FY26 PROJECT FUNDING APPLICATION

The Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) is requesting project applications for funding to restore and conserve habitat necessary to support coastal, estuarine dependent, and diadromous fish species. Federal funding available through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) program will be used to support the top ranked proposals.

America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act was passed by Congress and signed by the President on October 30, 2020. The legislation made significant changes to project eligibility requirements for this funding opportunity; this is reflected in the requirements described in the FY26 ACFHP Project Funding Instructions. The ACE Act places an emphasis on restoration efforts that will improve recreational fishing opportunities, public use of resources, and improvements in public access.

This online FY26 Project Application Form offers a streamlined and efficient way to submit project information to ACFHP and NFHP. By digitizing the process, we reduce errors and ensure a more consistent exchange of information that aligns with the ACE Act, NFHP's project database requirements, and our collective mission of conserving and restoring fish habitat.

Applications must be received by 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on Friday, January 31st, 2025. Any supplemental documents for the application that cannot be uploaded in the online form should be emailed to the ACFHP Director, Simen Kaalstad, at skaalstad@asmfc.org.

To view the criteria that will be used to evaluate project applications, please click here: FY26 Evaluation Criteria.

To view previously funded projects, please visit: On the Ground Projects – Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership

*Note: At the bottom of this form there is the option to save your work and return at a later time.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Name of Organization (this organization will be named as the grantee): *

Executive Director: *

<---

(alternatively, the person that

should receive all contractual

information for signature)

Email Address *

Phone Number

City *

State *

Organization type: *

State, county, and local governments

Institution of higher education

Watershed group or coalition

501c(3) nonprofit organization

Native American tribal government (Federally recognized)

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)

PROJECT CONTACT

Contact Name: *

Contact Title:

Email Address *

Phone Number

Alternate contacts (if appropriate; name, phone, email):

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Qualifications: *

0/1500 characters

Project eligibility: (If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, the project is ineligible for funding) *

	yes	no
Are the actions proposed mandated by a regulatory program, court order, or decree?	yes	no
Will any amount of the requested funds be applied to previous expenditures?	yes	no
Will the requested funds be used for realty costs associated with the project?	yes	no
Will the requested funds be used for operation or maintenance of facilities?	yes	no
Is the project primarily a research study?	yes	no
Will the requested funds be used for incentive payments such as annual payments to encourage participation (e.g., some NRCS Farm Bill programs)?	yes	no

GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION

Project Title: *

Project Location (state, county, city, congressional district): *

To find congressional districts, please visit: https://www.census.gov/mycd/

Funding is being sought for (select all that apply): *

Total Funds Requested: *

Conditions of this federal funding:

All organizations that receive funding through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) program are required to complete all requirements for federal grants, including registration on the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov), Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), Grants Solutions grant management system, and provide interim and annual reports to the FWS and ACFHP.

Projects must demonstrate a 1:1 nonfederal match (funds must not origninate from or match to another federal grant).

Final funding decisions are dependent on the FY26 federal budget and project funds will not be available to awardees until spring-summer 2026.

I agree to the above conditions: *

Yes

No

I need more information

Are you part of, or otherwise working with, a tribal organization or any other underrepresented group for this project? *

Yes

No

Please specify:

Have you been working with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contact on this project? *

Yes

No

Date coordination began: +

Please check the boxes below to indicate the level of USFWS involvement:

process grant/coop. agreement

assist with permit applications

assist with project design

provide heavy equipment operators

provide engineer plans

pre- and post- project monitoring

Additional info:

	Response:
FIS Database Activity Number	Response:
Service Sponsoring Office	Response:
Name of Service Contact	Response:

Letter or email of support from Service contact:

Have you discussed the proposed project with a state agency biologist? *

Other key partners involved (list):

+-

For projects that require permits and consultations, applicant should list all necessary permits, the timeline for completing permits, the status of the permits, and include documentation (i.e., reference #) of permits already secured for the project. *

Project Description (please include expected start date and end date): *

0/600 characters

Statement of Need:

PROJECT DESIGN, METHODS, AND OUTREACH

Project Category *

Project Methods and Approach *

0/1500 characters

How will the project address a root cause and contribute to a long-term, self-sustaining solution to the problem(s) described in the Statement of Need?

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan *

0/1500 characters

Climate Change Considerations:

0/1500 characters

Results Dissemination (if applicable):

47/1500 characters

Outreach and Education: *

0/1500 characters

SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Biological or Ecological Benefits: *

47/1500 characters

Conservation Plans (select all that apply) *

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

State Wildlife Action Plan

Tribal Restoration or Conservation Plan

Other Federal Law

None

Other (please specify) Other (please specify)

Is the project located in a priority area identified in an approved state or federal management plan?

Yes

No

Which state or federal management plan(s) is the project location a priority area for?

