ASLA is working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to highlight new opportunities for landscape architects. NFWF programming includes funding for biodiversity and other conservation projects and technical analysis for case studies of nature-based solutions. With these initiatives, landscape architects will be further empowered to preserve and enhance the natural environment.
Established by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation's largest private conservation grant-maker. The organization works with both the public and private sectors to protect and restore our nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. Since its founding, NFWF has supported more than 21,600 projects and enhanced wildlife populations and natural habitats in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
As ASLA continues to address the biodiversity crisis, NFWF programs can support landscape architects in implementing innovative strategies that promote wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, and ecological resilience. Landscape architects may be interested in funding opportunities for nationwide programs including:
- Five Star/Urban Waters program seeks to address water quality issues in priority watersheds, such as erosion due to unstable streambanks, pollution from stormwater runoff, and degraded shorelines caused by development.
- Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund advances local on-the-ground watershed restoration, helps local communities clean up and restore their polluted rivers and streams, and restores and protects key Chesapeake Bay species.
- Delaware River program is dedicated to restoring the fish and wildlife habitats and water quality of the Delaware River and its tributaries. The Delaware River Program currently awards grants through two competitive funding opportunities - the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund and Delaware River Restoration Fund.
- Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public–private partnership designed to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitat in the basin. The program achieves this mission, in part, by awarding grants for on-the-ground habitat restoration and enhancement.
- National Coastal Resilience Fund invests in conservation projects that restore or expand natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands that minimize the impacts of storms and other naturally occurring events on nearby communities.
- Northeast Forests and Rivers is dedicated to restoring and sustaining healthy forests and rivers that provide habitat for diverse native bird and freshwater fish populations in the Northeastern United States.
NFWF also commissions third-party experts to conduct in-depth evaluations of these conservation programs. Experts assess the program’s design, implementation, and efficacy. Any necessary changes to the program will be recommended by the experts. These case evaluations offer landscape architects an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in nature-based infrastructure.
ASLA encourages all its members to SIGN UP HERE to receive information about NFWF opportunities, funding announcements, requests for proposals, and more. Members can find all active programs here.