Great Apes Conservation Fund

 

To provide financial assistance for projects for the effective long-term conservation of great apes and their habitats. This program supports projects that focus on one or more of the following areas: applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring; development and execution of ape conservation management plans; compliance with applicable treaties and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of ape or regulate the use and management of ape habitat; conservation education and community outreach; enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations; efforts to decrease human-ape conflicts; habitat conservation and management; protected area/reserve management in important ape range; strengthening local capacity to implement conservation programs; transfrontier ape conservation; and wildlife inspection, law enforcement, and forensics skills.

Active 15.629 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 Program received 56 applications and anticipates issuing 25 awards. In FY17 the program received 56 applications and issued 38 awards.
Fiscal Year 2018 76 applications received and issued 40 awards.
Fiscal Year 2019 75 Applications received and issued 36 awards.
Fiscal Year 2020 85 Applications estimated to be received and issuing 40 awards.
Fiscal Year 2021 40 applications received, 21 applications approved, and 20 draft awards created. Received 26 applications for funding. Anticipate issuing 10 awards.
Fiscal Year 2022 No new funding for this program, but 29 awards associated with the FY21 NOFO were issued.
Fiscal Year 2023 Anticipate 4-6 multi-year awards being issued.
Fiscal Year 2024 Anticipate 56-58 awards being issued. Great Ape Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. §6301 et seq. Applications may be submitted by any government agency responsible for conservation and protection of apes and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in ape conservation. Any government agency responsible for conservation and protection of apes and any other organization or individual with demonstrated experience in ape conservation. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. No NOFO will be posted in FY23. The program announcement and application instructions for this program can be found at Grants.gov website http://www.grants.gov. The Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions are also located on this program's website at http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/notice-of-funding-availability-great-ape.pdf. If you are unable to access the Internet, hard copies are available upon request from the Branch of Near East, South Asia & Africa, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. A proposal will not be considered complete if required elements are not submitted as instructed. U.S. applicants must submit (among other elements) a complete, signed Standard Form 424 "Application for Federal Assistance." Projects are reviewed and competitively selected for funding using criteria developed on the requirements of the Great Ape Conservation Act (16 USC 6301 et seq.). Review criteria can be found in the application information at http://www.fws.gov/international/grants-and-reporting/how-to-apply.html. Once a proposal has been selected for funding, an FWS approving official executes an Assistance Award between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Recipient. Fully executed Awards are sent to the Recipient either electronically or through the mail. The Division of International Conservation then administers all other aspects of the Assistance Award. For Asian projects, deadlines do not apply. For African projects, FY23 Application deadline is April 3, 2023. Future application deadlines to be determined. From 120 to 180 days. Not applicable. None. However, at the discretion of the Division of International Conservation, active awards can be modified, e.g.: time extensions or budget changes. Proposals will be reviewed based on criteria developed from the requirements of the Great Ape Conservation Fund (16 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). Additional details on the selection criteria can be found in the Great Ape Notice of Funding Availability and Application Instructions http://www.fws.gov/international/grants-and-reporting/how-to-apply.html. Hard copies of the criteria are available upon request from the Division of International Conservation. Project work should occur within the ape range, or, if work is to be conducted outside of the range, the proposal should show a clear relevance to ape conservation. Applied research projects should address specific management needs and actions. Funds provided under this program will not be used for: the purchase of firearms or ammunitions; buying of intelligence information or paying informants; gathering information by persons who conceal their true identity; law enforcement operations that prompt suspects to carry out illegal activities so they may be arrested (entrapment); or any activity that would circumvent sanctions, laws or regulations of either the U.S. or the country in which the activity would occur. Funds may not be used to provide material support or resources to individuals, entities, or organizations of countries that have been identified by the Department of State as state sponsors of terrorism. The countries currently identified are: Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. This program is administered in compliance with the Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements Act of 1977, as amended. These funds may not be used towards training Federal Government personnel. Performance Reports: Performance reports are required. Recipients must monitor and report on project performance in accordance with the requirements in 2 CFR 200.329. A final performance report is due within 120 calendar days of the award period of performance end date, unless the awarding program approves a due date extension. The FWS details all reporting requirements including frequency and due dates in Notices of Award. Not applicable. Recipients will maintain records in accordance with 2 CFR 200. Program-specific legislation/regulation may dictate additional records retention requirements. Program will detail all non-standard records retention requirements in the notice of award. