MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program

The application period for FY26 has not yet opened. 

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is responsible for the conservation—including restoration, protection, and management—of fish, wildlife, and their habitats in Massachusetts. Although MassWildlife and other conservation organizations have made unprecedented investments in land acquisition in Massachusetts, land protection alone is not enough to guarantee the persistence of the Commonwealth’s diverse wildlife. Investment in habitat restoration and management is urgently needed on public and private lands across the state. To address this need, MassWildlife and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs have substantially increased their investment in habitat management on state wildlife lands and are committed to working with partners to promote these efforts on other conserved lands across the state. The MHMGP program encourages landowners to engage in active habitat management on their properties to benefit wildlife. 

MHMGP objectives

1. Improve habitat(s) for Species of Greatest Conservation Need, as identified in the 2025 Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) – special emphasis on State-Endangered, State-Threatened, and State-Special Concern Species.
2. Enhance habitat in ecological communities that are disproportionally susceptible to climate change.
3. Contribute to improving habitat in a landscape that is high priority for biodiversity conservation. 

Owners of private or municipal conserved lands in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Conserved land is defined as property protected by a Conservation Restriction or Easement, an Agricultural Protection Restriction, land enrolled in Chapter 61 or 61A/B, land owned in fee by a non-profit organization whose primary mission is the conservation of land, municipal land under the care and control of the municipality’s conservation commission and town forests (Town Parks and Recreation lands are not eligible unless there is a Conservation Restriction or the land is enrolled in Chapter 61/61A/B); or an entity under equivalent protection as determined by MassWildlife staff. 

Award amounts: Applicants are eligible to receive between $5,000 and $75,000 per grant towards their approved habitat management project.

Posting date: MassWildlife will post the FY2026 MHMGP grant application and RFP on TBD.

Application deadline: TBD

Project deadline: All work must be completed and all awarded funds expended by June 30, 2026. There are no extensions possible under this program.

Examples of habitat types supported by the MHMGP

Examples of habitat restoration and management practices supported by the MHMGP (with applicable permitting)

• Examples of eligible habitat management practices include (but are not limited to): Mowing, brush hogging, mulching, chipping, clearing of trees, contract grazing, control of invasive plants, fencing for habitat protection, prescribed burning, woodland enhancements (thinning, cutting, or girdling of trees to favor viable habitat, food, or cover resources), tree planting of genetically-modified species approved by MassWildlife (e.g., back-crossed American chestnut seedlings) beneficial to wildlife, nest site creation or installation of nesting structures, seeding/planting of native species, stream channel and pond shoreline restoration, floodplain connectivity, water quality improvement.
• Staff time for on-the-ground project implementation (base salary only, no fringe or indirect expenses). Documentation of the base salary rate will be required.
• Contract costs for management services.
• NHESP/MESA required protection plans (physical sweeps, delineation of rare plant locations, etc.), if included with the original application budget.
• Materials and supplies necessary to achieve project goals.
• Signs for the purpose of communicating the benefit of the MassWildlife Habitat Grant funded habitat improvement project may be an eligible expense. (ex. a sign posted during active management to inform the public of the benefits of the activity).
• Signs that indicate that the property is open to hunting, fishing, and trapping.
• Equipment rentals: Equipment rentals may be considered eligible if the rental activity ties directly to the implementation of MassWildlife Habitat Grant funded project. For example, rental of a brush hog to help maintain old field habitat.  Rental costs approved by MassWildlife may ONLY be used for the implementation of the MassWildlife Habitat Grant project and not for any other activity. Grantees may be reimbursed for the use of their own equipment to perform the agreed upon work. Reimbursement rates will be based on staff time for equipment operation plus the standard rental fee of such equipment (quotes required) OR may be based on approved NRCS rates (links to these rates to be found on the  MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant website).
• Allowable costs must be:

1. Necessary and reasonable to accomplish the objectives of the grant.
2. All costs must be supported by source documentation or other records as necessary to substantiate the funds.  Such documents are subject to review by MassWildlife staff to determine eligibility. The proposed budget, as solely determined by the ranking committee, must be reasonable for the scope and scale of the proposed management activities; MassWildlife reserves the right to reject a proposal, or partially fund a proposal, if the proposed budget or segments of the proposed budget are determined by the ranking committee to not be reasonable for the scope and scale of the proposed management activities, and therefore not the best value overall in order for MassWildlife to achieve its procurement goals. MassWildlife reserves the right to reject all bids that it determines are not the best value overall for it to achieve its program goals.  See also Record Retention.
3. Costs must be consistent with state/federal policies, regulations, and procedures.  Costs prohibited under state or local laws or regulations are not eligible.

• No cost that has not been pre-approved in writing by MassWildlife’s Habitat Management Grant Program Procurement Coordinator or the Assistant Director of Land and Habitat Conservation will be eligible for reimbursement. Any changes to the approved Scope of Services or Budget must be approved in writing before the proposed management activity or purchase can be made.

Ineligible Activities/Costs:

• Activities such as land acquisition, trails, signage (except as noted above), and public access improvements.
• Boundary marking and surveying.
• Projects conducted in enclosed/fenced in properties that prevent the free movement of wildlife species.
• Funding may not be utilized towards satisfying any federal, state, or local permitting or legal requirements associated with a regulatory process.
• Travel to conferences or meetings or other travel expenditures of the grantee (contracted vendor travel expenditures incorporated into the bid or quote are allowable).
• Rental of a vehicle to commute to and from the site will not be approved and is not an allowable cost.
• Per diem/meals/drinks/clothing or other personal items whether for the grantee, contractor, or for volunteer appreciation.
• Permitting costs, planning activities (prescribed burning plans, engineering plans, forest cutting plans, etc.), project administration, indirect, fringe or other overhead costs (ex. office/rental space, utilities, IT costs, and more).
• Costs incurred prior to the effective date of the grant agreement or after the close of the grant agreement period.
• Research, inventory, survey, soil/water testing, or biological monitoring activities (Exception: NHESP/MESA required activities are eligible, as noted above).
• Informational or educational materials, supplies, or services (except as noted above).
• Information and technology materials, equipment, or services.
• Supplemental feeding activities/costs (ex. food plots, bird feeders).
• Any expense not pre-approved in writing by MassWildlife.

• MHMGP ranking criteria

• MHMGP practices rate sheet

• MHMGP sample budget

• MHMGP application checklist

• MHMGP budget sheet for application

• MHMGP Past Recipients

• Habitat Management Resources

Contact Emily Myron, Assistant Director for Land and Habitat Conservation, with questions.