Northern Great Plains Grasslands Initiative
Request for Early Action Proposals 2014
Pre-proposal Due Date: none (abstract, contact information, and request amount are due by
January 15)
Full proposal Due Date: February 14, 2014 11:59PM Eastern time
INITIATIVE OVERVIEW
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is requesting proposals to establish a 10-year
(2023) grassland bird conservation goal for the Northern Great Plains (NGP), identify priority
restoration/conservation sites, and design a monitoring program to report on progress. These
early action proposals will guide the Foundations greater efforts to restore, protect, and
enhance grassland resources in the NGP. NFWF’s grant-making program in the Northern Great
Plains will assist partners to design and implement outcome-based, sustainable grassland
conservation projects in high biodiversity areas. Activities will contribute towards a program
goal of developing a network of large-scale grasslands that are managed to sustain functional
native plant and animal communities and healthy human communities.
GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
The geographic focus of this funding opportunity is the NGP geography of Montana, South
Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Canadian Provinces of Saskatchewan and
Alberta. Focal areas include north-central Montana, western South Dakota and northeastern
Wyoming, the Nebraska Sandhills, and the Missouri Couteau.
PROGRAM FUNDING PRIORITIES
The most competitive projects will address one of more of the following priorities:
 Help NFWF and partners establish a 10-year (2023) grassland bird conservation goal(s)
for each of the priority areas and the NGP as a whole. Managing for one or a few species
across large landscapes may ultimately lead to reduced conditions for non-target
species. To address this issue, a multispecies goal needs to be formulated to ensure
habitat availability for the full range of grassland birds. Awarded projects will provide an
important basis for the development of an initiative business plan and for future NFWF
grantmaking in the region (for examples of NFWF’s business plans, please see our
website). Conservation goals should be established assuming additional funding for
grassland-bird conservation work at 3 levels: $5M, $10M, and $15M over the next 10
years. Outputs will include the development of a grassland bird conservation index
and/or 2-4 focal species that will be used to measure conservation progress across the
northern great plains and a 2013 baseline and 10-year conservation goals for the focal
species or index (For examples of NFWF’s species scorecards, please see Attachment A).
 Designing a regional monitoring program to report on progress; this program should
present a plan for using existing resources (annual bird surveys) and justify the need for
additional field monitoring to report on species outcomes as defined above.


Identifying a geographically-explicit set of high priority projects that involve willing
partners and can together ‘move the needle’ towards conservation outcomes for focal
grassland-nesting bird species.
Studies to enhance grassland bird habitat through best management practices in high
priority landscapes will also be considered.
In May 2014, a second RFP will be released to solicit a broader range of projects. Under this
RFP, NFWF will make grants within priority geographies to projects that will decrease the rate
of fragmentation or conversion of habitat, increase habitat quality, and restore or enhance
populations of focal species. Focal species populations include grassland-nesting birds, blackfooted ferret, swift fox, pronghorn, bison, and waterfowl.
CRITERIA FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS
Competitive proposals will include the following information that should be summarized in an
abstract sent to the program director (contact information below) and detailed in the full
proposal:

Project Type, Location: Describe the type of project you are proposing: eg. Establishing
focal species goals and designing monitoring program, developing comprehensive list of
conservation opportunities to advance species goals, conducting pilot studies to
understand grassland bird response to best management practices, and/or conducting
outreach to private landowners to design a landscape-scale approach to managing for
grassland bird productivity.

Activities: Elaborate on the primary activities that will be conducted through the
proposed grant. Explain how these activities address the threats, opportunities and
conservation outcome(s) for the species. Describe how these activities relate to
established plans (management, conservation, recovery, etc.) and conservation needs.
Discuss how this project either initiates or fits into larger efforts in the NGP, if
applicable.

Methodology: Describe how each activity will be implemented and the anticipated
timeline.

Dissemination: Describe the outreach strategy and educational values of the project.
Specifically state how you will disseminate information on the project before, during,
and after the proposed activities.

Potential Partners: Describe any potential partner organizations (if applicable),
especially those entities that already have ongoing efforts in the NGP or prairie pothole
joint venture areas.
Maps: Include two maps - one that shows the overall location of the project within the NGP
geography and a second project specific map.

