The Tribal Climate Change Guide is part of the Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Project (TCCP). The TCCP is part of the L.I.G.H.T. Foundation (LF), is an independent, Indigenous-led, conservation 501(c)(3) nonprofit established on the Colville Indian Reservation in the traditional territory of the Nespelem Tribe in present-day north central Washington State. LF supports the restoration and cultivation of native Plant and Pollinator Relatives and the culturally respectful conservation of habitats and ecosystems which are climate resilient and adaptive. For more information about LF, visit: https://thepnwlf.org/. For more information about the Tribal Climate Change Project, visit: https://tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/. If you would like to add information to this guide, please email kathy.lynn.or@gmail.com.

 

Funding

The Tribal Climate Change Funding Guide is intended to provide up-to-date information on grants, programs and plans that may assist tribes in addressing climate change through a broad range of sectors. We will update this guide regularly, so please check back often. If you have questions or updates for this guide, email: kathy.lynn.or@gmail.com. Please note that for entries that are accepting applications continuously, the grant deadline column will list "12/31/2024" as the grant deadline. This ensures that those grants will appear immediately after those grants with a set deadline.

Title Organization Grant Deadline Description Funding Amount Geography Website
Ecolab Foundation Grants EcoLab Foundation

Deadline Passed for 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Focus Areas of Giving- Youth and Education: programs that promote youth development, particularly for youth at-risk, Civic & Community Development: affordable housing, work readiness, crisis assistance and hunger relief, Environment & Conservation: hands-on environmental learning programs, Arts & Culture: arts education for children and youth as well as support for museums and the performing arts.

Categories: climate change, conservation, social justice, civic engagement, housing, shelter, food justice, adaptation, mitigation

Varies. Nationalo, regional Link
Northeast Resilient Landscapes Fund (Rolling Basis) Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

As changing climate threatens to unravel decades of work to protect wildlife habitats, land protection must focus on the places most likely to harbor plants and animals. Recognizing that challenge, we launched the Resilient Landscapes Initiative to integrate climate science into conservation planning and to protect resilient landscapes throughout the eastern United States. OSI partners with conservation organizations in the Northeast to assemble networks of protected lands most likely to preserve plant and animal diversity in a changing climate. The Fund supports projects in four focus areas in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Central Appalachians offering the greatest opportunity to conserve missing links for resiliency in the overall landscape. The Fund provides capital grants and loans to qualified non-profits for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on climate-resilient lands, capitalized with a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Categories: climate change, conservation, landscape, sustainability, adaptation, mitigation

Varies. West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, Maine Link
Compton Foundation Grants Compton Foundation

The Compton Foundation has a unique approach to giving, making grants to groups based on two categories of work—leadership and storytelling. But giving goes to progressive social change, toward a “peaceful, just, and sustainable world.” Within that goal, a considerable amount goes toward the environment and curbing climate change. As of the beginning of 2018, we have closed our online inquiry system, and we have moved to an invitation-only grantmaking process. Visit website for more information. 

Categories: climate change, community, adaption, planning, storytelling, oral history, social justice

Varies. National Link
Ayrshire Foundation: Grants for Climate Change Ayrshire Foundation

Deadline Passed as of 3/15/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. Besides its geographic preferences, the Ayrshire Foundation has very few hard-and-fast rules for giving. The bottom line is it gives a lot of money each year in order to invest in opportunities for a better world. Climate change is at the forefront of the environmental focus area.

Categories: climate change, community engagement, development, planning, policy, ngo

$10,000-$100,000 California, Michigan Link
Boeing Company: Grants for Climate Change Boeing

Application deadlines dependent on state requirements. Through purposeful investments, employee engagement and thoughtful advocacy efforts, Boeing and its employees support innovative partnerships and programs that align with our strategic objectives, create value and help build better communities worldwide. This includes improving access to globally competitive learning as well as workforce and skills development, sustaining the environment, and supporting our military and veteran communities.

Categories: climate change, community engagement, conservation, mitigation, adaptation,

Varies National, Washington, California, Washington D.C., International. Link
Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics NSF

Proposals Accepted Any Time. The goals of the Program are to: (i) advance knowledge about the processes that force and regulate the atmosphere synoptic and planetary circulation, weather and climate, and (ii) sustain the pool of human resources required for excellence in synoptic and global atmospheric dynamics and climate research. Research topics include theoretical, observational and modeling studies of the general circulation of the stratosphere and troposphere; synoptic scale weather phenomena; processes that govern climate; the causes of climate variability and change; methods to predict climate variations; extended weather and climate predictability; development and testing of parameterization of physical processes; numerical methods for use in large-scale weather and climate models; the assembly and analysis of instrumental and/or modeled weather and climate data; data assimilation studies; development and use of climate models to diagnose and simulate climate and its variations and change.

