Funding

Philanthropy Northwest & the EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program. 2nd round deadline: February 28, 2025. 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

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is authorized to provide emergency drought relief for Tribes through the Inflation Reduction Act (Act) of 2022. To provide drought relief to Tribes, Reclamation"s Native American Affairs and International Affairs Office (NAIAO) implements the Emergency Drought Relief for Tribes Program (Program).This NAIAO funding opportunity is for federally recognized Indian Tribes in the 17 western states. Activities funded through this Program must provide near-term drought relief actions that mitigate drought impacts for Tribes who are impacted by the operation of a Reclamation water project. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) grant opportunity for Tribes at the following link - Native American Affairs: Emergency Drought Relief for Tribes Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Section 80004.  For more information, visit: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/359950. 

Categories: drought

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

 The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) through the Native American Affairs Technical Assistance Program (NAA/TAP), provides financial and technical assistance to federally recognized Tribes.The objective of this NOFO is to invite federally recognized Tribes to submit proposals for financial assistance for projects and activities that develop, manage, and protect their water and water related resources. Reclamation plans to make Fiscal Year 2025 funds available for proposals selected from this NOFO through Reclamation"s five Regional Offices.Maximum award per applicant: $2,000,000; $1,000,000 per proposal.No cost share requirement; however, partnering and collaboration is encouraged. For further information on the NAA/TAP please visit: www.usbr.gov/native/programs/TAPprogram.html. For more information, visit: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/360110.

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

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: 05/24/2021. The NOAA Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program (CAMP) supports research, programs, projects and other activities related to NOAA’s mission, primarily through collaborations among scientists and professionals in areas of mutual interest across the full spectrum of NOAA climate sciences. This cooperative agreement will focus on the following four priority areas: 1) Improved scientific understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts; 2) Scientific assessments of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, service, and stewardship decisions; 3) Mitigation and adaptation efforts supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services; 4) A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions. Eligible applicants must be academic institutions of higher learning which offer doctoral degrees in NOAA-related sciences; consortia of academic institutions of higher learning which offer doctoral degrees in NOAA-related sciences; or non-profit research institutions. Multi-institution applications will not be accepted.

Categories: climate, mitigation, adaptation

Last Deadline: May 2022. AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that members can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans.

Categories: community service, disaster prevention and relief, education, employment, labor, training, environment

Most Recent Deadline: June 2024. Through this NOFO, HUD is announcing the availability of approximately $91,000,000 in total funding including $88,500,000 in FY 2024 funding for its Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Program (Community Compass) and up to $2,500,000 in FY 2023 Departmental Technical Assistance funding for the Thriving Communities Technical Assistance program (TCTA). Community Compass brings together TA investments from across HUD program offices, including the offices of Community Planning and Development, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, Housing, and Public and Indian Housing. This cross-funding approach allows TA to address the needs of grantees and subgrantees, often within the same engagement, and promotes intra- and inter-agency issue resolution. You are encouraged to procure contractors and consultants that demonstrate experience across a wide variety of HUD programs, as well as in specific skill and policy areas related to HUD programs. Through this NOFO, HUD will also address the TA needs of some emerging priorities that include: community violence intervention, implementation of and compliance with the Violence Against Women Act's (VAWA) 2022 Reauthorization, climate resilience, housing needs of youth, and environmental reviews. It is highly encouraged that applicants assemble a diverse team of professionals and people with lived experience from the communities HUD serves. Their perspectives can add immeasurable value in the development and delivery of technical assistance.

Categories: technical assistance (317) capacity building

Most recent deadline: 11/14/2024. The Agricultural Risk Protection Act (ARPA) of 2000, Public Law 106-224 authorized the Secretary of USDA, acting through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, herein referred to as NIFA, to carry out the program Partnerships for Risk Management Education. Under this authority NIFA partners with four regional Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Centers to carry out a national competitive grants program in Risk Management Education to educate agricultural producers about the full range of risk management activities. Community-based organizations, higher education institutions and eligible tribal entities can play a critical role with training that provides decision tools, practices and other risk management strategies that producers can adopt to improve their economic viability.

Categories: agricultural, crops, risk management