Pelicans and a heron by the shore.
About the Grants
Wetlands for Wildlife Grants
The Colorado Wetlands for Wildlife Program is a voluntary, collaborative, and incentive-based program to restore, enhance, and create wetlands and riparian areas in Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife annually seeks applications for wetland and riparian restoration, enhancement, and creation projects to support the goals of this program.
220k
Acres of Wetlands Taken Care Of
200
Miles of Streams Taken Care Of
40
Million Awarded in Grants
27
Years of Improvements
Sandhill Cranes in water.
About the Grants
Wetlands for Wildlife Application Guidance and Instructions
The guidelines and instructions are designed for both new applicants and existing grant recipients.
GRANT CYCLE 2024-2025
How to Apply
Check Your Eligibility
Eligible Grant Recipients
Local governments, other state and federal land management agencies, tribes, non-profit habitat conservation organizations, and private companies. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) staff and other Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff are eligible to apply.
Ineligible Grant Recipients
Previous grant recipients with an active project that has fallen behind schedule relative to the project delivery timeframe identified in the application, and private landowners. Landowners interested in undertaking a wetland or riparian restoration project on their property should contact their local Focus Area Committee for project funding options. Non-governmental organizations and governments often are willing to receive and manage grants and coordinate project delivery on private lands. Other funding options for private landowners are available through biologists with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s private lands program and the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill programs.
Eligible Projects
Eligible grant projects include improve the distribution and abundance of ducks, and opportunities for public waterfowl hunting, and improve the status of declining or at-risk species by addressing habitat needs.
Select a Project
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) seeks applications for wetland and riparian restoration, enhancement, and creation projects to support the two primary goals of its Wetlands for Wildlife Program:
Improve the distribution and abundance of ducks, and opportunities for public waterfowl hunting.
Applications supporting this goal should seek to improve fall/winter habitat on property open for public hunting (or refuge areas within properties open for public hunting), or improve breeding habitat in important production areas (including North Park and the San Luis Valley in Colorado, and other areas contributing ducks to the fall flight in Colorado).
Improve the status of declining or at-risk species.
Applications supporting this goal should seek to clearly address habitat needs of these species. See species list in Attachment 1. Also, see the identified threats, recommended conservation actions, and progress to date for these species in the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Conservation Dashboards.
Available Funding
Up to approximately $1.121 million. Funding sources are Great Outdoors Colorado and Colorado waterfowl stamps. There is no minimum or maximum grant award. However, small requests (<$25,000) are discouraged.
Eligible Costs
- Standard costs for conducting on-the-ground wetland/riparian habitat restoration, enhancement, and creation, including labor, travel and transportation, material and supplies, equipment rental or lease, etc.
- Costs associated with habitat manipulations to help beavers recolonize a site (e.g., beaver dam analogs, post-assisted log structures) or to minimize property damage (e.g., pond levelers, culvert and tree fencing, etc.).
- Project planning, engineering, and design expenses and feasibility studies.
- Project monitoring and evaluation expenses.
- Personnel and travel costs to be incurred by the grant recipient should be identified separately in the application.
- Signage to acknowledge CPW and GOCO as funding partners (and display logos; required).
- Indirect costs are allowed but discouraged. These costs should be identified separately in the application and should not exceed 10% of the grant request.
The total cost per acre for restoration, enhancement, and creation practices will be scrutinized closely. Habitat improvements should be designed to last at least 10 years without major renovations or additional funding from this program, and long-term improvements are preferred.
Ineligible Costs
- Habitat protection through fee title or easement acquisitions.
- Acquisition of water rights.
- Any costs associated with wetlands that are part of a mitigation project or bank.
- Equipment purchases; except pumps are allowed on a case-by-case basis if needed to maintain desired hydrology of a wetland site.
- Routine, annual operations and maintenance expenses such as weed control, water delivery, soil disturbance, etc.
- Personnel and travel costs incurred by any government agency staff. These costs should be shown as matching contributions on the application.
- Costs for use of equipment already owned. These costs should be shown as matching contributions on the application.
- Costs associated with capturing or moving beavers.
Compile Your Application
Please contact the Wetlands Program Coordinator before applying (see contact information below).
