Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund-Asia | F19AS00011

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00011

The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund-Asia (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00011) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior) grant and cooperative agreement program that funds on-the-ground conservation work aimed at reducing threats to wild tigers and rhinoceroses across their natural ranges, with an emphasis on delivering clear, measurable, and lasting conservation outcomes. The program sits within the Service's International Affairs Program, which supports strategic projects for priority wildlife and habitats globally. This opportunity is authorized by the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, which was created specifically to provide dedicated financial support for conserving tiger and rhinoceros populations.

A central expectation of this funding is that proposals move beyond general awareness or stand-alone research and instead lay out specific actions that directly reduce real-world threats in the field. Projects that focus heavily on surveys, monitoring, or status assessments are expected to explain exactly how the information will be used to drive management decisions, and why missing or weak data has previously prevented effective action. Applications that do not convincingly connect proposed activities to threat reduction, or that collect data without a clear pathway to management action, are likely to be rejected. The program also stresses decision-making grounded in strong science and thorough analysis, and it places value on cost-effectiveness, timely technical and financial reporting, and planning for sustainability so that gains continue after the award period ends.

The fund supports a broad range of conservation strategies as long as they are tied to tangible outcomes for rhinos and tigers. Priority activities include strengthening protected area and reserve management, improving ranger capacity and law enforcement coverage in key range areas, and enhancing protection for the most at-risk populations. Habitat-focused work is eligible as well, including habitat conservation, restoration, and management that improves the long-term viability of populations. The program also supports efforts that build local capacity and deepen community engagement, recognizing that durable conservation often depends on local stewardship, practical incentives, and locally led implementation.

Conflict reduction is another major theme, with support available for initiatives that decrease human-rhinoceros and human-tiger conflict, such as strategies that prevent livestock depredation, improve community safety, or reduce retaliatory killing while maintaining tolerance for wildlife. Applied research is eligible when it is clearly connected to management needs, including targeted surveys and monitoring that inform protection planning, habitat management, or population recovery actions.

Because illegal trade is a major driver of decline for both taxa, the fund explicitly supports work tied to international and domestic legal frameworks, including compliance with treaties such as CITES and laws regulating take, trade, and habitat use. Projects can also target the demand side by reducing consumer demand for illegal rhino and tiger parts and products, as well as supply-side interventions such as anti-trafficking efforts that disrupt poaching networks and trafficking routes involving parts, products, or live animals. In addition, the program can support rhinoceros reintroductions into parts of their former range when biologically and operationally justified, and trans-frontier tiger conservation efforts that address the reality that tiger landscapes and threats often cross national borders.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private universities, nonprofit organizations (including those without 501(c)(3) status), individuals, for-profit organizations, and small businesses. The maximum award amount listed is $250,000, and the agency anticipated making around 60 awards under this opportunity. The original posting indicates the opportunity was created on October 15, 2018, with complete applications due by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on January 4, 2019. The activity categories span education, environment, natural resources, and science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 15.619), reflecting that funded projects can blend field protection, community-based conservation, applied science, and policy or enforcement-related interventions as long as they clearly contribute to reducing threats and improving conservation outcomes for wild rhinos and tigers.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund-Asia" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.619.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 15, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 04, 2019 Complete Applications are due no later than 1159pm EDT on January 4, 2019.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for F19AS00011

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