RFHP anticipates approximately $250,000 in Federal funding and $500,000 from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund for “on-the-ground” projects in FY2026. Grants will be capped at $75,000, but grants for lesser amounts will be considered.

Federal Funding

Grant requests must have a match of 1:1 from non-Federal sources. All contributions (cash and/or in-kind contributions) must be expended during the project period. Eligible costs will be paid for work done no earlier than contract approval. Grant funds may NOT be used for certain work (see Eligibility section). Applicants are strongly urged to discuss project ideas with the Coordinator prior to submitting proposals if questions about eligibility exist.

Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund

Grant requests must have a match of 25% from any source, Federal or non-Federal. The decision on availability of these funds will not be finalized until mid-year 2025. Grant funds must be used for a project with recreational fishing implications.

The online submission form will ask for confirmation of the applicant’s interest in both funding sources, with a choice of “Federal Funds only,” “Bass Pro Shops only,” or “Either.” Note that if you select “Either,” you must propose a 1:1 non-Federal match and follow other Federal funding requirements.

Match Requirements

Bear in mind that the grant request must include match of funds, time, or other resources. RFHP anticipates funding 8-12 projects @ $10,000-$75,000 each. Given the amount of funding available at this time, RFHP grants should be considered as a partial funding source for projects with multiple funding sources and partners, and special consideration will be given to projects with more than the minimum match. All contributions (cash and/or in-kind) must be expended during the project period. Eligible costs will be paid for work done no earlier than contract approval.

Special consideration will be given to projects with more than the minimum match.

FY2026 project proposals must fall under at least one of the NFHP National Conservation Priorities. In addition, the RFHP prioritizes habitat impairments and subsequent work based on a nationwide survey of fish habitat in reservoirs. Region-specific impairments should be addressed, with emphasis on ultimate causes of impairment such as sedimentation and eutrophication. Likewise, RFHP prioritizes work that benefits important sport fish, and a region-specific list is available for your reference. Finally, RFHP emphasizes projects that not only improve fish habitat, but also enhance public access and knowledge of that habitat. Projects that engage the community through partnerships and outreach will receive special consideration.

Briefly, RFHP’s priorities include:

• Protect, restore and enhance fish habitat in reservoir systems to support productive fisheries and healthy aquatic ecosystems including techniques to account for climate change effects on reservoir fisheries habitat;
• Continue to develop/refine the science behind reservoir habitat conservation/restoration, including development and communication of best management practices;
• Manage reservoir systems to provide, protect and enrich quality of life for the American people;
• Develop and foster partnerships that implement landscape-scale approaches to the conservation of fish habitat in reservoir systems;
• Develop and sustain institutional arrangements and sources of funding to support the long-term conservation of fish habitat in reservoir systems;
• Support education and outreach initiatives that advance public awareness and understanding of the value of healthy reservoir systems.

Complete details of RFHP’s strategy and priorities can be found here: https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/about-us/partnership/governance-documents/strategic-plan-2/.

Addressing priority fish habitat impairments will earn your application a higher score (example of point allocations below). Impairments are specific to each ecoregion and are described in greater detail at https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/science/reservoir-assessment/priority-habitat-impairments/.

Based on a 2010 survey, the first-, second- and third-most important recreational fish species were identified for over 1,200 reservoirs across the U.S. This enabled the Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership to identify the most important recreational species in each ecoregion, with the goal of using this information to guide decision-making in the fish habitat grant process.  A grant proposal which targets priority species specifically will gain more points in the evaluation.

Priority fish species by region, as established by the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership's national assessment.

Eligible applicants include state and Federal governmental agencies; non-governmental organizations (e.g., sportsman’s groups, community associations, watershed user groups, cooperatives, civic groups), municipalities, universities, schools, state and tribal governments. Projects must be on public reservoirs. Projects on reservoirs with no or limited public access are not eligible. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to utilize System for Award Management (SAM), Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), and Grant Solutions.

