Audubon Receives NFWF Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative Award

The National Audubon Society has been awarded nearly $4 million dollars from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative (GRACI) grant, an investment that will significantly expand our ability to protect and restore North America’s most imperiled ecosystem, the grasslands. This award recognizes both the urgency of grassland loss across the region and the effectiveness of conservation strategies that Audubon and our partners have been advancing for years.

The award covers 13 states across the central grasslands, from North Dakota to Texas, Iowa to Arizona. Throughout this landscape, intact prairies and the diversity they contain continue to be lost to conversion, encroachment of woody species, and incompatible land uses. With this GRACI support, Audubon will expand wildlife‑friendly grazing systems and provide financial and technical resources to producers, who are essential to long‑term stewardship. The award will also help us expand science‑driven monitoring through an innovative partnership with Cultivo, ensuring that projects deliver measurable benefits for grassland birds, soil health, water quality, and climate resilience.

A major focus of the grant is expanding Audubon Conservation Ranching support across the region, both for current and prospective enrolled ranchers. Audubon will work directly with ranchers to implement regenerative grazing practices and restore grasslands to improve grassland health and habitat on hundreds of thousands of acres while supporting the livelihoods of producers who care deeply about the land. The partnership with Cultivo will provide direct per-acre payments to producers for implementing conservation plans and practices, providing foundational financial support for stewardship activities.

This award allows Audubon Great Plains to expand and support Audubon Conservation Ranching in the region and deliver conservation not just for today, but for future generations of people and birds who will depend on these ecosystems as much as we do.