https://www.nfwf.org/
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 7, 2026) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced an initial award of $32.8 million in grants under the new Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, supported by funding from McDonald’s USA, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and several key McDonald’s USA beef and beverage suppliers.
Nearly $42 million in total conservation impact will be generated through this first round of awards from the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, achieved by leveraging an additional $9.1 million in matching contributions from grantees. This initial investment will advance voluntary conservation practices benefiting both wildlife and ranchers across nearly 2.5 million acres of U.S. grasslands.
Launched in 2025, this landmark seven-year initiative aims to invest more than $200 million to benefit America’s iconic grasslands, cattle ranching communities and wildlife populations that depend on healthy soils, productive habitats and plentiful water. Through this initiative, grants will promote and accelerate wildlife conservation efforts across 4 million acres of grazing lands within the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain West, Midwest, West Coast and Southeast.
The six grants announced today to American Bird Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, Mule Deer Foundation, National Audubon Society, Sand County Foundation, and University of Missouri are the first to be awarded through this historic investment.
These initial six grantees are expected to work with more than 750 private cattle ranch operations across 26 states.
Source: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation news release
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