California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Home Habitat Conservation Planning Planning NCCP Grants

Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP)

Grants for NCCPs and HCPs

CDFW sponsors several grant programs to assist in funding NCCPs and Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). Three of these important programs are administered by the Habitat Conservation Planning Branch.

The NCCP LOCAL ASSISTANCE GRANT (LAG) Program provides state funds for urgent tasks associated with the implementation of approved NCCPs or NCCPs anticipated to be approved within 12 months of grant application.

CDFW is also the state sponsor of the federal ESA NON-TRADITIONAL SECTION 6 GRANT Programs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) offers funding through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund to support conservation planning and purchases of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plant species. The grants are authorized by Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act.

NCCP Local Assistance Grants

General information about the NCCP LAG program and the Concept and Full Proposal Applications can be found in the Procedural Guidelines for the NCCP LAG Program.

If you are interested in applying for a NCCP LAG, please work with your regional CDFW and FWS representatives, as well as NCCP Implementing Entity and other partners, to develop a Concept Proposal to submit by October 5, 2012 (COB).

Projects selected for development of Full Proposals will be notified by October 12, 2012. Full Proposal Applications will be due by COB November 6, 2012. Please only submit a Full Proposal Application if you were specifically requested to do so in writing by CDFW. NEW! Full Proposal deadline has been extended to November 15, 2012 (COB).

Preparers of LAG proposals may find it useful to look at examples of the type and substance of NCCP LAG projects previously funded.

ESA Non-Traditional Section 6 Grants

Please visit the FWS grants site for information on eligibility and approved uses of these grants. Contact your local CDFW office if you are interested in applying.

CDFW and local HCP partners have been very successful in the national competition for Non-Traditional Section 6 HCP grant funds. Plans with large geographic areas, multiple species, high match amounts, multiple stakeholders, and high conservation importance score high. A combination of these factors for most California plans has led to significant Non-Traditional Section 6 HCP grants to California each year. These grants require a contribution of a minimum of 25 percent of the projects' total costs by non-federal project partners. A list of eligible non-federal match sources (PDF) is available. Grants are offered for NCCPs and HCPs under two highly competitive programs:
  1. The HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANNING ASSISTANCE (HCPA) PROGRAM provides grants for creating HCPs, through funding of tasks necessary in the planning phase: for example, baseline surveys and inventories, preparation of planning and environmental documents, and outreach.
  2. The HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN LAND ACQUISITION (HCPLA) PROGRAM provides grants for land acquisitions associated with approved HCPs. Grants do not fund any mitigation required of an HCP permittee, but are instead intended to support land purchases that complement actions associated with the HCP.

The Non-Traditional Section 6 RECOVERY LAND ACQUISITION (RLA) PROGRAM provides grants for the acquisition of habitat for endangered and threatened species in support of draft and approved recovery plans. This grant program is administered through CDFW's Wildlife Branch.

ESA Traditional Section 6 Grants

In addition, some NCCP and HCP activities are eligible for the ESA CONSERVATION GRANTS PROGRAM (Traditional Section 6), which provides funds to implement conservation projects for listed and at-risk species. These grants are administered through CDFW's Wildlife Branch.