Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program 2026 Request for Proposals

RFP GUIDANCE

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is committed to operating in full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. We continuously monitor legal and regulatory developments to ensure our policies, procedures, and operations align with current federal directives. We encourage all applicants to do the same.

The ability and extent to which NFWF is able to make awards is contingent upon receipt of funds from federal agencies and/or other funding partners. Final funding decisions will be made based on the applications received and the level and timing of funding received by NFWF.

TIMELINE

Dates of activities are subject to change. Please check the program page of the NFWF website for the most current dates and information Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program.

Applicant Webinar (Register Here)	Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Full Proposal Due Date	Thursday, July 16, 20​26​​, ​12:00 (noon) PM ET
Review Period	Mid-July to Mid-September
Awards Announced	Mid-November

NFWF will host an applicant webinar detailing this Request for Proposals at 1:00PM on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Interested applicants must register to participate. A recording of the webinar will be made available on the program page by Thursday, June 4, 2026.

While NFWF does not require consultation prior to application, we strongly encourage interested applicants to schedule a proposal lab with NFWF staff and/or contact its contracted field liaisons to discuss their proposed project to gather constructive feedback in developing a competitive proposal.

Interested applicants may schedule virtual Central Apps Proposal Lab project consultations with NFWF staff ​​here .

OVERVIEW

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program will award grants to voluntarily restore and sustain healthy forests, grasslands, rivers and streams that provide habitat for diverse native ​​wildlife populations and support resilient and vibrant local communities and natural resource-based economies across ​c​entral Appalachia. ​​​​Major funding is provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, USDA's Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This year, additional funding ​may also be provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Altria Group and Cleveland-Cliffs.

The overall goal of the program is to improve the ​​quantity, quality and connectivity of forest, grassland, and freshwater habitats to increase the distribution and abundance of birds, fish, and other wildlife, as evidenced by a suite of species that are collectively indicators of forest, grassland, and freshwater habitat condition. The program aims to:

1. Improve the voluntary, landscape-scale restoration and management of public and private forests to create a mosaic of mixed-aged forests that support range of bird and wildlife species, especially targeting golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler;
2. ​​​Improve the voluntary restoration and management of public and private grasslands to maximize wildlife benefits and provide other ecosystem services; and
3. Improve stream health by voluntary removal of passage barriers, restoring riparian buffers, and improving water quality and hydrology to bolster populations of brook trout, eastern hellbender and freshwater mussels.

Applicants are encouraged to deploy a range of strategies to engage public and private landowners in active stewardship through technical and financial assistance, demonstrations, education and outreach, and other innovative approaches.

GRANT AWARD INFORMATION

Award Range: Grant requests must range from $75,000 to ​​​​$500,000. Requests above or below that range will not be considered for funding.

Grant Period: Projects should start six months after the award date and be completed within four years. Notification of awards is expected in early 2027.

Non-Federal Match: A non-federal match equal to or greater than the total funding request is preferred but not required. Match can be any combination of cash and/or in-kind goods and services and there is no priority given to higher cash percentages. To qualify, match must be expended during the proposed period of performance.

Organizations that are unable to provide significant non-federal matching contributions are encouraged to contact NFWF prior to submitting a proposal. Discussing challenges and setting expectations will help ensure matching contributions do not become an undue barrier during the review process.

Federal leverage: Applicants are encouraged to describe federal partner contributions in the match section of their application. These contributions will not count toward any non-federal match described above but will help in understanding the partner resources dedicated to the overall project and will be considered as part of evaluating the broader support for the project.

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS

The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program will award grants within ​​​​the broad program boundary, which includes portions of the Ohio River and Upper Tennessee River watersheds in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. ​​Priority will be given to projects within the Focal Areas shown in green on the map below. Please note the program boundary has been modified this year to no longer include the Pennsylvania Wilds and Blue Ridge/Upper James Focal Areas, which are eligible for funding through NFWF's Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund programs.

For ​​more detailed information about priority habitats and partner priorities, visit NFWF's Central Appalachia Business Plan GIS Portal.

Please note that some funding is geographically targeted. Funding from Cleveland-Cliffs is available for projects in theLaurel Highlands and southern region of the Monongahela Forest Focal Areas, and southwestern Pennsylvania; and funding from Altria Group is available for forest habitat projects in the Monongahela Forest ​F​ocal Areas.

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

All proposals should strive to implement strategies and contribute to goals detailed in NFWF's Central Appalachia Business Plan. Priority conservation strategies for funding are detailed below.

Projects are encouraged to incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits. Where possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes and should consider traditional and local knowledge where relevant. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award.

Proposals seeking to advance program priorities on private lands are encouraged to provide staff resources to assist private landowners develop management plans, design and implement conservation practices, share their experiences and lessons learned, and participate in available federal and state private lands cost-share programs. ​ ​

PROGRAM PRIORITY 1: Forest Restoration and Management

NFWF will invest in forest restoration and management strategies that increase forest resilience and productivity on public and private lands, with an emphasis on projects that can demonstrate improved forest habitat quality for golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and cerulean warbler. NFWF seeks to achieve these forest resilience, productivity, and habitat goals without compromising late successional or old growth forest. ​​ ​​

Priority strategies to advance forest restoration and management include:

• Landscape Scale Forest Assessment, Planning, and Implementation: Conduct landscape-scale forest assessment and planning that when implemented will result in enhanced forest age, variation in habitat structure, variety of native species, and provide a full array of ecosystem services. Proposals that implement silvicultural practices prescribed in landscape-scale forest management plans are encouraged, with an emphasis on projects that include a robust monitoring component to measure improved forest conditions and breeding bird population response.
• Engage Forest Landowners and Other Target Audiences: Execute innovative outreach strategies to engage target audiences (e.g., private woodland owners, land trusts, municipalities, water authorities, consulting foresters, loggers) in adopting forest management planning and practices that enhance forest health and habitat conditions. Proposals should clearly describe how relationships with willing landowners will be managed and by whom to ensure landowners receive ongoing support for project planning, financing, and transition to on-the-ground implementation. Projects are encouraged to build capacity to deliver forestry services and other landowner-focused technical assistance, and address barriers to afforestation, reforestation, and forest management.
• Private Forest Management Planning and Restoration: Guided by a forest management plan, enhance and restore forest health and productivity on private lands using silvicultural prescriptions and practices that create forest age and structure that support golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, and/or cerulean warbler. Where forest management plans are not in place, projects should include the development of plans to inform forest restoration practices. Plans should be written by qualified foresters that meet NRCS or other state-mandated forest management plan certification requirements.

Creative strategies that target private forest lands to maximize ecological gains, increase the rate and scale of implementation and bolster markets for forest products are strongly encouraged.

• Forestry Technical Assistance: Increase the capacity to deliver professional forestry services to private landowners, including qualified consulting foresters (esp. NRCS-certified Technical Service Providers) available to write ​​forest management plans that include enhancing wildlife habitat condition, with a focus on plans that meet NRCS standards for cost-share. Proposals should use innovative strategies to address challenges such as recruitment and retention.
• Mine​d​ Land Reforestation: Restore forest habitat on legacy mine​d​ lands. Projects on state, tribal and/or private non-industrial forests are especially encouraged. Applicants are also encouraged to partner/collaborate with state forestry and wildlife agencies. Projects are encouraged to use the Forestry Reclamation Approach and restore habitat in a landscape context that is complementary and aligned with other forest and aquatic restoration priorities.
• Forest Restoration Response Monitoring: Deploy scalable, cost-effective monitoring tools and strategies to measure species population and/or community response to habitat restoration. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NFWF staff to discuss monitoring needs, coordinate monitoring with existing partners on sampling, data collection techniques, and analysis to avoid redundancy and increase effectiveness.

PROGRAM PRIORITY 2: Grassland Restoration and Management​ ​

NFWF will invest in strategies that accelerate grassland habitat restoration ​and management ​on public and private lands that support grassland dependent species such as Northern bobwhite, Eastern meadowlark, Eastern box turtle, and pollinators. Projects are encouraged to improve private landowner outreach, build capacity to deliver grassland-focused landowner technical assistance, address barriers to grassland management.

PROGRAM PRIORTY 3: Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration

NFWF will invest in improving stream health by removing passage barriers, restoring riparian buffers, and improving water quality and hydrology to bolster populations of brook trout, eastern hellbender, and freshwater mussels. For further information on NFWF's aquatic program priorities, refer to NFWF's Central Appalachia Business Plan GIS Portal.

