The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is requesting proposals for its 2026 Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund.
Donor Name: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/23/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 4 Years
Details:
The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund (Fund) seeks to award grants to support wildlife by:
- Restoring, enhancing and maintaining bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands,
- Implementing voluntary conservation practices on working agricultural lands to improve soil health, wildlife habitat, and water availability,
- Promoting aquatic connectivity to improve wildlife habitat and water quality, and
- Improving community resilience for people and wildlife.
Priorities
In pursuit of habitat and species restoration goals, applicants are encouraged to develop projects that also incorporate the following priorities:
- Community Impact and Engagement: We encourage projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, facilitate job development, and pursue collaborative management with local organizations.
- Conservation Co-Benefits: We encourage projects that benefit wildlife while also sequestering carbon and/or improving water quantity or quality. For example, considering the growth of data centers in recent years, projects that help improve water recharge or flows, or even offset data center impacts, are desired. Applicants should reach out to program staff prior to submitting a proposal to discuss projects that will explicitly address carbon and water outcomes.
Funding Categories
Projects should seek to address one or more of the following categories to address the earlier mentioned program priorities, with preference given to projects that benefit Business Plan focal and prospective species such as the Louisiana black bear, swamp rabbit, forest birds, waterfowl, and/or freshwater fish.
- Bottomland Hardwood Forest Enhancement and Maintenance (Management)
- Bottomland Hardwood Forest Restoration (Planting)
- Restore Wetland and Floodplain Hydrology
- Threatened and Endangered Mussel Recovery
- Implement Conservation Practices on Working Agricultural Lands
- Outreach and Technical Assistance to Private Landowners, Forest Practitioners and Other Key Constituencies.
Funding Information
Grant awards are expected to range from $150,000 to $750,000.
Grant Period
Anticipated completion time for funded projects typically will be 24-48 months following finalization of a grant agreement.
Geographical Areas
The Fund will award grants within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) region of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. They can fund projects anywhere within that boundary, but preference will be given to projects that are:
- Located within focal geographies.
- On or proximate to National Wildlife Refuges or state Wildlife Management Areas, such that the work benefits the Refuge/Wildlife Management Area.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, U.S. Federal agencies, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal Governments and Organizations, and educational institutions.
For more information, visit NFWF.
