Funding

Rolling deadline. Provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. This program helps increase American energy independence by increasing the private sector supply of renewable energy and decreasing the demand for energy through energy efficiency improvements. Over time, these investments can also help lower the cost of energy for small businesses and agricultural producers.

Categories: rural development, infrastructure, renewable energy, sustainable

This fellowship is no longer offered through the NSF. Through the SEES Fellows Program, NSF seeks to advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions needed for environmental and economic sustainability and human well-being while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. The Program's emphasis is to facilitate investigations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address issues of sustainability through a systems approach, building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal needs. The Fellow's proposed investigation must be interdisciplinary and allow him/her to obtain research experiences beyond his/her current core disciplinary expertise.

Categories: Education, Research

Deadline Passed 5/31/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The Sustained Achievement Award recognizes a long-term contribution and commitment to the protection and conservation of natural resources by an individual.

Categories: Natural Resources, Conservation of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection.

Deadline Passed July 31, 2022. This program helps qualified non-profits and Tribes create a revolving loan fund (RLF) to extend access to clean, reliable water to households in eligible rural areas.

Categories: Food/Water Security, Water Systems Development, Community Development, Infrastructure Development.

The USDA Rural Business Cooperative-Service Agency is accepting applications for Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans to assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with evaluating energy efficiency and the potential to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations.

Categories: Renewable energy, Agriculture, small businesses

The US Dept of Energy Office of Indian Energy is accepting applications for the third round of the Alaska Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Program to assist Alaska Native corporations and federally recognized Alaska Native governments with accelerating clean energy projects.

Categories: Planning, Development, Sustainability

Past Deadline: November 13, 2020. The Local Foods, Local Places program will provide selected communities planning assistance that centers around a two-day community workshop. At the workshop, a team of experts will help community members develop an implementable action plan that promotes local food and neighborhood revitalization. Eligible applicants include local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit institutions and organizations proposing to work in a neighborhood, town, or city of any size anywhere in the United States. We expect that many of the communities we select will be economically challenged and in the early phases of their efforts to promote local foods and community revitalization.

Categories: Economic development, accessibility, farmers, infrastructure development

This is an action-oriented implementation opportunity for communities in the Great Lakes. Model Forest Policy Program is inviting up to 6 communities to partner with us on a 3-year grant we are submitting to the Great Lakes Protection Fund.

Categories: technical support, Consultation, Ecosystem Protection, water quality, Development

Deadline Passed 02/15/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences offers a funding opportunity on the subject of Physical Oceanography. In years past, this program has funded several climate change-focused research projects, including climate impacts on proglacial lake outbursts, the role of ice in large lake response to climate change, effects of lunar nodal tide on climate variability, and ocean data assimilation to research climate change.

Categories: Ocean, Coastal

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 13, 2023. First Lady Rose Dunleavy invites Alaskans to recognize their fellow citizens who have performed extraordinary volunteer service by nominating them for the First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Awards. The annual awards recognize volunteers who engage in unpaid charitable activities, demonstrate personal commitment to long-term volunteer services, and make a significant impact for Alaskans. An executive committee, comprised of Alaskan community members, will select award recipients to be recognized for their outstanding volunteer contributions.

Categories: Volunteer Recognition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Offi ce of Indian Energy is now accepting applications for the third round of
its Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START) Renewable Energy Project Development Assistance
Program. Through START, Tribes can get customized technical assistance for furthering the development of
community- and commercial-scale renewable energy projects. Applications are due May 1, 2015; up to fi ve
projects will be selected in June 2015.

Categories: Renewable energy, Development

Deadline passed as of November 6, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. Healthy Places for Healthy People will provide selected communities with expert planning assistance that centers around a two-day community workshop. A team of experts will help community members develop an implementable action plan that will focus on health as an economic driver and catalyst for downtown and neighborhood revitalization.

Categories: community, neighborhood, infrastructure, economy, urban

Deadline passed as of November 6, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. Through Cool & Connected, a team of experts will help community members develop strategies and an action plan for using broadband service to promote smart, sustainable community development. Broadband access can provide new opportunities for people and businesses. A growing number of communities have combined broadband service with other local assets such as cultural and recreational amenities to attract and retain investment and people, including young people. This can help diversify local economies. Such efforts typically require planning among community leaders, businesses, and internet service providers. The Cool & Connected program will provide assistance to this end, helping communities take advantage of broadband service to create walkable, connected, economically successful main streets and small-town neighborhoods.

