Federal Environment Grants

Notice of Funding Opportunity SummaryThe Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is directing resources toward climate-smart agriculture and forestry (CSAF) conservation practices, including those for energy efficiency. NRCS is providing funding for a partnership to provide technical assistance to NRCS and producers on energy practices. Information related to NRCS CSAF practices can be found at the following web address: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/NRCS-CSAF-Mitigation-Activities-List.pdf.A total of up to $1,500,000 is available in fiscal year 2024. All agreements will be five years in duration. Additional funds may be added to agreement in later years as funds become available. Total funding is dependent on the Federal Budget and technical workload in Ohio. For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.Key DatesApplicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on July 3, 2024. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or [email protected]. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed. The agency anticipates making selections by July 18, 2024, and expects to execute awards by August 1, 2024. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

This grant provides funding to eligible organizations and individuals for projects that improve and maintain the ecological health of military training lands in Alaska, ensuring sustainable environments for military operations.

The principle objective of the Traditional Conservation Grant Program is to support the development and implementation of States programs to conserve and recover threated and endangered species under the Services jurisdiction. Financial assistance, provided in the form of grants, can be used to support projects that have direct benefits for federally listed species, candidate and at-risk species, and recently delisted species. States may apply for funding to conduct conservation work on federally-listed resident species that are included in the States cooperative agreement. States may also apply for funding to monitor candidate, at-risk, and recently delisted species. Projects proposed for funding may involve management, research, monitoring, and outreach activities or any combination thereof. Applications should include clear and specific information about how the proposed work would contribute to species recovery or prevent the need to list a species under the Endangered Species Act. Successful applications will be those that clearly demonstrate a direct benefit to the species or its habitat.

Invasive species pose a significant threat to the ecological, economic, and cultural integrity of Americas lands and waters and the communities they support. Once invasive species are established, it is often challenging and costly to control or eradicate those infestations. In some cases, however, eradication the removal or destruction of an entire population of invasive species from a defined area is both possible and feasible, resulting in substantial ecological and economic benefits. This can include eradication of a founding population of invasive species (e.g., a newly introduced species to a specific area) or eradicating a well-established population. Eradication, while it represents the ideal outcome in most cases, requires consideration of the available eradication techniques, cost, likelihood of success, likelihood of re-invasion, public support, complexity of environmental compliance, and availability of resources. This latter consideration is frequently a barrier to implementing eradication measures that can lead to restoring ecosystem health.Furthermore, successful eradication efforts are often dependent on the use of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, making well informed decisions, and applying a collaborative approach. IPM is defined as an approach to managing pests that uses biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes health, environmental, and economic risks. Collaboration with relevant parties, such as state, federal, local, tribal, territory, private, and other land managers, is often essential for successful eradication projects.For eradication to be an option, resource managers must have access to effective tools. Therefore, it is important to support both on-the-ground eradication efforts and also the research into and development of tools where they do not exist. DOI encourages leveraging science and technology to increase the likelihood of eradication of invasive species and increase the likelihood of long-term success. As such, proposals will be considered for on-the-ground projects that eradicate an invasive species or those projects that advance research that increases the effectiveness and near-term availability of eradication tools. For example, studies that lead to the development of genetic interventions and physical, mechanical, chemical, and biological eradication tools would be eligible.Examples of the type of work being targeted for this Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity include:Eradication of the invasive annual grass Cenchrus spp. A Weed Risk Assessment for the invasive annual grass Cenchrus spp. in Hawaii identified the species as high risk for many reasons. It thrives and spreads in tropical climates. It is an invasive plant that affects native coastal vegetation and seabird habitat. It has spiny burs that disperse easily via clothing or feathers, reproduces by prolific seed production, and is easily spread by high winds and storms. It reaches maturity in less than one year and persists in the seedbank for one to five years. Cenchrus spp. was introduced to the remote island of Nihoa, a volcanic remnant in the Hawaiian Archipelago with many geographically distinct species including two endemic and endangered passerines and three endemic and endangered plants. Early detection and monitoring indicated that the Cenchrus spp. infestation on Nihoa dramatically increased from just seven plants observed in 2017 to over 600 plants in 2018. This expansion indicated that it was initiating its ascent of the exponential growth curve common in invasive species. Eradication efforts are underway to eradicate Cenchrus spp. from Nihoa via an integrated pest management process (e.g., physical and chemical treatments) coupled with rigorous biosecurity measures to prevent reinvasion.Research on the use of YY technology for invasive fish eradication. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies initiated, in 2018, the YY Male Consortium (Consortium) with funding from 13 western states. The Consortium is building upon the work initiated by the State of Idaho to develop YY male broodstock for invasive brook trout. They are developing research broodstock for five additional regionally invasive species, including the common carp, walleye, lake trout, brown trout and Northern pike. Ongoing field evaluations of eradication programs using YY male brook trout in several western states indicate suppression is happening as modeled. In addition, populations in smaller systems are on the verge of documenting total eradication. This work combines multiple control tools using the principles of integrated pest management by suppressing invasive brook trout populations annually through mechanical and/or chemical control, and then stocking the equivalent number of YY males to replace those removed. YY males breed with the wild females, producing only YY males, leading ultimately to an all YY male population and population eradication. Note: This Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity is separate from the Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species Notice of Funding Opportunity (grants.gov announcement number F24AS00175). The Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species is intended to support the planning and deployment of responses to newly detected populations of aquatic invasive species in pursuit of eradicating the population before it becomes established and spreads. This Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity, however, is open to all taxa (see Eligible Taxa section) and can be used for eradication of newly detected populations of terrestrial invasive species, eradication of well-established populations of aquatic or terrestrial invasive species, or for research that advances tools for effective eradication of aquatic or terrestrial invasive species. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Ecosystem Restoration Program and DOI PrioritiesThe Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also referred to as BIL, or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)), Section 40804 (Ecosystem Restoration) provided funding to DOI for invasive species detection, prevention, and eradication, including conducting research and providing resources to facilitate detection of invasive species at points of entry and awarding grants for eradication of invasive species on non-Federal land and on Federal land. This Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity aims to meet BILs direction to offer grants for eradication of invasive species.This funding opportunity also advances DOIs policy regarding invasive species management (524 DM 1) which identifies eradication undertaken in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner as one objective of an integrated pest management approach. Additionally, it advances Goal 4 of the DOIs Invasive Species Strategic Plan for 2021-2025 to cost-effectively control or eradicate established invasive species populations to reduce impacts and help restore ecosystems.For this funding opportunity, collaboration with one of DOIs Keystone Initiatives is encouraged, as appropriate. DOI prioritized these Keystone Initiatives as focal areas for transformational conservation efforts across the nation. The Keystone Initiatives advance the Restoration and Resiliency Framework and include:Gravel to GravelGrasslandsHawaiian Forest BirdsKlamath BasinSagebrush EcosystemSaltmarsh, andAppalachiaPurpose and Program Grant Requirements:In Fiscal Year 2024, DOI prioritized BIL funds to establish this Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity within the existing authorities of DOI, to be administered by the USFWS in collaboration with DOI bureaus. Accordingly, the DOI bureaus, through the USFWS, invite proposals to support the eradication of a newly introduced or established species in terrestrial or aquatic habitats of the United States, including the U.S. territories (aquatic habitats include freshwater, wetland, riparian, estuarian, and marine). While preference will be given to proposals that result in eradication of invasive species, research proposals that advance research that increases the effectiveness and availability of eradication tools will be considered. Eradication is defined as the removal or destruction of an entire population of invasive species. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, this means the elimination of all individuals of a distinct population in a geographically defined area that is not contiguous or connected (via natural dispersal) with other populations and that is surrounded by naturally occurring or human-made barriers sufficiently effective to prevent reinvasion as verified using monitoring and inventories. Projects targeted at eradicating a founding population of a terrestrial invasive species or those eradicating established populations of aquatic or terrestrial invasive species will be considered. Eradication can be a key resource management step that then allows other resource management objectives to be achieved, such as habitat restoration or the recovery of Threatened and Endangered Species. This funding opportunity recognizes that eradication of a widespread established invasive species is possible and can be successful late in the invasion stages, but it requires strategic approaches (such as by using IPM) and targeted investments. The intent of this funding opportunity is to promote and invest in those projects with a high likelihood of achieving eradication success and in those that have existing partnerships and plans in place. NOTE: Projects responding to founding populations of aquatic invasive species within the early detection and rapid response context should instead apply for funding through the Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species. Projects addressing established aquatic invasive species infestations with a high likelihood of eradication can apply for this Eradication Funding Opportunity. Proposals submitted for this opportunity should address how the proposed project supports DOIs mission, especially helping to protect vulnerable, high priority, or protected species or areas. Proposals that service underserved, or historically disadvantaged communities are also encouraged. These will be considered among the grant review criteria listed under the Application Review Information section later in this document.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to academic institutions, nonprofits, and state and local governments to establish Climate Adaptation Science Centers that will research and develop strategies to help manage the impacts of climate change on natural resources in specific U.S. regions.

This funding opportunity provides support for U.S. institutions to create short-term research training programs for health professional and graduate students interested in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research careers.

