F23AS00461-Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Base Funding | F23AS00461

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00461

F23AS00461, the Highlands Conservation Act (HCA) Grant Program - Base Funding, is a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.667) that helps four states, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, permanently conserve land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. The core purpose is straightforward: support land conservation projects where a public entity acquires land, or an interest in land (such as a conservation easement), from a willing seller so that high-value natural resources are protected forever. The program is grounded in the Highlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3901) and is aimed at safeguarding the region's most important ecological, water, and habitat assets.

Projects funded through the HCA must be tied to areas identified as having high conservation value in the official Highlands studies prepared under the Act: the New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study 2002 Update and the Highlands Regional Study Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update. In practical terms, this means proposals need to align with the mapped or described priority conservation areas recognized in those documents, rather than being general open space projects outside the study boundaries or resource priorities.

A key financial feature of the program is the cost-share structure. Subject to annual congressional appropriations, each year the Governors of the four Highlands states may submit proposals seeking up to 50 percent of the total cost of eligible land conservation projects. The remaining share is expected to come from non-federal sources, typically state, county, municipal, or other qualifying partner funds. The program is designed to fund projects carried out by state conservation agencies and, through them, counties and municipalities located within the Highlands Region.

The HCA funding is split into two tracks: Base funding and Competitive funding. This notice is specifically for the Base Funding category, which is separate from the Competitive round. An important restriction is that the same property cannot be submitted for both Base and Competitive funding; applicants must choose one funding category per property to avoid duplication. The opportunity is classified as a discretionary grant program, and the listed award ceiling is $1,462,500. The original closing date for submissions under this notice is November 30, 2023.

Eligibility is limited and structured by gubernatorial designation. Only the Lead State Agency (or agencies) named by each Governor can apply directly for HCA funds. If a Governor designates more than one Lead Agency in a state, those agencies must coordinate in advance so that the total request does not exceed the maximum amount allowed through the opportunity. While counties and municipalities benefit from the program, they generally participate through subawards or coordinated projects rather than applying independently; the Lead State Agency may pass through all or part of the award to a county or municipality within the Highlands Region, or to another state conservation agency.

The current Lead State Agencies listed for this program are: the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council; and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. An online overview session for the notice was scheduled for Tuesday, August 29 at 11:00 AM Eastern, with attendance details provided by contacting the Service point of contact identified in the notice.

Beyond land protection itself, the notice emphasizes the broader public benefits the program is meant to advance. It is framed as supporting the Biden-Harris Administrations America the Beautiful initiative, including the broader 30 by 30 conservation goal. The Highlands Region is highlighted for its importance to climate resilience and drinking water protection for millions of people, and for providing outdoor recreation access in a densely populated corridor where roughly one in nine Americans live or are within a two-hour drive. The program also prioritizes conserving strategically important habitat that supports diverse fish and wildlife communities, including species the Fish and Wildlife Service considers at-risk.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00461-Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Base Funding" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.667.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-07-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-30. (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 $1,462,500.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F23AS00461

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