Categories: internet, urban, infrastructure, technology, economic development

Deadline Passed 11/01/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, education, human services and other causes. Grants are awarded twice a year. The foundation makes grants to US based qualified charitable organizations. To date we have funded organizations that address the following areas of interest: Environment (US headquartered organizations operating programs in the US or elsewhere in the world),Human ServicesDisaster relief (US headquartered organizations responding to disasters in the US or elsewhere in the world on an occasional basis),Other (US headquartered organizations operating programs in the US or elsewhere in the world).

Categories: environment, human services, disaster relief

Deadline Passed 10/07/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The Ag of the Middle Accelerator is a two-year business development program providing formal instruction from experts in accounting and finance, taxation, credit, and sales and marketing for farmers, ranchers, and fishermen.

Categories: farmers, ranchers, fishing operations, business development, food production

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 20, 2023. The Community Connect provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist.

Categories: development, economy, rural communities,

Most recent deadline: January 13,2023. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced plans to provide funding for fish (and/or shellfish) hatchery maintenance initiatives, within the eligible jurisdictions focused on in the program. Federally-recognized Tribes may submit project proposals to the Fish Hatchery Maintenance Program contact at their Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Regional Office. Project proposals are scored according to published ranking criteria, with the highest-scoring projects receiving funding.

Categories: Fish, hatcheries, maintenance, infrastructure

Most Recent Deadline: May 22, 2024. Tribes and Native communities are on the front lines of climate change, experiencing extreme weather, rising sea levels, extended drought, warming temperatures, and melting permafrost. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report demonstrates that climate change affects Indigenous peoples more severely and earlier than other populations. Many tribes and Native communities are located in remote and coastal locations, which increases their vulnerabilities to flooding and wildfire. Furthermore, subsistence and cultural practices rely on healthy ecosystems that are stewarded by Native peoples. To support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation First Nations established the second project under its newly created Climate Initiative, Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions. This project is designed to provide tribes and Native nonprofits with resources to support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation (e.g., wildfires, flooding, drought) through the application of nature-based solutions based on Native knowledge. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.firstnations.org/rfps/advancing-tribal-nature-based-solutions-grant. 

Categories: Emergency response planning and preparation
Climate proofing infrastructure and services
Climate risk governance and capacity building
Wildlife management and habitat restoration
Workforce development initiatives (e.g., community training opportunities, youth conservation programs, paid internships)
Capacity building for the organization and staff (e.g, specialized trainings, transportation)
Departmental and programmatic development and advancement
Updating tribal climate adaptation and resource management plans

Most recent deadline: August 1, 2024.  Microbes and communities of microbes have remarkable genetic, physiological and biochemical diversity, allowing them to flourish in environments all over the planet and in a variety of substrates and hosts. The goal of this solicitation is to support research that addresses one or more of the three themes: 1) define the underlying mechanisms or rules that drive the formation, maintenance or evolution of synthetic microbial communities, 2) use synthetic microbial communities to address fundamental biological questions, including questions in molecular biology, cellular/organismal biology, ecology and evolution and/or 3) build synthetic communities with biotechnology, bioeconomy or environmental engineering applications, including but not limited to the production of novel biorenewable chemicals, biodegradation of recalcitrant or “forever chemicals,” enabling a circular bioeconomy, fostering sustainable agriculture and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Categories: Scientific research, microbiology, forever chemicals, molecular biology, climate mitigation

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Solicitation of Project Proposals for the Low or No Emission Program (Low-No) Program. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of $85 million of Fiscal Year 2019 funds for the purchase or lease of low or no emission vehicles as well as related equipment or facilities. The main purpose of the Low-No Program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The Low-No Program provides funding to State and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.

Categories: transportation, efficient, low emissions, pollution, facilities, construction, acquisition

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This investment assistance will help communtiies and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, as appropriate, to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act as a result of Hurricane Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, and of wildfires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occuring in calendar year 2019.