This program provides funding to federal agencies for developing energy and water efficiency projects at government-owned facilities, supporting initiatives that promote sustainability and combat climate change.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) aligns with DOEs Office of Resource Sustainabilitys Methane Emissions Mitigation and Quantification Program to minimize emissions of methane during production, processing, and transportation across the oil and natural gas industry, with the goal of eliminating methane emissions from carbon-based fuel supply chains by 2030. Effective methane emissions mitigation strategies are dependent upon accurate quantification of both intentional and fugitive emissions from all elements across the natural gas infrastructure, including low producing oil and gas wells. Therefore, there is a continual need to maintain a state-of-the-industry understanding methane emissions mitigation opportunities and operation performance, through collection of empirical data, across oil and natural gas production and delivery regions of the United States. This is to maximize the value of these efforts to the public with the goals of reducing GHG emissions and improving environmental health and engagement of the affected public, (largely in disadvantaged or frontline communities). The FOA objective is to make funds available to a variety of entities for the purpose of mitigating methane emissions from marginal conventional wells (MCWs) and other oil and natural gas assets; accelerating the commercialization, scale-up and application of innovative methane emissions reduction technologies; and advancing the characterization and reduction of methane emissions through multi-scale, measurement-informed data collection and analysis. Modification 000001 is issued to update Section I.B. of the FOA to include clarifications regarding: Objectives and Background under AOI 3b; Activities Not of Interest under AOI 1 (1a, 1b, and 1c) and AOI 3 (3a and 3b); and well site and field test location as it relates to AOI 2 (2a, 2b, and 2c)

The "Fiscal Year 2024 Tribal Wetland Program Development Grants" aim to assist tribal governments and intertribal consortia in developing or refining programs that protect, manage, and restore wetlands, with a focus on increasing wetland quantity and quality, and incorporating climate change and environmental justice considerations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for universities, businesses, and organizations to develop and implement innovative technologies that convert carbon dioxide into useful products, helping to combat climate change and promote sustainability.

This grant provides funding to enhance the skills and collaboration of veterinarians and institutions in Central Africa to protect wild great apes from health threats and promote conservation efforts.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to coalitions of local governments and nonprofit organizations for assessing and revitalizing contaminated properties in underserved communities.

USAID Vietnam intends to issue a Cooperative Agreement for USAID/ Vietnam's Combating Illegal Wildlife Trafficking activity. The anticipated dollar range for the five-year activity is between $14 and $16 million. Attached is the draft Program Description (PD) of the activity. We invite your comments/feedback to this draft PD. Any responses should be submitted to Ms. Huyen Dang at [email protected] not later than 9:00 Hanoi time, November 23, 2020 and all responses will be considered prior to finalizing the PD. Please be advised that this is not a Request for Applications (RFA) and does not constitute a commitment on the part of the US. Government to make an award. We anticipate releasing the Request for Applications (RFA) at the end of November, 2020 with a closing date for receipt of applications in mid-January of 2021. We look forward to receiving your comments/feedback. Thank you very much for your time and interest in the activity.

This funding opportunity supports innovative research projects aimed at understanding and improving the diagnosis, treatment, and services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, welcoming applications from a diverse range of organizations, including universities and nonprofits.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for state and local governments, tribes, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations to conduct chemical analysis of fish tissue samples in the Great Lakes, focusing on monitoring contaminants and improving environmental health.

This competition provides $100,000 in funding to individuals and organizations in the U.S. to develop innovative electric power distribution systems that can adapt to modern energy challenges in rural, suburban, and urban settings.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations working to eliminate child and forced labor in critical mineral supply chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia, promoting fair labor practices and compliance with international standards.

The U.S. Embassy Libreville of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to empower local communities to better manage mangrove areas in Estuaire province in best practices for conservation and climate change mitigation, and concurrently rehabilitate damaged areas. Please follow all instructions below. Priority Region: Gabon Program Objectives: a) Rehabilitate critical mangrove areas through reforestation/replanting. b) Initiate an awareness and education campaign focused on educating local communities on the ecosystemic benefits of mangroves protection. c) Preparatory work in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, civil society, and local NGOs leading to the adoption of a law to protect, preserve and restore mangrove ecosystems in Gabon. The project kick-off for each activity should be as follows: 1. Planting of mangrove trees in critical areas - Identify deforested mangrove areas that are most critical to flood prevention - Coordinate with local communities to plant new mangrove trees 2. An awareness campaign in local communities - Once the critical mangrove areas are identified, an educational campaign will begin in those communities to sensitize them on the importance of preserving the mangroves for economic and security reasons. 3. Collaboration with the Gabonese government on a law protecting and preserving critical mangrove forests. - [The implementer will form] a working group of NGOs, civil society, scientists, and the government to identify opportunities for improvement in existing Gabonese law and draft a new law that addresses those weaknesses. - the working group will facilitate the presentation of the new law to the appropriate governmental authorities to be considered for law.

The purpose of the Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) is to attract to NIH-relevant research those investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease. The K25 award will provide support and "protected time" for a period of supervised study and research for productive professionals with quantitative (e.g., mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, chemistry) and engineering backgrounds to integrate their expertise with NIH-relevant research.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for state and local governments, tribal entities, educational institutions, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to develop innovative solutions for environmental and public health challenges related to coal mining and land reclamation.