What We Do
The State Wildlife Grant Program is unique in that it gives States and Territories the decision-making authority to allocate Program resources based on each jurisdiction鈥檚 highest priorities for species and habitat protection. The Program is also unique in that it targets conservation of our Nation鈥檚 valued wildlife heritage before populations decline to levels that could require listing under the Endangered Species Act. State and Territorial agencies direct Program funding to conservation of federally petitioned and candidate species, which often benefit from well-timed, proactive measures like habitat management. Other activities such as captive rearing or research and monitoring can establish new populations of fish and wildlife and provide necessary data that the Service can use in determinations of 鈥渘ot warranted鈥� for Federal listing. The agencies also use Program awards to help implement fish and wildlife management actions identified in Service recovery plans for federally listed species, often supporting Service delisting and downlisting decisions through conservation action at state and local levels.
Source of Funds
Funding for the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program is appropriated annually by Congress. These funds are apportioned to agencies of the states, commonwealths, D.C., and U.S. territories based on a formula that takes into account each jurisdiction鈥檚 population size and total land area.
Grant funds are awarded to recipient agencies for approved projects, with the federal share covering up to 75 percent for planning grants and 65 percent for implementation grants. In addition to base funding, Congress sets aside a portion of the total appropriation for the Competitive State Wildlife Grant Program, which supports larger-scale or multi-state conservation initiatives. These matching requirements promote shared investment in conservation and help foster collaboration across agencies, partners, and regions.
Conservation Priorities
Identified and described in State Wildlife Action Plans, 鈥渟pecies of greatest conservation need鈥� include many species experiencing significant population declines. Threats to these species are described in the Plans, including such factors as habitat loss and fragmentation, competition from non-native plant and animal species, and other stressors. The Plans identify these species鈥� habitats, as well as actions needed to restore and maintain viable populations of these species.
The Plans also outline the methods the state and territory agencies will use to monitor species populations and to measure the effectiveness of their conservation actions, enabling recipients and their partners to adaptively manage these priority species.
The State Wildlife Grant Program, administered by the Office of Conservation Investment, provides a unique resource that helps States and Territories focus on targeted species in a proactive fashion, and helps them identify and reverse species population declines before restoration becomes more difficult and costly.