The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is inviting federally recognized tribes to submit project proposals for the Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) program. The TWG program is designed to fund tribal projects which benefit wildlife and their habitat, particularly to protect those species which have cultural or traditional importance and are not hunted or fished. Project proposals are to be submitted through Regional USFWS offices and must be postmarked September 4, 2012, or earlier to be considered.
Proposals are evaluated according to resource benefit, performance measures, work plan, budget, capacity building and their partnerships and contributions. The funds may be used for salaries, equipment, consultant services, subcontracts, acquisitions and travel. Some examples of uses for TWGs are:
• Planning for conservation of fish and wildlife, and their habitats
• Conservation management actions for fish and wildlife, and their habitats
• Field and laboratory research related to fish and wildlife resources
• Natural history studies
• Habitat mapping or evaluation
• Field surveys and population monitoring
• Conservation easements
• Restoration of habitat
• Management of invasive species
• Public education relevant to the proposed project
In FY 2012, TWG program funding was $4.2 million and 23 projects were funded. This is a decrease from FY 2011 when program funding was $6.9 million and 38 projects were funded. Congress has not yet agreed to FY 2013 spending levels but the USFWS notice assumes that the funding level for this program will be similar to the FY 2012 level. The maximum project award size is $200,000 and $25,000 is the minimum. Due to the large number of applicants each year, less than 20 percent of proposals are funded. The full FY 2013 TWG Application Kit may be found at: http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/graphics/TWG_APPLICATION_KIT.pdf
Please let us know if we may provide additional information regarding the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Tribal Wildlife Grant program.