Priority strategies to advance aquatic ecosystem restoration include:

• Brook Trout Patch Assessments: Assess threats and limiting factors in priority brook trout population patches to identify restoration opportunities. Patch assessments should include, but are not limited to, identifying passage barriers, reduced habitat diversity, water quality hot spots, riparian buffer gaps, unrestricted livestock access, and presence of non-native trout and invasive species.
• Restore Aquatic Connectivity: Prioritize and remove barriers to aquatic organism passage (AOP) to bolster resilient populations of brook trout, eastern hellbender, and mussel host species. Projects may include removing or replacing under-sized or perched culverts and removing derelict or under-utilized dams. Project funds can support development of collaborative AOP partnerships, stream barrier surveys to determine priorities for future connectivity restoration, engineering design and permitting, and on-the-ground restoration. Grantees also are encouraged, where possible, to demonstrate reduced sediment delivery to streams, reduced flood risk, and/or improved transportation system resilience co-benefits. The National Aquatic Barrier Inventory & Prioritization is a useful resource in planning and prioritizing projects.
• Restore Forested Riparian Forests: Establish forested riparian buffers in priority watersheds to improve stream health for brook trout, ​eastern ​hellbender, freshwater mussels and other wildlife. Buffers should meet or exceed the performance of related federal and state-approved methods and specifications. Projects should include site preparation and long-term maintenance strategies for new buffers, addressing issues such as deer browse, invasive species and competitive vegetation management, and mortality.
• Improve Conservation on Agricultural Lands: Provide technical and financial assistance to address resource concerns (e.g., nutrient and sediment loading, unrestricted livestock access) on farms located in priority watersheds. Projects should implement conservation practices that meet or exceed the performance of related federal and state-approved methods and specifications, unless flexibility is necessary to demonstrate an innovative approach or technology. Outreach should target farms that have plans for comprehensive nutrient management, grazing management and/or other conservation practices, as appropriate. Where these plans are not in place, projects should prioritize developing plans prior to implementing conservation practices.
• Hellbender Habitat Assessments, Restoration and Population Response Monitoring: Assess threats and limiting factors to eastern​ ​hellbender occupancy and abundance, and implement restoration strategies (e.g., AOP, riparian buffer restoration, livestock exclusion, headstarting) to sustain and expand Eastern hellbender populations. Projects are encouraged to monitor population response to interventions, especially using eDNA approaches. A letter of support from the respective state wildlife agency herpetologist is highly recommended for hellbender restoration projects.
• Develop or Enhance State-wide or Localized Freshwater Mussel Conservation Strategies: Create the necessary framework for the long-term conservation of freshwater mussels throughout the Central Appalachia Region. Activities may include but are not limited to strategic planning and partnership development, landowner outreach and education, surveys to expand current baseline distribution datasets for common, threatened and endangered species, watershed restoration practices, and reintroductions within priority watersheds.
• Reestablish Freshwater Mussel Occupancy: Reestablish freshwater mussel populations in priority watersheds, especially those that have had significant dam removals, flow regime changes, or water quality improvements that would increase potential for reproductive success. Projects are encouraged to monitor freshwater mussel population response to interventions, including eDNA. A letter of support from the respective state wildlife agency malacologist is highly recommended for all mussel restoration projects.

PROGRAM PRIORITY 4: ​​Enhancing Collaborative Capacity for Conservation

To better restore and sustain healthy forests, grasslands, rivers and streams within and across central Appalachia, the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program seeks to enhance the capacity of conservation and community partners to work collaboratively to sustain and expand these implementation activities and outcomes over time.

Recent independent evaluation of other regional NFWF programs has indicated that conservation collaboratives which leverage multiple organizations and individuals to jointly pursue shared conservation objectives are effective mechanisms for accelerating and scaling the implementation of conservation practices and outcomes at the local, regional, and landscapes scales.

These collaboratives extend well beyond more transactional, project-scale partnerships and instead focus on longer-term commitments among parties towards shared conservation purposes. They can take many forms, ranging from relatively loose and informal working relationships among organizations or individuals, to more structured and formalized networks and multi-party organizations. Often, more structured and formalized collaboratives demonstrate the greatest potential and proven impact for accelerating on-the-ground conservation activities and outcomes over time.

Conservation collaboratives include partnerships, networks, alliances, coalitions, consortia, etc. comprising multiple organizations and entities that maintain and collectively contribute toward a shared purpose or commitment, often in the form of written collaborative agreements or arrangements among participating partners to collaboratively pursue specific on-the-ground conservation activities and outcomes over time. Examples include but are not limited to shared mission or vision statements; shared strategic plans, common agendas, workplans, or other collaborative roadmaps; and charters, cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, etc.

Through the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program, NFWF specifically seeks to support the development of new or emerging conservation collaboratives and to enhance the ability of more established conservation collaboratives to sustain and expand their efforts through targeted investments in the following collaborative needs:

• Coordination capacity: Backbone and administrative staff or contractors who provide facilitation, meeting management, communications, progress tracking and measurement, collective administrative needs, and more.
• Shared purpose and goals: Agreements (e.g., MOUs, charters, other legal agreements) that outline and codify a partnership's collective vision, purpose, and desired impacts.
• Shared strategy and priorities: Strategic plans and/or roadmaps for the collective vision, goals, work plans, actions, and activities that provide a shared understanding of partners' roles, resources, and capacities.
• Collaborative practices, skills, and tools: Training, education, and other methods to build key collaborative leadership abilities and culture.
• Systems and infrastructure: Communications, reporting, and data-sharing systems; intra-collaborative resources; facilities and equipment; and more.
• Governance and decision-making structures: Collaborative organization (e.g., leadership teams, steering committees, working groups) and associated decision-making processes that steer its vision and support accountability.

