F23AS00028 National Outreach and Communication Program | F23AS00028

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00028

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a discretionary funding opportunity (F23AS00028) to support implementation of the National Outreach and Communication Program (NOCP) for sportfishing and boating through a cooperative agreement. The NOCP was created under the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-178) in response to drops in fishing and boating participation seen in the early 1990s. The underlying public value is twofold: expanding access to clean, safe, healthy recreational fishing and boating for everyone, and protecting the long-term conservation funding pipeline that comes from participation (especially through state fishing licenses and programs supported by the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund). In other words, the program is designed to grow and sustain participation while reinforcing conservation and safety outcomes tied to recreational use of aquatic resources.

Proposals are expected to deliver a national outreach effort that is clearly grounded in data and built through consensus with a broad set of stakeholders. The Service is looking for strategies that measurably improve how anglers, boaters, and the general public learn about opportunities to fish and boat; reduce practical and social barriers that keep people from participating; encourage sound, responsible angling and boating practices; promote conservation and responsible use of aquatic resources; and strengthen safety in both activities. Applicants do not have to weight every purpose equally, but they must consider all of them and show how the proposed campaign or strategy supports the overall NOCP mission. A strong proposal is one that treats outreach not as generic advertising, but as a coordinated national strategy informed by participation trends, audience insights, and evidence about what drives behavior change.

A key theme in the opportunity is collaboration across the full landscape of the sportfishing and boating community. The announcement signals that the outreach strategy should be consensus-based and developed with input and coordination from entities such as state and federal agencies, industry partners, nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and anglers and boaters themselves. In addition, applicants are expected to thoughtfully consider underserved and underrepresented communities, with the implication that barriers to access and participation may differ by community and should be addressed directly through targeted messaging, improved access information, and culturally relevant engagement approaches.

The NOCP is also framed through the lens of a strategic planning foundation developed by the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council in 1998. That strategic plan laid out five practical objectives that applicants can use to organize their approach: creating a top-of-mind national campaign that builds awareness and encourages trial and continued participation; educating people on how and where to fish and boat; identifying distinct market segments and tailoring messages to each segment's needs; educating stakeholders and partners on marketing, outreach, and how to implement strategies for targeted user groups; and making it easy and straightforward for people to find and access fishing and boating locations. Taken together, these objectives emphasize both demand-side marketing (awareness and motivation) and supply-side clarity (simple, usable information about where to go and how to participate).

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations may apply, but the experience requirements are specific and rigorous. Applicants must provide documentation showing they have successfully planned and executed major national marketing and outreach campaigns, and that they have experience identifying and communicating with targeted audiences to increase awareness, participation, and behavior change related to outdoor recreation, aquatic conservation, fishing, and boating. The documentation must be detailed enough for reviewers to verify that past work is accurate and directly relevant to the NOCP purposes and/or the strategic plan objectives, which effectively raises the bar for demonstrated national-scale outreach capacity and measurable impact.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service under CFDA 15.653 and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement or partnership during project implementation. The notice lists an award ceiling of $70,000,000, with an original closing date of October 31, 2022, and a creation date of August 30, 2022. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at selecting an organization (or lead applicant with partners) capable of running a coordinated, research-informed national communications and outreach program that increases fishing and boating participation while advancing conservation ethics and safety outcomes nationwide.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00028 National Outreach and Communication Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.653.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-10-31. (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 $70,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for F23AS00028

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: