FRGP Grant Process

Figure 1. Geographical Areas and Fourth Field Hydrologic Units Covered by CDFW's Fisheries Restoration Grants Program.

The objective of the Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP) is to restore anadromous salmonid habitat with the goal of ensuring the survival and protection of the species in coastal areas of California. FRGP will accomplish this by funding:

• Projects and activities that provide demonstrable and measurable benefits to Pacific anadromous salmonids and their habitat.
• Restoration projects that address factors limiting the productivity of ESA-listed Pacific salmonids as specified in approved, interim or proposed Recovery Plans. This includes projects that are a necessary precursor to implementing the restoration projects.
• Effectiveness monitoring of habitat restoration actions at the watershed or larger scales for ESA-listed anadromous salmonids, or status monitoring projects that directly contribute to population viability assessments.
• Other projects consistent with but not included in the above, such as outreach, coordination, research, monitoring, and assessment projects that can be justified as directly supporting the goal of the program.

Each year the FRGP solicits proposals for projects which address the goals of the program through its Proposal Solicitation Notice (PSN). The annual open competitive selection process has evolved over the past 30 years and FRGP receives more proposals than it can fund. For FRGP to accomplish its goals applicants must submit proposals that address a task in one of the State or Federal recover plans listed below:

• Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California (DFG 1996) (PDF)
• Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon (DFG 2004) (PDF)
• Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan Final Version (NOAA January 2012)
• South-Central California Steelhead Recovery Plan Public Review Final (NOAA September 2013)
• Recovery Plan for the Evolutionarily Significant Unit of Central California Coast Coho Salmon Final Version (NOAA September 2012)
• Recovery Plan for the Southern Oregon Northern California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit of Coho Salmon Public Review Draft (NOAA January 2012)
• Recovery Plan for the Evolutionarily Significant Units of Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon and Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon and the DPS of California Central Valley Steelhead (NOAA July 2014)
• Final Coastal Multispecies Recovery Plan for California Coastal Chinook Salmon, Northern California Steelhead and Central California Coast Steelhead (NOAA October 2016)

For other requirements and details on submitting a proposal to FRGP see the Proposal Solicitation Notice.

There has been a collaborative effort since the inception of the FRGP with more than 600 stakeholders to restore declining anadromous salmonid habitat. Over the last 30 years, the FRGP has invested over $250 million and supported over 3,500 salmonid restoration projects.

FRGP management activities are divided into five coastal watershed geographical areas (Figure 1) in which CDFW grant managers oversee the implementation of funded restoration projects.