NFWF strongly encourages prospective applicants seeking to develop, deepen, and/or expand collaborative conservation models through the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program to consult with NFWF staff on potential eligibility for the program. ​​​​

PROJECT METRICS

To better gauge progress on individual grants and to ensure greater consistency of project data provided by multiple grants, the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Fund has a list of metrics in Easygrants for applicants to choose from for future reporting. Available metrics are shown in the table in APPENDIX A, and we ask that applicants select only the most relevant metrics from this list for their project. If you think an applicable metric has not been provided, please contact [email protected] to discuss acceptable alternatives.

ELIGIBILITY

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be screened for relevance, accuracy, completeness, and compliance with NFWF and funding source policies. Proposals will then be evaluated by a team of technical experts based on the extent to which they meet the criteria listed below.

Evaluation Criterion #1 - Conservation Outcomes

• Project addresses one or more of the listed Program Priorities, contributes to the overall habitat and species conservation goals for the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program, and has specific, quantifiable performance metrics to evaluate project success.
• For projects incorporating Priority 4, enhancing collaborative capacity:
  • Collaborative Purpose: proposed collaborative networks maintain and contribute to a compelling, well-documented shared purpose or commitment to pursue on-the-ground restoration activities and outcomes over time.
  • Enhanced Collaborative Ability: Proposal meaningfully enhances the ability of collaboratives to immediately accelerate implementation outcomes and to sustain and expand ongoing restoration activities and outcomes over time.

Evaluation Criterion #2 - Technical Merit

• Project is technically sound and feasible, and the proposal sets forth a clear, logical and achievable work plan and timeline.
• Project engages appropriate technical experts throughout project planning, design and implementation to ensure activities are technically sound and feasible.
• Project includes a plan for monitoring progress during and after the proposed project period to track project success and adaptively address new challenges and opportunities as they arise.
• Project will be maintained to ensure benefits are achieved and sustained over time. This should include how future funding will be secured to implement necessary long-term monitoring and maintenance activities. This ensures long-term sustainability and success of the project, integration into local programs and policies, and community acceptance of proposed restoration actions.
• ​​​​​Project spatial data submitted to NFWF's online mapping tool accurately represent the location(s) of conservation activity(ies) at the time of proposal submission. Successful projects will be required to submit improved spatial data for each conservation activity within the period of performance as necessary.

Evaluation Criterion #3 - Partnership and Community Impact

• The applicant organization partners and engages collaboratively with local community members, leaders, community-based organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to develop and implement the proposed project. This ensures long-term sustainability and success of the project, integration into local programs and policies, and community acceptance of proposed restoration actions.
• Partners or communities are enlisted to broaden the sustained impact from the project.
• Proposal describes the community characteristics of the project area, identifies any communities impacted, and describes outreach and community engagement activities and how those will be monitored and measured.
• Proposal uses data to support descriptions and submits letters of support from community partners and/or collaborators demonstrating their commitment to the project and engagement in project activities as proposed.

Evaluation Criterion #4 - Budget/Cost-Effectiveness

• Costs are allowable, reasonable and budgeted in accordance with NFWF's Budget Instructions cost categories. Federally funded projects must be in compliance with 2 CRF 200 as applicable. A complete budget should include budget narratives to provide justifications for costs.
• Amount requested is proportional to expected outcomes.
• Project includes a cost-effective budget that balances performance risk and efficient use of funds. Cost-effectiveness analysis identifies the most efficient way to meet project objectives. Cost-effectiveness evaluation includes, but is not limited to, an assessment of effective direct/indirect costs across all categories in the proposed budget according to the type, size and duration of project and project objectives. Project budgets will be compared to similar projects to ensure proposed costs across all budget categories are reasonable for the activities being performed and the outcomes proposed.

