Funding

Tomkat does not accept proposals, but they can be reached by email. This fund is strongly and vocally in support of clean energy development and sustainable living. Aside from energy, Steyer and wife Taylor (get it, Tomkat), are also invested in healthy foods and sustainable food systems, going so far as to start their own ranch. They also back some education stuff and more run-of-the-mill environmentalism, but their biggest giving to date has gone to energy and climate. 

Categories: climate change, sustainability, food justice, subsistence, emissions, conservation, coal, carbon

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: November 17, 2023. $240 million in funding is available for habitat restoration and coastal resilience through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Projects selected through this funding opportunity will have a transformative impact for coastal communities and tribes across the country. They will help sustain our nation’s fisheries, make significant strides in the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and help protect coastal communities and ecosystems from the impacts of climate change. They will support efforts such as reconnecting rivers to their historic floodplains, outplanting corals to rebuild reefs, building living shorelines that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise, and more. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: BIL, IRA, Coastal restoration, marine areas, estuaries, fisheries, conservation, climate resilience

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,

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to provide financial assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines lost by natural disasters. TAP is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). To be considered an eligible loss:Eligible trees, bushes, or vines must have suffered more than a 15 percent mortality loss in a stand (adjusted for normal mortality) due to an eligible natural disaster;Mortality loss on a stand of eligible trees, bushes, or vines is based on:Each eligible disaster event, except for losses due to plant disease; andFor plant disease, the time period as determined by the FSA for which the stand is infected.The loss must not have been preventable through reasonable and available measures;The loss must be visible and obvious to the FSA representative; if the loss is no longer visible, FSA may accept other loss evidence and determine whether that other evidence substantiates that an eligible loss due to natural disaster occurred; and FSA may require information from a qualified expert to determine extent of loss in the case of plant disease or insect infestation

Categories: natural disasters, rehabilitation, replant, tree health, plant health

Most Recent Deadline: 7/09/2021. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $5 million in DERA funding under this announcement. A total of $4.5 million will be made available to tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native villages, and $500,000 will be made available to insular area governments. EPA anticipates awarding five to ten cooperative agreements to tribal governments (or intertribal consortia) and Alaska Native villages and two to four cooperative agreements to insular area governments. This year's Request for Applications (RFA) has no mandatory cost share requirement and sets funding limits to $800,000 for tribal applicants and $250,000 for insular area applicants. Each applicant may submit up to two applications. Although funding for both tribes and insular areas is planned under this single RFA, the applications will be competed separately.  Tribal applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by one review panel, and insular area applications will be reviewed, ranked and selected by a separate review panel. EPA's ten regional offices will manage awards. The number and size of cooperative agreements made under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other considerations. 

Categories: Emissions Reduction, Mitigation, Energy efficiency

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: January 23, 2024. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program, from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to support Tribal governments bringing high-speed Internet to Tribal lands, including telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion initiatives. The program seeks to improve quality of life, spur economic development, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and by providing digital training and inclusion programs to Native American communities. This second round of funding from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will make approximately $980 million available on Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian lands for deployment of Internet infrastructure, affordability programs, telehealth and distance learning initiatives.

Most recent deadline: March 22, 2024. The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) is a $3 billion program, from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, to support Tribal governments bringing high-speed Internet to Tribal lands, including telehealth, distance learning, affordability, and digital inclusion initiatives. The program seeks to improve quality of life, spur economic development, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and by providing digital training and inclusion programs to Native American communities.

Categories: Broadband, communications, internet

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 5, 2024. California Strategic Growth Council has released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and Application for SGC’s newest grant program, the Tribal Capacity Building Pilot Program. The pilot program provides funding and technical assistance to California Native American tribes to build staff capacity to advance tribes’ climate-related work. Eligible applicants include California Native American tribes listed on the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) Contact List, including federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribes. A non-federally recognized tribe is eligible to apply if they are registered as a nonprofit, a for-profit corporation, or a limited liability company. SGC will award between $150,000 and $250,000 to each tribe selected for the pilot two-year grant term.  Please feel free to reach out to the CACE team directly at CACE@sgc.ca.gov with questions and/or concerns.

