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State Wildlife Grant Program
Headquarters POC
In 2000 Congress passed into law the State Wildlife Grant Program (SWG). The SWG, which is headed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration division, aims to provide funds to help conserve sensitive or imperiled fish and wildlife species. The program places an emphasis on species that are not traditionally hunted or fished. The SWG is an effort to take a proactive, preventative approach to conservation. As a discretionary program, the SWG funds are released on an annual basis through congressional appropriations. Grants can be used to address an array of conservation needsresearch, fish and wildlife surveys, species restoration, habitat management, and monitoringthat are identified within a State Wildlife Action Plan. These funds may also be used to update, revise, or modify a States Plan.
In order to receive funds, states must maintain approved State Wildlife Action Plans. Each plan must identify the state's species of greatest concern and conservation need, key habitats and threats, and the actions required to conserve those species and habitats. Because the funds are dispensed as an apportionment, the amounts vary based on a formula that considers each States population and total geographical area. The plans require Federal, State, and local agencies, tribal entities, scientists, recreationalists, and others to work together as partners in order to conserve species on a statewide scale. These
plans act as a blueprint for conservation of the full spectrum of species.
The first set of State Wildlife Action Plans were completed in 2005 and are to be updated at least every ten years. In total, over 12,000 species were listed as having a great conservation need across the fifty states. The SWG is the principal source of funding for non-game species. Currently, the SWG is the only federal program with the explicit goal of preventing more endangered species listings.
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SWG homepage