WWB Africa 2017 NOFO | F17AS00008

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00008

The WWB Africa 2017 NOFO (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00008) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) funding opportunity issued by the Department of the Interior to support wildlife conservation work in Central Africa. The program is framed around the idea that Central Africa is one of the most important regions in the world for tropical forests and biodiversity, and that protecting its wildlife requires coordinated, practical actions tied to clear results. USFWS emphasizes a strategic, results-based conservation approach, implemented in close partnership with national governments, other U.S. agencies, and a wide range of on-the-ground conservation organizations. This particular opportunity is also tied to collaboration with USAID's Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), which signals an intention to align projects with broader regional conservation priorities and to ensure that investments contribute to measurable conservation outcomes rather than isolated activities.

At its core, the opportunity is meant to fund projects that reduce threats to key wildlife populations while also building the long-term ability of people and institutions to sustain conservation programs over time. In practice, this typically points to work that addresses direct pressures on wildlife (for example, illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking, habitat loss, weak protected area management, or gaps in enforcement and monitoring) alongside efforts that strengthen conservation capacity (such as training rangers and managers, improving institutional systems and governance, developing technical expertise, and establishing durable partnerships and local leadership). USFWS directs applicants to a guiding framework, A Results-Based Vision for Conservation in Central Africa, which is referenced as the place to understand the agency's overarching approach and the kinds of results it expects funded projects to pursue.

Geographic eligibility is strict: funding is only considered for projects that impact wildlife populations in a defined list of countries in Central Africa. Those countries are Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe. The emphasis on "impact wildlife populations" indicates that proposals should be clearly tied to on-the-ground conservation benefits within these countries, not simply research or activities disconnected from tangible wildlife outcomes in the named locations.

The legal authority for the program is the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-43), which provides the statutory foundation for USFWS to support conservation efforts that protect imperiled species and their habitats, including through international work. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and can be awarded either as grants or cooperative agreements, meaning that some awards may involve a more substantial level of federal involvement or collaboration during project implementation (a common feature of cooperative agreements).

In terms of who can apply, the eligibility list is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both those with 501(c)(3) status and those without), individuals, and other entities as further clarified in the opportunity's additional eligibility information. This wide eligibility suggests USFWS is open to a range of implementers, from universities and research-linked conservation programs to local and international NGOs and qualified individuals, provided the proposed work aligns with the program's conservation priorities and geographic scope.

The funding opportunity was created on October 20, 2016, with an original closing date of January 22, 2017. The award ceiling is listed as $500,000 per award, and the program anticipated making about 25 awards. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 15.651, and the activity category is Environment and Natural Resources, which situates the program within federal assistance programs that support conservation and resource management objectives. Overall, WWB Africa 2017 is designed to channel USFWS support into targeted, outcome-driven conservation actions in Central Africa, prioritizing both immediate threat reduction for wildlife and the longer-term capacity needed to sustain conservation gains.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "WWB Africa 2017 NOFO" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.651.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 20, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 22, 2017. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for F17AS00008

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