Categories: climate change, climate science, weather, atmospheric dynamics, climate models

Amount Varies. National, United States Link
Fort Wainwright AK Climate Change Baseline Analysis DOD

Deadline passed as of March 6, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknonwn. The U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Wainwright, Alaska (USAG FWA) owns and manages approximately 1.6 million acres in Interior Alaska. The USAG FWA is requesting assistance to facilitate a climate change baseline analysis with requirements to analyze climate change effects and management strategies for Fort Wainwright and its Training Lands.

Categories: climate change, climate science, outcomes, policy, adaptation, mitigation, baseline, analysis, conservation,

$181,190 total for 1 available award. Alaska, Northwest Link
Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize DOE

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: Feburary 25, 2022. This prize fits into President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of climate investment benefits to disadvantaged communities and inform equitable research, development, and deployment within DOE. Specifically, this prize seeks to enable and enhance business and technology incubation, acceleration, and other community-based and university-based entrepreneurship and innovation in climate and clean energy technologies. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Climate change, clean energy, emissions, entrepreneurship, technology, research, equity, justice

$200,000, with the opportunity to compete for another $500,000 National Link
First Steps toward Developing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency on Tribal Lands – 2016 DOE

Deadline passed as of October 20, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. Under the planned FOA, the Office of Indian Energy intends to solicit applications from Indian Tribes (including Alaska Native regional corporations and village corporations) and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations under the following topic areas: (1) Conduct energy options analyses (Topic Area 1); (2) Establish baseline energy use (Topic Area 2); (3) Develop energy organizations (Topic Area 3); (4) Conduct climate resiliency planning (Topic Area 4); (5) Establish policy, regulations, and codes to reduce energy use or promote energy develop (Topic Area 5); and, (6) Obtain skills and training related to energy use and development (Topic Area 6). It is expected that proposed activities will result in specific measurable results or end-products that will lead to the development and deployment of energy solutions, and/or build knowledge or skills necessary to implement successful strategic energy solutions.

Categories: climate change, carbon emissions, clean energy, sustainable energy, energy planning

DOE currently anticipates making eight to twenty grant awards in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on Congressional appropriations. National Link
FY18 National Climate Change & Wildlife Science Center Program DOI

Deadline Passed 4/9/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. This program was created to ensure that the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center is responsive to the research and management needs of Federal and State agencies to provide science and technical support regarding the impacts of climate change in fish, wildlife, plants and ecological processes. National coordination of research and modeling at regional centers will ensure uniformity of downscaling and forecasting models and standardized information to support management of fish and wildlife resources and regional partnership collaborations.

Categories: climate change, biodiversity, wildlife, fisheries, aquatic resources, research, climate models, management, policy, planning, conservation

Up to $4,500,000. National, United States Link
Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative Coastal Systems FY17 DOI

Deadline passed as of July 20,2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Our mission is to promote coordination, dissemination and development of applied science to inform landscape level conservation, including terrestrial-marine linkages in the face of a changing climate and related stressors. Congress provides seed funding for our LCC through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service administers these funds through financial assistance on a competitive basis for projects, studies, and events that advance the scientific and public community's understanding of large-scale changes in landscape characteristics and the impacts of these changes on important species.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, mitigation, public, community, wildlife, biodiversity, sustainability, conservation, landscape, policy, management

$60,000-$90,000. Alaska, Alaska CSC Link
Patagonia Environmental Grant Patagonia Environmental Grant

Deadline passed as of April 30, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Patagonia funds only environmental work. We are most interested in making grants to organizations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change. Because we believe that the most direct path to real change is through building grassroots momentum, our funding focuses on organizations that create a strong base of citizen support. We support small, grassroots, activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas, working on multi-pronged campaigns to preserve and protect our environment. We think the individual battles to protect a specific stand of forest, stretch of river or indigenous wild species are the most effective in raising more complicated issues—particularly those of biodiversity and ecosystem protection—in the public mind. We help local groups working to protect local habitat and frontline communities through bold, original actions. We look for innovative groups that produce measurable results, and we like to support efforts that force the government to abide by its own—our own—laws.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, mitigation, natural resources

$5,000 and $20,000.
National Link
Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund Wildlife Conservation Society

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 8, 2022. The Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund has released its request for proposals for the 2022 grant cycle. Our program supports projects that advance learning and scale effective climate adaptation interventions to help wildlife, ecosystems, and the people who value and depend on them. All of the application information and materials are posted here.

