types including culvert replacements, floodplain restoration, fishway installation, low-water crossings, bypass channels, water diversion modifications, and engineering and assessment work.

Entities must be willing and able to implement program projects collaboratively with the Service.

Assistance may be used for approved projects restoring or preserving fish passage and aquatic habitat connectivity including construction, design/engineering, and support of fish passage projects.

Assistance may be used for approved projects restoring or preserving fish passage and aquatic habitat connectivity including construction, design/engineering, and support of fish passage projects.

Program funding is appropriated each fiscal year and must be obligated within two years. Awards are typically for one to five year projects.

Applicants must contact their regional fish passage coordinator and follow regional application process to apply.

See Notice of Funding Opportunity for project selection criteria and the Service's Fish Passage Program Policy at https://www.fws.gov/policy/710fw1.html. Conservation activities and projects under NFPP are selected on a regional basis based upon regional focus areas. Projects that meet region-specific priorities will receive higher priority, though staff are not prohibited from implementing high-value habitat improvement projects outside of these priorities areas.

Projects are reviewed and selected by Regional program staff with final review and approval conducted by Regional and Headquarters program staff. Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Award electronically via the Department's grants management system (currently GrantSolutions).

Deadlines vary based on region and subprogram. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Awards are approved annually. Unfunded projects that are ranked highly by the Regional Directors are maintained in a FWS database until the project is funded or no longer viable.

Recipients may request funding for a subsequent year/cycle of a currently funded project. However, these requests are subject to the same submission, review, and approval requirements as all new applications. This program will fund any approved renewal application as new award, not as an amendment to an existing award. Recipients may request approval for budget and project plan revisions of funded projects, including period of performance and reporting due date extensions, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.