F25AS00379 Highlands Conservation Act - Base Funding Round
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is providing Highlands Conservation Act base grants to Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania to help conserve land and natural resources in the Highlands Region. The program funds acquisitions of land or interests in land from willing sellers by state, county, or municipal entities to protect high-value resources such as water, forest, agriculture, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. Only the Lead State Agencies designated by each governor may apply, a 50% non-federal cost share is required, and projects are evaluated on conservation value and alignment with Department of Interior priorities; project periods are limited to four years and start dates are anticipated by January 1, 2027. Applications are due October 31, 2026 and must be submitted electronically through GrantSolutions, with up to $2,293,362 available per state from a total of $9,173,450 in base funding.
Eligible Applicants
Only the Lead State Agency (or Agencies) as determined by the Governor of each Highlands State may be the applicant 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. All or part of the funds received by the Lead State Agency may be subawarded to a County or Municipality within the Highlands Region, or to another State Conservation Agency.The current Lead State Agencies are:Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Contact Matt Starr: matthew.starr@ct.govNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Contact Lynn Kovach: lynn.kovach@parks.ny.govNew Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. Contact Liz Ward: elizabeth.ward@highlands.nj.govPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Contact Dan Pierce: danipierce@pa.govIn FY 2026, $9,173,450 in Base funding is available for grants to Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Each State may request up to $2,293,362 in Base funding. The earliest anticipated project start date is January 1, 2026. Project periods will be no longer than 4 years from the date the grantee is notified of an award. Period of performance extensions may be considered under extenuating circumstances. If the funds are unspent when a grant closes and the HCA grant program is still actively funded, unspent funds will be returned to the program to be redistributed through the next Competitive Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity. If each of the four eligible States does not request the full $2,293,362 available, remaining funds will be distributed through either the concurrent or the next Competitive Grant Round Notice of Funding Opportunity.