Funding

Tribal Wildlife Grants program. Applications due: June 20, 2025. Tribal Wildlife Grants program for FY2025 is now open for applications. More information can be found here. Tribal Wildlife Grants | Grants.gov. The NAFWS grants team will cover the FY2025 Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) funding opportunity. Tribal Wildlife Grants are administered by the US Fish and Wildlife service and are used to provide technical and financial assistance to Tribes for the development and implementation of programs that benefit fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. Our grants team will be hosting a webinar on this funding opportunity on April 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time. We are working on getting a webinar registration link at this time. Please check our website Events & Training - Native American Fish and Wildlife Society for that link.

Categories: Natural Resources, Wildlife, Water, Fisheries, Conservation, Research, Education, Conservation, habitat, Wildlife, preservation

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

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. 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

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

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: August 31, 2023. Application deadline recently extended. Under Section 40101(d) Formula Grant Program of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Department of Energy will provide grants to States (including U.S. Territories) and Indian Tribes to improve the resilience of their electric grids. States and Indian Tribes may further allocate funds to “eligible entities”, as defined by Section 40101(d). These grants offer a unique opportunity to advance the capabilities of States and Indian Tribes, and their communities, to address not only current, but future resilience needs.

Categories: energy, electric grids, infrastructure, power, BIL

Deadline Passed. Most Recent Deadline February 28, 2024. Application deadlines vary by state. Check with your local program staff. RBDG is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues. Programmatic activities are separated into enterprise or opportunity type grant activities.

Categories: small business, rural business, family-owned, private business, rural communities

Deadline passed as of March 3, 2023. EPA Region 9 anticipates awarding approximately 30 grants to federally-recognized tribes within the Region 9 geographic area for funding tribal air pollution control programs, air quality education and assessment projects, and the development of tribal air program capacity.

Categories: clean air, air pollution, education

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 30, 2022. The Tepa Native American Scholarship Fund was established by the Tepa Companies who are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians. The scholarship was created to build personal and lasting relationships with students who will become the future leaders in Native American communities and possibly within the Tepa Companies. Two awards of $1,000 will be provided to Native American students majoring in Environmental Science, Earth Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Finance or Business Administration for the 2022 Fall semester. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Earth science, technology, construction, engineering,

Most recent deadline: October 18, 2024. The Secretary of the Department of the Interior (Secretary), through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Trust Services, Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience (TCR) solicits funding proposals from Federally recognized Tribes and authorized Tribal organizations (including Tribal consortia) to support Tribal climate resilience. This program will provide $120 million in funding in FY24 to support Tribal climate resiliency. Since 2020, TCR has funded 568 Tribal projects totaling $194.3M – peaking in FY23 at $120.8M (150 awards). FY24 marks the final year of increased available funding made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis. Evaluations of project proposals will be based on the ranking criteria specified below. The funding will support Tribes and authorized Tribal organizations as they prepare for and address climate change impacts on Tribal Treaty and Trust resources, economies, regenerative agriculture and food sovereignty, conservation practices, infrastructure, and human health and safety. Funding will be prioritized for projects that address imminent climate-related threats to human health and safety (including relocation, managed retreat, and protect-in-place efforts) and Tribal capacity to address such threats. Funds may also support projects addressing (but not limited to) environmental justice and equity, sustainability, sovereignty (e.g., energy, food), infrastructure, vulnerable economies, natural and cultural resources, agriculture, conservation, habitat restoration or improvements. These awards are critical to transforming America for the better, creating good-paying jobs, building and strengthening economies and infrastructure, and ensuring safety and security for local communities and Tribes.

Categories: Climate resilience, planning, Implementation, Relocation, Managed Retreat, Protect-in-Place, youth engagement

FY 2025 AmeriCorps State and National Native Nations Grants. Recent Deadline: April 9, 2025. The FY 2025 AmeriCorps State and National Native Nations Grants competition, AmeriCorps seeks to prioritize the investment of national service resources in: Prioritizing civic engagement/social cohesion, and youth mental health; Education – improving student academic performance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), serving students who attend Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Indigenous Urban Centers, Indigenous Teacher Preparation, and GED support programs, and programming focused on Indigenous or Tribal Data Sovereignty; Promoting the preservation and teaching of traditional Native languages and cultural practices; Promoting Environmental Stewardship and climate change including renewable energy and energy efficiency, building community resilience, sustainable food systems and agriculture, water/wastewater; conservation and habitat preservation; Indigenous environmental practices; Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Indigenous food sovereignty (seed saving, foraging, etc.); and Promoting Economic Opportunity - including digital skills and increased access to broadband; infrastructure/transportation assistance; financial readiness; training and access to financial resources for home buying; or college; and college access program. For more information, visit: https://americorps.gov/funding-opportunity/fy-2025-americorps-state-nat….

Categories: disaster response, education, TEK, language, health, economy, community, Veterans

Most recent deadline: January 15, 2025. Eligible projects described in section 148(a)(4) are strategies, activities, and projects on a public road that are consistent with a transportation safety plan and that (i) correct or improve a hazardous road location or feature, or (ii) address a highway safety problem. TTPSF emphasizes the development of strategic transportation safety plans using a data-driven process as a means for Tribes to identify transportation safety needs and determine how those needs will be addressed in Tribal communities. FHWA has identified four eligibility categories: transportation safety plans; data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities; systemic roadway departure countermeasures; and infrastructure improvements and other eligible activities as listed in 23 U.S.C. § 148(a)(4).

Categories: transportation, infrastructure,

Most Recent Deadline: June 2024. The Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) is a new competitive grant program created by Section 11529 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58) to construct projects to provide safe and connected active transportation facilities in active transportation networks or active transportation spines.

Categories: Transportation (386), infrastructure development (37)

Most Recent Deadline: May 22, 2024. Tribes and Native communities are on the front lines of climate change, experiencing extreme weather, rising sea levels, extended drought, warming temperatures, and melting permafrost. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report demonstrates that climate change affects Indigenous peoples more severely and earlier than other populations. Many tribes and Native communities are located in remote and coastal locations, which increases their vulnerabilities to flooding and wildfire. Furthermore, subsistence and cultural practices rely on healthy ecosystems that are stewarded by Native peoples. To support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation First Nations established the second project under its newly created Climate Initiative, Advancing Tribal Nature-Based Solutions. This project is designed to provide tribes and Native nonprofits with resources to support climate action that addresses adaptation and disaster preparation (e.g., wildfires, flooding, drought) through the application of nature-based solutions based on Native knowledge. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.firstnations.org/rfps/advancing-tribal-nature-based-solutions-grant. 

Categories: Emergency response planning and preparation
Climate proofing infrastructure and services
Climate risk governance and capacity building
Wildlife management and habitat restoration
Workforce development initiatives (e.g., community training opportunities, youth conservation programs, paid internships)
Capacity building for the organization and staff (e.g, specialized trainings, transportation)
Departmental and programmatic development and advancement
Updating tribal climate adaptation and resource management plans

Deadline Unknown. Closed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) Centers. EPA is interested in supporting research on the development of sound science to systematically inform policy makers at the state and local levels regarding the development of innovative approaches to enable effective implementation of air pollution control strategies to achieve the greatest public health benefits by reducing exposure to harmful air pollution

Categories: Research, Air Pollution Control, public health

Most Recent Deadline: May 31, 2024. EPA is announcing the availability of approximately $81 million in non-competitive, direct award funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) for eligible state, local, Tribal and territorial air agencies to establish new ambient air monitoring sites, and maintain, operate, or upgrade existing ambient air monitoring networks. These funds provide critical resources to ensure the sustainability of national air quality monitoring networks as a public asset. The networks provide data to inform decision making that protects human health and the environment. Approximately $2 million of funding is also available to support the deployment and operation of air quality sensors in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the United States.

Categories: air moMonitoring (195), Air Quality (236)

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 22, 2023. The National Marine Fisheries Service is soliciting competitive applications for the fiscal year 2023 Alaska Marine Education and Training Mini-Grant Program. Projects are being solicited to improve education and training on marine resource issues throughout the region and increase scientific education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents.

Categories: education, coastal, marine, natural resources

No listed deadline. Significant human health and water quality problems exist in Alaska Native Villages (ANV) and other rural communities in Alaska due to lack of sanitation. To address these issues, Congress in 1996 authorized EPA to create the Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities Grant Program, which is codified in 33 U.S.C. § 1263a.

The program assists these communities with the construction of new or improved wastewater and drinking water systems. Communities can also use the funding for training and technical assistance in system operations and maintenance.

EPA provides funds to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to address the needs of rural and native Alaska communities. The DEC, in turn, administers these funds through its Village Safe Water (VSW) program. The VSW program’s goal is "to improve public health and compliance with environmental laws by upgrading the level of sanitation facilities in rural [Alaskan] communities through financial and technical assistance."

Categories: Water, sanitation, public health

Deadline Passed. Latest deadline: March 28, 2023. The purpose of this program is to promote and strengthen the ability of Alaska Native-Serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs in food and agricultural sciences-related disciplines. Priority will be given to those projects that enhance educational equity for underrepresented students; strengthen institutional educational capacities; prepare students for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States; and maximize the development and use of resources to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs. Learn more here.

Categories: Alaska Native-serving institutions, Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, agricultural sciences, career development, equity, youth

Most Recent Deadline for Pre-Proposals: April 4, 2024. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is releasing the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2024 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects throughout the United States. This RFP consolidates funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public, Tribal, and private lands. For more information, visit: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/america-beautiful-challenge/americas-ecos…;

Categories: Ecosystem restoration, equity, community leadership, workforce development, conservation

Deadline passed as of May 21, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. Floods, drought, heat waves and other extreme weather events pose potential losses to persons and communities: losses in life and health, economic damages, displacement, and reduced access to basic needs and services, such as water, food, energy, and education. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) entails systematic efforts to reduce those factors in our societies that amplify the impacts of natural hazards. It includes such actions as building more resilient infrastructures, investing in disaster preparedness and in early warning systems, developing new tools such as micro insurances and nature-based solutions, among many others. Disaster risk reduction, with its aim to strengthen the resilience of communities to all hazards, is an essential piece of the sustainable development agenda.

Categories: climate change, management, planning, policy, conservation

Most recent deadline: October 31, 2024. The purpose of this program is to encourage or enhance tribal engagement with or participation in existing Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) around the country. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must:

• support tribal activities aligned with ROP priorities, including identification of ocean and coastal priorities;
• provide opportunities for tribes to work together to define intertribal ocean and coastal management priorities and identify alignment and intersection with ROP priorities;
• enhance or create capacity for tribes to engage with and in ROP activities (e.g., webinars, meetings, workshops);
• support the development of partnerships or engagement between a tribal government and a ROP in the management of ocean and coastal resources; and/or
• increase consideration and inclusion of tribal information and knowledge (as appropriate) in regional data portals, enhance tribes’ ability to access data developed by ROPs, or to inform which data and tools are available in regional data portals.

Categories: ocean, coastal management

Deadline Passed 8/26/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. BLM has an opportunity to work with a partner organization to assist with Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Community Fire Assistance established by the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Act to allow the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into financial assistance agreements with local communities to reduce the risk and impact of catastrophic wildfires. This program is in support of protecting the American family, putting America back to work, and creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt by providing an opportunity to support planning and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas and education and outreach programs that help create fire adapted communities and resilient landscapes.

Categories: wildfires, conservation, stewardship, education, wildfire prevention, hazardous fuels reduction, adaptation

Deadline passed as of July 3, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration (2015-2020) identifies a need to be better prepared to respond appropriately to large-scale disturbances and other stressors that threaten important plant communities and the ecosystem services they provide on Federal, state, local, and private land. The stressors include the spread of invasive plant species, altered wildlife regimes, habitat modification, land overuse, and climate change. The key component to achieving this vision is improving the availability of appropriate native seed, seedlings, and container stock. These materials are currently difficult to acquire in sufficient quantities across the Rogue Basin, often resulting in the use of non-native plants, cultivars, or native plant materials that are not adapted to local site conditions, thus limiting restoration success. The proposed project would fund a partnership of regional land management agencies, nongovernmental organizations, tribes, seed growers, nurseries, and restoration practitioners who would work together to implement the National Seed Strategy, thereby improving restoration outcomes across the Rogue Basin.

Categories: biodiversity, invasive, plants, wildlife, habitat, restoration, conservation, management, technical assistance, climate change, adaptation, mitigation

Deadline Passed 08/27/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. The National Fire Plan was implemented in 2001 to assist communities at risk from catastrophic wildland fires by providing assistance in the following areas: Implement hazardous fuels reduction activities, including the training, monitoring or maintenance associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities, on federal land, or on adjacent nonfederal land for activities that mitigate the threat of catastrophic fire to communities and natural resources in high risk areas; Community programs that develop local capability including; assessment and planning, mitigation activities, Community/homeowner education and action plans Enhance local and small business employment opportunities. 

Categories: wildfires, hazardous fuels reduction, training, monitoring, natural resources, community preparedness

Most recent deadline: November 1, 2024. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for two funding categories: (1) Planning and (2) Bridge Project grants (a project with total eligible costs not greater than $100 million) for awards under the Bridge Investment Program (BIP). This notice establishes a “rolling application” process for Planning and Bridge Project applications by providing the schedule, requirements, and selection process for such projects for the remaining available amounts of the BIP funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” or BIL) for FY 2023 through FY 2026, which total up to $9.7 billion (see section B.1 for details for funds available for each fiscal year). FHWA is soliciting applications for the other BIP project category in a separate NOFO available on Grants.gov, listing number 693JJ323NF00019: Large Bridge Project (a project with total eligible costs greater than $100 million).

Categories: Transportation, infrastructure, flood control, habitat connectivity, BIL, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 20, 2023. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the acceptance of applications for Broadband Technical Assistance (BTA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Broadband Technical Assistance provides competitive cooperative agreement funding to eligible entities to receive or deliver broadband technical assistance and training that promotes the expansion of broadband into rural areas. Examples of broadband technical assistance projects may include conducting feasibility studies, completing network designs, and developing broadband financial assistance applications.The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure;Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects; andReducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.In addition, the Agency encourages applicants to work with the Rural Partners Network. The Rural Partners Network is an all-of-government program that demonstrates to rural America that the federal government can work differently to serve their unique needs in a way this is community-centered and locally-driven. RPN is a recognition by the Biden Administration that it is time to do more for rural communities. Applicants to this funding opportunity are encouraged to include RPN Community Networks in their proposals by identifying Community Networks as collaborative partners or recipients of service.

Categories: rural, broadband, pollution, internet, technical assistance, training

Deadline Passed 06/11/2018. Deadline Unknown for 2019. FOA #: DE-FOA-0001824. The mission of BTO’s Residential Buildings Integration (RBI) Program is to accelerate energy performance improvements in existing and new residential buildings using an integrated building systems approach to achieve peak energy performance. The RBI Program’s market outcome goal is to reduce, by 2025, the energy used for space conditioning and water heating in single-family homes by 40% from 2010 levels. RBI’s focus on space conditioning and water heating offers the best opportunities for influencing residential energy use. With this FOA, RBI will select building science project teams in 2018 for the Building America Program to accelerate energy performance improvements in existing and new residential buildings using an integrated building systems approach, and achieve optimal home energy performance. These Building America teams will work with industry partners and real world homes to develop and validate technologies and practices that achieve optimal energy and cost performance while effectively managing related risks (e.g., indoor air quality and moisture durability).

Categories: housing, innovation, partnerships, research, energy performance, space conditioning, water heating