Grants for State governments - Natural Resources

This grant provides funding for state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations to promote ecological restoration and biodiversity through the use of native plant materials in Alaska.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that conserve and restore rangelands in Oregon and Washington, focusing on climate resilience and environmental health, and is open to state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for California-based industrial facilities and related entities to implement advanced technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency, particularly benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities.

This grant provides financial and technical support to conservation partners, including state and Tribal agencies and nonprofits, for projects that restore and protect coastal fish and wildlife habitats, focusing on priority species and ecosystems.

Multistate Conservation Grants are authorized under 16 U.S.C. 669h-2 and 16 U.S.C. 777m, providing funding for wildlife restoration and sport fish restoration projects and recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects that address regional or national priority needs of State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners that are beyond the scale, scope, and capabilities of a single State. The priority needs, also known as Strategic Priorities, are identified annually by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) with input from State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners. Recipients awarded Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) may use the funds for wildlife or sport fish projects involving research, restoration, conservation and management of wild birds, wild mammals, sport fish, and their habitats. These funds may also be used for projects providing for public use and benefit from these resources, including hunter safety and education, aquatic education, angler R3 projects and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation. Recipients awarded under R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG) can only use the funds for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment projects that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) is being released prior to appropriation and/or apportionment of funds for fiscal year 2024. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the potential availability of funding for agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration and developing state-and-community-level conservation leadership. Proposals must be for projects based in Iowa and focus on conservation issues. Collaborative projects that provide on-the-ground support for Iowa NRCS Field Offices are highly encouraged. Research proposals will not be accepted, nor considered. NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2024 will be up to $5,000,000.00, however, budget constraints may prevent NRCS from funding 2024 proposals. Proposals are requested from City or township governments, county governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, state governments, nonprofits having a 501 (c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), or institutions of higher education for competitive consideration of awards for projects between 2 and 5 years in duration. Awarded organizations may be required to present project updates in the form of a formal presentation to the Iowa NRCS Leadership. Organizations may use this opportunity to request additional funding for existing Iowa IPC agreements. 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 Dates Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 7th, 2024. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. 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 June 7th, 2024, and expects to execute awards by September 16, 2024. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

This grant provides funding to state and local governments in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania to permanently protect land and natural resources in the Highlands Region through land acquisition from willing sellers.

The Virginia Department of Energy invites proposals for energy innovation within the Commonwealth of Virginia, with grants awarded at its discretion through the Virginia Power Innovation Fund and Program. This initiative is designed to support research and development of innovative energy technologies, including nuclear, hydrogen, carbon capture and utilization, and energy storage. The program aligns with the department's mission to foster energy advancement and secure Virginia's energy future through competitive grants. The program aims to establish a Virginia nuclear innovation hub and award grants to support energy innovation across the Commonwealth. Target beneficiaries include higher education institutions conducting research on advanced nuclear and advanced reactor technologies, and programs focused on nuclear energy workforce development. The initiative also supports site selection for future small modular reactor projects in Virginia. The overarching impact goals are to enhance energy affordability, reliability, and clean energy objectives within the Commonwealth. Key priorities for grant awards include projects demonstrating a strong return on investment, significant impact on energy affordability and reliability, and alignment with clean energy goals. The department also prioritizes capital investment and the utilization of research-based technologies. The program's focus areas are critical for advancing a diverse energy portfolio and ensuring long-term energy security for Virginia. Expected outcomes include advancements in innovative energy technologies, a more robust nuclear energy sector in Virginia, and a skilled workforce capable of supporting these developments. Measurable results will be assessed based on the return on investment, the positive impact on energy metrics within the Commonwealth, and the successful implementation of research-based technologies. The Virginia Department of Energy, in collaboration with the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, will oversee the grants and ensure thorough reporting on each project. Funding for individual grants can range from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with an overall program funding cap of up to $3 million, pending available funds.

