Funding

Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities. Applications Due: May 12, 2025. Funding availability: Up to $20 million; of the $20 million in funding available, 15% is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and organizations that represent tribes through formal legal agreements. Funding range/proposal: Between $75,000 and $2 million for the entire award; typical funding anticipated to range from $250,000 to $1 million. Eligible applicants: Tribes, applicants that can demonstrate status as a tribal entity, an underserved community, or entities that partner with tribes, tribal entities, and/or underserved communities such as institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial (for profit) organizations, U.S. territories, and state, local, and Native American and Alaska Native tribal governments. As part of their applications, applicants must demonstrate their status as, or connection to, a tribe, tribal entity, and/or an underserved community. Funding purpose/priorities statement: Through this funding, NOAA will help support community-driven habitat restoration and build the capacity of tribes and underserved communities to more fully participate in restoration activities. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/coastal-habitat-restoration-and-re…

Categories: coastal habitat, NOAA, IRA, BIL, Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act

Network for Landscape Conservation 2025 Catalyst Fund Request for Proposals. Applications Due: May 16, 2025. The purpose of the Catalyst Fund is to accelerate the pace and practice of landscape conservation and stewardship across the United States. The Fund makes strategic investments in strengthening the collaborative capacity of place-based, community-grounded Landscape Partnerships. Through generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Catalyst Fund will distribute approximately $400,000 this year through competitive grants to Landscape Partnerships that stand at pivotal points in their development. Funded Partnerships will also be invited to participate in a two-year peer learning program.  A portion of the Catalyst Fund is dedicated to supporting Indigenous leadership in landscape conservation and stewardship. We especially invite Partnerships that are led by Tribes and/or Indigenous organizations and communities to apply. For more information, visit: https://landscapeconservation.org/catalyst-fund/

Categories: Landscape conservation, collaboration, capacity-building

Research to Advance Racial and Indigenous Health Equity. Call for Proposals. Applications Due: May 28, 2025. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health equity in the United States. RWJF has deepened its focus on partnering with affected communities to promote health equity and combat structural racism as the most fundamental barrier to health in America. One of the ways the Foundation does this is through Evidence for Action (E4A), a national program that funds action-oriented health equity research, which prioritizes community knowledge and facilitates the relationships and governance structures that build community power, ownership of research, and systems change. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2025/research-to-advance-racial-and-indigenous-health-equity.html

Categories: Racial equity, health equity, social justice

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is a $550 million grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. Tribal allocations can be viewed here: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/IIJA%20%2840552%29%20EECBG%20Program_Attachment%201c.%20_Tribal%20Allocations_FINAL.pdf

Categories: energy, greenhouse gas, carbon emissions, energy efficiency

Green Horizons - Accelerating support for Tribal agricultural producers in implementing sustainable farm and ranch practices. Applications Due: June 15, 2025. This initiative provides essential capital and capacity-building support to drive environmental sustainability in Native agricultural and food systems. Together, we’re accelerating existing efforts that provide support for Tribal agricultural producers implementing sustainable practices on farms and ranches. Green Horizons is an opportunity targeted for state and federally recognized Tribal governments. To determine eligibility, we reference the Federal Register’s list of federally recognized Tribes and each state’s list of state recognized Tribes. The lead applicant must be a Tribal government. To be considered the lead applicant, an entity must serve as the project lead/key personnel for the project, have oversight of the budget, and be the primary contact with SEF throughout the duration of the grant. Tribal governments may choose to partner with other entities including but not limited to 501(c)(3) organizations, educational organizations, and community/grassroots coalitions. https://sovereignequityfund.org/greenhorizons/

Tribal Wildlife Grants program. Applications due: June 20, 2025. Tribal Wildlife Grants program for FY2025 is now open for applications. More information can be found here. Tribal Wildlife Grants | Grants.gov. The NAFWS grants team will cover the FY2025 Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) funding opportunity. Tribal Wildlife Grants are administered by the US Fish and Wildlife service and are used to provide technical and financial assistance to Tribes for the development and implementation of programs that benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. Our grants team will be hosting a webinar on this funding opportunity on April 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time. We are working on getting a webinar registration link at this time. Please check our website Events & Training - Native American Fish and Wildlife Society for that link.

