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Elk in Yellowstone National Park

Acres for America Program

Elk

Walmart’s Acres for America program stands today as the leading public-private land conservation partnership in the United States. The partnership began in 2005, when Walmart and NFWF joined forces to establish Acres for America as a groundbreaking effort to support and catalyze the conservation of lands and wildlife habitat of national significance, and to benefit local communities and local economies.

Partner

Over the past 19 years, Acres for America has proven to be a remarkable success. The program has far surpassed its original goal to permanently conserve 1 acre of wildlife habitat for every acre of land developed by Walmart stores. In November 2015, NFWF and Walmart announced a 10-year renewal to continue this exceptional program’s work for another decade. To explore Acres for America projects that are open to the public for visiting, please use this link.

To date, Walmart’s Acres for America program has funded 119 projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico that have:

  • Protected 2.1 million acres across the nation;
  • Connected millions of acres of protected lands to support landscape-scale conservation and wildlife migrations that are essential to the survival of iconic species like pronghorn and mule deer;
  • Provided nearly $4 million in emergency response funding to protect fish and wildlife that were immediately threatened by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012; and,
  • Restored urban lands and habitats and connected youth to the outdoors by investing more than $1.8 million in community-based projects located in Albuquerque, N.M., Bridgeport, Conn., Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Ore., San Diego, and Washington, D.C.

Acres for America priorities include:

  • Conserve critical habitats for birds, fish, plants and wildlife;
  • Connect existing protected lands to unify wild places and protect migration routes;
  • Provide access for people to enjoy the outdoors; and,
  • Ensure the future of local economies that depend on forestry, ranching and recreation.

Application Information


Acres for America 2024 Request for Proposals - CLOSED View Now
Past Webinars and Slideshows View Now

Program FAQ


What are the regular grant cycles for this program?

This program runs annually as a two-phased application. The RFP is typically released in March, with pre-proposals due around April. Following a review period of about four weeks, appropriate pre-proposals will be selected and applicants will be invited to submit full proposals.

Does this program have any match requirements?

All grant awards require a minimum 1:1 match of cash or contributed goods and services. Federal funds may be considered as match. Larger match ratios and matching fund contributions from a diversity of partners are encouraged and will be more competitive during application review.

Who can I contact if I have questions about a project I am considering for submission?

Before submitting a pre-proposal, applicants are encouraged to discuss project ideas with the program representatives or NFWF’s regional office staff listed in the RFP. They will be able to provide additional guidance on NFWF conservation priorities in the project area.

Program Fact Sheet Download the PDF
2023 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2022 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2021 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2020 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2019 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2018 Grant Slate Download the PDF
2017 Grant Slate Download the PDF
An Evaluation of Acres for America (2015) Download the PDF
Staff Representatives

Director, Rocky Mountain Regional Office

Manager, Rocky Mountain Regional Office

Regional Program Coordinator