Funding Opportunities
July 29, 2020
Dear Members, Partners and Friends:

The Native American Agriculture Fund Youth Request provides funding support to reach the needs of youth and younger Native farmers and ranchers. 

The Native American Business Development Institute is soliciting proposals from Tribes for technical assistance funding to hire consultants to perform feasibility studies.

Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is accepting applications to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat.

The Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs has extended its deadline for funding for energy technology on tribal lands.

The Department of the Interior's Tribal Energy Development Capacity Program is seeking proposals to develop Tribal management, organizational and technical capacity.

USDA is providing additional support through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to farmers and ranchers directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Centers of Community Prosperity has funding for projects that provide outreach, education and training in agriculture, conservation, agribusiness, and forestry.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service has competitive grant funds for cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas.
Native American Agriculture Fund 2020 Youth Request for Applications

Deadline: September 15, 2020
The 2020 Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) Youth Request for Applications is open until September 30. NAAF provides funding support to reach the needs of Youth and younger Native farmers and ranchers.

The Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) was created from funds attributable to the settlement of the Keepseagle v. Vilsack litigation. A history of the litigation can be found on the NAAF website at NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org/history/.

The budget request maximum is $50,000. Project lengths can be up to 2 years.

 For More Information
Visit the NAAF website at NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org/grants. Contact NAAF by emailing grants@NativeAmericanAgricultureFund.org or by calling (479) 445-6226.
DOI Native American Business Development Institute Grant

Deadline: September 15, 2020
The Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), through its Native American Business Development Institute (NABDI), is soliciting proposals from Tribes for technical assistance funding to hire consultants to perform feasibility studies of economic development opportunities located in designated Opportunity Zones .

Grants are intended to fund applicants to obtain qualified guidance on how the development projects, businesses or technologies they propose can attract investments from an Opportunity Fund. Consultants may include universities and colleges, private consulting firms, non-academic/non-profit entities or others. IEED anticipates awards of approximately twenty to twenty-five grants ranging from approximately $25,000 to $75,000.

 For More Information
Contact James R. West, Native American Business Development Institute Manager, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, Room 6049-B, 12220 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Virginia 20191 at (202) 595-4766 or  jamesr.west@bia.gov .
Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program Accepting Proposals

Deadlines: September 30, 2020
Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , Division of Natural Resources and Conservation Planning operates the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program. PFW Program regional and field staff work with partners to identify habitat conservation priorities and delineate geographic focus areas in their Regional strategic plans.

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife program provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. Many PFW projects support tribal operations ensuring sovereignty means something.

Program priorities include restoring trust with local communities; modernizing infrastructure and fencing projects; hunting and fishing, including habitat preservation to support robust populations of wildlife for recreational use by the American public; the National Wildlife Refuge System, with a focus on conservation activities and projects on private lands near National Wildlife Refuge lands; and expanding priority habitats, reducing habitat fragmentation, establishing conservation buffers and providing wildlife movement corridors that result in self-sustaining systems. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through September 30, 2020.

For More Information
Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from the PFW Program are requested to consult with the Regional PFW Program office BEFORE developing or submitting an application.
Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs Energy Funding Deadline Extended

Deadline: August 27, 2020
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs announced up to $15 million in new funding for energy technology on tribal lands to stabilize or reduce energy costs and increase energy security and resiliency for Indian Tribes and tribal members.

DOE is soliciting applications to install energy technology on tribal lands. Projects can:

  • Install energy generating systems and energy efficiency measures for tribal buildings;
  • Deploy community-scale energy generating systems or energy storage on tribal lands;
  • Install integrated energy systems for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single facility or multiple essential tribal facilities during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience; or
  • Deploy energy infrastructure or integrated energy systems to electrify tribal buildings.

The intended results of the cost shared projects are to stabilize or reduce energy costs and increase energy security and resiliency for Indian Tribes and tribal members. In addition to the extended deadline, the cost share requirement has been adjusted.