Categories: Natural Resources, Wildlife, Water, Fisheries, Conservation, Research, Education, Conservation, habitat, Wildlife, preservation

Research to Advance Racial and Indigenous Health Equity - New Research Proposals. Applications Due: July 16, 2025. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is committed to improving health equity in the United States. RWJF has deepened its focus on partnering with affected communities to promote health equity and combat structural racism as the most fundamental barrier to health in America. One of the ways the Foundation does this is through Evidence for Action (E4A), a national program that funds action-oriented health equity research, which prioritizes community knowledge and facilitates the relationships and governance structures that build community power, ownership of research, and systems change. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2025/research-to-advance-racial-and-indigenous-health-equity.html

Categories: research, racial equity, health equity

Exploring Equitable Futures. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Application Deadline: October 15, 2025. The purpose of this Exploring Equitable Futures call for proposals (CFP) is to support projects that seed new and unconventional ideas that could radically advance health equity for generations to come. We aim to fund projects that: Explore the future by researching and experimenting with ideas that are ahead of the curve or at the edge of our collective imagination; Shine a light on the emerging trends and forces that are shaping our future for better or worse—and suggest ways to navigate them to mitigate harm and advance health equity; Dream big and challenge conventional wisdom to surface possibilities and uncover new paths to dismantle structural racism and build a more equitable future. https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2025/explor…

Categories: health, health equity, climate change, climate change impacts, racial equity

NDN Collective Community Action Fund. Rolling Applications through October 31, 2025. The 2025 Community Action Fund Grant Cycle is Now Open! With grants up to $20,000 USD the Community Action Fund (CAF) grantsupports Indigenous-led direct actions and organizing efforts that are often urgent and time sensitive. The CAF prioritizes frontline, grassroots and community-based efforts that defend Indigenous Peoples’ rights, communities and Nations, including responses to climate disasters. https://ndncollective.org/community-action-fund/

Categories: climate justice, tribal sovereignty, community action

Funding Available: Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical & financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. Land eligible includes privately held wetlands that were previously degraded due to agricultural uses and can be restored. 

Types of Projects: To enroll land through wetland reserve easements, NRCS enters into purchase agreements with eligible private landowners or Indian tribes that include the right for NRCS to develop and implement a Wetland Reserve Plan of Operations (WRPO).

Wetland Reserve enrollment options include:

• Permanent Easements – Permanent easements are conservation easements in perpetuity. NRCS pays 100 percent of the easement value for the purchase of the easement. Additionally, NRCS pays between 75 to 100 percent of the restoration costs.
• 30-year Easements – 30-year easements expire after 30 years. Under 30-year easements, NRCS pays 50 to 75 percent of the easement value for the purchase of the easement. Additionally, NRCS pays between 50 to 75 percent of the restoration costs.  
• Term Easements - Term easements are easements that are for the maximum duration allowed under applicable State laws. NRCS pays 50 to 75 percent of the easement value for the purchase of the term easement. Additionally, NRCS pays between 50 to 75 percent of the restoration costs.
• 30-year Contracts – 30-year contracts are only available to enroll acreage owned by Indian tribes and program payment rates are commensurate with 30-year easements.

Categories: Easement

Rolling Deadline. The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. The ultimate recipients repay the lending utility directly. The utility is responsible for repayment to USDA.

Categories: Economic Development, Rural Development, Grants and Loans

Rolling Deadline. This program bolsters the availability of private credit by guaranteeing loans for rural businesses.

Categories: Rural areas, business development, credit, local economy

Submissions accepted on a rolling basis. The Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Grant Program (CWISA) provides funding to Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages for wastewater infrastructure. The CWISA program is administered in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS). The CWISA program provides funding for wastewater infrastructure to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Funds may be used for planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection and treatment systems. The CWISA program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Sanitation Facilities Construction program. 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: waste water infrastructure, monitoring, infrastructure

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

Rolling Deadline. This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

Categories: housing, infrastructure, facilities, rural

Deadline is ongoing. This program provides funding to 1994 Land Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) to make capital improvements to their educational facilities and to purchase equipment.

Categories: community facilities, development, educational facilities, infrastructure, renovation and improvements, cultural projects

Applications accepted continuously. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment.

Categories: Stewardship, Conservation, IRA

Rolling Deadline. Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages can apply annually to receive on-request technical assistance with energy planning; housing, building energy efficiency, and resilience; project development; village power; and policy and regulation. Assistance is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy and its national laboratories, along with other partnering organizations, at no cost.

Categories: sustainability, climate change, energy, emissions, infrastructure, development, planning, policy, technical assistance

Applications accepted continuously. This program provides grants to assist rural communities that have had a significant decline in quantity or quality of drinking water. Grant may fund waterline extensions from existing systems, construction of new water lines; repairs to existing systems, construction of new wells, reservoirs, transmission lines, treatment plants, and other water sources. Priority is given to areas with less than 10,000 people, low-income areas, and communities facing imminent decline and shortage of water.

Categories: Water, Natural Resources, Health, Emergency

Applications accepted continuously. Meant to fund water and waste disposal systems in rural Alaskan Villages. Funds must be used for development and construction of water and wastewater systems to correct dire health and sanitation conditions in those villages. Many communities in remote rural Alaska, where villages are accessible by plane or boat only, are essentially inaccessible during the long, hard winters. They lag far behind the lower 48 States in having safe and dependable drinking water and suitable waste disposal systems available. Construction costs are extremely high. This is due in part to the severe weather conditions, which makes laying pipe difficult, if not impossible. These conditions also require the use of insulated pipe, or in areas of permafrost, above ground utilidors, often with heat traced insulated pipe. The vast distances from the transportation hub of Anchorage to a village increases costs substantially as the material must be delivered by barge or air.

