MIGRATORY BIRD JOINT VENTURE | F19AS00331

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00331

The MIGRATORY BIRD JOINT VENTURE opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00331) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notice of intent to make a single-source award, meaning the agency is not running an open competition for applicants. The Service states it intends to issue a cooperative agreement to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. to provide leadership and coordination that helps unify the major parts of North American waterfowl management. In plain terms, the project is meant to keep the different pieces of waterfowl work moving in the same direction by bringing together population and harvest management, habitat conservation, and the people-focused goals of the community that hunts, watches, values, and manages waterfowl.

The work is tied directly to the 2018 Update to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). NAWMP is a long-running international framework used by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to set shared priorities for conserving waterfowl and the wetlands and other habitats they depend on. The notice explains that the NAWMP Committee identified an ongoing need for steady support and leadership to guide this "integration" effort so that the waterfowl management community can better achieve the goals, objectives, and priority actions laid out in the 2018 update. This award is positioned as a continuation of earlier integration progress made under the NAWMP Interim Integration Committee that supported implementation of the 2012 NAWMP revision and action plan.

A major component of the proposed work is broad engagement across the waterfowl management community. The awardee would help convene, communicate with, and coordinate among existing and ad hoc committees and working groups that handle different technical and policy areas. Examples named in the notice include groups focused on human dimensions (public participation, hunters, and broader societal support), harvest management (regulations and decision frameworks for sustainable hunting), science support, Flyway Councils (the regional governance structure for migratory bird management in North America), and Joint Ventures (regional partnerships that plan and deliver habitat conservation). The goal is not to replace those bodies, but to help align their efforts so that decisions about habitat, harvest, science, and public support reinforce one another rather than operating in silos.

The Service also links the project to departmental priorities. It frames the effort as supporting Secretarial Priority #1 (building a conservation stewardship legacy) by promoting conservation through sustainable use and by emphasizing the integration of best-available science into the conservation and management of North American waterfowl populations. It also connects to Secretarial Priority #3 (restoring trust with local communities) by improving relationships and expanding communication with international partners and by emphasizing conservation solutions that consider local communities. Because NAWMP is inherently tri-national, the coordination described in the notice explicitly includes collaboration with federal, state, provincial, and non-government partners across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant action using a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during the period of performance (for example, active collaboration, shared decision-making, or ongoing coordination rather than a hands-off grant). The opportunity is categorized under natural resources and research and development, and it carries CFDA number 15.637. The posting lists an award ceiling of $35,000 and shows "Expected Awards: 0," which is consistent with a notice-of-intent posting rather than a competitive solicitation announcing multiple future awards. The opportunity was created August 9, 2019, with an original closing date of August 16, 2019, though the single-source language signals the award was intended for the named organization rather than for broader applicant consideration.

Finally, the notice cites multiple legal authorities that support funding and implementation, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017. Together, these authorities reflect the mix of domestic wildlife management mandates and international migratory bird responsibilities that underpin NAWMP-related coordination work.

• 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 "MIGRATORY BIRD JOINT VENTURE" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.637.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 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 $35,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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