Trout Unlimited, Inc.

Trout Unlimited, Inc., doing business as Trout Unlimited, Inc. Of Michigan, is a tax-exempt nonprofit conservation organization that serves as a federal grant recipient (not a federal contractor) delivering habitat restoration, fish passage improvement, and coldwater fishery conservation services to federal agencies through cooperative agreements and project grants. The organization operates as a prime recipient across 74% of its federal awards, with the balance split between sub-recipient positions under larger federal programs and state-administered grants; all work falls under federal grant programs administered by the Department of the Interior (Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bureau of Land Management), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and partner agencies, with no contract revenue streams present in the source data.

Trout Unlimited's capability footprint centers on designing and implementing on-the-ground aquatic and riparian habitat restoration across western and eastern watersheds. Representative work includes a $7.993 million Cooperative Agreement from NOAA's Habitat Conservation program (CFDA 11.463) awarded October 1, 2026, to replace priority fish barrier culverts in the Chena River Watershed near Fairbanks, Alaska, restoring access to nearly 50 miles of high-quality habitat for Yukon River Chinook and Chum Salmon through December 31, 2029; a $7.732 million NOAA Habitat Conservation award also dated October 1, 2026, to remove fish passage barriers and restore stream connectivity in Great Lakes tributary systems by replacing undersized culverts and bridges, reconnecting over 135 miles of high-quality habitat through September 30, 2030; a $4.368 million Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant (CFDA 15.507) awarded September 17, 2024, to upgrade six diversion structures on Elk Creek near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, opening approximately five miles of aquatic habitat; and a $3.768 million Bureau of Land Management Aquatic Resources Management award (CFDA 15.244) from September 19, 2024, to design and implement low-tech restoration treatments including beaver dam analogues and post-assisted log structures across Upper Snake, Challis, and Salmon field offices in Idaho through September 2029. Additional examples include a $1.788 million Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART grant from September 10, 2025, to upgrade eight diversion structures on Dell and Jack Creeks in Wyoming's upper Hoback River watershed, reconnecting 12 miles of habitat for Snake River Cutthroat Trout, and a $1.741 million grant from the same program to restore 10,500 linear feet of eroded streambanks and 5 acres of floodplain on Flint Creek in western Montana.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, which funds 52% of recent awards by count. Within that agency, regional offices dominate: FWS Region 8 leads with 78 awards, FWS Region 6 (Pacific Northwest) holds 53 awards, and FWS Region 1 (also Pacific Northwest) accounts for 52 awards; the broader FWS carries 71 additional awards across other regions and headquarters programs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contributes 75 awards centered on coastal and marine habitat restoration under its Habitat Conservation program. The Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management round out the top five, with BLM field offices distributed across regional administrative units (Oregon-Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana regions). By potential value, the top five agencies account for only 13% of combined potential value across the full award set, indicating that Trout Unlimited's federal footprint is dominated by high-volume, moderate-value cooperative agreements rather than large single awards.

Trout Unlimited operates exclusively through federal grant programs—primarily cooperative agreements and project grants under CFDA numbers including 15.631 (Partners for Fish and Wildlife), 15.685 (National Fish Passage Program), 15.686 (National Fish Habitat Partnership), 15.554 (Cooperative Watershed Management Program), 15.507 (WaterSMART), 15.244 (Aquatic Resources Management), 11.463 (NOAA Habitat Conservation), and others—with no access to federal contract vehicles, GSA Schedules, GWACs, or other federal procurement mechanisms. The organization is the parent of an administrative entity, 21 Schrems West Michigan, referenced in several awards as a sub-recipient or administrative support entity; the Colorado Trout Unlimited parent entity is noted in certain award narratives as well. Cooperative agreements and project grants constitute 100% of the award portfolio; the organization does not bid on or hold positions under federal contracts or IDIQs. Awards typically run 3 to 5 years, with ultimate completion dates extending through 2030 in several cases. As of mid-2026, thirty-six awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing potential recompete or renewal opportunity.

Trout Unlimited's mission is ecosystem and watershed restoration, focused on removing fish passage barriers (culvert replacement, dam removal feasibility studies, diversion structure upgrades), restoring riparian and floodplain habitat (fencing, vegetation planting, large wood placement), implementing low-tech process-based restoration (beaver dam analogs, post-assisted log structures), and supporting collaborative species recovery efforts (Lahontan cutthroat trout, brook trout, bull trout, Chinook and coho salmon, Rio Grande cutthroat trout, and other native coldwater species). The organization coordinates watershed partnerships, delivers technical assistance to landowners, manages field crews and contractors, and leads interagency coordination on federally listed threatened and endangered species recovery. Recent awards reflect alignment with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding priorities, with multiple awards explicitly supporting climate resilience, disadvantaged community engagement, and tribal co-management objectives. The organization operates across domestic watersheds in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Southwest, Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions, with administrative headquarters at 1700 N Moore Street, Suite 2005, Arlington, Virginia.