F23AS00103 Refuge Enhancement/Non-Infrastructure | F23AS00103

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00103

F23AS00103 Refuge Enhancement/Non-Infrastructure is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) funding opportunity offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.654 (Natural Resources). It sits within the National Non-Infrastructure Partnerships initiative, which is meant to help National Wildlife Refuge System field stations work more closely with outside partners to carry out on-the-ground and community-facing projects that strengthen refuge resources and expand public benefits. The focus is explicitly on non-infrastructure work, meaning projects are centered on stewardship, programs, and activities rather than major construction. The overall intent is to improve wildlife habitat and the visitor experience while also building stronger local engagement with refuges and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The program is designed to support partnerships that advance practical conservation outcomes and public understanding of refuges. Priority project types include habitat maintenance, restoration, and improvement activities, as well as biological monitoring and research that help refuges manage species and habitats effectively. Another major emphasis is education and outreach: developing, publishing, and distributing educational materials; creating products that raise awareness of the refuge system; and using refuges as outdoor classrooms where students can connect curriculum to real-world experiences involving fish, wildlife, plants, habitats, and the cultural and historical resources found on refuges. In addition to traditional environmental education, projects are encouraged to improve scientific literacy more broadly and to deepen the public's understanding of conservation and the role of the refuge system.

A key theme throughout the opportunity is community benefit and participation. FWS highlights goals such as enabling local communities to play a more active role in increasing outdoor recreation opportunities on refuge lands and waters, while simultaneously enhancing and sustaining wildlife habitat. Successful projects are expected to align with identified refuge needs or broader FWS priorities and to deliver tangible outcomes like improved visitor services, more or better wildlife-dependent outdoor recreation opportunities, and stronger stewardship capacity. The opportunity also points to wider agency priorities that projects can help advance, including economic and conservation enhancement, career training and mentoring for youth and adults, equity and inclusion in conservation and recreation, climate and wildlife resilience, and community health. In practical terms, that means proposals that blend habitat work with community programming, workforce development, or inclusive access to nature-based recreation may fit especially well if they are tied clearly to refuge priorities.

Eligibility is broad but comes with specific partnership requirements. Eligible applicants include state governments and a range of local government entities (counties, cities or townships, special districts, and independent school districts), federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (including groups such as 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(5) organizations). Beyond the basic applicant type, applicants must demonstrate sound organizational capacity: financial policies and procedures consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, and risk management policies that meet industry standards and show proactive, thorough approaches to mitigating and managing risk.

One of the most important gating requirements is that the applicant must already have an active formal relationship with FWS. Specifically, the organization needs a current contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FWS (at the national level, a regional office, or a field station) that clearly lays out both parties' roles and responsibilities for carrying out the type of project being proposed. The notice also clarifies that if an MOU is used to establish eligibility, an organization does not necessarily need a new MOU for each individual project as long as the existing agreement covers the kind of work being proposed. An example given is a national nonprofit with a general national MOU to conduct trail maintenance, which would not need a separate new MOU for every refuge where that same activity occurs. Applicants are required to include a copy of the relevant contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or MOU in the application package (uploaded under "Other" in GrantSolutions). For organizations that need to develop an MOU, the opportunity directs applicants to contact their local National Wildlife Refuge or Robert L. Williams for guidance.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically signals that FWS expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, coordination with refuge staff, alignment with refuge management goals, or shared implementation responsibilities). The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $5,000,000. The original closing date shown is September 10, 2023, and the opportunity was created on December 1, 2022. Applicants considering similar future funding under this initiative should treat those dates as specific to this posting and confirm current availability or reissued opportunities through official channels, but the described objectives, partnership model, and eligibility expectations reflect what this program is intended to fund.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00103 Refuge Enhancement/Non-Infrastructure" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-12-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-09-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for F23AS00103

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