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 Sort descending Grant Deadline Description Funding Amount Geography Website
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants to Support Great Lakes Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Projects DOI, FWS

Under FY14 appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service anticipates providing grants to support development and implementation of Great Lakes Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans. Two-year grant awards will be used by tribes for activities that directly relate to the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Basin.

Categories: Conservation, Natural Resource Management, Invasive Species

$20,000-75,000 Northeast, Midwest, Great Lakes Link
Candidate Species Conservation Fund DOI, FWS

Most Recent Deadline: September 30, 2023. The principle objective of this funding opportunity is to accomplish conservation tasks for high priority candidate species (based on our annual Candidate Species Assessments) or other at-risk species in the United States, such that identified threats to the species may be reduced or eliminated. These efforts are based on cooperative relationships with states, non-governmental organizations, private landowners and those interested in habitat restoration or undertaking candidate and at-risk species research, surveys and monitoring, or educational outreach efforts. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Conservation, candidate species, research, monitoring, education

$1,000 - $500,000 National Link
Recovery Challenge DOI, FWS

Deadline Passed 04/26/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The Recovery challenge funding opportunity is to enhance and increase partnerships with agencies and organizations implementing highest priority recovery actions for federally listed endangered and threatened species, and in particular for genetically-sound breeding, rearing and reintroduction programs. Section 2(a)(5) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 16 U.S.C. 1535, as amended, authorizes the use of Federal financial assistance to encourage the States and other interested parties to develop and maintain conservation programs to safeguard the Nation's heritage in fish, wildlife and plants for the benefit of all citizens. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019 (H.J. Res. 31, 116th Cong. Div. E, Title I (2019)) authorized specific funding for the Recovery Challenge funding opportunity.

Categories: endangered species, species recovery, reintroduction, conservation

$100-$3,000,000 National Link
HQ NWRS System Enhancements DOI, FWS

Deadline Passed 08/31/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020.  Headquarters National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is accepting proposals for financial assistance from organizations that support Department of Interior (DOI) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) priorities and have the capacity to work cooperatively with the Service to identify, conserve, manage and enhance the physical and ecological infrastructure of the NWRS; deliver public access and high-quality recreational opportunities; identify organizations and support projects that provide recreational activities for disabled persons, youth, and veterans; build a volunteer cadre, and inspire the next generation of hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts through work on and off NWRS managed lands and waters.

Categories: National Wildlife Refuge System, conservation, management, ecological infrastructure, recreation

$250,000-$400,000 National Link
Historic Revitalization Sub-grant Program (HRSP) DOI, National Park Service

Deadline Passed 04/01/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The goal of this program is to support the rehabilitation of historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Applicants must make subgrants for physical preservation projects. Eligible subgrant recipients must be within the jurisdiction of the applicant. Project must be in communities defined as "rural" by the US Bureau of the Census.

Categories: restoration, preservation, historic properties

$100,000-$750,000 National Link
Engaging Colorado Front Range Youth and Local Communities at Rocky Mountain National Park through Conservation Projects DOI, NPS

Deadline Passed 05/30/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019.  FOA#: P18AS00074. The principal purpose of the resulting agreements is to educate youth, promote community engagement, and cultivate the next generation of conservation professionals to promote a stewardship legacy at Rocky Mountain National Park. The project will provide opportunities for under-represented youth to learn about the environment by spending time working on conservation projects such as trail rehabilitation, historic rock wall repairs, conducting invasive plant removal, designing visitor wayside exhibits and trailhead information kiosks in the National Parks. The National Park Service will promote the public purpose of the agreement by engaging young adults in community-based work and offering internships and training, all of which provide exposure to the importance of parks and the conservation of our public lands. In the process, participants will add value to NPS by helping our staff and partners cultivate strong relationships with the youth and emerging adult demographics as project participants in our community-based projects. This agreement serves a public purpose by promoting and stimulating education, job training, development of responsible citizenship, productive community involvement, and furthering the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of our National natural and cultural resources. The projects awarded under this cooperative agreement will motivate youth and young adults to be involved with the natural, cultural and historical resource protection of their communities and would restore trust with the local communities.

