The America the Beautiful Challenge is a public-private grant program for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.

Eligible Uses

Projects must be consistent with the principles outlined in the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report and that focus on at least one of the following core areas:

  • Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds
  • Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks
  • Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes
  • Improving ecosystem and community resilience to coastal flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats
  • Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities

There are four categories of grants, including (1) Implementation Grants, (2) Planning Grants, (3) Sentinel Landscape Grants, (4) National Forest Grants, and (5) Private Forests, Rangeland and Farmland Grants.

Eligible Recipients

State government agencies, U.S. territories, and Tribal Nations are eligible to apply for all grant categories. Non-profit 501(c) organizations, local governments, municipal governments, and educational institutions are eligible to apply for grants in categories: (3) Sentinel Landscape, (4) National Forest ,and (5) Private Forests and Farmland.

Approx Annual Funding Amount

  • (1) Implementation Grants: awards range from $1-5 million, and landscape-scale restoration requests over $5 million will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • (2) Planning Grants: awards range from $200,000 to $2 million and are contingent upon awards from DOI.
  • (3) Sentinel Landscape Grants: awards will range from $250,000 to $1.5 million and are contingent upon awards by DOD.
  • (4) National Forest Grants: awards will range from $250,000 to $1.5 million and are contingent upon awards by the US Forest Service.
  • (5) Private Forests, Rangeland, and Farmland Grants: awards will range from $200,000 to $500,000 and are contingent upon awards by NRCS.

Cost Share Requirements

For states, the federal cost share is 90%, and states must provide 10% of costs, of which at least 2.5% must be cash. For Tribal Nations and territories, the federal cost share is 97%, and they must provide 3% of costs, of which at least 0.75% must be cash. The cost share is waived for tribes fully covered by partnerships with Native Americans in Philanthropy and waived for territories per DOI legal interpretation.

Application Cycle

The deadline for full proposals is typically in July and awards are announced in November.

Contact

Other Info

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation coordinates funding across the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Defense, as well as private philanthropy to make it easier for states, tribes, territories, local groups, non-profit organizations, and others to apply for multiple funds with one application.