Conservation Works | 72066921RFA00001

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72066921RFA00001

USAID Conservation Works is a Liberia-focused conservation and livelihoods grant opportunity from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), specifically the USAID Mission in Monrovia. The activity is designed to protect threatened and endangered species, with a strong emphasis on safeguarding western chimpanzees, by improving the effectiveness of Protected Areas (PAs) and Proposed Protected Areas (PPAs) and by reducing the degree to which nearby communities depend on resources taken from these protected landscapes to meet daily livelihood needs. In practical terms, the opportunity is aiming for a combined conservation-and-development outcome: stronger biodiversity protection alongside measurable, sustainable economic growth for people living in and around the targeted landscapes.

The core approach is built around two linked results. First, Conservation Works intends to strengthen protection and management in existing PAs and in landscapes being considered for protection (PPAs). This generally implies better on-the-ground management capacity, more effective protection systems, and improved governance and stewardship of protected landscapes so that habitats and species are less threatened by pressures such as illegal extraction, habitat degradation, and unsustainable use. Second, the activity aims to increase sustainable economic growth in the targeted PA and PPA landscapes, recognizing that long-term conservation success is difficult to sustain if surrounding communities have few viable alternatives to harvesting protected resources. The program therefore emphasizes shifting or diversifying livelihoods so households can meet income and subsistence needs through more sustainable, conservation-compatible economic activities.

From a funding and award standpoint, this is a discretionary USAID opportunity offered as a Cooperative Agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the agency during implementation (for example, collaboration on technical direction, adaptive management, and coordination with national or local stakeholders). The opportunity is listed under the Environment funding activity category (CFDA 98.001). It anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $19,500,000, meaning proposals could be funded up to that maximum amount. Eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), with the usual caveat that applicants must follow any additional eligibility details provided in the full funding notice.

The funding opportunity is identified as "Conservation Works" with the number 72066921RFA00001. It was created on April 26, 2021, and the original closing date was May 25, 2021. Overall, the grant opportunity frames conservation not only as protecting wildlife and habitats inside designated areas, but also as strengthening the surrounding economic and social conditions that influence whether protected areas can remain intact over time, with the bulk of program effort concentrated in selected landscapes across Liberia.

• The Agency for International Development, Liberia USAID-Monrovia in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conservation Works" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 26, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2021. (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 $19,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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