Opportunities for Funding

Grant Overview
The Thriving Communities Grantmaker Program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, signifies a crucial step towards advancing climate and environmental priorities. Our approach involves a strategic alliance of experienced community-based grant-makers with extensive networks in the region. By leveraging the collective expertise of our partners, including SEE’s proficiency in managing government grants and contracts, we seek to streamline the distribution process and maximize the impact of environmental justice initiatives.

Region 9 Eligible Areas
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Nevada
The Pacific Islands of Guam, American Samoa, and CNMI
148 Tribal Nations

Eligible Subrecipients
Nonprofit organizations, community-based and grassroots nonprofit organizations
Tribal governments (both federally recognized and state-recognized) and intertribal consortia
Local governments
Institutions of higher education
Native American Organizations

Ineligible Subrecipients
Individuals
For-profit businesses
State governments

Allowable Activities
Air quality and asthma
Fence line air quality monitoring
Monitoring of effluent discharges from industrial facilities
Water quality and sampling
Small cleanup projects
Improving food access to reduce vehicle miles traveled
Stormwater issues and green infrastructure
Lead and asbestos contamination
Pesticides and other toxic substances
Healthy homes that are energy/water use efficient and not subject to indoor air pollution
Illegal dumping activities, such as education, outreach, and small-scale clean-ups
Emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency
Environmental job training for occupations that reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants
Environmental justice training for youth
Please note this list is intended for example purposes.

Disadvantaged Communities
The Project must benefit people in disadvantaged communities as defined by the Inflation Reduction Act Disadvantaged Communities Mapping tool or other Environmental Justice Mapping resources below.
Disadvantaged Area
Areas identified as Disadvantaged and above the 90th percentile in the following categories:
Climate Change
Energy
Health
Housing, Legacy Pollution
Transportation
Water and Wastewater
Workforce Development

Environmentally Burdened
Areas at or above the 80th percentile in one or more Environmental Justice Index indicators in the following categories:
Particulate Matter 2.5
Ozone
Diesel particulate
Air Toxics Cancer Risk
Air Toxics Respiratory HI
Traffic Proximity
Lead Paint
Superfund Proximity
RMP Facility Proximity
Hazardous Waste Proximity
Underground Storage Tanks
Wastewater Discharge

Rural Community
Defined as:
Non-metropolitan counties
Outlying metropolitan counties with no population from an urban area of 50,000 or more people

Indigenous/Tribal Land
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides the Tribal Directory Assessment Tool (TDAT) with the ability to:
Link tribes’ geographic areas of current and ancestral interest down to the county level
Perform a variety of queries related to tribes

Quality Assurance
The success of an environmental program or project depends on the quality of the environmental data collected and used in decision-making which will depend significantly on the adequacy of the quality assurance project plan and how it is carried out. EPA Region 9 requires that a systematic process be used wherever possible and appropriate to plan all environmental data generation activities.

Quality Assurance Project Planning (QAPP)
To facilitate the development of objectives, the EPA has developed guidelines to help state and Tribal governments develop Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs) for documenting the type and quality of data needed for environmental decisions and the methods for collecting and assessing those data.

To find more information on the QAPP, please visit the EPA website.

Tier One will consist of grants for $150,000 for assessment, Tier Two will consist of grants for $250,000 for planning, and Tier Three will consist of grants for $350,000 (2 years) for project development. In addition, $75,000 will be available for capacity-constrained community-based organizations through a non-competitive process under Tier One. Each Grantmaker will design and implement a distribution program best suited for their region and communities.

Tier One Assessment Projects up to $150,000 (1 year)
Research (incidental to the project design)
Sampling
Testing
Monitoring
Investigations
Surveys and Studies
Public Education

Tier Two Planning Projects up to $250,000 (1-2 years)
Planning
Partnership-building
Public outreach and education
Coordination with community stakeholders to address environmental issues
Training activities for community organizations and community members
Projects and activities to spur community involvement (e.g., cleanups of vacant lots)
Smaller land purchases and acquisitions that require less than half of the total amount of subgrant funding

Tier Three Development of Projects up to $350,000 (2 years)
Project Development
Blueprints for construction or cleanup projects, schematics, and technical development
Work to get permits in place directly related to an environmental project
Smaller land purchases and acquisitions that require less than half of the total amount of subgrant funding
Implementation of project plans
Public outreach and education

A limited number of $75,000 non-competitive fixed-amount subawards will be available for severely capacity-constrained CBOs to access.

The purpose of the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) program is to support collaborative improvement and innovation networks to improve access to and delivery of maternity and obstetrics care in rural areas.

