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
NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) National Competition FY 2019 USDA, NRCS

2020 Application Deadline passed on June 29, 2020. The purpose of CIG is to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies 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) to agricultural producers, into NRCS technical manuals and guides, or to the private sector. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations, and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a speciifc applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands. 

Categories: conservation, agriculture, management, research, planning

$150,000-$2,000,000 United States Link
NRCS Voluntary Public Access-Habitat Incentives Program competition FY 2020 NRCS

Deadline Passed 11/27/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing the availability of up to $50 million in Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) funding to create or enhance State and Tribal Government programs that encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make that land available for access by the public for hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation. VPA-HIP is a competitive grants program and only State and Tribal Governments may apply. Projects may be up to three years in duration. The maximum amount for a single award is $3 million. Up to 25 percent of the funding for each award may be used to provide incentives to improve wildlife habitat on enrolled public access program lands.

Categories: agriculture, farm, forest, lands

3,000,000- 100,000 National Link
NSF Coastal SEES NSF

NSF’s Coastal SEES program focuses on the sustainability of coastal systems, which include barrier islands, mudflats, beaches, estuaries, cities, towns, recreational areas, maritime facilities, continental seas and shelves, and the overlying atmosphere. The Coastal SEES program, in short, seeks to 1) advance understanding of fundamental, interconnected processes in coastal systems, 2) improve capabilities for predictingfuture coastal system states and impacts, and 3) identify pathways for research to be translated to policy and management domains, enhancing coastal resiliency.

Categories: Coastal, Research

$800,000-$2,000,000 Northweest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, Alaska, National, Coastal Link
NSF Division Ocean Science: Physical Oceanography Grant NSF

Deadline Passed 02/15/2019. Deadline Unknown for 2020. NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences offers a funding opportunity on the subject of Physical Oceanography. In years past, this program has funded several climate change-focused research projects, including climate impacts on proglacial lake outbursts, the role of ice in large lake response to climate change, effects of lunar nodal tide on climate variability, and ocean data assimilation to research climate change.

Categories: Ocean, Coastal

Unknown Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska, Coastal Link
NSF Funding Opportunity: Racial Equity in STEM Education. National Science Foundation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: 10/12/2021. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) seeks to support bold, ground-breaking, and potentially transformative projects addressing systemic racism in STEM. Proposals should advance racial equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development through research (both fundamental and applied) and practice. Core to this funding opportunity is that proposals are led by, or developed and led in authentic partnership with, individuals and communities most impacted by the inequities caused by systemic racism. https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/racial-equity-stem-education…

Categories: Equity, STEM

National Link
NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellowship NSF

This fellowship is no longer offered through the NSF. Through the SEES Fellows Program, NSF seeks to advance science, engineering, and education to inform the societal actions needed for environmental and economic sustainability and human well-being while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. The Program's emphasis is to facilitate investigations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address issues of sustainability through a systems approach, building bridges between academic inquiry, economic growth, and societal needs. The Fellow's proposed investigation must be interdisciplinary and allow him/her to obtain research experiences beyond his/her current core disciplinary expertise.

Categories: Education, Research

Unknown; $7,000,000 in total funding Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska Link
Nutrition Security for Indigenous Youth Newman's Own Foundation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: August 26, 2022. In collaboration with Tahoma Peak Solutions, a Native woman-owned firm focused on empowering and building up communities in Indian Country, Newman’s Own Foundation has issued a request for proposals built on the strengths of Native communities to enhance nutrition security for Native youth. Examples of projects include but are not limited to: coalition building and goal setting; advocacy, education, and relationship building with key stakeholders and policy makers; gardens at youth centers and schools; youth culture camps focusing on traditional foods and/or gardening; educational sessions on traditional food cultures, harvesting, processing, and foodways; internship programs that develop Native youth leadership; support for Native youth attendance at relevant conferences or convenings; development of related programming at meetings or conferences; and films, storytelling, and art related to Native youth and food. The deadline to submit the eligibility quiz is August 26, 2022, with applications due September 15, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Agriculture, food security, traditional foods, youth

$20,000 to $50,000 National Link
Ocean Acidification Program Education Mini-Grant Program NOAA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 23, 2024. Up to $50K support is available for ocean acidification education and outreach focused on underserved and/or Indigenous communities or Tribes. Priority goals include engaging diverse audiences in ocean acidification education and outreach, matching ocean acidification communication needs with existing research, education and outreach activities, while developing innovative approaches for community involvement. 

