F27AS00009 2027 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Announcement
Funds multistate wildlife and sport fish conservation, management, habitat, public-use, and R3 projects for state fish and wildlife agencies and eligible partners, including the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Watching.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV · TRIBAL ENTITIES · SINGLE NAMED INSTITUTION
⚑ Primarily a multistate/state-agency conservation program; public universities are not listed as direct eligible applicants. · Fishing or boating R3 activities are eligible only under T-MSCG; hunting and target shooting R3 are under R3-MSCG. · Includes a special eligibility provision for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a State or group of States for the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Watching. · Non-U.S. jurisdictions are not eligible and do not count toward multistate-benefit thresholds.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topics: environment, public_health; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research; university can only partner, not lead |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 40 partial | technical depth: minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 5 none | not openly competed |
Description
Multistate Conservation Grants (MSCG) are authorized under 16 U.S.C. 669h-2 and 16 U.S.C. 777m, providing funding for wildlife restoration and sport fish restoration projects and recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects that address regional or national priority needs of State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners that are beyond the scale, scope, and capabilities of a single State. The priority needs, also known as Strategic Priorities, are identified annually by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) with input from State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners. Recipients awarded Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) may use the funds for wildlife or sport fish projects involving research, restoration, conservation and management of wild birds, wild mammals, sport fish, and their habitats. These funds may also be used for projects providing for public use and benefit from these resources, including hunter safety and education, aquatic education, and recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation. Recipients awarded R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG) may use the funds for hunting and target shooting R3 projects that promote a national hunting and target shooting recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities. Multistate Conservation Grants are awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the FWS and AFWA work cooperatively to manage the grant program.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants also include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or a State or group of States, for the purpose of carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Watching. For purposes of the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP), "States" include the 50 U.S. States; the District of Columbia (eligible under Sport Fish Restoration only); the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands; and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Canadian provinces and other non‐U.S. jurisdictions are not eligible applicants and are not counted when determining whether a project benefits more than 50 percent of the States in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service region or regional association of State fish and wildlife agencies.Eligible species include wild birds, wild mammals, or sport fish. Sport fish are defined as aquatic, gill-breathing, vertebrate animals with paired fins, having material value for recreation in the marine and fresh waters of the United States.Eligible activities for T-MSCG funding include projects involving research, surveys, restoration, conservation, management, habitat improvement, and providing for public use and benefit from these resources, including R3 activities and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation. Fishing or boating R3 activities are only eligible for T-MSCG funding. Hunting and target shooting R3 activities, including related communication and outreach activities, are also eligible for R3-MSCG funding.Eligible projects must address one of the 2027 AFWA Strategic Priorities.Eligible projects must demonstrate a benefit to:At least 26 States; ORA majority (over 50%) of the States in a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region; ORA majority (over 50%) of the States belonging to a regional association of fish and wildlife agencies.For benefit‐counting purposes, "States" refers only to the jurisdictions defined under "Eligible applicants," and does not include Canadian provinces or other non‐U.S. partners that may participate in regional associations. The District of Columbia may be included as a benefiting State only when the project involves activities eligible under Sport Fish Restoration.Proposals must list the regions and abbreviations for all States that will benefit and briefly describe how the project will benefit the region and States identified. Please review the FWS regions at https://www.fws.gov/about/regions and the regional associations of fish and wildlife agencies at https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-acts/regional-associations.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Fish and Wildlife Service <karen_bennett@fws.gov>
Proposal brief
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions
Legacy IPPRA LLM assessment (v2.0, for comparison)
28/100 · gpt-5.4-mini · 2026-07-06
This is primarily a wildlife/fish conservation and recreation program, not an IPPRA core research area. There is some overlap through survey work, public-use/recreation behavior, and potentially communication around outdoor resource management, but the program is mostly oriented to conservation and R3 activities rather than social/behavioral research. Public universities appear eligible in some cases, but the opportunity is not centered on the kind of policy/behavior research IPPRA would typically lead.
Legacy scoring history
| 2026-07-06 | 28 | gpt-5.4-mini | This is primarily a wildlife/fish conservation and recreation program, not an IPPRA core research area. There is some overlap through survey work, public-use/recreation behavior, and potentially communication around outdoor resource management, but the program is mostly oriented to conservation and R3 activities rather than social/behavioral research. Public universities appear eligible in some cases, but the opportunity is not centered on the kind of policy/behavior research IPPRA would typically lead. |
| 2026-07-06 | 10 | gpt-5.4-mini | This program is primarily a wildlife, fish, habitat, and recreation management grant, with most eligible activities focused on biological research, restoration, conservation, and R3 outreach. While there is a small survey/communication element, it is tied to hunting and fishing participation rather than IPPRA’s core strengths in policy, risk communication, or human behavior in technical systems. Public universities appear eligible in limited cases, but the topical fit is too tangential for IPPRA. |