The Food Safety Education Fund grants program, administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), is designed to enhance food safety throughout Michigan. Funded by assessments on licensed food establishments, the program aligns with a mission to protect public health by providing critical food safety training and education. This initiative directly supports the broader goal of ensuring a safe food supply for all Michigan residents. The foundation's strategic priority is to prevent foodborne illness through proactive education and the empowerment of various stakeholders within the food system. The program primarily targets two key beneficiary groups: Michigan consumers and food service establishment employees, as well as agents of the director who enforce food regulations (e.g., local health department sanitarians and MDARD food safety inspectors). The impact goal is to improve food safety knowledge and practices among these groups, ultimately reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses. Eligibility is restricted to Michigan governmental and non-profit organizations and entities, ensuring that the grants support organizations deeply embedded in community health and public service. Producers, marketers, processors, and growers are explicitly excluded to maintain the program's focus on education and training. For the 2024-2025 grant cycle, up to $365,600 is available, with a specific allocation of $242,500 for consumer food safety education and $114,100 for food service establishment employees and regulatory agents. This demonstrates a clear prioritization of widespread public education while also fortifying the knowledge base of those directly involved in food handling and enforcement. The grant duration is typically one year, though multi-year proposals are considered on an individual basis, contingent on future funding availability. Proposals should specifically avoid requesting funding for routine or required training, such as HACCP or ServSafe certification, emphasizing a focus on innovative and supplementary educational initiatives. Proposals are evaluated based on several key criteria, including goals and objectives to improve food safety, assessment of statewide need and audience, measurable outcomes, potential for partnering with other organizations, inclusion of matching funds, and opportunities to build upon previously funded projects. These selection criteria reflect the program's theory of change, which posits that strategic partnerships, evidence-based interventions, and quantifiable results are essential for achieving sustainable improvements in food safety. The expected outcomes include a more informed public, better-trained food service professionals, and more effective enforcement of food safety regulations, all contributing to a safer food environment across Michigan.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW‐OSPR) is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance, restore, or acquire habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling $5,000,000. These grant funds come from CDFW-OSPR’s Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), which acquires funds from spill violations in accordance with California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act. The EEF selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and CDFW‐OSPR. The selection committee is seeking projects with a minimum requested grant award of $500,000. Projects must be completed by April 1, 2031. Multiple projects may be submitted for funding. Disbursement of money from the grant is contingent on the availability of funds in the EEF. To qualify, an environmental enhancement project must 1. Be located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state, 2. Have measurable outcomes within a pre-determined timeframe 3. Be designed to acquire, restore, or improve habitat or restore ecosystem function, or both, to benefit fish and wildlife. Eligible Applicants include nonprofit organizations, cities, counties, cities and counties, districts, state agencies, and departments; and, to the extent permitted by federal law, to federal agencies. All eligible groups and projects are encouraged to apply. For more information, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About

