The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories for nearly $54 million in federal financial assistance for conservation activities that benefit the nation’s most imperiled species.

The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF), authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, provides grants to support voluntary conservation projects for listed species and species that are candidates for listing. Funding for the program is partly derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which uses a portion of the revenue from offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters for conservation.

The Service is seeking proposals in three categories: Recovery Land Acquisition Grants, which provide funds for the acquisition of habitat in support of approved and draft species recovery plans; Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants, which provide funds to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) that protect habitat for listed species while providing for economic growth and development; and HCP Land Acquisition Grants, which provide funds to acquire habitat for listed species associated with approved HCPs.

Proposals must be submitted electronically through grants.gov or to the appropriate Service regional offices by March 17, 2017.

For more information and application requirements, contact: Visit the grant website- http://www.fws.gov/endangered/grant

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of Recovery and State Grants,

5275 Leesburg Pike MS: ES, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803;

tel: 703-358-2171.