Categories: Climate change, adaptation, mitigation, conservation, landscape, region, planning, policy

$100,000 - $300,000 United States, International (US Territories) Link
Crown Family Philanthropies: Grants for Climate & Energy Crown Family Philanthropies

The successor to the Arie and Ida Crown foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies funds a bevy of social causes in Chicago and in the Midwest more broadly. Grants for environmental issues, including climate change, constitute some of this largesse. The award amounts are large, but relatively few, and an organization must meet numerous criteria to get them.

Categories: climate change, adaptation, community, education, curriculum, social justice. conservation, sustainability

$10 million in total programming. Chicago, Cook county, Michigan Link
Rockefeller Family Fund NGO

Applications accepted continuously. This foundation focuses on public education of the risks of global warming, conservation of natural resources, protection of health as affected by the environment, meaning implementation of environmental laws, and public participation in national environmental policy debates. Grant applicants must submit a letter of inquiry online. If accepted, the applicant will be invited to submit a full proposal for evaluation.

Categories: Climate Change Impacts, Conservation, public health

$25,000-30,000 National Link
Climate Program Office FY 2020 DOC, NOAA

Deadline Passed 10/28/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. CPO’s strategy addresses challenges in the areas of: (1) Weather and climate extremes, (2) Climate impacts on water resources, (3) Coasts and climate resilience, (4) Sustainability of marine ecosystems, and (5) Changing atmospheric composition and its impacts. Making progress in addressing climate-related societal challenges, and realizing benefits for NOAA’s public and private partners, requires that these mission-focused capabilities be integrated across CPO to align research, applications, transitions, and operations, and to meet the information needs for a resilient society. Key components of this effort are annual Notice of Funding Opportunities, competitive grants programs and other types of support that advance and extend NOAA’s foundational capabilities and applications research. Proficiency in these core areas ensures that CPO’s infrastructure is always in place to meet the intelligence and resilience challenges of our changing climate.

Categories: climate administration, climate change, adaptation, climate science, planning, management

$50,000-300,000 National, United States Link
Tribal Climate Adaptation Research Projects Federal Fiscal Year 2021 Northwest and Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Most recent deadline: 12/17/2020. Call for Statements of Interest for Tribal Climate Adaptation Research Projects Federal Fiscal Year 2021. Deadline for Statements of Interest – December 17, 2020. The Northwest and Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Centers (NW CASC, SW CASC) invite statements of interest for tribal climate adaption research projects to be initiated in Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. The NW CASC is seeking statements of interest for tribal climate adaptation research projects that focus on the following priorities, as identified and described in the NW CASC Science Agenda for 2018-2023: 1) management of aquatic resources, 2) management of at-risk species and habitats, 3) management of invasive species and diseases, 4) management of forest ecosystems, and 5) human dimensions of climate adaptation. Statements of interest that describe leveraging of existing projects will also be considered. The SW CASC is requesting statements of interest that specifically draw upon the application of traditional methods of ecosystem restoration and natural resource management, with special emphasis on fire in the context of climate change and adaptation. These projects can be used as seed funding in preparation for subsequent calls for proposals or focus on developing a process for implementing traditional practices and/or building bridges between western (conventional) and indigenous practices. Statements of interest that describe leveraging of existing efforts will also be considered.

Categories: climate adaption, research, endangered species, invasive species, forests

Provide estimated budget on proposal. Northwest, Southwest Link
FY 2018 – 2020 - Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Announcement Type: Initial NOAA

Past deadline: May 15, 2019. The notice requests proposals for special projects and programs associated with NOAA's strategic plan and mission goals. There are four mission goals described in the Broad Agency Announcement including Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Weather-Ready Nations, Healthy Oceans, and Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies. This broad agency announcement is a mechanism to encourage research, education and outreach, innovative projects, or sponsorships that are not addressed through NOAA competitive discretionary programs. It is not a mechanism for awarding congressionally directed funds.

Categories: climate adaptation, mitigation, weather preparedness, disaster preparedness, oceans, coasts

There are no funds specifically appropriated by Congress for this BAA. Funding for potential projects in this notice is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2018, Fiscal Year 2019, and Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations. Applicants are hereby given notice that funds have not yet been appropriated for any proposed activities in this notice. National Link
Small Grants Competition GLISA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 30, 2023. The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences + Assessments (GLISA) is accepting letters of intent for projects to advance equitable climate adaptation in the Great Lakes region. Access the Call for SOI here.

Categories: climate adaptation, equity, DEI

Up to $30,000 per year, 2 years Great Lakes Region Link
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center - FY 2025 Research Grants Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Most Recent Deadline: May 23, 2024. Fiscal Year 2025 Project Solicitation: Now Accepting Proposals. The NW CASC invites Statements of Interest for our Federal Fiscal Year 2025 research portfolio, for which we are seeking projects that focus on developing knowledge and resources to address 1) the effectiveness of management or adaptation strategies, 2) climate adaptation strategies for estuaries and coastal ecosystems and 3) management and climate adaptation strategies for sagebrush and juniper ecosystems, with a focus on the Great Basin. Proposals developed in response to this project solicitation should focus on developing scientific information and products that can be directly applied to specific management challenges, either locally or broadly across landscapes in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and western Montana. For more information and to apply, visit: https://app.smartsheetgov.com/b/publish?EQBCT=cda7be78c3a348a582c88258a81e0b75

Categories: climate adaptation, coastal ecosystems, estuaries, sagebrush, juniper

Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana Link
Climate Action Fund Grant Rainforest Action Network 12/31/2024

Rolling Deadline. The Climate Action Fund (CAF) was established in 2009 to award small grants to frontline community groups that are fighting to prevent fossil fuels from being extracted and/or the construction of large point sources of greenhouse gas emissions. CAF is a grassroots alternative to carbon offset programs. Instead of purchasing carbon credits, funds will be used to empower frontline communities to keep fossil fuels in the ground where they belong. Grants generally do not exceed $2,500. Learn more and apply here. To inquire regarding the possibility of funding for your organization and to request an online version of the application, please contact caf@ran.org.

Categories: Climate action, social justice, community involvement, activism

Up to $2,500 North and South America Link
Clean Water Act Indian Set-Aside Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The purpose of the Clean Water Act Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) Program is to provide funding for wastewater infrastructure to federally recognized tribal governments and Alaska Native Villages. Funds may be used for planning, design and construction
of wastewater collection and treatment systems. The CWISA Program is adminis- tered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS). The program was established by the 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act, in Section 518(c).The CWISA program is administered in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS). To be considered for CWISA program funding, tribes must identify their wastewater needs to the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System. EPA uses the IHS Sanitation Deficiency System priority lists to identify and select projects for CWISA program funding.

Categories: clean water, wastewater, sanitation, Indian Health Service

The average award amount for individual projects is $300,000. Pacific Southwest Link
Clean School Bus Rebates EPA

Deadline Passed. Most Recent Deadline January 31, 2024. EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program is providing at least $500 million in funding to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. Beginning September 2023 through January 2024, EPA will be hosting a series of webinars on who is eligible, who is prioritized, and how to apply for the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebates.

Categories: Clean energy, transportation, zero-emission, education

Varies. National Link
Communities LEAP Program DOE

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: December 17, 2021. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched an opportunity announcement for the Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP) - an initiative designed to help environmental justice communities and communities with historical ties to fossil fuel industries take direct control of their clean energy future. The Communities LEAP pilot program provides supportive services valued at up to $16 million to help communities develop locally-driven energy plans to more effectively leverage public and private sector resources to reduce local air pollution, increase energy resilience, lower utility costs and energy burdens, and create good-paying jobs. This opportunity is specifically open to low-income, energy-burdened communities (including Tribes) that are also experiencing either direct environmental justice impacts, or direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. Tribes must register in order to apply for this opportunity.

Categories: Clean energy, technical assistance, environmental justice, resilience, emissions, infrastructure, development

Technical assistance services valued at up to a total of $16 million National Link
Indian Energy Purchase Preference Inquiries

Solicitation Opens for Tribes to Sell Clean Energy Credits to Federal Agencies under Indian Energy Purchase Preference. Most Recent Deadline: May 20, 2024. The GSA has opened a solicitation for 47,500 MWh of clean energy credits from Tribes in a move that both boosts opportunity for Tribal energy businesses and advances federal clean energy goals of running on 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030 (E.O. 14057). The solicitation has the potential to lead to the first ever procurement under the Indian Energy Purchase Preference. 