The Red Bluff Fish and Wildlife Office (RBFWO), Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) Program is soliciting proposals for the completion of a Feasibility Study to assess potential solutions to increase available floodplain habitat in the lower Feather River corridor through Nelson Slough and contribute to improved quality of juvenile salmonid rearing habitat through increased production and availability of food resources. The project location is in the California Department of Fish and Wildlifes Feather River Wildlife Area Nelson Slough Unit. Scope of WorkThis award will provide funds for a work effort consisting of identification, development and feasibility of a floodplain connectivity solution in Nelson Slough primarily benefiting juvenile salmonids. This will include facilitating meetings with the Technical Advisory Committee, composing of members from United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and California Department of Water Resources (CDWR). The USFWS and Project Management Team intend to use information collected from this study to develop a future habitat restoration project at this site. The project tasks and applicant responsibilities are the following: Information gathering and site reconnaissance; Project Management;Data Collection and Evaluation; Develop a multi-dimensional hydrodynamic flow model to assess floodplain inundation frequencies; Develop a sediment transport model; Landowner access; Facilitate, plan, and provide notes from Technical Advisory Committee meetings; andDevelop juvenile salmonid habitat alternatives (i.e., restoring natural processes, side-channel creation through historic oxbow, floodplain connectivity, etc.).Project The CVPIA SIT and Core Team recommended increasing access to juvenile rearing habitat in lower Feather River and Sutter Bypass and identified it as a high priority for FY2020 (2019 Tech Memo). The project will continue to be funded for planning and analysis in FY2025 with potential construction and implementation in FY2026. The proposed project completes a feasibility study to develop and evaluate potential restoration actions at the Nelson Slough Wildlife Area Unit to increase the frequency with which floodplain habitat is inundated. The project would be located on CDFW property at the confluence of the lower Feather River corridor and the Sutter Bypass near Nelson Slough.The project may include lowering and widening an existing slough within setback levees in the lower Feather River corridor downstream of Highway 99 and tying this into the Sutter Bypass; creating multiple swales within the area; and/or lowering the floodplain terrace. This would allow Feather River basin water to flow into the Sutter Bypass with much greater frequency than under current conditions, thereby connecting remnant floodplain (including an abandoned oxbow from the Feather River) in the lower Feather River corridor with existing floodplain in the Sutter Bypass. Nelson Slough, a 750-acre unit of the Feather River Wildlife Area, is adjacent to more than 3,500 acres of conservation properties along the Feather River and approximately 4,500 acres of conservation properties within the Sutter Bypass. The project could increase floodplain habitat available to Feather, Yuba, and Bear River salmonids by up to 1,000 acres or more under certain flow conditions. Additional floodplain inundation resulting from this project could provide rearing benefits to Sacramento River origin juvenile winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, juvenile Butte Creek spring-run Chinook salmon in the Sutter Bypass, Feather River basin spring-run Chinook salmon, as well as Central Valley steelhead and potentially juvenile green sturgeon. Currently, River Partners has been awarded funds through the CVPIA for improving salmon and steelhead juvenile rearing habitat through creation and restoration of up to five miles of side channels on the Lower Feather River adjacent to the Nelson Slough Wildlife Area Unit. This project could potentially be integrated with the River Partners Lower Feather River Side Channel Restoration Project. The Peterson, Coarse Resolution model Report, 2014 (DSM) suggests that supporting increasing juvenile Chinook size at emigration can be beneficial to the outcome of a greater number of returning adults. Post project monitoring may help improve or validate the hypothesis of the DSM. Supplemental InformationOutcome of the project would achieve the following goals: Increase accessible floodplain for Feather, Yuba, and Bear River salmonids by through increased access; Determination of the amount of accessible acres created at various flow ranges compared to existing conditions with various landscape changes;Reduce habitat fragmentation to improve rearing and emigration corridors; Increase and improve the quantity, quality, and diversity of riverine habitat, including floodplain rearing habitat for juvenile fish; Reduce predation impacts of non-native fish species in channel;Increase native riparian vegetation in restored habitat;Contribute to the recovery of federal and state listed fish populations; and Contribute to the Central Valley Project Improvement Act doubling goal for the Feather, Yuba, and Bear Rivers. Questions that will be addressed in the feasibility study are:Up-to-date topographic and bathymetric LiDAR or similar, relative to project area or any other areas of influence. Characterization of the hydrodynamics that would facilitate floodplain activation. Characterization of the hydrodynamics that would facilitate floodplain activation. Prioritize updating physical habitat characterization.Focus on (potential) instream system parameters (longitudinal profiles, cross section installation and revisiting those, etc.). Using a drone to map area pre-project, as well as post project. Assess:Flood conveyance, flood storage and inundation frequency and duration; Fluvial geomorphic processes;Aquatic and riparian habitat;Project costs;Land availability;Sedimentation;Excavated materials and spoil placements; andInfrastructure (i.e. utility pipelines, roadway bridge abutments).Pre-project assessments: This would include assessing hydrology and water quality, as well as biologic monitoring cataloging insect, bird, and other current animal habitat necessary to understand what the area is currently providing and serve as a baseline for assessing post project performance after implementation. Monitoring and evaluation are essential to determine whether restoration projects are implemented correctly and performing as expected so that we achieve the intended benefits. Wildlife Habitat Area Management Objectives: Current acreage of upland habitat shall not be decreased. Must not fragment current available upland habitat.Any side channels created would require a crossing for wildlife and staff to facilitate bird plants. Species of interest include quail, deer, turkey, pheasant, and multiple waterfowl. No restoration activity shall reduce the various hunting opportunities offered by CDFW on the Nelson Slough Unit (i.e., deer hunt season, waterfowl hunt season, quail hunt season, turkey fall hunt season, turkey spring hunt season, and pheasant hunt season). Awardee will coordinate closely with CDFW wildlife area staff to develop alternatives that do not impact these opportunities for the public. Considerations:Consider restoration design and implementation timing with DWR and Sutter County to complement their future levee improvement work at the Nelson Slough Unit and the surrounding reach of the Feather River and Sutter Bypass as described in the Riparian Restoration Plan for the Nelson Slough Unit (2009 River Partners) Department PriortiesThe mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Fish and Aquatic Conservation is an integral program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and supports the mission by working with partners to achieve benefits for aquatic species and their habitats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plays a key role in addressing the challenges identified in the Biden-Harris administrations priorities. https://www.fws.gov/initiative/directors-priorities Rebuilding the economy;Tackling climate change;Developing a wildlife conservation strategy for the 21st century;Combating Wildlife Trafficking.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is offering a grant ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to municipalities in New York for the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and installation of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fuel filling stations, with a total of $750,000 available in the seventh round of the Municipal ZEV Rebate Program.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to water and power authorities, as well as nonprofit conservation organizations in the western U.S., to implement projects that enhance water efficiency, promote renewable energy, and improve sustainability in response to water scarcity and climate challenges.