Categories: youth, engagement, conservation, stewardship, education, community

$10,000-$350,000 Colorado Link
Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office Fisheries Restoration Opportunities DOI-FWS

Deadline passed as of August 31, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Proposals will only be considered for project locations within western Washington State, specifically for: Chehalis River watershed in southwest Washington State. Proposals may include but are not limited to: fish passage, in-stream and riparian habitat restoration, introduced species management (including aquatic invasive species), or education and outreach, Lake Sammamish specifically related to kokanee restoration and monitoring, Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) employment at Makah and Quinault National Fish Hatcheries, Analysis of migratory patterns in bull trout in western Washington, Status assessments of Olympic mudminnow, or Analysis of scales and bony structures from anadromous fish.

Categories: fisheries, wetlands, restoration, hatcheries, aquatic resources, conservation, research, salmon, habitat

Up to $100,000. Washington state Link
Tribal Energy Development and Capacity-Building (TEDC) Grant Program DOI; OIEED

No RFP announced for 2016 as of 4/13/2016. The TEDC grant program helps tribes in assessing, developing, or obtaining the managerial and technical capacity needed to develop energy resources on Indian land and properly account for energy resource production and revenues, as provided for under Title V. Section 503 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Categories: Energy Development

Varies Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southesat, National, Alaska 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
Southeast Resilient Landscapes Fund Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

2017 deadline: 11/06/2017. Deadline for 2018 Unknown. Capitalized with a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Southeast Resilient Landscapes Fund (Fund) provides capital grants and loans to land protection projects within three selected regions of the southeast. Projects must lie in one of OSI’s resilience focus areas, demonstrate the use of Resilient Landscape concepts and meet the other grant criteria detailed below. OSI awards grants to qualified non-profit organizations through a competitive process with the assistance of an advisory board comprised of experts with knowledge of natural resources, conservation policy and land conservation funding.

Categories: climate change, environmental protection, conservation, sustainability, adaptation, mitigation

$100,000-$400,000. the Southern Cumberlands in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee; the Southern Blue Ridge in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee; and the Greater Pee Dee River in South Carolina and North Carolina Link
RAISE Discretionary Grants DOT

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: February 28, 2023.  RAISE Discretionary Grants replace the pre-existing BUILD Transportation grants program. RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors to obtain funding for projects that are harder to support through other U.S. DOT grant programs.

Categories: Transportation, Infrastructure, Development

$1,000,000 - $25,000,000 National Link
Bridge Investment Program: Planning, Bridge Projects, and Large Bridge Projects DOT

Most recent deadline: November 1, 2024. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for two funding categories: (1) Planning and (2) Bridge Project grants (a project with total eligible costs not greater than $100 million) for awards under the Bridge Investment Program (BIP). This notice establishes a “rolling application” process for Planning and Bridge Project applications by providing the schedule, requirements, and selection process for such projects for the remaining available amounts of the BIP funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” or BIL) for FY 2023 through FY 2026, which total up to $9.7 billion (see section B.1 for details for funds available for each fiscal year). FHWA is soliciting applications for the other BIP project category in a separate NOFO available on Grants.gov, listing number 693JJ323NF00019: Large Bridge Project (a project with total eligible costs greater than $100 million).

Categories: Transportation, infrastructure, flood control, habitat connectivity, BIL, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

$2,500,000 - $10,000,000,000 National Link
Oregon Domestic Well Safety Program (DWSP) DWSP, Oregon Local Public Health Authorities

Deadline passed as of December 12, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. This request for proposals (RFP) is intended to increase the capacity of Oregon Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) and tribal public health authorities, particularly those that have identified domestic wells and water security as local priorities through county hazard assessments*. The Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) Domestic Well Safety Program (DWSP) intends to provide grants to support outreach efforts identified by LPHAs in their proposals to this RFP. In working with LPHAs, the DWSP will help plan and deliver outreach and interventions to communities of concern, as identified by LPHAs.

