HELENA – The annual application period for FWP’s Wildlife Habitat Improvement
Program (WHIP) will open Sept. 1. WHIP is a grant funding program that focuses on
large-scale restoration of high-priority wildlife habitats, on private and public land,
through noxious weed management. Grant expenditures include herbicide,
biocontrol and mechanical treatments, restoration seedings and grazing
improvements. Awarded grants can be structured to provide funding for up to five
years. Total available funding is $2 million annually; no single grant request can
exceed this amount.
Grant awards are based on eligibility and competitive ranking. To qualify for
funding, projects must:
enhance ecologically important wildlife habitat through management of
noxious weeds
use a landscape-scale approach
have a reasonable probability of treatment effectiveness
include a minimum 25 percent non-federal cash match
In addition to considering eligibility factors, ranking criteria includes:
number of funding partners and amount of contributions
number of landowners involved
accessibility of participating lands for public hunting
The WHIP program for 2024 includes two new features:
Up to 10 percent of total project dollars can be used for grant administration,
vegetation monitoring, and related administrative costs.
Additional weed treatment methods, such as soil amendments, may be
proposed by applicants and considered for funding by the WHIP Advisory
Council.
WHIP is accepting grant applications online through WebGrants. Starting Sept. 1,
grant applicants can go to funding.mt.gov and find the “FWP Wildlife Habitat
Improvement Program Grant Cycle 2025” funding opportunity. Applicants new to
WebGrants must register prior to accessing the application forms. WHIP applications
must be submitted no later than Nov. 27 to be considered for funding in 2025.
For more information about the WHIP Program and grant application instructions,
visit the WHIP webpage. If you have questions about applying for a WHIP grant or
accessing the application forms, contact Andrew
