Independent research tool — not a government agency. Official notices govern.Refreshed
GrantsJunctionAmerican funding, sourcedMethodology
ClosedOpportunity F20AS00230

Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2

Fish and Wildlife Service · Department of the Interior

At a glance

Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2 is a closed federal grant opportunity from the Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior). The application deadline was May 31, 2021. Individual awards are listed as $50K – $6.52M, with $6.52M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments. Cost sharing or matching is required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 15.667 (Highlands Conservation).

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

Key facts

  1. Jan 5, 2021Posted
  2. May 31, 2021Application deadline
Posted
Jan 5, 2021
Close date
May 31, 2021
Award floor
$50,000
Award ceiling
$6,524,844
Est. total funding
$6,524,844
Expected awards
Not specified
Cost sharing
Required
Funding instrument
Grant
Opportunity category
Discretionary

Who can apply

  • State governments

Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)

Only the Lead State Agency (or Agencies), as determined by the Governor of each Highlands State, may apply for funding under the Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program. Each Agency may submit multiple applications to this Competitive grant round. A State Agency is the only entity eligible to hold the interest in the land acquired. A Lead State Agency (grant recipient) may apply for funding and sub-grant awarded funds to another eligible State Agency (grant subrecipient) with approval by the Service.

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

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

The Highlands Conservation Act (H.R. 1964, 2004; 16 U.S.C. 3901) (HCA) is designed to assist Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in conserving land and natural resources in the Highlands Region through Federal assistance for land conservation projects in which a State entity acquires land or an interest in land from a willing seller to permanently protect resources of high conservation value. The USDA Forest Service (USFS) was directed by the HCA to identify lands that have high conservation value through the “New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional Study: 2002 Update” and the “Highlands Regional Study: Connecticut and Pennsylvania 2010 Update.” Subject to availability of funds through Federal appropriation, each year Governors of the four Highlands States may submit proposals for up to 50% of the total cost of land conservation projects in the Highlands Region. Proposed projects must be consistent with areas identified in the Study and Update as having high resource value. This program funds land conservation by State agencies in the Highlands Region.

Funding appropriated under the Highlands Conservation Act (HCA) has been divided into two separate categories – Base and Competitive. Eligible applicants may submit requests for Competitive Funding in response to this Notice of Funding Opportunity. This is the second Notice of Funding Opportunity for Competitive Funding announcement for FY2020 HCA funds.

Full announcement & documents

The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

Reported obligations under ALN 15.667

Historical data · not a prediction
FY24$7.5M
FY25$13.1M
FY26$9.7M est.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 15.667. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Who was funded under ALN 15.667

Historical data · not a prediction

Since October 1, 2023, 40 grant awards had funding actions under Highlands Conservation, with 2 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.

  1. DEPT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION$7.59M
  2. DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION & NATURAL RESOURCES PENNSYLVANIA$6.25M
  3. NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION$3.67M
  4. NJ HIGHLANDS COUNCIL$1.39M
Recipients, states, recent awards and sub-awards →Source: USAspending.gov.

Agency contact (as published)

Fish and Wildlife Service
Shelley_Dibona@fws.gov
22041-3803

Places named in the notice

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania

Derived from the notice text. A place being named does not by itself restrict eligibility.

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2”?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: State governments. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $50k – $6.52m and total estimated program funding is $6,524,844.

How do I apply for “Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program - Competitive Funding Round 2”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity F20AS00230), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.