Land Acquisition 2025

Wildlife Conservation Board · State of California

At a glance

Land Acquisition 2025 is an open California state grant opportunity from the Wildlife Conservation Board (State of California). Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Total estimated funding is $100M. Applicant types listed as eligible include nonprofit, public agency and tribal government. It is listed on the California Grants Portal. Cost sharing is not required.

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Opened: Apr 22, 2025
Close date: Ongoing
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: Not specified
Est. total funding: $100,000,000
Expected awards: Not specified
Matching funds: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant

Program details (as published on the California Grants Portal)

Type: Grant
Funding source: State — Multiple funding sources, which are variable depending on timing.
Matching funds: Not Required — Cost share is not required but may be beneficial, in particular to complete a larger project. Applications with higher proportions of secured cost share contribution towards total project cost will score more points through the “Cost Share” application evaluation criterion
Funding method: Advances & Reimbursement(s)
Estimated number of awards: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Estimated award amounts: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Award period: 1 year from board
Expected award announcement: Continuous
Letter of intent: Required
Geography: Statewide
How to submit: By email: WCBpreapps@wildlife.ca.gov
Latest change note: Application acceptance paused until after the new FY

Who can apply

Applicant categories as listed on the California Grants Portal. GrantsJunction maps them to detailed applicant types for search and matching.

Nonprofit
Public Agency
Tribal Government

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Purpose and description as published on the California Grants Portal.

Purpose

The WCB acquires real property or rights in real property on behalf of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and can also grant funds to other governmental entities or nonprofit organizations to acquire real property or rights in real property.

Description

All acquisitions are made on a "willing seller" basis pursuant to a fair market value appraisal as approved by the Department of General Services (DGS). The acquisition activities are carried out in conjunction with the CDFW, which generally entails CDFW evaluating the biological values of property through development of a Full WCB Real Property Acquisition Application. Once these evaluations are completed, they are submitted to CDFW’s Director for review and approval and then sent to the WCB with a recommendation to fund. Typically this process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. Concurrent to this the WCB regularly meets with CDFW to help evaluate and set acquisition priorities as new opportunities present themselves.

Program page on the agency site ↗

How to apply

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Read the program guidelinesThe agency's solicitation or guidelines set eligibility details, scoring criteria and required documents. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type and location (see Geography above).
Submit the letter of intentThis program asks for a letter of intent before the full application; check the guidelines for its due date.
Find out how to submitBy email: WCBpreapps@wildlife.ca.gov
Request letters of support and partner commitmentsPartners need time to write and sign letters; ask early.
Finish a full draft of the application and budgetFollow the guidelines' format exactly; state programs often require specific forms and attachments.
Ask the program contact any questions earlyJohn Walsh · john.walsh@wildlife.ca.gov Open ↗
Internal review and sign-offLeave time for leadership or board approval and a final proofread.
Submit while funds remainSubmit a few days early and keep your submission confirmation.

Past applications & awards

Historical data · not a prediction

Reported by the agency for this listing

Fiscal year 2025–2662 applications · 11 awards
Fiscal year 2024–250 applications · 0 awards

Counts as published on the California Grants Portal. Award counts can read zero until decisions are announced.

Program contact (as published)

John Walsh
john.walsh@wildlife.ca.gov
1-916-539-8016

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Land Acquisition 2025”?

The official listing names these applicant types as eligible: Nonprofit, Public Agency and Tribal Government. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full guidelines.

How much funding is available through “Land Acquisition 2025”?

Per the notice, total estimated program funding is $100,000,000.

How do I apply for “Land Acquisition 2025”?

Applications go directly to Wildlife Conservation Board, not through GrantsJunction. Submission: by email to WCBpreapps@wildlife.ca.gov. Read the program guidelines on the agency's site first; state programs set their own forms and registration requirements.

Other open California state opportunities, matched on agency, categories and wording.

OpenState of California