The "USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act Forest Landowner Support: Landowner Payment Programs for Carbon Stewardship Practices" grant provides financial support to private forest landowners for implementing practices that significantly increase carbon sequestration and storage.

The United States Department of the Interior (Department), Bureau of Reclamations (Reclamation) Desalination and Water Purification Research Program (DWPR) works with Reclamation researchers and partners to develop innovative, cost-effective, and technologically efficient ways to desalinate and treat water. DWPR funding plays a critical role in iterating an idea from the lab to a real-world demonstration, yielding products that serve the water treatment community and attract commercialization interest. Reclamation is interested in research where the benefits are widespread but where private-sector entities are not able to make the full investment and assume all the risks. Reclamation is also interested in research that has a national significancewhere the issues are of large-scale concern and the benefits accrue to a large sector of the public. The goal of the DWPR program is to address the need to reduce the costs, energy requirements, and environmental impacts of treating impaired and unusable water. The program also aligns with Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, by investing in development and application of advanced water treatment technologies that expand access to otherwise unusable water resources, thereby increasing water supply flexibility under the risks of long-term climate change and shorter-term drought. For further information on the DWPR Program, see www.usbr.gov/research/dwpr.

Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management Arizona Threatened and Endangered Species Program. Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m., MDT, on the listed application due dates. Applications will be reviewed, rated, ranked and selected by the following rounds: Open from February 16, 2024, through May 17, 2024 Round One – Applications Due: April 15, 2024, 5:00 PM MDT. Round Two – Applications Due: May 17, 2024, 5:00 PM MDT. Applications must be submitted in English.Extensions to NOFO close dates will be unallowed, except in extenuating circumstances.

The BLM Arizona Cultural Heritage Partnership Program (CHPP) supports projects advancing the Department of Interior's priorities, including addressing the climate crisis, restoring balance on public lands, advancing environmental justice, and investing in a clean energy future. Projects should focus on public archaeology education, the development of educational programs, repatriation of Native American remains, and cultural resource inventory. Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, non-profits, state and local governments, and Indian tribal governments. The program aims to support projects that use science, data, and traditional knowledge to enhance economic opportunities for communities of color, low-income families, and rural and indigenous communities.

This program provides financial assistance to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies in Connecticut for acquiring land designated as open space or vital for water supply.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects aimed at reducing wildfire risks and enhancing community resilience in California, prioritizing disadvantaged communities and environmental benefits.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to non-profits, local and tribal governments, and businesses for projects that promote renewable wood energy and innovative wood products, particularly in underserved communities and areas with high unemployment.