Matching funds are not required; however, priority will be given to those proposals that
have matching funds. These sources can include cash, in-kind donations, and/or
volunteer labor.
If your project includes implementation activities that include habitat enhancement or
restoration, please also address the following:

Long-Term Conservation Outcome(s): Discuss the quantifiable/measurable long-term
outcome(s) for the project that will be achieved, including what the project hopes to
achieve within the NGP geography.

Evaluation/Monitoring: Describe the strategy for monitoring and evaluating project
results, including specifics on how success will be defined and measured. Please note
any challenges or limitations you anticipate in interpreting anticipated results. Describe
the monitoring plan, including those activities that will take place after completion of
this grant. If possible, identify how post-grant monitoring will be funded. If this project is
a continuation or expansion of an existing project, describe the status and
results/outcomes achieved to date.
FUNDING AVAILABLE
The amount available for early action proposals is dependent on how comprehensive the
projects will be and whether or not they include funding for implementation but will not be
more than $300,000. Requests for planning projects related to establishing outcomes, a
monitoring framework, and identifying a suite of priority investments should be limited to 1
year and up to $50,000. More comprehensive projects that include on-the-ground field work
for monitoring, validation of best management practices, and/or habitat manipulation may
request funding for 2.5 years of work and up to $100,000 per year but the conservation goals
and key areas for investment must be identified in year 1.
ELIGIBILITY
Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for
funding.
Ineligible Uses of Funds: No part the grant funds or the non-federal match may be used to:
 Support litigation expenses or lobbying activities
 Cover permanent federal employee salary expenses
 Supplement shortfalls in government agency budgets
 Support basic planning, outreach, or education projects without an "on-the-ground"
component
All proposals involving funding requests for the acquisition of interests in real property
must comply with NFWF’s guidance on real property acquisitions. Please refer to the
following link: www.nfwf.org/whatwedo/grants/applicants/Pages/acquisitions-easements.aspx
Grant funds may not be used to cover indirect costs unless they meet all of the following
conditions:
 The organization has a federally-approved indirect rate;
 The organization submits documentation* of their federally-approved rate with their
application;
 The indirect costs line item in the project budget does not exceed 10% of the total
direct costs requested from the Foundation (even when the federally-approved rate is
greater)
*Documentation includes the Indirect Cost Negotiation Agreement (NICRA) or the notification
from a Cognizant Agency to an organization formalizing the approval of a final or provisional
indirect cost rate. See the full indirect cost policy on the Foundation’s website here:
http://www.nfwf.org/Pages/grants/Applicant-Indirect-Costs-Policy.aspx.
Additional information on funding policies, including financial documents required from
application can be found on the Foundation’s website at:
http://www.nfwf.org/Pages/grants/applicants.aspx
DEADLINES AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE
 Project abstracts, contact information, and proposed request amount are due via e-mail
to Program Director on January 15, 2014
 Full Proposals, by invitation, are due on February 14, 2014
 Awards will be announced by March 30, 2014
Invited full proposals must be submitted online through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s
Easygrants system. Hard-copy applications will not be considered for funding. If your abstract is
invited to move forward as a full proposal, a proposal task will be opened for you in our system
and you will be notified via e-mail by January 22nd. To submit a full proposal, please follow the
following steps: 1. Go to http://www.nfwf.org/easygrants to register in our Easygrants online
system. (If you already are a registered user, use your existing login.) Enter your applicant
information. (For assistance with Easygrants, contact us using the information below.)
2. On your Easygrants homepage, click the “Apply for Funding” button and select the Northern
Great Plains funding opportunity. Then click “Continue”.
3. Follow the instructions in Easygrants to complete your proposal. Applications may be saved
and completed at a later time, up until the application deadline. It is imperative for Easygrants
users to disable their browser’s pop-up blocker prior to beginning the application process. The
following link contains access to other useful information for applicants:
http://www.nfwf.org/Pages/grants/applicants.aspx
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information or questions about the RFP itself, please contact:
Carly Vynne, PhD
Director, Wildlife & Habitat Conservation
(202) 595-2464
[email protected]
For issues or assistance with our online Easygrants system, please contact:
Eliza Braendel
Coordinator, Conservation Programs
(202) 857-0166
[email protected]
ATTACHMENT A