Opportunity Information: Apply for F16AS00270
Apply for F16AS00270
- The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the community development, education, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Capacity Building for Monarch Butterfly Restoration" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.649.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 02, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by The recipient has been selected.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
Capacity Building for Monarch Butterfly Restoration (Funding Opportunity Number F16AS00270) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior) discretionary funding opportunity structured as a cooperative agreement. The grant is built around a straightforward conservation problem: the North American monarch butterfly migration, which spans Canada, the United States, and Mexico, has been shrinking dramatically for decades. Monarchs rely on milkweed (Asclepias species) as the only food source for their caterpillars and on a wide range of nectar plants for adult butterflies. Because monarchs use many everyday landscapes (city parks, home gardens, farms, rangelands, prairies, roadsides, and rights-of-way), the opportunity emphasizes broad, on-the-ground habitat restoration across both urban and rural areas, rather than focusing only on protected lands.
The justification for the program is the steep population decline documented over time. In the mid-1990s, fall migration counts were as high as about one billion monarchs moving from U.S. and Canadian breeding grounds to overwintering sites in Mexico. By the winter of 2013 to 2014, estimates from Mexico suggested roughly a 90 percent decline compared to the 20-year average. The grant frames this as the result of multiple, compounding pressures, especially the loss and degradation of breeding and migration habitat. It highlights specific drivers such as urban development, changes in agricultural practices, mowing and herbicide use along roadsides and utility corridors, insecticide exposure, and severe weather events that may be linked to climate change. In other words, the program is designed to rebuild the basic habitat pieces monarchs need (milkweed and nectar resources) across the places they actually travel and breed.
A major theme is that monarch recovery cannot be accomplished by a single entity or sector. The opportunity is positioned as part of a larger, coordinated response that emerged from high-level commitments in 2014, including a tri-national conservation working group announced by the leaders of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and a U.S. Presidential Memorandum directing a federal strategy to support pollinators (including monarchs). The grant stresses an "all hands on deck" approach, with a special focus on the monarchs central flyway as a geographic priority. It calls for active participation from federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofits, farmers and ranchers, transportation agencies managing rights-of-way, park systems, schools, homeowners, and private industry, reflecting how distributed monarch habitat opportunities are across the landscape.
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is central to the project concept described in the notice. The opportunity leans heavily on NWFs existing national reach and established programs that can quickly translate funding into habitat creation and public engagement. NWFs Certified Wildlife Habitat program and its broader Garden for Wildlife initiative are presented as proven tools for mobilizing residents, schools, businesses, faith communities, and local governments to plant native vegetation and create pollinator-friendly spaces. The notice points to more than 200,000 certified habitats nationally (including tens of thousands in the central flyway) and notes that NWF has regional capacity in key areas, including offices in Texas and Michigan that serve as hubs for monarch-focused outreach and support.
Another key deliverable area is local government activation and planning. The grant opportunity highlights NWFs work securing city commitments to develop monarch recovery plans and expanding participation through the Mayors Monarch Pledge, supported by a municipal solutions guide. The overall intent is to scale these kinds of jurisdiction-wide commitments so that monarch habitat improvements become part of routine city and county operations (for example, how parks are planted, how mowing is timed, and how medians, trails, and other public spaces are managed). The description also underscores partnerships that broaden implementation capacity, including the National Pollinator Garden Network, a coalition of major nonprofit and industry partners as well as connections to parks and recreation agencies through organizations like the National Recreation and Park Association.
Operationally, the cooperative agreement is meant to combine the Fish and Wildlife Services role with NWFs network and public-facing programs to recruit and activate hundreds of entities across the central flyway. The activities described include engaging cities, counties, towns, school districts, state wildlife agencies, state transportation agencies, and grassroots groups to carry out monarch habitat creation and recovery actions. In addition to local activation, the work is also intended to support stronger state-based monarch conservation plans developed with state agencies and partners, including coordination with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The overall picture is capacity building at scale: creating the relationships, commitments, guidance, and practical support that make it easier for many communities and agencies to implement monarch-friendly practices.
In terms of administrative details, the opportunity listed an award ceiling of $250,000 with one expected award. Eligibility was limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). The funding activity categories were community development, education, environment, and natural resources, reflecting that the project blends habitat work with public engagement and institutional coordination. The legal authorities cited include the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 (as amended), and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The posting date was August 2, 2016, and the notice indicates that the recipient had already been selected, meaning it is not an open application opportunity anymore, but it still serves as a clear snapshot of federal priorities and the kind of partnership-driven, landscape-scale approach the government was supporting for monarch restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity and its funding opportunity number?
The opportunity is titled "Capacity Building for Monarch Butterfly Restoration" and it is identified as Funding Opportunity Number F16AS00270.
