Combating Wildlife Trafficking - U.S. Demand Reduction | F18AS00086

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00086

The "Combating Wildlife Trafficking - U.S. Demand Reduction" grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00086) is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It is designed to support projects that reduce U.S.-based demand for illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products, recognizing that consumer demand is a major driver of poaching, illegal capture, and trafficking networks. The program sits within the broader Environment and Natural Resources funding category (CFDA 15.679) and aims to complement national efforts to curb wildlife trafficking by targeting the demand side of the problem rather than focusing only on enforcement or supply-side interventions.

The underlying rationale for the program is that wildlife trafficking affects an extremely wide range of species across land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The opportunity highlights high-profile and heavily trafficked animals such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers, but it also emphasizes that trafficking extends to many other taxa, including sharks, tuna, sea turtles, land tortoises, great apes, exotic birds, pangolins, sturgeon, coral, iguanas, chameleons, and even tarantulas. In other words, the program is not narrowly limited to one species group; it reflects the reality that illegal trade impacts everything from large mammals to reptiles, birds, marine species, and invertebrates, often with severe conservation consequences.

A key point in the description is that wildlife trafficking is not only a biodiversity issue but also intersects with economic stability and human well-being. The notice specifically mentions trafficking in fisheries products and the related risks to food supplies and food security, signaling concern about illegal, unreported, and unregulated extraction and trade that can undermine legitimate fisheries, destabilize local and global markets, and threaten long-term access to protein sources. This framing positions demand reduction as both a conservation strategy and part of a broader effort to protect natural-resource based livelihoods and resilient food systems.

The opportunity also connects wildlife trafficking to illegal harvest and trade in plants and trees, stressing that environmental crimes are often linked and mutually reinforcing. Illegal logging and plant trade can destroy habitat directly, while also opening roads and access into previously remote areas, making it easier for traffickers and poachers to reach endangered wildlife populations. The mention of tigers as an example underscores how habitat loss and access expansion can magnify risks for already imperiled species, so demand reduction efforts are implicitly part of a larger strategy that recognizes these interconnected pressures.

Legally and strategically, the program is authorized under several foundational U.S. policy and legal instruments: the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking established by Executive Order 13648 (July 5, 2013), the Implementation Plan for that National Strategy (February 11, 2014), and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-43). This establishes that the grant is not an isolated initiative; it is one mechanism for carrying out an existing national strategy and fulfilling statutory commitments to conserve threatened and endangered species and combat illegal trade impacting them.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is intentionally broad. Applicants may include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); private institutions of higher education; individuals; and for-profit organizations, including small businesses. This wide eligibility suggests the program is open to a range of approaches and capacities, from public awareness campaigns led by nonprofits to research and outreach led by universities, as well as culturally grounded initiatives from tribal entities and potentially market-oriented or communications-driven efforts from private sector applicants.

Funding is structured with an award ceiling of $200,000 per award, and the agency anticipated making about 25 awards. The original posting date was March 26, 2018, and applications were due 60 days from the posting date, with an original closing date of May 25, 2018. While those dates reflect the specific cycle referenced in the notice, the key takeaway is the scale and intent: moderate-sized grants aimed at supporting multiple projects that collectively contribute to measurable reductions in U.S. consumer demand for trafficked wildlife and related products.

Overall, the opportunity is centered on changing the conditions that allow wildlife trafficking to remain profitable, focusing on the U.S. market as a critical point of intervention. By funding demand reduction work under a national strategy framework, the program seeks to reduce incentives for poaching and illegal harvest globally, protect a broad spectrum of species, and address connected harms to ecosystems, habitat, and food security.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Combating Wildlife Trafficking - U.S. Demand Reduction" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.679.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 26, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2018 Applications are due 60 days from the date this funding opportunity is posted.. (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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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.

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