Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest grant opportunity?

Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest (Funding Opportunity Number FWS 10 MB 647 001) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 3 discretionary grant and cooperative agreement program. In the 2010 cycle, it offered small grants to support conservation work benefiting migratory birds that are not federally listed as Endangered or Threatened.

Which agency administers this opportunity?

The opportunity is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 3.

What program or CFDA is this opportunity associated with?

This opportunity is tied to CFDA 15.647, Migratory Bird Conservation.

What types of projects were this grant meant to support?

For the 2010 cycle, the program emphasized science, monitoring, planning support, and decision-oriented conservation. The intent was to support efforts that improve conservation decisions and outcomes rather than routine operations.

What is the geographic focus for projects?

Projects were expected to focus on the Upper Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Can projects work outside those states?

Yes. Projects could also address non-breeding areas that are important to birds that breed in the listed Upper Midwest states.

What birds were eligible to benefit from these projects?

The 2010 funding supported conservation work for migratory birds that are not federally listed as Endangered or Threatened.

How much funding was available in the 2010 cycle?

The estimated total funding for 2010 was $150,000.

What was the typical award size?

Individual awards in 2010 generally ranged from $3,000 (floor) to $40,000 (ceiling).

How many awards were expected in 2010?

Approximately 30 awards were anticipated for the 2010 cycle.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The 2010 announcement stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants included state governments, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public and private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) nonprofits as well as certain nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status).

When did the 2010 application period open and close?

The application window for that cycle opened in mid-November 2009 and closed on January 20, 2010.

When were project funds expected to be available?

The 2010 notice indicated that project funds might not be available until late summer.

What were the main priority themes for the 2010 cycle?

The 2010 priorities were organized into three themes: (1) Coordinated Bird Monitoring, (2) Focal Species Conservation, and (3) Strategic Conservation.

What did “Coordinated Bird Monitoring” focus on?

This theme targeted projects that strengthen region-wide monitoring coordination through the Midwest Coordinated Bird Monitoring Partnership. The program signaled preference for proposals that improve how monitoring information moves among partners and into shared platforms (such as the Avian Knowledge Network), evaluate and build coordinated demographic monitoring, identify migration routes and key stopover or wintering sites (including pelagic bird concentrations on the Great Lakes), and integrate existing grassland bird datasets into a unified regional framework that can directly inform management, conservation, and policy.

Did the program fund long-term, ongoing monitoring operations?

No. In the Coordinated Bird Monitoring category, the 2010 funding was not meant to underwrite long-term, ongoing monitoring operations. It was aimed at coordination, integration, and development or evaluation of new survey and analytical methods.

What made a Coordinated Bird Monitoring proposal more competitive?

Projects demonstrating collaboration among multiple major partners across the region were positioned as especially competitive, particularly those that improved coordination and data integration among partners.

What did “Focal Species Conservation” focus on?

This theme aimed to move forward on established conservation plans and workshop-driven priorities for a short list of high-priority species, encouraging applied conservation work that could inform decisions and demonstrate what actions improve outcomes.

Which focal species were highlighted in 2010?

The 2010 focal species were Common Tern, Upland Sandpiper, American Woodcock, Lesser Scaup, Cerulean Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, and Henslow’s Sparrow (discussed in the broader context of Eastern grassland birds).

Were monitoring components encouraged in focal species projects?

Yes. Proposals were encouraged to include a monitoring component, either to support better conservation planning and decision-making or to measure whether conservation actions were improving population outcomes or demographic performance.

What did “Strategic Conservation” focus on?

This theme aligned projects with the USFWS “business model” approach linking biological planning, landscape design, conservation delivery, and monitoring and evaluation into adaptive feedback loops. In 2010, it emphasized improving the logic, targeting, and measurable impact of bird conservation investments.

What specific needs were highlighted under Strategic Conservation in 2010?

The 2010 announcement highlighted three needs: (1) evaluating direct and indirect impacts of feral cats and cat colonies on bird productivity near human-dominated landscapes (urban, suburban, and small towns), especially where sensitive or high-priority species occur; (2) developing landscape-scale decision support tools to balance objectives across competing bird guilds (such as grassland versus forest birds, or early- versus late-successional habitat needs); and (3) building models that can aggregate conservation contributions across local, landscape, and regional efforts to estimate progress toward broader, continent-wide bird population objectives.

Did the opportunity encourage applicants to contact USFWS before applying?

Yes. USFWS encouraged potential applicants to talk with program contacts before submitting in order to align proposals with the highest-priority needs and to access relevant plans and guidance.

Who was the contact for Coordinated Bird Monitoring concepts?

For coordinated monitoring concepts, applicants were directed to Katie Koch (USFWS Division of Migratory Birds).

Who was the contact for Focal Species Conservation proposals?

For focal species proposals, the point of contact was Steve Lewis.

Who was the contact for Strategic Conservation proposals?

For strategic conservation proposals within the three listed subtopics, applicants were directed to Tom Will.

What was the overall intent of the opportunity?

The opportunity was positioned as a way to catalyze collaboration, improve monitoring coordination and methods, and advance targeted, decision-relevant conservation actions across the Upper Midwest within Region 3’s migratory bird conservation work.