Categories: Adaptation, Emergency Management, Water, Health, Natural Resources

Rolling Deadline. Alaska Conservation Foundation’s Indigenous Fund (previously called the Travel Fund) supports conservation organizations on the ground addressing critical conservation issues. The current focus of the Indigenous Voices Fund is protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bristol Bay, the Tongass National Forest, and efforts to prevent hardrock mining across Alaska. The Indigenous Fund enables key staff to travel to hearings, testify in front of decision-makers, and reach important audiences that require travel to/from Alaska, including rural Alaska, as well as Washington DC.

Categories: Environmental Justice, travel

This program accepts applications on a continuous basis. The program works with qualified private-sector lenders to provide financing to qualified borrowers to increase the supply of affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families in eligible rural areas and towns. Construction, improvement and purchase of multi-family rental housing for low to moderate income families and individuals is the primary objective for this program. Funding may also be available for:Buying and improving landProviding necessary infrastructureFor a complete list see Code of Federal Regulations, 7CFR Part 3565.205

Categories: housing, rural communities, development, infrastructure

Applications accepted continuously. Provides grants to qualified organizations to help them carry out local self-help housing construction projects. Grant recipients supervise groups of very-low- and low-income individuals and families as they construct their own homes in rural areas. The group members provide most of the construction labor on each other’s homes, with technical assistance from the organization overseeing the project. Funds may be used to:Give technical and supervisory assistance to participating familiesHelp other organizations provide self-help technical and supervisory assistanceRecruit families, help them complete loan applications and carry out other related activities that enable them to participate

Categories: housing, rural areas, low-income communities, technical assistance

Applications accepted year round. Rural Housing site loans provide two types of loans to purchase and develop housing sites for low- and moderate-income families:Section 523 loans are used to acquire and develop sites only for housing to be constructed by the Self-Help method. Refer to RD Instruction 1944-I for more information about the Self-Help programSection 524 loans are made to acquire and develop sites for low- or moderate-income families, with no restriction as to the method of construction. Low-income is defined as between 50-80% of the area median income (AMI); the upper limit for moderate income is $5,500 above the low-income limit

Categories: housing, rural communities, development

Rolling deadline. This program helps very small, financially distressed rural communities with predevelopment feasibility studies, design and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects.

Categories: water, waste disposal, rural

Applications accepted year round. This program provides financing for the construction, maintenance, improvement and expansion of telephone service and broadband in rural areas. For more information on other programs administered by RUS Telecommunications please visit : http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/telecom-programs

Categories: telecommunications, infrastructure, development, broadband, construction, rural communities

Applications accepted year round. This program assists low-income communities with initial planning and development of applications for USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal direct loan/grant and loan guarantee programs. The area must also have a median household income below the poverty line or less than 80 percent of the statewide non-metropolitan median household income

Categories: water, waste disposal, planning, development, infrastructure, rural communities

This program will guarantee loans to projects that retool, repower, repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that has ceased operations or that enable operating energy infrastructure to avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. The IRA placed a total cap on loan guarantees of up to $250 billion and appropriated $5 billion in credit subsidy to support these loan guarantees under section 1706 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Categories: Energy (136), Infrastructure (46)

Applications Due: September 5, 2024. Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance grants support projects that remove hazardous fuels from national forests and grasslands to a location where the materials may be used for various wood products and services. This program contributes to the Wildfire Crisis Strategy implementation by removing hazardous fuels from forests and supports local forest product facilities and rural economies. The forest products industry and infrastructure are key are partners to maintain forest health and resilience while reducing wildfire risk. Successful forest restoration and implementation of the 10-year Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy are dependent on a robust forest products industry. The Forest Service is partnering with industry to discover creative solutions and explore new markets. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/forest-management/products/hazardous-fuels-transport-assist-grants. Detailed information about the application process, selection criteria and eligible expenses can be found in the Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Program Notice of Funding Opportunity and Frequently Asked Questions.  Public webinars will be hosted in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation. 

Bonneville Power Administration - 2025 Tribal Education Capacity Building Grant Program. Application Deadline: December 16, 2024. The Bonneville Power Administration’s Tribal Education Capacity Building Grant program provides funding assistance to federally recognized tribes and tribal serving organizations to advance awareness and understanding of the federal Columbia River Power and Transmission system and BPA programs. BPA is requesting proposals that support tribal education programs in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and natural and cultural resource management.  For more information and to apply, click here: https://www.bpa.gov/-/media/Aep/about/tribal-affairs/request-for-applications.pdf. BPA is requesting proposals that support tribal education programs in science, technology, engineering, math, and natural and cultural resource management. Proposals should be designed to strengthen the capacity of tribes, support government-to-government relationships, and increase opportunities for education about the operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System, Federal Columbia River Transmission System or integrated Fish and Wildlife Program.

Categories: education, capacity building