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@uoregon.edu. 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 Sort ascending Organization Grant Deadline Description Funding Amount Geography Website
Connecting with our Homelands Hopa Mountain, NPS

Most recent deadline: March 15, 2024. These funds are made possible by the National Park Service and are available for organizations and schools that want to bring youth ages 5 -18 and elders to a National Park to share Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, and traditions. A limited number of travel grants of up to $4,000 are available to Indian Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Eligible candidates include tribal programs, schools, and nonprofit organizations. Funds can only be used for direct costs for a trip, such as bus travel, lodging, and meals. Only one travel grant will be awarded per organization or tribe in order to allow as many youth as possible an opportunity to visit a park.

Categories: IK, TEK, cultural heritage, education, youth, recreation

$4000 travel grants National Link
Compton Foundation Grants Compton Foundation

The Compton Foundation has a unique approach to giving, making grants to groups based on two categories of work—leadership and storytelling. But giving goes to progressive social change, toward a “peaceful, just, and sustainable world.” Within that goal, a considerable amount goes toward the environment and curbing climate change. As of the beginning of 2018, we have closed our online inquiry system, and we have moved to an invitation-only grantmaking process. Visit website for more information. 

Categories: climate change, community, adaption, planning, storytelling, oral history, social justice

Varies. National Link
Community-Scale Clean Energy Projects in Indian Country Grants

DOE is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes, Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations and Tribal Consortia to install “community-scale” or “facility-scale” clean energy systems on Indian lands to provide electricity and/or heating and cooling for local use in tribal buildings. For purposes of this announcement, “clean energy systems” include “renewable energy systems” and “combined heat and power systems.” Projects selected under this Funding Opportunity Announcement are intended to reduce energy costs and increase energy security for Indian Tribes and tribal members. Please note that on DOE website this grant can be found by searching for: DE-FOA-0000852.

Categories: Renewable energy

$50,000-1,500,000 Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska Link
Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants NOAA

Past deadline: May 15, 2019. The principal objective of the NMFS Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase populations under NOAA’s jurisdiction. Successful proposals will: 1) identify a habitat-based issue/concern limiting the recovery or sustainability of one or more species targeted by the proposed restoration action; 2) describe in detail the actions and on-the-ground habitat restoration project(s) to be undertaken to resolve the issue/concern and; 3) describe the project(s)’ expected outcomes and measurable impact on the project’s target species and their ecosystem. Proposals may include: restoration feasibility and/or design; implementation; or a combination.

Categories: restoration, coastal and marine habitat, ecosystems, species recovery, endangered species, sustainability, fisheries

$75,0000-$150,000 Coasts Link
Community-Based Collaborative Action Grants UDOE

Deadline passed as of June 9, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. By design, Collaborative Actions allow conversations to emerge that shape the community and social context, and catalyze positive dynamics. These actions may be permanent or temporary, tangible or intangible, and may include creative placemaking, mapping, art installations or community events. They are typically small-scale, low-cost, and short in duration, but often fit into a larger community effort.

Categories: social justice, community building, human health, peace courts, community organizing, relationship building

$5,000. National Link
Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Program U.S. Forest Service

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 23, 2023. The Community Wood Grant Program, launched in 2020, provides funding for grants to install thermally led community wood energy systems or to build innovative wood product manufacturing facilities. The Forest Service expects renewable wood energy systems installed under this program to use the most stringent control technologies. The program places extra emphasis on assisting sawmills in economically challenged areas to retool or add advanced technology. Read the funding announcement here.

Categories: thermal energy, wood energy, forest health, economy, alternative fuels, wood products, hazardous fuels reduction, forest management, economic health, environmental health

Up to $1.5 million National Link
Community Wildfire Defense Grant USDA Forest Service

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: October 7, 2022. This grant aims to assist at-risk communities and tribes in preparing against and reducing the risks due to wildfire by restoring and maintaining landscapes, creating fire adapted communities, and improving wildfire response. Up to $250K is available for qualifying community wildfire protection plan development or updates. Up to $10M is available for qualifying community wildfire protection plan implementation. Tribes are also welcome to apply to the corresponding state Notices of Funding Opportunity. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: disaster prevention and relief, natural resources, fire adaptation

Up to $10,000,000 National Link
Community Water Justice Awards The Joint Futures Initiative

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 1, 2024. The Joint Futures Initiative is thrilled to announce the first-ever call for Community Water Justice Awards funded by a state budget allocation. Apply now! Awards up to $50,000.00. For questions, please contact Dr. Alai Reyes-Santos at alai@uoregon.edu. For more information, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMKE7Rw9udzBuDQyDR6Z3y47AoGy0….