Project Duration: Project objectives must be met within the project timeline. Projects with a timeline of two years or less are encouraged but large-scale projects may require a longer timeline. Funding for FY2026 projects will not be appropriated until after January 2026 and will likely not be available to project leaders until March 2026 or later. Actual project start date will be the date funding documents are signed. We suggest April 1, 2026 as a reasonable start date and June 30, 2028 as a project end date.

Eligible Activities: Types of eligible activities for Federal funding may include 1) time spent for project planning, directing project activities, site assessments, travel to and from project, and project oversight, 2) equipment, 3) earthwork and materials, 4) short-term monitoring/evaluation, 5) outreach to advance conservation, and f) easements with an operations and maintenance plan. Projects should meet the RFHP criteria described in more detail in the RFP documentation. NFHP funds can only be used for on-the-ground habitat projects and related design and monitoring activities; funds may not be used for research or solely to support personnel and staff salaries or benefits. Salaries of full-time employees may be part of the grant request as long as they are for only time spent directly on planning, administration and/or “on the ground” work on the project. Grant funds may NOT be used to support overhead, political advocacy, deficit reduction activities, projects that have already been completed, or for activities that constitute legally required mitigation for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by state or Federal law. Applicants are strongly urged to discuss project ideas with the Coordinator prior to submitting proposals if questions about eligibility exist. Generally, these eligibility guidelines apply to any grant coordinated by RFHP, even if they are not Federally sourced.

Projects that develop and/or evaluate reservoir fisheries habitat restoration techniques are encouraged. Proposed projects can be focused on habitat issues in the reservoir proper and/or in watersheds above the reservoir and/or tailwaters below. We suggest that you review the Reservoir Partnership’s Best Management Practices manual “Reservoir Habitat Management” that can be found at https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/science/best-management-practices-manual/ for assistance in project planning.

All proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

1. Financial match - matching funds may be in the form of in-kind support or cash and must be spent during the project period.
2. Identifies biological, ecological, or other benefits of the project.
3. Provides measurable project goals and objectives
4. Describe the capabilities and experience of project sponsor to successfully implement the project.
5. Monitoring and evaluation measures must be included as part of the project. We suggest that these measures focus on the habitat restoration work accomplished rather than fish response to the restoration because that is of a longer duration and more difficult to measure.

Final projects will be selected for funding following review by the Regional Working Groups. Members of each Regional Working Group (geographically aligned with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Association regions) will review and score project proposals based on the criteria listed below:

• Aquatic habitat restoration principles and priorities
• Clarity and feasibility of objectives and methods
• Impact on quality of life and community
• Leveraging of partnerships and additional funding

Each of the Regional Working Groups will submit their prioritized list of projects to the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership Executive Committee for final approval. Applicants will be made aware of their proposal’s ranking shortly thereafter, but final approval of projects is based on funding availability. Given that funding is from Federal sources, environmental compliance documents (Federal Assistance Biological Assistance/ ESA Evaluation Form, NEPA Exclusion and National Historic Preservation Act Form) are required. Successful applicants will be advised on how to fill out these documents. The RFHP Coordinator is available to assist in this process.

Previously Funded Projects: To maximize our ability to fund new high-quality proposals while also supporting the high-quality habitat restoration work that is ongoing on previously funded projects, we will continue to accept proposals from previously funded proposals but will only accept proposals at 50% of the original funding request. A 3^rd proposal with similar objectives will only be accepted at 25% of the original proposal funding request. Hopefully the pool of local project partners has grown to offset a reduced level of funding from RFHP. However, if objectives of the new proposal are significantly different than those of previously funded projects (different project on the same reservoir), the proposal will be treated as a new project.

RFHP requires project objectives to be SMART in nature.

