Grants for states and territories, offered through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, fund participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, as well as candidate species and at-risk species.
Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide federal financial assistance through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) to states and territories to support the development and implementation of conservation programs for the benefit of resident listed, candidate, and at-risk species on non-federal lands. This financial assistance, provided in the form of competitive grants and made available through four CESCF grant programs, contributes approximately $51.8 million toward species and habitat conservation annually.
