State Wildlife Grants
Deadline to submit is close of business (4:30 p.m.) on March 16, 2025.
In 2000, Congress created the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) program. This program provides critical funding to every U.S. state and territory to plan and implement proactive conservation actions to prevent the nation's fish and wildlife from becoming endangered. The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants program is considered the core program for keeping species healthy and off the federal threatened and endangered species list, a goal shared by a broad constituency of conservationists, business, farmers, ranchers, and land developers.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is responsible for requesting and administering SWG to support the implementation of the State Wildlife Action Plan for Texas (SWAP). State Wildlife Grants are distributed specifically for the protection and management of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) identified in the TCAP.
FY26 State Wildlife Grant Request for Proposals
The deadline for the submission of proposals is the close of business (4:30 p.m.) on March 16, 2025.
A 35% non-federal match will be required. Funds will be made available to the grantee on a reimbursement basis. Funding restrictions differ between Division Requests for Proposals (RFPs) so please be cognizant of that when choosing and developing proposals and budgets.
These funds can cover work beginning November 1, 2025. Prior to submittal, it is suggested that investigators contact the relevant Wildlife or Coastal Fisheries grants point of contact to discuss potential proposals.
Indirect costs are no longer capped at 15%.
TPWD has a statutory and fiduciary responsibility to maximize cost-effectiveness of grant dollars. One important measure of cost effectiveness is the quantity or quality of tangible products proposed to be generated from funded projects. Applicants may voluntarily reduce their reimbursable indirect (F&A) rates to dedicate more funds to their project goals. Unrecovered indirect costs may be used to meet match requirements.
How to Submit
Coastal Fisheries Division SWG
To be considered for a Coastal Fisheries award, proposals must be received by the deadline electronically at Diana.Isabel@tpwd.texas.gov for any Coastal Fisheries program research. Coastal Fisheries Division State Wildlife Grants applications and guidelines.
Wildlife Division SWG
Research topics of interest for this funding cycle:
- Activity Patterns of Black-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus meridionalis).
Contact: Paul Crump - Reintroduction of Brazos Watersnakes (Nerodia harteri).
Contact: Paul Crump - Occurrence Surveys for Tamaulipan Spot-tailed Earless Lizard (Holbrookia subcaudalis).
Contact: Paul Crump - Breeding population and habitat status of Mountain Plover (Anarhynchus montanus) in Texas.
Contact: Tania Homayoun
Principal Investigators (PIs) should first communicate with the RFP contact listed in the above research topic links before beginning their proposal writing process to ensure that their proposals will address the issues of interest to TPWD using methodologies of interest to the agency.
Use the following (4) guidelines and templates for submitting proposals. Proposals using older formats will be rejected.
- Proposal Specifications and Guidelines
- Appendix I: Proposal Format
- Appendix II: Example Budget
- TPWD Pass-thru Budget Template Excel Workbook
For Americans with Disabilities Act assistance in accessing these documents for download, email Chelsea.Acres@tpwd.texas.gov.
Eligibility
Proposals on these topics are encouraged from university personnel and other qualified researchers from public (governmental) and nonprofit organizations. Primary applicants may include U.S. city, county, state, or federal government agencies, public institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. Primary applicants must be in good standing with the Texas Comptroller and TPWD Accounting, regarding business and contracting practices. Partners (secondary applicants, cooperators or collaborators) may include other universities, private individuals, corporations, organizations or foundations. Partners are considered subcontractors of the primary applicant. Contracts will not be awarded to performing agencies (or principal investigators) who are delinquent or deficient in providing deliverables for current or past contracts or an approved final report from a previously awarded research contract.
Proposal Submission Deadline and Contact
The deadline for the submission of proposals is the close of business (4:30 p.m.) on March 16, 2025. Proposals received after this date and time will not be considered for selection. No exceptions will be made.
Applicants must submit an electronic copy (Microsoft Word/Excel files) of their proposal in the format described in the attachments above to TPWD by this deadline. Email proposals to Chelsea.Acres@tpwd.texas.gov.
Questions regarding the content of this RFP for the Wildlife Division may be directed to Chelsea.Acres@tpwd.texas.gov.
Approximate Timeline:
- December 2024 — RFP issued.
- March 16, 2025 — Proposals due to TPWD by 4:30 PM CST. Copies of proposals that followed all submission instructions will be distributed for review.
- March/April — SWG Review Committee meets to assess, rank and choose final proposals for award.
- May—Deadline to alert applicants of funding decisions. Successful grant applicants will be notified, any needed revisions to their proposals will be requested of the PIs, and a TPWD lead biologist will be assigned to each project. The TPWD lead biologist, or Project Coordinator (PC), will work with TPWD's Federal Aid office to guide each proposal through the process of becoming a federal grant (i.e. creation of the grant's project statement using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's online system, creation of required environmental compliance documentations, etc.). Each project is subject to final approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Once the federal award is received, TPWD will enter into a contractual agreement with the sub-recipient and ultimately issue a purchase order to fund the project.
- Awardees (PIs) will have until June 1st to submit back to TPWD through their PC any changes to their proposals requested by the SWG Review Committee. Delays in return of these updates/edits will result in a delayed project starting date in the contract.
- Due to the time requirements needed for full processing by both the TPWD and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, projects cannot have starting dates earlier than November 1st.
Recent State Wildlife Grant Research Reports
2016
- Modeling bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) spatial distributions in Texas Habitat Use
- Movement Patterns of the Southern Crawfish Frog (Rana areolata)
2015
- Assessing Black Rail occupancy and vocalizations along the Texas Gulf Coast
- Field surveys to assess the persistence of bumble bee species (Bombus spp.) in northeast Texas
- Population survey of the Texas diamondback terrapin in San Antonio Bay, Matagorda Bay, and Sabine Lake
2014
- Ecological Niche Modeling and Field Surveys for the Kisatchie Painted Crayfish, Orconectes maletae
- Status and breeding biology of the crawfish frog (Lithobates areolatus)
- Surveys and habitat assessment of endemic insects at Monahans Dunes System
- The effects of urbanization on physiological stress of Jollyville Plateau salamanders, Eurycea tonkawae
- Using an extensively documented and validated habitat suitability model for conservation management of the Texas tortoise, Gopherus berlandieri, defining its status in the coastal prairies and eastern range
2013
- Genetic determination of the desert massasauga distribution in Texas
- Population genetics of the threatened South Texas Siren (large form SP1)