Funding Sources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
North American Wetlands
Conservation Act (NAWCA) Grants–Large
Grants
Application deadlines: March and July
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan, established to conserve our continent’s remaining wetlands and increase migratory bird populations, is funded with appropriations from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). This international effort is funded with the Large Grants program (up to $1,000,000 in federal funds), used to manage, restore and/or acquire habitat. NAWCA also funds a Small Grants program (up to $75,000 in federal funds). Both programs target permanent protection and/or restoration projects that benefit migratory birds, with a strong emphasis on waterbirds, federally endangered species and wetlands. A much smaller Migratory Bird Conservation Fund has not yet been used in Maine, but may be available to target acquisition of habitat for declining populations of migratory birds without the focus on wetlands and waterbirds.
In Maine, we have received 14 Large NAWCA grants, contributing $11.75 million, matched with $117.1 million of other federal, state and private funds to permanently protect nearly 1.5 million acres of high value wetland and waterbird habitat. Another Large NAWCA grant is currently pending. While many Maine projects have focused on coastal fee and easement acquisition where high value habitat for waterbirds, diadromous fish and endangered species are concentrated, some of the largest Maine projects have been completed on landscape–scale inland tracts, with easements established to eliminate residential development options, provide for sustainable harvest by timberland owners and ensure benefits in perpetuity for fish and wildlife resources. Large NAWCA projects have ranged in size from 636 acres to 762,202 acres.
The Maine Wetlands Protection Coalition meets regularly to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in Maine by identifying land protection priorities, and coordinating many of the successful grant application efforts. Members of the Coalition include Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy–Maine Chapter, Ducks Unlimited, Trust for Public Land and our U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program office. If you are interested in applying for a Large NAWCA grant, we encourage you to coordinate with the Maine Wetland Protection Coalition [215K PDF]. For NAWCA grants in Maine, we recommend contacting a member of the Maine Wetlands Protection Coalition early in the process of developing your grant proposal and then submitting a completed "Application and Guidance for Proposal Endorsement" (download in Word format [61K] or PDF format [39K]).
To be nationally competitive, Large NAWCA proposals should provide:
- 200% or more in non-federal matching funds. Non-federal match can be derived from donated lands, bargain sales, cash, or in-kind services. Lands used as match must be permanently protected in fee or easement ± two years from the date of the grant application.
- Wetland and associated upland habitat values for waterbirds and federally threatened and endangered species. Habitat for searun fish and other migratory bird species of concern in our region can also add a competitive edge to proposals.
- Lands proposed for protection should not have been purchased by a conservation group before the grant application is submitted.
- In general, NAWCA requires that all other funds for a project should be in-hand or firmly pledged, prior to submitting a NAWCA proposal. NAWCA funds are not designed to serve as “catalyst” dollars in a fundraising campaign.
View a map listing and locating all NAWCA-funded projects in Maine (119K PDF).
View a slide show to see examples of successful projects funded with Large NAWCA grants in Maine.
For more information, contact Stewart Fefer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program (207-781-8364, x17; stewart_fefer@fws.gov) or Andrew Milliken, Regional NAWCA Coordinator (413-253-8687; Andrew_milliken@fws.gov
NAWCA web page: http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/index.shtm
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