Deadline Passed 04/03/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) is soliciting proposals nationwide for projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets located in areas designated as having poor air quality. Further, priority for funding will be given to projects which result in outcomes that benefit affected communities, those that engage affected communities with respect to the design and performance of the project, and those which can demonstrate the ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended. 

Categories: emissions, alternative energy, sustainability, climate adaptation, air quality

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

Most Recent Deadline: June 7, 2024. The Washington State Department of Commerce has consulted with tribes within Washington state to co-design a strategy for the distribution of $50 million of Climate Commitment Act (CCA) dollars that the Washington Legislature appropriated for tribal climate resilience in the 2023-2025 biennium. https://www.commerce.wa.gov/program-index/tribal-climate-resilience-program-grants/

Categories: Resilience, Climate Committment Act

The Endowment fund is an interest-bearing account. Congress appropriates funding for this account annually. Each 1994 Land-Grant University receives an annual funding allotment based in part on the previous year's interest earned and the number of American Indian students attending the institution. Recipients can update NIFA about the work that was done with Endowment funding using the pdf form below. They can also use the form SF-425 on this page to report on financial data relating to this funding. The 1994 Land-Grant presidents can use these funds at their discretion. They may restore or upgrade infrastructure, supplement other NIFA grants, or keep the funding indefinitely as a resource to address future or unanticipated needs.

Categories: infrastructure, restoration

Deadline Passed 08/30/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The Tribal College Research Area of Expertise (TCRAE) for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions in building research capacity through competitive funding of applied projects that address student educational needs and solve community, reservation or regional problems consistent with the 1994 Research Grants (Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994) (Public Law 103–382; 7 U.S.C. 301 note).

Categories: research, capacity building, education, community engagement

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) provides awards to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to promote high quality science (including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, statistics, and other social and behavioral sciences as well as natural sciences), technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research, and outreach. Support is available to TCUP-eligible institutions (see the Additional Eligibility subsection of Section IV of this solicitation) for transformative capacity-building projects through Instructional Capacity Excellence in TCUP Institutions (ICE-TI), Targeted STEM Infusion Projects (TSIP), TCU Enterprise Advancement Centers (TEA Centers), and Preparing for TCUP Implementation (Pre-TI). Collaborations that involve multiple institutions of higher education led by TCUP institutions are supported through Partnerships for Geoscience Education (PAGE) and Partnerships for Documentary Linguistics Education (PADLE). Finally, research studies that further the scholarly activity of individual faculty members are supported through Small Grants for Research (SGR) and Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science in Tribal Colleges and Universities (SEA-PHAGES in TCUs). Through the opportunities highlighted above, as well as collaborations with other National Science Foundation (NSF) units and other organizations, TCUP aims to increase Native individuals' participation in STEM careers and improve the quality of STEM programs at TCUP-eligible institutions. TCUP strongly encourages the inclusion of activities that will benefit veterans.

Categories: Education, scholarship, academia, graduate, research

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 14, 2022. The purpose of the Tribal Colleges Extension Program (TCEP) is to enable 1994 institutions to deliver science-based, culturally relevant extension education programs designed to address public needs and improve quality of life. The TCEP is intended to be a component of the applicant 1994 institution's land-grant roadmap or strategic planning process. To the extent practicable, priorities should reflect NIFA's national critical needs areas: 1) Development of sustainable energy; 2) Increased global food security; 3) Adaptation of agriculture and natural resources to global climate change; 4) Reduction of childhood and adolescent obesity; and 5) Improved food safety. Learn more and apply here. Download the RFA here.

Categories: Education, agriculture, training, development, research, technology, development, tribal youth, food security, community

Deadline Passed 11/01/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. This program was designed to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) in building institutional research capacity through applied projects that address student educational needs and meet community, reservation or regional challenges. 

