Opportunity Information: Apply for FY2022 CULVERT AOP PROGRAM
The Fiscal Year 2022 National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program, commonly called the Culvert AOP (Aquatic Organism Passage) Program, is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Federal Highway Administration. The program sits in the transportation funding space, but its central purpose is ecological: it supports on-the-ground infrastructure projects that improve or restore passage for anadromous fish by fixing barriers in streams and rivers where roads and other structures intersect waterways.
At its core, the program funds projects that remove, replace, repair, or otherwise improve culverts and weirs that block or restrict fish movement. These kinds of structures are common pinch points in river systems, and when they are undersized, perched, poorly aligned, or in disrepair, they can prevent fish from reaching spawning and rearing habitat. By investing in redesign or removal of these barriers, the program aims to reconnect habitat and restore natural aquatic connectivity, which can have direct benefits for fish populations and broader ecosystem health.
The selection priorities are explicitly tied to federal species protection and recovery needs. Projects receive priority if they improve passage for anadromous fish stocks in one or more high-value categories identified in statute. This includes (A) stocks already listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, (B) stocks that NMFS or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believe could reasonably become listed in the future, (C) stocks identified as prey supporting endangered, threatened, or otherwise protected species, with a specific callout to Southern resident orcas, and (D) stocks identified by NMFS or USFWS as climate resilient. In practical terms, the program is designed to steer funding toward projects that advance species recovery, reduce the risk of future listings, support food webs for protected wildlife, and strengthen populations expected to persist under changing climate conditions.
Another key priority is the amount of habitat reconnected by the project. The program favors projects that would open more than 200 meters of upstream anadromous habitat before the end of the natural habitat. This emphasis encourages applicants to target barrier removals or replacements that produce meaningful, measurable gains in accessible habitat, rather than small improvements with limited ecological return.
From the published opportunity details, the funding instrument is a grant and the activity category is transportation (CFDA 20.205). The opportunity was created on October 6, 2022, with an original application closing date of February 6, 2023. The award ceiling listed is $20,000,000, and the program anticipated making around 200 awards, signaling an intent to fund a relatively broad portfolio of projects across multiple locations rather than only a small number of large projects. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility clarification referenced in the full notice, indicating that applicants may extend beyond a narrow set of entities and should confirm specific eligibility requirements in the detailed application instructions.
Overall, this grant program is aimed at solving a common infrastructure-related environmental problem, using transportation grant tools to deliver fish passage and habitat connectivity outcomes. The strongest applications, based on the stated priorities, are likely to be those that remove or correct major passage barriers, clearly benefit anadromous stocks with ESA or agency-identified conservation significance, and document that the project will reconnect substantial upstream habitat (especially beyond the 200-meter threshold) in a way that is durable and supportive of long-term resilience.Apply for FY2022 CULVERT AOP PROGRAM
- The Department of Transportation, DOT Federal Highway Administration in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2022 National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program (Culvert AOP Program)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.205.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 06, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 06, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $20,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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