Species Recovery Grants to States (Section 6 Program)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you're a state agency with ESA jurisdiction over marine or anadromous species, this is dedicated federal money for recovery work—but apply only if your project isn't already covered by Pacific salmon or marine mammal rescue programs.
Report stale or inaccurate summary
What this is
This is a competitive federal grant program administered by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service exclusively for state government agencies working on endangered species recovery. Funds support conservation activities, scientific research, monitoring, and public outreach for listed marine species—but explicitly exclude Pacific salmonids, marine mammal stranding/rescue, and species covered by other dedicated NOAA programs. Applicants must have or be willing to establish a section 6(c) ESA agreement with NMFS within 30 days of application deadline.
Who can apply
Only U.S. state government agencies with an existing or pending section 6(c) ESA cooperative agreement with NOAA NMFS are eligible. Pacific salmonids, marine mammal stranding/rehabilitation, and species covered by other dedicated NOAA programs are explicitly excluded.
Eligible applicant types
- State governments
Full description — from the agency
States play an essential role in conserving and recovering species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1535. Listed species under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) jurisdiction may spend all or part of their life cycles in state waters, and success in conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with the States. NMFS is authorized to provide Federal assistance to eligible State agencies to support the development and implementation of conservation programs for listed marine and anadromous species that reside within that State. This assistance, provided in the form of grants or cooperative agreements through the Species Recovery Grants to States Program, can be used to support conservation activities for any endangered or threatened species, as well as monitoring candidate species, recently delisted species, and species proposed for listing under the ESA. Funded activities may include development and implementation of management efforts, scientific research, and public education and outreach. Proposals should seek to address priority actions in ESA Recovery Plans or Recovery Outlines to the extent possible. Any State agency that has entered into an agreement with NMFS pursuant to section 6(c) of the ESA or enters into such an agreement within 30 days of the application deadline is eligible to apply under this solicitation. Proposals focusing on Pacific salmonids will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be considered through the NMFS Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Additionally, proposals focusing on marine mammals stranding response and/or rehabilitation will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be considered and funded by NOAA through the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program. Proposals focused on stranding response, rehabilitation, or related activities for species supported through other dedicated NOAA funding programs may also not be considered under this grant program. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2026 and how NMFS will evaluate and select proposals for funding should funding be appropriated for this program. This document should be read in its entirety; some information has changed from the previous year.
Topics: endangered species recovery · marine conservation grants · ESA compliance · state wildlife agencies · anadromous species management · species monitoring
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.