Categories: education, ocean acidification, workforce development, ocean literacy, stewardship

$50,000 - $400,000 National Link
Ocean Exploration FY 2018 NOAA

Deadline Passed 12/08/2017. Deadline for 2018 Unknown.NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration & Research (OER) seeks to enhance ocean exploration and scientific knowledge of the unknown or poorly known areas of the ocean. This entails identifying, describing and creating baseline characterizations of new ocean habitats, marine resources and/or processes. In this Announcement, OER is seeking proposals focused on three topics including: 1. Exploration of the deep marine environments in the US EEZ and US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the Gulf of Mexico; 2. Discovery and exploration of prehistorically and historically significant submerged marine heritage sites in the Gulf of Mexico within the US EEZ and the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); and 3. Novel or innovative technologies and methodologies that could increase the pace and scope of ocean exploration, especially exploration of deep environments including the water column and archaeological sites.

Categories: ocean, marine, coastal, habitat, explore, document, research, baseline, marine biology

Up to $750,000. National, United States Link
OCF 2022 Community Grants Oregon Community Foundation

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: March 30, 2022. OCF seeks to support healthy, thriving and sustainable communities with funding awarded through an open, responsive grantmaking program that offers flexible types of support to organizations in response to community-defined needs. This program prioritizes communities in Oregon most impacted by social, economic and/or racial injustices and inequities. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Community involvement, environmental justice, racial justice, DEI, sustainability

$40,000 maximum award and average award size of $20,000 ‎Oregon‎ Link
Office of Tribal Self-Governance Negotiation Cooperative Agreement DHHS, IHS

Deadline passed on June 18, 2018. Next deadline unknown. The purpose of this Negotiation Cooperative Agreement is to provide Tribes with resources to help defray the costs associated with preparing for and engaging in Tribal Self-Governance Program (TSGP) negotiations. TSGP negotiations are a dynamic, evolving, and tribally driven process that requires careful planning, preparation and sharing of precise, up-to-date information by both Tribal and Federal parties. Because each Tribal situation is unique, a Tribe's successful transition into the TSGP, or expansion of their current program, requires focused discussions between the Federal and Tribal negotiation teams about the Tribe's specific health care concerns and plans. One of the hallmarks of the TSGP is the collaborative nature of the negotiations process, which is designed to: 1) enable a Tribe to set its own priorities when assuming responsibility for IHS Programs, Services, Functions and Activities (PSFAs), 2) observe and respect the Government-to-Government relationship between the U.S. and each Tribe, and 3) involve the active participation of both Tribal and IHS representatives, including the Office of Tribal Self-Governance (OTSG).

Categories: health, self-governance, planning, collaboration

$48,000 National Link
OIA Technical Assistance Program DOI

Deadline passed as of March 1, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. The Technical Assistance Program (TAP) provides grant funding for short-term projects intended to meet the immediate needs of the insular areas. OIA's priorities are as follows: Climate change, accountability, financial management, economic development, training, education, energy, management control initiatives, safety, emergency, historical & cultural preservation, capacity building, health initiatives, and outdoor youth initiatives.

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

Up to $250,000. United States, International (US Territories) Link
OR/WA Forest and Woodlands Resource Management BLM, DOI

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 14, 2023. Funded projects under this program will focus on high priority work such as activities that promote forest and woodland health, sustainable forest management, fire resiliency, infrastructure development for future sustainable timber harvest, biomass utilization, habitat conservation needs, and insect, disease and fire recovery. These activities could include, but are not limited to: planting trees, pre-commercial and commercial thinning, salvage/sanitation forest treatments, control of competing vegetation, fuels reduction, riparian or upland restoration, project development and layout, planning analysis and document preparation needed in concert with or to carry out Land Use Planning Decisions, Endangered Species Act or cultural clearances, data collection, and monitoring.

Categories: forest health, forest management, fire resiliency, infrastructure, timber, biomass, conservation

Up to $50,000 Oregon, Washington Link
Oregon Conservation Innovation Grants - Forest Stand Resiliency NRCS

Deadline passed as of July 7, 2017. Deadline for 2018 unknown. NRCS Oregon requests proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies on forestland lands.

Categories: forestry, habitat, restoration, recovery, conservation, management, policy, development

Varies. Oregon Link
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Materials Grants Program Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Recent Deadline: October 10, 2020. Since 1991, DEQ has awarded over $9 million in materials management grants. Grants are for projects that reduce impacts across the full cycle of materials and products. The lifecycle of materials and products includes product design, raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, consumption, use, reuse, repair, recovery through recycling, composting or anaerobic digestion, and disposal.

