The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced an initial award of $32.8 million in grants under the new Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative (GRACI), supported by funding from McDonald’s USA, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and several key McDonald’s USA beef and beverage suppliers.
Nearly $42 million in total conservation impact will be generated through this first round of awards from the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, achieved by leveraging an additional $9.1 million in matching contributions from grantees. This initial investment will advance voluntary conservation practices benefiting both wildlife and ranchers across nearly 2.5 million acres of U.S. grasslands.
Launched in 2025, this landmark seven-year initiative aims to invest more than $200 million to benefit America’s iconic grasslands, cattle ranching communities, and wildlife populations that depend on healthy soils, productive habitats, and plentiful water. Through this initiative, grants will promote and accelerate wildlife conservation efforts across 4 million acres of grazing lands within the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain West, Midwest, West Coast, and Southeast.
The six grants announced today to American Bird Conservancy (ABC), American Farmland Trust, Mule Deer Foundation, National Audubon Society, Sand County Foundation, and University of Missouri are the first to be awarded through this historic investment.
These initial six grantees are expected to work with more than 750 private cattle ranch operations across 26 states to implement conservation activities including:
- Developing and implementing improved grazing management plans
- Installing grazing infrastructure such as wildlife-friendly fencing and watering systems
- Restoring grasslands through reseeding of native plants, prescribed burning, and removal of invasive vegetation
- Conserving water and recharging aquifers by improving water control structures and restoring wet meadows and streambanks
Such conservation practices are designed to support ranchers in sustaining healthy, resilient cattle herds while also providing the diversity of high-quality habitats needed by wildlife species that depend on healthy grasslands. Many participating ranchers will build on their existing efforts and achieve meaningful gains in operational efficiencies made possible through the financial and technical support offered by the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative.
“Today is a great day for America’s wildlife, its ranching communities, and its beef supply chain,” said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO of NFWF. “This first round of grants from the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative shows what can happen when corporations, federal agencies, conservation organizations, and private landowners join forces to support both wildlife conservation and economic prosperity. This initiative is just getting started. We are confident it will play a leading role in grasslands conservation across the nation for years to come.”
McDonald’s USA suppliers participating in the initiative include Cargill, Golden State Foods, Lopez Foods, OSI, and The Coca-Cola Company. On behalf of McDonald’s USA, Cultivo (now integrating Kateri) and Carbon Yield will provide independent monitoring and quantification of any improvements to soil health.
In its role within the initiative, NFWF will manage and invest funding to advance voluntary conservation efforts by ranchers. NFWF collaborates with NRCS and other funding partners across America’s grasslands to identify impactful, landscape-scale projects that will generate the greatest possible benefits to both wildlife populations and the productivity of vital U.S. ranch lands.
Ranchers interested in participating are encouraged to reach out directly to grantees. Contact information can be found here, and a detailed list of the grants announced today is available here.
This story originally appeared on NFWF’s website and is republished with permission.
