Applications for grant funding are being accepted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW‐OSPR) to fund projects that enhance, restore or acquire habitat for wildlife. The available funding totals $5 million.

These grant funds come from CDFW-OSPR’s Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), which acquires funds from spill violations in accordance with California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act.

Key details of this grant opportunity are:

Grant range: Minimum $500,000 per project

Completion deadline: April 1, 2031

Eligibility: Nonprofits, cities, counties, districts, state and federal agencies

Location: Projects must be within or near California waters

Requirements: Projects must show measurable outcomes and improve habitat or ecosystem function

Multiple projects may be submitted for funding.

The selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and CDFW‐OSPR. This is the largest grant amount available since the beginning of the EEF.

Grant applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2024. Selected projects will be notified in late fall 2024. For more information, go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About