The purpose of this Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development program is to improve health care in rural areas, including expanding access to medical care and long-term services, for rural aging populations by expanding PACE programs into rural areas.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a notice of funding opportunity, subject to appropriation, of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, or improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities where the average annual residential expenditure for home energy exceeds 275% of the national average. Eligible projects also include on-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects and the implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation projects for eligible communities. Projects cannot be for the primary benefit of a single household or business. Grant funds may not be used for the preparation of the grant application, operating costs, or for the purchase of any equipment, structures, or real estate not directly associated with the provision of community energy services.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Headquarters Aquatic Resources Program protects and restores riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources to provide functioning ecosystems for a combination of balanced and diverse uses including fish and wildlife, and for the long-term needs of future generations. Policy guidance for the Program ensures that public land management based on multiple use and sustained yield provides healthy and productive riparian, wetland, and aquatic habitat, achieves land health standards, and considers society’s long-term needs for healthy watersheds. The issues the Program addresses are diverse and include restoration, habitat fragmentation and degradation, drought resiliency, water availability, and aquatic invasive species. Program staff provide professional expertise and policy guidance to BLM managers, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, and non-governmental partners on these issues, and implement the best management practices to minimize or avoid impacts to water resources, riparian and wetland areas, and aquatic habitats on public lands. This program supports projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Section 40804 (b) Ecosystem Restoration. This program also supports projects funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Sections 50221 Resilience, 50222 Ecosystems Restoration and 50303 DOI.The BLM Headquarters Aquatic Resources Program’s core functions include:Ecosystem Structure and Function: Protect and restore the physical and ecological processes of functioning riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources.Water Quality: Protect and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of surface water and groundwater.Water Availability: Ensure that water is legally and physically available for beneficial uses, including protection and restoration actions.Riparian, Wetland, and Aquatic Habitat: Proactively protect and restore riparian, wetland, and aquatic habitats to ensure the presence, abundance, and diversity of healthy, self-sustaining, and desirable riparian, wetland, and aquatic species and other wildlife and plant populations that depend upon these habitats, including special status species.Decision Support: Inventory, assess, and monitor aquatic resources to inform our understanding of condition and trend, guide the BLM’s management activities, and assess regulatory compliance.Environmental Compliance: Ensure full compliance with applicable federal law, Executive Orders, regulations, and policy and with state law to the extent consistent with federal law.Internal & External Involvement: Consult, coordinate, cooperate, and collaborate with federal, state, tribal, and local governments and other programs, partners, and communities, to foster adaptive approaches to protection and restoration and implement education and outreach programs.The BLM Headquarters Aquatic Resources Program continues to advance the Department of the Interior's priorities to address the climate crisis, restore balance on public lands and waters, advance environmental justice, and invest in a clean energy future. The BLM Headquarters Aquatic Resources Program has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with:Contributing to the above-described Program core functions.Combating climate change and habitat loss impacts to aquatic resources.Restoring and connecting degraded aquatic resources.Increasing ecosystem resistance, resilience, and adaptability to drought, wildfires, and floods.Determining acceptable levels of hydrologic and ecological change given BLM management objectives.Advancing inventory, assessment, and monitoring activities and tools.Preventing the establishment and spread of invasive species.Increasing public knowledge of aquatic habitats on BLM managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low-income families, and rural and indigenous communities.

The BLM Headquarters Threatened and Endangered Species Program focuses on implementing the Department of Interior’s priorities by emphasizing actions that: protect biodiversity; slow species extinction rates; increase resilience to climate change and help leverage natural climate solutions; contribute to conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by the year 2030; support State agencies to meet State wildlife population objectives; engage communities of color, low income families, and rural and indigenous communities to enhance economic opportunities related to wildlife; and use the best science and data available to make decisions. The BLM Headquarters Threatened and Endangered Species Program has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with:Contributing to the above-described Program strategic goals.On-the-ground actions that conserve and recover federally-listed, Bureau sensitive, and rare wildlife and plants.Targeted inventory and monitoring to determine species status and conservation opportunities.Gaining knowledge about federally-listed, Bureau sensitive, and rare species and their habitats including, but not limited to, propagation, genetics, ecology and threats.Providing for proactive protection or management of federally-listed, Bureau sensitive, and rare species and their habitats, consistent with ESA section 7a1.Augmenting federally-listed, Bureau sensitive, and rare species through translocations, seed collections, and/or propagation.Increasing program efficiencies and effectiveness in Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7a2 consultations and ESA section 7a1 conservation programs.Increasing public knowledge of federally-listed, Bureau sensitive, and rare wildlife and plants on BLM managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low-income families, and rural and indigenous communities.Communications including program outreach, education, and Program website updates.

