Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance | F19AS00383

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00383

The Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00383) is a discretionary grant announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, issued as a notice of intent to make a single-source award. In practical terms, this is not a broadly competitive call for proposals. The Service states it intends to award a grant agreement directly to BirdsCaribbean, Inc. to carry out a comprehensive seasonal shorebird survey in Trinidad. The posting was created on September 11, 2019, with an original closing date of September 16, 2019, and it lists an award ceiling of $35,200. Eligible applicant categories shown in the listing include nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education), although the single-source language makes clear the planned recipient is BirdsCaribbean.

The core purpose of the project is to fill a major information gap about shorebirds that migrate through or spend the winter in Trinidad. The Service notes that the abundance and diversity of these birds, as well as the precise locations of key staging and wintering areas, are not well understood, and that no comprehensive national-level shorebird survey has been conducted since the mid-1980s. While recent work has identified several shorebird concentration sites (building on historical surveys) and offered an initial look at the scale of shorebird hunting, the agency describes an urgent need to expand and update this effort through a more thorough, seasonal survey program.

Methodologically, the proposed work is designed to build on previous aerial survey efforts and then concentrate additional survey intensity in areas known to hold high numbers of shorebirds. At the same time, the project would not ignore the rest of the coastline: shoreline areas where shorebird densities are believed to be low (or are uncertain) would be surveyed using a randomized approach to confirm their status rather than relying on assumptions. The end product is intended to be a more complete picture of where shorebirds occur in Trinidad during fall migration and the wintering season, and in what numbers, across both high-use and lower-use habitats.

A major driver behind the award is the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI) and its business plan priorities. The Service frames the Trinidad survey as directly supporting AFSI by improving understanding of shorebird abundance and distribution along the flyway and by clarifying the threats birds face at key sites. By closing the long time gap in comprehensive survey data for Trinidad, the project is expected to strengthen the ability of partners to identify critical habitat, assess pressures such as hunting, and move toward effective management and protection actions consistent with AFSI goals.

The opportunity highlights several AFSI focal species expected to be addressed through the survey work, including Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Red Knot, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. More broadly, the grant aligns with departmental priorities centered on science-based conservation stewardship, emphasizing the use of rigorous survey data to guide sustainable natural resource conservation for migratory shorebirds. It also emphasizes collaboration and relationship-building with network partners and local stakeholders, positioning the work as a way to improve coordination and trust with communities and international partners involved in developing conservation solutions.

Funding authority for the award is cited under multiple federal statutes and appropriations, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2018. The listing categorizes the activity under natural resources, science and technology, and other research and development (CFDA 15.664), reflecting that the primary deliverable is applied wildlife research and monitoring intended to inform conservation decision-making and management on the Atlantic Flyway.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance" 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 Sep 11, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 16, 2019. (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 $35,200.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F19AS00383

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