From: Orr, Daniel@Wildlife <Daniel.Orr@wildlife.ca.gov>
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 10:05 AM
Subject: CDFW Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance or restore habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling more than $849,000.

Good morning,

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance or restore habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling more than $849,000. Projects benefiting specific focus areas will be given preference for a subset of available funds. The focus areas are 1) projects in Kern or Fresno counties, and 2) projects benefiting non-perennial waterways and associated habitats including desert washes and alluvial fans. All eligible agencies and projects are encouraged to apply.

The grants stem from the Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), whose selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and OSPR. The committee may select multiple projects. Previous EEF awards have typically ranged from $100,000 to $300,000. Applications with multi-year projects may also apply.

To qualify, an environmental enhancement project must acquire habitat for preservation or improve habitat quality and ecosystem function. In addition, it must meet all of the following requirements:

• Be located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state.
• Have measurable outcomes within a pre-determined timeframe.
• Be designed to acquire, restore, or improve habitat or restore ecosystem function, or both, to benefit fish and wildlife.

Funds come from OSPR’s EEF, funded by oil spill violations, in accordance with California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act. Disbursement of the grants is contingent on the availability of funds in the EEF.

Grant applications must be received by 5 p.m. on March 1, 2021. Selected projects will be notified in summer 2021. For more information, please go to 

www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About or contact me directly.

Best regards,

Daniel Orr

Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist)

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Office of Spill Prevention and Response

1010 Riverside Parkway

West Sacramento, CA 95605

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 944209

Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

(916) 599-1381 (cell)