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Public Access *

(select one that best describes how the project will benefit public access to land or water for fish and wildlife dependent recreation)

Brief Description of Public Access *

0/1500 characters

Recreational or Tribal Fishing Opportunities *

Brief Description of Fishing Opportunities

0/1500 characters

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Use an account to return to saved work.

PRIORITY AREAS, HABITATS, AND SPECIES

Priority Area (select all that apply) *

North Atlantic subregion

Mid-Atlantic subregion

South Atlantic subregion

South Florida subregion

Priority Habitats - North Atlantic (select all that apply) *

Riverine bottom

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)

Marine and estuarine shellfish beds

Priority Habitats - Mid-Atlantic (select all that apply) *

Riverine bottom

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)

Marine and estuarine shellfish beds

Tidal vegetation

Priority Habitats - South Atlantic (select all that apply) *

Riverine bottom

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)

Marine and estuarine shellfish beds

Tidal vegetation

Priority Habitats - South Florida (select all that apply) *

Submerged aquatic vegetation

Coral and live hard bottom

Tidal vegetation

Using the Species-Habitat Matrix Tool, which fish species ranked high or very high in the habitat you are restoring, and will benefit from this project? please list them below.

(press +/- to add or remove species)

Species or Group/Guild (life stage) *

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ACFHP & NFHP PRIORITIES AND METRICS

Which of the ACFHP On-The-Ground Implementation Objectives does the project address? (select all that apply) *

Conserve and connect priority aquatic habitats to improve ecosystem function and increase climate resilience for fish, people, and nature.

Collectively advance and elevate the work of ACFHP partners to support transformational conservation projects on priority habitats.

Which of the following NFHP National Conservation Priorities (ncp) does the project address? (select all that apply) *

ncp 1: conserve waters and habitats where all processes and functions are operating within their expected range or natural variation

ncp 2: conserve hydrologic conditions for fish

ncp 3: conserve physical and living habitats and features that support viable and sustainable species and or populations in impacted or at-risk systems

ncp 4: reconnect fragmented fish habitats

ncp 5: conserve water quality for fish

ncp 6: support the structure and function of fish habitat partnerships

ncp 7: enhance recreational, commercial, subsistence, and traditional fishing opportunities when conducting projects that conserve fish habitat

ncp 1 metric: *

acres (ncp 1):

miles (ncp 1):

years (ncp 1):

ncp 2 metric: *

annual cfs (ncp 2):

years (ncp 2):

quantity (ncp 2):

miles (ncp 2):

acres (ncp 2):

ncp 3 metric: *

quantity (ncp 3):

miles (ncp 3):

acres (ncp 3):

ncp 4 metric: *

Length of habitat reconnected

Area of habitat reconnected

Length of habitat enhanced

Area of habitat enhanced

Number of barriers removed or upgraded

Number of designs developed

Number of research studies conducted

Number of assessments conducted

miles (ncp 4):

acres (ncp 4):

quantity (ncp 4):

ncp 5 metric: *

Area restored for water quality

Area treated for water quality or pollution

Length of habitat treated for water quality or pollution

miles (ncp 5):

acres (ncp 5):

ncp 6 metric: *

type (ncp 6):

quantity (ncp 6):

ncp 7 metric: *

Number of people reached in education or outreach events

Number of tribal communities engaged

Number of underserved or rural communities engaged

Number of opportunities for fishing or harvest

Number of fish species/populations to benefit from activities

Number of public access points

quantity (ncp 7):

*Note the fields that appear when ncp metrics (area, length, etc.) are selected. Please input the corresponding ncp metric values (acres, miles, etc.) accordingly.*

ORGANIZATION ROLES & FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Total Cost of the Project: *

Total Funds Requested: *

BELOW: Please number and list the names of the organizations providing any kind of financial contribution; then list the amount of funds awarded in parentheses.

(press +/- to add or remove organizations; maximum 8)

Organization ($ received): *

+-

Example:

#1 US Fish and Wildlife ($45,000)

#2 Desert Fishes Council ($175,000)

#3 ...

Important! The number (#) associated with the funding organizations in the list generated above are used as identifiers in the table of follow-up questions below.

Based on the information provided above; please select the responses that describe each funding contribution. *

	Organization Role		Organization Type		Funding Contribution Type		cash/in-kind, secured/not secured
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8

Additional explanations of funding contributions:

PROJECT LOCATION

This section asks for geographic information for the project.

All projects are required to identify one point to be used in

maps identifying the project:

National Fish Habitat Partnership

Project Database & Accomplishment Map.

(please note: this can be a generalized location, especially

if the exact location of a project should not be shared).

Project coordinates: *

+-

Location accuracy *

Location description:

Please provide a photo of the project or project area: *

Please provide a map of the proposed project location:

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS (project proposal, budget, monitoring plan, project timeline, other)

File Type: