Funding

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 15, 2022. Sea Grant and the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) announced a new funding opportunity for collaborative projects to integrate research, its application, and community engagement in thematic areas of long-term coastal evolution, extreme storms, and human and ecosystem health. Proposals should address the needs or gaps that have been identified by or are evident from USCRP-funded projects, to move research project findings toward application through service delivery and decision support for coastal community decision-makers, planners, and other coastal stakeholders. It is anticipated that approximately $4,000,000 will be available to fund 10-20 projects at up to $150,000 over two years (Tier 1) or up to $500,000 over four years (Tier 2). Matching funds will not be required for this competition. Learn more and apply here.

Most recent deadline was September 30, 2022. The principal objective of this solicitation is to support $10 million of opportunities for underserved communities, tribes, and/or tribal entities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities. Through this funding opportunity, NOAA intends to support capacity building and restoration project activities that have the greatest potential to lead to habitat restoration that enhances resilience of underserved communities in marine, estuarine, coastal, and Great Lakes areas. Learn more and apply here.

Applications accepted throughout the year. CSU aids local rural communities, connected through a peer learning network, by offering training, expertise, and support in climate adaptation planning. Through this training, expertise, and support, CSU strengthens local leadership, public engagement, and ecosystem protection efforts in rural communities.

Deadline for Letter of Intent (Required): November 30, 2023. Full Proposals due: February 13, 2024. Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office, with support from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, seek to establish programs aimed at placing people across the country into good jobs that advance climate resilience and assisting employers in developing a 21st century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA will assist communities in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories so they may form partnerships that train workers and place them into jobs that enhance climate resilience. NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000-$10 million each. NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months, beginning no earlier than August 1, 2024. Resources from NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Office for Coastal Management, and National Sea Grant Office and its partners will be available to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients to support these innovative efforts.

Deadline Passed 10/28/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. CPO’s strategy addresses challenges in the areas of: (1) Weather and climate extremes, (2) Climate impacts on water resources, (3) Coasts and climate resilience, (4) Sustainability of marine ecosystems, and (5) Changing atmospheric composition and its impacts. Making progress in addressing climate-related societal challenges, and realizing benefits for NOAA’s public and private partners, requires that these mission-focused capabilities be integrated across CPO to align research, applications, transitions, and operations, and to meet the information needs for a resilient society. Key components of this effort are annual Notice of Funding Opportunities, competitive grants programs and other types of support that advance and extend NOAA’s foundational capabilities and applications research. Proficiency in these core areas ensures that CPO’s infrastructure is always in place to meet the intelligence and resilience challenges of our changing climate.

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 29, 2023. The goal of this Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support collaborative research and community engagement projects that improve climate adaptation planning and action. Outcomes from this work will support and inform the identification of equitable and
inclusive infrastructure investments that mitigate flooding and wildfire risks. This funding opportunity serves to support national adaptive capacity by 1) generating new, locally relevant knowledge and strategies to reduce risks from flooding and wildfire in frontline communities, 2) testing and evaluating the scalability and transferability of existing methods of engagement and/or approaches for integrating social and interdisciplinary knowledge into climate adaptation planning for flooding and wildfire, and 3) piloting new methods of engagement and/or approaches for integrating social and interdisciplinary knowledge into climate adaptation planning for flooding and wildfire.

Deadline Passed 4/13/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world -- an astounding 5℃ in the past 100 years. Since the 1970s, 14% of Arctic sea ice has been lost, and at current rates, Arctic summer sea ice is likely to have completely disappeared by 2080. This extreme warming pattern has dangerous consequences for the millions of people who live in the Arctic, including risky travel across melting ice and tundra, and severe coastal erosion that is forcing whole communities to relocate. Indigenous populations are especially vulnerable, due to the fact that their culture, identity, language, traditional foods, and ways of life all rely heavily on Arctic land and waters. As warming proceeds, indigenous communities also must contend with growing in-migration and the expansion of the cash economy that comes from increased industrial and commercial activity. CJRF seeks to help indigenous communities in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland strengthen their resilience by building leadership and decision-making capacity; maintaining, updating and augmenting traditional knowledge; and establishing political advocacy processes. Intended outcomes include maintenance of indigenous peoples’ access to and co-management of traditional foods; and effective indigenous engagement in decision-making around relocation and industrialization. Letters of inquiry are due April 13, 2018 in order to be eligible for June consideration.

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: July 18, 2023. This is a non-competitive grant program to support Tribes to engage in the consultation process on spending decisions from accounts created in the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). Funds will be distributed equally among all tribes with accepted applications. The Legislature appropriated $16 million for the 2023-2025 biennium. $4 million will be made available during this application window. The remaining $12 million will be distributed in fall 2023, via a distribution method  being developed by the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (GOIA).

Deadline Past. Last deadline: March 29, 2023. The mission of the NOAA Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) research portfolio is to inform improvements in planning and preparedness in diverse socio-economic regions and sectors throughout the U.S. and abroad via the integration of knowledge and information about extreme weather and climate. Our research advances the nation’s understanding of climate-related risks and vulnerabilities across sectors and regions - within and beyond our borders - and the development of tools to foster more informed decision making. These efforts support NOAA's vision to create and sustain enhanced resilience in ecosystems, communities, and economies. The overall objectives of the CSI portfolio are the following: 1. Support innovative, applicable, and transferable approaches for decision making, especially for risk characterization in the context of a variable and changing climate; 2. Establishment of a network of regionally scoped, long-term efforts to inform climate risk management and decision making; and 3. Promotion of the transfer of climate knowledge, tools, products, and services within NOAA, across the federal government, nationally, and internationally.