EBTJV FY26 RFP Now Open
EBTJV has funded over 106 brook trout conservation projects through the National Fish Habitat Partnership and USFWS since 2006.
2026 Project Request for Proposals (RFP)
Open: November 26, 2024
Deadline for intent to apply and state coordination extended to 11:59pm 1/22/2025
Final deadline 2/14/2025
The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV), as one of the 20 partnerships under the National Fish Habitat Partnership, is requesting project proposals that are focused on Brook Trout conservation actions. Federal funding is available through the National Fish Habitat Partnership as outlined under S.3791 - America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024 . You can find the full Act here.
RFP at this link.
What changed?
When we announced our RFP in the fall, we were operating under a prior version of the ACE ACT (2020). Recently, the ACE ACT was reauthorized with revisions, and signed by the President on Dec 23, 2024. Last week, NFHP confirmed that certain key changes are in effect for this RFP cycle, FY26. There is no longer a mandated nonfederal match for individual projects, however the nonfederal match is still in place at the level of the partnership. Thus, nonfederal match is still an important component, and your nonfederal match amount will contribute to your score and rank. Non-federal funds contributions must not come from, be matched to, or otherwise tied to a federal source. We request that at least 75% of the nonfederal match funds you propose are in-hand by February 14.
Q: Our project does not have 100% nonfederal funds, may we apply? - A: Yes, you may apply for FY26.
Q: Our project has 100% or more nonfederal funds available to use, should we allocate those to the project or save them for another project that has a nonfederal requirement? A: We can't say how you should allocate your match, however since there is still a match requirement at the level of EBTJV, your application will receive more points if you can bring more nonfederal match, especially if it is well above 1:1.
Q: We already submitted an intent to apply form with total project amounts and amount we hope to apply for. Should I change any of this? A: If you have already submitted an intent to apply form (Thank you!), you may choose to revise how much funds you apply for (up to $50,000), but you do not need to edit your intent to apply form. You may simply adjust these numbers when you fill out your full application.
Q: I have a project with a federally recognized tribe. Does this affect my match needs? A: Tribal projects continue to have no match requirement for the NFHP funds, and would be considered by NFHP in addition to the 2-5 projects that EBTJV could fund. This is potentially in addition to the allocation EBTJV would receive.
As we receive additional guidance from NFHP regarding other changes from the ACE Act reauthorization that are relevant for applicants, we will share it with you.
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