Categories: Research, Education, Land, Natural Resources, curriculum, higher education

Most Recent Deadline: February 29, 2024. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature allocated funding to ArtsWA (Washington State Arts Commission) to bolster arts and culture in Washington Tribal Communities. This funding can be utilized for a wide range of artistic and cultural endeavors. For instance, it can be used to enhance cultural teachings within a community, support the artistic practices of community members, procure necessary supplies, promote creative entrepreneurial opportunities for tribal individuals or groups within the creative economy, and support other arts or cultural initiatives suitable for each particular community. Each Tribe has the opportunity to submit one application, which can cover multiple projects if needed. For this cycle, the maximum funding amount per application is $18,000. The application provides space for each Tribe to indicate any additional funding requests. These requests will be evaluated if further funding becomes available or if some Tribes do not apply. Any funding that remains unrequested by the closing date will be reallocated as additional funding to those who have applied, amending their original funding. Comments and questions? Please contact Cheryl Wilcox, Tribal Cultural Affairs Manager, via email at cheryl.wilcox@arts.wa.gov. For more information, visit:

Categories: Washington State, Culture, cultural initiatives, art

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

Last Deadline: 9/1/2020. The goal of the Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) program is to develop tribal management, organizational and technical capacity needed to maximize the economic impact of energy resourcedevelopment on Indian land. The TEDC grant gives tribes the ability to developor enhance their business and regulatory environment for energy resourcedevelopment. Proposed projects must include building tribal capacity to:  develop organizational structures, businessentity structures, or develop or enhance regulatory functions. All of the functions are related to building tribal energy development capacity for thepurpose of strengthening tribal capacity for development and management of energyprojects.

Categories: energy, capacity building, infrastructure, management, resource development, management

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.

Deadline Passed 09/19/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. This solicitation announcement (including all Attachments, the “Solicitation”) invites the submission of applications from qualified financial institutions for partial, risk-sharing loan guarantees from the United States Department of Energy (“DOE” or the “Department”) under Section 2602(c) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, as amended (25 USC Section 3502(c)) (the “Act”), in support of debt financing for tribal energy development projects, as described in this Solicitation, that are located in the United States. The Act authorizes a new federal loan guarantee program (the “Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program” or “TELGP”) intended to benefit federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations, by increasing the capacity of the commercial debt markets for their energy development initiatives.

Categories: energy, tribal energy, development, capacity building

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: October 7, 2022. The Tribal Energy Plan Grant program is open until funding is fully subscribed. Applicants may apply for funding up to $25,000 for up to one year. The development of Tribal Energy Plans are intended to help tribal communities quickly and efficiently triage the known practical and impactful strategies to reduce greenhouse gas, reduce energy costs, and operate more sustainably. The grants can be used to compensate the planning team for their time, contract the services of consultants or other third-party experts, and cover the costs of public meetings and other methods soliciting public input. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Climate resilience, mitigation, research, adaptation, capacity building

Dealine unknown for 2019. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Tribal Energy Program, in conjunction with the DOE Office of Indian Energy, is pleased to announce the availability of up to $7 million in funding to accelerate clean energy development on tribal lands. For more tribal grant opportunites use this link https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/funding/current-funding-opportuniti… 

Categories: Renewable energy, Development

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: August 30, 2023. NOAA announced the availability of approximately $1.8 million for federally-recognized Tribes to support tribal participation in or engagement with existing regional ocean partnerships, with funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This Tribal funding complements a separate funding program for established regional ocean partnerships, which seeks to enhance and sustain the efforts of the established partnerships to coordinate inter-state and inter-Tribal management of ocean and coastal management issues. This Tribal engagement funding opportunity focuses on encouraging or enhancing Tribal participation with established regional ocean partnerships, and/or Tribal activities related to partnership priority actions. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Ocean and coastal management, Tribal leadership, regional ocean partnerships, BIL

Deadline is Ongoing. The 1994 Land-Grants use Equity to support faculty who develop classes and degree programs that teach science and math to Native Americans. The programs focus on agriculture, natural resources and human sciences. The faculty strive to graduate students who can achieve their life goals. Since many 1994 Land-Grants are two-year schools, some students aspire to advanced degrees. Other students seek training to begin a vocational career in agriculture. Still other students want to earn certifications just to improve their daily lives. Faculty have used Equity funding to help build laboratories, conduct remedial courses, create new degree programs in forestry and provide students stipends so they can complete their education. The goal is to graduate empowered students who can embrace their future with new skills and knowledge.

