Opportunity Information: Apply for F16AS00095
Apply for F16AS00095
- The DOI-FWS in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wildlife Without Borders – Latin America and the Caribbean (South America)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.640.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 28, 2016 and posted on Jan 28, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 02, 2016. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
Wildlife Without Borders - Latin America and the Caribbean (South America) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), authorized under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-43). The program is designed around the idea that South America contains some of the most biologically important landscapes on Earth, but those landscapes are under intense pressure from habitat loss and degradation. The notice frames the main drivers as unsustainable land use and high deforestation rates linked to expanding agriculture and grazing, infrastructure development, and growing global demand for food, forest products, minerals, and energy. At the same time, it emphasizes that long-term conservation success depends heavily on people and institutions in-country, meaning projects need to seriously engage communities, local organizations, and government actors in ways that are participatory, inclusive, and built to last.
The overall goal is to conserve priority species, habitats, and ecological processes across high-biodiversity landscapes in South America. To get there, USFWS highlights three core objectives: first, reducing underlying threats by supporting on-the-ground conservation projects that address the human causes of biodiversity loss; second, strengthening the ability of local institutions, decision-makers, and civil society to carry out enduring conservation actions that protect flora and fauna; and third, maximizing conservation impact through strategic partnerships across local, national, regional, and international levels. A key expectation running throughout the announcement is that proposals should focus on concrete conservation actions with a high likelihood of durable benefits, not just studies. If a project includes data collection or species/status assessments, the application must clearly explain how that information will directly enable management decisions and why information gaps have previously prevented action. Proposals that do not show how activities will reduce threats, or that cannot connect research to management, are considered ineligible.
Geographically, projects must take place in specific eligible regions of South America. The first is the Tropical Andes, including Amazon basin border regions, spanning from western Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina and explicitly including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The opportunity describes this area as a global mega-diversity center with an extraordinary concentration of plant life in a very small fraction of the world’s land area. The second eligible region is the Southern Cone, defined as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, but in this funding cycle the announcement narrows eligibility within the Southern Cone to two eco-regions: the Gran Chaco Americano (a vast dry forest region across northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia) and Patagonia (southern Argentina and Chile, including Andean areas and the adjoining deserts, steppes, grasslands, and coastal zones). The notice also clarifies administrative boundaries: Central America projects are handled under a separate Wildlife Without Borders Central America program, and Mexico projects are handled under a separate Mexico program.
Programmatic funding is organized around three priority threat areas. The first priority is unsustainable land use, where USFWS seeks projects in landscapes that are both clearly of high conservation value and facing immediate threat from activities like agricultural expansion, grazing, deforestation, and related infrastructure. Competitive proposals are expected to connect the identified threats to the stakeholders driving or affected by them and then catalyze cooperative solutions, such as jointly diagnosing causes and implementing best practices through collaborative, inclusive processes. Desired outcomes include improved conservation and management of threatened high-value landscapes (including protected areas and multi-use landscapes), reductions in habitat degradation or loss, and progress toward alternative livelihoods, climate resilience, or more sustainable food production systems in the project area. USFWS also highlights outcomes such as reducing threats to endangered species (including from harvesting, hunting, fishing, land conversion, and wildfire) and integrating both social and biological considerations into conservation policies or programs at local, national, or regional scales. For projects involving protected or high-value conservation areas, additional desired results may include legal designation of conservation areas where needed, establishment and implementation of adaptable management plans with clear authority, curbing illegal activities, and ensuring public use aligns with conservation goals.
The second priority is trafficking of illegal species, including wildlife, plants, and timber, as well as the illegal wildlife pet trade. Here, USFWS is looking for local, national, or transnational efforts that reduce illegal and unsustainable harvesting and shrink the market for trafficked species and products. The opportunity allows both field-based approaches (such as anti-poaching efforts in high-value areas) and legal-system approaches (such as building investigative, prosecutorial, and enforcement capacity and increasing political will). Example activities described include disrupting trafficking networks, controlling illicit trade routes, supporting judicial systems and enforcement offices to apply wildlife laws, and strengthening government capacity to protect high-value sites through better protected area management or establishment, paired with threat reduction or targeted recovery for clearly threatened species. Applicants are expected to discuss enabling conditions that affect feasibility, such as government resources and political will, the presence of intelligence or informant networks, and safeguards that promote good governance and reduce corruption risks. Desired outcomes include reduced illegal distribution and commercial availability of trafficked species and products, stronger and more consistent application of wildlife protection laws, and improved coordination and communication across borders to combat trafficking. The notice also points to public-facing results like effective media messaging linking wildlife declines to illegal trade. For legal-system work, USFWS calls out indicators such as improved investigative capacity, arrests and prosecutions with appropriate penalties, visible media coverage that signals enforcement is real, and secure handling of confiscated items so they do not re-enter trade. For field missions, it emphasizes tactical deployments that detect and deter illegal activity, proper destruction or secure handling of seized items, and measurable reductions in hunting linked to illegal trade.
