State Wildlife Grants Program
About
Mandated by Congress in 2000 through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program was established to provide federal grant funds to State Fish and Wildlife Agencies for developing and implementing programs that benefit Species in Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and their habitats. SWG funds are used to support and address a wide range of conservation priorities identified in the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), including research, surveys, habitat management, species restoration, monitoring, and recovery of SGCN.
The State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is a comprehensive statewide conservation plan that serve as a roadmap for conserving fish and wildlife species in decline and their habitats. SWAPs are designed as a proactive approach to management to help prevent SGCN and their habitats from becoming further imperiled or federally listed as threatened or endangered. A SWAP identifies species within a state that are considered as SGCN, threats to those species and their habitats, as well as conservation actions needed to restore or maintain populations of those SGCN.
SWG is the only federal program with the explicit goal of preventing endangered species listings through research and management. To maintain eligibility for SWG funding, each State Fish and Wildlife agency is required by Congress to submit a review and revised SWAP at least every 10 years.
