Shorebird Conservation Project | F18AS00311

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00311

The Shorebird Conservation Project (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00311) is a discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, focused on natural resources conservation (CFDA 15.664). It is not an open, competitive funding announcement. Instead, it is a notice of intent to make a single-source award, meaning the Service planned to fund one specific recipient and did not publish a full solicitation for multiple applicants to compete.

The intended recipient is the National Audubon Society, selected because of its specific, documented experience and long-running partnerships in Panama. The project centers on the Bay of Parita, Panama, where Audubon will carry out a site assessment of shrimp farming and closely related activities to identify threats, opportunities, and practical pathways to improve outcomes for shorebirds. The core deliverable is a site-based conservation plan tailored to conditions in the Bay of Parita, informed by on-the-ground assessment of how shrimp production interacts with habitat quality and shorebird use across seasons, including migratory, wintering, and breeding periods.

A major emphasis of the grant is translating assessment findings into implementable action through collaboration with shrimp producers and other partners. The work includes developing an outreach strategy and communications tools designed to encourage and support adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in shrimp production that also benefit shorebirds. The idea is to move beyond a purely scientific assessment and build a practical, stakeholder-informed approach that can be taken up across the region, using producer engagement and clear communication materials to make BMP implementation more feasible at individual farms and at broader scales.

The opportunity explicitly frames this work as a foundation for wider regional collaboration between industry and conservation organizations. By demonstrating workable BMPs at shrimp farms and building a network of cooperating producers and partners, the project aims to create a model that can be expanded beyond the Bay of Parita. The notice highlights the potential for regional, and even hemispheric, benefits if BMPs are adopted broadly enough to improve conditions for migratory shorebird populations at a meaningful scale.

Audubon was chosen largely due to unique qualifications tied to about a decade of shorebird conservation work conducted with Audubon Panama, especially in the Bay of Panama, and their active effort to extend that successful approach into the Bay of Parita. The Service also links the project to federal leadership priorities by emphasizing science-based stewardship and sustainable management of land and water resources. In practical terms, that means shaping shrimp production and salt production practices so they are more sustainable while also maintaining or improving habitat features that shorebirds depend on. The notice also stresses relationship-building with local communities, private landowners, and industry groups, consistent with the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy, which prioritizes partnerships with the private sector and in which National Audubon played a role.

Financially, the notice lists an award ceiling of $46,600 and anticipates a single award. The posting shows a creation date of August 20, 2018, with an original closing date of August 27, 2018, which in this context functions more as an administrative timeline for the notice rather than a typical competitive application deadline. Eligibility is described in general terms as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education), but the single-source nature of the action makes clear the funding was intended for the National Audubon Society rather than the broader applicant pool.

Legally, the funding is supported under multiple authorities, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017. Collectively, these authorities provide the basis for the Service to support conservation planning, migratory bird protection, and coordinated conservation actions that involve both governmental and non-governmental partners, including international or cross-border conservation efforts relevant to migratory species.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Shorebird Conservation Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 20, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 27, 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 $46,600.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F18AS00311

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: