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 Organization Grant Deadline Description Funding Amount Geography Website
Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program USDA

Deadline passed. Modt recent deadline: June 6, 2022. The Rural Cooperative Development Grant program helps improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping non-profit corporations or higher education institutions in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through cooperative development.

Categories: Rural Development, Economic development, Business Development, Community Development, management, infrastructure, local economy,

Maximum Grant Amount up to $200,000 National Link
Rural Energy for America Program Energy Audit & Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grants USDA

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

Categories: rural development, infrastructure, renewable energy, sustainable

Unrestricted Grants (up to $500,000) National Link
Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: March 31, 2022. This program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy-efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy-efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. Increasing energy efficiency and developing more renewable-energy systems is cost effective and reduces the consumption of fuels that generate greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Applications can be for grants of $20,000 or less or a loan/grant combination of $20,000 or less. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Rural, agriculture, energy, equipment, emissions

Grants of $20,000 or less or a loan/grant combination of $20,000 or less. National Link
Rural Energy Pilot Program (REPP) USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 19, 2022. USDA has opened up grant applications for communities to further develop renewable energy through REPP. Funds can be used to support community energy planning, community efficiency and weatherization, installing and equipping community scale renewable energy. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Renewable energy, rural areas, efficiency, weatherization, community development

Awards to successful applicants will be in the form of cost-share grants for up to 80 percent of total eligible project costs, not to exceed $2 million. National Link
Rural Health Network Development Planning Program Department of Health and Human Services

Deadline Passed as of 2/23/2018. Deadline for 2019 Unknown. The goals of the Network Planning program are centered around approaches that will aid providers in better serving their communities given the changes taking place in health care, as providers move from focusing on the volume of services to focusing on the value of services. This program will bring together key parts of a rural health care delivery system, particularly those entities that may not have collaborated in the past under a formal relationship, to establish and improve local capacity and coordination of care. The program will support one year of planning with the primary goal of helping networks create a foundation for their infrastructure and focusing member efforts to address important regional or local community health needs.

Categories: health, community health, rural health, social services, accessibility, quality, availability

Amount varies. United States, National Link
Rural Housing Preservation Grants The Rural Housing Service (RHS)

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces that it is soliciting applications under its Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program. The HPG program is a grant program which provides qualified public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, which may include but not be limited to Faith-Based and Community Organizations, and other eligible entities grant funds to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. In addition, the HPG program assists rental property owners and cooperative housing complexes in repairing and rehabilitating their units if they agree to make such units available to low- and very low-income persons.

Categories: Community Development, Housing, Infrastructure

Up to $50,000 Rural Link
Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 19, 2022. The USDA has opened up grant applications to the RISE program, which seeks to increase equity in rural America by offering grants of up to $2 million to consortiums of local governments, investors, industry, institutions of higher education, and other public and private entities that create projects in distressed communities. Communities that have traditionally had high concentrations of employment in fossil fueled energy production and are transitioning away from this are encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Job creation, business development, rural areas, worker training, local economies

Grant amounts are awarded competitively with a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum grant amount of $2,000,000. National Link
Russell Family Foundation NGO

The Russell Family Foundation aims to protect and restore Puget Sound by supporting an environmental education program. They support organizations that provide opportunities for outdoor environmental education experiences throughout Puget Sound. These organizations deliver outdoor experiential learning to students in 5th through 12th grade who live in urbanized areas.

Categories: Restoration, Conservation

Previous round of awards were ~$43,000 Puget Sound, Washington, Northwest Link
Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding Opportunity Department of Transportation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: July 10, 2023. Funds for the fiscal year 2023 SS4A grant program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators.

Categories: BIL, infrastructure, transportation

$100,000 - $25,000,000 National Link
Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program FEMA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 28, 2023. The Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act became law on Jan. 1, 2021 and authorizes FEMA to provide capitalization grants to states, eligible federally recognized tribes, territories and the District of Columbia to establish revolving loan funds that provide hazard mitigation assistance for local governments to reduce risks from natural hazards and disasters. These low interest loans will allow jurisdictions to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters, foster greater community resilience and reduce disaster suffering. Federally recognized tribes that received a major disaster declaration are eligible to apply. Currently, this includes 20 tribal nations.

