The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking grant proposals from applicants interested in conducting projects that will benefit some of Washington’s most imperiled wildlife.

The Wildlife Diversity Grant Program aims to support recovery actions for a suite of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) that are state-listed or candidates for listing. Grant funding can also be awarded for projects aimed at collecting data and information on species abundance, distribution, and habitat associations with priority for those whose habitats are under significant threat of incompatible development, land use, or resource management.

Funding for the Wildlife Diversity Grant program comes from a significant investment by the state legislature to restore and protect biodiversity in Washington, and the Department expects this funding to be available in future biennia to continue this grant program.

Priority Activities for Funding
Priority activities include:

Implementing recovery and conservation actions for eligible Washington endangered, threatened, sensitive, and candidate species that directly and measurably benefit species populations. These projects contribute to increased species abundance, distribution, population health, or clear abatement of direct threats.
Collecting data and information on the abundance, distribution, habitat associations, or natural history of eligible state endangered, threatened, sensitive, and candidate species, with additional priority given toward species whose habitat is under significant pressure from development, land use, or resource management (i.e., shrubsteppe, eastside forest, prairies, and oak woodlands).

Completing direct actionable steps toward achieving increased populations of eligible species (e.g., conservation translocation feasibility studies) or baseline data collection (e.g., developing survey protocols or assessing habitat use) for eligible species.

Ineligible activities include habitat restoration, conservation easements, land acquisition, outreach and education, and projects that primarily target benefits for species outside the WDFW Wildlife Diversity Division’s scope of responsibility, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, wolves, and harvested wildlife.

Review the grant opportunity announcement for more details on priority, eligible, and ineligible activities for inclusion in grant proposals, including a list of eligible species.

How to apply
Grant applicants must email their complete proposal to WildlifeDiversityGrants@dfw.wa.gov no later than 11:59 pm on May 5, 2024. Please refer to the grant announcement for instructions on the required application components and their formats.

Agency contact info
Questions and communications concerning this grant opportunity may be directed to:

Jenna Judge
Wildlife Diversity Assistant Division Manager
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
WildlifeDiversityGrants@dfw.wa.gov