Categories: material management, waste management, recycling, sustainbility

Varies - 2019 $600,000 was awarded to seventeen organizations Oregon Link
Oregon Domestic Well Safety Program (DWSP) DWSP, Oregon Local Public Health Authorities

Deadline passed as of December 12, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. This request for proposals (RFP) is intended to increase the capacity of Oregon Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs) and tribal public health authorities, particularly those that have identified domestic wells and water security as local priorities through county hazard assessments*. The Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) Domestic Well Safety Program (DWSP) intends to provide grants to support outreach efforts identified by LPHAs in their proposals to this RFP. In working with LPHAs, the DWSP will help plan and deliver outreach and interventions to communities of concern, as identified by LPHAs.

Categories: water safety, water health, access, infrastructure

$7,500 Oregon Link
Oregon Environmental Quality Incentives Program USDA

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related natural resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. Eligible program participants receive financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices, or activities like conservation planning, that address natural resource concerns on their land. Payments are made to participants after conservation practices and activities identified in an EQIP plan of operations are implemented. Contracts can last up to ten years in duration.

Categories: agriculture, conservation planning, natural resources

Oregon Link
Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative United States Department of Agriculture

Most recent deadline: 1/14/2021. The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. The OREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information. Projects should plan to deliver applied production information to producers. Fieldwork must be done on certified organic land or on land in transition to organic certification, as appropriate to project goals and objectives.

Categories: Agriculture, social sciences, economics, biology, organic land

$50,000 - $3,000,000 National Link
Organismal Response to Climate Change US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: November 21, 2023. Most climate change studies to date have lacked integration between the study of organismal mechanisms involved in the response to changing climates and eco-evolutionary approaches. This solicitation calls for proposals that integrate the study of genomic, physiological, structural, developmental, neural, or behavioral mechanisms of organismal response to climate change (ORCC) with eco-evolutionary approaches to better manage the effects of a rapidly changing climate on earth’s living systems. Specific areas of emphasis include but are not limited to: integrating physiology and genomics into the next generation of species distribution models; mechanistic understanding of plastic responses to climate change; functional genomics of organismal response to climate change; the role biological interactions play in organismal responses to climate change; and improving our ability to predict how organisms will respond to climate change and the consequences these responses will have across biological scales.

Categories: scientific research, adaptation, evolutionary biology, climate science

Varies. Total Program Funding: $10,000,000 National Link
Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP) The National Park Service

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: May 31, 2023. On August 4, 2020 the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law. The bill provides $900 million in permanent and dedicated annual funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and invests up to $9.5 billion to address priority repairs in our national parks and other public lands. The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program, created in 2014, is an urban park grants program funded through the Land & Water Conservation Fund. The ORLP offers nationally competitive grants to support the creation or significant renovation of state or locally-owned parks and other outdoor recreation spaces located in urban areas. Funded projects help the public access or re-connect with the outdoors, and specifically target economically disadvantaged neighborhoods that lack adequate parks and recreational opportunities. The sixth application round with $192 million available is now open. Grants range from $300,000 to $10 million. Applications are being accepted in Grants.gov through May 31, 2023, with an early submission deadline of January 31, 2023 for those that have application requirements completed. Interested jurisdictions should contact their state lead agency for LWCF.

Categories: land water conservation, parks and recreation, outdoors, publicly-owned lands

$300,000-$10,000,000 population of at least 30000 people Link
Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501 Program) USDA

Deadline passed as of July 29, 2016. Deadline for 2017 unknown. The 2501 Program provides funding to eligible organizations for training and technical assistance projects designed to assist socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in owning and operating viable agricultural enterprises. The 2501 Program extends USDA's capacity to work with members of farming and ranching communities by funding projects that enhance the equitable participation of socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in USDA programs. It is OAO's (Office of Advocacy and Outreach) intention to build lasting relationships between USDA, awardee organizations, and socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers.

Categories: agricultural, food security, veterans, ranching, environmental justice, technical assistance, business,

Award amounts vary; total program funds $8.4 million. National, Rural Link
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund NOAA, DOC

Deadline Passed. Most recent deadline: March 6, 2023.  Congress established the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to reverse the decline of West Coast salmon. This competitive grants program provides funding to States and Tribes to protect, conserve, and restore these populations. Read more about this funding opportunity here.

Categories: habitat conservation, protected species, sustainable fisheries, salmon, recovery

Up to $30,000,000 Northwest, Southwest, Coastal, Alaska Link
Pacific Northwest Bay-Watershed Education and Training NOAA

Most recent deadline passed. NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary office) is seeking proposals under the Pacific Northwest B-WET Program. The Pacific Northwest B-WET Program is a competitive, environmental education, grants program that promotes locally relevant, experiential learning in the K-12 environment. Funded projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students, related professional development for teachers, and help to support regional education and environmental priorities in the Pacific Northwest. This Federal funding opportunity meets NOAA's Vision of healthy ecosystems, helping to ensure that ocean, estuarine, and related ecosystems and the species that inhabit them are vibrant and sustainable in the face of challenges.