Categories: hazard mitigation, technical assistance, drought, extreme heat, storms, wildfire, flood, earthquake, community resilience

Varies National, US territories Link
Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Initiative DOI, FWS

Deadline Passed 06/04/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. Funding Opportunity #: F18AS00109. The Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Initiative (Initiative) is a voluntary-based, collaborative program that provides financial assistance to coastal communities and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. Funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Initiative is focused on promoting on-the-ground restoration, enhancement, and protection of priority coastal wetlands. Funding is available for proposed on-the-ground projects within the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes basin in the Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie coastal corridor. The specific geography includes the coastal areas associated with Saginaw Bay (Michigan) in Lake Huron south and east to Old Woman Creek (Ohio) in Western Lake Erie. This Initiative is part of a regional federal, state, and local partnership effort called the Coastal Conservation Working Group (CCWG) which is focused on coastal wetland conservation across the Great Lakes

Categories: collaboration, coastal communities, landowners, restoration, fish and wildlife, habitat, enhancement, coastal wetlands

$50,000-$150,000 Great Lakes Basin, Saginaw Bay, Western Lake Erie, Michigan, Ohio Link
Salmon Habitat Support Fund The Nature Conservancy, Portland General Electric

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: May 19, 2023. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Portland General Electric Company (PGE) are soliciting proposals for projects that conserve, restore, or enhance the habitat of native anadromous fish species. Successful projects will demonstrate a clear and direct benefit to anadromous fish species or their habitat, exhibit a high likelihood of success, leverage a large amount of matching funds, and utilize the most sustainable and scientifically rigorous approaches. These funds may be used for project planning, implementation, or both. Incorporating communication, outreach, or education as a component of the project is encouraged. The Habitat Support Fund will award approximately $160,000 in grants ranging from $10,000 - $50,000. Preference will be given to projects requesting equal to or less than $35,000; however, exceptionally high-impact projects with a demonstrated need for additional funding may request up to $50,000.

Categories: salmon conservation, stream restoration, anadromous fish species

$10,000 to $50,000 Oregon Link
Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant NOAA Fisheries

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: October 31, 2022. NOAA Fisheries is accepting applications for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition. This funding will support the promotion, development and marketing of U.S. fisheries. Awards maximum is $300,000. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Fisheries development, aquaculture, community participation, sustainability

Up to $300,000 National Link
Science for Sustainable and Healthy Tribes EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing research on science for sustainable and healthy tribes. This solicitation is focused on research to develop sustainable solutions to environmental problems that affect tribes. The objectives of the awards to be made under this solicitation are to improve understanding of: 1) the health impacts of climate change on tribal populations; and 2) the health impacts of indoor air pollution exposures that derive from or are directly affecting traditional tribal life-ways and cultural practices. In both cases, projects should focus on impacts to vulnerable sub-populations of the Tribal communities. Proposals should also consider sustainable, culturally appropriate and acceptable pollution prevention, and adaptation/mitigation strategies.

Categories: Tribal Health, Adaptation, Mitigation

The total funding available is $6 million; individual projects may be funded for up to $920,000 Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska Link
Sea Grant FY 2024 National Aquaculture Initiative: Enhancing Production of Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Species. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Most recent deadline: May 4, 2024. Sea Grant FY 2024 National Aquaculture Initiative: Enhancing Production of Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Species. Deadline: April 3, 2024. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Sea Grant FY 2024 National Aquaculture Initiative: Enhancing Production of Coastal, Marine, and Great Lakes Aquaculture Species is now live. Subject to the availability of funding, Sea Grant anticipates $5,000,000 to $6,000,000 will be available for research projects and programs that will develop and refine methods, protocols, techniques, and/or strategies to enhance the production of one or more life stages of aquaculture species (described below) with the overall goal of improving the efficiency, output, and profitability of commercial coastal, marine, or Great Lakes region aquaculture businesses. Proposals are sought that will support broad, non-proprietary research to address issues and/or barriers to aquaculture production; make that information available to aquaculture businesses; and preferably include participation and involvement of Sea Grant extension personnel and industry stakeholders. This opportunity is open to: any individual; any public or private corporation, partnership, or other association or entity (including any Sea Grant College, Sea Grant Institute or other institution); or any State, political subdivision of a State, Tribal government or agency or officer thereof. Applications require the standard 50% non-federal match for Sea Grant projects. Please carefully review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific instructions on how to apply for the competition via grants.gov.