Community Self Determination Grant NDN Collective

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 28, 2023. Community Self-Determination Grants are intended to support community-based and community- driven sustainable solutions in all three of NDN Collective’s core strategies to Defend, Develop and Decolonize. Grants are intended to  support and invest in the long-term visions, sustainability, and power building of Indigenous Nations, communities and Indigenous-led organizations, fortifying the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples to create a just, equitable, and sustainable world for all people and the planet. Significant, flexible, multi-year funding will include the infusion of general operating support, power building, capital and holistic support for comprehensive initiatives and specific programs.

Categories: decolonization, resilience, sustainability, community, culture

$100,000 per year, commitment of two years National, US territories, Canada, Mexico Link
Community Renewable Energy Grant Program Oregon Department of Energy

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 10, 2022. The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program is open to Oregon Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities. Up to $100,000 for planning and $1M for developing a community renewable energy and/or resilience project. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Renewable energy, community energy resilience, environmental justice, energy efficiency, solar energy, wind energy, equity

Up to $100,000 for planning and $1M for developing a community renewable energy and/or resilience project Oregon Link
Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment DOE

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: October 11, 2022. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced up to $13 million in funding for the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding Opportunity Announcement, which supports the development, design, and installation of community geothermal heating and cooling systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It will also create related workforce training and identify and address environmental justice concerns. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Energy, Geothermal, Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Development, Environmental Justice

$300,000 – $13,000,000 National Link
Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

The Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP) has since 1996 promoted self-sufficiency and food security in low-income communities through community food projects (CFP), Planning Projects and Training and Capacity Building projects (TCB).

Categories: Food Security

$10,000 to $300,000 National Link
Community Facilities Tribal College Initiative Grants USDA 12/31/2024

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

Grants up to $250,000 per land grant institution
Funds can be used to pay up to 95% of the project cost
National Link
Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: May 23, 2022. The Agency will make grants to public bodies and private nonprofit corporations, (such as States, counties, cities, townships, and incorporated towns and villages, boroughs, authorities, districts, and Indian tribes on Federal and State reservations) to provide associations Technical Assistance and/or training with respect to essential community facilities programs. The Technical Assistance and/or training will assist communities, Indian Tribes, and Nonprofit Corporations to identify and plan for community facility needs that exist in their area. Once those needs have been identified, the Grantee can assist in identifying public and private resources to finance those identified community facility needs.

Categories: community facilities, infrastructure, planning, training, technical assistance

up to $150,000 National Link
Community Facilities Economic Impact Initiative Grants USDA

Application Window Closed. This program provides funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression. An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

Categories: community facilities, development, economic depression, rural areas, public health

Varies Rural Areas Link
Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program USDA 12/31/2024

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

Grants and Loans available. Award amount varies. United States Link
Community Connect Grant USDA

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,

Unknown National Link
Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance Environmental Protection Agency 11/21/2024

This technical assistance program is in conjunction with the EPA Community Change grants. To apply, visit: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/09501b3dad374a81a5ee857fc31648ce. The Community Change Grant Equitable Resilience technical assistance will provide free design and project development assistance, community engagement, and partnership development workshops that support climate resilience and environmental justice activities in disaster-prone areas. This program will help eligible entities develop applications for to be submitted for grants under the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) Community Change Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which is expected to be issued in the fall of 2023. Community Change Grants will invest approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds for environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to respond to environmental and climate justice challenges. Eligible projects for this technical assistance must be located in a disaster-prone area and benefit a disadvantaged community.