Which federal agency offered this funding opportunity?
This was a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, within the Department of the Interior.
What type of award was used for this opportunity?
The notice describes the award as a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was expected to have an active role alongside the recipient in carrying out the work.
Is this an open opportunity that organizations can apply to right now?
No. The notice indicates the recipient had already been selected, so it is not open for new applications.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed in the notice was $250,000.
How many awards were expected to be made?
The notice anticipated one award.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education).
What problem was the grant designed to address?
The grant was built around the long-term decline of the North American monarch butterfly migration, which spans Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and has been shrinking dramatically for decades.
Why is monarch habitat restoration a focus in this opportunity?
The notice emphasizes habitat restoration because monarch population declines are framed as being driven by multiple pressures, especially the loss and degradation of breeding and migration habitat across the landscapes monarchs use.
What plants are highlighted as essential for monarchs?
Milkweed (Asclepias species) is described as the only food source for monarch caterpillars, and adult monarchs also rely on a wide range of nectar plants.
What kinds of places does the program emphasize for habitat work?
The opportunity emphasizes broad, on-the-ground habitat restoration across both urban and rural areas, including city parks, home gardens, farms, rangelands, prairies, roadsides, and rights-of-way, rather than focusing only on protected lands.
What population decline information is cited in the notice?
The notice references fall migration counts as high as about one billion monarchs in the mid-1990s and describes estimates from Mexico indicating roughly a 90 percent decline by the winter of 2013 to 2014 compared to the 20-year average.
What drivers of monarch decline are mentioned?
The notice highlights urban development, changes in agricultural practices, mowing and herbicide use along roadsides and utility corridors, insecticide exposure, and severe weather events that may be linked to climate change.
Does the opportunity focus on a specific geographic area?
Yes. The monarchs central flyway is identified as a geographic priority, with an emphasis on recruiting and activating many entities across that region.
Why does the notice stress an "all hands on deck" approach?
The opportunity frames monarch recovery as something that cannot be accomplished by a single entity or sector because monarch habitat is spread across many everyday landscapes and is managed by many different types of organizations and landowners.
What types of partners and participants are emphasized?
The notice calls for participation from federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofits, farmers and ranchers, transportation agencies managing rights-of-way, park systems, schools, homeowners, and private industry.
How does this opportunity connect to broader national and international efforts?
The notice situates the work within a coordinated response that included 2014 high-level commitments such as a tri-national conservation working group announced by the leaders of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and a U.S. Presidential Memorandum directing a federal strategy to support pollinators (including monarchs).
What organization is central to the project concept described in the notice?
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is central to the project concept and is presented as having the national reach and established programs to translate funding into habitat creation and public engagement.
Which National Wildlife Federation programs are highlighted?
The notice highlights NWFs Certified Wildlife Habitat program and its broader Garden for Wildlife initiative as tools for mobilizing residents, schools, businesses, faith communities, and local governments to plant native vegetation and create pollinator-friendly spaces.
How many certified habitats are referenced?
The notice references more than 200,000 certified habitats nationally, including tens of thousands in the central flyway.
What regional capacity does the notice mention for NWF?
The notice states NWF has regional capacity in key areas, including offices in Texas and Michigan that serve as hubs for monarch-focused outreach and support.
What is the role of local governments in the work described?
Local government activation and planning is described as a key deliverable area, including securing city commitments to develop monarch recovery plans and expanding participation through the Mayors Monarch Pledge supported by a municipal solutions guide.
What kinds of routine operations could local governments change under the approach described?
The notice gives examples such as how parks are planted, how mowing is timed, and how medians, trails, and other public spaces are managed so that monarch habitat improvements become part of routine city and county operations.
What partnerships are mentioned as helping broaden implementation capacity?
The notice mentions partnerships including the National Pollinator Garden Network and connections to parks and recreation agencies through organizations like the National Recreation and Park Association.
What kinds of entities were expected to be engaged through this cooperative agreement?
The notice describes engaging cities, counties, towns, school districts, state wildlife agencies, state transportation agencies, and grassroots groups to carry out monarch habitat creation and recovery actions.
Does the opportunity mention state-level monarch planning?
Yes. It describes supporting stronger state-based monarch conservation plans developed with state agencies and partners, including coordination with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
What are the funding activity categories listed for this opportunity?
The funding activity categories listed are community development, education, environment, and natural resources.
What legal authorities are cited for this opportunity?
The notice cites the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 (as amended), and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting date listed in the notice is August 2, 2016.
What is the overall intent of the work described?
The notice describes an approach focused on capacity building at scale: creating the relationships, commitments, guidance, and practical support needed to make it easier for many communities and agencies to implement monarch-friendly practices across the landscape.
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