The third priority is human-wildlife conflict, focused on reducing conflicts that occur when wildlife predates on livestock or domestic animals, spreads disease, or otherwise damages human lives and livelihoods, particularly in agricultural and multi-use landscapes near protected areas. USFWS is looking for practical mitigation approaches that prevent conflict before it escalates, reduce retaliatory killing of wildlife, and build support for coexistence through education, outreach, and social marketing targeted to key groups like ranchers, decision-makers, and community leaders. The desired results also include creating sustainable mechanisms or policy incentives that encourage livestock owners and communities to adopt prevention measures over the long term, with an emphasis on broader ecological benefits that help other species or habitats in the project area as well.
Several important eligibility and administrative details shape what can be funded. Funding instruments include cooperative agreements and grants, under CFDA 15.640, and eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions). The award ceiling listed is $100,000, with an expectation of around 12 awards for the cycle referenced in the notice. The original and current closing date shown is May 2, 2016, and the opportunity number is F16AS00095. The notice also includes key exclusions: because USFWS supports other dedicated grant programs, this South America program will not fund projects related to marine turtles (covered under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund) or Neotropical migratory birds (covered under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund).
Finally, the announcement stresses two practical requirements that can make or break an application. First, projects must be designed around specific actions that clearly reduce threats and deliver lasting conservation results, rather than primarily generating information without a management pathway. Second, government endorsement is required for all proposals, and applicants are strongly encouraged to consult relevant government authorities in the target country early in the proposal development process to ensure alignment, feasibility, and support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Wildlife Without Borders - Latin America and the Caribbean (South America) funding opportunity?
It is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), authorized under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-43). The program supports conservation projects in high-biodiversity landscapes in South America where habitats and species face significant pressure from habitat loss and degradation.
What is the overall goal of this program?
The overall goal is to conserve priority species, habitats, and ecological processes across high-biodiversity landscapes in South America, with an emphasis on durable, on-the-ground conservation outcomes.
What are the core objectives USFWS is trying to achieve through this opportunity?
The notice highlights three core objectives: (1) reduce underlying threats by supporting on-the-ground conservation projects that address human causes of biodiversity loss; (2) strengthen the ability of local institutions, decision-makers, and civil society to carry out enduring conservation actions that protect flora and fauna; and (3) maximize conservation impact through strategic partnerships at local, national, regional, and international levels.
What types of conservation drivers or threats is the program responding to?
The notice identifies intense pressures from habitat loss and degradation, with key drivers including unsustainable land use and high deforestation rates linked to expanding agriculture and grazing, infrastructure development, and growing global demand for food, forest products, minerals, and energy.
Does the program prioritize action projects or research projects?
The program emphasizes concrete conservation actions with a high likelihood of lasting benefits. Projects that are primarily studies are not the focus. If a proposal includes data collection or assessments, it must clearly show how the information will directly enable management decisions and explain why prior information gaps prevented action.
When is a research or data-collection component acceptable under this opportunity?
Research or data collection can be included only if the application clearly explains how it will directly lead to management actions and why the lack of that information has previously blocked conservation action. Proposals that do not connect research to management are considered ineligible.
What makes a proposal ineligible based on the notice?
Proposals are considered ineligible if they do not demonstrate how planned activities will reduce threats or, if they include research, they fail to connect that research to practical management decisions and an actionable conservation pathway.
Where must projects be located to be eligible?
Projects must take place in specific eligible regions of South America described in the notice: the Tropical Andes (including Amazon basin border regions) and limited parts of the Southern Cone (restricted in this cycle to the Gran Chaco Americano and Patagonia eco-regions).
Which countries are included in the Tropical Andes eligible region?
The Tropical Andes region spans from western Venezuela to northern Chile and Argentina and explicitly includes Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The notice also references inclusion of Amazon basin border regions within this eligible geography.
Which countries are part of the Southern Cone, and what is eligible in this funding cycle?
The Southern Cone is defined as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. However, for the funding cycle described, eligibility within the Southern Cone is narrowed to two eco-regions: the Gran Chaco Americano and Patagonia.
What is the Gran Chaco Americano, as referenced in the notice?
The notice describes the Gran Chaco Americano as a vast dry forest region spanning northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia. Projects in this eco-region are eligible under the Southern Cone focus for this cycle.
What is Patagonia, as referenced in the notice?
Patagonia is described as southern Argentina and Chile, including Andean areas and adjoining deserts, steppes, grasslands, and coastal zones. Projects in this eco-region are eligible under the Southern Cone focus for this cycle.
Are Central America and Mexico projects eligible under this opportunity?
No. The notice states that Central America projects are handled under a separate Wildlife Without Borders Central America program, and Mexico projects are handled under a separate Mexico program.
What are the program's priority threat areas?
Funding is organized around three priority threat areas: (1) unsustainable land use, (2) trafficking of illegal species (including wildlife, plants, and timber, and the illegal wildlife pet trade), and (3) human-wildlife conflict.
