Federal Natural Resources Grants

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is the first in an anticipated series of Landowner Support for Forest Resilience NOFOs. Landowner Support for Forest Resilience is currently funded by four Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provisions (Public Law No: 117-169. Subtitle D, Sec. 23002(a) (1 ), (2), (3), and (4)), which encompass cost share and payment incentives for forestry practices and support participation of underserved landowners and small-acreage landowners (owning less than 2,500 acres) in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience. Landowner Support for Forest Resilience falls under the USDA Forest Service's existing Landscape Scale Restoration Program, as authorized under Section 13A of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a). This program advances the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative. Established by Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the Justice40 Initiative has made it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments, such as climate, clean energy, and other areas, flow to disadvantaged communities. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) solicits proposals for two IRA provisions: Subtitle D, Sec. 23002 (a)(2) and Subtitle D, Sec. 23002 (a)(3). These provisions provide the USDA Forest Service with funding to:Support the participation of underserved forest landowners in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.Support the participation of forest landowners who own less than 2,500 acres of forest land in emerging private markets for climate mitigation or forest resilience.

This funding opportunity is designed for research partners focused on developing care and propagation techniques for soft corals affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, supporting coral restoration efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to federally recognized Indian Tribes in the western U.S. to address immediate drought challenges and improve water resource management.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local water agencies for large-scale water recycling projects that aim to create sustainable and drought-resistant water supplies in the Western United States.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for nonprofit organizations to engage youth in hands-on conservation work and training in the Dworshak Project area, promoting environmental stewardship and job skills development.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofits to implement projects that improve rangeland health and resilience against climate change across multiple states.

This funding opportunity is designed for research institutions affiliated with the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit to study vegetation health and water use in the Lower Colorado River's riparian areas using remote sensing technologies.

This grant provides funding for research institutions to study the endangered Everglade snail kite's demographics, movement, and habitat in relation to water management practices in Florida's Everglades ecosystem.

This grant provides funding to state natural resource agencies in the Great Lakes Basin to implement strategies for preventing and managing aquatic invasive species.

This funding opportunity supports projects that preserve cultural and paleontological resources on federal lands in New Mexico, targeting state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for state and local governments, educational institutions, nonprofits, and tribal organizations to advance plant conservation and restoration projects in Colorado, focusing on biodiversity and climate resilience.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations involved in the rescue and care of sick or injured marine mammals, as well as those responding to stranding events and conducting related scientific research.

The Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) fosters partnerships with states, counties, and Indian tribes for planning and executing forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration. GNA allows treating infested trees, reducing hazardous fuels, and other activities benefiting forest health GNA supports diverse projects for land and habitat resilience, such as treating noxious weeds and invasive species, fuels management, community assistance, forest and rangeland restoration, wildlife habitat connectivity, NEPA compliance, riparian restoration, and targeted grazing. These activities, spanning multiple ownerships, leverage cooperation and funds for effective implementation, enhancing overall ecological outcomes.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations and communities for projects that interpret and educate the public about the Nation's history, particularly focusing on the perspectives of historically marginalized groups, while promoting cultural awareness and heritage preservation.

Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Section 5135, FEMA will provide grants to capitalize revolving loan funds which may be used to provide loans to finance various types of hazard mitigation projects to reduce risks from natural hazards and disasters. Through the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund (Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF)program, eligible entities (refer to Section C.1) will use these capitalization grants to establish a revolving loan fund (referred to herein as an entity loan fund) from which they will provide direct loans to local governments for projects and activities that mitigate the impacts of drought, intense heat, severe storms (including hurricanes, tornadoes, windstorms, cyclones, and severe winter storms), wildfires, floods, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. Eligible activities may include the construction or modification of natural or built infrastructure to increase resilience and reduce risk of harm. Entity loan funds will be programmatically and financially administered by the respective entity. FEMA will monitor the administration of the entity loan funds during the period of performance per the reporting requirements, and will continue to monitor administration of the entity loan funds after the capitalization grant closeout via biennial audits and post-closeout reporting. Under 42 U.S.C. ? 5135(h)(3)(C), FEMA may make recommendations for or require specific changes as needed to improve the effectiveness of the funds. Funding for the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program is limited. Pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), FEMA must award funding through multiple Notices of Funding Opportunity over a 5-year period. The Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program aligns with the goal of promoting resilience and adaptation in light of current risks, including those posed by climate change, and the 2020-2024 DHS Strategic Plan (https://www.dhs.gov/publication/department-homeland-securitys-strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2020-2024) through Goal 5: Strengthen Preparedness and Resilience. Specifically, Objective 5.1: Build a National Culture of Preparedness has several sub-objectives that the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program supports. The Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program serves primarily to bolster Sub-Objective 5.1.1: Incentivize investments that reduce risk and increase pre-disaster mitigation, including expanding the use of insurance to manage risk through funding hazard mitigation projects, particularly ones that reduce risk to infrastructure. By focusing on increasing resilience and reducing harm to built infrastructure, this program will help members of underserved communities,1 who might be at heightened risk as a result of current hazards, including those associated with climate change. The Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program complements and supplements FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant portfolio to support mitigation projects at the local government level and increase the Nation's resilience to natural hazards and climate change. Entity loan funds can be leveraged differently than other funding opportunities to meet unique funding needs. This program will support entity-led hazard mitigation priorities and allow participating entities to meet their funding needs as described in the entity's Intended Use Plan (see Section D.10.b). Such needs may include but are not limited to: meeting non-Federal cost-share requirements for other grants, upfront project design costs, smaller projects that may not qualify for other HMA grant programs, or projects that do not meet the cost-effectiveness requirements applicable for other programs.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to various organizations in Wyoming to enhance outdoor recreation access, promote environmental stewardship, and ensure equitable opportunities for underserved communities.

This funding opportunity is designed for organizations in specific CESU regions to assist the U.S. Army in managing and rehabilitating training lands at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, while promoting environmental sustainability and military readiness.

Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island (SCI) is designated as an Area of Special Biological Significance and under Executive Order 13158, all Areas of Special Biological Significance were deemed National Marine Protected Areas. The Marine Life Protection Act Amendments of 2004 required the effectiveness of all National Marine Protected Areas, California State Marine Protected Areas, and Areas of Special Biological Significance to be reevaluated to design new Marine Protected Areas that together function as a statewide network. The 1999 and 2004 amendments of the Marine Life Protection Act (Chapter 10.5 of the California Fish and Game Code, 2850-2863) directed the state to reevaluate and redesign Californias system of Marine Protected Areas and requires monitoring of those Marine Protected Areas. All of the Channel Islands, including SCI, were considered for designation of Marine Protected Areas. In 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) established permanent safety zones (Federal Register Vol. 75, No. 97) off the shore of SCI in order to conduct training essential to successfully accomplishing U.S. Navy missions relating to military operations and national security. The safety zones are intended to protect the public from hazardous, live-fire, and testing operations, and to ensure operations proceed as scheduled. With the establishment of safety zones, the Navy withdrew such areas from unrestricted public use in favor of utilizing these areas for military training. To achieve compliance with the SCI Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan (INRMP), Executive Order 13158, and to avoid designation of a state Marine Protected Area, the SCI INRMP boundary was extended to align with the safety zone boundaries established by USCG. As agreed with the State and the INRMP, these safety zones act as defacto Marine Protected Areas and are monitored similarly to the South Coast Marine Protected Areas. In 2012/2013, baseline Remotely Operated Vehicle surveys and bathymetric mapping efforts were conducted at SCI to support safety zone monitoring. The work under this proposed Cooperative Agreement will build on the baseline 2012/2013 Remotely Operated Vehicle surveys and 2019/2020 continued long-term monitoring efforts to continue to evaluate changes to fishes and invertebrates inside and outside no-take safety zones. The objective of this project is to continue long-term monitoring of fishes and invertebrates in order to evaluate the ecological changes within the SCI safety zones with a focus on evaluating differences between the no-take safety zones and those that are open to fishing consistent with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Protected Area Monitoring Action Plan (California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Ocean Protection Council, 2018; https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/MPAs/Management/Monitoring/Action-Plan). Brief Description of the Anticipated Work: This Cooperative Agreement includes three Base Tasks. The first base task is to conduct subtidal, imagery-based habitat surveys for fishes and selected invertebrates based on species observed in 2024/2025. The second base task is to conduct spatial analyses (including, but not limited to, habitat suitability models) on the fish and invertebrate data combined with existing bathymetric maps of the seafloor. The third base task is to develop a preliminary report with a summary of the surveys. The specific requirements for each Base Task are described below. 1. Survey Subtidal Habitat for Demersal Fishes and Invertebrates: The Recipient shall conduct imagery-based subtidal surveys for fishes and selected invertebrates with protocols approved by the Cooperative Agreement Technical Representative (CATR). Surveys shall focus on, but are not limited to, species identified in the 2012 2015 and 2019/2020 Remotely Operated Vehicle surveys and to the best extent practicable sample at previously surveyed sites. The Recipient shall be responsible for scheduling and coordinating field activities such as surveying with the CATR, and other necessary island personnel. The Recipient shall be responsible for providing information necessary to obtain security passes for all personnel and vehicles requiring access to the Navy installations at least one month prior to surveys. The Recipient shall submit the information necessary to obtain the security passes at least one month in advance of initial access. The CATR will assist in obtaining the security passes. 2. Conduct Comprehensive Spatial Analyses of Patterns in the Distribution of Demersal Fishes and Invertebrates: The Recipient shall conduct comprehensive spatial analyses of imagery-derived data, combined with habitat classification maps of the subtidal environment. Analyses shall be conducted using the current best practices and the appropriate software for such analyses. 3. Draft and Final Technical Report: The draft and final preliminary report shall be submitted in accordance with Section J. Submittals and Schedules. The report shall be in scientific format and include the following: 1) Title page showing title, date, cooperative agreement number, Pacific Fleet Representative and Cooperative Agreement Technical Representative contact information; 2) Sub-title page showing title, prepared by and for listings, date and recommended citation; 3) Table of contents; 4) Abstract or Executive Summary; 5) Introduction; 6) Methods; 7) Results; 8) Discussion; 9) Conclusions (to include synthesis with previous work and recommendations for future study); 10) Legible copies of the field notes, data forms and other information. Please see enclosure 1 for full scope of work and enclosure 2 for applicable terms and conditions.