Categories: aquaculture, coastal, marine, great lakes, sea grant

Award Ceiling: $1,200,000
Award Floor: $250,000
National Link
Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development NGO

RFP closed for 2016. The Seventh Generation Fund is an Indigenous non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and maintaining the uniqueness of Native peoples throughout the Americas. It offers an integrated program of advocacy, small grants, training and technical assistance, media experience and fiscal management, lending its support and extensive expertise to Indigenous grassroots communities. Its Sustainable Communities Program Area provides seed money, organizational support and technical training to Native grassroots community-based projects striving for holistic community health and renewal. It supports traditional agricultural methods, renewable forms of energy and sustainable strategies for development that preserve or restore traditional life-ways for future generations.

Categories: Education, Energy, Environmental Justice, Health, Research

Individual awards of up to $5,000 Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Midwest, Alaska Link
Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peopes - Flicker - Wildfire Response Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples

The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples is offering emergency funding to Native families impacted by the wildfires in the West. These one-time disbursements will be coordinated through our Flicker Fund to provide help during evacuations, loss of homes, escape from heavy smoke events, and other emergencies. Taking applications from September 10 - 25, 2020. Visit: https://7genfund.submittable.com/submit/174434/flicker-wildfire-response.

National Link
Ski Conservation Fund and Forest Stewardship Fund National Forest Foundation

Deadline Passed April 17, 2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The National Forest Foundation Ski Conservation Fund (SCF) and Forest Stewardship Fund (FSF) provide funding for action-oriented on-the-ground or citizen-based monitoring projects that improve forest health and outdoor experiences on National Forests and Grasslands. Award funds come from guest contributions at ski areas and lodges operating on or adjacent to National Forest System lands, with added National Forest Foundation federal funds for SCF.

Categories: funding, forest health, outdoor, recreation, National Forests

White River and Lincoln National Forests Link
Ski Conservation Fund: White River National Forest The National Forest Foundation (NFF)

Partnered with Vail Resorts, Inc., Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin, the NFF offers a grant opportunity to help maintain and enhance the quality of the White River National Forest.

Categories: Forestry, watershed conservation, recreation, wildlife habitat

Funding is distributed as a match to an anticipated in-kind non-Federal
donation of at least 50% of the total award.
White River National Forest, Rockies Mountains, CO Link
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program: Environmental Technology Developers EPA, SBIR

Deadline passed as of October 20, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mission is to protect human health and the environment. EPA’s SBIR Program supports small businesses (500 or fewer employees) to develop and commercialize novel environmental technologies that support this mission.

Categories: small business, economy, technology, development, information,

Approximately 18 Phase I firm-fixed price contract awards for $100,000 for "proof of concept" United States Link
Small Grants Competition GLISA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 30, 2023. The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences + Assessments (GLISA) is accepting letters of intent for projects to advance equitable climate adaptation in the Great Lakes region. Access the Call for SOI here.

Categories: climate adaptation, equity, DEI

Up to $30,000 per year, 2 years Great Lakes Region Link
Small Innovative Projects in Solar 2022- Concentrating Solar Thermal Power and Photovoltaics DOE

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: March 21, 2022. The DOE will invest up to $400,000 in the large-scale development and deployment of solar technologies for a decarbonized electricity system by 2035 and decarbonized energy sector by 2050. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Solar technologies, renewable development, decarbonized energy, emission reductions

$250,000 - 400,000 National Link
Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) Program EPA

Communities receive direct technical assistance from team of national experts in one of two areas: policy analysis (e.g., reviewing state and local codes, school siting guidelines,transportation policies, etc.) or public participatory processes (e.g., visioning, design workshops, alternative analysis, build-out analysis, etc.). The assistance is tailored to the community's unique situation and priorities. EPA provides the assistance through a contractor team –not a grant. Through a multiple-day site visit and a detailed final report, the multi-disciplinary teams provide information to help the community achieve its goal of encouraging growth that fosters economic progress and environmental protection.