You will need to include:
- An application form. Applications should be submitted electronically to the Wetlands Program Coordinator in a single file (both PDF and MS-Word formats) of less than 20MB.Send only the application form, not the other information in this RFA. Please try to minimize application length/page count. The file name should closely resemble the project title.
- Include all maps and photos within the application; do not attach these separately.
- Applications from CPW staff also must be entered in the “A4” financial system by the deadline.
- The application must list a Project Manager. This person must be affiliated with the grant recipient’s organization, and is the main point of contact for the project.
- Each application must list a CPW Project Sponsor. Block grant applications encompassing multiple CPW administrative regions must list a sponsor in each region.
Project Development Resources
Project proponents are encouraged to explore these tools and incorporate pertinent information into funding applications. CPW has collaborated with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and other partners to create tools for conservation project development, including:
- Colorado’s Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX)
- Colorado Wetland Information Center (CWIC)
- Watershed Planning Toolbox. A comprehensive resource for incorporating wetlands and streams into watershed planning, restoring wetlands to improve watershed health, and identifying opportunities for wetland conservation. The Toolbox includes an interactive mapping platform that allows users to view wetlands, streams, likely aquatic ecosystem functions, ecological stressors, and high-priority sites for conservation and restoration at the landscape scale. Along with geospatial data, the Toolbox includes a gateway to a variety of other restoration and conservation resources, including the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT).
Scorecards
_BRAD%20LAMBERT_CNHP.png?w=480&itok=_OmWqcvc "Boreal Toad")
Boreal Toad (S. Rocky Mtn. Pop.)
Tier 1
Northern Leopard Frog
Tier 1
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Tier 2
Canyon Tree Frog
Tier 2
Couch’s Spadefoot
Tier 2
Great Basin Spadefoot
Tier 2
Gr. Plains Narrowmouth Toad
Tier 2
Green Toad
Tier 2
Plains Leopard Frog
Tier 2
Wood Frog
Tier 2
Boreal Toad (S. Rocky Mtn. Pop.)
Tier 1
Northern Leopard Frog
Tier 1
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Tier 2
Canyon Tree Frog
Tier 2
Couch’s Spadefoot
Tier 2
Great Basin Spadefoot
Tier 2
Gr. Plains Narrowmouth Toad
Tier 2
Green Toad
Tier 2
Plains Leopard Frog
Tier 2
Wood Frog
Tier 2
American Green-winged Teal
Tier 1
American Wigeon
Tier 1
Blue-winged Teal
Tier 1
Cinnamon Teal
Tier 1
Gadwall
Tier 1
Lesser Scaup
Tier 1
Mallard
Tier 1
Northern Pintail
Tier 1
Greater Sandhill Crane
Tier 1
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher
Tier 1
Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Tier 1
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Tier 2
American Bittern
Tier 2
American White Pelican
Tier 2
Bald Eagle
Tier 2
Black Rail
Tier 2
Black Swift
Tier 2
Black Tern
Tier 2
Least Tern
Tier 2
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Tier 2
Long-billed Curlew
Tier 2
Northern Harrier
Tier 2
Piping Plover
Tier 2
Short-eared Owl
Tier 2
Veery
Tier 2
Western Snowy Plover
Tier 2
White-faced Ibis
Tier 2
American Green-winged Teal
Tier 1
American Wigeon
Tier 1
Blue-winged Teal
Tier 1
Cinnamon Teal
Tier 1
Gadwall
Tier 1
Lesser Scaup
Tier 1
Mallard
Tier 1
Northern Pintail
Tier 1
Greater Sandhill Crane
Tier 1
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher
Tier 1
Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Tier 1
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Tier 2
American Bittern
Tier 2
American White Pelican
Tier 2
Bald Eagle
Tier 2
Black Rail
Tier 2
Black Swift
Tier 2
Black Tern
Tier 2
Least Tern
Tier 2
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Tier 2
Long-billed Curlew
Tier 2
Northern Harrier
Tier 2
Piping Plover
Tier 2
Short-eared Owl
Tier 2
Veery
Tier 2
Western Snowy Plover
Tier 2
White-faced Ibis
Tier 2
Arkansas Darter
Tier 1