What kinds of projects fall under the unsustainable land use priority?
USFWS seeks projects in high conservation value landscapes facing immediate threat from agricultural expansion, grazing, deforestation, and related infrastructure. Competitive proposals are expected to connect identified threats to the stakeholders driving or affected by them and catalyze cooperative solutions through collaborative, inclusive processes.
What outcomes does USFWS want to see for unsustainable land use projects?
Desired outcomes include improved conservation and management of threatened, high-value landscapes (including protected areas and multi-use landscapes), reduced habitat degradation or loss, and progress toward alternative livelihoods, climate resilience, or more sustainable food production systems. The notice also highlights reducing threats to endangered species from harvesting, hunting, fishing, land conversion, and wildfire, and integrating social and biological considerations into conservation policies or programs.
What additional outcomes are mentioned for projects involving protected or high-value conservation areas?
For protected or high-value conservation areas, the notice mentions potential outcomes such as legal designation of conservation areas where needed, establishment and implementation of adaptable management plans with clear authority, curbing illegal activities, and ensuring public use aligns with conservation goals.
What kinds of projects fall under the illegal species trafficking priority?
This priority supports local, national, or transnational efforts that reduce illegal and unsustainable harvesting and shrink the market for trafficked species and products. The notice allows both field-based approaches (such as anti-poaching in high-value areas) and legal-system approaches (such as strengthening investigative, prosecutorial, and enforcement capacity and increasing political will).
What example activities are listed for combating trafficking?
Examples include disrupting trafficking networks, controlling illicit trade routes, supporting judicial systems and enforcement offices to apply wildlife laws, strengthening government capacity to protect high-value sites through better protected area management or establishment, and pairing site protection with threat reduction or targeted recovery for clearly threatened species.
What feasibility or risk factors should trafficking proposals address?
The notice expects applicants to discuss enabling conditions affecting feasibility, such as government resources and political will, the presence of intelligence or informant networks, and safeguards that promote good governance and reduce corruption risks.
What outcomes does USFWS want to see for anti-trafficking projects?
Desired outcomes include reduced illegal distribution and commercial availability of trafficked species and products, stronger and more consistent application of wildlife protection laws, improved cross-border coordination and communication, and effective media messaging that links wildlife declines to illegal trade.
What indicators does the notice highlight for legal-system anti-trafficking work?
USFWS points to indicators such as improved investigative capacity, arrests and prosecutions with appropriate penalties, visible media coverage that signals enforcement is real, and secure handling of confiscated items so they do not re-enter trade.
What indicators does the notice highlight for field-based anti-trafficking work?
The notice emphasizes tactical deployments that detect and deter illegal activity, proper destruction or secure handling of seized items, and measurable reductions in hunting linked to illegal trade.
What kinds of projects fall under the human-wildlife conflict priority?
This priority focuses on reducing conflicts where wildlife predates on livestock or domestic animals, spreads disease, or otherwise harms human lives and livelihoods, particularly in agricultural and multi-use landscapes near protected areas. The notice emphasizes practical mitigation approaches that prevent conflict, reduce retaliatory killing, and build support for coexistence through targeted education, outreach, and social marketing.
What outcomes does USFWS want to see for human-wildlife conflict projects?
Desired results include sustainable mechanisms or policy incentives that encourage livestock owners and communities to adopt prevention measures long-term, along with broader ecological benefits for other species or habitats in the project area.
Who is eligible to apply for this funding opportunity?
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions).
What types of funding instruments are used for awards?
The notice states that funding instruments include cooperative agreements and grants.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 15.640.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed in the notice is $100,000.
How many awards does USFWS expect to make?
The notice indicates an expectation of around 12 awards for the referenced cycle.
What is the opportunity number for this announcement?
The opportunity number provided is F16AS00095.
What was the closing date for applications in the notice?
The notice shows the original and current closing date as May 2, 2016.
Are there any project topics explicitly excluded from funding under this opportunity?
Yes. The notice states that this South America program will not fund projects related to marine turtles (covered under the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund) or Neotropical migratory birds (covered under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund).
How important are partnerships and local engagement in this program?
They are central. The notice stresses that long-term conservation depends heavily on people and institutions in-country. Projects are expected to seriously engage communities, local organizations, and government actors in participatory, inclusive ways designed to last, and to maximize impact through strategic partnerships across multiple levels.
Is government endorsement required for proposals?
Yes. The notice states that government endorsement is required for all proposals.
When should applicants contact government authorities in the target country?
The notice strongly encourages applicants to consult relevant government authorities early in proposal development to ensure alignment, feasibility, and support.
What are the two practical requirements that can "make or break" an application, according to the notice?
The announcement stresses (1) projects must be built around specific actions that clearly reduce threats and deliver lasting conservation results (not primarily information generation without a management pathway), and (2) government endorsement is required, with early consultation encouraged.
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