The BLM California Wildlife Program advances the Department of the Interior's priorities to address the climate crisis, restore balance on public lands and waters, advance environmental justice, and invest in a clean energy future. Specific BLM California Wildlife Program priorities include:protect wildlife habitat, migration, habitat connectivity that supports biodiversity; increase resilience to climate change and help leverage natural climate solutions; contribute to conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by the year 2030; support State agencies to meet State wildlife population objectives; engage communities of color, low-income families, and rural and indigenous communities to enhance economic opportunities related to wildlife; and use the best science and data available to make decisions. The BLM California Wildlife Program works with partner organizations to meet the goals above on national or regional scale through: Activities that maintain or restore habitats for upland game, waterfowl, big game, pollinators, sensitives species, and watchable wildlife species. Conserving priority wildlife habitat (vegetation communities, water resources, or connectivity) or reducing threats to habitat or species.Monitoring and inventorying wildlife populations and habitats to provide complete, current, and accurate information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat of wildlife that depend on BLM managed public lands.Assessing wildlife habitat and measuring related resource management goals and objectives.Enhancing the understanding of opportunities to conserve wildlife populations that depend on BLM managed lands.Improving how BLM uses and integrates coordinated wildlife monitoring data such as Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) and North American Bat Monitoring Program (NaBat). Doing new research on success in meeting the objectives of wildlife habitat and land use plans at the ecosystem and watershed level.Performing education projects (including citizen science and student-based science) to facilitate wildlife stewardship and conservation for species that depend on BLM managed lands.Increasing public awareness of wildlife resources, conservation challenges and successes on BLM managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low-income families, and rural and indigenous communities.

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture.

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The six priority areas are: Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Agriculture Systems and Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities.

Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this Request for Applications (RFA).

See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific detail.

The UPLIFT Climate and Environmental Community Action Grant program (“UPLIFT”) offers an unprecedented opportunity to support disadvantaged communities by building the capacity of institutions of higher education (IHEs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) who play a significant role in supporting disadvantaged communities work towards creating healthy, climate resilient, and thriving communities for generations to come.

The UPLIFT Grant will support the development of a community of practice that will bring together IHEs, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), CBOs, philanthropy, the private sector, and government entities to learn from one another about the climate and environmental justice challenges that disadvantaged communities face, identify solutions, develop partnerships, and engage with government (at the local, state, and/or federal levels) through a variety of public processes such as advisory councils, rulemaking processes, grant opportunities, to ensure that their vital voices are a part of and help to inform decisions that impact disadvantaged communities (as defined in Appendix A).

Additionally, the UPLIFT Grant will support the development of a subaward program that will support community-driven projects in disadvantaged communities that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful and collaborative implementation. The historic support provided by this grant will enable disadvantaged communities and their partners to work together to build capacity and collaborative partnerships to help them begin to address longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet their needs now and for generations to come.

Partnership of Community Based Nonprofit and an Institution of Higher Education are eligible to apply.

Consistent with 7 U.S.C. 5925f, NIFA is soliciting applications for the Farm Business
Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) program to improve the farm management knowledge and skills of agricultural producers by maintaining and expanding a national, publicly available farm financial management database to support improved farm management.

The FBMB program aims to strongly support innovative extension approaches and collaborative efforts to maintain and expand the publicly available national farm financial management database (FINBIN). Such efforts are needed to meet the challenges facing the nation’s agriculture and food systems. Farm management producers must be educated and prepared to work effectively across disciplines to solve agricultural and educational challenges. Meeting these challenges will require projects that are timely, strategic, creative, and multi-disciplinary.

The FBMB program supports all producers to develop farm management knowledge and skills that are consistent with the agriculture and food systems priorities of the USDA.
Extension projects supported by the FBMB program, to the extent possible, shall be coordinated and delivered in cooperation with similar services or assistance by other federal agencies or programs supporting improved farm management.
The Secretary may give priority to grants that demonstrate an ability to work directly with
agricultural producers; collaborate with farm management associations and financial
management education programs; address the farm management needs of a variety of crops and regions of the United States; and contribute data to support the national farm financial management database (FINBIN).

The FBMB program supports novel projects that encompass the management of money at the personal, firm, and public levels to support livelihoods and quality of life for agricultural
producers and farm communities. The FBMB program also supports projects that incorporate social and behavioral science disciplines, leadership skills development, and decision-making which are important elements to address the many challenges facing agriculture and farm communities. These challenges may include but are not limited to increasing global demand for food production in the face of limited natural resources; improving health opportunities and outcomes; reducing food loss and waste; and alleviating poverty by creating economic opportunity and supporting workforce development.