Link
Community Capacity Land Stewardship Program (Southeast Alaska) USFS

Deadline Passed 12/05/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The National Forest Foundation Community Capacity and Land Stewardship Program (CCLS) provides funding to increase the capacity of organizations implementing large scale restoration projects that benefit National Forests and Grasslands. As a whole, CCLS seeks to help community-based and collaborative organizations remove barriers to watershed and/or landscape scale restoration projects, and help facilitate job creation and retention and business development in their region. Each regional program offered has specific, unique desired outcomes.To view the slides from the 2018 informational webinar, click here. 

Categories: land stewardship, watershed, restoration,

Varies Southeast Alaska Link
Community Capacity Land Stewardship Grant Program (Oregon & Washington) National Forest Foundation

Deadline Passed 12/05/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The National Forest Foundation Community Capacity and Land Stewardship Program (CCLS) provides funding to increase the capacity of organizations implementing large scale restoration projects that benefit National Forests and Grasslands. Funding for CCLS is currently provided by the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region and Alaska Region, and coordinated with multiple additional regional leadership partners. As a whole, CCLS seeks to help community-based and collaborative organizations remove barriers to watershed and/or landscape scale restoration projects, and help facilitate job creation and retention and business development in their region. Each regional program offered has specific, unique desired outcomes. All applications must include a letter of support from the Forest Supervisor of each National Forest or Grassland unit included in a proposal. Do not submit letters from District Rangers or any additional letters of support.The Oregon/Washington RFP can be found here. The Oregon/Washington Webinar Recording can be found here. 

Categories: Land Management, Conservation, Restoration, watershed, local economy, sustainability

Average Award: $18,820 Oregon, Washington Link
Community Capacity Grants for Climate Solution Deployment Projects VertueLab

Most Recent Deadling: December 15, 2022. This grant opportunity is a part of VertueLab’s Frontline Impact Program, which seeks to improve access to climate solutions for frontline communities and ensure that these communities experience the long-term economic benefits of climate-related business ownership. Funding will be available only to projects within the State of Oregon, with awards of $25,000 and staff support from the Pacific Northwest’s leading climate tech accelerator. Read the request for proposals here.

Categories: frontline communities, climate change, tech solutions

$25,000 Oregon Link
Community Assistance in Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Program NPS

Deadline passed as of June 30, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The National Park Service (NPS) announced funding to support recreation and conservation projects through its Rails, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program. Through this program, NPS helps organize, strategize, build public participation and partnerships, and implement a conservation and/or recreation project that is important to your community. Consideration will be given to projects that have specific goals and results for conservation and recreation in the near future, have broad community support, and advance the NPS mission.

Categories: conservation, national service areas, wildlife, preserve, refuge, recreational, planning, policy, management,

Amount Varies. National Link
Community Action Fund NDN Collective 10/31/2024

Application Deadline: October 31, 2024. The Community Action Fund Grant supports efforts that include community organizing, amplification of community voices, and utilize a wide variety of tactics imperative to shifting the political and financial systems that are impacting our communities. The Grant is available on an ongoing basis as funds are available.Areas of emphasis may include: climate justice and racial equity efforts, challenging the extractive industry, accelerating the just energy transition in Indigenous communities, healing justice work within the movement, and training the next generation of community organizers.  Direct expenses may include funding for travel, supplies, equipment, consultants, contractual services and staff that support various forms of NVDA (non-violent direct action), i.e.;  marches, camps, boycotts, prayer vigils as a form of resistance, organizing or protest to affect change.  Action may also include community-based response to climate events such as flooding, fires, earthquakes.

Categories: climate justice, tribal sovereignty, community action

$15,000 to $40,000 North America Link
Communities LEAP Program DOE

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: December 17, 2021. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched an opportunity announcement for the Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP) - an initiative designed to help environmental justice communities and communities with historical ties to fossil fuel industries take direct control of their clean energy future. The Communities LEAP pilot program provides supportive services valued at up to $16 million to help communities develop locally-driven energy plans to more effectively leverage public and private sector resources to reduce local air pollution, increase energy resilience, lower utility costs and energy burdens, and create good-paying jobs. This opportunity is specifically open to low-income, energy-burdened communities (including Tribes) that are also experiencing either direct environmental justice impacts, or direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. Tribes must register in order to apply for this opportunity.