Bluehead Sucker
Tier 1
Bonytail Chub
Tier 1
Brassy Minnow
Tier 1
Northern Redbelly Dace
Tier 1
Orangespotted Sunfish
Tier 1
Orangethroat Darter
Tier 1
Plains Topminnow
Tier 1
Rio Grande Chub
Tier 1
Rio Grande Sucker
Tier 1
Southern Redbelly Dace
Tier 1
Iowa Darter
Tier 2
Arkansas Darter
Tier 1
Bluehead Sucker
Tier 1
Bonytail Chub
Tier 1
Brassy Minnow
Tier 1
Northern Redbelly Dace
Tier 1
Orangespotted Sunfish
Tier 1
Orangethroat Darter
Tier 1
Plains Topminnow
Tier 1
Rio Grande Chub
Tier 1
Rio Grande Sucker
Tier 1
Southern Redbelly Dace
Tier 1
Iowa Darter
Tier 2
Beaver
Tier 1
N. Mex. Meadow Jumping Mouse
Tier 1
Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse
Tier 1
River Otter
Tier 2
Beaver
Tier 1
N. Mex. Meadow Jumping Mouse
Tier 1
Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse
Tier 1
River Otter
Tier 2
Black-necked Gartersnake
Tier 2
Common (Red-sided) Gartersnake
Tier 2
Yellow Mud Turtle
Tier 2
Black-necked Gartersnake
Tier 2
Common (Red-sided) Gartersnake
Tier 2
Yellow Mud Turtle
Tier 2
Application Evaluation, Selection, and Notification Process
- Immediately after the deadline, applications are screened for completeness and adherence to formatting guidelines. Applicants should be available within the first few days after the deadline to address questions and requests for formatting revisions.
- Applications are sent for review and comments to CPW local, Water Section, and Capital Development staff, and Wetland Focus Area Committees (if applicable).
- Applications are scored by a statewide scoring team (using the scoring criteria in Attachment 3).
- Applications are ranked by CPW regional committees.
- A statewide project selection committee reviews regional and focus area committee ranks, scores, and comments, and makes funding recommendations to the CPW Director.
- Final funding approval rests with the CPW Director.
- Successful applicants receive notification specifying anticipated project start and completion dates, funding information, and reporting requirements.
Review Subcommittee
Grant Application Review Process
Applications are sent for review and comments to CPW local, Water Section, and Capital Development staff, and Wetland Focus Area Committees (if applicable). FACs provide the knowledge of local wetland resources, offer venues to discuss wetland needs, provide wetland expertise, and generate ideas for wetland projects.
Reporting Requirements:
Each calendar quarter (March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31) through project completion, the Project Manager must submit a project update (electronically) to the CPW Wetlands Program Coordinator. This update should include:
Grant Deadlines
Key Topic |
Description |
Date |
|---|---|---|
|
RFA Funding Announced |
Wetlands funding RFA announced, distributed directly to DNR staff and partners, and posted on CPW’s Wetlands Project Funding web page. |
December 16, 2024 |
|
Applications Due |
Applications due to the Wetlands Program Coordinator. |
February 10, 2025 |
|
Application Review |
Applications posted for review by regional ranking committees, scoring team, Focus Area Committees, CPW Water and Capital Development Sections, and local staff. |
February 17, 2025 |
|
Ranks and Scorecards Due |
All ranks, scores, and comments due to the Wetlands Program Coordinator. |
March 10, 2025 |
|
Selection Committee Review |
Statewide selection committee meets to review ranks, scores, comments, and it makes funding recommendations to CPW Director. |
Late March, 2025 |
|
CPW Director Decision |
CPW Director’s decisions on funding awards. Immediate notification to applicants. |
Late April, 2025 |
|
Applicant Agreements |
Agreements developed and signed for external grant awards. |
Late June, 2025 |
Wetlands for Wildlife Grants
Grant Submissions
The 2019 to 2024 grant applications are listed here, but the public comment period has closed.
- 2019 Grant Awards
- 2020 - No Grants Issued
- 2021 Grant Awards
- 2022 Grant Awards
- 2023 Grant Awards
- 2024 Grant Awards
Contact
For further information or to provide feedback on any aspect of the Wetlands Program or this RFA, please contact:
Grants Program Coordinator
- Brian Sullivan
- [email protected]