What We Do
Our Services
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) provides critical resources for conservation and research to address migratory bird population needs throughout their life cycles. It is the only source of federal funding solely dedicated to the conservation of migratory birds shared throughout the Western Hemisphere.
protecting millions of acres of diverse habitat across the Americas while building powerful alliances along the way.
The NMBCA grant program funds projects on an annual cycle. Each year, a panel of Service staff and outside experts review eligible project proposals and make recommendations for funding to the FWS Director. The Director approves the projects for funding on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. An Advisory Group convened by the Secretary of the Interior then makes policy recommendations to the program.
Projects funded through NMBCA help prevent species from being listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, with priority given to more imperiled species listed on the Service’s Birds of Conservation Concern 2021 report.
Our Projects and Initiatives
Since 2002, the NMBCA has provided more than $94.2 million in grants to support 747 projects in 43 countries. These projects have positively affected more than 6 million acres of bird habitat and spurred partnerships on multiple levels contributing an additional $363 million. The networks that have developed as a result of NMBCA funding have evolved into powerful conservation alliances.
You can learn more about the projects by visiting our project summary database.
Our Laws and Regulations
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act authorizes the grant program and establishes broad guidelines for its management.
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Our Services
The NMBCA program provides matching grants to Neotropical migratory bird conservation projects throughout the Western Hemisphere, with at least 75 percent of funding going to projects outside the United States. The competitive grants require that grant requests be matched by partner contributions at no less than a 3-to-1 ratio.