Categories: environmental education, watersheds, professional development, healthy ecosystems, ocean health

$30,000-$60,000 Pacific Northwest Link
Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change (P2C2) NSF

Most Recent Deadline: October 20, 2023. The goal of research funded under the interdisciplinary P2C2 solicitation is to utilize key geological, chemical, atmospheric (gas in ice cores), and biological records of climate system variability to provide insights into the mechanisms and rate of change that characterized Earth's past climate variability, the sensitivity of Earth's climate system to changes in forcing, and the response of key components of the Earth system to these changes. Important scientific objectives of P2C2 are to: 1) provide comprehensive paleoclimate data sets that can serve as model test data sets analogous to instrumental observations; and 2) enable transformative syntheses of paleoclimate data and modeling outcomes to understand the response of the longer-term and higher magnitude variability of the climate system that is observed in the geological and cryospheric records.

Categories: Scientific Research, Adaptation, Mitigation, Statistical Modeling

$400,000-$14,000,000 Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, National, Alaska Link
Pandemic Support for Certified Organic and Transitioning Operations USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: February 4, 2022. The USDA has extended the deadline for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program. This extension is eligible for expenses in 2020 and 2021. Organic farming may help farmers prepare for a changing climate, as organic practices can increase soil water-holding capacity, which can help crops grow in drought years. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Agriculture, organic, certification, education, pandemic

25% of a certified operation’s eligible certification expenses, up to $250 per certification category; 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year; OTECP covers 75% of the registration fees, up to $200, per year, for educational events National Link
Partners for Fish and Wildlife FWS

Applications Due: September 30, 2022. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance in the form of cooperative and grant agreements to private landowners to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. The PFW Program is delivered through more than 250 full-time staff, active in all 50 States and territories. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program staff coordinate with project partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation priorities within these focus areas. Apply here.

Categories: conservation, management, restoration, rehabilitation, development

up to $750,000 United States, National Link
Partners for Fisheries Monitoring Program DOI, FWS

Deadline Passed 01/13/2023. Deadline Unknown for 2024. The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management (OSM) administers the Partners for Fisheries Monitoring Program (Partners Program). OSM is seeking proposals for the Partners Program that strengthen Alaska Native and rural involvement in Federal subsistence management. The Partners Program is a competitive grant that is directed at providing funding for biologists, social scientists and outreach/educator positions in Alaska Native and rural nonprofit organizations with the intent of increasing the organizations ability to participate in Federal subsistence management. In addition, the program supports a variety of opportunities for local, rural students to connect with subsistence resource monitoring and management through science camps and paid internships. For more information go to https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/partners, or click on the link below to view the funding opportunity on grants.gov.

Categories: fish, wildlife, Alaska, subsistence management, science, education

$20,000-$167,000 Alaska Link
Partners for Places Partners for Places

A successful matching grant program, Partners for Places creates opportunities for cities and counties in the United States and Canada to improve communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability offices and place-based foundations.
National funders invest in local projects to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy, and well-being of all residents. Through these projects, Partners for Places fosters long-term relationships that make our urban areas more prosperous, livable, and vibrant.

Categories: environmentalism, social justice, green space, economy, development, restoration, urban development

The grant program will provide partnership investments between $25,000 and $75,000 for one year projects, or $50,000 and $150,000 for two year projects. National, United States Link
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities: First Funding Pool USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: April 8, 2022. Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects must focus on the on-farm, on-ranch or forest production of climate-smart commodities and associated reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and/or carbon sequestration. Proposals from $5 million to $100 million are in the first funding pool and should include large-scale pilot projects that emphasize the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production and include direct, meaningful benefits to a representative cross-section of production agriculture, including small and/or historically underserved producers. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Rural communities, agriculture, forestry, farmers, ranchers, emissions reduction, climate solutions, resilience

$5 million to $100 million National Link
Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities: Second Funding Pool. USDA

Deadline passed. Most recent deadline: June 10, 2022. Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects must focus on the on-farm, on-ranch or forest production of climate-smart commodities and associated reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and/or carbon sequestration. Proposals from $250,000 to $4,999,999 are in the second funding pool and are limited to particularly innovative pilot projects. These projects should place an emphasis on: enrollment of small and/or underserved producers; and/or monitoring, reporting and verification activities developed at minority-serving institutions. Learn more and apply here.

Categories: Rural communities, innovation, underserved communities, agriculture, forestry, farmers, ranchers, emissions reduction, climate solutions, resilience

$250,000 - $4,999,999 National Link