The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced $13.3 million in grants supporting 14 conservation projects across the western United States, targeting critical seasonal habitat and migration corridors for mule deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and other wildlife.

The grants, announced on September 24, 2026, will support projects across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. The funding will be supplemented by $3.8 million in matching contributions, bringing the total expected conservation impact to $17.1 million.

The funding comes through NFWF's Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund, a partnership involving NFWF, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, ConocoPhillips, Cargill, Taco Bell and Native Americans in Philanthropy.

Protecting migration routes across the American West

Many western big-game species depend on seasonal movement between winter ranges, summer habitat and other areas needed for food, water and shelter.

Habitat fragmentation, invasive species and changing land-use patterns can interfere with those movements. The newly funded projects are designed to improve habitat quality, reconnect fragmented landscapes and reduce physical barriers that prevent animals from moving between seasonal ranges.

The 14 projects will work across public, private and Tribal lands, bringing together state and federal agencies, Tribes, conservation organizations and private landowners.

Collectively, the projects are expected to improve habitat management across more than 206,000 acres, restore more than 40,000 acres of habitat in priority migration corridors and seasonal ranges, and remove, install or improve 225 miles of fencing to wildlife-friendly standards.

Montana project targets nearly 9,000 acres

One of the projects will support Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in restoring winter range and migration habitat for mule deer and elk across western Montana.

The project addresses the gradual loss of native grasslands and shrublands caused by conifer encroachment and invasive plants.

Work will take place across 16 sites on Wildlife Management Areas and adjacent public and private lands.

The conservation effort will include removing encroaching trees, treating invasive species, using prescribed fire and modifying fencing to make it safer for wildlife movement.

The project is expected to enhance nearly 9,000 acres of habitat and improve conditions within priority migration corridors and seasonal ranges supporting western Montana's big-game populations.

Conservation across working lands

The NFWF program also emphasizes conservation on working landscapes.

Cargill Beef Sustainability Director Carlos Saviani said the company's partnership with NFWF and other organizations supports voluntary, locally led conservation efforts involving ranchers and conservation groups.

The approach is intended to improve habitat while maintaining productive working lands.

This reflects the broader structure of the grants, which bring together conservation goals with the management of public, private and Tribal lands.

Taco Bell is also among the corporate partners supporting the program. The company said its involvement is focused on partnerships bringing ranchers and conservation groups together to care for landscapes and protect habitat.

A landscape-scale approach

Rather than focusing on isolated wildlife areas, the projects are designed around connected landscapes.

For migratory species, protecting one section of habitat may not be sufficient if animals cannot safely reach another seasonal range.

The funded projects therefore address both habitat quality and connectivity.

Activities supported through the program range from habitat restoration and invasive-species management to fencing improvements and conservation efforts across Tribal lands, ranchlands and public landscapes.

NFWF Executive Director and CEO Jeff Trandahl said the grants support voluntary efforts involving private landowners, Tribes, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations and corporate partners.

Nearly $35M awarded since 2019

The latest grants build on a multi-year conservation program.

Since 2019, the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors Fund has awarded $34.9 million across 100 projects.

Those grants have leveraged another $71.1 million in matching contributions, generating more than $106 million in total conservation impact.

According to NFWF, projects supported through the program have contributed to the restoration of more than 176,000 acres of habitat, protection of more than 109,000 acres through conservation easements and improvements to more than 1,800 miles of fencing for wildlife movement and habitat connectivity.

Supporting wildlife movement

The latest $13.3 million commitment comes as conservation groups and government agencies continue to address the pressures affecting migratory wildlife across the western United States.

The projects focus on practical interventions that can improve habitat conditions and maintain connections between seasonal ranges.

For species such as mule deer, elk and pronghorn, those connections are important because their movements extend across multiple ownership types and landscapes.

The program's latest round demonstrates the scale possible when public agencies, Tribes, landowners, conservation organizations and private-sector partners combine funding and expertise around shared landscapes.

With $13.3 million in new grants and $3.8 million in matching contributions, the 2026 projects are expected to generate $17.1 million in conservation impact across 11 western states.