Categories: water safety, water health, access, infrastructure

$7,500 Oregon Link
Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Lab Request for Proposals Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Lab

Most Recent Deadline: June 17, 2024. Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Lab has recently announced a new request for proposals. The 2024 ESIP Lab RFP aims at supporting data management, data analysis or visualization, or data-informed storytelling related to climate resilience. Over the past seven years, ESIP has granted over $300k in small grant funding, resulting in over $2.5 million in follow-on funding, numerous collaborations, open-source software and data products, and peer-reviewed publications. Check out a list of previously funded projects. The maximum budget for this RFP is $20k over ten months. Proposals are due June 17, 2024. https://www.esipfed.org/lab/rfp/

$20,000 National Link
Earthlab Innovation Grants EarthLab

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: January 9, 2024 at 5 pm PST. Full proposals due February 27. EarthLab is looking to fund projects that demonstrate co-creation and partnership between community partners and University of Washington researchers, interdisciplinary collaboration, action at the intersection of climate (both mitigation and adaptation) & social justice, and the potential for growth of the project or partnership. The Innovation Grants Program has a maximum budget request of $80,000 per project. For more information and to apply, click here.

Categories: Environment, scientific research, climate, social justice, community involvement, interdisciplinary collaboration

Maximum of $80,000 per project over 18 months. National Link
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
FY2019 EDA Disaster Supplemental Economic Development Administration

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

Total Program Funding: $587,000,000 National Link
Agriculture of the Middle Accelerator Program Ecotrust

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

unknown Oregon, California, Washington, Alaska Link
FY 2017 and FY 2018 Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Water Quality and Enable Small Public Water Systems to Provide Safe Drinking Water Environmental Protection Agency

Deadline Passed 12/04/2017. Deadline for 2018 Unknown. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting applications from eligible applicants as described in Section III.A to provide training and technical assistance for small public water systems to help such systems achieve and maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and to provide training and technical assistance for small publicly owned wastewater systems, communities served by onsite/decentralized wastewater systems, and private well owners to improve water quality under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Training and technical assistance activities provided to these systems, communities and private well owners should be made available nationally in rural and urban communities and to personnel of tribally- owned and operated systems.

Categories: training, technical assistance, public water systems, wastewater systems, water quality

Up to $16,000,000 National Link
Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program Environmental Protection Agency

Most Recent Deadline: November 21, 2024. EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.

Categories: environmental justice, climate justice, inflation reduction act, IRA

National Link
Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grants Environmental Protection Agency

Most Recent Deadline: July 25, 2024. This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities to incentivize and accelerate the replacement of existing non-ZE Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles with ZE vehicles. The EPA anticipates awarding up to $932 million in funds under this Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles (CHDV) Grants NOFO, subject to the availability of funds, the quantity and quality of applications received, support for communities overburdened by air pollution, applicability of different business models, and other applicable considerations described in this document. This funding to support ZE vehicles will benefit communities across the United States (U.S.), especially communities that are disproportionately burdened by air pollution and marginalized by underinvestment. These replacement vehicles will ensure cleaner air for the communities in which they operate. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from these vehicle replacements will also help address the outsized role of the transportation sector in fueling the climate crisis.

Categories: Vehicles (375), Air Pollution (392)

Estimated Total Program Funding: $ 932,000,000 National Link
Philanthropy Northwest & the EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. Environmental Protection Agency 12/15/2024

Philanthropy Northwest & the EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. Deadline: December 15, 2024. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program aims to make it easier for community-based organizations to access federal environmental justice funding. The Pacific Northwest Grant ($40 million) is an opportunity for nonprofit organizations, Native American organizations & Tribal governments, local governments, and institutions of higher education. This grant opportunity is to distribute federal resources to chronically underinvested communities to ensure all people are protected from disproportionate and adverse environmental and health effects. The program was created to respond to feedback from communities about the need to reduce barriers to federal funds and improve the efficiency of the awards process to ensure underinvested communities can access the grants.For more information and to apply, visit: https://philanthropynw.org/epa-environmental-justice-thriving-communities-grantmaking-program

Northwest Link
Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities Water Grant Program Environmental Protection Agency

No listed deadline. Significant human health and water quality problems exist in Alaska Native Villages (ANV) and other rural communities in Alaska due to lack of sanitation. To address these issues, Congress in 1996 authorized EPA to create the Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities Grant Program, which is codified in 33 U.S.C. § 1263a.

