Coastal Program | F17AS00225

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00225

The Coastal Program grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00225) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It is offered through a cooperative agreement, which typically means funded projects are carried out with active involvement and coordination between the recipient and the federal agency rather than being a hands-off grant. The program sits within the broader areas of environment, natural resources, and science and technology-related work, and it is associated with CFDA number 15.630.

At its core, the opportunity is designed to provide both technical assistance and financial support through partnerships that focus on coastal fish and wildlife habitat. The intent is practical and place-based: partners work together to identify priority coastal areas, assess habitat needs, and then protect, restore, or otherwise improve habitats that are important for fish and wildlife. The emphasis on partnerships signals that the program expects collaboration across agencies, organizations, and landowners, with projects shaped by shared conservation goals and on-the-ground feasibility.

Funding can be used for several related types of work. This includes habitat assessments and planning, which can involve evaluating current habitat conditions, identifying limiting factors for species or ecological function, and designing restoration or protection strategies. It also includes direct coastal habitat protection and restoration activities, which may involve actions such as restoring wetlands, improving coastal marsh function, reconnecting tidal flows, stabilizing or re-vegetating shorelines using nature-based approaches, removing barriers to fish passage, or protecting key habitats through agreements or other conservation measures. Importantly, the opportunity allows for work on both public and private lands, reflecting a recognition that meaningful coastal conservation often requires projects that cross ownership boundaries and engage private landowners alongside public entities.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is broadly open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language that may have been included in the full announcement. In practice, this kind of coastal habitat program commonly involves applicants such as state and local governments, tribal governments, nonprofits, universities, and other conservation partners, as well as collaborations that include private landowners, though the specific terms would be governed by the full notice and any agency guidance.

The legal authority for the program is grounded in longstanding federal fish and wildlife conservation statutes, specifically the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a-c, 747e-742j) and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958 (16 U.S.C. 661-667(e)). These laws support federal involvement in conserving fish and wildlife resources and coordinating habitat conservation efforts, which aligns with the program's focus on collaborative, habitat-centered work in coastal areas.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on May 23, 2017, with an original closing date of May 28, 2017, indicating a very short application window for that particular posting. The listed award ceiling is $45,203, and the announcement notes expected awards as 0, which can sometimes indicate that funding decisions were tied to specific internal planning, that awards were contingent on available funds, or that the posting functioned as a mechanism for a narrow set of cooperative actions rather than a broad competitive cycle. Regardless, the stated purpose remains clear: to leverage partnerships and targeted investments to assess, plan, protect, and restore high-priority coastal habitats that sustain fish and wildlife.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Coastal Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 23, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 28, 2017. (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 $45,203.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F17AS00225

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