Categories: math, science, agriculture, natural resources, human sciences, vocational training, education

Deadline is Ongoing. The Tribal College Extension grant program allows the 1994 Land-Grants to create extension offices for their reservation communities. Each extension office works with reservation communities to build programs that target local needs. The result is a diversified and targeted outreach. Reservation youth participate in fun activities in a safe environment. Farmers and ranchers gain science-based insights to improve their productivity. Financial literacy training enhances rural reservation economies. The 1994 Land-Grants also provide culture-centered family activities to restore Native languages, traditions and agriculture. Within this grant program are two types of funds: Capacity grants and Special Emphasis. Capacity grants fund an entire Extension office which can have many mission areas and clients. Special Emphasis are targeted, short-term pilot projects that allow Extension educators to explore new ways to better serve their community.

Categories: reservation communities, financial literacy training, education, culture, native languages, traditions, agrculture

Previous Deadline: 05/22/2020. Funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and administered by the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC), the Tribal Government Challenge Planning Grant Program will provide funds for California Tribes to conduct planning to identify solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve clean energy access, and advance climate adaptation and resiliency on Tribal lands and in Tribal communities. For more information and to apply, click here.

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 29, 2023. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes grants to Federally recognized Indian tribes for cultural and historic preservation projects. These grants assist Indian Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations in protecting and promoting their unique cultural heritage and traditions. From the beginning, the program has been shaped by Indian tribes. It focuses on what they are most concerned about protecting: Traditional skills, oral history, plant and animal species important in tradition, sacred and historic places, and the establishment of tribal historic preservation offices.

Categories: Cultural Resource Management, Historic Preservation, Government-to-Government Relationships

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 6, 2023. The purpose of this IHS grant announcement is to announce the availability of the Tribal Management Grant (TMG) Program to enhance and develop health management infrastructure and assist Tribes/Tribal Organizations (T/TO) in assuming all or part of existing Indian Health Service (IHS) Programs, Services, Functions, and Activities (PSFAs) through a Title I contract and assist established Title I contractors and Title V compactors to further develop and improve their management capability. In addition, TMGs are available to T/TO under the authority of 25 U.S.C. § 5322(e) for (1) obtaining technical assistance from providers designated by the T/TO (including T/TO that operate mature contracts) for the purposes of program planning and evaluation, including the development of any management systems necessary for contract management and the development of cost allocation plans for indirect cost rates; and (2) planning, designing, monitoring, and evaluating Federal programs serving the T/TO, including Federal administrative functions.

Categories: health management, infrastructure, development, capacity building, planning, monitoring

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: December 17, 2021. The BIA Tribal Climate Resilience Program is pleased to announce the availability of funding to support the hiring of Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons in the North Central, Midwest and Northeast/Southeast regions of the DOI Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) through the BIA's Tribal Resilience Program (Program). Eligible applicants include tribal non-profit, non-governmental organizations and tribally-controlled colleges or universities (TCUs) that serve federally-recognized tribes. Other entities may participate as sub-grantees. The BIA is collaborating with the Department of Interior (DOI) Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) to continue supporting tribal climate resilience needs and selected tribal organizations will enter into cooperative agreements with the BIA. This provides a mechanism for the BIA to provide the selected Tribal organizations with non-recurring funding for mutually agreed upon tasks in keeping with the climate science needs of the BIA and all tribal communities in the North Central, Midwest, and Northeast/Southeast CASC regions. The solicitation is available on grants.gov, and named TCRP-16241: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336222.

Categories: Tribal governance, climate resilience, scientific research