2026 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance (Nontraditional Section 6)

2026 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance (Nontraditional Section 6) is sponsored by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Provides funding for conservation planning assistance for endangered species in California.

2026 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance (Nontraditional Section 6) - California Grants Portal Support the development of new, or the renewal or amendment of existing, Habitat Conservation Plans and Conservation Benefit Agreements (formerly referred to as Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances).

The Conservation Planning Assistance Grant program provides funding to States to support the development of new Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and Conservation Benefit Agreements (CBAs; formerly referred to as Safe Harbor Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances). Funding may also be used to support the renewal or amendment of existing HCPs or CBAs.

The development of HCPs that include only candidate or at-risk species (i.e., no federally listed species covered by the HCP), such that the HCP would be in place if the species is listed, is also supported through this program. Funding may be used to support development and planning activities such as document preparation, public outreach, baseline species surveys, habitat assessments, and inventories.

The preparation of environmental compliance review documents, such as National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), is also an eligible use of grant funds. For CBAs, outreach, coordination, and administrative costs associated with the implementation of permitted agreements is also an eligible use of funds this year.

Applicants to the 2026 Nontraditional Section 6: Conservation Planning Assistance grant program must submit a proposal through this State opportunity. CDFW will not forward proposals to USFWS that were not submitted through this solicitation. This is a federal grant program administered by the State.

Federal conditions are subject to change. The timeline for the FY2026 US Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Funding Opportunity is set by the US Fish and Wildlife Service; it is unknown when that funding opportunity will be released. Proposals must be reviewed and approved by CDFW Regional staff.

Contact your CDFW Region to coordinate on proposals. CDFW Regions will submit proposals to nccp@wildlife. ca.

gov. Resources for this solicitation are based on the FY2025 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: Conservation Planning Assistance funding opportunity announcement from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (F25AS00184) and FY2025 CDFW requirements.

Includes State and local government agencies; private entities; institutions of higher education, including public, private, state colleges and universities; 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; Native American tribal organizations. Private entities will require a different agreement type. Contact your CDFW Region for further information on these agreements.

Statewide voluntary conservation efforts. Matching Funding Requirement: The minimum non-federal cost share is 25 percent of the total project cost, i.e., the amount requested from the program plus the amount of non‐federal cost share. Other funds related to the project, but not designated as cost share, should not be included in the total project costs when calculating minimum non-Federal cost share.

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight. Expected award announcement The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.

The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized. Total estimated available funding The total projected dollar amount of the grant. Expected number of awards A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards.

Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.

Estimated amount per award Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display. Letter of Intent Required?

Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent. Requires Matched Funding? Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.

The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.

Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) In order to ensure that funding is available to fund both HCPs and CBAs, the USFWS will roughly split the total funding available as follows:• Up to 40% to HCPs;• Up to 40% dedicated to CBA planning and development;• Up to 10% dedicated to the administration of permitted CBAs;• Remaining funds as needed to any application type dependent on the number and quality of applications received.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly). For planning assistance grants, the maximum award is $1 million with a maximum period of performance of three years.

For Conservation Benefit Agreement administration grants, the maximum award is $500,000 ($100,000/ year for up to five years). There is no award floor. State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

For questions about this grant, contact: NCCP Program, 1-916-594-4485, NCCP@wildlife. ca.

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