Bass Pro Shops Large Grant

The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership (RFHP) is pleased to announce the FY2027 Request for Proposals for on-the-ground fish habitat enhancement projects in reservoirs. RFHP is one of 20 federally recognized National Fish Habitat Partnerships and the only partnership dedicated specifically to manmade reservoirs.

RFHP seeks projects that:

Address large-scale or system-level habitat issues
Implement best management practices
Foster strong partnerships across landscapes
Improve ecological function and recreational fishing

The complete Request for Proposals with criteria is available at Project Guidelines and may be downloaded below.

Application Deadline

All applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Central Time on March 23, 2026.

Applicants may assume a project start date of November 1, 2026, though the final start date will depend on the execution of the contract documents.

Step 1 of 6 - Test New Grant Application

URL

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Instructions

Complete this form in full to submit your grant application. Save and Continue functionality: You may save and continue at any time. This will create a share-able URL which can be used by anyone in your planning group, and will email a copy of the link to you on demand. Do not lose this link! Note that single file uploads are not saved during Save and Continue (because they cannot be validated by malware checkers). Save and Continue links are active for 120 days before expiring.

General Project Information

Project Name

A "project" is a unique project, or a phase of a multi-stage project.

Reservoir Name

Reservoir must be open to public access to be eligible for this program.

Surface Area (acres)

Google Maps Location

Identify the location of the reservoir on Google Maps by right-clicking the reservoir and selecting the first option, which provides decimal-degree latitude and longitude. Then copy-paste the URL to the textbox here.

Location Description

General location description to provide geographic context for the project

Map of Reservoir

Accepted file types: pdf, jpg, png, jpeg, Max. file size: 100 MB.

In which region is the reservoir located?

Xeric (XER)

Western Mountains (WMT)

Northern Plains (NPL)

Southern Plains (SPL)

Temperate Plains (TPL)

Upper Midwest (UMW)

Coastal Plains (CPL)

Southern Appalachia (SAP)

Northern Appalachia (NAP)

See https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/science/reservoir-assessment/ecoregions/ for a map of regions. You may search for your reservoir on the interactive map at https://rfhp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/2d4000a109dc42a89b6082e0ef44cf56.

FOR Member/Group Sponsoring the Project

FOR membership provides bonus points that have been critical for project selection over the past several grant cycles. FOR members typically are local fishing/conservation clubs, municipalities, regional conservation organizations, etc. Contact the RFHP Coordinator or go to the Members Page https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/members/ to see if any local group is a current member of Friends of Reservoirs.

If not, joining is easy! Visit https://www.friendsofreservoirs.org/members/join-today/ for more information.

Are any other National Fish Habitat Partnerships involved in the project? (Select all that apply)

Partnering with others can help you accomplish far more at a watershed- or river-system level. We strongly encourage you to connect with your local FHPs who may work on streams, imperiled fishes, or natural landscapes to enhance your project.

Project Leader (Primary Contact)

First Last

Please provide the information for the project/field leader.

Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Project Leader Phone

Project Leader Email

Administrative Contact

First Last

Please provide the information for the person involved in grant administration (e.g., accounting staff).

Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Administrative Contact Phone

Administrative Contact Email

Project Design, Methods, and Outreach

Is the project part of a multi-phase project previously funded through the same grant?

Yes

We welcome multi-year projects, but do limit long-term funding of the same project year-after-year. Specifically, funding for a second year of the same/very similar work within the last three years is capped at $50,000. Funding for a third year within the previous three years is capped at $30,000.

A phase is characterized by unique objectives and methods relative to the previous phase. A new phase is eligible for full funding.

On-the-ground Start Date

On-the-ground End Date

Project Methods and Approach (250 words)

Describe the methods that will be used to the meet the objectives as stated above. What are the performance measures that will be used to know if objectives are met? Examples include square-feet of shoreline restored, quantified amount of structure added, number of native plants planted, changes in water quality parameters, changes in fish sampling catch rates in affected area, rates of recruitment, or population size structure, angler catch rates, harvest rates, and measures of directed fishing effort, and measures of recreational use or economic benefit.

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (250 words)

Brief summary of monitoring and evaluation plan (250 words or less). If available, include information on timeline for monitoring and/or evaluation. Please describe project goals, monitoring parameters, monitoring methods and schedule, and target and reference values. Monitoring may occur outside of the on-the-ground start and end dates as it often continues for a period of time after a project is completed.

Outreach and Education (250 words)

Brief summary of outreach and education plan, including stakeholder/community involvement throughout the project (i.e., before, during, and after).

Results Dissemination (250 words)

Brief summary of how results will be disseminated, including publicly available reports, datasets or other products. Focus on scientific outputs, reproducible methods, and innovative communication approaches.

Ecological Resilience (250 words)

Please note any information on how the project will function with changes in hydrology or other environmental conditions, and whether the project directly addresses those changes. Examples of deliverables that have an impact could include water level management adaptations to offset increasing drought conditions, littoral habitat restoration methods aimed at "chasing the shoreline" as water recedes, native aquatic plant restoration

Project Deliverables and Outcomes

Deliverable

Quantity

Unit of measurement (#, miles, acres)

Examples: amount of natural/artificial habitat added, acres of vegetation planted/established, feet of shoreline restored/stabilized, acres of wetlands established. The official National Fish Habitat Partnership metrics include: Number of barriers removed or upgraded; Number of habitat installations; Miles connected; Acres connected; Miles conserved; Acres conserved; Miles protected; Acres protected; Number of science, data or assessment products; People engaged; and Organizations engaged. Be sure that project deliverables align with the objectives stated above.

Outcomes Narrative (250 words)

Use this area to summarize high level expected measurable outcomes (metrics) for the project. Please use this option if you feel the metrics above do not describe the metrics you are tracking.

Partnerships and Budget

Any source of funding (e.g., Federal, State, private donations) may be used as match against Bass Pro Shops funds. Please limit your proposed budget amounts to the grant period. You are responsible for accounting for the match as part of grant completion.

Note: Based on 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Biological Scientists in State government made an average of $33.23/hr. Volunteers are often valued at $29.95/hr.

Amount of Bass Pro Grant Request

We welcome multi-year projects, but do limit long-term funding of the same project year-after-year. Specifically, funding for a second year of the same/very similar work within the previous three years is capped at $50,000. Funding for a third year within the previous three years is capped at $30,000. A phase is characterized by unique objectives and methods relative to the previous phase. A new phase is eligible for full funding.

Please list all Federal partners and their contributions during the grant period:

Partner

Cash Amount

In-Kind Contribution

In-Kind Value

Note: Based on 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Biological Scientists in Federal government made an average of $44.44/hr.

In-Kind Contribution types: Coordination, Supplies, Labor, Technical Assistance, or serving as Project Sponsor/Lead.

Total Federal Funding Used as Match

Please total the Federal cash and in-kind contributions.

Please list all Non-Federal partners and their contributions during the grant period:

Partner (same as above)

Home

Application Deadline

Instructions

General Project Information

Project Description

Social and Ecological Benefits

Project Design, Methods, and Outreach

Partnerships and Budget

Download the Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals for Bass Pro Shops Large Grant FY2027

Mark Twain Lake Fisheries Habitat Development Project

Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership
California Fish Passage Forum
Driftless Area Restoration Effort
Desert Fish Habitat Partnership
Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture
Fishers and Farmers Partnership
Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership
Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership
Hawaii Fish Habitat Partnership
Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership
Matsu Basin Salmon Partnership
Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership
Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership
Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative
Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership
Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership
Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership
Southeast Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership
Western Native Trout Initiative
National Fish Habitat Partnership Board
NFHP Science and Data Committee