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary. To the extent possible, grant funds are matched by nonfederal funds. Cost sharing is not required but priority will be given to projects for which there exists some measure of matching funds.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Assistance is available from the start date of the period of performance to the end date of the period of performance. Funding must be spent within 90 days of the end date of the period of performance. Program obligates funds and sends a notice of award to successful applicants. Recipients request funds in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Subpart E-Cost Principles, unless otherwise dictated by program-specific legislation or special award terms. Program will include any special payment terms and conditions in the notice of award. None/Not specified. Chief,
Division of International Conservation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
5275 Leesburg Pike, MS:IA

Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 US
MSCF_GreatApe@fws.gov
Phone: (703) 358-1754
Fax: (703) 358-2115. https://fws.gov/law/great-ape-conservation-act 14-1652-0-1-302 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 22$6,129,862.00; FY 23 est $7,099,998.00; FY 24 est $4,599,999.00; - Variable amounts. Generally $50,000 or less. Higher amounts may be requested. Grants: (1) Award of funds authorized by the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000; (2) Awards are authorized per the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000. Funds are made available through the Participating Agency Program Agreement (PAPA) between the Service and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation (DDI; agreement 72EGEE20T00002). As such, the award will be issued under the authority of Section 632(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), 22 U.S.C section 2392 (b). Fiscal Year 2017 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that are effective for the long-term conservation of great apes, and those that are similar in scope to FY 2016. The program supported: 1) A project for research and tourism development for Western Gorillas in Loango National Park, Gabon; 2) a project for public engagement and threat mitigation in a proposed Ebo National Park, Cameroon; 3) a project to conserve the endangered western hoolock gibbon in Nagaland through community-based strategies; 4) a project to expand community led patrolling to protect gibbon populations in the Phou Si Thone Endangered Species Conservation Area, Lao PDR.
Fiscal Year 2018 In response to the decline of ape populations in Africa and Asia, the U.S. Government enacted the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000. The Act provides for the conservation and protection of apes by supporting conservation programs in countries within their ranges and the projects of persons and organizations with demonstrated expertise in ape conservation. The Great Ape Conservation Fund will consider projects that promote conservation through: Development and execution of ape conservation management plans; Reducing trade in, and consumer demand for, illegally harvested apes and ape products; Applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring, and disease; Conservation and management of protected areas and other ape habitat, including corridors connecting habitats; Strengthening local capacity to implement ape conservation programs that lead to conservation stewardship; Compliance with applicable treaties (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat; Wildlife inspection, law enforcement and forensics skills; Enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations; Reduction of human-ape conflicts; Ape-relevant conservation education and community outreach; Transboundary ape conservation; Emerging issues.
Fiscal Year 2019 The Great Ape Conservation Fund will consider projects that promote conservation through: Development and execution of ape conservation management plans; Reducing trade in, and consumer demand for, illegally harvested apes and ape products; Applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring, and disease; Conservation and management of protected areas and other ape habitat, including corridors connecting habitats; Strengthening local capacity to implement ape conservation programs that lead to conservation stewardship; Compliance with applicable treaties (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat; Wildlife inspection, law enforcement and forensics skills; Enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations; Reduction of human-ape conflicts; Ape-relevant conservation education and community outreach; Transboundary ape conservation.
Fiscal Year 2020 The Great Ape Conservation Fund will consider projects that promote conservation through: • Development and execution of ape conservation management plans. • Reducing trade in, and consumer demand for, illegally harvested apes and ape products. • Applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring, and disease. • Conservation and management of protected areas and other ape habitat, including corridors connecting habitats. • Strengthening local capacity to implement ape conservation programs that lead to conservation stewardship. • Compliance with applicable treaties (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat. • Wildlife inspection, law enforcement and forensics skills. • Enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations. • Reduction of human-ape conflicts. • Ape-relevant conservation education and community outreach. • Transboundary ape conservation.
Fiscal Year 2021 For Asian Apes: The purpose of this project is to ensure the long-term protection of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) population and their habitat in Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (BBBRNP), West Kalimantan. The project will use scientific research to instruct conservation actions, educational tools, and outreach strategies, which will enhance orangutan population management, local community environment stewardship and health of the people, wildlife, and the environment. Project objectives include: (1) Implement an effective orangutan conservation strategy by continuing to reintroduce and monitor a reinforced orangutan population and their habitat in BBBRNP; (2) Through an integrated approach, implement a conservation and environmental education and outreach strategy to strengthen local capacity, enhance environmental stewardship and community engagement in orangutan and habitat conservation; and (3) Through a ‘Planetary Health’ approach, implement an outreach and zoonotic disease control strategy to reduce the risk of epidemics and threats to orangutans and other wildlife at human-wildlife interfaces around the BBBRNP area. The purpose of this project is to protect priority populations of siamang and agile gibbon and their habitat in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP). Project objectives include, (1) Prevent habitat loss for siamang and agile gibbon through ranger patrols, with special attention given to forest located in close proximity to roads; and (2) Improve BBSNP management planning for siamang and agile gibbon conservation through enhanced research. Research includes, BBSNP wide siamang and agile gibbon surveys, regular monitoring of siamang and agile gibbon in the Way Canguk Research Station (including monitoring for infectious disease), conducting yearly forest cover monitoring, developing safety protocols for sample collection (infectious disease), and dissemination of project results to BBSNP and relevant stakeholders (local and national). The purpose of this project is to better understand gibbon conservation status in Vietnam, reduce direct threats, and empower lasting conservation change. Project objectives are to (1) Better understand gibbon conservation status and needs; (2) Strengthen community-based conservation and protected area (PA) enforcement, by conducting intensive enforcement patrols, developing a crime prevention strategy and awareness raising campaign; (3) Improve PA management capacity; and (4) Improve sustainability and equity of conservation finance and action, by exploring/securing sustainable conservation financing such as Payment For Ecosystem Services and ecotourism opportunities. For Asian Apes: The purpose of this project is to ensure the long-term protection of the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) population and their habitat in Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (BBBRNP), West Kalimantan. The project will use scientific research to instruct conservation actions, educational tools, and outreach strategies, which will enhance orangutan population management, local community environment stewardship and health of the people, wildlife, and the environment. Project objectives include: (1) Implement an effective orangutan conservation strategy by continuing to reintroduce and monitor a reinforced orangutan population and their habitat in BBBRNP; (2) Through an integrated approach, implement a conservation and environmental education and outreach strategy to strengthen local capacity, enhance environmental stewardship and community engagement in orangutan and habitat conservation; and (3) Through a ‘Planetary Health’ approach, implement an outreach and zoonotic disease control strategy to reduce the risk of epidemics and threats to orangutans and other wildlife at human-wildlife interfaces around the BBBRNP area. The purpose of this project is to protect priority populations of siamang and agile gibbon and their habitat in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP). Project objectives include, (1) Prevent habitat loss for siamang and agile gibbon through ranger patrols, with special attention given to forest located in close proximity to roads; and (2) Improve BBSNP management planning for siamang and agile gibbon conservation through enhanced research. Research includes, BBSNP wide siamang and agile gibbon surveys, regular monitoring of siamang and agile gibbon in the Way Canguk Research Station (including monitoring for infectious disease), conducting yearly forest cover monitoring, developing safety protocols for sample collection (infectious disease), and dissemination of project results to BBSNP and relevant stakeholders (local and national). The purpose of this project is to better understand gibbon conservation status in Vietnam, reduce direct threats, and empower lasting conservation change. Project objectives are to (1) Better understand gibbon conservation status and needs; (2) Strengthen community-based conservation and protected area (PA) enforcement, by conducting intensive enforcement patrols, developing a crime prevention strategy and awareness raising campaign; (3) Improve PA management capacity; and (4) Improve sustainability and equity of conservation finance and action, by exploring/securing sustainable conservation financing such as Payment For Ecosystem Services and ecotourism opportunities. For African Apes: Projects addressing infectious disease threats to wild great apes throughout their range in Africa. Proposal objectives should align with one or more desired results: Quantifying and/or mitigating the impact of a disease on ape populations; Identify an etiology for a syndrome or disease; Improved understanding of the ecology of infectious disease(s), including those of human origin; Develop novel approaches to disease monitoring; Improved capacity of African nationals to address disease threats. Projects involving site- or place-based conservation actions to address threats to western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus), eastern chimpanzees (P. t. schweinfurthii), and Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli). Preference will be given to projects addressing conservation of these taxa in the following geographic priorities: Moyen Bafing National Park and Haut Niger National Park in Guinea; Krahn Bassa National ParkProposed Protected Area in Liberia; Taï-Grebo-Sapo landscape in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia; Loma Mountains National Park in Sierra Leone; the Ugandan portion of the Albertine Rift; and the Greater Mahale Ecosystem in Tanzania.