  • The solicitation is for Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), which include Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), and allow for the clean attributes of energy production to be purchased without having a direct connection to the energy source. One EAC is equivalent to 1 MWh of clean energy production.
  • Tribal-majority-owned energy businesses with carbon pollution-free electricity, or who compile carbon pollution-free electricity from other sources are eligible to compete in the solicitation.
  • EACs must have been generated between April 1, 2023, and Dec. 1, 2024, from generation sources that were put in service on or after Oct. 1, 2021. The EACs will be procured independently from physical power produced by Tribal sources.
  • The solicitation deadline is May 20, 2024. It is available athttps://sam.gov/opp/d2585e6204de4d42b6c3ba6663b2b7ba/view
  • WHCNAA, GSA, DOE, and DOD committed to implement the Indian Energy Purchase Preference at the 2022 Tribal Nations Summit and in 2023 DOE Secretary Granholm re-emphasized the need to implement the whole preference, which allows for buying energy byproducts such as EACs.
  • DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program and the Office of Indian Energy have been raising awareness on processes to sell EACs to the federal government, with office hours: Thursday May 9, 2024 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM: Register Here

For inquiries about selling power to federal entities under the IEPP, see the Office of Indian Energy’s pag

Categories: clean energy credits

National Link
Local Government Energy Program US DOE Dept. of State and Community Energy Program

Most Recent Deadline: May 31, 2024. The Local Government Energy Program (LGEP) supports federally recognized Indian Tribes and local governments implement clean energy projects and programs that provide direct community benefits, spark additional investments, meet community-identified priorities, and build local capacity. LGEP focuses on disadvantaged communities, energy communities, and small-to –medium-sized jurisdictions. 

Categories: clean energy

$18,000,000 National Link
Tribal Clean Air Act EPA

Deadline passed as of March 3, 2023. EPA Region 9 anticipates awarding approximately 30 grants to federally-recognized tribes within the Region 9 geographic area for funding tribal air pollution control programs, air quality education and assessment projects, and the development of tribal air program capacity.

Categories: clean air, air pollution, education

It is expected that the awards will range from $50,000 to $120,000. Pacific Southwest Link
Citizen Science for Improved Stock Assessments and Climate-Ready Fisheries Management NOAA

Most recent deadline: November 4, 2024. NOAA Fisheries seeks to fund projects in three high-priority areas:

  1. Improve federal fishery stock assessments
  2. Increase understanding of current and future impacts of climate change on fish stocks
  3. Increase understanding of current and future impacts of climate change on fishing communities

The priority that your project is designed to meet must be identified in the proposal. Regardless of the priority selected, projects are encouraged—but not required—to do one or more of the following:

  • Involve the fishing community (recreational and/or commercial)
  • Use a co-created project design
  • Address or involve underserved and/or highly vulnerable communities

Projects are also strongly encouraged to partner with fishery management entities such as regional fishery management councils, state agencies, or interstate fisheries commissions.

Projects should employ approaches and partnerships that are appropriate for the communities that will be engaged in the citizen science activities, which ideally includes underserved and/or highly vulnerable communities.

Categories: citizen science, fisheries

Total federal funding available under this notice is approximately $600,000. These funds will support three to eight different citizen science projects at about $75,000 to $200,000 per project year from Fiscal Year 2025 to FY 2026. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to grant awards for all qualified projects. National Link
Alfalfa and Forage Research Program NIFA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: May 25, 2023. Alfalfa and Forage Research Program (AFRP) will support the development of improved alfalfa forage and seed production systems. Proposals submitted to AFRP should address one or more of the following priorities: (1) Improving alfalfa forage and seed yield through better nutrient, water and/or pest management; (2) Improving persistence of alfalfa stands by lessening biotic or abiotic stresses; (3) Improving alfalfa forage and seed harvesting and storage systems to optimize economic returns; (4) Improving estimates of alfalfa forage quality as an animal feed to increase forage usage in animal feeds; and/or (5) Breeding to address biotic and abiotic stresses that impact forage yield and persistence and the production of seed for propagation.

Categories: cattle, livestock, sustainability, management, infrastructure, food supplies, feed supplies, wild foods, foraging

$0 - $900,000 National Link
Regional Initiative to Accelerate CCUS Deployment DOE

Deadline Passed 06/03/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The primary objective of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to award projects that identify and address onshore regional storage and transport challenges facing commercial deployment of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). Projects will focus on Addressing Key Technical Challenges; Facilitate Data Collection, Sharing, and Analysis; Evaluate Regional Infrastructure; and Promote Regional Technology Transfer.

Categories: carbon storage, utilization, energy, storage, data collection, infrastructure, technology

up to $7,000,000 Link