Nearly $10 million of funding and technical assistance is available for state, local, and tribal governments from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the National Endowment for the Arts, the Forest Service, Wells Fargo and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and Georgetown University that can be used to support climate and energy initiatives, including sustainable communities, community forests, and energy efficiency. For full eligibility and application details, please visit the links provided below.
In addition, please visit the calendar of 2013 EPA grant opportunities that may be of particular interest to communities.
Bureau of Indian Affairs 2013 Tribal Climate Change Adaptation Grant Program – $600,000
Application Due: November 29, 2013
Eligible Entities: Federally Recognized Tribes and inter-tribal organizations
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has made available competitive grants for tribal adaptation, training, and tribal travel support to participate in technical training, workshops, forums, and cooperatives. Grants in the following categories will be considered for funding: Category I) Design a series of tribal workshops to support tribal leaders/climate change coordinators/planners to gain the skills needed to guide a tribal government level climate adaptation plan; Category II) Development of tribal government climate adaptation plans, vulnerability assessments, or data analysis that supports multiple tribes. Category III) Travel support to attend technical workshops or to participate in cooperative climate change adaptation efforts.
For more information, visit the request for proposals.
Corporation for National and Community Service’s AmeriCorps State and National Grants – Total funding available TBD
Notice of Intent Due: December 11, 2013
Application Due: January 8, 2014
Eligible Entities: Government entities within states or territories; Tribes; public or private nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; labor organizations; partnerships and consortia
The AmeriCorps State and National Grants provide funding to engage AmeriCorps members in service interventions strengthen communities. Focus areas for the grants include: Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Healthy Futures, and Veterans and Military Families. Grants may be used to provide support for direct services that contribute to increased energy and water efficiency, renewable energy use, or improving at-risk ecosystems.
For more information, visit the AmeriCorps Grants webpage.
Wells Fargo and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Environmental Solutions for Communities
Grants Program – Grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 each
Application Due: December 16, 2013
Eligible Entities: State, tribal, and local governments; educational institutions; and non-profit 501(c) organizations
Wells Fargo and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation seek to promote sustainable communities through Environmental Solutions for Communities by supporting highly-visible projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. Funding priorities include ‘greening’ traditional infrastructure and public projects such as storm water management and flood control, urban forestry, and education and training of community leaders on sustainable practices.
For more information, visit the request for proposals.
National Endowment for the Arts FY 2014 Our Town Initiative – Grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 each
Application Due: January 13, 2014
Eligible Entities: All applications must involve two primary partners: a local government entity and a nonprofit organization. Local governments include counties, parishes, cities, towns, villages, or federally recognized tribal governments. Local arts agencies or other departments, agencies, or entities within an eligible local government may submit the application on behalf of that local government.
The National Endowment for the Arts will provide a limited number of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $200,000, for creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. The Our Town initiative will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to improve their quality of life, foster stronger community identity and a sense of place, and revitalize economic development.
For more information, visit the grant opportunity webpage.
The Forest Service’s Community Forest and Open Space Program – $4 million
Application Due: January 15, 2014
Eligible Entities: Local governments, federally recognized tribes and Alaskan Native Corporations, and non-profits who are eligible to hold title to land for conservation purposes.
The Community Forest Program is a grant program that authorizes the Forest Service to provide financial assistance to establish community forests that provide continuing and accessible community benefits. Community forests provide many benefits such as protection of habitat, water quality, and other environmental benefits, and they can provide economic benefits through timber resources. Community Forests have also long been sites for environmental and cultural education.
For more information, visit the opportunity synopsis.
Georgetown University Energy Prize –$5 million
Letters of Intent Due: February 2014
Eligible Entities: For this competition, a “community” is defined geographically by the limits of a municipality – a town, city, or county that has corporate status and local government. All small to medium municipalities in the U.S.A. with populations between 5,000 and 250,000 are eligible to apply.
The Georgetown University Energy Prize is a competition in which communities will be challenged to work together with their local governments and utilities in order to develop and begin implementing plans for innovative, replicable, scalable, and continual reductions in the per capita energy consumed from local natural gas and electric utilities. Participating communities will be asked to develop a long-term energy efficiency plan and to demonstrate initial effectiveness and sustainability over a two-year period. Participating communities will benefit from access to various resources and the winning community will receive $5 million, which will help to support their continuing community-based energy efficiency efforts. Interested communities are encouraged to submit a non-binding letter of intent as soon as possible.
For more information, visit the energy prize website.