The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) joined its public partners to announce $122.5 million in grants through the America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative: America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC). The 61 new grants announced today will support landscape-scale conservation projects across 42 states, three U.S. territories and 19 Tribal and Native Nations. The grants will generate at least $8.7 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $131.2 million.
ATBC grants support projects that conserve, restore and connect habitats for wildlife while improving community resilience and access to nature. The America the Beautiful Challenge is a partnership between the Department of the Interior (though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Forest Service), the U.S. Department of Defense, Native Americans in Philanthropy, and NFWF. The competitive grant awards were made possible with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, other federal conservation programs, and private sources.
"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," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. "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. These innovative investments will leave a lasting legacy on our nation’s lands and waters."
To streamline access to these funds, federal agencies established the ATBC in May 2022 to create a centralized and simplified competitive grant program for landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects that contribute to conservation plans across the nation. Now in its third year, the 2024 ATBC request for proposals received 331 pre-proposals requesting $677 million for conservation efforts. Of those, NFWF and partners invited 133 applicants to submit full proposals. The grants announced today address about 18% this overall level of demand, illustrating the highly competitive nature of the ATBC.
"Now in its third year, the ATBC continues to showcase the depth and breadth of conservation and restoration need across the country," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. "From salmon in Alaska’s Yukon River to monarch butterflies in Texas and black ducks in New Jersey, the 61 grants … will support voluntary efforts to improve the vitality and resilience of the nation’s fish, wildlife, habitats, and communities."
These projects will enable states, Tribal and Native Nations, U.S. territories, nonprofits, academic institutions, and other grantees to develop and implement multijurisdictional, high-priority restoration projects on both public and private lands. The program is intended to encourage the development and implementation of voluntary, diverse and comprehensive landscape-level projects that:
- Address priority conservation and restoration needs.
- Showcase cumulative benefits to fish and wildlife.
- Enhance carbon sequestration and storage.
- Engage with and benefit communities, including underserved communities.
- Connect people with nature.
- Advance existing conservation plans and/or are informed by Indigenous Knowledge.
- Help safeguard ecosystems and communities through resilience-focused and nature-based solutions.
The ATBC consolidates funding from multiple federal agencies and the private and nonprofit sector, enabling applicants to develop and pursue large-scale or complex, locally led projects that collaboratively address shared priorities across public and private lands. This is demonstrated by projects co-funded between agency partners—made possible through NFWF’s unique grantmaking model. The program supports projects that contribute to one or more of the following focal areas:
- Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands and watersheds.
- Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks.
- Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds and seascapes.
- Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought and other climate-related threats.
- Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities.
A complete list of the 2024 grants made through the ATBC is available here. To learn more about the program, including applicant eligibility, funding priorities and submission requirements, visit the NFWF ATBC webpage.