Requests for Proposals (RFP) are now being accepted for the America the Beautiful Challenge, which is expected to award up to $116 million in grants this year for landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects.
The funds will be provided through the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), according to a Mach 1 Department of the Interior press release.
The program launched in 2022 to fund projects that carry out conservation plans that are currently in place nationwide, the release stated. The project is a partnership between the departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Defense, NFWF and Native Americans in Philanthropy.
“Nature is essential to the health, well-being, and prosperity of every family and every community in America,” said Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland. “Through the America the Beautiful Challenge, we are catalyzing investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to pursue locally led, collaborative, and inclusive approaches to conservation to advance climate resilience, create jobs, strengthen our economy, and ensure that everyone has access to nature, now and for future generations.”
The challenge offers competitive grants funded from a variety of sources like the BIL, private sources, and federal programs. Funding will be allocated for tribal projects and matching funds for those projects will be covered by the Native Americans in Philanthropy, the release stated.
“The America the Beautiful Challenge offers an opportunity to expand and strengthen our work with partners to support locally led conservation efforts,” said Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack. “USDA is proud to support the second year of the challenge to broaden the reach of our programming to benefit communities across the country.”
According to the NFWF, the challenge is looking to fund projects with the following themes:
1. Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds.
2. Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, and important ecosystems serving as carbon sinks.
3. Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes.
4. Improving ecosystem and community resilience to flooding, drought, and climate-related threats.
5. Expanding access to the outdoors with a focus on underserved communities.
Grant pre-proposals are due April 20 and full proposals are due July 20. Awards will be announced in November.