Categories: economic recovery, construction, natural disaster, resilience, mitigation, emergency assistance

Deadline Passed 12/03/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA is soliciting applications to administer a 5-year, applied research program that supports collaborative research in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). This funding opportunity will provide support for the grantee to develop and administer a comprehensive national program that funds extramural collaborative science projects to address the system-wide research and management needs of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, while being responsive to local and regional reserve priorities and those of NOAA. 

Categories: research, collaboration, management, coastal management, estuarine management, implementation

Letter of Intent due: April 12, 2024. The objective of the initiative is to deploy rigorous, place-based Natural Climate Solutions projects in the PNW to accelerate climate change mitigation, while also providing biodiversity and human well-being co-benefits. The foundation is particularly interested in projects that are community-driven and done in partnership through collaborations between Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, non-profit organizations, academic groups, and independent research labs or professional societies. The Foundation recognizes Indigenous Peoples as the original stewards of the land, and encourage projects that are led by, or done in direct partnership with tribes, first nations, villages, state recognized tribes, tribal colleges and universities, and tribal non-profits in the PNW. They also look forward to projects done in partnership with local communities, who are non-Indigenous communities with historical linkages to places and the natural environment.

Categories: natural climate solutions, community-driven, carbon emissions

The deadline for pre-applications for Priority 1 of the Fiscal Year 2020 Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) Funding Opportunity has passed. Only those institutions that receive authorization from NOAA are eligible to submit a full applicationThe goal of this funding opportunity is to build environmental literacy of K-12 students and the public so they are knowledgeable of the ways in which their community can become more resilient to extreme weather and/or other environmental hazards, and become involved in achieving that resilience.

Categories: Education, environment, education, community, resilience, knowledge building

Most recent Deadline: October 15, 2023. The Lenfest Ocean Program (LOP) is a grantmaking program that funds scientific research on policy-relevant topics concerning the world’s oceans and communicates the results of the supported research to decision makers and other interested audiences. The LOP intends to fund multiple 15-month grant awards (total funding available for grant awards: $1M USD) that support Indigenous Peoples to elevate and share their traditions, culture, knowledge, and wisdom so that this information can inform evidence-based decision-making on the topical priorities including: fisheries management, coastal development, coastal restoration,  and marine spacial protections.The intent of this RFP is also to create opportunities where information from different knowledge systems, including Indigenous Knowledge, can be brought together to inform evidence-based decision-making in an equitable and complementary fashion.

Categories: Indigenous Knowledge, Decision Making, Fisheries, Restoration, Coastal Protection

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: August 1, 2023. Concept papers, which were required for all applicants were due on May 19, 2023. DOE is requesting applications from manufacturers to create new or expand existing domestic production capacity to manufacture more electric heat pump systems, components, and materials.

Categories: IRA, manufacturing, clean energy

Deadline passed as of July 8, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unkown. These awards are intended to complement the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act (25 U.S.C. § 415), which restores the authority of tribes to develop and implement tribal laws governing the leasing of tribal surface trust lands for business and other purposes. The funding described in this Notice is intended to enable eligible recipients to take advantage of the opportunity for self-determination afforded by the HEARTH Act by building capacity through the establishment of organizational structure(s) and/or business entity structure(s) capable of engaging in commercial energy development or management activities.

Categories: Community Development, Economic Development, Energy Development, Resource Management.

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

Deadline passed as of August 11, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. EPA's Office of Water supports the National Tribal Water Council (NTWC), composed of tribal governmental representatives, to increase communications, promote sharing of technical information and best management practices for Indian country, raise awareness of tribes on priority water issues, and facilitate tribal input on actions to protect water quality and provide safe drinking water in tribal communities. EPA supports the efforts of the National Tribal Water Council through a multi-year cooperative agreement to a recipient who manages and supports the operations of the Council, and assists in developing and completing products in coordination with the NTWC. Eligible recipients interested in managing the NTWC under this cooperative agreement may apply by submitting applications to EPA for this competitive process.

Categories: intertribal, water health, water rights, water management

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: July 27, 2023. The DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Tribal Colleges and Universities for clean energy project planning to transition the Tribal College or University to a clean energy campus and clean energy curriculum planning to complement the transition to clean energy (Topic Area 1); and the deployment of clean energy technology(ies) to transition the Tribal College or University to a clean energy campus, and implementation of a related clean energy curriculum (Topic Area 2).

Categories: renewable energy, education, energy efficiency,