Categories: Infrastructure, Smart Growth

Competitive program in which awardees receive technical assistance from experts; no funds dispersed Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska Link
Smart Growth Information Clearinghouse Grants EPA

Under this solicitation, EPA intends to fund further development and ongoing maintenance of a web-based national information clearinghouse focused on smart growth. This clearinghouse will be designed to support communities by providing timely information that supports local decision-making that delivers better environmental and public health outcomes from growth and development

Categories: Development, Database, Smart Growth

varies Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska, Midwest Link
Social and Economic Development Strategies for Alaska ANA

Deadline passed as of June 22, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The Administration for Native Americans (ANA), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announces the availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 funds for new community-based projects under the ANA Social and Economic Development Strategies for Alaska-SEDS-AK. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is focused on community-driven projects designed to grow local economies, strengthen Alaskan Native families, including the preservation of Alaskan Native American cultures, and decrease the high rate of current challenges caused by the lack of community-based businesses, and social and economic infrastructure in Alaskan Native communities.

Categories: adaptation, infrastructure, economic, planning, policy, management, social justice, community development

Varies. Alaska Link
Social and Economic Development Strategies for Native Americans ANA, DHS

Deadline passed as of June 22, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. ANA promotes social and economic self-sufficiency in communities through SEDS grants. These competitive financial assistance grants support locally determined projects designed to reduce or eliminate community problems and achieve community goals. This approach to promoting self-sufficiency encourages communities to shift away from programs that result in dependency on services and move toward projects that increase community and individual productivity through community development. SEDS grants fund social and economic development projects in on- and off-reservation native communities and provide federal support for self-determination and self-governance among Native American people. ANA also provides technical assistance through contractors who will help potential applicants with the planning and program development needed for a successful proposal. See the ANA website for a listing of technical assistance providers in your region.

Categories: Adaptation, Research, social justice, economic, infrastructure, management, sovereignty, self-determination

Individuals awards between $50,000 and $375,000 Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska, Pacific Islands/Hawaii Link
Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant Department of Agriculture, Business and Cooperative Programs

Deadline Passed. Latest Deadline: June 13, 2022. The Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces the availability of $3,000,000 in competitive grant funds for the FY 2019 Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) program. The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to Socially-Disadvantaged Groups in rural areas.  Eligible applicants include Cooperatives, Groups of Cooperatives, and Cooperative Development Centers.  This program supports Rural Development’s (RD) mission of improving the quality of life for rural Americans and commitment to directing resources to those who most need them.

Categories: socially disadvantaged groups, rural, development, technical assistance

up to $175,000 National Link
Solar for All EPA

Most Recent Deadline: September 26, 2023. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a historic $27 billion investment to combat the climate crisis by mobilizing financing and private capital for greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects in communities across the country. As part of this program, EPA is launching a $7 billion Solar for All competition — designed to spur the deployment of residential distributed solar energy to lower energy bills for millions of Americans and catalyze transformation in markets serving low-income and disadvantaged communities. Solar for All will tackle the financial and non-financial barriers that limit the ability of low-income and disadvantaged communities across the country to benefit from the rapid growth in distributed solar capacity, thus advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate and environmental justice goals. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for the $7 billion Solar for All competition. This competition will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment—enabling millions of low-income households to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy. Grantees will use funds to expand existing low-income solar programs or design and deploy new Solar for All programs nationwide. EPA will not fund individual projects under this competition. EPA’s $7 billion Solar for All competition will help deliver on the climate and environmental justice goals of the United States. To achieve these goals, Solar for All grantees will provide subsidies and other financial assistance to residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar projects in and benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities in addition to project-deployment technical assistance such as workforce development, community outreach, and other project-deployment support (e.g., interconnection technical assistance, siting and permitting support) to help overcome barriers to solar deployment.

Categories: IRA, Inflation Reduction Act, Solar, Environmental Justice

$25 million - $400 million National Link
Solar Grant Program Washington Department of Commerce

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: May 25, 2022. Solar Energy grants provide competitive funding to install solar at public buildings and facilities, such as schools, hospitals, civic buildings and wastewater treatment plants, maximum award $250,000 per applicant. Projects must provide 50% of the total project cost, or 33% if developed by federally recognized Tribal Governments or located in highly impacted communities, lower income communities, rural communities. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Renewable energy, solar, Tribally-owned facilities, highly impacted communities, rural communities

Up to $250,000 ‎Washington Link
Solicitation of Project Proposals for the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Program Department of Transportation

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

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

Total Program Funding: $85,000,000
Expected number of awards: 45
National Link