Categories: Clean energy, technical assistance, environmental justice, resilience, emissions, infrastructure, development

Technical assistance services valued at up to a total of $16 million National Link
Commercial Building Technology Demonstrations DOE

Grant Status Unknown. Advanced building technologies and systems can contribute to the cost-effective delivery of new buildings and retrofits that significantly lower building energy consumption. DOE seeks to fund demonstration and deployment activities for technologies that are ready for market adoption but that may be underutilized due to market barriers including perception of risk, gaps in information and data on performance as well as cost. These technologies will offer a high degree of differentiation between current industry solutions, be widely replicable across the building size, sector and application and provide significant energy savings potential (as determined by market opportunity, site savings, and total potential savings at 100% penetration). Funding through this opportunity will enhance and accelerate the deployment and adoption of a broad range of competitively-solicited high impact energy saving technologies as well as new technology integratio n approaches. The technical and/or non-technical products of this funding should be deployed for scale up as a part of the award agreement and will enable investment-level decision-making by building owners, investors and operators in order to produce energy savings.

Categories: Development, Energy efficiency

Varies Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska, Midwest Link
Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program- Tribal Program Implementation EPA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: January 31, 2023. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 (EPA), is issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible Columbia River Basin tribal governments to improve water quality in the Columbia River Basin, through specific actions to reduce toxics, and/or increase public education and outreach. The Columbia River Basin Restoration Program (CRBRP) will assist tribes as they implement the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan and the Lower Columbia River Estuary Plan - Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and conduct activities to support EPA national goals for the Columbia River Basin. Learn more here.

Categories: water quality, monitoring, public education, restoration, management, Columbia River Basin, pollution, toxins

$750,000 - $2,000,000 Columbia River Basin Link
Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program - Middle and Upper Columbia EPA

Deadline Passed 12/20/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 (EPA), is issuing a Request for Applications (RFA) from eligible entities to improve water quality in the Middle and Upper Columbia River Basin, through specific actions to reduce toxics, increase monitoring, and/or increase public education and outreach. The Columbia River Basin Restoration Program (CRBRP) will assist tribal, state and local governments; nongovernmental entities, and others as they implement the Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan and the Lower Columbia River Estuary Plan - Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and conduct activities to support EPA national goals for the Columbia River Basin.

Categories: water quality, public education, outreach, restoration, management, Columbia river basin

$60,000-$200,000 Columbia River Basin Link
Colorado Conservation Innovation Grant NCRS

Deadline passed as of June 2, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, while leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection in conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects are expected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies, management systems, and innovative approaches (such as market-based systems) into NRCS technical manuals and guides or to the private sector. CIG is used to apply or demonstrate previously proven technology in order to increase adoption with an emphasis on opportunities to scale proven, emerging conservation strategies. CIG promotes sharing of skills, knowledge, technologies, and facilities among communities, governments, and other institutions to ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users. CIG funds projects targeting innovative on-the-ground conservation, including pilot projects and field demonstrations.

Categories: climate change, sustainability, conservation, management, prevention, restoration

Up to $75,000. Colorado Link
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Overview US Forest Service

Deadline Passed 11/27/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. Congress established the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) with Title IV of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (PDF, 40 KB) and reauthorized it in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 Section 8629 (the Farm Bill). The purpose of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program is to encourage the collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest landscapes and:encourage ecological, economic, and social sustainability;leverage local resources with national and private resources;facilitate the reduction of wildfire management costs, including through re-establishing natural fire regimes and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire;demonstrate the degree to which various ecological restoration techniques achieve ecological and watershed health objectives; and,encourage utilization of forest restoration by-products to offset treatment costs, to benefit local rural economies, to and improve forest health.

Categories: collaborative, forest restoration, old growth stands, fire adaptation, watershed health, ecological restoration

up to $4 million National Link
Cobell Education Scholarship Fund Cobell Scholarship

The Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance through scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students wishing to pursue post-secondary and graduate education and training. Funded in part by the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program), the scholarship program is overseen by the Cobell Board of Trustees and administered by Indigenous Education, Inc., a non-profit corporation expressly created to administer the Scholarship Fund. Thus far, approximately $2.2 million has been awarded in graduate and undergraduate scholarships to highly qualified American Indian students.

Categories: scholarship, graduate funds, undergraduate funds, post-secondary, land buy-back

Scholarship awards vary. Nearly $40 million total funding. National Link