• Name of Friends of Reservoirs Member Sponsoring Project
• Project Leader Contact Information
  • Name, address, phone, email
• Project Location
  • Reservoir name
  • Location (GPS coordinates of dam, if available)
    • reservoir must be open to public access to be eligible
• Project Objectives
  • Must be SMART objectives
• Methods being used to Address this Need
  • State the type and amount of habitat that the project proposes to add/restore;
  • Describe the methods used to accomplish the project;
  • What are the expected outcomes? (decrease shoreline erosion, provide cover for sport fishes, etc.)
  • Address the justification for use of natural materials versus artificial materials. If artificial materials are used, what measures are taken to be as protective of the aquatic environment as possible?
• A letter of support from a representative of the state fish and wildlife management agency must be included in the proposal
  • If available, include a copy of or link to a lake management plan that states this need (proposals which complement an existing plan for the lake will receive extra consideration).
• What species will the project affect?
• Outreach
  • Include an outreach plan
  • How do you propose to advertise the project (on-site signage, press releases, websites, message boards, etc.)
• Partners and Budgeting
  • Provide a list of partners involved in the project
    • To be considered a partner, the group/company/agency has to provide either direct monetary or in-kind (supplies, equipment, labor) to the project
    • Preference is given to projects with a “youth group” actively involved (volunteer labor, fundraising, etc.)
  • Provide budget details showing each partner's contribution

RFHP requires project objectives to be SMART in nature.

• Before and after photos
• A short completion report within 6 months of project completion

• Name of Friends of Reservoirs Member Sponsoring Project
• Project Leader Contact Information
  • Name, address, phone, email
• Project Location
  • Reservoir name
  • Location (GPS coordinates of dam, if available)
    • reservoir must be open to public access to be eligible
• Project Objectives
  • Must be SMART objectives
• Methods being used to Address this Need
  • State the type and amount of habitat that the project proposes to add/restore;
  • Describe the methods used to accomplish the project;
  • What are the expected outcomes? (decrease shoreline erosion, provide cover for sport fishes, etc.)
• A letter of support from a representative of the state fish and wildlife management agency must be included in the proposal
  • If available, include a copy of or link to a lake management plan that states this need (proposals which complement an existing plan for the lake will receive extra consideration).
• What species will the project affect?
• Outreach
  • Include an outreach plan
  • How do you propose to advertise the project (on-site signage, press releases, websites, message boards, etc.)
• Partners and Budgeting
  • Provide a list of partners involved in the project
    • To be considered a partner, the group/company/agency has to provide either direct monetary or in-kind (supplies, equipment, labor) to the project
    • Preference is given to projects with a “youth group” actively involved (volunteer labor, fundraising, etc.)
  • Provide budget details showing each partner's contribution

RFHP requires project objectives to be SMART in nature.

• Before and after photos
• A short completion report within 6 months of project completion

• Name of Friends of Reservoirs Member Sponsoring Project
• Project Leader Contact Information
  • Name, address, phone, email
• Project Location
  • Reservoir name
  • Location (GPS coordinates of dam, if available)
    • reservoir must be open to public access to be eligible
• Project Objectives
  • Must be SMART objectives
• Methods being used to Address this Need
  • State the type and amount of habitat that the project proposes to add/restore;
  • Describe the methods used to accomplish the project;
  • What are the expected outcomes? (decrease shoreline erosion, provide cover for sport fishes, etc.)
• A letter of support from a representative of the state fish and wildlife management agency must be included in the proposal
  • If available, include a copy of or link to a lake management plan that states this need (proposals which complement an existing plan for the lake will receive extra consideration).
• What species will the project affect?
• Outreach
  • Include an outreach plan
  • How do you propose to advertise the project (on-site signage, press releases, websites, message boards, etc.)
• Partners and Budgeting
  • Provide a list of partners involved in the project
    • To be considered a partner, the group/company/agency has to provide either direct monetary or in-kind (supplies, equipment, labor) to the project
    • Preference is given to projects with a “youth group” actively involved (volunteer labor, fundraising, etc.)
  • Provide budget details showing each partner's contribution

RFHP requires project objectives to be SMART in nature.

• Before and after photos
• A short completion report within 6 months of project completion