NOAA awards $5.4 million in grants for endangered, threatened species recovery

This year’s awards include $3.9 million for 17 new grants to 12 states and one federally recognized tribe. The remaining funds will support seven continuing state projects and one continuing tribal project. Visit our website for highlights of this year’s new state and tribal projects.

The funding supports management, research, and outreach efforts designed to bring vulnerable species to a point where Endangered Species Act protections are no longer necessary. Funding may also support monitoring of species under consideration for protection or species recently removed from the list of threatened or endangered species.

“We looked for projects that would help our most vulnerable marine species when we considered proposals this year, and we intend to do the same for 2017,” said Donna Wieting, director of NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources. “The Species Recovery Grants will help states and tribes implement critical conservation actions to recover the marine species that most need our help.”

Three of this year’s new projects address recovery of white abalone, Atlantic salmon, and Southern Resident Killer Whales--three of NOAA’s eight Species in Spotlight, all of which are highly at-risk of extinction in the near future.

The 2017 call for proposals is now open, with a special focus again on recovering NOAA’s Species in the Spotlight. Tribal applications for funding opportunity NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2017-2004972 are due October 24. State applications for funding opportunity NOAA-NMFS-PRPO-2017-2004955 are due October 17. To apply, please visit www.grants.gov.

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