Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program – Competitive Funding
At a glance
Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program – Competitive Funding is a closed federal grant opportunity from the Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior). The application deadline was November 1, 2021. Individual awards are listed as $25K – $8.59M, with $8.59M 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
- Jul 23, 2021Posted
- Nov 1, 2021Application deadline
- Posted
- Jul 23, 2021
- Close date
- Nov 1, 2021
- Award floor
- $25,000
- Award ceiling
- $8,592,839
- Est. total funding
- $8,592,839
- 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. If the Governor assigns multiple Lead Agencies, those Agencies must coordinate on funding requests prior to submission and ensure no more than the maximum allowable amount is requested through this funding opportunity. Each Agency may submit multiple applications to this Competitive grant round. A State Conservation Agency may subaward a grant to another State Conservation Agency.
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. A separate Notice of Funding Opportunity will be posted for Base Funds. A property may not be proposed for funding from both the Base and Competitive funding opportunities.
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 predictionAgency contact (as published)
Fish and Wildlife Service
jason_rasku@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”?
The official notice lists 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”?
Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $25k – $8.59m and total estimated program funding is $8,592,839.
How do I apply for “Highlands Conservation Act Grant Program – Competitive Funding”?
Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity F21AS00585), 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.
Related open opportunities
Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.
F25AS00332 Highlands Conservation Act – Competitive Funding Round
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- $25K – $3.85M
- Closes
- Oct 31, 2026
- Who can apply
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F25AS00379 Highlands Conservation Act - Base Funding Round
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- Oct 31, 2026
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- State governments
F26AS00071 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants
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F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026
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- Closes
- Oct 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- State governments, County governments, City or township governments and 12 more
F26AS00030 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program
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- $10K – $14.2M
- Closes
- Nov 20, 2026
- Who can apply
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F26AS00083 Aquatic Invasive Species Grants to Great Lakes States - Fiscal Year 2026 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Fish and Wildlife Service- Award range
- $100K – $600K
- Closes
- Dec 31, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice) and Unrestricted (any entity type)