​​​OTHER

Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

• NFWF funds and matching contributions are strictly prohibited from being used for a number of reasons to include, for example, political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities, or in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. See OMB Uniform Guidance for additional information.
• Equipment: Applicants are encouraged to rent equipment where possible and cost-effective or use matching funds to make those purchases. NFWF acknowledges, however, that some projects may only be completed using NFWF funds to procure equipment. If this applies to your project, please contact the program staff listed in this RFP to discuss options.
• Federal funds and matching contributions may not be used to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems (including entering into or renewing a contract) that uses telecommunications equipment or services produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) as a substantial or essential component, or as critical technology of any system. Refer to Public Law 115-232, section 889 for additional information.
• NFWF funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation and settlement agreements. However, grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline compliance efforts.
• Pursuant to the American Security Drone Act (ASDA), effective December 22, 2025, applicants proposing activities funded in whole or in part with federal funds may not use, operate, or purchase any drone or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) included on the Covered Foreign Entities (CFE) List. This prohibition applies to both new purchases and continued use of existing UAS, including certain widely used commercial platforms, such as DJI and Autel. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all proposed and existing UAS used in connection with federally funded activities comply with applicable federal law and are not included on the CFE List. Noncompliance may affect eligibility for funding.

Environmental Services - NFWF funds projects in pursuit of its mission to sustain, restore and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. NFWF recognizes that some benefits from projects may be of value with regards to credits on an environmental services market (such as a carbon credit market). NFWF does not participate in, facilitate, or manage an environmental services market nor does NFWF assert any claim on such credits.

Intellectual Property - Intellectual property created using NFWF awards may be copyrighted or otherwise legally protected by award recipients. NFWF may reserve the right to use, publish, and copy materials created under awards, including posting such material on NFWF's website and featuring it in publications. NFWF may use project metrics and spatial data from awards to estimate societal benefits that result and to report these results to funding partners. These may include but are not limited to: habitat and species response, species connectivity, water quality, water quantity, risk of detrimental events (e.g., wildfire, floods), and carbon accounting (e.g., sequestration, avoided emissions).

Procurement - If the applicant chooses to specifically identify proposed Contractor(s) for Services, an award by NFWF to the applicant does not constitute NFWF's express written authorization for the applicant to procure such specific services noncompetitively. When procuring goods and services, NFWF recipients must follow documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable laws and regulations.

Publicity and Acknowledgement of Support - Award recipients will be required to grant NFWF the right and authority to publicize the project and NFWF's financial support for the grant in press releases, publications and other public communications. Recipients may also be asked by NFWF to provide high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) photographs depicting the project.

Receiving Award Funds - Award payments are primarily reimbursable. Projects may request funds for reimbursement at any time after completing a signed agreement with NFWF. A request of an advance of funds must be due to an imminent need of expenditure and must detail how the funds will be used and provide justification and a timeline for expected disbursement of these funds. Requests for monthly advances will not be considered.

Compliance Requirements - Projects selected may be subject to requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act (state and federal), and National Historic Preservation Act. Documentation of compliance with these regulations must be approved prior to initiating activities that disturb or alter habitat or other features of the project site(s). Applicants should budget time and resources to obtain the needed approvals. As may be applicable, successful applicants may be required to comply with additional Federal, state or local requirements and obtain all necessary permits and clearances.

Permits - Successful applicants will be required to provide sufficient documentation that the project expects to receive or has received all necessary permits and clearances to comply with any Federal, state or local requirements. Where projects involve work in the waters of the United States, NFWF strongly encourages applicants to conduct a permit pre-application meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers prior to submitting their proposal. In some cases, if a permit pre-application meeting has not been completed, NFWF may require successful applicants to complete such a meeting prior to grant award.

Federal Funding - The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon receipt from the agency. Funding decisions will be made based on the level of funding and the timing of when it is received by NFWF.

HOW TO APPLY

All application materials must be submitted online through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Easygrants system.

1. Go to easygrants.nfwf.org to register in our Easygrants online system. New users to the system will be prompted to register before starting the application (if you already are a registered user, use your existing login). Enter your applicant information. Please disable the pop-up blocker on your internet browser prior to beginning the application process.
2. Once on your homepage, click the "Apply for Funding" button and select this RFP's "Funding Opportunity" from the list of options.
3. Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your application. Once an application has been started, it may be saved and returned to at a later time for completion and submission.

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

A Tip Sheet is available for quick reference while you are working through your application. This document can be downloaded here. Additional information to support the application process can be accessed on the NFWF website's Applicant Information page.

For more information or questions about this RFP, please contact: Oleksandr Faryga ([email protected]) or (202) 595-2453 or Katie Ombalski, Woods and Waters LLC ([email protected]) or (814) 574-7281.

For issues or assistance with our online Easygrants system, please contact:

Easygrants Helpdesk

Email: [email protected]

Voicemail: 202-595-2497

Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET, Monday-Friday.

Include: your name, proposal ID #, e-mail address, phone number, program you are applying to, and a description of the issue.