The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for its 2025 Sacramento Valley Floodplain Enhancement for Salmon and Shorebird.
Donor Name: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
State: California
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/05/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Nearly the entire Sacramento River Basin is part of a floodplain complex that historically provided abundant habitat for fish and wildlife. The wetlands of the Sacramento Valley once helped support the largest Chinook salmon populations in California and provided crucial feeding and stopover habitat for tens of millions of shorebirds during their annual migration. In addition to providing benefits for a wide array of species, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is also an area of enormous agricultural value, with about 500,000 acres of land in rice production that is estimated to contribute $1 billion to California’s economy.
Priorities
Competitive proposals will address at least one of the following priorities:
- Technical assistance to support implementation and/or conduct monitoring related to the project types listed below. Grant recipients will provide technical assistance to interested farmers, ranchers, and private forestland owners to build capacity, conduct outreach, develop management plans, design and implement conservation practices, share their experiences and lessons learned, and participate in Farm Bill programs, especially the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
- Floodplain restoration projects to improve access to habitat for anadromous fish and migratory shorebirds. Surrogate floodplain habitat can occur as vegetation decomposes in winter-flooded fields, producing a surge of aquatic invertebrates that become an invaluable source of sustenance for juvenile salmon.
- Access improvement and fish passage projects to enhance the ability of fish to move through the Sacramento Valley during all life stages. Project examples include removing permanent or seasonal fish passage barriers, maintaining or modifying tributary mouths to ensure access to high quality rearing habitat, and installing fish screens on unscreened diversions.
Funding Information
NFWF anticipates awarding eight to 12 projects with an estimated award range of $200,000 – $500,000 per project.
Geographic Focus
Projects must be located on privately owned land in the Sacramento Valley Watershed.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include: non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments and organizations, special districts (e.g., conservation districts, planning districts, utility districts), and educational institutions.
- Ineligible applicants include: international organizations, businesses, or unincorporated individuals.
For more information, visit NFWF.
