Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program - Fiscal Year 2021 | F21AS00354

Opportunity Information: Apply for F21AS00354

The Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program for Fiscal Year 2021 is a competitive grant opportunity run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to help federally recognized Tribal governments develop and carry out wildlife conservation work. The program is meant to support projects that benefit wildlife populations, wildlife habitat, and species that hold Tribal cultural or traditional importance, including species that are not hunted or fished. In practice, TWG is designed to strengthen Tribal capacity to plan, manage, and implement on-the-ground conservation on Tribal lands, many of which sit next to lands managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI), making coordination and landscape-level conservation especially relevant.

TWG sits alongside the broader State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program and is authorized under long-standing federal wildlife conservation authorities, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. Its specific Tribal set-aside traces back to congressional direction in the DOI and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-63), which instructed that a portion of SWG appropriations be used to establish a separate competitive program for Tribes. Importantly, the notice emphasizes that this Tribal program is set up as its own competitive grant program and is not subject to the other provisions or requirements that apply to the SWG portion, giving the Service flexibility to tailor the program to Tribal applicants and Tribal conservation priorities.

The types of projects supported are broadly framed around initiating, developing, or implementing conservation programs and activities that improve conditions for wildlife and habitat. The opportunity also highlights outcomes that often matter directly to Tribal communities, such as increasing fish and wildlife populations that can expand or improve hunting and fishing opportunities both on and off Tribal lands. Another major theme is alignment with Endangered Species Act (ESA) conservation needs: TWG-funded work can help support recovery actions that contribute to downlisting or delisting species, or help prevent additional species from needing ESA listing by addressing threats early through habitat and population work.

Eligibility is limited to federally recognized Tribal governments, specifically those listed in the official Federal Register notice of Indian entities recognized and eligible to receive services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), issued under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-454). The opportunity notes the then-most-recent list citation as 81 FR 5019 (January 29, 2016). While only federally recognized Tribal governments can apply as direct applicants, Tribal organizations and other partners may still be involved through the Tribe as sub-grantees or contractors, allowing Tribes to bring in technical expertise, field capacity, or specialized services while keeping the Tribe as the accountable recipient.

FY 2021 included specific compliance and readiness requirements tied to managing existing TWG awards. Applicant Tribes had to be current on administrative and financial reporting for any open TWG grants to be eligible to compete for new funds. After a proposal is received, the Service indicates it will notify the Tribe within five business days if any required reports are outstanding, and the Tribe then has thirty days to correct those issues. If overdue interim or final performance reports, or interim or final financial status reports, are not brought up to date within that window, the new proposal is deemed ineligible and removed from consideration in the FY 2021 cycle. The program also adds an additional review step for Tribes that already have two or more active TWG projects and are applying for another award. In those cases, the Service reviews why existing grants remain open to ensure there are no correctable implementation problems. Tribes with a strong track record and demonstrable progress are not penalized, but Tribes that have taken no significant action on any one of multiple existing awards may be found ineligible for new funding until the issue is resolved. The notice describes possible ways to resolve this, such as documenting progress, correcting misunderstandings about project activity, or canceling an inactive grant so the obligated funds can be recovered and made available for other Tribes in a future cycle.

Key administrative details for this opportunity include the funding opportunity number F21AS00354, categorized as a discretionary grant under the Natural Resources activity area (CFDA 15.639). The awarding agency is the Fish and Wildlife Service. For FY 2021, the application closing date listed was June 18, 2021. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) was $200,000.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program - Fiscal Year 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.639.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-03-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-18. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for F21AS00354

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