The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with other federal agencies, has announced $122.4 million in grants through the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC). These grants will fund large-scale conservation efforts across 42 states, 19 tribal nations, and 3 U.S. territories.
The competitive grant awards are funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, additional federal conservation programs and private funding sources.
RELATED: USDA making $500 million available for new conservation easements
Federal spending is expected to attract at least $8.7 million in matching contributions from public and private partners, bringing the total conservation investment to $131.1 million. Notably, 42% of the 2024 ATBC funding will support projects led by indigenous communities and organizations.
Created in 2022, the ATBC set a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. This decadelong, locally focused effort looks to conserve, restore and connect lands, waters and wildlife that sustain life. Since the program’s inception, more than 45 million acres of the nation’s natural areas have become part of the initiative.
“By working together across the federal family, and through private-public partnerships, we have built an enduring path to support hundreds of locally led collaborative conservation projects across the country,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said. “The America the Beautiful Challenge has advanced engagement with tribes, funding a record amount of tribally led efforts and elevating the use of indigenous knowledge to benefit endangered species and treasured landscapes.”
To simplify access to these funds, federal agencies created the ATBC, a centralized competitive grant program for large-scale conservation and restoration projects. The 2024 ATBC request for proposals received 331 pre-proposals totaling $677 million in funding requests, with NFWF and its partners inviting 133 applicants to submit full proposals. The grants selected reflect roughly 18% of the total demand, highlighting the highly competitive nature of the ATBC.
These grants will allow states, tribal nations, U.S. territories, nonprofits, academic institutions and other recipients to create and carry out high-priority restoration efforts on both public and private lands. The program is designed to promote the development and implementation of comprehensive landscape-level projects that:
Address key conservation and restoration needs.
Demonstrate benefits for fish and wildlife.
Improve carbon sequestration and storage.
Engage and benefit communities, including underserved populations.
Foster connections between people and nature.
Support existing conservation plans, incorporating indigenous knowledge.
Help protect ecosystems and communities through resilience-based, nature-driven solutions.
A full list of the 2024 grants awarded through the ATBC can be found here. For more information about the program, including eligibility criteria, funding priorities, and submission requirements, visit the NFWF ATBC webpage.
Photo by Pixabay
The post America the Beautiful program awards $122 million for major conservation efforts appeared first on Government Market News.