This grant provides funding to U.S.-based marine mammal rescue organizations to support the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of stranded marine mammals, while enhancing their operational capacity and training.

The USDA Forest Service’s funding opportunity, "Recreation Sites and Visitor Services: Creating Quality Recreation Experiences," aims to cultivate partnerships to improve recreation opportunities on National Forest System lands. This Outreach of Interest (OOI) is not a traditional grant program but serves as a mechanism to engage potential partners in identifying collaborative projects. It seeks to generate ideas for programs or initiatives that address recreation needs, enhance visitor experiences, and support infrastructure improvements. By fostering partnerships, the USDA Forest Service aims to build capacity, improve recreational offerings, and ensure the long-term stewardship of public lands. The primary goal of this initiative is to create and maintain high-quality recreational experiences. This includes addressing the increased demand for outdoor recreation, enhancing access to public lands, improving safety, and maintaining or upgrading the extensive infrastructure on National Forest System lands. The USDA Forest Service manages 160,000 miles of trails, 10,000 developed recreation sites, and 196 million acres of forest and grasslands, which are visited by millions annually. Partnerships are vital for meeting growing recreational demands, maintaining infrastructure, and engaging communities in conservation and stewardship. This funding opportunity does not specify a monetary award ceiling or floor, as its primary purpose is to explore project ideas rather than allocate direct funding. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities, such as for-profit and non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, federal, state, local, and Native American tribal governments, and other public entities like school districts and conservation districts. The USDA Forest Service values collaborations that address shared goals and create opportunities for community engagement, job training, conservation education, and improved access to public lands. Applications should outline ideas for programs or projects that align with the USDA Forest Service’s objectives. Potential projects might involve enhancing infrastructure resiliency to weather events, improving access for activities like hunting or fishing, or increasing the capacity of recreational sites to serve visitors. Submitted proposals should demonstrate how partnerships will help address the challenges of maintaining high visitor standards while accommodating growing demand. Applicants are encouraged to innovate and propose solutions that foster long-term sustainability and stewardship. Submissions must follow specific guidelines outlined in the "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document. Applicants should save their forms under a new name before uploading them to ensure proper submission. While this OOI does not include specific funding terms, successful partnerships could lead to future agreements or collaborative initiatives under the USDA Forest Service’s legislative authority. The application period closes on **January 23, 2025**, with an original deadline extension previously set for February 7, 2025. Interested parties should ensure their proposals are submitted promptly and in compliance with submission requirements. For additional information or assistance, applicants can contact Robin Taylor-Davenport from the Outreach and Partnership Engagement Branch. This opportunity provides a platform for diverse entities to collaborate with the USDA Forest Service in supporting outdoor recreation. Through innovative partnerships, it aims to enhance the recreational experience for millions of visitors while promoting sustainable land stewardship and community involvement.