The program assists these communities with the construction of new or improved wastewater and drinking water systems. Communities can also use the funding for training and technical assistance in system operations and maintenance.

EPA provides funds to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to address the needs of rural and native Alaska communities. The DEC, in turn, administers these funds through its Village Safe Water (VSW) program. The VSW program’s goal is "to improve public health and compliance with environmental laws by upgrading the level of sanitation facilities in rural [Alaskan] communities through financial and technical assistance."

Categories: Water, sanitation, public health

Varies Alaska Link
Water Pollution Control (Section 106) Grants Environmental Protection Agency

Deadline varies based on individual grants. Section 106 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorizes EPA to provide financial assistance to states and eligible interstate agencies to establish and administer programs for the prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. In 1987, Congress amended section 518(e) of the CWA to include provisions that allow EPA to treat an Indian tribe in a manner similar to a state (i.e., treatment in a manner similar to a state, or TAS) for the purpose of providing Section 106 funding.

Categories: water quality, water quality standards, water quality monitoring, pollution, source water

Varies National Link
Region 6 Indian General Assistance Program Environmental Protection Agency

Deadline: 2/5/2021. EPA provides Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) financial and technical assistance to tribal governments and intertribal consortia to assist tribes in planning, developing, and establishing the capacity to implement federal environmental programs administered by the EPA and to assist in implementation of tribal solid and hazardous waste programs in accordance with applicable provisions of law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act (commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA. EPA administers this program in accordance with the statute, applicable federal regulations, including 40 CFR part 35, subpart B, and national guidance, including the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Guidance on the Award and Management of General Assistance Agreements for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia (2013; hereafter GAP Guidance).

Categories: administrative, financial management, information management, environmental baseline needs assessment, public education/communication, legal, ambient air quality, water quality, managing waste

No more than $115,000 Southwest Link
FY18 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWJDT) Grants Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Deadline Passes December 15, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field. Please note that eligible entities who received an EWDJT grant in Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) are not eligible to apply for funding in FY18. While Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants require training in brownfield assessment and/or cleanup, these grants also require that Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training be provided to all individuals being trained. EPA encourages applicants to develop their curricula based on local labor market assessments and employers’ hiring needs, while also delivering comprehensive training that results in graduates securing multiple certifications.

Categories: workforce development, job training, environmental, hazardous and solid waste management, water quality improvement, chemical safety, pesticide management

The total funding available under this competitive opportunity is approximately $3,000,000, subject to availability of funds, quality of proposals received, and other applicable considerations for FY18. National Link
Clean Water Indian Set-Aside Program Environmental Protection Agency, Indian Health Service (IHS) 12/31/2024

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

Varies National Link
Pollution Prevention Information Network Grant Program (PPIN) EPA

RFP Closed for FY 2016. The PPIN grant program funds grants/cooperative agreements that support a national network of P2 information centers that coordinate training and information resources across the nation to minimize any duplication of effort among state programs. The centers offer training and promote new P2 technologies.

Categories: Pollution, Mitigation

$60,000 - $110,000 National Link
Air Climate and Energy (ACE) Centers EPA

Deadline Unknown. Closed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) Centers. EPA is interested in supporting research on the development of sound science to systematically inform policy makers at the state and local levels regarding the development of innovative approaches to enable effective implementation of air pollution control strategies to achieve the greatest public health benefits by reducing exposure to harmful air pollution

Categories: Research, Air Pollution Control, public health

Up to $10,000,000 Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska, Midwest Link
EPA Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program EPA

Source Reduction Assistance (SRA) grants fund innovative source reduction approaches (also known as “pollution prevention” or “P2”). P2 means reducing or eliminating pollutants from entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. In keeping with the statutory authorities under this program, SRA grant projects must use one or more of the following technical assistance methods to carry out source reduction/P2 activities: a) research, b) investigation, c) experiments, d) education, e) training, f) studies and/or g) demonstration of innovative techniques.

Categories: pollution prevention, waste prevention, research, education, training, hazardous materials

$20,000-$260,000 issued over a two-year funding period National Link