Fiscal Year 2022 The program did not issue a NOFO in FY22. However, the program funded 10 awards associated with the NOFO issued in FY21. Representative award titles: • “Protection and conservation of western chimpanzees in the Haut Niger National Park, Guinea” • “Recovery of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) by de-risking their suitable habitats in the Albertine Rift of Uganda” • “Preventing a lethal bacterial disease in the chimpanzees of Sierra Leone” • “Securing chimpanzee conservation in the Mahale – Tongwe West Corridor, Tanzania #2. 2021 – 2025” Project supporting the preservation of three endangered primate species by improving the well-being of 2,000 indigenous villagers living near the Gunung Niyut Nature Reserve and the Gunung Naning protection forests of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Project objectives include, (1) Support locally led deterrents to threats to primate species at project sites; (2) Improve local community well-being to reduce dependency on illegal environmental activities, including support of livelihood development and diversification through a Conservation Cooperatives Village Savings and Loans (VSL) Program for new villages in both sites and financial management training, monthly household visits by Health Ambassadors at both sites, facilitating and supporting traveling clinics to partner villages in both sites; and (3) Stabilize populations of three endangered primate species threatened by forest loss and poaching, by conducting annual surveys to estimate population densities of targeted primate species at both sites, and support community members to reforest degraded forest lands with native plant species in the Gunung Niyut site.
Fiscal Year 2023 The Great Ape Conservation Fund supports projects that promote conservation through: Conservation and management of protected areas and other ape habitat, including corridors connecting habitats; Strengthening local capacity to implement ape conservation programs that lead to conservation stewardship; Applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring, and diseases affecting ape populations; Reducing trade in, and consumer demand for, illegally harvested apes and ape products; Development and execution of ape conservation management plans; Compliance with applicable treaties (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat; Reduction of human-ape conflict; and Ape-relevant conservation education and community outreach; Enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations; and Wildlife inspection, law enforcement and forensics skills. Project supporting the reintroduction and protection of new, fully wild, viable populations of Bornean orangutans, by effectively expanding reintroduction and post-release monitoring, as well as strengthening the capacities of local government and neighboring communities to conserve the newly-established orangutan populations and their habitat. Project objectives include, (1) Expand orangutan reintroduction and post-release monitoring in the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest; and (2) Enhance the capacities of local government and community-level stakeholders to design and implement orangutan and orangutan habitat conservation interventions in Batikap.
Fiscal Year 2024 The Great Ape Conservation Fund supports projects that promote conservation through: Conservation and management of protected areas and other ape habitat, including corridors connecting habitats; Strengthening local capacity to implement ape conservation programs that lead to conservation stewardship; Applied research on ape populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring, and diseases affecting ape populations; Reducing trade in, and consumer demand for, illegally harvested apes and ape products; Development and execution of ape conservation management plans; Compliance with applicable treaties (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of apes or regulate the use and management of ape habitat; Reduction of human-ape conflict; and Ape-relevant conservation education and community outreach; Enhanced protection of at-risk ape populations; and Wildlife inspection, law enforcement and forensics skills. Project supporting the improvement of orangutan conservation practices through spatially specific, data-driven orangutan investment standards, orangutan monitoring and management practices, and site-specific human-orangutan coexistence solutions based on community needs. Objectives include: (1) Influence the financial sector to adopt or strengthen risk assessment policies for orangutan conservation, and best practices for monitoring and management of funded projects; (2) Improve stakeholder knowledge of spatially specific orangutan conservation priority actions and metapopulation management, and engage stakeholders in designing and implementing solutions; (3) Determine local community needs and best strategic interventions to enable behavior changes that will foster peaceful coexistence with orangutans; and (4) Facilitate implementation of effectively monitored, data-driven human-orangutan coexistence solutions informed by findings on conservation effectiveness, metapopulation management and community needs.