 For More Information
For more information, please visit the . For general information or inquiries, please contact OIEPP 's help desk at indianenergy@hq.doe.gov . OIEPP accepts applications for technical assistance at an ongoing basis, to apply contact ie-ta@hq.doe.gov .
DOI Tribal Energy Development Capacity Grant Program Accepting Proposals

Deadline: September 1, 2020
The Department of the Interior's Division of Energy and Mineral Development Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), is soliciting grant proposals for it's Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) grant program.

The TEDC program seeks to develop the Tribal management, organizational and technical capacity needed to maximize the economic impact of energy resource development on American Indian and Native Alaskan land. The energy project(s) can be existing or planned, Tribally owned or privately owned. Capacity developing activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Establishment of organizational structure(s) and/or business entity structure(s) capable of engaging in commercial energy development or management activities, including leasing property, meeting lending requirements, entering into standard business contracts and forming joint venture partnerships;
  • Establishing Tribal business charters under Federal law; corporations formed under Federal, State or Tribal incorporation codes; and Tribal utility authorities under Federal, State or Tribal codes;
  • Development or enhancement of Tribal policies; enactment of Tribal regulations for leasing of surface land for energy development pursuant to the HEARTH Act; establishment of legal infrastructure for business formation; enactment of ordinances to regulate or develop energy resources and adoption of a secured transactions code or a memorandum of understanding, compact or letter of intent with the State to register liens attached pursuant to such a code. 

 For More Information
Visit the TEDC program webpage or contact Winter Jojola-Talburt at (720) 407-0668 or winter.jojola-talburt@bia.gov.
USDA Announces COVID Food Assistance Program for Farmers and Ranchers

Deadline: August 28, 2020
USDA is providing additional support through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to farmers and ranchers whose operations have been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. CFAP, provides financial assistance to producers of agricultural livestock and commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline or who had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 and face additional significant market costs. 

To be eligible for payments, a person or legal entity must have an average adjusted gross income of less than $900,000 for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018. However, if 75 percent of their adjusted gross income comes from farming, ranching or forestry, the AGI limit of $900,000 does not apply. There is a payment limitation of $250,000 per person or entity for all commodities combined. USDA is particularly interested in the obtaining information with respect to the following specific categories of agricultural commodities:

  • Nursery Products
  • Aquaculture Products
  • Cut Flowers

For More Information
Producers should apply through their local Farm Service Agency Service Center . A CFAP Call Center is available for one-on-one support, call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee. 
USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement Community Prosperity Funding

Deadline: August 24, 2020
The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement Centers of Community Prosperity is designed to assist persistent poverty communities with limited resource, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers to strategically address community challenges.

The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement develops and maintains partnerships focused on solutions to challenges facing rural and underserved communities and connects those communities to the education, tools and resources available to them through USDA programs and initiatives.

Funded projects would provide technical assistance to assist farmers and ranchers in establishing a local working leaders group, identifying issues, challenges and assets, prepare a plan of action and identify resources and means to address and accomplish results through available programmatic services and opportunities.

Community-based and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education and tribal entities may compete on projects that provide outreach, education and training in agriculture, conservation, agribusiness, and forestry, with a focus on economic and workforce development, innovation and technology, and quality of life through food and agriculture.
 
For More Information
USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, Jacqueline Davis-Slay, Deputy Director, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 520-A, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250 at (202) 720-6350, Fax (202) 720-7704 or   CommunityProsperity@usda.gov .
USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service  Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grants Available  

Deadline: August 10, 2020
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces the availability of $3,000,000 in competitive grant funds for the FY 2020 Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) program through cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers. Grants must be used to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Examples of technical assistance are:

  • feasibility studies,
  • business plans,
  • strategic planning, and
  • leadership training.

This program supports Rural Development’s mission of improving the quality of life for rural Americans and commitment to directing resources to those who most need them.

For More Information
If you have questions, you can contact your  nearest Rural Development office .

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