Marine Turtle Conservation Fund | F18AS00378

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00378

The Marine Turtle Conservation Fund is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding opportunity under the Department of the Interior that supports on-the-ground conservation projects for marine turtles in countries outside the United States and its territories. It is rooted in the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004, which was created in response to global declines in marine turtle populations and the mounting pressures that threaten their long-term survival. The program is designed to provide financial assistance for practical, conservation-focused work that improves the status of marine turtle nesting populations, protects and restores key habitats, and reduces other major threats affecting turtles across their international range.

Projects funded through this opportunity are intended to benefit any of the six marine turtle species named in the notice: green turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii). The emphasis is on conservation actions that directly address survival challenges in foreign countries, which can include protecting nesting beaches, improving hatchling success, reducing illegal take and trade, lowering bycatch and fisheries interactions, safeguarding feeding and migratory habitats, and strengthening local capacity for long-term management and enforcement. In other words, the program is oriented toward measurable conservation outcomes where the funding can help stabilize or recover populations and reduce the human-driven impacts that continue to push many turtle populations downward.

The opportunity is offered as either a grant or a cooperative agreement, which typically means applicants may receive standard grant funding or may work more closely with the federal agency in implementing the project depending on the arrangement. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations and entities can apply (subject to any additional eligibility language that might appear in the full notice). The opportunity is categorized broadly across environment, natural resources, science and technology, and related public benefit areas, reflecting the mix of field conservation, research and monitoring, community engagement, and policy or management work that turtle conservation efforts often require.

For the cycle described in the notice, the funding opportunity number is F18AS00378 and the CFDA listing is 15.645. The agency expected to make about 30 awards, with an award ceiling of $80,000 per project. The opportunity was created on September 26, 2018, with an original application deadline of November 26, 2018. Overall, the fund is meant to be a targeted source of support for international marine turtle conservation work that can demonstrate clear benefits to nesting populations, habitat protection, and threat reduction, aligned with the conservation goals established by the Marine Turtle Conservation Act.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the agriculture, business and commerce, community development, education, employment, labor and training, environment, information and statistics, natural resources, regional development, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Marine Turtle Conservation Fund" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.645.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 26, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F18AS00378

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